The beginning
Influenced by the northern monsoon, the winters in Landon City are unbearably cold.
The day had barely seen a light dusting of snow, and in the dark of night, the crimson moon hung high, casting a faint blood-red hue over the snow-covered ground.
Two kilometers away, faint gaslights flickered in the city, their glow barely visible as an old, decrepit black carriage hurried past.
Inside the carriage, pungent odors of manure filled the air, and Xu Mu dared not move, his body paralyzed. Or, more precisely, he could not move even if he tried, as though some invisible force held him still. He felt the vibrations from the carriage’s motion, smelled the acrid stench of the cabin, and endured the intense pain in his chest—pain from his heart being pierced. The sensation was eerie, as if he should be dead, yet he remained aware.
An hour ago, Xu Mu had just crossed over into this new world, his heart filled with anxiety and excitement. He had begun to accept fragmented memories of his host body, his mind eager to make his mark. However, he had never imagined that as soon as he opened his eyes, a gleaming dagger would plunge straight through his chest.
Dazed and confused, Xu Mu’s mind was engulfed by a storm of chaotic thoughts. “What kind of fate is this? I just crossed over, and I’m already dead?”
But as time passed, he noticed something odd. His heart, pierced by the knife, should have been fatal, yet besides the pain, his consciousness remained intact. Strangely, the agony from the wound began to ease.
“I... Why haven’t I died yet?”
Xu Mu’s mind raced with terror and confusion, but to an outsider, he appeared to be nothing more than a freshly slain corpse.
The carriage continued its slow pace, and two figures clad in black coats conversed in low voices.
“Lord Les, the ritual failed again, the third time now. Could the summoning diagram be flawed?”
The middle-aged man holding the reins spoke cautiously, almost apologetically.
“Impossible! The diagram was given to me personally by the High Priest. It cannot be wrong!”
Les’ voice was sharp, his reply firm and laced with madness.
The middle-aged man immediately fell silent, his hands trembling as he hurried the horses, urging the carriage to quicken.
“What summoning diagram? Who are these two wretches, and why are they trying to kill me?”
Xu Mu’s mind buzzed with even more questions, but his body refused to cooperate. He could neither move nor inquire. All he could do was endure, silently praying for some miracle or, perhaps, for death to come swiftly.
Minutes passed, and the carriage eventually came to a halt.
The two black-clad figures jumped down and quickly surveyed the area before hauling Xu Mu’s body out.
They had arrived at a desolate, eerie graveyard, shrouded in darkness. The air was thick with the presence of ghosts, and faint greenish will-o’-the-wisps danced in the distance.
Clearly familiar with the routine, the two figures unceremoniously tossed Xu Mu’s body behind a small mound of earth. No grave was dug. Without a word, they turned and walked away.
“Old Bill, the summoning failed again, wasting resources and costing lives. We’ll need to be more cautious in the days to come.”
“Understood, Lord Les. I’ll be more careful, but…” Old Bill hesitated.
“But what?” Les asked coldly.
“Well... Green was from the Wilson family. If he suddenly disappears, there could be consequences…” Old Bill trailed off, his words unsure.
“The Wilson family! Why didn’t you say so earlier? D*mn you!” Les’ voice rose in fury. “How many times must I tell you not to meddle with nobility, you fool?”
Old Bill mumbled, his voice barely audible. “He was just a poor relative, and I intended to recruit him, not make him a sacrifice...” His voice grew quieter under Les’ steely gaze, and he stopped speaking altogether.
After a moment of silence, Les calmed himself, muttering another curse. He waved his hand dismissively. “Forget it. He’s dead already. There’s nothing to be done now. We need to get back to the city quickly, before we run into any trouble. This place is too far from town.”
As they spoke, the sound of hooves and the creak of the carriage faded into the distance.
Left alone, Xu Mu lay on the cold, hard ground, unsure if it was his imagination, but the icy touch of the snow against his cheek seemed to stir something within him.
