Chapter 3: The Out-of-Place Time Traveler

"You’ve come." Jon did not turn his head, continuing to gaze at the lush, verdant forest in the distance.

Hearing such familiar words, Angel suddenly recalled the conversation he had just had with his brother, and he couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Yes, I’m here." As Angel spoke, he gestured toward the ointment on the table for the mute servant. The mute servant waved his hands at Angel.

Angel sighed helplessly, picked up the ointment, and sat down beside Jon.

"Mentor, you haven't followed the physician's instructions again." Angel unscrewed the cap of the glass bottle and began to apply the thick, green ointment bit by bit onto Jon’s limbs, which were already showing signs of withered emaciation.

"Whether I apply it or not, it makes no difference now." A trace of nostalgia and sorrow flickered in the depths of Jon’s eyes. "I am going to die soon. 'It' will not let me live any longer."

"Who is 'it'?" Angel suddenly looked around, alert. "Is it one of your enemies, Mentor?"

After a long silence, Jon shook his head. "No enemies. My enemies are in another space-time."

Whenever he heard his mentor mention "another space-time," Angel would subconsciously signal the mute servant to leave. Even though the servant could not speak, Angel made it a habit to have him leave whenever his mentor spoke of "things from the past," just to be safe.

To this day, Angel still found the story of his mentor’s origins incredible.

Jon came from another world, or rather, another planet. Due to an accident, Jon had traveled from his homeland to this strange land.

After Jon arrived, he was saved by Angel’s father, which led to everything that followed.

Angel had originally not believed in the concept of "transmigration," but as Jon taught him more and more knowledge, establishing his understanding of the microscopic and macroscopic worlds, Angel was forced to believe. The knowledge Jon taught him—though purely conceptual and lacking practical application—was so precious that the data Angel calculated himself proved its immense value, far exceeding the current educational level of the Golden Sparrow Empire.

Even if Angel still harbored doubts in his heart, he was, for the most part, convinced.

Seeing the mute servant close the door and hearing the *tap-tap-tap* of his footsteps descending the stairs, Angel asked in a low voice, "Then... who is this 'it' you speak of, Mentor?"

Jon remained silent for a long while, then asked Angel a question that seemed unrelated.

"Do you believe the world has consciousness?"

Angel was left dazed by the sudden question. After pondering for a moment, he answered cautiously, "Are you referring to the Gaia consciousness, Mentor?"

The Golden Sparrow Empire had no such concept as Gaia consciousness, nor did this world have a "Mother Earth" named Gaia. The concept of Gaia consciousness was something Jon had told him about; at the time, Angel had simply taken it as a myth from another world. He never expected Jon to bring it up so suddenly now.

"Something like that." Jon nodded slightly. "I used to be a person who firmly believed in science. Even when people said that the end of science is God, I never believed it. But since coming to this world, I have increasingly felt that some things are slowly changing. Among them is the part regarding 'Gaia consciousness'."

Jon gazed at the distant, dark green mountains. "My body began to show signs of failure for no reason after I arrived in this world. I had my parasitic chip perform a comprehensive scan of my body, and there were no traces of disease. In other words, I am not sick."

Although Angel did not understand what a "parasitic chip" was, he understood the gist of Jon’s words.

"If you aren't sick, then why..." Angel looked at Jon, whose body had withered until he was little more than skin and bone, and his confusion deepened. Jon was only in his early fifties, but his appearance was such that no one would doubt it if told he was eighty or ninety.

"Why have I become like this?" Jon murmured to himself, then shook his head with a faint smile. "If you had asked me this half a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to answer. But... as I approach the grave, 'It' seems much more at ease, and it has indirectly allowed me to understand the source of my illness."

"The source?" Angel looked at Jon, uncomprehending.

"Just like the Gaia consciousness I asked you about earlier, I suspect... that this world might have a vast collective consciousness. It operates with cold indifference and impartiality; it rejects all foreign souls. It is the consciousness of the world. And I, this diseased body of mine, might just be its handiwork." Jon turned to look at Angel. "In short, the reason my body is like this is simply because I cannot adapt to the environment. Because, fundamentally, I do not belong to this world."

...

In the magnificent main hall, under the crystal chandelier, two people sat on either side of a long rectangular table. Behind each of them stood several knights in full armor.

On the left was the next heir to the Pat Manor, his brows tightly furrowed: Leon Pat.

On the right was a middle-aged man in silver armor with a thick brown beard that obscured his face: Eaton Munn.

Eaton Munn, holding the title of Count, came from the backbone of the Golden Sparrow Empire—the Munn family. This family, with a history spanning hundreds of years, was renowned throughout the empire for their bravery and combat prowess.

Currently, a large number of the Munn family's elite were on the front lines fighting against the Hailan Kingdom. It was unclear why Count Eaton had suddenly come to Gru Town.

After a long silence, the tension between the knights on both sides continued to rise. The Munn family was, after all, a family of warriors; the aura of their knights quickly suppressed the house knights of Pat Manor. One knight, unable to endure the pressure, loosened his grip on his longsword, which clattered loudly onto the floor. Seeing this, Leon frowned slightly and was the first to speak

"My apologies, my knights are unfamiliar with the rules." Leon waved his hand, and the knights behind him immediately half-knelt in salute before slowly stepping back. This simple action effortlessly dissipated the high-strung aura of the opposing knights. "Count Eaton, your sudden visit—is it regarding the supplies for the front lines?"

With the two countries at war, the Hailan Kingdom, though small, consisted mostly of islands scattered like stars between the Azure Sea and the Storm Sea. The Golden Sparrow Empire’s naval capabilities were not strong, and they could only set up defenses along the coastline, remaining in a passive, defensive position.

As the stalemate dragged on, and with the border areas suffering from a severe lack of fresh water, the burden of supplying food and water fell to the nearby towns. Gru Town was one link in that supply chain.

The supply to the front lines was entirely shouldered by Pat Manor. While ordinary townspeople might not know this, as the master of Pat Manor, how could Leon not?

"These past few months, we have truly relied on the strong support of Pat Manor. Otherwise, our vanguard battalion would never have held on." Count Eaton expressed his gratitude before changing the subject. "There is naturally no issue with the food and water supply. The reason I have come today is actually to inquire about something."

"Inquire about what?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

Eaton let out a smile, but his beard obscured his face, making it difficult to read. However, Leon did not see any mirth in Eaton’s eyes.

"I wonder, Viscount Pat, have you ever heard of 'Morning Dew After the Rain'?"