Three lonely options filled his vision: [Shop], [Scenario], and [Achievement].
Both the [Shop] and [Achievement] tabs were currently empty. Clicking into the [Scenario] interface, he found only one available map:
[Lost in Paris]: Transmigration Cost – 1 Transmigration Coin
With a balance of only 2 Transmigration Coins, he had no other choice. Might as well spend one and see what this was all about.
Focusing his attention on [Lost in Paris], several more lines of information popped up.
[Preparing for transmigration...]
[Matching with your parallel self...]
[Please select three of the following ten talents as matching criteria]
[1. Uneven Legs (White): Your legs are of different lengths.]
[2. Narcissist (Blue): You are very handsome, but extremely self-absorbed.]
[3. Doctor of Electrical Engineering (Purple): You are an authority in the field of electrical engineering.]
[4. Healthy Diet (White): Your diet consists only of vegetarian food. You never touch meat.]
[5. A Touch of Luck (Green): Your luck is slightly improved.]
[6. Zidane (Purple): You possess Zidane's godlike soccer skills, but as a consequence, you have his 35-year-old hairstyle.]
[7. Literary Talent (Blue): You have a high aptitude for literature.]
[8. Fair-Minded (Blue): You are just and impartial in your dealings.]
[9. Fashionable (Green): You have excellent taste in clothing.]
[10. Intersex (Purple): Your reproductive system is a bit different from others.]
[Please choose your talents carefully. Each rematch costs 1 Transmigration Coin]
Julian Thorne: ...
This game was a bit ridiculous, wasn't it?
What the hell was with "Uneven Legs"? And what was up with "Zidane"? And "Intersex"? Seriously?
Honestly, there weren't many good options. Only 3, 5, and 7 seemed remotely useful.
[You have selected Talent 3, Talent 5, and Talent 7.]
[Match successful. Your parallel self is a Doctor of Electrical Engineering with high literary talent and good luck. He often wins free drinks in "second bottle free" promotions.]
[When you die in the simulation, the game ends.]
[Boarding the Time Machine... 1%... 33%... 65%... 95%... Whoosh... Transmigration complete.]
A few seconds later, Julian, still waiting for something to happen, was dumbfounded. He had expected to be whisked away with a flash, escaping his predicament, but he was still in this dark, gloomy room! The only difference was that blue text was now scrolling before his eyes.
He'd been tricked! This was a text-based game!
[You have transmigrated to Paris in 1894. From this moment on, the wheels of history begin to turn.]
[December 18, 1894: As a Doctor of Electrical Engineering, you are full of ambition, eager to invent an electrical generator, only to be shocked to discover that generators already exist in this world. Your professional knowledge tells you that the first generator was invented by a Frenchman named Pixii in 1832. You should have transmigrated to the first half of the 19th century. Also, you haven't eaten today, and you're very hungry. But don't worry, as a researcher, it's common to forget to eat or sleep. You can definitely endure it.]
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[December 19, 1894: You finally figure out the exact date. Still ambitious, you want to beat Tesla to the invention of the two-phase AC generator, but you find yourself without a partner, without research tools, without a laboratory, and without anyone willing to support you. You still haven't eaten today, and you're very hungry, but you can still endure it... or can you?]
[December 20, 1894: You're starving and dizzy with hunger. You decide to find any job just to survive, but your French is not very fluent. You can read but can't speak. You start to regret not having studied French properly. Transmigration isn't so simple after all.]
[December 21, 1894: Your clothes were stolen by a homeless man, and you were beaten up pretty badly. You lingered outside a bakery for a long time. You seem to be quite lucky; a kind person across the street has been observing you for a while. He buys you a few pieces of bread. You cry with gratitude.]
[December 22, 1894: Another day of failed job hunting. However, your French communication has improved a lot. At least you can understand some of it and have a basic conversation. You have acquired the skill: Basic French Fluency]
[December 23, 1894: You no longer have the strength to walk. Starving, you reach out to the bread displayed in the window of a roadside bakery. You are discovered and beaten severely. A few of your ribs are broken, and you are in too much pain to walk. You have gained the feat: Basic Endurance. You have acquired the skill: Basic Pickpocketing]
[December 24, 1894: It's Christmas Eve, and it's snowing. The aroma of turkey wafts from the shop windows. The atmosphere outside is festive. You lie in the snow and freeze to death anonymously on the streets of Paris. Two days later, the same kind person helps you find a grave to be buried in.]
[You have gained the achievement: Orphan of Gaul.]
[Evaluation: From transmigration to death in 7 days, words like 'all talk and no action' and 'mediocre and useless' hardly describe your incompetence. However, it's worth mentioning that the person who gave you bread and paid for your burial is named Romain Rolland. Inspired by your unfortunate transmigration, he created the famous masterpiece "Jean-Christophe" in 1897, which will be remembered throughout history. Your tragic character not only shocked all of Europe but also made Romain Rolland famous, earning him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915 and sparking a movement in France to denounce the unfair social system. In a sense, this literary giant feasted on your misfortune.]
[Rating: F, World Exploration: 0.2%. Because you had a profound impact on the history of world literature, you have received 1 Transmigration Coin and 500 experience points.]
"That's it?" Looking at this short, boring, and tedious life, Julian's expression shifted from confusion to disbelief to utter shock. He wanted to curse, but he didn't know where to start. Finally, he could only sigh:
"Sigh!"
Although he was speechless and unwilling to admit it, if he had really transmigrated himself, he probably wouldn't have fared much better.
He had disgraced all transmigrators.
[Simulation ended. Please make your choice as soon as possible.]
[1. Randomly obtain three skills and feats acquired during your transmigration.]
[2. Randomly draw three items obtained during your transmigration.]
Seeing these two options, Julian chose the first one without hesitation.
[You have acquired the skill: Basic Pickpocketing.]
[You have gained the feat: Basic Endurance.]
[You have acquired the skill: Basic French.]
[Because you have mastered two or more foreign languages, you have unlocked a new sub-class: Linguist]
A moment later, Julian felt a surge of basic French and pickpocketing knowledge enter his mind, and a new feat appeared in his skill bar.
[Basic Endurance: Constitution Growth Modifier +0.13, Willpower +1. The influence of negative debuffs such as hunger, thirst, and cold is slightly reduced.]
——————
In "Apocalypse," Strength determined physical attack power and its upper limit. All melee damage-dealing classes had high Strength.
Dexterity determined movement speed, attack speed, and evasion ability, and also increased ranged attack power. For ranged physical damage dealers, increasing Dexterity was a safe bet.
Constitution increased maximum HP. Each point of Constitution added 10 base HP and 12 Stamina. Some feats and skills could affect this coefficient and even slightly increase defense.
Willpower determined resistance to abnormal statuses and the maximum Willpower (Stat). Higher Willpower meant higher resistance to abnormal statuses and increased learning speed.
Intelligence was equivalent to spellcasting talent and mana regeneration speed, determining the attack power and sustainability of magic-based classes. This was the primary attribute for magic-based classes. If this attribute was low, magic-based classes were basically out of the question.
Charisma affected the initial affinity with characters and factions and provided discounts when trading with NPCs.
Looking at the new skills and feats on his panel, Julian confirmed one thing:
The two games had indeed merged. What he gained in the Transmigration Simulator could be brought back to reality.