World version update

Chapter 269 The God of Steam and the Mysterious Mist

The Kingdom of Victoria, with its capital at Orange.

Lu Yan was dressed in a well-tailored dark swallowtail coat with an exquisite silk bow tie at the collar, and the sleeves and collar edges were decorated with delicate embroidery.

He held an ebony cane in his hand, topped with a gleaming silver lion's head. His high leather boots made a soft clattering sound on the cobblestone path.

Walking through the morning mist thick with coal smoke, surrounded by red-brick buildings with pointed chimneys constantly belching out thick black smoke. Along the roadside, the gas streetlights were still lit, their dim yellow light piercing through the gray fog and illuminating his figure.

The sound of factory whistles pierced the dawn in the distance, and the wheels of horse-drawn carriages rolled over the wet stone road, mingling with the hurried footsteps of workers.

Occasionally, passing workers would cast curious glances at Lu Yan, wondering whether this well-dressed gentleman was the owner of a factory or an important figure from above.

Lu Yan simply watched everything quietly, taking in the scene before him.

A day has passed since the version update was launched.

A day ago, when Lu Yan descended upon the mysterious version, he brought with him a fleeting moment of the Second Dao Rank.

Although the Daoist figure quickly dissipated the next day, it was still captured by the mysterious version of the Church of the Seven Gods, and thus regarded as the true god who had descended to this world.

With Lu Yan's arrival came a massive amount of divination and deduction.

These divination and deduction techniques are of extremely high caliber, at least comparable to the level of a Nascent Soul cultivator. At certain special junctures, Lu Yan even sensed the aura of a unique being in this world.

Those righteous churches and evil sects used the power of the mysterious true god behind them to trace the origins and try to divine information about Lu Yan.

Left with no other choice, Lu Yan could only use his influence to guide all the information anchors toward the second day of the Great Transmigration version, and left behind his true name in Fengdu.

Lu Yan himself, by manipulating the evolution of creation and the profound truth, successfully hid in Orank, the capital of the Victoria Kingdom.

While this move successfully resolved some problems, it also left some hidden dangers.

If Lu Yan were to exert all his strength in the future, causing the profound and true meaning of the creation to become ineffective, those divinations and rituals might still be able to pinpoint Lu Yan himself.

This made Lu Yan hesitant to use his full strength, as he was afraid of harming the innocent.

"However, if these divinations and rituals are used properly, they may not necessarily be a bad thing."

Lu Yan pondered to himself.

The number of workers on the surrounding streets gradually increased, and men and women in faded work clothes poured out from alleys, their shoulders drooping and their faces tired.

The once-silent factories began to roar with activity, as huge chimneys spewed thick black smoke, and the sounds of iron wheels colliding with gears mingled with the hiss of steam, echoing in the morning air.

At the same time, some unusual figures appeared on the streets. These people were mostly tall and fierce-looking, with broad shoulders supporting black woolen coats and wearing uniform black shirts, with a corner of a red handkerchief peeking out of their breast pockets.

They stood in twos and threes on the street corner, their thick arms revealing menacing tattoos, their piercing eyes scanning the workers on the street.

Upon seeing these people, the workers' faces immediately turned pale. They cursed their bad luck inwardly, then hurriedly passed by with their heads down, taking advantage of the thick morning fog, or turned into alleys and fled as fast as they could. Fear flashed in their eyes, but also a helpless resignation.

However, some unlucky workers were unable to dodge in time and were grabbed by the collar and roughly dragged to a corner. A thin young man with freckles was surrounded by two men in black, followed by a threatening interrogation.

“Little Wood, why did you run when you saw me?” The man in black bared his yellow teeth, glaring menacingly at the young worker, and jabbed him hard in the chest with his finger. “I remember you haven’t paid your protection money for two months!”

Another man in black pulled out a booklet, his rough fingers turning the greasy pages. "Old York, are you trying to avoid paying protection money today?" His voice was like the scraping of rusty iron.

"The boss said we have to settle the debt today, or I don't know what will happen to you."

Before he could finish speaking, he made a throat-slitting gesture, which turned the worker known as Old York pale. He trembled as he tried to explain something, frantically pulling out a few coins from his pocket.

The boy, who looked like he was still a minor, had a face stained with the colors of malnutrition, and his body was so thin that it seemed as if only bones supported his flesh.

He looked at the man in black, his face full of pleading, and said:

"Brother Booker, could you... could you give me another two months?"

