A common cold is but a minor ailment, yet in the absence of medication, he could only rely on his own means to recover.
Before his journey into this new world, he had caught a cold as well. When he had medicine, he would self-medicate, but when he had none, he would resort to drinking hot soup and retreating to bed for a long, uninterrupted sleep. By the next day, he would be fine. It was said that those who were able to withstand illness on their own could strengthen their immune systems.He wasn't certain whether Maria would recover. For now, he had done all he could. From his recollections, Maria had once fallen ill while accompanying Zhao Lun, but recovered without the aid of medicine. If all went according to plan, she should recover on her own this time too. Still, he couldn't shake off a feeling of unease. After all, one could never predict whether an unexpected turn of events might arise.The wind had lessened since the day before, though today, the temperature had plummeted. The chill was biting, and with each breath, the cold air seemed to claw at his nostrils.He removed the fish and shrimp from the nets, intending to continue fishing, but within half an hour of reaching the shore, Zhao Lun had no choice but to abandon his plans.It was too cold. His clothing, riddled with holes, offered no protection against the wind. After some time, his entire body became frigid, and his head throbbed as though it might explode. Realizing something was wrong, Zhao Lun packed up his things and left. By the time he returned, he was certain something was amiss.Suppressing the aching sensation in his head, Zhao Lun drank a bowl of hot soup, closed the door to shield himself from the wind, and wrapped himself in a slightly thicker, worn-out quilt before slipping into a deep sleep.In his dreams, Zhao Lun's head felt as though it would split apart. It was as if he had returned to the moment of his initial transmigration.Before his arrival in this strange world, he had been in his room, when an odd stone appeared in an unnatural manner, hurtling toward him at an unthinkable speed, striking him in the head. The next moment, he was plunged into darkness.This time, however, in his dream, he remained conscious. He could even sense the collision of his head and the stone, hearing the sickening crack of bone.It was as if he were an observer, watching the scene that had left an indelible scar on his psyche—his skull shattered, brain matter spilling out. The stone, with a strange magnetic pull, seemed to drag him back into his own body, where he experienced the same excruciating impact once more.This time, there was not just sound, but also an agonizing sensation. The pain began like the biting of ants, slowly intensifying until it felt as though countless ants were burrowing into his brain, gnawing at his very marrow, drinking his cerebral fluid. The agony was so all-consuming, it felt as though time itself had come to a standstill."Isn't this supposed to be a dream? Why does it hurt so much even in a dream!?"By now, Zhao Lun's awareness had sharpened. He could feel something was terribly wrong, yet he was powerless to move, unable to either lose consciousness or cry out. All he could do was endure the torment. Time seemed to stretch out, as though it were elongated by the pain. Despite it all, his mind remained lucid.Bang! A strange sound echoed in his mind.This noise rang out like the thunder of creation, shaking him to his core, momentarily disorienting him. Yet, it also brought an overwhelming sense of relief, as if the weight of his suffering had been lifted."...What's happening?" From agony to release, Zhao Lun's consciousness felt foggy.Boom! An even louder sound followed, more deafening than the first.Zhao Lun, already disoriented, felt his mind surge like a bolt of lightning, breaking free from the suffocating state it had been trapped in.Boom! Another resounding explosion filled his ears.The final boom was like the universe shattering. Everything around him fractured into pieces, the debris disintegrating into fine dust, which was then stirred by an unseen force, transforming into crystalline, translucent particles. In the end, everything fused together into a luminous, amorphous form.As the explosion subsided, Zhao Lun's consciousness splintered, only to reform after an arduous journey. When it did, his perception ascended as though rising from the infernal to the celestial. At that moment, he felt a profound sense of well-being, the likes of which he had never experienced. His surroundings were clearer than ever before, every detail sharper than his eyes had ever allowed.Zhao Lun could feel his power surging, a newfound strength flooding his body, as though