MidReal Story
Ethereal Echoes: Time's Enigmatic Portal
Scenario: The Time Leap - Revised Summary and Detailed Writing Plan.After making significant progress in deciphering the ancient scroll, Lin Xuan becomes increasingly convinced of its supernatural properties. His research leads him to a forgotten text that suggests the scroll might be a key to traveling through time. Compelled by a mixture of scientific curiosity and a personal quest for validation, Lin Xuan prepares to test the scroll's powers. On a stormy night, surrounded by a blend of ancient artifacts and cutting-edge technology, he activates the scroll's mechanism, catapulting himself back to the era of the Kingdom of Women.Detailed Writing Plan:
Research Breakthroughs:Decoding the Scroll: Start with Lin Xuan deciphering a critical passage in the scroll, which describes a ritual for "crossing the shadows of time." Include his use of augmented reality and 3D imaging to visualize the scroll’s markings in greater detail.
Historical Correlation: Introduce a scene where Lin Xuan finds a parallel between the scroll’s symbols and a cosmic alignment described in ancient astronomical texts, suggesting a specific time window for the ritual.
Preparation for the Ritual:Gathering Materials: Show Lin Xuan collecting necessary materials and artifacts, some of which are replicas he creates using modern technology, blending the ancient with the contemporary.Setting the Scene: Describe Lin Xuan's setup in his private study, meticulously arranging the artifacts according to the instructions on the scroll, under the looming presence of a storm that mirrors his internal turmoil.
The Ritual:Performing the Ritual: Narrate the step-by-step execution of the ritual, emphasizing Lin Xuan's mix of skepticism and hope. Use sensory details to describe the changes in the environment—fluctuating temperatures, the air crackling with static, the scroll glowing with an ethereal light.
Atmospheric Buildup: Build tension with descriptions of the worsening storm outside, its thunder echoing the ritual's chants, as the boundaries between times begin to .The Time Leap:Activation of the Portal: Capture the climactic moment when the scroll emits a blinding light, and Lin Xuan feels the pull of an unseen force. Describe his disorientation and the sensation of hurtling through a tunnel of swirling lights and shadows.Arrival: Conclude the leap with Lin Xuan stumbling out into the past, finding himself on the ancient roads of the Kingdom of Women, his modern clothes and equipment starkly out of place in the historical setting.Initial Reactions and Confusion:First Encounters: Detail Lin Xuan’s first bewildered interactions with the local populace, who are startled by his strange appearance. Highlight his attempts to communicate, using fragments of the ancient language he learned from the scroll.
Seeking Refuge: Show Lin Xuan seeking refuge to gather his thoughts, observing his surroundings, and realizing the enormity of his journey through time.
Adapting to the Environment: End with Lin Xuan adapting to his immediate needs—finding food, water, and a momentary safe haven. His initial observations hint at the rich culture and vibrant life of the Kingdom of Women.Foreshadowing: Leave a hint of intrigue with Lin Xuan spotting a distant procession that seems to be part of a significant cultural or religious festival, sparking his curiosity to learn more.This revised chapter enhances the excitement and scientific intrigue of Lin Xuan's journey, providing a stronger foundation for the time-travel element and setting the stage for his adventures in the ancient kingdom. It combines detailed scientific preparation with the mystical elements of the ritual, deepening the narrative's blend of history and fantasy.
Create my version of this story
I looked at the ancient scroll in my hands, my heart pounding with excitement and terror.
When I first discovered this scroll, it was so tattered and old that it could hardly be opened.
Now, after years of careful repair and restoration, it finally revealed its secrets to me.
The beauty of the intricate designs on the scroll filled my vision.
The elegant calligraphy danced on the paper, telling a story that was lost to time.
The past few weeks have been a blur for me, as I worked non-stop to decipher the ancient text.
Now, I have finally made a breakthrough in my research, a discovery that could potentially change the course of history.
This is a treasure that no one has ever found before.
No one has ever read this before.
I am the first person to ever witness the power of this ancient scroll.
The scroll is a relic from the Tang Dynasty, and it is believed to be created by a famous poet and calligrapher from that time.
However, there are not many records about this work, and no one knows exactly what is written on it.
I have spent countless hours studying this work and trying to decipher its meaning.
It has been an arduous process, but now I have finally succeeded.
I found an ancient text that mentioned this scroll in passing.
This text described the process of time travel and mentioned that there was a ritual for time travel.
According to the text, a person could travel back in time if they performed the ritual described in the text while carrying the ancient scroll with them.
At first, I thought it was just a myth made up by ancient people.
But after studying the text carefully, I found out that there was some truth in this story.
As an academic researcher myself, I have always been skeptical of those superstitious stories.
But the idea of time travel has always fascinated me.
As a scientist, I know that time travel is theoretically possible according to Einstein’s theory of relativity.
But no one has actually done it before.
Now, looking at this ancient scroll in my hands, I can hardly breathe.
If what is written here is true, then this is a treasure beyond any value.
It is not just a relic from the past, but a key to unlock the mysteries of time itself.
As soon as I realized what this scroll is, I felt an overwhelming urge to test it out.
I know that it may be dangerous to try out something like this, but as a scientist, how can I miss such an opportunity?
I am young and full of curiosity.
I want to do something extraordinary and make contributions to human beings and science world.
God knows how hard I have been working in recent years.
Most people think I am crazy because of my obsession with such superstitious things.
Even my colleagues can hardly understand me.
But now, everything has changed!
After countless sleepless nights staring at these characters on the paper, they are finally making sense to me!
These characters are not random or meaningless symbols.
They form a coherent text and make up a spell.
I had an epiphany and realized that these characters are the key to time travel!
I can’t believe I found it!
I can’t wait to test it out!
My heart is pounding with excitement.
It is the thrill of discovery, the feeling that I have something extraordinary in my hands.
Everything I have done so far makes sense now.
All the hard work and effort are finally paying off.
I have to find a way to test it out and see if it works.
I am about to become the first person in human history to witness the power of the scroll.
The power of time travel!
The next day I spent the whole day staring at the characters on the paper.
I tried to memorize them and understand their meaning.
The more I read them, the more I am convinced that they are actually a spell that can help us travel through time.
This idea seems absurd to me even a couple of weeks ago.
But now, I am convinced that I am right.
These characters are not just random symbols on a piece of paper.
They are a spell that has the power to bend the laws of physics.
I can hardly believe that I discovered the secret to time travel.
Yes, I have not tested it yet, so I can’t say for sure if it works or not, but the evidence is overwhelming!
Unfortunately, the characters in the spell are written in an ancient language that is no longer used today, so I have to translate them into modern Chinese in order to understand their meaning better.
After hours of hard work, I finally finished translating the spell into modern Chinese.
The more I read the text, the more I am convinced that these characters hold the key to time travel, and perhaps even more than that!
According to the spell, in order to perform the ritual for time travel, one has to follow the instructions on the scroll and recite this spell while doing the ritual.
If everything goes well, the person will be able to travel through time and space and arrive at their desired location.
At least, this is what is written in the spell.
Of course, there is always a risk when you do something like this, especially when it involves time travel and bending the laws of physics.
But as a scientist and a curious person, how can I give up such an opportunity?
I have already invested a lot of time and effort into this project, so I might as well take a step further and see what will happen next.
Now that I have finished translating the spell, I can hardly wait to try it out and see if it works!
The scroll is very long and contains hundreds of characters.
Each character has its own meaning and function in the spell.
The text seems very complicated at first sight, but after translating them into modern Chinese, I feel like they are not as complicated as they appear to be.
I quickly went through the characters on the paper one by one and recited their meanings in my mind.
The more I read them, the more fascinated I am by how they fit together perfectly.
It’s like solving a puzzle – everything looks chaotic and random at first sight, but when you put all the pieces together, you will start seeing patterns and connections that you have never seen before.
