The Shaman Desires Transcendence

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One fight has come to an end, and now it’s time to sort through the spoils.

What was it that Park Jinseong originally wanted from China?

He sought a way to repair his mangled body as a master of magic, clues to immortality, knowledge of magic he didn’t know through interactions with Ashtosh Singh, and the magic materials and divine objects that China has been collecting from all over the world.

But what did he actually gain?

Anael, who possessed the knowledge Park Jinseong wanted, was forcibly shoved into the collective unconscious of humanity by a revenge-fueled sorcerer, and then poof—turned to smoke! Moreover, wasn’t Park Jinseong already aware that Anael was a pretty dangerous being, one that couldn’t bring him any benefits? He had given up on the interaction by this point, hadn’t he?

Thus, the information about Anael was merely an illusion, akin to cheese on a mouse trap.

He gained essentially nothing.

And what of the magical items related to magic?

Thanks to Ashtosh Singh, the plans went awry, leaving him in a situation where he couldn’t access magic right now.

With terrorists and wizards all around, is it reasonable to expect a single city in China not to be turned to ruins with this combination? The nation’s pride, along with the upper echelons of the Communist Party of China, would certainly react more paranoid than ever to the element of “magic,” which threatens their safety and wealth.

Especially since anyone can use magic if they just know how, it surely feels even more dangerous.

Accessing magical materials or divine objects?

That’s definitely out of the question for the time being.

They would ensure that only thoroughly vetted personnel or upper-class individuals could have access.

And of course, this “security” would far exceed usual expectations. They would most likely have wiretaps and surveillance in place as a given. With the pretext of maintaining national order and completely blocking out confusion, the people of China would surely accept a bit more hardship in their lives.

All things considered, Park Jinseong ended up suffering losses with his involvement in China.

Nothing gained, yet nothing lost—so why is it a loss?

The answer is simple.

Magic doesn’t come for free.

The magic used to engage with China, the magic used against Ashtosh Singh, the magic employed to give gifts to Anastasia…

All of it comes with a terrible cost, including black magic that demands a horrific price and rituals that must be conducted. Those costs are simply too significant to ignore.

In the short term, this incident was undoubtedly a loss.

But viewed from a long-term or macroscopic perspective, it couldn’t be called just a loss.

The plan to embed puppets or spies among the upper-class failed, yet this incident has created a fertile ground for people he can utilize to naturally emerge. The terror that occurred in China was initially instigated by wizards and sorcerers, but those responsible for the city’s destruction weren’t solely them.

Who fired missiles into the city under the pretext of stopping terrorism, blasted tanks, and ruthlessly gunned down the poor?

Who decided to sacrifice the small for the sake of the greater and kill off abundant resources known as “humans” to maintain order?

That would be the army and the public security forces, wouldn’t it?

The people in the city that experienced the terror would start to question the military and public security.

Of course, whether that leads to questioning the Communist Party of China is another matter, as they have been educated to be loyal to the Party for a long time. However, they would at least be suspicious of the Party’s control in China.

Even if the emperor is benevolent, the ones beneath him can be steeped in corruption.

China has always had a vast land and numerous people, which meant central control was often ineffective in the far reaches.

And if that trend worsens, warlords arise, and rebellions follow suit.

Modern-day China is no different.

The Communist Party of China is successfully running the People’s Republic of China, using the latest technologies to control each individual. But even so, there are bound to be blind spots, and the system that seeks to centralize power while dispersing it naturally fosters various factions and influences.

Right now, aren’t the Communist Youth League, the Princelings, and the Shanghai Gang competing within the Party?

And, inevitably, inside those groups, distinctions based on connections, regional affiliations, and educational backgrounds will arise… Even if they are unified in vision, human nature causes them to wish to diversify.

And the people who are well aware of this situation may naturally start saying:
“Some factions or powers, or outsiders trying to evolve into warlords have run amok,” “Those who rejected or ignored the central control have committed such ludicrous acts to achieve success,” “It’s just like when Cao Cao, that crafty villain, took the military reins and caused such events.”

Do the people genuinely believe what they’re saying?
That’s irrelevant.
What matters is that they will express such things as they recount the horrific experiences they endured.

They wouldn’t want to express distrust in a colossal system like the Communist Party of China and face being captured by the public security or face being treated as a non-citizen due to lowered social credit scores. Therefore, regardless of their grievances or thoughts, they would curse and blame that “cruel villain” or the “rebellious faction.”

That’s their limit for voicing complaints without suffering, and it’s the compromise between the Communist Party and the people.

Naturally, the upper echelon knows this aspect of the people, so they will likely punish a few whom they can reasonably hold accountable, saying they “used excessive firepower out of misplaced loyalty,” thereby cutting off the tail of the issue. Furthermore, they would emphasize the narrative that it was a “tragic incident where the city was destroyed by terrorists,” claiming that China’s great military did its utmost to defeat them and save the people from peril…

Perhaps the upper-class will actually welcome this.
With China’s economic growth gradually slowing and real estate businesses declining, the emergence of an entire “city” could be considered a goldmine. Sure, the destruction of a city is undoubtedly a tragedy and a massive loss, but if handled well, it could create jobs and alleviate the dissatisfaction of “youths who have graduated from college but are just wasting time” by enhancing economic indicators, albeit temporarily.

And during the reconstruction of that city, they can also strengthen connections through guanxi and utilize fees and commissions as bonuses…

In chaos, there’s always opportunity.
The same holds true for Park Jinseong.

There will definitely be room for him to insert himself in the reconstruction efforts.
Even if he doesn’t directly step in, there are countless methods available. After all, there are individuals in Korea and Japan with connections to China’s upper class. He can utilize them to make his approach.
By controlling architectural designers, he could guide the construction of buildings with magical significance, making it so rituals can be conducted anywhere in the city whenever they like.
He could also leverage celebrities deeply connected with China’s upper echelons to gain entry, infect them, or trade with them.
There are… many options.

But as it stands, that’s merely an instance where a definite gain transformed into an opportunity, so one could argue it’s just a loss.

However, the true gain is something different.
It’s the time he has bought.

China is currently turning its gaze outward.

As limits have begun to emerge in economic growth, and social contradictions previously suppressed by rapid development and the extreme nationalism and supremacism that people colloquially refer to as “nationalism” started to bubble up.

In such a situation, the best method is to redirect everything elsewhere.

Sluggish economic growth could mirror the way European countries, including France, have turned Africa into economic colonies for exploitation, while internal dissatisfaction can be redirected towards external enemies to channel their hatred, and growing wealth disparities can be addressed through rigorous patriotism and loyalty education, providing a pathway to become “soldiers.”

Thus, China has slowly begun to extend its hands outward, gathering strength.
If this situation continues, they would likely restart their conquests as before the rewind.
And those conquered would undergo thorough classification, absorbing via superior Chinese bloodlines.

However, the destruction of a city has merely pushed that timeline further away.
It may not be an excessively long delay, but considering that it will become increasingly difficult for Park Jinseong to exert influence in China after a war breaks out… this undoubtedly presents a clear boon and opportunity for him.

Yet how ironic it is!
The very reason Ashtosh Singh attacked Park Jinseong was to prevent the number of Chinese people from declining, which would lead to a shrinking collective unconscious of humanity, wasn’t it?

Ironically, his intention was inadvertently achieved.
He succeeded in pushing the calamity of war, where people die by the droves like insects, further back.
Though unintentional, his words towards the Sikhs, whom he used like firewood, have come true…

What a peculiar and strange world it is!
The principles of the world are indeed inscrutable.

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