the shackles that had bound him were finally shattered. A deep, genuine joy welled up inside him.A surge of energy enveloped him, and before he could react, his entire being was transported to a strange, unfamiliar place.Before him stretched a barren land, under a gray sky. The air was thick and stifling, like that of a sealed room, unpleasant to breathe."What is this place?" Zhao Lun wondered, confused."Could it be... I've been transported again?"The ground beneath his feet was cracked and dry, devoid of moisture. The soil was loose, almost like fine sand. As he gazed into the distance, there were no signs of life—no plants, no animals, not even the faintest remnants of either. It was desolate, lifeless.Not far off stood a towering structure. The building's white walls, though weathered and cracked, still stood tall, bearing the marks of time's relentless passage. As he approached, a deep sense of antiquity filled the air, as if the structure had been here for eons. It was unlike anything he had ever seen—tall and monumental, far beyond the scale of any building he had encountered.Three hundred meters? Five hundred meters? Or even a thousand meters?As he drew closer, the intricate carvings on the walls became more apparent. Some were simple and elegant, while others had been worn away by the passage of time, almost unrecognizable. As he gently touched one, it crumbled to dust, scattered by his fingertips.The tower's door, half ajar, seemed to blend seamlessly with the walls. Beyond it lay nothing but pitch-black darkness.The closer Zhao Lun approached, the stronger a sense of foreboding gripped him. A voice deep inside urged him to stay away from the tower. He heeded this instinct and backed away, his steps growing quicker as he ran, desperately fleeing the ominous presence.Without warning, the tower began to shed sand, first slowly, then faster, until the entire structure began to tremble. Like a sandcastle ravaged by the tide, the tower collapsed into a heap of sand.For a moment, the small world was enveloped in a cloud of dust. Zhao Lun barely managed to avoid being caught in the collapse. After several minutes, the air cleared, and he turned to look at the place once more, only to find it had changed completely.The tower was gone, and the barren earth no longer appeared dry. The sky had regained a faint glow, and the air felt remarkably fresher, as if it had been purified. There should have been fragments of the tower scattered about, yet the ground was completely barren, as though nothing had ever been there.Wait... There was one thing left behind.In the place where the tower had stood, a wooden chest remained, resembling a storage cabinet. It seemed neither entirely metal nor entirely jade, its surface gleaming softly. When he tapped it, a melodic sound resonated from it.A beam of light appeared at the moment his hand touched the chest, immediately vanishing into his forehead. Zhao Lun froze, unmoving, as the light flickered in his mind, bombarding him with complex information.The Kingdom of Gods?! I have obtained the Kingdom of Gods!?The information was simple but profound, explaining the origins of this space.This realm had once been the domain of gods, where deities reigned supreme and were invincible.However, with the arrival of the Twilight of the Gods, the kingdom's power had been shaken. The gods had ventured beyond their realm, growing careless and mysteriously falling. They could not be resurrected, and the kingdom was abandoned, adrift in the void of endless dimensions. Year after year, the kingdom endured time's erosion, swept by chaotic currents, until it became broken and weakened. Eventually, it fell from the dimensional void, crashing to the earth as a mere stone.Zhao Lun, while at home preparing dinner, had been struck by the stone representing the Kingdom of Gods, and thus had been transported here, becoming the kingdom's new ruler.The kingdom, once vast beyond measure, had been left to wither after the fall of its gods. With no one to wield its divine power, the kingdom had fractured. The final destruction of the white tower had acted as a catalyst, reviving the kingdom in its most primitive form.If Zhao Lun hoped to restore the Kingdom of Gods, he would need to manage it with care and dedication."Is it truly a Kingdom of Gods?"In that instant, Zhao Lun understood everything. Turning to look at the chest once more, he felt a burning desire that seemed as if it could melt the earth itself.This chest was a divine storage cabinet, and everything within it was surely divine. The thought of what treasures it might contain made his heart race, knowing that just a single item from within could lead to a fierce and bloody struggle.