It feels like this scroll was designed with a purpose in mind!
Or maybe someone from the past really did know how to travel through time?
After all, people in ancient times were not as primitive as we thought they were.
I can’t believe that I almost missed the most important part of the scroll!
The scroll is divided into three parts: the first part is the spell that explains how you can travel through time; the second part is the instructions on how to perform the ritual; and the last part is the protective spell that will make sure nothing goes wrong while you’re doing the ritual.
I have already translated the first two parts of the scroll before I discovered the third part.
As soon as I discovered the third part of the scroll, I quickly began translating them into modern Chinese so that I can understand its meaning better.
The protective spell is very important because it will ensure that nothing goes wrong while I’m doing the ritual.
I don’t know what will happen if I don’t follow the instructions in the protective spell – maybe I will be stuck in another dimension forever or maybe I will die.
I don’t want to take my chances with this one.
After hours of hard work, I finally finished translating the protective spell into modern Chinese.
When I finished translating everything on the scroll, I realized that it contains some very useful information about time travel that I didn’t know before.
Thanks to Mei Ling’s amazing work on augmented reality and 3D imaging technology, I was able to uncover new insights into the ancient scroll.
These technologies have allowed me to penetrate through layers of dirt and dust that had accumulated on the paper for centuries, revealing hidden patterns and markings that were invisible to my naked eye.
It turns out that there are some secret symbols and marks on the paper that I didn’t notice before, which could be very important in my research.
I can hardly contain my excitement when I see them!
When I look at these secret symbols, I feel like I am solving a puzzle that I have been struggling with for a long time.
They look so mysterious and intriguing that I can hardly wait to find out their secrets!
Thanks to Mei Ling’s expertise in this field, I was able to uncover these new details about the ancient scroll.
She has done an amazing job of using augmented reality and 3D imaging technology to reveal hidden patterns and markings on the scroll, which have helped me tremendously in my research.
I can’t thank her enough for all her hard work on this project!
In order to decipher these symbols better, I have transferred them into my own study room, where I have access to various artifacts from the past that I have collected during my years of research.
I have always been a big fan of ancient civilizations and their culture, so whenever I have some free time, I like to collect various artifacts from different dynasties and display them in my study room.
For me, they are not just decorations – they are a part of human history that I want to preserve and protect.
I always feel very proud and happy when I look at them because they remind me of how far we have come as humans and how much we have achieved in such a short amount of time.
I hope that one day, I will be able to make a contribution to this world just like these ancient people did!
As I sit in front of the table in my study room and look at these mysterious symbols from the past, I can’t help but feel a strong sense of purpose and determination.
It’s like I am looking at a piece of history that is finally revealing its secrets to me.
The more I look at them, the more I believe that this scroll is not just a relic from the past; it is a key that will unlock the mysteries of the universe itself!
I am convinced that these characters hold the answer to everything that I have been looking for all these years.
I can hardly believe my eyes when I realize what these symbols could mean!
I have always been skeptical of the idea of time travel.
It sounds too good to be true, like something that can only happen in science fiction movies and novels.
But now that I have discovered these symbols on the ancient scroll, I am no longer so sure of myself.
Maybe time travel is actually possible, and maybe this scroll really is a guide that will help us cross the shadows of time!
I can hardly believe that I didn’t see this before, but now it all makes sense to me: the sun and the moon, the cryptic arrangement of characters…
It all fits together perfectly!
I know that this may sound crazy and absurd, but if what I’m thinking is actually true, then it could change everything we know about the universe and our place in it!
The idea of time travel fills me with both excitement and caution.
It’s something that has always fascinated me, but also scared me at the same time.
I have always wondered what it would be like to travel through time and witness all the amazing things that have happened in history, but I have also heard many stories about people who have tried to do this and ended up getting themselves into serious trouble.
Time is a very powerful force that should not be tampered with lightly.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could end up causing a disaster that will destroy everything in its path.
But now that I think about it, maybe there is a way to control time and use it for our own advantage.
Maybe these symbols on the scroll are the key to unlocking the secrets of time travel, and maybe we should try to learn more about them!
In order to prove my theory, I need to do more research on these secret symbols and marks.
Although I have already translated them into modern Chinese, they are still very difficult to understand because they are written in such an ancient and cryptic way.
So I decide to contact Zhang Wei, my colleague at the National Observatory who specializes in astronomy and celestial phenomena.
He is the best person to help me with this project because he knows everything there is to know about the stars and planets in the sky.
With his help, I will be able to correlate these symbols with any significant celestial events that might have happened in the past.
That way, I will have a scientific basis for my theory and be able to prove that time travel is actually possible!
After I finish translating the protective spell into modern Chinese, I quickly grab my cell phone and dial Zhang Wei’s number.
When I hear his voice on the other end of the line, I quickly explain to him what I have discovered and ask him if he would like to help me with this project.
He sounds very excited when he hears about it and agrees to come over to my house right away.
After I finish talking to him on the phone, I quickly hang up and go back to my desk to study these symbols some more.
As I stand in front of my desk with these symbols spread out before me, I feel an intense sense of purpose and determination.
These characters may look very old and mysterious, but I know that they hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe itself!
After studying these symbols for several hours, I have finally figured out what they say and how they relate to each other.
“Mei Ling, I think I have discovered something amazing!”
I shout in excitement as I turn around to face my lovely assistant.
She is so beautiful and intelligent, and I know that she will be able to understand what I am talking about.
When I show her these symbols on the paper, she looks at them carefully and takes her time to study them before giving me her opinion.
“These characters are very old and difficult to understand, but I can see that they are arranged in a very unique way.
They all seem to be connected with each other, and if you look at them from left to right, it looks like they are forming some kind of pattern.”
“Yes, I know what you mean,” I say with a smile.
“It’s like someone is trying to tell us something by arranging these characters in such a specific order.
But do you know what this pattern means?”
“I’m not sure,” she replies thoughtfully.
“But I think it might have something to do with alchemy or divination, because I can see many different alchemical symbols and star maps on this paper.
When I hear Mei Ling say that, I know she is right!
This is definitely a very important clue that will help me solve this mystery.
But in order to prove my theory, I must first find some empirical evidence to support it.
I don’t think these symbols are just random alchemical diagrams or star maps; I believe that they are actually trying to tell us something much more important!
“I think you’re right,” I say as I nod in agreement.
“But if these are star maps, then they must correspond to some kind of real astronomical events that have happened in the past.
That’s why I have called Zhang Wei to come over and help us with this project.”
Then I show her the text message that I have just sent to my colleague, which says, “Please come over to my house right now, there’s something very important I need to discuss with you.”
After reading the message, Mei Ling seems very excited and asks me if there is anything she can do to help me prepare for his arrival.
I smile at her and shake my head, saying, “There’s nothing more we can do right now.
All we have to do is wait for Zhang Wei to come over and then we will be able to solve this mystery and discover the truth about these ancient symbols once and for all!”
As I speak these words, I feel a surge of energy coursing through my veins and filling me with a newfound sense of confidence.
I have always felt that there was something special about this scroll, but now I know for sure that it is even more amazing than I ever could have imagined!
As I stand in front of my desk with these symbols spread out before me, I feel more excited than ever before about this amazing discovery that we have just made.
These characters may look very old and mysterious, but they are actually the key to unlocking the secrets of time travel!
I know this may sound crazy, but I have a strong feeling that it is true!
The text on this scroll clearly says that if you follow these symbols and perform the ritual exactly as it is described, you will be able to cross over from one world to another and witness all of the amazing things that have happened in history!
This is absolutely incredible!
But in order to prove this theory, I need to do more research and find some empirical evidence to support it.
Just then, there is a knock on the door, and I turn around to see Zhang Wei walking into the room.
He seems a little surprised to see me standing here, and he asks me if I really think it is possible to travel back in time.
