Before he left, he inquired about the currency system. This world used Blue Astral Coins, and the denomination was exactly the same as in his previous life. He and his sister were orphans. Previously, they relied on the orphanage for funding, but now, they were self-reliant. The school fees were completely free, and their daily living expenses were dependent on the military's relief fund.
The two of them had a total of 1,500 Blue Astral Coins a month, barely surviving.
Also, compared to his previous life, the population of this world had skyrocketed, so the pressure for resources and competition was even greater. If not for the military's high welfare for students who were still in basic education, it would have been difficult for a teenager like Li Xiang to survive.
It was a pity for his sister, Li Yetong. Her lower body was paralyzed, and she could only sit in a wheelchair. Her physical condition made it impossible for her to go to school. People with disabilities had their basic magic circuits completely sealed off. The military would focus on supporting such people in their future employment and survival, but they did not qualify for basic education unless they paid for it themselves. However, Li Xiang and his sister could not afford that.
The only hope was that two years later, when his sister turned eighteen, she could participate in a magic circuit test. However, according to the information that Li Xiang had read, there was no one with his sister's condition who could awaken magic circuits.
In an era where everyone's physical fitness was rapidly improving, people with disabilities were few and far between. They were practically abandoned by the era.
Thinking of the two of them relying on each other in his previous life, and his sister's desperate life, Li Xiang could not help but clench his fists. In fact, that night, before he killed himself, the last thing that flashed through his mind was not regret for Fei Yujing.
It was his sister. He felt extremely guilty for his sister.
Not only did he not manage to cure her leg, but after joining the "tarot" card, the two of them even met less often.
He thought that if he could start over again, he would definitely give her a different life. Then, he woke up on his desk again. This must be a chance given to him by God.
The rental house was not far away. Li Xiang walked home. The mechanical street lamps on both sides of the road emitted a pale yellow light. The fallen leaves on the black bench danced, making a rustling sound.
It was almost ten o 'clock, and there were not many people on the road.
He wrapped his clothes tightly around himself and walked into the old residential area with familiarity. He and his sister had rented a small cubicle on the first floor of the building. It was originally a storage room for the residents on the first floor. The landlady was the owner of the first floor. She had taken pity on him and his sister, so she had rented it to them at a low price.
If it weren't for the fact that he had failed the college entrance examination and had fallen into a dead end, he would have left this sad place. In fact, the conditions here were much better than what he had experienced in the past.
As he walked into the building, the lights in the corridor flickered on and off, and the smell of paint that had been in disrepair for a long time drifted over. With a squeak, the door on the first floor opened. A middle-aged woman carrying a garbage bag was stunned when she saw Li Xiang. She immediately waved her hand and said.
"Ah Xiang, you're back. Today's your exam, right? Come, come, I have a pot of dumplings here. I can't finish them all by myself. You and Ye Tong can have some."
She turned around and walked into the house. After a series of rustling noises, the landlady came up to him with a large food box.
"Hehe, it's a bit cold. Auntie hasn't finished them yet. I hope you don't mind."
Seeing her friendly face, Li Xiang felt like he had returned to those days. He smiled and accepted the food. "Of course not. Thank you, Auntie Wang. I'm sorry for the trouble."
"Go, go, go, don't give me that. You should go back now. Ye Tong is probably waiting for you." She pushed Li Xiang away and went to throw out the trash.
Li Xiang held the food box. His hand had just reached the door handle when the door creaked open. The small girl in the wheelchair struggled to slide the wheelchair with one hand and hold the door handle with the other.
She was not tall enough, so she had to raise her butt slightly to reach the door.
The girl's face was rather pale. Her shiny black hair fell over her shoulders, and her voice was very sweet.
"Brother, you're back. I heard you and Auntie Wang's voices at the door."
Li Xiang quickly opened the door. He pushed his sister's wheelchair and then kicked the door shut.
"How many times have I told you? I'll open the door myself. What if you fall? These are dumplings from Auntie Wang. I'll heat them up … Don't use your hands to grab them. "
Li Xiang knocked his sister's head and said with a smile, "That's so unhygienic. Can't you just hold it in?"
"Hahaha, I'm hungry." Li Yetong stuck out her tongue and sneakily took another dumpling. "You're kicking the door again. It's only a matter of time before it breaks."
"If it breaks, I'll just buy another one." Li Xiang snatched the food box from her hands and prepared to heat it up. The room was very small. There was only a bed and a desk. He had remodeled a very small bathroom. The bathroom was connected to the shower, but the water heater had been turned into a steam unit.
There was no kitchen. There was only an old rice cooker and an induction cooker. Now, it had been replaced with a steam unit. The design was similar.
Li Xiang fiddled with it and quickly activated the unit. He looked at the rice cooker steam unit. The mechanical parts inside were clear at a glance. Why were all the mechanical units in this world transparent?
"Brother, what are you waiting for? You brought so many books with you. Hurry up and study. I'll look after the dumplings for you. You read well." Li Yetong smiled in her wheelchair.
"Okay, okay. I'll have to trouble you." Li Xiang sat in front of the desk and flipped through the large pile of books he had brought from the library.
"At the end of the 21st century, after the nuclear winter, the fundamental particles underwent a drastic change. Magic particles were born. The Blue Planet split into countless floating fragments. Countless disasters fell from the sky and almost destroyed the human race. History called it the 'Cataclysm.' In order to fight for resources and continue the human race, humans began a war with the disasters that lasted for hundreds of years. Three hundred years later, the two sides finally stabilized. Humans used steam technology and player technology to rebuild their home and built countless barriers to resist the disasters. "
Li Xiang read silently, digesting the large amount of information in his mind.