My sister got sick and was kicked out of the textile factory by the owner, who didn't even pay her wages.

I asked my boss for two months' salary in advance to pay for her medical treatment, and now I really have no money left.

The man in black, referred to as Booker, frowned upon hearing this and questioned sharply:
"Are you lying to me?"

"How could this be!" Little Wood exclaimed, trembling. "How could I dare to lie to Brother Booker?"

"Who doesn't know that your boss is a real tightwad, George, who would give you an advance on your salary?"

Booker grabbed Wood by the collar with a hostile look and lifted him up in mid-air like a chick.

Little Wood didn't even dare to struggle, and could only say urgently:
“I took my sister to the Darklights Clinic for treatment, and it was Mr. George who paid for it for me.”

And knowing in advance that my salary would incur interest payments to Boss George, I now have to work an extra four hours every day just to offset the interest payments.

Upon hearing this, Booker looked at Little Wood with a hint of pity and threw him to the ground.

"Fool, the Blacklight Clinic is run by George's son."

That idiot dropped out of college after less than a year because he was lazy and incompetent. Later, with George's help, he opened a dark clinic.

His offer to advance your treatment costs is nothing more than money being transferred from one pocket to another.

If nothing unexpected happens, has your sister's condition not improved?

Little Wood nodded.

"The reason is quite simple. George's son doesn't know how to treat illnesses at all, so George just found an excuse to deduct two months' wages from your pay and make you work overtime for free."

Little Wood looked dazed, his face filled with disbelief.

Seeing this, Booker reached out and patted Little Wood's face, saying, "Alright, I'll tell you the truth so you can die knowing the truth, but the protection fee can't be less than a penny."

"Whether you're asking Old George for your wages or selling your sick sister, you still have to pay back the protection money for these two months."

"Fewer and fewer people are paying protection money lately. If you can't make up the difference, we'll use you to establish our authority."

The surrounding workers looked at Little Wood, who was slumped on the ground, with a hint of pity in their eyes.

As fellow workers, they knew very well that Little Wood had no hope of getting his wages back.

Even if the seriously ill sister were sold to prostitutes, no boss would buy her, because who knows if she has any infectious diseases.
Little Wood's ultimate fate will only be to become a tool for the gang to establish its authority.

The gangs in the industrial area have a long history. They are not qualified to extort the protected big capitalists, so they can only leech off the workers.

The workers' wages were barely enough to make ends meet, and if they were charged protection money, they could only grit their teeth and go hungry for several days.

Fortunately, these gangs are selective in their workers selection; they don't target large groups of factory workers, and they won't drive workers to despair if they have siblings. However, small workers like Little Wood, who only have a seriously ill sister, are seen as long-term targets for exploitation, and even if they die one day, no one will bribe the police to investigate.

As more and more people gathered around, Little Wood trembled and felt cold all over, his despair growing with each passing moment.

“I was raised by my older sister since I was little. I just wanted to use my earnings to pay for her medical treatment. Why did it turn out like this?”

Little Wood questioned the crowd around him, but no one responded.

Behind him, Booker had already taken out a folding knife that gleamed coldly from his pocket.

Just then, the crowd parted to make way for a gentleman in a suit who walked slowly forward.

Holding a silver cane, he possessed an elegant demeanor and extraordinary bearing, standing out starkly against the backdrop of the hazy, gray environment and the simply dressed workers.

The visitor was none other than Lu Yan.

Booker looked Lu Yan up and down, a hint of fear in his eyes.

But after secretly observing and confirming that Lu Yan did not bear any noble insignia, the fear in Booker's eyes lessened somewhat, and he respectfully addressed Lu Yan:

"Your Excellency, sir..."

Before Booker could finish speaking, a glittering gold coin popped out of Lu Yan's hand.

"I paid the protection money for him."

Booker's face lit up with surprise, and he grabbed the gold coin.

Looking at the gleaming golden eagle relief above, Booker smiled and kicked Little Wood, who was slumped on the ground.

“Fool, you should thank yourself for meeting such a generous gentleman.”

Little Wood looked dazed, seemingly still reeling from his near-death experience. After a long while, he suddenly realized what was happening and thanked Lu Yan.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Lu Yan ignored Little Wood's reaction and simply asked Booker:

"Are you from the Black Clothes Gang? I'm looking for your boss; I want to make a deal with him."

Just as Booker showed a hint of difficulty, he saw Lu Yan flick out another gold coin with his finger.