I nod my head and tell him that I am not sure, but I think this scroll might be able to help us do just that.
He looks at me dubiously and asks me what makes me so sure.
I take a deep breath and tell him that I don’t really know, but I have a feeling deep down in my heart that it is true!
I also remind him of the strange light and sound effects we witnessed earlier, and tell him that I believe they were caused by some kind of ancient mechanism hidden inside the scroll.
Then I remind him of the text message I sent earlier, which said “There is more to this scroll than meets the eye…”
After hearing this, Zhang Wei seems a little surprised, and he nods his head in agreement.
“Hmm, yes, you could be right,” he says.
“But if you really think this is possible, then you must be prepared to provide some empirical evidence to support your theory.
After hearing this, I nod my head and tell him that he is absolutely right.
Then I show him the symbols on the scroll and ask him if he can help me translate them.
He looks at the characters for a moment and then nods his head and says, “I see… So this is how you plan to prove your theory?
By using these ancient symbols as some kind of key to unlock the mysteries of time travel?”
I nod my head and say, “Yes, that’s correct.”
Then he asks me how this is even possible.
I tell him that I don’t really know for sure, but I have a strong feeling that this scroll contains some kind of secret formula or code that will allow us to travel through time.
After saying this, I take a deep breath and turn around to look at the characters on the scroll.
As I gaze at them, I feel an inexplicable sense of clarity washing over me.
Suddenly, the cryptic symbols that were once so difficult for me to understand seem much more intuitive and easy for me to read.
I realize now that these characters are not just random alchemical diagrams or star maps; they are actually trying to tell us something!
As I gaze at these symbols, I feel a sense of excitement filling me with an indescribable energy and determination.
I know what I have to do now!
I need to keep reading and translating these characters until I can figure out exactly what they are trying to say… and how we can use them to travel back in time!
As I continue reading and studying the characters on the scroll, I quickly realize that they are not just random alchemical diagrams or star maps; they are actually a set of detailed instructions that will allow us to perform some kind of ancient ritual in order to cross over from one world to another and witness all of the amazing things that have happened in history!
I can hardly believe it, but it’s true!
These characters are really amazing!
They start off by telling us how many days we have left before the ritual must be performed, and then they go on to describe all of the different steps and materials that we will need in order to carry it out properly.
As soon as I finish reading this list, I quickly jump up from my chair and start gathering all of the necessary items one by one, setting them all carefully on the floor right in front of the scroll.
I feel so excited right now that it’s almost as if my entire body is trembling and shaking!
I don’t know how to explain it, but there is just something about the idea of traveling through time that makes me feel so incredibly happy and excited!
I feel like my entire life has been leading up to this moment, and that if we can just figure out how to read and translate the symbols on this scroll, then we will finally be able to unlock the secrets of time travel once and for all!
I cannot help but feel an overwhelming desire to solve this mystery and prove to the world that time travel is possible.
For the last several years, I have been working tirelessly to try and come up with some kind of scientific explanation or proof that will help me to validate my theory, but unfortunately, every single experiment that I have tried has ended up failing miserably and making me look like a complete fool.
For a while there, it really seemed like my entire career was going to go down the drain, and that everyone would think of me as nothing more than a total fraud.
But now, thanks to this ancient scroll that has fallen into my hands, I finally have a chance to redeem myself, and show the world that everything that I have been saying is actually true!
With my heart filled with determination, I take one last deep breath before carefully sitting back down in front of the scroll and starting to compare the mysterious characters written on it with all of the other texts and books that we have in the library.
It takes a little while for me to do this, but eventually, after several hours of intense study and concentration, I am finally able to notice something very important: The characters written on the scroll are not just there as some kind of guide or instruction manual; they are actually an extremely important part of the ritual itself!
In other words, if we want to cross over from one world to another, then we will need to make sure that all of these characters are correctly written and placed!
The moment that I realize this, my entire body starts trembling with excitement as an incredible new idea suddenly pops into my head!
I can hardly believe it, but it’s true!
For the first time in my entire life, everything finally seems to make perfect sense!
The key to time travel is not some kind of magical elixir or divine intervention, but rather a series of ancient symbols that we can use in order to activate a special mechanism and cross between two different worlds!
It’s absolutely amazing!
As soon as this idea pops into my head, I start reading the ancient characters on the scroll with an even greater sense of determination and concentration.
I want to make sure that I don’t miss anything important, and that everything is done exactly right.
After reading and re-reading the characters more than a dozen times, a sudden realization suddenly strikes me that makes my heart skip a beat in excitement: According to the instructions written on the scroll, it seems that the mechanism can only be activated during a specific astronomical alignment that will only happen once every couple of thousand years or so.
And what’s even more interesting is that, if the ancient characters are to be believed, then this special astronomical alignment will supposedly happen in just a few days’ time!
Now that I know this, I feel the excitement inside my heart rising up even more, and without wasting any time, I immediately start reading the characters written on the scroll once again and then quickly take a few minutes to prepare all of the different items and ingredients that will be needed in order to activate the special mechanism.
I have already prepared and set up almost everything that we will need while I was studying the scroll, so it doesn’t take too long for me to do this.
After I have placed every single item and ingredient in its correct position, a strange sense of calm suddenly starts to descend over my entire body.
Even though I know that what I am about to do could very well end up changing my life forever, I am not scared or worried at all.
With my heart completely focused and concentrated, I am able to think of nothing else except for following the instructions written on the scroll and activating the special mechanism.
The hours slowly start ticking by, and before I know it, it is finally time for me to put on my protective clothing and gear, take a deep breath and get ready for this very special experiment!
It is almost time! I can hardly believe it, but it’s true!
It feels as if I have been waiting for this moment my entire life and now that it is finally here, the only thing that I can think about is how much I want it to go well!
Even though there is a violent storm raging outside, I can’t help but feel a strange sense of comfort in my heart as I listen to the thunder and watch the rain falling down outside.
For some reason, they seem almost like they have been sent by the heavens in order to help me and give me the strength that I need!
As I slowly start counting down the minutes and seconds in my head, I can hardly sit still as I’m filled with an almost unbearable anticipation!
This is going to be amazing!
A few minutes later, I stand up with an excited expression and walk slowly over towards the ancient scroll that is perched against a strange wooden mechanism in the middle of the room.
I stand before it with a pounding heart and take a few seconds in order to carefully examine it from top to bottom.
The characters written on it are looking even more mysterious and intriguing than ever before.
I take a deep breath in order to steady myself before checking my clothes one last time in order to make sure that I am fully protected and geared up before very carefully picking up the small wooden handle on the side of the mechanism and then preparing myself for what I am about to do next.
“Please be very careful,” my research assistant says in a worried voice from behind me.
Although he is unable to join me in person because of all the potential risks that could be involved in this experiment, he is still watching me very closely through the glass window and providing me with some much-needed moral support.
“I will,” I say with a small smile toward him before turning back around in order to fully focus on the wooden mechanism in front of me.
A few seconds later, I am able to feel an almost unbearable sense of isolation start descending over me as I block out everything else that is happening in the room around me.
This is it.
I have been waiting for this moment for so long and now that it has finally arrived, I can hardly believe that it’s really happening!
No matter what happens next, one thing is for sure—I can’t go back now!
With my heart pounding in my chest, I take a deep breath before very carefully reaching out my hand in order to gently touch one of the small wooden knobs at the top of the mechanism.
At first, I half expect something terrible to happen, but as soon as I touch it, nothing does.
My fingers are trembling so much that I have trouble controlling them, and yet I manage—somehow—to keep them still enough in order to very slowly turn the small wooden knob at the top of the mechanism in front of me.
Instantly, I can feel something very strange starting to happen around me!
There is an almost unbearable sense of pressure starting to build up inside my ears, so much so that I can barely hear anything else around me.
At first, it’s almost difficult for me to believe what is happening, but within seconds, I can tell with absolute certainty that this is no mere figment of my imagination!
