Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 184 Trajectory of Destiny
A breeze blew by.

Merlin gazed at Duncan before him and slowly said, "Does Your Majesty intend to restart reforms upon your return?"

As early as the later years of Duncan's reign, he planned to initiate 'early industrialization' and 'magical enlightenment,' but two problems plagued everyone at the time. First, the era was too vast, and Duncan was not an engineering student, so early industrialization lacked sufficient foundation. Second, the great decline of mythology, with the centuries-long end of magic, made magical enlightenment extremely difficult, and could only be barely maintained on the island of Britain, passed down through wizarding academies.

Duncan now possesses enough knowledge to solve these two problems. Hundreds of years later, the handicraft industry on the British Isles is highly developed, possessing the basic conditions for early industrialization.

As for magical enlightenment, although the great decline of mythology still exists, there is knowledge from the Cult of Machine God, and in the future, some mysterious knowledge can be obtained from the cultists. Even if it is not possible to directly usher in the magical era, we can try to light up 'magical enlightenment' first.

According to Duncan's deductions with the Norse gods at the time, the great decline of mythology would not continue indefinitely.

It's like the ebb and flow of the tides, which may last for hundreds of years, and then at a certain point in time, it suddenly shows an upward trend. If the upper limit of the world can be further increased at that time, it might be possible to reverse the entire surge of the magical tides.

It's difficult to restore the world to the limits of the mythical era, but it's possible to raise the ceiling of the world to the point where one can 'become a god'.

It is now 800 AD.

When Duncan arrived, he already sensed a slight resurgence of magical energy, indicating that someone else besides him had raised the ceiling of the world's power. That person was most likely in the East, and anyone capable of raising the world's ceiling at this time of year must be an extremely famous figure.

Such a person must be extremely powerful, have a very high level of legendary status, and possess power that surpasses that of ordinary gods!

Upon hearing this, Duncan slowly nodded and said, "That's right."

"I have found an opportunity for change in my exploration of another world."

"It's time to embrace a new era."

The three heads of the wizarding academies were very curious about everything Duncan said. Only Merlin knew that Duncan had gone to another world, but he didn't know exactly where. He once thought that Duncan had entered the distant other world of Celtic beliefs.

"Let's go."

Duncan reached out and gently stroked Morgan LeFee's hair, saying slowly, "It just so happens that I need to entrust all of this to you to accomplish."

In the absence of industrial machine tools, some parts need to be hand-made.

The earliest industrial machine tool appeared in 1797. Modern Britain is only relatively advanced in handicrafts. To create a steam engine by hand would probably require the supernatural abilities of wizards. Duncan's goal was first to build the Hogwarts magic train. The first generation of industrial lathes had to be built by Merlin himself, and he was the only one who could attempt to understand and convert some of the runic knowledge of the Cult of Mechanics.

The day passed quickly.

Using his ability to copy magic, Duncan handed over the data he had compiled on the First Industrial and Magical Revolution to Merlin.

Throughout the entire process, Merlin's expression remained extremely serious. As one of the few legendary magicians, he was well aware of the earth-shattering changes that would occur to the world if all of this were to come to fruition.

Nicolas Flamel, who was also studying alchemy, looked at the scroll in front of him and clicked his tongue in amazement, saying, "Is this the alchemy of Tantric Buddhism?"

"The other world Your Majesty has traveled to is no ordinary place."

"Based on my understanding of these alchemical practices, they might even possess the powerful ability to create magical life!"

I am very sure of that.

The world of the third human host was a time when gods were active during the Mystic Age, and they were able to withstand the three industrial revolutions of the Mechanicus. Undoubtedly, their magical civilization had also developed to a very high level. However, the magical civilization of the Mystic Age did not liberate secular productive forces.

In short, power and knowledge are in the hands of a very small number of people, some of whom are even the chosen people of the gods, the gods' representatives in the secular world.

Duncan gazed at Merlin before him and slowly asked, "Are you confident you can achieve this?"

Merlin nodded firmly and said, "There are no problems."

"The steam engine and the textile machine above are very simple. The steam train is a little more complicated, but with detailed design drawings, it shouldn't be a big problem."

"It's this lightning train, the anti-gravity runes, and the airship that's causing some trouble."

Merlin's expression gradually turned serious, and he said solemnly, "They all need to be inscribed with magical runes; a purely mechanical structure probably won't be able to make them move."

"Perhaps we can still try it on the British Isles."

"But in Europe, these magical runes would probably be ineffective."

Duncan wasn't surprised, and simply said softly, "Let's give it a try."

"These are the design drawings for firearms."

"You should know what to do."

Because of Duncan's intervention, early firearms had already appeared during this period, roughly equivalent to the setting of Kingdom Come: Deliverance games, around the 14th or 15th century AD. Duncan naturally also brought back some of the early firearm designs; if needed, he still had the ability to rely on the British Isles to once again sweep across the whole of Europe.

Duncan divided the data on the First Industrial and Magical Revolution into two parts, one to Merlin's Wizarding Academy and the other to the Cult of Raven Queen Triss.

