Chapter 51: Cool Prophet’s Diary

Finn gathered the key documents, organized them, and packed them into his field backpack. He then turned to the final item — Cool Prophet’s diary.

He opened the first page and saw a name written in bold, flowing strokes: “Lynn-Joonyew.” This must be Cool Prophet’s real name.

Finn read the diary in silence, gradually piecing together Cool Prophet’s journey across the wasteland.

“Imperial Calendar, March 11th. A solar storm is raging. A good day to stay home, play games, or use VR. A bad day for mining, work, or exploration.

“I was out looking for mineral deposits when I detected a high-frequency electromagnetic signal. A quick analysis of the waveform made it clear—it came from intelligent life.

“I followed the signal here, and look what I found: Beta-SIX-A-985. In this silent, dead universe, there are actually humans.

“I landed to investigate.

“What’s going on? Another post-nuclear wasteland. Another civilization destroyed by nuclear war. No surprise. The greatest lesson humanity learns from history is that it never truly learns anything from it.”

“April 5th. Clear. The radioactive wind stings the eyes. What year is it now? Never mind—the planet’s calendar was destroyed when the nuclear bombs fell.”

“On a mountain peak, I saw a milky-white building. I thought it was some kind of high-tech facility, but it turned out to be an observatory. There was an old man inside, using a telescope to observe the stars.

“This old man had a terrible temper and wouldn’t even let me drink his contaminated water. I took out a bottle of Perrier mineral water and showed it to him. The look on his face was priceless.”

“May 10th. Overcast.”

“The old man said those meteors were ‘Heaven-sent Objects,’ and might have even triggered the nuclear war. For a moment, I actually considered it. He even tried to get me to observe them. Forget it. I am a man who will reshape this wasteland and dominate the continent.”

“July 10th. Rain.”

“These ‘Heaven-sent Objects’ are indeed different from ordinary meteors. There is something worth studying here. Before I realized it, I had already spent two months observing the stars. Stargazing is actually quite interesting—I even wanted to become an astronomer when I was young.”

“Wasteland Calendar, Year 1, Month 1, Day 3. Clear.”

“I was fooled. That old man was not honest at all. He never had any beautiful daughter to introduce to me. I am done with stargazing. I am going down the mountain to farm, climb the technology tree, and dominate this wasteland world. Maybe I’ll even meet a few pretty girls along the way.”

“Wasteland Calendar, Year 1, Month 2, Day 15. Heavy rain.”

“The old man died… Even at the end, he refused to drink the clean water, saving the last bit for me. My mood has been terrible. For some reason, it reminded me of my grandfather. Sigh.”

“Wasteland Calendar, Year 1, Month 2, Day 19. Overcast.”

“The rain stopped. I buried the old man properly and took his astronomical instruments with me, storing them in my space ring. From now on, I will continue to watch the stars for you.”

“Wasteland Calendar, Year 1, Month 3, Day 1. Clear.”

“I should have trained harder before. I should have even joined the company’s gene modification program. Now I can’t even beat a Tier 2 Vanguard mutant. What a tragedy.

“Fortunately, my persuasive skills and the canned beef in my space ring helped me survive. I need to be more careful from now on. I can’t act recklessly anymore.”

“Wasteland Calendar, Year 1, Month 3, Day 28. Bright sun.”

“The company is no longer monitoring me, so I might as well treat this as a vacation. I will use up the 200 years of accumulated leave and build a brand-new world.

“I come! I see! I conquer!”

“Wasteland Calendar, Year 1, Month 4, Day 2. Dense fog.”

“That was close. I almost got killed by a Tier 3 Vanguard. I only survived by pretending to be dead. It turns out that aside from my long lifespan, I don’t have many advantages. I need to find a remote place and develop quietly.”

“Wasteland Calendar, Year 1, Month 4, Day 22. Strong winds.”

“I have arrived at a barren place called Ironatom. This place is completely desolate. But then again, where in this world is not desolate anymore?

“The data in my personal terminal is still intact. I managed to convince those scavengers to trust me. Thinking about it, I should come up with a better title. Let’s call it — Cool Prophet.”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 1, Month 8, Day 23. Light rain.”