The room is starting to be filled with an almost ethereal, otherworldly energy that seems to be radiating from the scroll itself.
It’s an incredible sight to see, and yet at the same time, I can’t help but notice the fact that the storm outside seems to be getting even worse!
In fact, the thunder seems to be getting even louder, which makes me wonder if there’s something that I should be worried about.
My research assistant is watching me with bated breath, his eyes wide open as he watches me turn the small knob at the top of the mechanism.
I’m not sure if he knows what to expect or if he’s as excited about this moment as I am, but there’s no mistaking the fact that he’s very curious to see what will happen next.
As for me, there’s nothing else that I can think about—I’m on pins and needles here!
As soon as the knob is fully turned, I reach out my hand in order to push against the small wooden handle on the side of the mechanism.
Instantly, there is a sudden flash of light within the room behind me, which causes my research assistant to let out a surprised gasp.
It only lasts for a few seconds before everything goes back to normal again, but by then, I can already tell that something very strange is happening within the room around me.
The characters on the ancient scroll are starting to glow with an almost ethereal light that is spreading from them outwards towards all of the other artifacts within my study, which are also starting to glow with an ethereal light of their own.
There is an almost unbearable sense of energy in the air at this very moment, so much so that my skin is starting to break out into goose bumps and I’m starting to feel an almost unbearable chill running down my spine.
I shiver involuntarily before suddenly realizing that my body isn’t simply cold—it feels as if there is an almost unbearable sense of static energy building up inside of it and pulling me towards something deep inside my core!
Carefully, I start laying the artifacts out on my table one by one, making sure that they are all in the correct order according to the instructions that are written on the scroll.
I make sure that the red silk fabric is laid out across the table in the correct way, then make sure that the various other artifacts are all laid out in the exact positions that they’re supposed to be.
At the same time, I make sure that the table is all set up in the right way—that it’s placed in the correct position, according to the compass points, in order to make sure that this ritual will actually work.
It’s said that many people forget about this part of the ritual, but that even so, it is one of the most important parts of the entire process.
If you want your time travel ritual to work, then you need to make sure that you have everything in exactly the right place!
All the while, the storm outside is getting worse, with rain pelting against the window in a torrential downpour.
There’s a bright flash of lightning outside, immediately followed by a loud clap of thunder just a few seconds later.
I can’t help but feel a little bit anxious as a result of all this because I know that if this keeps up, then it’s going to be almost impossible for me to be able to concentrate on what it is that I need to do here.
Even so, there’s nothing that I can do right now except to keep going and hope for the best!
Hours pass by in a blur, until eventually, I find myself starting at one of the ancient texts that are lying on my table.
This one is written in a different language from all the others, one that is supposedly impossible for anyone but a few select scholars to be able to understand.
At least, that’s what it said in all of the translations that we were able to find on this text.
But now, as I stare down at it, I find myself wondering if maybe it’s not quite so impossible after all.
After all, when looking at these characters now, they don’t seem that complex or complicated to me at all.
It’s as if they’re speaking directly to some primal part of my brain or something like that!
Suddenly, a change in the air catches my attention, and I stop staring down at the text.
The air in my study seems to have changed somehow, almost as if it has taken on an almost heavy, oppressive quality that I can almost taste on my tongue!
At first, I assume that this must be because of all the static energy that’s been building up as a result of the storm outside, but then I remember that this is not the only time that I’ve felt this way before.
After all, I’ve felt this way many times when I’ve been doing scientific experiments in the past, and I know for certain that there isn’t any static energy building up in the air as a result of any kind of storm outside!
When my eyes fall upon the scroll, I realize that there’s a faint humming sound coming from it, which seems to be growing louder and louder by the second!
I can almost feel the sound vibrating through my study as if it were alive or something like that!
I don’t have very long before things get out of control here, so I quickly return my attention back to the table that has been set up with all of the various objects that are supposed to be used during this ritual.
But then, just as I’m about to get back to work on everything, the power inside of my study suddenly flares up into a bright ball of light before shooting straight towards me!
Before I can even react, I suddenly find myself being sucked into the center of it!
There’s a loud bang, and then everything goes dark.
When I open my eyes again just a few seconds later, I realize that there’s an intense, blinding light flashing all around me!
I can hear the sound of something loud and powerful howling in my ears, making it almost impossible for me to hear anything at all!
And yet, even so, there’s something else that I can sense too – something that feels almost like an intense wind that is blowing with such force around me that I can actually feel it tugging at my clothes and hair!
Panicked, I can’t help letting out a loud scream of terror, even as I try my best to hold on!
Right now, the only thing that I can think is that if I let go now, then I’m going to find myself being sucked into whatever insane vortex this is, just like everything else around me!
But is it just a vortex?
Or is this something much worse than that?
After all, I can still hear the sound of thunder off in the distance, still see flashes of lightning every so often – and yet, I know for certain that this is no ordinary storm outside!
This is a storm that has been created by me, or rather, by this ancient scroll that I have released into the world!
And so, this must mean that what I’m seeing right now is not just a storm, but rather a manifestation of power – a fusion between mysticism and raw energy!
“Dr.Lin!”
At first, I don’t even realize that someone is calling out my name.
But then, when I hear it again just a few seconds later, I immediately recognize the voice as being my assistant’s voice and realize that he must have come in here after everything started happening and is now trying to get my attention!
“Over here!”
I scream at the top of my lungs in response.
But even as I do so, I know that he’s never going to be able to hear me because the wind around me is just too loud for anything to be able to get through!
And so instead, I quickly grab onto the table with all of my strength before returning my attention back towards the center of everything right away.
Right now, I don’t really care if he can hear me or not – not when I have much bigger things on my mind right now!
Although there are many things happening all around me right now, my eyes quickly fall upon the scroll in the center of everything once again.
I can see the pale light that is pouring out of it, which is growing more and more intense even as we speak.
Even so, though, the room itself is still glowing brighter and brighter by the second!
Right now, the light is growing so intense, in fact, that the only reason why I can still see what is happening around me at this point is because the wind itself is the same color as the light.
And as a result, the wind is carrying the light along with it, which means that everything is glowing just as brightly as if they were right next to the source of the light itself!
“Dr.Lin!”
I hear someone call out my name again from behind me.
But just like before, I quickly yell out and tell him where I am before turning my attention back towards the center of everything again immediately afterwards.
Is there really nothing that he can do for me right now?
And what about myself?
What should I even be doing right now?
Right now, the air around me is practically shaking!
It feels like we’re on the verge of being swallowed up by what is happening around us at any moment now!
And yet, at the same time, I remember what the scroll said.
This is not something that can harm us, after all.
This is just something that we need to endure!
And so, with that in mind, I quickly close my eyes.
The power of the ritual is still growing stronger by the second.
The light is still getting brighter and brighter all the time!
But even so, I know that there is nothing that I can do about that right now except for endure.
And so, with that in mind, I take a deep breath and grip the table as tightly as possible before simply waiting for what is going to happen next.
“Dr.Lin!”
I hear someone call out my name once again.
But at the same time, the whirlwind of energy starts picking up once again as well.
The light starts growing more and more intense!
My heart starts racing faster and faster!
And yet even so, I know that there is nothing more for me to do right now except for endure.
This is something that I have been preparing for for a long time!
And so now that the time has come, there is no turning back.
After preparing myself for what is going to happen next, the only thing left for me to do is actually go through with it!
And so with that in mind, I take one last deep breath before finally releasing the table from my grasp.
At first, the table doesn’t move at all.
It just sits right where it is while the whirlwind of energy around me continues to grow stronger and stronger.
But then, after a few seconds have gone by, the table finally starts moving.
It slides slowly at first.
But then, as the energy around me grows even stronger once again, it suddenly gets pulled upwards into the air instead!
And it’s not just the table either!
