Those time travelers that year

Certain that his memories hadn't been altered by some powerful being during that period, Xia Er immediately snapped back to reality! What was the pocket watch? Perhaps these guys who had come over could give him the answer. Instantly, Xia Er extended the mirror space he had created towards that direction, towards the location where the stream of light had arrived.

……

...

.

And at that very moment.

In the void beyond this world, a penguin with black fur, a white belly, and a red scarf around its neck, stared blankly with its adorable big eyes, sneaking around in a fragmented demiplane, and using one hand (wing) to raise a monocular telescope and look in that direction.

Not long after, he shoved the binoculars into some unknown corner, then yelled like he was killing a chicken, "Oh no! The newbie's hideout has been raided by those piracy smugglers..."

293. The Reincarnators Entering the Game

The dazed state didn't last long before clear thoughts returned to the minds of the five people lying on the ground. Old Wu and Old Wang were the first to wake up. Dressed in black trench coats and fully armed silver-white armor, the two jumped up the moment they regained consciousness and began to warily survey their surroundings.

Although the main god possesses a shield that is said to be invincible upon entry, it doesn't mean the members of the Reincarnation Squad can be idle and carefree. In fact, this shield is indeed invincible, but if they can't attack the reincarnators inside, can't they at least plant a whole basket of bombs around it?! Heaven knows how many veterans have been blown to bits by much weaker opponents in team battles because of this, or simply blasted to smithereens by a barrage of rockets and missiles the moment the shield dissipates.

Appropriate vigilance is still very necessary...

Next, the paladin codenamed "Sunlight" rose from the ground and immediately activated his defensive aura. Several auras flashed from his body: [Salvation], [Vitality], [Contempt], [Prayer], [Purification], and [Meditation]—six auras in total. While wielding the replica of the holy sword Edruin in one hand, he also retrieved a shield engraved with an angel's emblem—the [Shield of Heaven]—from his storage space, a staple for almost every reincarnator. (Whenever an allied unit experiences a morale boost, the enemy unit's morale decreases by 10 for the current turn.) He held it aloft in his left hand. With twelve flowing streaks of light behind him and his body radiating holy light, he looked every bit the divine warrior of heaven.

Subsequently, the team's ADC and AP also got up from the ground. The ADC, who used a bow and arrow, took the longbow from his back and nocked a special arrow. The AP, who was enhanced by Vengeful Flames and also worked as an alchemist, directly set up a transmutation circle on the ground. If there was anything that reincarnators had over natives, it was undoubtedly their multifaceted and multi-system enhancements. Transmutation without a transmutation circle, in the Fullmetal Alchemist world, would require going to the Philosopher's Stone or the Gate of Truth, but for reincarnators, there were already countless ways to freely use transmutation without resorting to either of those.

After a brief period of vigilance, the vanguard team members discovered that the surrounding area was simply a forested region. There were no tons of TNT buried there, nor any hidden neurotoxins. They were neither at the center of a human transmutation array nor trapped in some kind of magical cultivation formation capable of altering the heavens and earth. In the distance, there were no V-2 rockets aimed at them, no megaton-class nuclear warheads poised for launch, and no military-grade weapons about to fall from the sky, nor any traces of forbidden spells controlling the weather.

At this moment, the other members of the team turned their attention to the ADC and AP. First, the AP shook his head and spoke, "The surrounding dragon veins are flowing smoothly, the mana concentration in the air is low, and there's no large-scale convergence of elemental energy. The four elemental regions—earth, fire, wind, and water—are stable. Theoretically, there's no trace of forbidden spells or area-of-effect magic..." He paused, then added, "Of course, if it's magic related to space and time, or causality and fate, that's beyond my scope..."

"Nonsense!" Old Wu, the leader, retorted irritably, "...If it really involves those things, it would require the hidden A-rank boss in the exploration world to personally intervene. It's impossible for us to be discovered as soon as we enter, and then there's a super boss hiding in the outer dimension... The Reincarnation Center isn't that unreliable!"

The banter eased the tension in the team slightly, and then all four members of the squad turned their attention to the ADC. At this moment, the ADC, whose eyes were flashing with golden light and who had activated Eagle Vision, shook his head and said, "There are no missiles falling from the sky, no dangerous mutated beasts or magical beasts glowing red in the surrounding forest, and no large groups of zombies or undead creatures like skeleton death knights... In general, this area is safe, at least for now."