"All information about the human world of the past has been lost. Now, humans have a new civilization and system. The seven floating continents are the last pure land of the human race. The Great Wall of Disaster was built at the border to resist the countless disasters. The seven continents are the Subcontinent, the African Continent, the Northern Continent, the Southern Continent, the Frigid Continent, the European Continent, and the Oceanic Continent … The so-called disasters. "
"They are all terrifying mutated creatures and monsters. They are entrenched outside the Great Wall of Disaster and constantly invade the human world. They are powerful and bloody. Three hundred years ago, the Goddess of Disaster system that descended on the human world brought hope for the rise of human civilization. With its help, humans were able to gradually master magic particles and greatly improve their physical fitness. The players who stood out from the rest were the strongest force to resist the disasters! "
"In order to cultivate batch after batch of elite players, the current education system was born. From elementary school to high school, we constantly train our bodies, learn steam technology and magic knowledge, and judge the magic circuit of our body during the national exam. Finally, we fill in our application based on the total score and enter the university to become a magic apprentice, and then advance to become a magician. When we graduate, there will be a player qualification exam. Only by becoming a player can we resist the disasters and change the fate of ordinary people. "
Li Xiang suddenly understood. This world was not peaceful because of the huge disasters and dangers outside. Some of the professions that were born because of this would have extremely high value and treatment, and the players at the top were naturally the professions that everyone yearned for.
Even if the conditions did not meet the qualifications of a player, being able to go to a good university was still the only way to make a qualitative change. After all, learning steam technology also gave one a chance to enter important organizations such as the military, which was thousands of times better than ordinary people.
The influence of this world's national exam was far greater and crueler than in his previous life.
"Then what about the magic circuit? What is a magic circuit? And what is a player? "Li Xiang continued to flip through.
"The basic professions of a player are divided into three types: Magician, Guardian, and Assassin. Whether one qualifies as a player depends on the magic circuit of the body. Learning in university is to connect all the magic circuits awakened in the body! "
"The so-called magic circuit refers to the special magic patterns in the human body. Once connected, it can be applied to a person's body and greatly strengthen a person's physique. The six magic circuits are in the five senses, four limbs, internal organs, bones, brain, and flesh. To qualify as a Magician, one needs to connect all six magic circuits. A Guardian needs at least three of them: internal organs, bones, and flesh. An Assassin needs at least three of them: five senses, four limbs, and a brain. If one is judged to not have the qualifications to connect all these magic circuits, they cannot choose a player profession. Players are the top combat power. Becoming a player means the transformation of the entire family. "
"Since the beginning of the human race, the greatest forces have been called the Five Thrones, founded by the five strongest players. They are respectfully called the Five Kings! And the White King of the Bai family is currently the strongest player! The Subcontinent, with an area of 44.58 million square kilometers, is the birthplace of the Bai family. The Bai family also controls one of the two largest monopolies in the world, Bai Heavy Industries. No wonder everyone is in awe of the Bai family … "
Li Xiang kept flipping through the books. The records were very simple, but it was enough for him to understand the world.
Other than the players, most of the combat equipment used were steam weapons. The so-called military was a world organization directly under the Wesyx Technology Company and the Katashafi Committee. The latter two were independent forces outside of the Five Thrones. The Wesyx Technology Company was the world's most advanced and powerful steam technology company, while the Katashafi Committee was formed by twenty super players who were second only to the Five Thrones and did not belong to the Five Thrones. Together with the Five Thrones, they controlled the human society.
The Five Thrones had strong family values and valued the players more. The latter two were more inclined towards the ordinary people who had decent individual strength but did not have the opportunity to become players. This group of people could also become very powerful if they were trained and equipped with good steam weapons.
Moreover, unlike the players who were often out fighting disasters, the Military was more in charge of managing the human society. On this level, the Military and the Five Thrones complemented each other.
From this point of view, the two main development directions for the young people were very clear. Both the Five Thrones and the Military placed great importance on education. After all, it was the fastest and most effective way to cultivate players. Any force would welcome a player to join.
The education that Li Xiang was receiving now was the product of these giant forces. From elementary school to high school, no matter what kind of child, no matter what the family's economic conditions were, they could all receive these basic education without any worries. Then, through such a unified recruitment exam, they could decide their future development path.
"It seems that this is much more important than I thought." Li Xiang sighed. This was a journey of life and death that snowballed. Those who could gradually move up not only changed themselves, but also the fate of their families. Those who were stuck at the bottom, under great external pressure and a lack of resources, would inevitably become fish on the chopping block.
His initial idea of living a leisurely life with his sister was completely shattered.
However, such an extremely oppressive environment did not make Li Xiang feel afraid. Instead, it made him feel an indescribable sense of excitement. He was not himself from his previous life. Living a new life, he had a better state of mind and ability than others. In such a chaotic world, Li Xiang had the opportunity to reach a higher peak that he had never reached before.
After understanding this, it was not strange that he was called out by Chief Examiner Bai Yuhan during the day to take the test. She was a big shot from the Bai family. If she favored him, wouldn't it be an opportunity to reach the heavens in a single step in the eyes of others?
If it were other people of the same age, they might be excited, but Li Xiang was still fine. He had experienced too many storms and would not care about any small gains or losses until the last moment.
At this moment, the steam cooker that was cooking the dumplings suddenly emitted two columns of gas. The device rang a few times and stopped moving.
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