Chapter 354: Chapter 354
"You can choose Han ethnicity in World War I here?!"
The livestream chat was flooded with question marks, clearly no one had noticed this before.
Fang Ming didn’t dare to delay, immediately choosing Han ethnicity.
He didn’t bother carefully selecting anything else, quickly started the game.
The screen flickered.
As he entered the game, Yu Feng on the other end looked bewildered, and Fang Ming told him to hold on for a moment while he quickly adapted to his new identity.
"Ancestry in business, overseas Chinese?"
"Jewelry business..."
"Currently here in the Great British Empire."
"But with money, it shouldn’t be a problem. I can arrange a ship."
Having quickly absorbed this information, Fang Ming stepped out of the room, looking at the label briefly appearing over an NPC’s head, he addressed the middle-aged man serving as the butler:
"Check if there are any ships heading... uh... to that place, Asia."
"Go check it out, and then come back to tell me."
Upon hearing this, the butler immediately went to execute the order.
Only then did Fang Ming return to the room, speaking to the viewers in the livestream:
"If Polestar doesn’t ruin their own reputation, with this level of freedom, it should be possible to reach the Republic."
"Isn’t it called the Republic of China now?"
"Based on the timeline, it should be."
"Customizing the storyline from World War I to enter Asia, tut... Who would have thought of that, incredible."
Fang Ming marveled, while reconnecting with Yu Feng over there:
Yu Feng’s lips twitched, as he replied:
"I was watching your livestream."
"Just wanted to tell you, you said you were bored with the Huaxia series, and wanted you to try this out, but you acted pretty fast."
Fang Ming said with a smile:
"It’s because I’m so bored that I’m acting fast."
"Quit playing the sequels, what if you can really enter the Republic era here."
"I can gather a lot of information here too."
"Plus, the timelines are different."
"You’re in the World War I timeline, which is Republic era, and I’m here after World War II has ended, where the Republic is now in the Liberation era."
"The Tashan Defense Battle from a few days ago was during the Liberation era."
"The content I can gather here isn’t any less than from World War I."
Fang Ming thought for a moment and said:
"Just right, I’m on the Republic side, you’re on the Liberation side."
"Both sides progressing in sync."
"That’s what I meant too."
"Plus, different timelines allow us to explore different events."
"Check the Polestar Official Website for that Republic timeline."
"There are lots of events with exact times and places on there."
"When the time comes, you might be able to trigger or witness plot events if you go at those specific times."
"Like the Long March, the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, the Xi’an Incident, the July 7th Incident, the Battle of Songhu, so many important events."
"Alright, I’ll check it later."
"What’s most important is whether I can actually go."
Many streamers at the time were researching whether they could enter the Republic, but this kind of storyline required waiting, so there was no use getting anxious.
Fortunately, Fang Ming’s butler was quite efficient and soon brought back news:
"A regular merchant ship heading toward the Qing side takes 4 months."
"A fast track would take about 1 month."
Hearing the butler’s words, Fang Ming raised an eyebrow:
"Wasn’t the Qing dynasty gone?"
He checked the timeline up to the present, which was 1915; the Qing should no longer exist.
The butler was momentarily confused, then realized:
"It’s just a habit of calling it that, it’s now supposed to be called... the Republic of China?"
"Why are you inquiring about ships to that place?"
"Prepare some money, I’m planning to make a trip over there."
With those words spoken.
Both the butler and the surrounding servants were stunned.
Fang Ming was puzzled, looking around, he then asked:
"Why are you all making that face?"
"Is there a problem over there?"
The butler hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Things are chaotic over there right now."
"And life there is not as good as it is here. The common people are ignorant, it’s very backward and barbaric, it would be dangerous for someone like you who’s been pampered all their life to go there."
"The master worked hard for many years to leave from there, and now you..."
Hearing this from the butler.
Fang Ming furrowed his brows, doubting he’d heard correctly.
This is the Republic?
The Blue Star viewers in the livestream had the same reaction, could this really be the Republic?
Even at its lowest, it shouldn’t be , right?
In those CG animations, there’s a history spanning thousands of years, while other ancient civilizations were praying to gods, the peoples of that land were already challenging the floods.
After thousands of years, it remains a country and people existing on Earth.
How could it possibly match these words?
Fang Ming’s brows remained furrowed, he then asked the butler for a description.
With the butler’s description.
Both Fang Ming and the Blue Star livestream viewers were bewildered, what was this?
People eating coarse bran, those who can’t survive eating ’dirt’, relying on ’shamans’ and ’sorceresses’ for healing instead of medicine, mixing incense ash with water.
Are you telling me ghost stories?
And this is a far cry from the impression of the Republic in CG, or even ancient Huaxia.
The more he listened to the butler’s description.
Fang Ming felt these commoners were worse off than during the Han Dynasty?
The butler dropped another bombshell, as per his memories, before they went abroad, in their home county, besides a few wealthy businessmen and their children, there, no one else could read.
99% Illiteracy rate in one county.
(In 1909, the official national statistic labeled approximately 3 million as literate, about a 0.75% literacy rate, aiming for only 1% by 1915.)
Fang Ming and the Blue Star live viewers’ eyes widened, as if listening to some mythical script.
An entire county, 99% illiterate?
Extrapolating from that.
Wouldn’t that mean 99% of an entire country was illiterate?
When exactly did the Republic develop nuclear weapons?
Although the exact time is unknown.
However, in previous CGs, it was estimated to be around the 1960s to 70s or so.
So....are you saying a country, almost completely illiterate in 1915, developed nuclear weapons in over 40 years?
Who the hell is exploiting some cheat codes?!!!
The tech explosion speed post-Blue Star’s meteor shower couldn’t even rival the Republic, could it?
Fang Ming recalled previously researching nuclear weapon data.
Blue Star’s nuclear weapon data, the earliest is from the 63rd year of the New Era Calendar.
Which is in the 63rd year after the meteor shower, though tech advanced even quicker later, by the 65th year of the New Era Calendar, renewable energy technology had replaced it.
But starting from zero, it still took 63 years.
This must be someone exploiting cheat codes, right?!
Fang Ming’s mind was scattered and tangled, he couldn’t believe that the country described by the butler, would be the future Republic.
This script, even with mods, doesn’t make sense?!
Yet in 30 years, it grew to rival the Soviet Union and the United States of America, those superpowers, could that be rational?!
The butler, seeing Fang Ming frozen like a statue, sighed in relief.
He thought his persuasion had worked.
But in the next second.
Fang Ming, with no hesitation, said:
"Immediately get me a ticket for a fast track sailing to the Republic."
At this moment, the chat reminded:
[Take a plane, it’s faster!]
Fang Ming paused, right, flying is faster.
He was just about to speak, then snapped to reality.
There’s no damn commercial flight at this time.
Tanks were just invented during World War I, and even if there were planes, he wouldn’t dare board!
That makes the Republic’s rise even more inexplicable?!
I must go see for myself!