"Great! It seems we haven't been thrown into a war with missiles and bullets flying everywhere..." Old Wu nodded, "nor have we been caught up in the magical clashes of a high-magic world. We're safe!" Seeing their leader's conclusion, the other four team members relaxed to some extent. But even so, they didn't completely let their guard down.

"We've all been awake for over five minutes now, and the central barrier will disappear in 24 minutes and 16 seconds. Now let's take a look at the shitty mission the central system has issued..."

……

World Number: SB-2333

Task type: Exploration

Quest World Level: A

World expansion progress: 0%

World Languages: Synchronized

Currently in the Reincarnation Squad: 1

mission target:

—1. Survival: Survive in this world for at least 1 year, and your world exploration progress will increase by 1% (main quest).

—2. Faction Choice: Choose a faction in this world to join, and reach the faction reputation level of Friendly, which will increase world exploration progress by 1% (main quest).

—3. Find and complete at least 3 side quests, World Exploration Progress +3% (Main Quest);

Completing the above three main tasks will allow you to return to the cycle of reincarnation.

Specific rewards are calculated based on the world's exploration progress. Purely technological weapons that surpass this era will have their power reduced, while magical systems will have their power slightly increased.

General background:

Blood and fire, caliber and gunpowder, represented the future of this world. Steel and steam, colonization and bloody rule across oceans to the New World laid the foundation for a new era. A magnificent empire, striding forward with reforms, marched towards a golden age. Opposition from conservative forces, political stalemates, conflicts between local lords and the central government, and the shadow of civil war loomed over this empire that seemed poised to become the world's first empire on which the sun never sets.

On the other side of human society in this world, the Church and the Sanctuary suppressed all heresy and supernatural societies. However, with the end of the age of theocracy, even the most powerful rule has its limits. The Holy War ended, and the remaining heretics licked their wounded bodies in the darkness, constantly yearning for revenge. At this time, the last vampire princess escaped into the Empire's territory.

……

"I have a feeling..." After reading the mission prompt, the paladin codenamed Sunfire spoke up, "...that the Central Command is mocking us?!"

"Damn the Reincarnation Center!" Old Wang pointed his middle finger at the sky.

"Alright! Alright! Don't worry about these things..." Old Wu clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "In short, after seeing the general background information, everyone can understand, right?"

"This world is probably at the beginning of the colonial era or the industrial era, anyway, it's not part of Earth's history. In addition, there is a supernatural society existing beneath the surface of technological development."

"Then the general camps are divided into: the Imperial Reformers and the Central Government opposing the Imperial Opposition and the local feudal nobles—this is the visible side of society. Then, in the shadows, there are the Church and the Holy See, who represent religious power. On the other side, barring any unforeseen circumstances, are those unfortunate souls rejected by human society in this era—some dark alien races, or something else..."

"We'll discuss the details once we make contact with the human kingdoms of this world. Given the nature of the central government, there should generally be a human settlement nearby, either a town or a city."

"Once we have more specific information, we can then refer to it together to see how to complete the three main storylines of the next exploration mission."

294. The Cautious Reincarnator

Sometimes, godlike opponents and pig-like teammates aren't so scary. In fact, without the burden of newcomers, a seasoned reincarnation team should be fine as long as they don't make any major mistakes in the mission world. However, in many worlds, there exists a creature that even evil gods and supreme gods find astonishing. This creature used to be known as a 'jinx,' but now it's called a 'poisonous milk.'

If the "poisonous milk" (a metaphor for a person's negative influence) is extremely powerful, then drinking it on oneself can have very unexpected effects. However, if the timing and skill are lacking, then it can become a death warrant.

What these reincarnation teams, shrouded in the omnipotent aura of the 'God' from the past to the present, probably don't know is that the God is not omnipotent in the entire void. At least when facing those shameless and unscrupulous evil gods, one thing the Gods often do is either send a wave of enemies to their deaths or back down. Of course, no matter what, the only losses are the cannon fodder of their own reincarnations.

So the five members of the vanguard team truly hadn't anticipated that outside them, there was indeed a being who could be considered the biggest hidden boss in this world, lurking in the mirror world, watching them intently. Logically, in the judgment of the main god, this hidden boss of this world should only be at the level of A-grade enhancement; if nothing unexpected happened, it should be the God of Faith who is the head of the church in the traditional path. A mere God of Faith is nothing special; he hasn't reached the pinnacle of the path of faith, transcended the constraints of faith, and formed his own realm, also known as Heaven. Whether it's the Heavenly Emperor or the Heavenly Lord, only those at that level could pose a fatal threat to the main god.

