Chapter 9 The note

After resting for half an hour, Zhou Mingrui, who had assumed the identity of Klein, had finally recovered. During this time, he noticed four black dots on the back of his right hand, forming a small square. The dots quickly faded from dark to light and disappeared, but Klein knew that they were still hidden within him, waiting to be awakened.

"Four dots, a square. Could it be the corresponding symbol for the four corners and four types of food? From now on, I won't need to prepare food anymore. I can just focus on my steps and incantations," Klein speculated.

It seemed like a good idea, but the mysterious origins of these dots made him uneasy. The unknown always instilled fear in people. He thought about the strange magic on Earth that seemed to work here, his own strange dreams of crossing over, the mysterious and hallucinatory gray world, and the whispers that drove him to the brink of madness during the "ritual." Klein couldn't help but shiver in the scorching heat of late June.

He had heard the saying, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is the fear of the unknown." Now, he deeply understood the fear that came from the unknown. He felt an unprecedented and uncontrollable urge to explore the mysterious realm, to learn more and dispel the unknown, but he also had the urge to bury his head and pretend that nothing had happened.

The sunlight outside the window was shining brightly, casting a layer of "golden dust" on his desk. Klein gazed at it, as if he could feel a hint of warmth and hope. He relaxed a little and immediately felt a surge of exhaustion wash over him like a tidal wave. The sleepless night and recent exertion had made his eyelids heavy as lead, unable to stay open. Shaking his head, Klein reached out to grab the edge of the table, not bothering to tidy up the black rye bread placed in the corners. He stumbled over to the bunk bed and as soon as he lay down and touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep. Gurgle! Gurgle! Hunger woke Klein up and he opened his eyes, feeling refreshed. "Except for a slight headache." He rubbed his forehead, sat up and felt like he could eat a whole cow. He straightened out the wrinkles in his clothes and returned to the desk, picking up the silver-white pocket watch with a vine pattern. Snap! The lid popped open and the second hand ticked away. "Half past twelve, slept for over three hours..." Klein swallowed his saliva and put the pocket watch into his linen shirt pocket. In the northern continent, a day was also divided into twenty-four hours, with sixty minutes per hour and sixty seconds per minute. As for whether each second was the same length as on Earth, Klein had no idea. For him, at this moment, even words like mysticism, ritual, and misty world couldn't enter his mind. The most important thing right now was food, food! Only by eating enough could he think of a way to do things! Without hesitation, Klein brought back the black rye bread from the four corners, flicked off the little bit of dust that had accumulated, and planned to use one of them as his main meal for lunch. Because of the custom of sharing offerings after a sacrificial ceremony in his hometown, and since these four loaves of black rye bread didn't seem to have changed at all, he felt that he should be frugal with only five pennies left in his pocket. Of course, there were also subtle influences from the original host's memories and habits. Because gas was too expensive to use for lighting, he moved the stove and added some coal. Klein paced back and forth, waiting for the water to boil. That rye bread was so dry it would choke you if you tried to eat it plain! "Ah, am I going to have to live on black bread for breakfast, black bread for lunch, and only eat meat for dinner... No, if it weren't for Melissa considering my upcoming job interview, I would only be able to eat meat twice a week..." Klein looked around, idle and unable to think of serious issues due to hunger. Thinking of that pound of lamb, he looked at the cupboard with a slightly greenish gaze. "No, no, I have to wait for Melissa to eat together." Klein shook his head suddenly, denying the idea of cutting it in half and cooking it now. As a single dog wandering in the big city, although he mainly ate out, he had developed basic cooking skills, which were not delicious but enough. Turning his body, Klein planned to ignore it, but then he suddenly remembered that he had bought tender peas and potatoes in the morning! Potatoes! Klein had an inspiration in an instant, and he quickly turned back and rushed to the cupboard, taking out two of the few potatoes. He went to the public washroom first and washed the skin of the potatoes clean, then put them directly into the pot with water to boil. After a while, he took out the seasoning box from the cupboard, opened the lid, and sprinkled a little yellow and rough salt into the water. After patiently waiting for a few minutes, Klein picked up the kettle and poured the not-so-soup into several cups, then poured it into a large bowl, and finally forked out the two potatoes and placed them on the table. Phew! He blew on the peeled potato and the aroma of cooked potato gradually filled the air, making one's mouth water. Saliva was flowing uncontrollably and Klein couldn't resist taking a bite even though the potato was still hot and he had only peeled half of it. It was powdery, fragrant, and sweet. Klein was instantly moved and wolfed down two potatoes, even eating some of the skin. Only then did he pick up the large bowl and drink the "soup", the mild saltiness washing away the dryness in his mouth. "I used to love eating like this when I was a child..." Klein murmured to himself as he patted his stomach. He broke off a piece of rye bread and soaked it in the "soup" before eating it. Perhaps the previous "ritual" had consumed too much of his energy, as he ate two whole pounds of bread. After drinking the "soup" and tidying up, Klein felt completely alive again, experiencing the joy of being human and enjoying the brilliance of the sun. He sat back at his desk and began to think about what he should do next. "I can't avoid it. I must find a way to contact the mysterious realm and become an extraordinary person in the eyes of justice and the hanged man." "I must overcome the fear caused by the unknown." "The only way now is to wait for the next 'gathering' and see if I can eavesdrop on the formula for the 'audience' potion or other mysterious knowledge." "There are still four days until Monday. Before that, I have to face the problems of the original owner himself, why did he commit suicide, what happened to him..." Klein, who couldn't go back in time and had to leave, picked up the open notebook and tried to find any clues to complete the fragmented memories. Obviously, the original owner had a habit of taking notes and also enjoyed using notebooks as a diary. Klein knew clearly that the cabinet serving as the right leg of the desk was filled with completed notebooks. This one started on May 10th, and the beginning was mostly about school, mentors, and knowledge: "On May 12th, Mr. Azk mentioned that the common language of the Barong Empire in the southern continent also originated from the ancient Fursak language, which is a branch of the language of giants. Why is this? Does it mean that all creatures with spirituality once used the same language? No, this must be wrong. Even in the records of the 'Revelation of the Night' and the 'Book of Storms,' giants were not the only rulers in the older times, there were also elves, other species, and dragons. Well, these are all just legends, just mythological stories."..."On May 16th, Senior Professor Cohen and Mr. Azk discussed the inevitability of the steam age. Mr. Azk believed that it was accidental. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of Emperor Russell, perhaps the northern continent would still be in the age of cold weapons like the southern continent. The mentor believed that he emphasized the role of individuals too much. He believed that with the development of the times, even without Emperor Russell, there would still be Emperor Robert. In short, the steam age may be delayed, but it will definitely come. I felt that their argument was meaningless. I prefer to discover new things and restore the history shrouded in mist. Maybe I shouldn't have studied history, I should have studied archaeology."..."On May 29th, Welch found me and said he had obtained a notebook from the Fourth Era." My Goddess, the Fourth Era's Notebook! He didn't want to ask his classmates in the archaeology department for help, so he asked me and Naya to help decipher the contents of the notebook. How could I refuse such a thing? Of course, it had to be arranged after the graduation defense. I couldn't be distracted at this time."