As soon as the table gets pulled into the air, everything else around me except for myself follows suit too!
The chairs get pulled upwards into the air.
The bookshelves get pulled upwards into the air.
Even the walls themselves get pulled upwards into the air as well!
Everything is being drawn towards the center of the room right now!
And yet, despite the way that everything else around me is being affected right now, somehow or another, I am still holding my place exactly where I am!
I don’t know why that is.
I don’t know if it has anything to do with the fact that I am the one who set everything up in the first place.
Or if it has something to do with the fact that maybe something has gone wrong with the ritual itself!
Maybe this isn’t actually supposed to be happening right now!
Maybe it’s supposed to be doing something else altogether!
There are a number of different things that might be going wrong right now.
And yet even so, despite the fact that there are all of these different things that might be going wrong right now, the only thing that I can do right now is simply endure.
The only thing that I can do right now is simply wait.
There are only a few seconds left until the ritual is over anyway.
And so it’s not like there’s anything more that I can do about it anyway.
All that there is left for me to do right now is simply wait.
That’s all there is left for me right now.
The room around me dissolves into chaos.
There is a maelstrom of colors and shadows all around me as everything gets sucked into a giant whirlwind.
It’s like being stuck in the center of a giant storm!
Everything around me is disappearing into chaos!
And yet still somehow or another, no matter what happens, I am able to stand my ground!
I don’t know how this is possible.
Everything around me seems to be disappearing into chaos right now.
It’s like time itself is unraveling before my eyes.
The past and present are dancing around each other in an incomprehensible dance!
But then, just as quickly as it started, the chaos finally settles down as well.
The whirlwind finally dissipates as the colors and shadows around me finally return to normal.
When it does, however, I suddenly realize that the room around me doesn’t look anything like it did before!
At first, I am confused by what has happened.
But then, after taking a second look around, I realize that everything around me has been covered up by a series of abstract shapes instead.
It’s like looking at the world through a filter!
I don’t know if I am really ready to move forward with this.
It’s not like I have any choice at this point!
If I don’t want to get sucked into the void of time and space forever, I have to find a way to make it out of here!
My fingers are trembling as I cling to the edge of the table tightly.
I don’t know how much longer I can hold on for before I am torn away!
As I look around at everything happening around me right now, though, I realize that there are only a few more things left in my way before I can finally reach out and grab the scroll.
Because when I look around at everything happening around me right now, I realize that there is some sort of swirling vortex of colors and shadows surrounding the scroll right now!
It feels like it’s beckoning me forward, threatening to pull me into its embrace!
But as interested as I am in seeing what’s on the other side of this portal right now.
As interested as I am in seeing what’s on the other side of this portal right now.
There’s no way that I’m going to let something like this happen right now!
With a deep breath, I clench my teeth tightly and brace myself against the overwhelming force.
I don’t know what it is about this moment.
But it feels like something inside of me is telling me that if I reach out into the void right now, then something terrible will happen to me.
I don’t know what it is about this moment.
But something inside of me tells me that if I reach out into the void right now.
I am going to get pulled into the void forever!
As much as I might want to reach out into the void and see what’s on the other side right now though.
I know that I can’t do something like that right now!
No matter what happens, no matter what happens right now.
I have to find a way out of here right now!
It doesn’t take a genius to figure something like this out right now!
Gritting my teeth tightly, I push forward against the table’s edge as hard as possible.
I don’t know where I’m going to end up right now.
But I have to make sure that I’m holding onto something right now!
I don’t know if I have any other options right now!
The scroll is getting closer and closer.
A brilliant light is glowing all around it right now.
It’s as if it’s trying to tell me that I’m almost there right now!
A blinding light is coming off of the parchment right now.
But even in the moment of such brilliant light all around me.
I can still see everything in front of me perfectly right now.
Even through all of this.
I can still see everything in front of me perfectly right now.
The room is filled with light.
And yet still somehow or another, everything around me is still visible.
As I reach out for it, I can feel static electricity crackling through my fingertips.
For a moment, everything goes quiet.
It’s like the room itself is taking a deep breath right now.
After what seems like an eternity in silence.
There’s an intricate diagram on this piece of parchment right now.
It looks like a star chart at first right now.
But as I look closer at it right now, I can see how it’s not something like that at all right now!
There are hundreds of tiny little lines drawn everywhere on this piece of parchment right now.
Each one is drawn with such incredible precision right now.
It’s like every single mark has been made with a purpose right now.
And every single line has been drawn with a purpose too.
This image looks like it was designed by someone with an incredibly high level of intelligence right now!
Someone who was able to design things with such incredible precision and accuracy right now!
This diagram looks like it was designed by someone who was able to understand things at a level that is almost impossible for me to comprehend right now!
It looks like it was designed by someone who was able to understand things at a level that is almost impossible for me to comprehend right now!
I can feel that diagram drawing me towards the portal right now.
The shimmering gateway that has opened up in front of me right now is drawing me towards it right now.
As I walk towards this gateway, every single step that I take echoes loudly throughout the room right now.
I feel a strange energy crackling through the air right now.
Every single hair on my body is standing up on end right now, and I can feel a tingling sensation running up and down my spine right now!
Every single step that I take echoes loudly throughout the room right now!
I feel a sense of dread building up inside of me right now.
And yet, it feels like there’s no way out of this situation right now!
Something inside of me is telling me that I’ve gone too far to back out of this situation right now!
The portal is only a few steps away from me right now.
I have to make sure that I get to the other side of this portal before anything else happens right now!
As I take another step forward right now, the symbols on the scroll begin to glow with an intensity that makes it difficult for me to keep my eyes open any longer right now.
The symbols are glowing brightly, and the light is becoming more and more intense with every passing moment.
A low hum fills my ears, and it feels like the entire chamber is vibrating all around me.
The sound of my heartbeat echoes loudly throughout the room right now, and for a moment, it feels like every single hair on my body is standing up on end too.
Something inside of me tells me that this is a bad idea.
And yet, it feels like there’s no way out of this situation for me at all!
A brilliant light envelops everything in sight, and for a moment it feels like there’s no way out of this situation for me at all!
The storm outside continues to rage against the windowpanes, but its fury is nothing compared to what is happening inside this chamber right now!
I can feel the symbols on the scroll drawing me towards them, and I have a strange sensation that something inside of me is being pulled towards that shimmering gateway too.
It feels like I’m being sucked into a swirling vortex of colors and shadows.
For just a moment, it feels like everything around me is disintegrating into nothingness.
It’s as though I’ve been caught in a whirlwind of history, and everything around me is dissolving into thin air.
Something is pulling me towards that shimmering gateway, and I have a strange sensation that there’s no way to stop it from happening.
For a moment, it feels like I’m being pulled towards that shimmering gateway, and everything around me is disappearing into nothingness.
And then… everything goes black.
I don’t know what’s happening.
But for some reason, I feel like I’m being sucked into something… something that I have no control over at all.
When I wake up, everything around me is spinning wildly out of control.
It feels like I’m being pulled into a swirling vortex of colors and shadows, and for just a moment, I have a strange sensation that I’m moving at an incredibly high speed through time and space!
I’m not sure if I’ve been successful in activating the time-travel ritual or not.
But one thing is clear: something is happening to me right now!
The room is filled with ancient symbols, and abstract shapes are swirling all around me!
For just a moment, it feels like I’m losing control of my body entirely!
And then… for some reason, I feel an intense pressure building up inside my head, and the sensation continues to get worse and worse with every passing moment.
All I can do is to hold on to the edge of the table and try to make sense of what is happening to me right now.
It feels like the world is spinning wildly out of control, and there’s no way for me to stop it from happening!
There’s an intense pressure building up inside my head, and for just a moment, I feel like I’m going to lose consciousness!
But something inside of me tells me that I can’t afford to black out right now!