But this world clearly cannot reach that level, even if this god of faith has gained supreme religious power over the entire human civilization. However, failing to take that final step is tantamount to courting death, ultimately becoming a puppet of faith. In DND, almost all the gods of Faerûn end up like this; if their followers suffer any loss, they are finished. Furthermore, they absolutely cannot do anything contrary to their divine duty, and under the restrictions of AoE, they can hardly even interfere in the material world, making their lives less carefree and easier than those of demons and monsters.

The D&D world is notoriously riddled with loopholes, with all sorts of transmigrators constantly heading there only to fail miserably. This isn't the first time the main god has sent cannon fodder there. However, with the two overpowered GM-level users, AO and the Lady of Pain, the D&D world is extremely difficult to conquer.

The vanguard squad had seen the kind of god that Faerun worshipped before, so even if such an enemy appeared, they were capable of dealing with it.

However, what if the one lurking in the shadows, eyeing this Reincarnation Team with predatory intent, is an evil god? Even if it's just a newly born one, someone who hasn't even undergone basic training in this industry, and whose conglomerate is embroiled in a power struggle due to the meddling of a certain silver-haired evil god, with that silver-haired one currently clashing with a certain Black Goat Mother—it's hard to say whether this is intentional on the part of that silver-haired one…

Of course, one of the penguins had already discovered all of this. However, despite its high fighting strength, the penguin was the kind of coward who was ingrained in its bones. Then, with a squawking sound like a chicken being slaughtered, it hurriedly ran back to the rich man (financial officer) who had been clinging to its leg.

Unfortunately, the big shots among the evil gods started their daily chaotic infighting, but an adorable newcomer was not someone these reincarnation teams could handle. If it weren't for Sharl being startled by the protective shield that allowed the reincarnation teams to enter the world while he was hiding in the shadows, he would have already wielded the Flaming Sword Levadin and slashed at it.

It was a protective shield hidden within a dimension, enveloping the person inside and trapping them in a temporarily created dimensional space. To avoid detection, it shamelessly created a dimensional maze on the outside. Anyone attempting to break through this space would be directly trapped inside that dimensional maze. Although Charles felt he could ignore the dimensional maze and tear open the dimensional space that was slowly merging with this world, he was surprised that this rather unusual shield was only used for transportation. Thank goodness, he hadn't received this kind of treatment when he traveled through time before. It seemed this method of traversing worlds was simply an upgraded version of the pocket watch in his hand!

Perhaps this is an opportunity to analyze the pocket watch in my hand...

Thinking this, Charles hid even deeper, neither intending to directly eliminate these outsiders nor letting them go. But when the protective barrier completely disappeared, Charles, who was hidden in the shadows, was startled again.

What the hell? !

One is a clueless dummy, another is a toddler, another is a random arrow, and yet another is a living Tyrael… The only one dressed normally is in what looks like a German military uniform from World War II. But this scene looks more like cosplay than anything else. Is a Daniel Wu or Blade Queen about to pop out?!

However, after his initial shock subsided, Ciel immediately sensed the strength of these guys... that's about it! While Captain America, without his overpowered shield, would probably be finished in a single exchange, Iron Man, if he deployed all his Iron Man units, could put up a fight for a while before collapsing. If it were the Hulk or Thor, the situation would be reversed. Of course, it's possible these guys have hidden cards or methods to deal with the Hulk or Thor.

Even so, Xia Er felt that even without his intervention, his henchmen could easily take care of these outsiders.

……

At this moment, the five members of the vanguard team were unaware that the instant the God's invincible shield disappeared, a hidden boss glanced at them all and began to calculate how his minions would eliminate them.

The moment the protective shield dissipated, the entire five-person team went on high alert, clutching their random teleportation scrolls, ready to make a strategic retreat should they face a nuclear strike, forbidden spell bombardment, or EVA going berserk. Of course, nothing would happen unless someone secretly observing them intervened.

After a brief period of vigilance, Old Wu, the leader, made a hand gesture, and the others immediately understood and began to move. Under the aura of the paladin codenamed "Sunlight," the group moved with incredible speed, easily traversing the forest. Before long, they reached the edge of the forest and naturally spotted the small city in the distance.

