Klein, finally recovered, found that there were now four black dots on the back of his hand, forming a small square.
Does this correspond with the four pieces of staple food at the four corners of the room? Would I have to prepare food in the future, or could I initiate the ritual immediately? he thought.
The fact that those inexplicable divinations from Earth could produce effects here, the strange transmigration in my sleep, the mysterious murmurings that almost drove me crazy during the ritual, and the mysterious gray world whose significance I don't know...
There was in him an irresistible urge to make contact with the mysterious domain, to learn more, and to explore the unknown. There was also a contradicting escape mentality within him, compelling him to pretend nothing had happened.
Intense sunlight shone through the window onto the desk. Klein relaxed slightly, and a strong sense of fatigue washed over him. It was the combined effect of a sleepless night and a tiring encounter.
Klein stumbled towards the double-decked bed, and disregarding the bread placed at the four corners of the room, he fell asleep immediately after lying down.
Klein soon opened his eyes, feeling rejuvenated. He returned to the desk while straightening his shirt and picked up the silver vine-leaf pocket watch.
The pocket watch's lid sprang open, and the second hand was ticking. Half past twelve. I slept for three hours… Klein put the pocket watch back into his pocket.
In the Northern Continent, there were 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, and 60 seconds in a minute. At this moment, he could not even think of terms such as mysticism, rituals, or the grayish world. His mind was occupied by one thing—food!
Klein picked up the loaves of rye bread from the four corners and wiped off the minute specks of dust on it, planning on making one of them his lunch.
Life without meat for dinner is going to be dreadful... No, wait, Melissa would allow our meals to have meat twice a week.
Klein turned his body around so that the mutton in the cupboard would not "seduce" him. He ate two loaves of bread, which amounted to a whole pound, and then sat back at the desk.
I can't run away. I should come into contact with mysticism and become a Beyonder, as mentioned by Justice and The Hanged Man.
The only way now is to wait for the next gathering and see if I can learn the formula of the 'Spectator' potion and other things related to mysticism.
There are four more days before Monday. Before that, I need to first figure out why Klein committed suicide and what happened to him.
Unable to transmigrate back, Klein picked up the notebook that lay on the table, wanting to find hints that could help him to regain his lost memory fragments.
The original Klein had the habit of taking notes. The cabinet that supported the desk on the right stored a whole stack of completed notebooks.
The book begins on the 10th of May. Matters regarding his school and mentor, as well as content pertaining to knowledge were at the beginning.
12th of May. Mr. Azik mentioned that the common language used by the Balam Empire in the Southern Continent also developed from Ancient Feysac, a branch of Jotun.
Does this mean that every sentient living being once spoke the same language? There has to be a mistake. According to the books 'The Revelation of Evernight' and 'The Book of Storms', giants were not the only hegemons of the world in primordial times. There were also elves, mutants, and dragons. Anyway, these are just myths and fantasies.
16th of May. Senior Associate Professor Cohen and Mr. Azik discussed the inevitability of the Age of Steam. Mr. Azik opined that it was a coincidence. If it weren't for Emperor Roselle, the Northern continent would still be wielding swords like the Southern continent. The mentor argued that Mr. Azik had placed too much emphasis on the contribution of an individual, believing that with progress, even if there wasn't an Emperor Roselle, there would be an Emperor Robert. Therefore, the Age of Steam might only arrive late. I found little meaning in their discussion. I prefer discovering new things and unraveling the hidden past. Perhaps I am more suited to study archeology than history.
29th of May. Welch tells me that he had acquired a notebook from the Fourth Epoch. Oh my goddess! A notebook from the Fourth Epoch! He didn't want to ask the archeology department's students for help, so he came to Naya and me to decode the contents. I can't afford to divert my attention at this stage; I can only do it after my graduation defense.
This caught Klein's attention. Compared to the notes about history and viewpoint disagreements, the appearance of a notebook from the Fourth Epoch might have led to his suicide.
The Fourth Epoch was the epoch before the present "Iron Age." Its history was incomplete, due to the fact that very few tombs, ancient cities, and records had been found. Archaeologists and historians could only refer to the ambiguous records provided by the seven major Churches that centered around their religious teachings to roughly form the 'original' picture, and knew of the existence of the Solomon Empire, the Tudor Dynasty, and the Trunsoest Empire.
Having set his sights on solving the mystery and restoring history, Klein didn't have much interest in the first three eras, whose roots were closer to legends, but was more interested in the Fourth Epoch, also known as the Age of the Gods.
Hmm, so Klein was concerned for his future career and thus focused on the interview. Klein thought.
Universities were still very scarce, and the majority of students were either from noble or wealthy families. As long as he did not have an extreme mindset, a commoner who had been admitted into university would have been able to build precious social connections through group discussions and networking events despite the prejudice and exclusion from the entrenched social circles.
The generous Welch McGovern was an example. He was the son of a banker from Constant City, Midseashire, Loen Kingdom. He was used to asking Naya and Klein for help because they were always in the same group for work.
Klein continued reading the notebook.
18th of June. I have graduated. Farewell, Khoy University!
19th of June. I have seen the notebook. By comparing sentences and root words, I discovered that it is a modified form of ancient Feysac. Over the course of its thousand-year history, the Feysac language had gradually changed.
20th of June. We have deciphered the contents of the first page. The author was a member of a family called Antigonus.
21st of June. The notebook mentioned the Black Emperor. This is anachronistic with regards to the time this notebook was written. Is the professor wrong? Or is 'Black Emperor' a common title for every emperor of the Solomon Empire?
22nd of June. The Antigonus family apparently had a very high standing in the Solomon Empire. The author mentions that he was making a secret transaction with a person named Tudor. Is Tudor related to the Tudor Dynasty?
23rd of June. I am trying to restrain myself from thinking about the notebook and going to Welch's place. I need to prepare for the interview.
24th of June. Naya tells me that they have found something new. I think I need to see.
25th of June. From the newly deciphered content, the author had accepted a mission to visit the 'Nation of the Evernight' situated at the summit of the highest peak of the Hornacis mountain range. How can a nation exist at the summit of that peak, which is over 6,000 meters above sea level? How would they survive?
26th of June. Are these strange things real?
The record ends at this point. Zhou Ming Rui transmigrated in the early hours of the 28th.
That there was a single entry for June 27th, it was the line. Everyone will die, including me. Klein flipped to the page he first saw when he arrived.
In order to solve the mystery of the original Klein's suicide, he thought that he should visit Welch and take a look at the ancient notebook. However, with a lot of experience from novels, movies, and TV drama series, he thought that if they were related, this visit would be dangerous. However, he had to go since running away would never solve the problem.
Perhaps call the police? But claiming to have died would be silly, right…