His spirit stirred. Though still unable to move, the excruciating pain in his chest had lessened, and something strange began to emerge within his body. A cold, obscure energy that felt like it was awakening, spreading from his heart to the rest of his body.
As the minutes stretched on, more memories flowed into his mind.
“Green Wilson, a fallen nobleman, now an apprentice steward in the Wilson family of Landon City…”
The Wilson family was one of the city’s most prestigious, with three cotton mills and a rich iron ore mine. Their wealth ranked them among the top five in Landon City, and they held a hereditary title of baron.
The young man now inhabiting Green’s body was a distant relative of the Wilsons, only 19 years old, and had fallen from grace. After the collapse of his family, he sought refuge with the Wilsons, but he was unsatisfied with the position of mere steward. Desiring to revive his family’s name, he secretly delved into necromancy and joined a dangerous cult, hoping to gain the favor of an evil god and attain forbidden powers.
Sadly, his luck had run out. The man who had introduced him to the cult, Old Bill, was nothing more than a lackey who failed to explain things properly, leading to a deadly misunderstanding. Instead of being used in a ritual to summon an evil god, Green had been placed in the center of a summoning circle and stabbed to death as a blood offering. The ritual failed, and Green died needlessly.
Yet, unbeknownst to him, the summoning ritual hadn’t failed entirely. While the evil god’s arrival was thwarted, Xu Mu’s consciousness was drawn into this world.
A world where necromancy, evil gods, and steam engines coexisted…
The industrial revolution had sparked a new era of scientific discovery, but the supernatural still held sway.
Magicians remained mysterious and dangerous; druids roamed from town to town under the guise of circus performers; beautiful witches, impervious to fire, were regulars at noble gatherings; knights had abandoned their horses and heavy armor, opting instead for rifles and bayonets, firing bullets infused with their own battle aura…
The cold wind howled, and distant wolf howls echoed through the night.
Green lay on the frozen earth for an unknown amount of time, his chest wound slowly healing. The excruciating pain dulled, though his limbs remained stiff and immobile. Yet, he could now sense his hands and feet, and with great effort, he managed to twitch his fingers and toes.
This small victory brought him some comfort. Although the situation was strange, at least he was no longer dying.
After a while, Green summoned all his strength and managed to sit up, gasping for breath. A simple motion had drained him of his energy. His body felt numb, his limbs stiff, making movement difficult.
“This is unbearable. Please don’t let this body have any other issues!”
Green muttered, his concern growing. Though he had narrowly escaped death, if he had been left crippled, that would be another disaster.
Fortunately, after some time, his limbs began to regain feeling. He quickly checked his body. The wound from the dagger was still there, but the injury had healed, leaving only a faint scar. The new skin was paler than the surrounding area, and a tingling sensation lingered when he touched it. He pressed his hand to his chest, relieved to find that his heart was still beating. At least, for now, he was alive.
With a slight sense of relief, Green began to survey his surroundings.
Snow began to fall once again, the cold wind cutting like knives. Green had been inside before, wearing only a shirt and sweater, yet now he felt oddly comfortable, as though the temperature was just right.
He had not noticed earlier, but now he realized his heartbeat was slow, only twenty or thirty beats per minute.
“What’s happening?” Green furrowed his brow, a sense of foreboding filling him. “No fear of the cold, slow heartbeat... This is a sign of lichdom!”
Recalling the fragments of necromantic magic he had learned, Green realized what had happened. He had inadvertently absorbed spiritual energy from a necromancer’s artifact, which had settled in his heart. That energy had spread throughout his body, and now, thanks to the wound, his body was beginning to transform, marking the onset of lichdom.
However, his soul had already been sacrificed in the summoning ritual, and Xu Mu had taken his place, finding himself reborn in this world.
Green understood what had transpired and resolved to accept it. He no longer dwelled on his fate.
As the snowstorm raged on, he noticed the strange red moon overhead, casting an eerie glow that allowed him to see faint lights in the distance.
“That should be the direction of Landon City,” he thought, rising to his.