Upon arriving here, the group's actions began to diverge. First, the paladin, with his impressive visual and auditory effects, immediately turned off his aura and holy light effects. Then, he secretly pulled out a magic scroll, activated it, and an invisibility field instantly enveloped the five members of the team.

After completing all this, the AP (Action Attack) of the squad, despite being severely unbalanced in his specialization, still knew how to use some minor anti-reconnaissance spells. Next, he cast several protective and prophetic spells. Once everything was ready, the five members of the vanguard cautiously continued their advance towards the city.

295. Hopefully, this chapter won't get me investigated!

In a mission world where a team is constantly reincarnated and has absolutely no advantage in terms of plot, no amount of caution is excessive. Because you never know that a beggar or a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man on the street might have been a powerful figure in his youth, who simply retired from the life of power struggles. Or, a guy working at a restaurant might have been a demon king who almost unified the world, and a female hero came to flirt with him under the guise of monitoring him.

Many veterans have met their demise due to carelessness, provoking a super boss the moment they entered the mission world. It's like those who haven't played the God of War series and didn't know it was just a simple Greek mythology world, then accidentally messed with Kratos and suffered brutal persecution.

Therefore, caution and prudence are always one of the core elements for reincarnators.

Those who survive long in the cycle of reincarnation aren't the reckless and daring types. If they did that, unless they had the protagonist's plot armor, they'd all be doomed. Those who survive are all cautious, prudent, have clear strategies, and never underestimate any NPC or boss in any mission world. Those who underestimated them all met their end in a world called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure—whether they were eaten by DIO or the Pillar Men is another matter entirely.

So, after the five-member vanguard team infiltrated the small city using invisibility spells and a series of counter-reconnaissance spells, they quickly figured out the general situation of the world they were in, thanks to the reconnaissance skills they had acquired in the reincarnation world. Combined with the background information provided when the mission was issued, these seasoned veterans quickly deduced some intelligence.

So, in a room of a hotel in this city—neither particularly luxurious nor terrible, just average—a group of five people crouched down and began to talk. Meanwhile, the entire room was filled with various anti-surveillance and anti-prophecy arrays and talismans, and most of the hotel staff were used as lookouts under the influence of mental suggestions.

……

"Alright! After half a day, everyone should have a general understanding of this world by now!" Old Wu, the team leader, spoke first. "So, everyone, please share your thoughts and let's discuss..."

"Let me go first!" Old Wang spoke first. "...Clearly, this world is still in the process of transitioning from the feudal colonial era to the industrial era, although the specifics are different from modern history..."

"Broadly speaking, the feudal lords in this world have a very strong and entrenched power. It is precisely because these feudal lords are used to being local tyrants that they have been delaying the process of industrialization. Otherwise, this country would have been covered with railways long ago. However, it seems that the country has not yet destroyed itself in internal strife by sucking blood from its colonies."

"So that means, if you want to join a faction, choosing one of the two different factions in this country is the most convenient..." ADC interjected, "One side is the one that stands in the center of this country and on the side of the royal family. They are basically nouveau riche who have risen through colonial expansion and military achievements. The other side, if I'm not mistaken, is the traditional noble families who hold on tightly to their territorial sovereignty and refuse to let go... But I feel like these two sides will eventually go to war?"

"It's mentioned in the background information, so there's a high chance that a war will break out!" Old Wu said casually. "Of course, there are also two side quests... one is to help one side crush the other, and the other is to prevent a civil war from breaking out."

“It can’t be stopped!” Zhao Hao shook his head and said, “The hatred between feudalism and capitalism is much greater than the hatred between capitalism and the Communist Party. At least the latter only wants the life of capitalism, but the former wants the wealth of capitalism and to cut off their source of income.”

Upon hearing this, all the team members present nodded in agreement without exception. They were all seasoned veterans, having experienced the worlds of World War I and World War II from movies; they naturally knew what kind of creature capital was. Cooperating with the GC was normal as long as it was profitable, even going so far as to sell their noose to the latter to carry out their own execution. But when faced with feudalism, the former, even the GC wished they could wipe out the entire feudal family, grind their bones to dust, sprinkle a large barrel of black dog blood on top of exorcising peach wood, and ideally, have lightning strike them down, ensuring these feudal landlords would never be reincarnated.

