PGVCW 44

 

Playing God in Various Catastrophic Worlds

Chapter 44: The Cleanup Operation and Sanitation Reform

Carrying the steadfast conviction of saving the world, Cai Cai returned to the main contingent with a deadpan expression, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

When the planning department had initially stated that the magic world operation team's primary task would involve a thorough, ground-up sanitation sweep, most of the young operatives had found it hard to comprehend.

"It's just a dirty environment. We've slaughtered so many mutated alien beasts; what haven't we seen?"

"Why make a cleanup our top priority? Shouldn't our objective be to leverage our martial might and claim as much territory for Blue Star as humanly possible?"

"Perhaps it relates to rampant infectious plagues. Maintaining environmental cleanliness undoubtedly aids in disease prevention and control."

Cai Cai had been among those who initially failed to grasp the logic; she simply didn't see filth as something unbearable. Back during humanity's darkest hour in the Xia Kingdom, tens of millions of souls had been crammed together inside a single subterranean shelter, their body odors mingling until they fused into one strange, perpetual stench. Even then, though Blue Star's water resources had been severely depleted—leaving people virtually zero opportunities to wash or groom themselves—the environment hadn't degenerated to the grotesque level of this magical world.

An expansive village, sprawling farmlands, a vast horizon, and to top it all off, a crystal-clear stream running right alongside them—just how on earth did these people manage to make everything so utterly foul?

"There are various reasons for it, I suppose. Still, they're remarkably receptive to advice—look, aren't they scrubbing everything down right now?" Xia Wang'an tugged gently on Cai Cai's hand, offering reassurance. "So you see, we won't have to wipe them all out after all."

Cai Cai, who had never once entertained the thought of slaughtering them all to begin with: "......"

The Obedient Locals and the Invention of Toilets

Still, Wang'an's observation was spot on. The inhabitants of this world were genuinely lacking in hygiene habits, but they were equally unmatched in sheer obedience. Whether it was the downtrodden serfs or Carlo accompanied by his knights, everyone cowered like mild-mannered little lambs before the imposing, sweeping majesty of the black-armored iron legion. Even when Xia Wang'an issued a directive that sounded as absurd as "purifying the earth," they dutifully picked up brooms and diligently worked to clear away accumulated layers of generational garbage.

"I prefer cleanliness. From now on, everyone must maintain personal and environmental hygiene on a daily basis." The Princess of the Xia Kingdom proclaimed the fresh code of conduct for her newly claimed domain.

"No relieving yourselves out in the open."

Upon hearing this restriction, the docile serfs instantly turned pale with panic. Desperation etched across their features, they dropped to their knees and wailed for mercy:

"Your Highness, please spare us!"

"It was our fault for failing to show you proper respect earlier, but please do not punish us this way. We beg of you!"

Some even anxiously shoved forward the few men who had tried to pull a moral blackmail stunt on Xia Wang'an earlier, indicating that since those individuals were the ones who had offended her, any punishment should be strictly isolated to them.

Xia Wang'an remained completely expressionless. "I am going to have proper latrines constructed. From now on, you are only permitted to relieve yourselves inside designated restrooms."

The serfs exchanged bewildered glances; though uncertainty still lingered in their eyes, the sheer despair had lifted from their expressions.

Having visited this world ahead of time, Xia Wang'an explained the situation to Cai Cai and Yuan Ning: "They assumed that banning open defecation meant they were forbidden from answering nature's call entirely."

Cai Cai's jaw dropped behind her pitch-black helm: "You're telling me they don't even have toilets here?!"

With a grave, sorrowful nod, Xia Wang'an confirmed: "None."

She had previously posed this very question to Carlo, whose response revealed that only the nobility possessed the financial means to construct indoor privies within their stone keeps. In reality, even in castles equipped with proper restrooms, visiting dignitaries and even the lords themselves frequently preferred finding a convenient corner to squat wherever they pleased.

Consequently, the very first assignment undertaken by the black-armored automaton units—equipped with advanced modular architecture protocols upon arriving in the new realm—was constructing public latrines.

Row after row of rudimentary outhouses materialized at lightning speed: essentially simple thatched shelters housing deep pits spanned by sturdy stone slabs for users to stand upon.