“Rebuilding the wasteland is too difficult. Everyone has their own intentions and refuses to listen. If I had known earlier, I would have ordered a system from Eternal System Group—something like an Ultimate Wasteland Overlord System.”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 2, Month 10, Day 2. Heavy rain.”

“All my efforts were not in vain. Ironatom is finally on the right track. At least we now have enough clean water. Next, I need to consider other matters. First step: produce Nuka-Cola. What kind of wasteland doesn’t have Nuka-Cola?”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 3, Month 2, Day 9. Clear.”

“Mutant girls are truly beautiful. Especially in military uniforms—they look even better. Yvonne must have realized I like military uniforms and is deliberately wearing tight ones to tease me. That shameless woman… I’m going to punish her thoroughly with my throbbing manhood!”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 4, Month 7, Day 3. Overcast.”

“The Vault Project—999 women and 1 man—has failed. My back has been hurting for several days.”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 4, Month 8, Day 9. Heavy rain.”

“What’s going on? I think I overheard my subordinates whispering that I’m brain-damaged. Are they serious? I am Cool Prophet—the one leading Refuge City toward a bright future. And that little bastard Congreve keeps talking back to me. Does he think I won’t punish him?”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 5, Month 6, Day 15. Clear.”

“I finally built an observatory again, so I can stargaze once more. I even established a new discipline today—astronomy. However, the teachers and students do not seem very interested.”

……

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 30, Month 2, Day 11. Rain.”

“After two days and nights of continuous analysis, I finally found the pattern. The Heaven-sent Objects all point to one location—the Alderon Sea. But that is in the north, far from here.

“To reach the Alderon Sea, we must pass through Radiant Path territory. Children of Atom, obey my command—the holy war begins!”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 30, Month 4, Day 19. Rain.”

“We had to retreat. Radiant Path was too strong. We were no match for them. Their silver light actually pierced through our armored vehicles. It is unbelievable.

“That is not ‘holy light.’ That is laser weaponry. How is that possible? Even before the Cataclysm, the Columbian Imperium never developed such technology.”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 30, Month 5, Day 3. Clear.”

“Radiant Path sent a notice. As long as we allow them to preach in Ironatom, they will forgive past conflicts and lift the trade blockade.

“Fine. I will endure it for now. Radiant Path… one day I will return this humiliation and lead an army to the Alderon Sea.”

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 30, Month 5, Day 16. Clear.”

“Why do I feel like people are mocking me behind my back? It makes me feel cold inside. Only Yvonne remains by my side. She is getting older now; I can see wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes, but I will not abandon her.”

……

From that point onward, the diary became filled with scattered, meaningless ramblings. Finn skimmed through quickly, turning the pages like wind as his eyes swept across entry after entry, until he finally reached the last page.

“Cool Prophet Calendar, Year 48, Month 1, Day 26. Clear.”

“The company has sent an urgent message. I must leave immediately. I have been short on funds recently. Once I reconnect to the Myriad Realms Network, I will upload everything I have seen on this planet and earn some points.

“Goodbye, Ironatom. Goodbye, my beloved Yvonne Adams. Wait for me—I will return.

“I will return with a steel army, like a king, uncover the secrets of the Alderon Sea, and destroy Radiant Path.”

The diary ended abruptly, followed by long stretches of blank pages.

Finn slowly closed the notebook. After reading the past of this legendary figure, his emotions were complicated.

He had gained important information: in the northern Alderon Sea lay a major secret waiting to be uncovered. To reach it, one must pass through Radiant Path territory.

Cool Prophet’s real name was Lynn-Joonyew. He was one of the Pioneers who uploaded data to the Myriad Realms Network. All of Finn’s initial intelligence about this wasteland planet ultimately came from him.

Ironatom’s unusual situation had also been influenced by Cool Prophet.

The diary stated that he would return—but so many years had passed. Why had he never appeared again? And what exactly was “laser weaponry”?

Finn held the diary quietly, lost in thought.