I’ve come too far to back out of this situation now, and there’s no turning back for me right now!
This is the moment that I’ve been waiting for, and I have to see it through to the end right now!
There’s no turning back for me now, and I have to keep moving forward until I get to the other side of this portal right now.
The air crackles with energy, and there’s an intense pressure building up inside my head right now.
The room is filled with ancient symbols, and for just a moment, it feels like I’m on the verge of making history right now!
I have to keep moving forward until I get to the other side of this portal right now.
The air crackles with energy, and there’s an intense pressure building up inside my head right now.
For just a moment, it feels like I’m on the verge of making history right now.
But before I can do anything else, everything goes black, and I lose consciousness once again.
When I finally come to my senses again, my head is still throbbing like crazy, and I feel like I’m about to throw up at any moment.
I feel like my entire body has been ripped apart, and my head hurts like crazy right now.
It feels like my brain has been turned into mush, and I feel like I’m not going to be able to figure anything out for quite some time.
I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I feel like I’m losing control over my body entirely, and there’s nothing that I can do about it at all right now.
I feel like my entire body has been ripped apart, and I feel like my brain has been turned into mush.
I feel like my entire world has been turned upside down, and there’s nothing that I can do about it at all right now.
I don’t know what to expect when everything finally comes to an end, but I need to find a way to stay on my feet for just one more minute right now.
I’ve been waiting for this moment for my entire life, and there’s no way that I’m going to let anything ruin it for me today!
I feel like my entire world is spinning wildly out of control, and I don’t know what to expect at all.
I can see faint shapes and colors flashing all around me, but they’re swirling past me at such an incredible speed that I can hardly make anything out at all.
I feel like I’m losing control of my body entirely, and I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to stop it from happening.
The air is filled with all kinds of strange sounds and scents, but I don’t recognize any of them at all.
It feels like my entire world has been turned upside down, and I don’t know what to expect at all.
I don’t even know where I am, or how I got here in the first place!
I feel like I’m losing control of my body entirely, and there’s nothing that I can do about it at all.
I feel like I’m losing my mind completely, and I don’t know what to think anymore.
I don’t know where I am, or how I got here in the first place, but it feels like my entire world is spinning wildly out of control right now.
Everything in front of me is moving so fast that it feels like my eyes are playing tricks on me, and I can’t figure out what is happening at all!
It feels like I’m being thrown around in a great big whirlwind, and my brain has been turned into mush entirely right now!
I can still see shapes and colors flashing in front of me, but they’re moving so fast that it feels like my eyes are playing tricks on me!
There are all kinds of strange sounds and scents all around me, but I can hardly make any of them out at all.
I don’t know where I am anymore, or how I got here at all!
For just a moment, it feels like the world is spinning wildly out of control, and there’s no way for me to stop it from happening!
But then… for some reason, everything suddenly comes to an end, and the world around me finally starts to slow down for the first time.
Everything in front of me is still moving quite fast, but it feels like the world around me is slowly starting to come back together again.
When everything finally comes to an end, it feels like the world is spinning wildly around me for just one more minute.
And then, everything finally goes still again, and I can finally see exactly what is going on around me at long last.
I slowly open my eyes, but everything is still so blurry that I can’t make anything out at all.
But then, slowly, everything starts coming into focus, and I can finally make out the shapes that are moving in front of me.
But even then, I have a hard time making them out, because they’re still moving so quickly that they’re impossible to see all at once!
My head is spinning like crazy, but I don’t know what’s going on at all.
The only thing that I do know is that I need to stay on my feet, no matter what happens.
If I fall down right now, I don’t know what’s going to happen at all!
So I slowly try and pull myself together, and I take one step forward, and then another, and then another, until everything finally comes into focus around me again.
And when I finally open my eyes again, everything suddenly becomes clear once more.
But the only thing that I can see is… the blinding light of the storm around me?
I take a step back and rub my eyes for a moment, and then try again, but it doesn’t make a difference at all.
All I can see in front of me is the blinding light of the storm around me, and there’s nothing that I can do about it at all.
I’ve always loved storms before, but this one is different than any other storm that I’ve ever seen before.
This one isn’t just dark and gloomy—this one looks like it’s going to be a real monster!
The wind is blowing harder than ever before, and the sky looks even darker than before, as if it’s been turning blacker by the second!
And the rain… the rain isn’t just falling down on the ground in sheets; it looks like it’s being blown sideways by the wind itself!
For a moment, I stand there dumbfounded, and I don’t know what to do at all.
All I can do is stand there and stare at the ground for a little while as the rain starts to pour down on my head.
It’s only a few minutes before I’m drenched to the bone, from head to toe, because there’s nothing at all that I can do about it.
If only I had thought to bring something to help protect myself from the rain with, then maybe I would have looked a little bit less ridiculous right now!
But then I slowly blink my eyes, and let a few more drops of rain pour out of them before looking around myself again.
And when I finally see what’s in front of me, my jaw practically hits the floor.
The last thing that I saw before leaving my laboratory was a huge cityscape of endless skyscrapers rising up into the heavens.
There was no sign of any real civilization outside of those buildings, and there was no sign of any kind of life either.
All that there was was endless buildings, stretching on forever in every direction as far as the eye could see.
But the scene in front of my eyes is the complete opposite.
The street that I’m standing on is nothing like the modern cityscape of Shanghai that I know and love; instead, the cobblestone path that runs down the center of it looks like it’s been around for centuries.
And the buildings that line the left and right sides of the street look absolutely ancient.
They’re made out of stone and mudbrick, and they look like they were built by hand!
There’s no sign of a single window in any of them, and there’s no sign of a single door either.
But what really catches my attention are the people who are walking around on the street.
Their clothes look nothing like any kind of fashion trend that we have in the modern-day world!
The men are all wearing long robes that go down to their ankles.
They’re made out of some kind of dark blue fabric, and they’re tied around their waists with some kind of red sash.
The sleeves are so long that they go all the way down to their feet, and they’re so wide that they look like a pair of wings!
I don’t know how they can wear clothes like that in the sweltering heat and humidity that we have in this part of China, but apparently, they’re doing just fine!
And the women are wearing long skirts and dresses that go down to their ankles.
Their dresses are made out of some kind of fabric that looks like silk, but it’s so much more colorful than any kind that we have in the modern-day world.
It looks like it’s been dyed with every single color imaginable, and some that aren’t!
There are also so many different kinds of flowers embroidered into them that it almost looks like they’re growing right out of the fabric itself!
But what really catches my attention are their eyes.
All of them have almond-shaped eyes and dark hair, just like the people from this part of China.
But unlike the people from back home who have a wide range of skin tones, their skin is all a uniform shade of bronze!
As soon as I realize that, my heart starts to race in my chest again.
I’ve heard about cultures where everyone looks the same before—where there are so few people left that they’ve had to start marrying their brothers and sisters just to keep the population going!
It’s only a matter of time before someone realizes that I don’t belong here, and then who knows what will happen next?
I don’t know how they’ll react to me when they find out that I’m from the future, but I can’t imagine that they’ll be happy about it!
So without thinking, my hands suddenly fly up to my head and start ripping off my jacket and cap.
If I have any hope of blending in with these people, then I need to get rid of these clothes right away!
Because there’s no way that anyone would ever wear anything like this where we come from!
In only a few seconds, my jacket and cap are lying on the ground, and my hands are pulling at my shirt.
But even as they do, my heart sinks in my chest again.
I can tell that everyone is still staring at me as if I’m some kind of freak show, and there’s nothing that I can do about it.
The only thing that’s left for me to do is stand there and take it for as long as it lasts.
Even though my jacket and cap are already off, and everyone is still staring at me, the rain is still coming down around me.
It’s not as hard as it was before, but there are still a few drops falling from the sky.
If I want to get rid of the jacket and the cap, then I need to get rid of my pants, too.