Capital, in particular, harbors deep resentment towards feudal landlords who robbed people of their wealth and cut off their livelihoods. The reason modern society opposes the Communist Party is that feudalism has been effectively eradicated through the combined efforts of both sides. However, the world is not like that; feudalism remains dominant and continues to cause trouble for capital, with forced sales being commonplace. Some are even more ruthless, directly using fabricated charges to seize the entire business, or sending their trusted henchmen to act as robbers, murdering the entire family and committing arson. Capital is powerless against these old tricks.

If the world hadn't entered the colonial era, and the development and colonization of the New World hadn't provided a path for some capital to enter national politics, who knows how long the feudal lords and traditional nobles would have continued to wreak havoc. This explains why, despite the reformists' wide distribution, far more talent than the traditional nobles, and their near-universal relationship with the imperial authorities—essentially acting as their puppets—they were still relentlessly suppressed by the conservatives. Even in the vast pie of New World colonization, the conservatives inevitably siphoned off a large slice, yet the reformers remained powerless against them.

Promoting railways?! No way, opposed! If railways are promoted, how will the nobles exploit the merchants who have been there before? Expanding maritime transport, building more docks, and vigorously developing the navy and industry?! No way, opposed! Those all cost money, and they won't bring any dividends to the nobles. They'll also strengthen central authority—wouldn't that make it impossible for the nobles to continue living comfortably?! In short, this struggle between the two sides essentially extends from the central government down to the lowest levels, permeating every corner of the country's industries. It looks exactly like the Civil War!

“I reckon…” AP rubbed his chin and said, “These two groups are about to come to blows! There’s a rumor that a conservative nobleman was assassinated, and his entire family suffered a major blow…”

"Interestingly, in this conservative noble family, the original heir, the eldest son, was the enlightened type who supported reform. But because of this, his right to inherit was revoked, and the more traditional second son took over... Theoretically speaking, if this conservative earl and his current heir both die, then the eldest son, who was originally disqualified from inheriting, can rightfully inherit the title."

"It couldn't possibly have been the reformists who did it! Nobody's that stupid!" Old Wu rolled his eyes. "Nine times out of ten, it was the conservatives themselves who did it, and they can even use that as an excuse to impeach the reformists..."

296. The Investigator of Reincarnation

As seasoned veterans of reincarnation, how could they not see through the intricacies of the situation? In fact, they weren't wrong. From information they gathered from various merchants, they knew that the country's upper echelons had been embroiled in this matter for a full year, and it still hadn't subsided. However, this also demonstrated the immense power of the traditional feudal aristocracy. Anyone with half a brain could see the intricacies involved, yet even so, no one seemed capable of calming things down.

This also reveals just how ruthless those feudal nobles were. Even when united against external enemies, they didn't forget to betray their own people, truly deserving the title of 'noble'. These reincarnated individuals understand that for the conservatives to act this way during such intense political struggles, they must have considerable resources. These conservatives wanted to carve out a share of the New World colonies while simultaneously maximizing their own interests, refusing to give the emerging elites and the central royal family any leeway. They rejected the development of railways and suppressed the navy, which could only continue to develop the colonies through massive construction projects.

It's easy to see that the core of these feudal nobles' control was the army. In a situation where the central government, despite its growing power, remained powerless against these noble lords, the only remaining leverage was the private armies of the landed nobles. One or two might not be a big deal, but the combined private armies of all the landed nobles were enough to make the central royal family and the newly emerging elites hesitant to act.

The only thing that the conservative nobles couldn't interfere with was the navy, which is why the two sides were deadlocked and neither was willing to give in, even though the shadow of civil war was looming over them.

"This really is..." Old Wang shook his head, "The political conflict between the navy and the army, this feels so familiar!"

"I doubt anyone would want to join the conservatives and put up with that scumbag treatment, right?" Old Wu glanced at his teammates, only to see them all shaking their heads in unison. If they were really going to follow this side of the storyline, choosing to be a conservative would be the most foolish choice. These guys are not only simple-minded, but also incredibly xenophobic. Without noble blood, a long history, or a piece of land passed down for hundreds of years, they're all country bumpkins in their eyes. This is why capitalism was able to defeat feudalism—simply because feudalism was too xenophobic and focused too much on what it considered noble 'bloodlines'.

Capital, in its pursuit of development, will abandon all pretense of decency, valuing anyone who can be of use regardless of their background. Conversely, feudalism is far more reprehensible in this respect, and the five members of the vanguard, all educated in modern times, naturally understand why.