Strategic Realities and Magical Quirks

With the primary sanitation crisis temporarily addressed, the manufacturing squads focused on brick-making were reinforced by additional robotic units. The geographical scale of this world was colossal; it was clearly going to be a long-term campaign. The aerial scouting drones dispatched by 123 from Xia Wang'an's side had scoured the skies for hours without managing to cross the borders of Count Albert's domain—and Albert was merely a low-ranking count.

Moreover, this world harbored volatile variables like arcane sorcery. Although Carlo's frantic, overreactive demeanor suggested that local spellcasters didn't possess overwhelmingly terrifying battle prowess, one could never be entirely certain. After all, psychological profiling experts had cross-referenced behavioral nuances—primarily derived from observation of the Albert father-son duo—and deduced that Count Albert held an insignificant, thoroughly mediocre standing within the Miki Kingdom, ruling over a remote, backwater fiefdom. Hence, their baseline impression of local mages might not be entirely objective. If some true powerhouse happened to be lying low within the royal capital, the statistical probability of Count Albert being privy to that secret was virtually zero.

Therefore, if they wished to establish a permanent foothold and construct infrastructure here, they could not perpetually rely on burning massive reserves of faith to transport Xia Wang'an back and forth. More importantly, the strategic planning division was still analyzing the world-system and had yet to finalize a protocol for harvesting large-scale faith power. Consequently, the Blue Star garrison stationed in the magic realm had no choice but to bide their time and play it safe.

"The architecture team already salvaged pre-cataclysm schematics detailing various ancient, low-tech building material production methods." Yuan Ning adjusted her helmet as she spoke. She even attempted to hand one over to Xia Wang'an: "This model features an integrated air-filtration cycle; wearing it ensures you won't catch a whiff of the ambient stench."

This explained why Cai Cai's psychological fortitude had completely shattered the moment she removed her helmet earlier—though she deserved credit for somehow maintaining her fierce, angry scowl while desperately trying to keep her composure.

"Unnecessary." Xia Wang'an replied with absolute nonchalance.

"I am circulating my inner spiritual energy to completely isolate my olfactory senses."

Yuan Ning: "......" 

Cai Cai: "......"

"You can do that?!" Cai Cai's eyes widened in profound shock before transforming into pure euphoria. "Quick, teach us!"

Yuan Ning likewise cast an earnest gaze toward Xia Wang'an, bracing herself for an intensive cultivation lesson.

Thus, Xia Wang'an began imparting the minor self-invented esoteric trick she had stumbled upon for sealing the five senses using spiritual qi:

"It's actually quite straightforward. You simply circulate your spiritual energy, calibrating its oscillation frequency to match the exact rhythmic cadence of your breathing..."

The eager anticipation in Cai Cai's eyes gradually dimmed—the exact same deadpan look she used to wear back in school whenever holiday breaks rolled around and she found herself forced to sit face-to-face with Xia Wang'an and Yuan Ning while they silently tackled practice examination papers.

Two hours later, Yuan Ning finally lifted her helmet off. "Wang'an, your combat talent remains peerless. This technique is brilliant; if we refine it further, I reckon that qi-enveloped defensive barrier you theorized about previously might actually become practical."

Basking in the praise, Xia Wang'an lifted her chin with a modest, haughty air, feigning mild reluctance: "Truthfully, I've already initiated practical trials. My projections suggest it will only require around ten thousand experimental iterations to achieve complete success."

Deeply inspired, Yuan Ning's eyes positively sparkled with unadulterated admiration: "Then what about that concept you mentioned earlier... condensing spiritual qi into a grand avatar manifestation?"

Xia Wang'an pondered: "That demands a massive, continuous torrent of spiritual energy, so experimental runs will likely have to wait until the later stages of our cultivation progression. However, I've already mapped out several theoretical frameworks. Care to brainstorm them together?"

"Lead the way!"

The two companions launched into a lively, high-level tactical discourse. From dissecting how a spiritual avatar transitions from an illusory projection into solid physical matter, to questioning whether certain complex algebraic formulas could be integrated with computational programming languages to imbue spiritual avatars with artificial intelligence—they covered it all.

From Cai Cai's perspective, however, their conversation sounded entirely like incomprehensible gibberish composed of %¥&* and #%&.

Cai Cai: "......" She instantly resolved to keep her helmet bolted tightly to her head for the remainder of eternity.