And I’m not sure that I want to do that, because I don’t know if I’ll be able to find any new ones here before the rain starts falling again.
I’m about to make a decision one way or the other when the rain suddenly stops.
I’m so surprised by it that I almost jump out of my skin.
And for a few seconds, I just stand there in shock, staring up at the sky around me.
It doesn’t even seem like there are any clouds up above us, so I have no idea what caused the rain to stop.
But at least it has, so I guess that’s what matters most.
Now all I have to worry about is what I’m going to wear while I’m stuck here.
Without thinking, my hands reach for the shirt on my back again.
But once I remember what everyone else looks like, I force them back down to my sides instead.
There’s only one way that I can hope to blend in with these people, and it’s not going to happen if I keep wearing these clothes!
So without thinking, my hands suddenly fly back to my shirt and start ripping it off as well!
I don’t know if there are any stores around here where I can buy new clothes, but there isn’t anything else that I can think of to do—except maybe walk around in my underwear all day!
And as soon as I think of it, my heart starts to race in my chest again!
It only takes me a few seconds to get rid of the shirt—as well as everything else that wasn’t there before!
But as soon as I’m finished, I feel eyes on me from every direction.
And when I look up, all of the people around me are staring at me like they’ve never seen anything like me before.
And maybe they haven’t—I don’t know!
I suddenly remember something else: everyone else is wearing shoes too!
Without thinking, my feet start moving again.
I don’t know where they’re going, but that doesn’t seem to matter.
Because all that matters is that they’re finally moving on their own once again!
I can feel them taking me down the street, but that’s about it.
My mind is so consumed with other thoughts that I can’t focus on anything else at the moment.
All I can think about is what those people must have been thinking when they saw me taking off my clothes right in front of them.
But apparently, it doesn’t bother them too much.
Because after only a few seconds, most of them have turned back around and started walking in the opposite direction.
The children are a different story, though.
After seeing me get rid of all of my clothes, they follow me as soon as they see me start walking away.
Their eyes are wide with wonder, and they keep pointing at me while they whisper to each other.
I’m not sure how long it will last, but so far, no one has tried to stop them from following me.
It only takes a few seconds for us to reach the end of the street, where there’s a marble board set up.
And when the children see it, they all gasp with excitement!
They push their way past me to get a better look at it, and then they start jumping up and down while they beg me to play with them.
I have no idea what kind of game this is supposed to be, but it’s obvious that they want to play it!
And honestly, I can’t think of a reason not to.
So without another thought, I walk over to the board and take my place on one side.
The children all gather around it, and then one of them comes over to me with a handful of black stones in his hand.
He kneels down in front of me so that he can reach across the board to put them in place.
And when he’s finished, he stands back up to reveal the board to me.
It looks like he’s already won!
The other children all groan with disappointment, but the boy doesn’t seem to care.
Instead, he just smiles at me while he waits for me to take my turn.
Even though these people are from a completely different world than mine, I can still understand them when they start talking!
It’s just like when my parents moved me from one city to another when I was young.
I didn’t know their language either, but it only took a few days for me to start picking it up from the other kids around me.
And even though that was so long ago that it feels like it might as well have been a different life, the memories are still fresh in my mind.
They flood back now as if someone has opened a door in my brain and let them loose upon my consciousness once again.
The parents in my childhood home were always much more uptight than their modern counterparts are here.
But when it comes to their children, there’s really not much of a difference.
They still laugh and play together just like kids everywhere have always done—even if the games themselves can sometimes be quite different.
But even though the people here might be the same in many ways that really matter, the world around them is very different.
The buildings all around us are painted in bright colors that seem to be constantly fighting for attention.
Some of them have intricate designs on their walls that make me stop and stare at them for longer than I should.
In fact, if I’m not careful, I might even walk into someone!
As I walk down the street again, I notice something else that I hadn’t before: the streets are filled with people too!
It was so quiet and empty before that it seemed strange for people to be walking around here at all.
But now I can see that this place isn’t just some abandoned city far from civilization.
It’s a bustling metropolis!
It’s a wonder that I didn’t see anyone before.
But then again, maybe these people weren’t here before.
Maybe they only appear after you’ve been here a certain amount of time?
Maybe they’re not actually real people at all!
I’m not sure if that’s what’s going on or not.
All I know is that there are a lot of people in this city.
So many of them are walking around that it’s impossible to tell where they’re all going!
But one thing’s for sure: I’m going to get lost if I don’t start paying more attention to where I’m walking!
So I stop staring at the walls and start looking at the signs instead.
I then make sure to follow each sign until I reach my destination.
I quickly find myself in the middle of a huge marketplace where people are bartering for food and goods of all kinds.
I look forward to finding out what new things this world has to offer me as I walk through the square and take a look at everything there is to see.
As soon as I see the fruit stall in front of me, I know exactly where I need to go!
I walk over to the stall and take a look at all the different types of fruit that are available there.
There are large bunches of bananas hanging from hooks on the top shelves, as well as apples, oranges, and pears piled high on the tables in front of me.
There’s also a big pile of grapes lying in the middle of the table next to me that looks like it’s been freshly picked from the vine, too!
It looks so fresh and delicious that I can almost taste its sweetness already!
I just know that this is what I want to eat today, so I point to the grape stall with my finger and say, “I’ll have some of these, please.”
The lady running the stall looks up from what she’s doing when she hears me speaking and smiles at me warmly.
But then she frowns slightly when she sees that I’m not wearing any traditional clothing like everyone else around here is.
I’m not sure if it’s because she doesn’t recognize my clothes or because she’s surprised to see someone like me, but it’s clear that something’s not quite right.
She hesitates for a moment before replying, “Grapes are one silver coin per hundred grams.”
She points to the scale on top of the table and says, “You can weigh them for yourself if you want to.”
I smile and thank her before picking up a bunch of grapes from the table and placing them on the scale in front of me.
As soon as they’re in place, the numbers on the scale start rising rapidly until they finally stop at 0.3 kilograms.
It looks like this bunch of grapes weighs about three silver coins, which means that it should cost me about six coins in total.
I reach into my pocket to take out some money, only to realize with a jolt of panic that I don’t have any local currency on me at all!
I was so busy getting ready for my trip that I forgot to exchange any money before leaving home.
If only there were an atm machine around here somewhere, then this wouldn’t be a problem.
But since there isn’t one, that means that I’ll have to find another way to pay.
Think, Lin Xuan, think!
How are you going to solve this problem now?
Then suddenly it hits me: there’s a valuable jade piece hidden in the folds of my clothes that I can use instead!
I take out the jade piece and show it to the fruit vendor, who has been watching my every move closely this whole time.
I tell her, “This is a very precious gift from my hometown, so you can be sure that it’s worth much more than six silver coins.
How about I give it to you in exchange for this bunch of grapes instead?
That way, neither of us will be out of pocket!”
The fruit vendor stares at the jade piece in my hand for a long time without saying anything.
I’m not sure if she’s trying to decide whether it’s real or fake or whether she’s just reluctant to trade with me because she doesn’t trust my motives.
But whatever the reason may be, I know that I can’t afford to give up now, no matter what happens!
So I keep staring at her with a pleading look in my eyes until finally, after what feels like hours have gone by, she gives in and agrees to my proposal.
She picks up the bunch of grapes on the table and hands it to me along with a small knife before saying, “Here you go.
I feel so grateful that I could almost cry right now!
The fruit vendor may not know it yet, but she has just saved my life!
Without her help, I don’t know how long I would have been able to last around here without any food or drink on me.
But now that this bunch of grapes is in my hands, I can finally eat my fill and keep myself going for a little while longer.
I thank the fruit vendor with all my heart before turning around to leave.
But as soon as I start to walk away, I suddenly sense her staring at me again.
It feels like there’s something strange going on behind my back, so I quickly turn around to take another look at her.
When our eyes meet again, I notice that there’s a faint smile on her face as she looks back at me.