Upon seeing this, Klein's spirits were lifted. Compared to the previous historical notes and conceptual debates, the newly appeared "Fourth Era" notebook was more likely to lead to the original owner's suicide. The Fourth Era was the era before the current "Black Iron Age", and its history was shrouded in mystery, with many gaps. Even the unearthed tombs, ancient cities, and literature were few and far between. Historians and archaeologists could only rely on the vague theological scriptures of the seven major churches, which focused on faith education, to barely piece together a bit of the "original appearance" and know of the existence of the Solomon Empire, Tudor Dynasty, and Trenzor Empire. Determined to unravel the mystery and restore history, Klein had little interest in the more mythical "First Three Eras", and only cared about the Fourth Era, also known as the "Age of the Gods". His excitement could be imagined.

"Hey, looking at this, the original owner valued the interview and was worried about future employment, but it's actually not necessary..." Klein couldn't help but sigh. Universities were still very rare at the moment, and the vast majority of students were aristocratic children and wealthy families' children. Even if they were discriminated against due to their status and not included in other people's social circles, as long as they weren't extreme, they could still gain some valuable social resources through group discussions, collective activities, and other things. For example, Welch McGovern was the son of a banker in the coastal county of Konsdon in the Rune Kingdom. He was generous and lavish, and because he had been working on homework and reports in the same group as Klein and Naya for a long time, he habitually asked them for help. Without much divergent thinking, Klein continued to read the notes: "June 18th, graduated. Goodbye, my Hoy University!" "June 19th, I saw that notebook and, through comparison of structure, roots, and so on, discovered that it was a variant of the ancient Fursak language. More accurately, in the over one thousand years of its history, the Fursak language has been evolving in small ways." "June 20th, we deciphered the contents of the first page. The author is a member of a family called 'Antigonous'." "June 21st, he mentioned the 'Black Emperor', which completely contradicts the era deduced from the previous content. Could it be that the mentor's view is wrong, and that the 'Black Emperor' is actually a common title for every emperor of the Solomon Empire?" "June 22nd, this family called 'Antigonous' seems to have a prominent position in the Solomon Empire. The owner of the notebook mentioned that he was engaged in a secret transaction with someone named Tudo. Tudo? The Tudo Dynasty?" "June 23rd, I controlled myself from thinking about that notebook, from going to Welch's place. I need to prepare for the interview! This is very important!" "June 24th, Naya told me they had a new discovery. I think I should go take a look." "June 25th, from the newly deciphered content, the owner of the notebook accepted a mission to go to the main peak of the 'Hornachis' Mountains, to visit the 'Night Country' located at the top. My goddess, the main peak of the Hornachis Mountains is over six thousand meters high, how could there be a country there? How do they survive?" "June 26th, are all these strange things real?" At this point, the notebook ended. Zhou Mingrui had traveled back in time to the early morning of June 28th. "That is to say, there is actually a note from June 27th, and it says... 'Everyone will die, including me'..." Clay flipped to the page he had first seen, feeling a chill run down his spine as he made his judgment. He felt that in order to unravel the mystery of the previous owner's suicide, he should go to Welch's place and take another look at the contents of the ancient notes. However, with his rich experience in novels, movies, and TV dramas, he felt that if he went himself and the situation was indeed related, he would most likely encounter unknown dangers - those who knowingly go to haunted castles are a warning! But not going was not an option. Avoidance can never solve problems, it will only make things more difficult, until they burst and completely engulf oneself! Call the police? I can't just say that I committed suicide... Dong! Dong dong! Suddenly, there was a rapid and forceful knocking at the door. Clay sat up straight, listening intently. Dong! Dong dong! The knocking echoed through the empty and desolate hallway.