Chapter 159: The Foundation is Steady

Mackey was born in Camp Port of the Kewell Empire, a river port. His family made a living by towing boats for generations.

The hardships of towing boats need no elaboration.

However, he was much luckier than his ancestors.

Just after he started towing boats, an imperial decree spread the use of the Internet.

The arrival of the Internet opened Mackey’s eyes.

Although he was illiterate, many features of the Internet didn’t require reading to use.

For instance, online courses on the Internet didn’t need literacy—just click to listen.

Originally, he wanted to learn magic.

Unfortunately, magic was too complex. Being illiterate, just oral online courses didn’t help him understand even after more than a month.

Disheartened, he turned to listening to Battle Qi and surprisingly made some progress.

Within three days, he cultivated Battle Qi.

He vividly remembered when he first cultivated a strand of Battle Qi, he was so happy he defiantly told his family elders—he quit!

He wanted to become a mercenary.

But the dream was alluring, and reality was harsh.

His minuscule amount of Battle Qi couldn’t even beat a young girl in a mercenary group, and no group would accept him.

He had to slink back to his village.

As expected, he was immensely ridiculed by the villagers.

He kept quiet, focusing on cultivating Battle Qi, and with persistent effort, his strength and endurance increased.

Eventually, he found a job in the newly opened bicycle factory in the city.

Overnight, he became the village’s envy.

Everyone knew that ever since Lord Ajef established the Dragon Factory, various factories sprouted up in the Empire.

The pay was high, and the benefits were excellent—many desired to get in.

Back then, Mackey was quite proud!

In his first month’s salary, he used an employee quota to purchase his first bicycle.

He still remembered the shock of the villagers when he rode back with it.

My gosh, the entire village gathered at his door, gawking at the bicycle in astonishment.

Shirley, who once ignored him, shyly chatted with him for a long time and even asked him to teach her to ride the bike, leaving Mackey sleepless with joy.

Reflecting on the factory job, Mackey felt both proud and a bit sorrowful.

Many wished to enter, yet some inside wished to leave.

The factory work was too grueling.

Endless assembly line tasks left no time for rest.

Even when towing boats, it hadn’t been this hard.

Really!

Towing was tough but only for a while. When idle, most would sit by the shore, chatting and fishing.

Admittedly, perhaps he was not appreciating his good fortune.

He conceded that factory pay was indeed very high.

At least the future benefits were tangible.

Monthly earnings were predictable at the click of a calculator.

Unlike before, constantly anxious over tides.

High tide meant no work, low tide was exhausting!

Now he had one thought: work hard and cultivate Battle Qi while learning to read, aiming to boost his Qi level and become a mercenary.

In this monotonous cycle, one day the city’s Magic Tower suddenly activated, and a magic shield covered the skies, with papers falling like snowflakes.

He was having lunch when the Magic Tower activated, startling him, fearing war.

Fortunately, although people panicked, no war broke out.

He heard from literate coworkers that this was the Underworld God spreading prayers through the Dark Web.

Dark Web?

His curiosity was piqued.

Through a coworker’s whispers, he logged into the Dark Web for the first time.

Wow!

Even seasoned by the Internet, Mackey was stunned by the Dark Web.

Mainly because it appeared within the soul—so convenient.

That afternoon, he worked while listening to music, passing time pleasantly.

Returning home, he logged onto [Follower of the Underworld God], glimpsing the legendary Underworld and the destiny of souls after death.

He was awestruck.

He even changed his faith.

The Dark Web said only believers of the Underworld God could enter his Godly Kingdom after death to enjoy eternal prosperity.

Otherwise, souls would fall to the Underworld, becoming resentful spirits or ugly zombies, skeleton soldiers.

That night, Mackey ecstatically fought undead creatures.

The next day, Mackey went to work as usual.

But the factory’s atmosphere felt tense.

The Dark Web’s arrival unsettled people.

Some chatted on the Dark Web during work, cursing the line leader.

Mackey felt amused and cursed in the Dark Web chat too, feeling a venting of pent-up frustration.

At noon, a Mage Lord visited the factory to warn about the Dark Web’s dangers.

When Mackey heard that the Dark Web was a scheme by the Underworld God and using it drained souls, he truly panicked, his faith shaking.

The Mage Lord said:

The Underworld God doesn’t have a Godly Kingdom. Why would he create one for believers? In truth, you’re lambs for his deceit, intending to consume your souls!

The manager echoed: the Empire bans Dark Web access, offenders are fired, punished!

These words scared Mackey stiff.

That afternoon, a tragic accident occurred.

A worker, due to operational mishap, got caught in a machine, half of his body crushed.

They said he was distracted by secretly using the Dark Web.

Hearing this, Mackey was shaken and increasingly fearful.

He felt the Underworld God was out to kill them, eat their souls.

That night, he trembled in bed.

Unable to bear the fear, he knelt, praying for forgiveness from the Internet God.

After a while, he calmed a bit.

Back in bed, he logged onto the Internet after a long pause.

Logging in, he was stunned.

The Internet had new features. After asking friends through voice, he learned it now offered soul projection too.

Learning this, Mackey activated soul login mode on the Internet and froze.

He almost slapped himself!

Gosh, look at your spinelessness! One soul login on the Dark Web made you see the Underworld God as a savior?!

If he were truly a savior, why call himself the Underworld God? Sounds evil! Now the Internet has soul login mode too!

It matched the Dark Web experience.

If coworkers reported him for using the Dark Web, he’d lose his job!?

Facing Kewell Empire’s ideological campaign against the Dark Web and administrative bans, its market share plummeted!

With the Internet updating to include soul login mode, the Dark Web’s market share plummeted to single digits.

Especially among intellectuals, magicians, and nobles, the Dark Web was irrelevant.

The Internet’s update, beyond soul login, included a《Privacy Treaty》.

Most commoners wouldn’t heed this detail.

But intellectuals did!

They valued it immensely!

The《Privacy Treaty》closed the loophole of ‘being watched by a deity’ for users of Divine Magic.

The Internet God, through the contract’s power, promised never to observe users nor access their private information!

For societal elites, this detail was crucial.

In short, in the Kewell Empire, the Internet maintained a stable and dominant market share! In other areas, Internet and Dark Web were evenly split.

The foundation’s stability allowed Yu Sheng’an to breathe a sigh of relief.

But before implementing his next strategy, the Underworld God’s sudden strategic withdrawal raised his eyebrows.