Ch. 1: Viktor & Percival

Viktor was unaccustomed to all of this, he was not used to waking up in the morning just to have breakfast while conversing with his family.

Slicing the steak, he put the soft, fragrant meat into his mouth. The texture was tender, he had never tasted anything like this in his lifetime when living on Earth. The flavor was truly amazing, it made him feel regret for never having purchased something similar before.

"Have you prepared all your necessities, Viktor?" Alexander, the blue-eyed man, or who could now be considered his father, asked.

Not knowing what the question was about, Viktor racked his brain, searching through the memories stored within this body. After retrieving them, he smiled.

"To be honest, yes. But after thinking it over, I might postpone my departure. I need to prepare important matters thoroughly. Plus, who knows what dangers await out there, right?"

Emma, his mother, shook her head, her long black hair elegantly done up in a bun. "From the start, I never understood why you wanted to trouble yourself with such a journey. If you want to gain experience, you should run the family business, or if you don't want to be stuck in the office all the time, you could become an envoy to establish partnerships with other kingdoms."

I really want to. Viktor wanted to say that, but for now, he had to stay on track and adhere to the original owner's will. If he suddenly changed his mind, his family would immediately become suspicious and wonder what happened to Viktor's desire for adventure, which had existed since he was five years old.

So he chuckled. "A man must leave his cage, mother. Isn't that what Emperor Roselle said? For generations, our family has only clung to the mining business, which is why I want to step out of this zone.

"This world is also vast, haven't we read the scriptures throughout our lives? As someone devoted to the Goddess, of course I want to see the relics they mentioned, which must exist in this world, with my own head and eyes."

"Don't get too excited, Vik." Ellen, his younger sister, sipped her tea and sighed. "Searching for relics like that is extremely dangerous, you'll die before seeing them."

Viktor shrugged, not losing his smile, this matched the original owner's personality. But he couldn't help but agree with Ellen, in this world there existed a power called "Beyonders" obtained by concocting potions from physics-defying ingredients.

The real Viktor had already consumed two potions, and was now at Sequence 8 Clown of the Seer Pathway. He could currently divinate, and his body was agile as if boneless.

Wanting to continue ascending sequences to explore the world, Viktor had many connections to secret Beyonder meetings, stored in numerous locations throughout Backlund, from the smallest to the largest. He could take advantage of those connections as long as he was careful.

Cutting the steak again, Viktor closed his eyes, having decided that he would make the most of this second life.

Such as... buying more fancy food.

...

Viktor was taking notes in his notebook in the living room, currently sitting across the sofa from his sister. Silence reigned in this room, thus bringing a sense of drowsiness and boredom.

"Do you have any plans for today, Ellen?" Viktor looked at his sister who was grooming her nails.

"Yes, I'm going to watch a play at the theater." Ellen stretched out one hand towards the light, casually inspecting her nails.

"What play?" Viktor raised an eyebrow. Truthfully, even though he was now in a different world, he still didn't know where he wanted to explore first. Everything in his memory so far was accurate, which was good, but it also made him unenthusiastic about finding out more.

Like when someone is told a movie's plot before watching it.

"A romantic drama, adapted from a novel by a recently popular author. Do you want to watch it too, Vik?"

"Sure, when are we going?" Viktor smiled, it was currently midday.

"This evening," Ellen turned, her long black hair flowing, "I'll take a bath first, get dressed up, and then have some sweet snacks."

"Don't eat too many sweets, or your teeth will get cavities." Viktor said flatly.

"You sound like an old man afraid of things like that, Vik." Ellen chuckled.

"And you sound like a child."

Ellen shook her head and stood up. "Whatever, I'm going to bathe. You should too, I don't want to go out with you if you reek."

"You're too harsh, you know?" Viktor feigned shock at her words.

"And I'm not ashamed of that." Ellen laughed as Viktor watched her leave.

Shaking his head, Viktor returned to his notebook. He had already decided to follow his plan - this world seemed dangerous so he would become stronger to avoid dying too soon...

He wrote his list in English:

[ Find others like me who have been "thrown" into this world, this is confirmed to exist since Emperor Roselle's predecessor was also like me. ]

[ Utilize Beyonder meetings to find recipes, ingredients, as well as weapons and occult knowledge. ]

[ Translate Roselle's diaries, even though I don't understand Mandarin, but as a transmigrator who has flipped through "dictionaries" I can transcribe them using my Seer ability. ]

[ Find powerful allies, there are god-like beings in this world, so when I provoke one of them, at least I have something to rely on. ]

[ Have fun, spend money, enjoy my current life, because my previous life was hell. ]

Looking them over made Viktor smile slightly, as it brought some peace to his heart. At least he had goals, even if he still didn't know whether everything he wrote would succeed.

But again, at least he had goals.

At least he had goals.

...

"In essence, these machines are nothing more than manifestations of the physical principles we study.

"The laws of thermodynamics, the principles of work and energy, all synergize in the marvel of the steam engine that drives the wheels of our civilization's progress."

After Professor Richards concluded his lecture, the room fell silent, only the scratching of pens dancing across paper accompanying the reverie within.

Percival nodded, scribing ink, channeling his musings into strings of words. He meticulously noted every detail. However, at times his attention was drawn to a girl sitting beside him.

Melissa, how captivating she was in Percival's eyes. Her long hair cascaded raven black, like a night inviting a thousand dreams to play.

Her clear brown eyes framed by glasses, casting an enchanting softness onto the heart. Her lips bloomed crimson, curving an alluring smile.

From behind her spectacles, Melissa gazed at Professor Richards as he expounded. Then, she looked at Percival, realizing his gaze had been fixed upon her.

She waved her hand, so gracefully, clipping the pen between her index and middle fingers, as if hypnotizing Percival with the shimmer of her charms.

Percival immediately averted his face, a blush spreading across his cheeks. His heart pounded so fiercely, as did his thoughts... growing utterly distraught.

This must be love, I'm certain! he murmured with conviction.

He was so confident!

Setting down his fountain pen, Percival buried his face in the embrace of both arms atop the desk. Yet, unable to restrain himself, Percival stole a glance, tilting his head to look upon Melissa's figure once more.

His gaze was entranced, and his heartbeat thundered faster in his chest, accompanying the rippling feelings within.

This is indeed love...

At this moment, Percival suddenly jolted. His eyes widened and his head throbbed painfully, as if something were gripping his brain tightly from within. He placed his hand on his head, pressing hard as if trying to suppress the creeping, aching sensation.

Percival bit his lip hard until it bled, allowing the droplets to splatter onto the desk.

While Professor Richards dismissed the class and the students prepared to leave, Percival remained fixed there, sweating profusely.

A light tap on his shoulder roused Percival from that creeping torment.

He looked up to find Melissa's brown eyes greeting him with a concerned gaze. She tilted her head.

"Are you okay? You looked like you were in pain."

Percival was silent for a moment, his lips quivering then forcing a smile.

"I'm fine."

Melissa continued staring at him intently. Her lips parted as if to speak, but then closed tightly again. She did not want to pry if Percival did not wish to share.

Waving gracefully as she stepped towards the exit, Melissa's black hair danced, fluttered by the breeze.

Percival sank back onto the desk, burying himself once more.

This... is not normal.

...

A/N: If you want to read the 7 advanced chapters with a faster update frequency than the webnovel, you can read it on my patreon whose link is below:

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Since Volume 1 of the Genshin Impact Fanfic has reached its ending, I decided to take a break and write another fanfic. Of course, this is a Lord of Mysteries fanfic!

By the way, this fanfic is not only written by me, but by other authors as well! Please enjoy.