It doesn’t seem like she’s trying to make fun of me or laugh at me in any way; instead, it somehow feels like there’s a trace of fondness or even pity in her eyes as she gazes at me.
Her expression reminds me of my own grandmother back home, who would sometimes smile at me in exactly the same way when she thought that I wasn’t looking.
I feel my heart warming up with gratitude again as I look back at her and say, “Thank you very much for your help.
May you be blessed with good fortune for all your days to come!”
I can’t help but feel a lump forming in my throat as I say these words to her.
It feels like I’m about to burst into tears any second now!
So I quickly turn around and leave before I do something embarrassing like that in front of her.
But even as I walk away from the stall, I can still hear her talking to her neighbors behind my back.
She says, “Have you ever seen anything like it before?
That man is dressed so strangely that he doesn’t even look like one of us at all!
He must be new to this area.”
Another neighbor chimes in and says with a laugh, “That’s not all!
He was also asking if he could use a jade piece to pay for his fruit earlier!
Doesn’t he know that jade is only valuable to people who want to use it as jewelry?”
The first woman replies, “I noticed that too!
“I heard that the rest of his questions were just as strange as well!
They say that he was asking about the history of our kingdom and the name of our ruler.
And when they mentioned the Woman of the Golden Star to him, his eyes seemed to light up as well!
It’s almost like he’s never heard of her before!”
“Oh no!Do you think that he may be some kind of spy?Is there something special about this man?
I can’t help but feel bewildered as I walk through the crowds on the street and try to make sense of what just happened between me and the fruit vendor earlier.
After all, wasn’t the Woman of the Golden Star supposed to be one of the most famous rulers in the history of the Kingdom of Women?
How is it possible that she’s now become some kind of taboo figure that people will start whispering about as soon as they hear her name?
I don’t quite understand what’s going on here.
So I decide to stop and ask a group of young men who are walking by about it instead.
I say to them in an amiable tone of voice as they approach me, “Hello there!
May I ask you a question?
Do any of you happen to know who the ruler of this kingdom is right now?
The young men all stop in their tracks and turn to look at me when they hear me asking them this question.
But after exchanging a few glances with each other, none of them seem to have any intention of answering me.
Just as I’m about to ask them something else instead, the young man who looks the oldest among them suddenly frowns and says to me in an unfriendly tone of voice, “May I ask why you would want to know something like that?”
I’m taken aback by his response to me!
After all, wasn’t that just a very normal question for me to ask in this situation?
So why would he react to me in that way all of a sudden?
I try to explain myself to him with an apologetic smile and say, “Oh, no particular reason!
I just thought that the name of the current ruler of your kingdom might be interesting!”
But my words don’t seem to have any effect on him.
Instead of answering me directly this time around, the young man just turns around and starts whispering something into the ears of one of his companions.
And after listening to what he has to say for a few moments, that companion of his suddenly turns around as well and starts whispering something into the ears of the next person in line.
And before I know it, they have all started whispering into each other’s ears one by one!
What’s going on here?
Are these guys trying to mess with me or something?
But just as I’m about to say something to them, I notice that some of the people who are passing by us on the street have started to slow down and come to a halt as well.
It looks like they’re all watching us from the corners of their eyes and exchanging furtive glances with each other as they do so!
And the way that some of them are looking at me right now seems to be filled with caution and vigilance for some reason!
I feel my heart starting to sink into my stomach with fear when I realize what’s about to happen next.
One of the young men who was talking to me earlier suddenly raises his voice and says to his companions, “That’s enough talking for now!
Let’s go find someplace else to eat!”
Then he turns around and starts walking away before I can say anything else, gesturing for his companions to follow him as he does so.
As soon as he leaves, I can’t help but feel somewhat frustrated by the whole thing!
After all, even though I came here to do some sightseeing and research at first, the more time that I spend around these people, the more curious I become about the things that they seem to be hiding from me!
But before I can go after them and ask them some more questions, I suddenly hear someone shouting from behind me!
“Hey, you there!What are you doing here?”
I turn around and see a group of women who are wearing blue gowns and carrying long swords in their hands rushing towards me from down the street.
But instead of waiting for them to catch up to me, I turn around and start running away from them as fast as I can!
After all, why would a group of women like them want to talk to me out of nowhere like that?
A few moments later, however, I suddenly come to a stop when I realize that I’m standing in a small and secluded alleyway somewhere.
But how did I end up here all of a sudden?
I don’t remember seeing this place when I was walking down the street earlier!
I look around and notice that it has started to rain outside.
The sound of the raindrops falling on the ground is echoing through the air, and the alleyway is starting to fill up with water as a result.
It looks like this rainstorm is going to be even heavier than the one that happened last night.
But just as I’m about to leave the alleyway, I suddenly hear someone shouting at me from behind and freeze in my tracks!
I can see a group of women who are wearing blue gowns and carrying long swords in their hands rushing towards me from down the street.
But instead of waiting for them to catch up to me this time around, I quickly run towards the other end of the alleyway and jump over the wall that’s blocking my way!
As soon as I land on the other side of the wall, I can hear the sound of the raindrops falling on the ground getting louder and louder.
And after looking up at the sky, I realize that it has started to rain again outside.
It looks like this rainstorm is going to be even heavier than the one that happened last night after all!
I shake my head and try to clear my mind of all these thoughts before looking around and trying to figure out where I am right now.
But despite spending a few moments trying to remember how I ended up here, the only thing that I can recall is a strange itch that I suddenly felt on my right palm while I was still inside my study earlier.
Now that I think about it, this isn’t the first time that something like this has happened to me before!
After all, whenever I feel this strange itch on my right palm, it usually means that something mysterious is about to happen to me in some way or another!
I frown in confusion for a few moments before looking down at my right hand and staring at it intently.
And after examining it closely for a few moments, I suddenly notice something about it that wasn’t there before: a brand-new tattoo has appeared on its surface out of nowhere while I wasn’t looking!
The tattoo looks very different from anything that I’ve ever seen before.
It’s very intricate and detailed, with a lot of interlocking patterns that seem to be connected to each other in some way or another.
But as soon as I take a closer look at it, my eyes immediately light up with excitement when I finally realize what it actually looks like!
This tattoo is shaped like a dragon with two heads that are connected to each other and biting their own tails, which is a symbol for Yin and Yang!
This is definitely a very important clue that will help me figure out what has just happened to me somehow!
But before I can spend any more time thinking about it, I suddenly hear the sound of someone walking towards me from behind, so I quickly turn around to see who it is.
“Hey, you there!What do you think you’re doing here?How did you manage to get past the guards?”
I can see that there are two guards who are wearing leather armor and carrying long spears standing in front of me right now.
They look very serious and upset with me for some reason, but I don’t know why.
After all, they are speaking in a language that sounds completely foreign to me, so I have no idea what they are trying to say.
But after seeing their hostile expressions, it’s clear that they are not happy to see me here at all.
So without saying anything to them, I quickly turn around to try and leave this place before they try to stop me.
But before I can take a single step, I suddenly feel another strange itch on my right palm, which causes me to stop in my tracks for a while.
I can also hear someone saying something in a strange language behind me, but I don’t know what they are trying to say at all.
But as soon as I look down at my hand, I can see that there is now a blinding light shining on its surface, which is very different from what I’ve seen before.
This light looks very bright and dazzling, almost as if it’s going to blind me if I keep staring at it for too long.
But before I have a chance to react to it, I suddenly feel something pulling me towards it, which causes me to lose my balance for a moment.
And after taking a few steps forward, I soon realize that I am no longer standing on solid ground anymore.
Instead, I can feel myself being pulled into an invisible vortex that’s rapidly spinning around me, which makes me feel very dizzy and disoriented.
As I try to focus on what’s happening around me, I can also feel my body changing in some way that I can’t really explain.
