Universe 444 (This Universe)
Universe 110 (The Reality We Know)
### **The 2012 Cataclysm**
In the year 2012 AD, the Earth underwent a series of massive mega-earthquakes. Disasters erupted everywhere like mushrooms after a rain—buildings collapsed, rivers changed their courses, volcanoes erupted, and sea levels rose.
Once the tremors ceased, approximately 70% of the world's coastal cities had been submerged. In their place, a vast number of new islands emerged across the oceans. From that moment on, the map of the Earth was completely rewritten, and history began to head in a direction fundamentally different from Universe 110.
## **Major International Powers**
**The United Nations**
### **GCP (The Great Country Potaco)**
A federal republic consisting of 55 states. Because the GCP is the world's largest producer of potato chips, and the states on the map look tightly clustered like potato tubers—coupled with its citizens' tendency to call themselves a "United" and "Great" nation—internet users mockingly nicknamed it the **"Potato Federation."**
The GCP rose as a new superpower during World War I and World War II. It uses the Stars and Stripes as its flag and operates under a democratic government with the separation of powers. It possesses the strongest military force on Earth, the world's 2nd largest economy, a population exceeding 300 million, and the 4th largest land area. It is, without a doubt, the strongest nation on Earth.
### **The Republic of Canghai**
Once a major global power, it was severely damaged in modern times by government corruption and foreign invasions. Since WWII, it has gradually regained its strength and has once again become one of the lead actors on the world stage.
### **The Snowball Federation**
The country with the largest land territory in the world.
Located in high-latitude regions, the climate is cold year-round. It possesses vast natural resources and is one of the world's largest energy exporters. Its military strength is ranked 2nd globally, making it a veritable world power.
### **The Republic of Erind**
An island nation located 800 kilometers northeast of the Philippines with a population of about 25 million. It was once an uninhabited island until the Age of Discovery, when a large number of Asian immigrants arrived and established a new nation. It later became a colony for various maritime hegemons until WWII, when GCP forces occupied the entire island to build a naval supply base. As WWII ended and GCP forces gradually withdrew, the local citizens formed a democratic government, finally leading to the establishment of the Republic of Erind. The currency used is called **Credo**.
### **The Republic of Olin**
A long, narrow island nation along the coast of the Asian continent.
It possesses powerful scientific research capabilities and a strong industrial foundation. Its cultural exports—such as games, animation, and film—are forces to be reckoned with. It is currently the world's 3rd largest economy.
### **The Republic of Seven Stars**
Forty years after the end of WWII, the local flagship enterprise, **Four Stars**, merged with three other large domestic corporations.
This commercial empire covers 90% of the national economy. They eventually extended their reach into politics, even changing the country's name, becoming the first emerging nation in Asia to be a "Trinity" of politics, commerce, and military.
### **The Republic of Lily**
One of the world's great powers, using "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" as its motto. It is the 3rd largest arms supplier in the world and currently the 7th largest economic system globally.
### **The Beer Federation**
The largest economy in Europe with extremely powerful industrial technology. It is the 3rd largest exporter in the world, and its citizens enjoy a very high standard of living.
### **The United Kingdom of Camelot**
The former number-one superpower in the world. It famously defeated the "Invincible Armada" and pioneered the Industrial Revolution, playing a vital role in modern world history.
With the independence of the GCP and various colonies, its strength was greatly diminished. Although it was knocked off its throne as the world hegemon, it remains one of the most influential countries in the world today.
### **The Republic of Jalapeño**
Located in Central and South America, its local specialty is chili peppers.
## **The Year 2040 AD: A World in Turmoil**
### **Population**
Global population growth stagnated after reaching 8 billion. Many developed nations have begun to experience negative population growth, with a sharp decline in newborns and an aging population increasing annually. Governments have relaxed immigration restrictions and encouraged childbirth to stabilize their nations, but these efforts have largely been ineffective.
### **Economy**
The global economy is bleak, with countless business failures and rising unemployment rates every year. The massive number of job seekers allows corporations to pick and choose employees at will, completely shifting the power dynamic toward capital. The wealth gap has widened further.
Low wages have become severe, and cases of "Karoshi" (death from overwork) are seen everywhere. To survive, people must work harder for increasingly smaller paychecks, resulting in a negative cycle. Home ownership is declining, yet housing prices remain high; renting has become the social mainstream.
### **Natural Disasters**
As global warming causes sea levels to rise, large-scale natural disasters have begun occurring across all regions. Violent earthquakes in the Pacific have devastated Asian coasts. Many volcanoes are showing signs of activity, leading large numbers of residents to flee their homes for nearby cities. Unstable rainy seasons and increased droughts have led to dried-up rivers, severe desertification, and rampant wildfires.
### **Famine**
Frequent disasters and the disappearance of rainy seasons, combined with desertification from over-exploitation of land, have left many farms abandoned. Food prices rise every year. More and more people cannot afford food, and deaths from starvation have become a norm, steadily increasing as a percentage of total deaths.
### **War and Crime**
To seize resources, nations have engaged in numerous small-scale wars despite attempts at restraint. The United Nations has become ineffective, and the world is in a state of chaos. Marriage and birth rates have hit record lows. Human trafficking has become rampant; beautiful infants and children are highly sought after on the black market.
### **Culture**
To survive, people can only study and work desperately.
This immense pressure blankets the world. Seeing that hard work cannot resolve their life's hardships, more people have abandoned their pursuits and turned to a life of extreme minimalism. A small studio apartment, a bed, and a smartphone constitute a person's entire world. There are no ideals, no ambitions, and no desire for marriage or children; surviving is enough, and death is seen as inconsequential. **"Tang Ping" (Lying Flat)** has become the mainstream new culture of the world.