Carlo's Awakening Worldview

With two of her closest friends by her side engaging in high-tier immortal cultivation debates, sparring sessions with Cai Cai, and an army of automatons constructing buildings at breakneck speed, Xia Wang'an's mood was exceptionally bright.

For Carlo, however, the psychological shock he was currently enduring was nothing short of catastrophic.

When Xia Wang'an's "knight order" had first materialized, he had immediately dispatched a courier back to deliver the news to his father while electing to remain behind himself. He had convinced himself that he possessed unshakeable grit and courage, capable of standing his ground near such an overwhelmingly formidable military force to conduct careful reconnaissance.

"My lord, isn't it true you only stayed because Lord Count gave strict orders that you must remain by Her Highness's side come hell or high water?"

"Shut your trap, Lott! I am doing this for the glory of the House of Albert!"

Carlo clung fiercely to this narrative—or at least, he relied on it to successfully gaslight himself during the initial hours.

Yet before long, Carlo had entirely abandoned such petty self-delusions. These mysterious legions originating from the enigmatic Xia Kingdom defied all logic; despite possessing peerlessly refined weaponry and pristine armaments, they displayed zero hesitation in rolling up their sleeves to tackle filthy, backbreaking labor.

At first, Carlo hadn't the faintest clue what these people were up to. He simply watched as they wandered about, digging sprawling trenches and shoveling dirt from the earth. Shortly afterward, neatly pressed, uniform blocks of structural brick began rolling off makeshift production lines. To the naked eye, these manufactured bricks appeared vastly superior—smoother, more symmetrical, and more aesthetically pleasing—than anything produced within the royal capital.

Even more astonishingly, they weren't just decorative; rigorous testing proved they possessed extraordinary structural density and hardness.

That explained why these black-armored warriors—whose cultivation signatures he still couldn't detect even in the slightest—were willing to perform manual labor themselves; this manufacturing technique had to be an absolute, closely guarded state secret belonging to the royal family of Xia. Were he in their shoes, he would guard such a monopoly with his life.

Flushed with excitement, Carlo began mentally calculating the astronomical market value of these gorgeous bricks, wondering whether Her Highness Wang'an might be persuaded to export a batch to the Albert territory. If she agreed, he was fully prepared to offer her his prized collection of mutated beast crystal cores as tribute.

Before he could voice his proposal, however, he watched in dumbfounded horror as those very same disciplined black-armored knights methodically utilized those pristine bricks to construct... a series of brand-new public outhouses.

Carlo: "......"

Once construction concluded, Her Highness Wang'an grandly announced that these sparkling brick latrines were intended for the exclusive use of the serfs.

Carlo: "......"

At that precise moment, he was once again struck by a violent reality check regarding the staggering, incomprehensible extravagance of the Xia Kingdom.

Following that, an even better batch of bricks—smooth, flawless, and diamond-hard—was fired in mass quantities, and the black-armored legion officially commenced residential construction.

Having thoroughly scrubbed and sanitized their surrounding environment, the serfs threw themselves into the construction efforts with unprecedented enthusiasm. To be frank, Carlo had never witnessed serfs laboring with such blinding speed and vigor in his entire life.

"When people are well-fed, construction naturally proceeds at a rapid pace." When Princess Wang'an uttered those words, her tone carried an absolute, matter-of-fact certainty.

Gazing at the industrious black-armored legion toiling alongside the peasants, Carlo decisively swallowed back the phrase “well-fed serfs inevitably instigate violent riots.” No serf—no matter how foolish—would ever dream of rebelling against masters possessing such overwhelming, god-like power.

"That lord from earlier was practically slandering us." A serf laboring nearby had overheard the earlier exchange between Carlo and Xia Wang'an; during lunch break, as he polished off a generous portion of hearty potato stew, he recounted the incident to his peers with burning indignation.

Naturally, the rest of the serfs heartily agreed...

Translator's Note: 

 

Bro really thought the serfs were going to throw hands over a housing market bubble, but Xia Wang'an pulled up with the ultimate urban development mega-pack and built them luxury brick outhouses instead. 💀 The local aristocrat's entire worldview got thoroughly speedrun and dismantled in 4K resolution. Absolute gigachad behavior from the squad while we're out here dodging digital malware and broken raws. Catch you on the flip side! 😭