800 Yuan for a High Civilization

My name is Lin Fan. I failed the college entrance exam and ended up at a junior college. Over the entire summer break, I drowned myself in a hardcore single-player mobile game called Civilization Sandbox, trying to numb the pain. From bow-and-arrow hunting to the Industrial Revolution… I got hooked. I was so obsessed I barely ate or slept—and blew my entire 800-yuan living allowance on in-game purchases. Mom called me a loser. Relatives said I was done for. I didn’t argue. If I could, I’d have chosen to be a regular university student too… I didn’t pay any attention during the first class of the new semester. Because I was staring at my phone. In the game, my civilization was trying to connect a controlled nuclear fusion power plant to the grid! I stared blankly at the engineer’s report. Not only could I understand it—but it didn’t seem fake at all! Up at the podium, the elderly professor was lecturing passionately. I raised my trembling hand. “Professor… if I publish a top-tier academic paper, can I transfer to a regular university?” The professor smiled. “What’s the subject?” I glanced at the game data. “Industrial Applications and Safety Considerations of Controlled Nuclear Fusion.” The whole class burst out laughing. The professor’s face turned grim… …… My name is Siya, Supreme Chancellor of the 8080th generation of the Gaia Civilization. Since the dawn of our existence, we have basked in the grace of the gods. When disaster struck, the gods performed miracles for us. In our ignorance, they gifted us writing. The gods said: You shall revere technology. So we launched a scientific explosion. Controlled fusion, seventh-gen fighter jets, warp drives… one after another, we completed each theoretical framework! Everything we’ve done is for one purpose— To reach a distant star called “Earth.” As the gods’ most devout believers, we shall embark on a sacred pilgrimage!