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At first glance, a seemingly ordinary knight.

A knight brimming with pride for his country.

But in reality, it’s more like covering your eyes and pretending not to see.

“Economic growth rate, huh.”

Even the most presentable knight is nothing but a liar. In truth, China’s economic growth rate is slowing down, and there are concerns abroad about its focus on real estate development. Economic experts are all shouting in unison that there’s an enormous bubble in China’s real estate.

“The real estate bubble is about to burst.”

How can I be so sure? I’ve seen and heard it myself.

When was it, though? The economy of China, which had inflated like a bubble, is about to burst. Starting with the bankruptcy of a major construction company, a chain of defaults begins. To make matters worse, several poorly constructed apartments collapse, amplifying the situation. It’s so significant that even the ruling party, with its indisputable power, struggles to manage the crisis.

Even if they handle it reasonably well, it could turn into a ‘lost N years’ just like in Japan.

“That wouldn’t be too bad, I suppose.”

But due to China’s size and population, one would think they’d accept it humbly, prepare for a takeoff to soar again… However, unfortunately, a country doesn’t operate solely on rationality. When it becomes a group, politics inevitably becomes intertwined, and in the case of a nation, the largest group of all.

The current power holders in China know well that they should resign the moment the economy starts to slow down, and they are fully aware that they will face bloody retribution just like they purged their rivals.

Of course, they brought this upon themselves. In the past, the Communist Party at least showed some degree of courtesy to opposing factions. This was both a show of respect towards competitors and a form of insurance for when they might lose power.

However, those currently in power have ruthlessly purged their competitors without any such courtesy, unlike the precedent of leaving them with enough wealth to live on. Instead, they have confiscated their assets and socially annihilated them… committing sufficiently antagonistic actions with no qualms.

When they had power, they could suppress those grievances with fear.

But what happens when they lose that fear and power?

Will they be safe then?

Absolutely not.

In a country that values revenge as a virtue, those who have been purged and their associates would surely come at them with red eyes. Even if it’s not revenge, those waiting below will rush in, seize power, and, just as they had done, will carry out a ‘bloody purge.’

Thus, the power holders currently in office are taking drastic measures in a bid to escape this dead-end situation.

War.

If successful, it could resolve the bubble and bolster support.

But if they lose, the end they meet will be far more miserable than simply falling to a competitor.

“Before the rewind, the war between Korea and Japan served as a catalyst… They must think that comparatively, war is manageable…”

No.

It’s not just that.

Hasn’t there been war all over the world?

There’s enough for them to have researched ‘modern warfare.’

So they must have felt confident in their thorough preparations.

In fact, some of their strategies have turned out to be on point.

“But now, the future has changed. Indeed, it’s uncertain what will happen…”

But that is a thing of the past.

Now that the future has begun to change, it’s meaningless. Even if war breaks out, it’s questionable whether things will unfold as they did before the rewind. Since there were few conflicts worth studying, it’s uncertain how much damage the Chinese army would sustain. It could go smoothly since neither side has learned the concept of modern warfare, or it could go terribly wrong.

The fact that the future has started to change isn’t just a variable.

One must consider that such a variable could disrupt everything.

Just like a small substance initiating a chemical reaction, or a tiny impurity ruining everything.

“And… there are other variables too.”

Park Jinseong smirked as he read an article reporting that the terrorists had been successfully suppressed.

“They suppressed the terrorists, huh?”

No way.

Since they control information, they might not know which terrorists exist or the extent of the damage.

But I can be sure of one thing: that the terrorists were not effectively suppressed.

“With such a malevolent star hovering above, how can you pretend not to see it? How can you possibly think you can cover the sky with one hand?”

Look at the sky.

Isn’t it warning us?

That malevolent star shines brilliantly, and the bloodthirsty stars are like famished wild dogs salivating at the prospect of fresh blood.

Chunks of starshine drip and trickle down like droplets of saliva, permeating the dark space as they melt in, repeating the cycle. The extended starshine seems to draw tiny lines like a predator surveying its prey, and if you look closely, it appears to shift and create illusions, akin to a beast with a contorted face eyeing its food.

Is it that it hasn’t yet devoured anything, or the scent of blood isn’t emanating because human sacrifices haven’t been made? The ferocity of its hunger shines through vividly.

It’s not that there’s no one in this country who can read the stars, so how can they possibly be oblivious to this?

“Oh. Perhaps there aren’t.”

Korea is spoken of as a magic desert, but China is certainly not in a good situation either.

Didn’t they destroy and suppress everything related to magic during the Cultural Revolution?

Thus, it’s not surprising that other countries are greedily hoarding magic, even engaging in acts like digging up ruins.

Sure, it’s better than being referred to as a magic desert.

It’s only natural that a country that has somewhat recovered from being a magic desert is better than one that still carries that title.

However, it’s not like shamans just suddenly appear because you gather some magic together. Utilizing magic and divine objects requires research and expertise, so it’s likely to be quite inadequate.

Naturally, the number of skilled stargazers must also be slim.

Even if someone claims to know how to read the stars, they’d probably only mimic what’s in records, and even if they do possess that knowledge, if they don’t voice it, it’s as good as non-existent.

“Even if one tries to show that they can read the stars, what future awaits them but to be dragged off and worked to the bone?”

Magic requires a cost.

But can the Communist Party truly offer something that matches that cost?

Or do they even intend to?

Well…

The likelihood of that is slim.

They’ll exploit patriotism, handing over breadcrumbs even though it’s barely a fraction of the cost paid. They’ll drain the resources when needed, use them until they can no longer do so, and then discard them.

Like consumables.

“If you hold on tightly, you might gain immense wealth and honor… But ha! How can one foresee and act according to the madness of humanity or the power dynamics? Even a prophet can see the future change, so thinking you know it all with just some trivial skills is arrogance.”

Of course, unless one is exceedingly dull, such a future is easy to anticipate.

Naturally, they won’t give any indication so…

“They’d rather strive to distance themselves from that malevolent place.”

Even for a country, it’s challenging to incite significant change even when many die.

What on earth could be happening for it to come to this?

“This doesn’t seem like a simple matter of many deaths.”

The emergence of such signs indicates that it’s not a natural occurrence.

Unless we see a massacre on a city scale like before the rewind, such a reaction is hard to achieve… No matter how you position it, a significant incident must be recorded, and no matter how powerful China is, it’s unlikely they can cover it up. It would be arduous unless Stalin rose from the grave and hypnotized the Communists to wield absolute power once more.

“It seems like a shaman is involved.”

Park Jinseong was half-convinced.

There must be a shaman where the stars twinkle.

Surely, the shaman is doing something there.

And it’s undoubtedly linked to human sacrifice, which would explain the current state of the celestial bodies.

As he thought so, Park Jinseong began to move slowly.

To forge his own path, acquire means of transportation, and head toward that place.

 

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