"I'm sure the boss would be willing to do business with a generous gentleman like you!"

As he spoke, Booker put away the gold coins and led the way for Lu Yan, leaving only the bewildered workers behind him.

The Black-Clad Gang leader, Dai Yin, is one of the most legendary figures in the industrial area.

Five years ago, Sain single-handedly took down a gang of over a hundred people, and then single-handedly established the Black Clothes Gang, with thousands of men under his command managing protection money for a fifth of the industrial zone.

Rumors circulate that Sain possesses superhuman strength, and even the police are in awe of the Black Gang.

Today, in the reception hall of the Black Clothes Gang's headquarters, Sain, known as a gang legend, transformed into a terrifying monster, half-human and half-wolf.

However, the monster was now kneeling on the ground, its mouth agape and its expression blank, as if its soul had been ripped away.

Before him, Lu Yan slowly withdrew his right hand, sorting through the information he had compiled from Saiyin's memories.

The Kingdom of Victoria is not known for its extraordinary abilities; only the official authorities and the Church of the Righteous God have left some traces. Lu Yan only learned about Sai Yin, a suspected extraordinary individual, after making inquiries from various sources.

Lu Yan's appearance in the workers' district was merely an attempt to find Sain through the Black-Clad Gang and learn some information about the mysterious version of the supernatural.

Lu Yan originally planned to use relatively gentle methods, but after entering the Black-Clad Gang's territory, he saw some unclean things, which made him change his approach.

Based on Sai's memories, Lu Yan now has a general understanding of the entire mysterious version.

The entire mysterious version is set around the 18th century, a period familiar to Lu Yan, a time of coexistence of the Industrial Revolution and overseas colonization.

On the surface, the entire Mysterious Version is ruled by seven great powers, with numerous small and medium-sized countries serving as their vassal states. However, in reality, the seven major righteous churches firmly control the entire Mysterious Version.

The seven major orthodox churches are the core of the nation. The reason there are seven great nations is because there are only seven orthodox churches.

In the past tens of thousands of years of history, secular divine authority far exceeded royal authority, and even when a king ascended the throne, he needed the approval of the Pope.

However, as the true God behind the church has fallen into slumber in recent years, the entire mysterious version of the situation has begun to change.

Although the church still holds the most powerful force, it is ultimately unable to maintain the absolute suppression that it had when the true God was alive, and the minds of the kingdom's upper-class nobles are restless.

Furthermore, the intervention of hidden evil cults and secret schools aimed at weakening the rule of the true god church.

Taking advantage of the loosening of church rule, they began to actively develop technology and expand overseas colonies, embarking on the path of industrialization.

The rapid development of industrialization and technology has threatened the rule of the church.

Secular forces are growing stronger, and the changes in lifestyle brought about by industrial development are causing people's beliefs to begin to waver.

The extraordinary powers of this world are ultimately unseen by ordinary people. How can the legends in religious texts and myths compare to the changes in productivity brought about by technological development?

In this situation, some of the orthodox churches that were more severely impacted had to make changes, beginning to add new priesthoods and authorities to their scriptures, and even altering the doctrines of the orthodox gods.

As the starting point of the Industrial Revolution, the Kingdom of Victoria's Orthodox Church went so far as to directly alter the oracle, changing the name of the creator god to the god of steam.

With the help of the powerful forces of Heaven, the Steam Church rose to become the number one church in terms of strength among the Seven Gods Churches.

Lu Yan slowly sat down on the sofa in the living room, gently tapping the armrest with his right hand as he fell into deep thought.

Sain was merely a werewolf of the Monster Path Sequence 7. Even though he knew some information about the extraordinary and the Church, most of it was hearsay, and his knowledge was extremely limited.

This information seemed normal to Sain, but to Lu Yan it was full of loopholes.

One of the most crucial issues is that the seven righteous gods, as the only beings in this world, have long transcended the versions and do not need any so-called faith to sustain themselves.

In this way, the changes in beliefs, doctrines, and taboos brought about by the development of the times seem somewhat ridiculous.

"Are these events merely laughable fodder for ignorant people to make wild guesses about the true God, or are they related to the fog of mystery that shrouds the entire version of the mystery?"

Lu Yan's gaze grew increasingly profound. Within the small world of the underworld, the stars seemed to revolve, and the future he was envisioning appeared to reveal a glimpse of the truth.

"This version is getting more and more interesting."

(End of this chapter)