Chapter 1: Visitors from Earth

Netheril Calendar year 834, the day of Midsummer.

In the Empire of Netheril, whenever this day of the year with the longest daylight arrived, the people on all lands would stop the work in their hands and begin to revel to their hearts' content.

This day was a holy day of the Church of Amaunator; the believers reveled in joy, enjoying the bathing of the sunlight, praying to their deity, and thanking him for the generous gift he bestowed upon the human world—sunlight.

The believers believed that if this day were not spent entirely in celebration, Amaunator would withdraw the sunlight from the earth for a year.

Perhaps the initial Midsummer Festival was merely a carnival for the followers of Amaunator, but to this day, almost no one would refuse such a festive, lively, and joyful day.

On this day, even the servants of Jergal—those Scribes of the Dead who hid in dark corners all day long—would change into slightly more festive attire; the reason, of course, was not the legendary sincere friendship between Jergal and Amaunator.

Rather, it was because Jergal did not have temples spread across almost all Netherese territories like Amaunator did, and many of Jergal's servants resided year-round within the temples of Amaunator and beside the Courts.

With one side in the midst of a bustling celebration, it was impossible for the other side to be a killjoy.

In the south of the Empire, in the wilderness far from the core regions—the Pioneer Territory of Savile.

Savile Town was exceptionally lively during the Midsummer Festival, whether it was the busy merchants, the Commoners of the Territory, the dusty Adventurers, or the gorgeously dressed and dignified members of the clergy walking out from the Temple.

Everyone's face was brimming with heartfelt joy.

Even some Gnome Slaves were allowed by their masters to change into brand-new festive clothing; on this day, Amaunator granted them a brief moment of freedom.

In Savil Square at the center of the small town, the Mages changed their usual mysterious and aloof image; under the Statue of the Great Arcanist Savil, they took off the hoods of their gray robes and took the initiative to release several magic fireworks into the sky.

With the Mages taking the lead, anyone present who possessed the ability of Spellcasting would not refuse to throw a cluster of magic fireworks into the sky.

Even if it were just a crude Trick, it would not draw the disdainful gazes of the master Mages, because on this day they were not bound by status and could enjoy themselves to the fullest.

Two young men passing through the square happened to witness all of this, and the young man with black hair and black eyes among them was filled with longing—

"Magic! When will I be able to do something like that!"

Ignoring his reverie, his companion with golden hair pushed him and said excitedly:

"Hey, Xia Duo, stop looking. The firework show will last until night, and we can see it from the South District too. Let's go watch the circus performance now. I heard that this time the Lion and Fire Circus brought a Troll. I've lived this long and haven't seen a Troll yet; you haven't seen one either, right?"

A Troll?

Xia Duo, with his black hair and black eyes, gave a bitter smile in his heart. If he hadn't transmigrated to this world, he wouldn't have even been able to see Dwarves, Gnomes, or Elves; how could he have seen a Troll that even Xiao Neil hadn't seen?

Yes, this young man named Xia Duo was a transmigrator, and a legendary one who arrived in his own body at that. Thinking of his stable life before the transmigration, and then thinking of the life of walking on thin ice for nearly half a year since the transmigration, Xia Duo couldn't help but feel a bit dazed—

Before the transmigration, he was an internet writer. He still remembered that day, after he finished writing the first novel of his life, "Cultivation Civilization from Zero," and had just finished uploading the final chapter, he was just about to go out and find a restaurant to have a feast, but he didn't expect that his vision would suddenly go black, and just like that, he transmigrated.

He didn't know how much time had passed during that period, but Xia Duo only felt his vision go black and then bright, and he arrived in a wilderness. He was truly in a sorry state back then!

Suddenly arriving from Earth to a completely unfamiliar place, being a novel writer didn't mean he was truly willing to transmigrate in person. If he had a choice, he would rather give up such an opportunity; the country he originally belonged to was prosperous and peaceful.

With such a life, who would be willing to come to this precarious otherworld.

Yes, an otherworld!

Almost immediately after Xia Duo transmigrated, he discovered that he was already in an otherworld. He wasn't an expert and couldn't distinguish the vegetation, soil, and such, but that small creature with a broad face, flat nose, pointed ears, and a large mouth—

Wasn't that just a Goblin, active in major games, novels, and movies!

Perhaps it was Xia Duo's sudden appearance that frightened it; this stray Goblin shrieked and ran away on its legs. Of course, what it didn't know was that Xia Duo had also almost peed himself from fright.

Although many novels and games set the combat power of a Goblin at less than 5 points, and even an ordinary farmer could easily repel or even kill it, when placed in reality, with a Goblin suddenly appearing in front of him, who knew how much combat power it had.

Furthermore, how much fighting will Xia Duo, who had always lived in an era of peace, could have was another matter entirely.

Fortunately, that Goblin ran away on its own, which spared him from such an awkward problem.

Of course, for the current Xia Duo, 1 or 2 Goblins were simply no match for him; he had enough confidence in this.

After experiencing the panic of the initial transmigration, Xia Duo quickly forced himself to calm down. He knew that there were more troublesome things waiting for him later! The first thing to consider was the problem of survival.

Question: How should a modern person survive after suddenly appearing in the wilderness of an otherworld?

At that time, Xia Duo was only wearing a set of pajamas and a pair of slippers, and he had transmigrated without any preparation. If he had known in advance that he was going to transmigrate, he would have at least brought a kitchen knife.

Xia Duo naturally had no experience in wilderness survival, but fortunately, after scaring off that Goblin, Xia Duo soon met an otherworlder, which was the father of the golden-haired young man beside him, Xiao Neil—Lao Neil.

That day, Lao Neil went to the countryside to purchase meat and discovered Xia Duo on the way. Xia Duo was also surprised that the otherworlder looked so much like a person from Earth, but existence was reasonable; Xia Duo didn't dwell on this problem, otherwise, it would be unclear why he was able to transmigrate.

Xia Duo couldn't speak the language of the otherworld, and Lao Neil naturally couldn't speak Chinese or English or any other Earth language. The two gestured for a long time before Xia Duo made Lao Neil understand that he had ended up in a strange land due to an accident and needed help.

According to Xia Duo's later speculation, Lao Neil probably thought he was a descendant of some fallen Noble; his set of Simulation Silk Pajamas could still add quite a few points in the eyes of Lao Neil, who only had linen clothes.

The patterns on it could probably only be crafted by Mages or Elves!

Afterward, Xia Duo followed Lao Neil to Savile Town—the core of the Savile Territory—and helped out in Lao Neil's inn.

In these six months, Xia Duo learned the Common Tongue and confirmed that the world he was in was called the Faerun Continent. Of course, this was the name used by the Elves; humans had once named the world they were in "The Super Large Land," but its influence was far less than the name "Faerun."

Generally speaking, most people would be ashamed to call it "The Super Large Land." In an Empire where all culture and art followed the Elves, wouldn't the name "Faerun" have more aesthetic appeal—

Elven aesthetic appeal!