1 Chapter 1: The Owl Postman
In the early morning, a ray of sunlight seeped through the gap in the curtains, casting its glow on the sleeping face of a young boy. Albert had not yet woken up, but he would soon be awakened.
The door of the second-floor room, near the stairs, was gently pushed open, and a girl with brown hair poked her head in. Her large brown eyes stared at the still sleeping boy in the bed as she softly called out, "Albert, it's time to wake up."
Seeing no response from the boy in the bed, the girl pouted in dissatisfaction. She pushed open the door and walked in, followed by a British Shorthair cat.
"Tom, it's up to you now." The girl lifted the cat onto the bed and gently brushed the cat's tail twice on the boy's face.
Initially, Albert, who was still asleep, pushed the cat's tail away from his face and opened his eyes to look at his mischievous sister. He yawned and greeted her, "Good morning, Nia!"
"Dad said he would take us to London today." Nia blinked her eyes and looked at Albert. "We're going to get your custom-made uniform for Eton College and buy the items on the shopping list."
"Okay, got it. I'll change clothes." Albert yawned again, picked up the British Shorthair cat that was stretching its paws on the bedsheet, and placed it on the floor. He stretched lazily, changed his clothes, and then headed to the living room after freshening up.
"You stayed up late again last night?" Daisy placed a hearty breakfast on a plate in front of Albert's table.
"Son, we better hurry. Today's schedule is a bit tight." Herbert unfolded the letters sent by Eton College in the past few days and spread them on the table, wearing a proud smile on his face.
As is well known, private schools in the UK are the places to cultivate elite individuals, and Eton College is among the top-tier institutions. To enter this school, one must meet two criteria: talent and wealth.
The Anderson family belonged to the middle class in the UK. The couple ran a law firm and had some savings.
As for Albert, he was considered a genius in everyone's eyes. Not only did he excel in academics, but he also participated in numerous inter-school competitions and won awards.
Whether Albert was truly a genius in the eyes of others, only he himself knew.
A genius?
No, Albert never considered himself a genius. Albert had a secret that nobody knew - he was a time traveller.
As for why he was labelled as a genius, even he couldn't fathom it.
A child who had no idea what a Rubik's Cube was, yet could effortlessly solve a scrambled 3x3 Rubik's Cube.
In the eyes of most adults, that was genius.
In reality, being able to solve the Rubik's Cube was because he had played with it in his past life and knew the secrets of solving it. So, he knew how to solve it.
As for how to maintain the image of a genius, Albert wasn't worried at all about being exposed because he had the legendary "golden finger"!
Time travellers come with golden fingers, just like in online novels.
This all started when Albert was seven years old. He suddenly discovered a panel in his mind.
The panel had two main functions: accepting tasks and allocating skill points.
Sometimes it would display tasks, and upon completing them, he would gain experience or skill points. Experience could be used to improve skills, while skill points directly increased a skill's level.
The first skill Albert possessed was mastery of the English language. It took him several years to level up this skill to level 3.
If we say that the English proficiency of an ordinary English person is level 2, then a typical English teacher would be at level 3.
As long as Albert maxed out his skills in the field of technology, he could become a genius scientist.
Of course, Albert never had the desire to become a scientist, nor did he have such aspirations in his past life.
In his previous life, he enjoyed reading books and eventually became an ordinary online novelist.
He wrote several books and had some savings, leading a carefree life, doing what he loved every day.
In other words, in his past life, he was a "slacker."
As for how he time travelled?
To be honest, it's embarrassing to talk about.
One day, while leaning back on the couch watching Mr. Bean's movie, Albert absentmindedly grabbed an apple and started munching on it. The movie was so hilarious that he forgot he had food in his mouth and ended up choking on a piece of apple, dying at the age of thirty.
When he woke up again, he found himself transformed into a baby. He spent several years in a daze in this family and got another cat, which he also named Tom. Of course, the name was inspired by the cartoon Tom and Jerry.
At the age of seven, the game panel suddenly appeared, causing Albert to question his life and even wonder if he was an NPC in some game.
Later on, he never encountered any players, so he considered the panel as a blessing that came with being a time traveler.
Linking time travel with cheat codes meant he was a winner in life.
Albert didn't have lofty aspirations. He thought it would be best to have a few romantic relationships after reaching adulthood, then find a simple and easy job after graduating from college. Ideally, he would get married before the age of thirty, earn enough wealth to last a hundred years, and live the rest of his life in freedom and carefreeness.
To achieve this future, Albert had his own plan. He planned to enter Wall Street in the United States after graduating. With his economic skills maxed out and the memories from his previous life, he believed he could quickly earn a fortune in dollars.
However, leveling up the panel skills was not easy, especially after reaching level two, as each subsequent level required a significant amount of experience.
Albert needed to complete tasks to earn experience and skill points, and getting accepted into Eton College was one of the tasks.
"Son, what are you thinking about?" Herbert cut his steak with a dining knife and looked at his son, who was lost in thought.
"I'm thinking about what I want to do in the future," Albert said after stuffing a poached egg into his mouth and swallowing.
"What do you want to do in the future?" Daisy asked curiously. It was rare for the couple to hear their child mention his dreams.
"Finance," Albert replied without hesitation.
"We thought you would want to become a scientist or an astronaut," the Anderson couple exchanged glances.
"What is finance?" Nia felt unhappy being left out of the conversation.
"Finance is a way to make money," Albert looked up and said. "This time, help me buy a few books on economics. Consider it an early birthday gift."
"Son, don't mislead your sister. Only talented individuals can make money in this field," Herbert's face twitched, and he coughed lightly while covering his mouth with a clenched fist. "Besides, we're not poor."
"Alright, let's eat breakfast and stop the chitchat," Daisy interjected. "Nia, remember to finish all your milk."
"Okay!" Nia didn't really like drinking milk.
Life after reincarnation was wonderful. Albert had a lovely younger sister, a harmonious family, abundant wealth, and the cheat code that would lead him to the pinnacle of life.
If there was one thing that truly bothered Albert, it was the food in England.
In the past, he had heard online that England was a culinary desert, but he was skeptical, considering that most British people preferred a simple and comfortable lifestyle.
However, after experiencing it firsthand, he no longer doubted the accuracy of those descriptions.
After finishing their meal, helping to clean up the tableware, and closing the doors and windows, the Anderson family was ready to go out together.
Just as Albert opened the door of their Ford car, preparing to get into the back seat, he suddenly heard Nia's astonished voice next to him, "Look, is that an owl?"
The Anderson couple looked in the direction their daughter was pointing, puzzled. They saw an owl flying toward them, and as it passed over their heads, it dropped a letter at Albert's feet.
At that moment, the expressions on the faces of the Anderson family froze.
An owl delivering mail?
Since when did owls start working as mail carriers?
(End of this chapter)