These things cannot be circulated for the time being; only beings of the level of the Raven Queen and Merlin can properly preserve them.

The night is getting darker.

After the others left, Merlin reappeared in a half-spirit form and bowed slightly to Duncan, saying, "Your Majesty."

"What other orders do you have?"

Duncan stood on the balcony, gazing at the bright moon in the sky. With his back to Merlin, he slowly said, "There are two things I need you to arrange for someone to do."

Merlin respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, please give your orders."

After a moment of contemplation, Duncan said, "I have a weapon that may have fallen into the hands of the Church."

"Go and find it for me."

Merlin immediately asked, "Are you an Oath Keeper?"

Duncan nodded.

Merlin immediately replied, "I'll send people to look for it right away." "Your Majesty, what about the other matter?"

Duncan paused for a moment, as if thinking about something, and slowly said, "Go to Scandinavia and deliver a message to the high priest of the Norse Church for me."

"Just say, I'm back."

Merlin was startled by these words. Clearly, they were not addressed to mortals, but to the Norse gods.

He didn't know what pact His Majesty had made with the Norse pantheon back then, but the empire's conquest of the Norse was easier than expected. There was some resistance on the secular level, but the supernatural forces of the Norse faith offered almost no real resistance and quickly submitted to the empire's rule.

Only Queen Triss knew a tiny bit about the secret pact between Emperor Duncan and Odin, because her arcane divine authority came from the goddess Freya.

Furthermore, almost immediately after Duncan's retirement, the Norse pantheon also fell into slumber.

Silent all night.

The next day, Duncan got up very early and strolled leisurely through the wizarding academy, observing the magic school that Merlin had run for hundreds of years. Compared to its early days, it had grown to a scale close to Hogwarts, becoming the magical holy land of Britain, the magical center of Europe, and a sanctuary for many wizards. However, the number of students was still somewhat small, and talented wizards were rare.

The surge of magical tides can also affect human talents.

Unbeknownst to him, Duncan had already reached the back mountain of the academy. He sensed a strange fluctuation, and with a light leap, he saw the sharp sword stuck in the stone.

"The Sword in the Stone is still here?"

Duncan walked over, ready to reach in and pull it out to take a look.

But just then, a cry of alarm came from the tower opposite: "Don't move! It's under a spell!"

Soon, a young man in his early twenties jogged over, panting, and said, "Be careful not to get hurt."

Are you a newcomer who came to the academy seeking refuge?

"Why haven't I seen you?"

The young man was quite handsome. He was holding a book and curiously looking at Duncan in front of him. He looked puzzled and muttered, "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before!"

—Mystic (Two-star Gold).

Huh?
It's even marked with gold units.

In Duncan's understanding, many of the units marked with gold were famous historical figures. His figure suddenly appeared in front of the other party, startling the young man, who instinctively cast a protective spell, but it was completely useless.

Duncan ignored his protective spell.

In an instant, Duncan reached out and not only removed the other man's wand, but also curiously snatched the book from his hand.

—The Divine Comedy —Dante

Looking at the books in front of him, Duncan's expression momentarily became dazed.

Seeing that Duncan seemed to have no hostility, the young man relaxed a little. He continued to scrutinize Duncan, feeling that the man's appearance was quite familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before. He couldn't help but ask, "Who are you?"

Have you also read Dante's Divine Comedy?

Duncan quickly scanned the text, his expression growing increasingly serious. He looked down at the young man before him and slowly asked, "What's your name?"

The young man opened his mouth and instinctively answered Duncan's question: "William Shakespeare."

The next second, the man's face was filled with horror.

Because he answered the questions completely involuntarily, as if he had to obey the other party's orders.

Shakespeare?!
Duncan carefully examined the young man before him, then gently raised his hand to return the books and wand to him.

Dante and Shakespeare were active in the same era?

Duncan has always had a question in his mind: if he changed the course of history, would some of the outstanding figures in the original history still appear?
It seems Duncan has some answers now.

Duncan gazed at the young man before him, noticing the books and manuscripts he carried with him, and slowly asked, "Do you enjoy writing?"

The young man answered involuntarily, "Of course."

"However, my family hopes that I will become an outstanding magician!"

Speaking of which.

The young man stared in astonishment at Duncan's face, exclaiming incredulously, "I remember!..."

"You look remarkably like the statue at the academy gate!"

Just as he was about to say something, Duncan had already disappeared.

The entire demiplane trembled slightly.

As a figure clad in magnificent golden armor forcibly tore through space and entered the Otherworld Secret Realm, Merlin's figure appeared in an instant, raising his hand to unleash a stunning bolt of lightning from the sky.

Rumble!
The arrogant golden figure reached out and grabbed at the sky, instantly dissipating the falling lightning. With a mocking expression, he casually said, "Is that all you've got?"

"Let your master come out and face me!"

boom!
No sooner had he finished speaking than the arrogant golden figure was crushed by a terrifying force. A dark red spear slashed across the sky, and even though he tried his best to resist, he was slammed heavily into the ground.

At this moment, he was no longer the arrogant man he once was. He looked disheveled, and even the golden armor on his body was cracked.

………………

(End of this chapter)