Chapter 1: 1900, London

Dong!

Lu Shi was bumped.

He opened his eyes to find a young boy standing in front of him. The boy had messy brown hair, casually swept to one side, and his right arm was outstretched, forming a support for a thick stack of newspapers.

"Hmm..."

A paperboy!?

Clearly, such a profession didn't exist in modern China, especially not a young foreigner.

Lu Shi couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Thoughts by day, dreams by night. Having such strange dreams... It seems I can't continue working 996 like this anymore, or there's a risk of dropping dead even while napping on the subway."

He spoke like this because he had been translating an English work lately, pulling all-nighters.

Translation work usually wasn't too demanding, and one could freely arrange their work hours. In principle, there was no need for overtime. But Lu Shi was different. With his proficiency in multiple languages, a relevant university degree, extensive reading, and a high literary attainment, he found himself inundated with urgent tasks, leaving him no chance to rest properly. Even moments like riding the subway had to be utilized as much as possible.

He decided to close his eyes and continue sleeping; any rest was better than none.

Unexpectedly, the phantom paperboy in front of him spoke, "Sir, would you like a newspaper?"

Still in English.

Lu Shi didn't think much, waved his hand, and casually replied in English, "No, no need, let me continue..."

Before he finished his sentence, he froze.

He blinked hard, staring blankly at the paperboy in front of him.

Thinking there might be business, the paperboy continued, "Mr. Churchill has once again delivered a remarkable speech about the miraculous escape, criticizing the government's policies during the Anglo-Boer War and firmly opposing the expansion of the military. It's a fantastic read, not to be missed!"

Churchill,

Anglo-Boer War,

Opposition to military expansion,

...

Any normal person would realize the severity of the situation.

Lu Shi glanced at the newspaper, finding the text extremely blurred, English letters connected like tadpoles, not up to the standards of modern printing.

He swallowed hard, roughly skimming the content of the newspaper, realizing that Churchill's reports occupied almost three-quarters of the front page, with the date boldly printed at the top, "October 13, 1900."

In an instant, Lu Shi was wide awake.

He looked around; this wasn't the clean and bright carriage of Subway Line 5. Instead, it was a dimly lit alleyway, with rows of old British-style buildings, each brick and tile appearing exceptionally real;

The ground was muddy, with occasional horse-drawn carriages passing by, the sound of horse hooves splashing dirty water on the ground;

There was a faint smell in the air, seemingly from the Thames, one of the signs of rapid industrialization in foggy London in the early 20th century.

Both historical events and the surrounding environment matched the year 1900.

It really was a time travel,

No escape.

Since he was here, Lu Shi decided to first figure out who he was. He reached back to feel his head and indeed found a queue, roughly guessing his identity:

A government-funded student sent by the Qing Dynasty to London for studies.

He pondered for a moment, then pointed to the newspaper and asked the paperboy, "Is this... the Manchester Guardian (modern-day The Guardian)?"

The paperboy breathed a sigh of relief, glad he hadn't guessed wrong; educated students could read after all.

He handed the newspaper to Lu Shi and then opened his palm.

Lu Shi: "Tsk..."

It seemed he had to pay even if he didn't want to.

He searched his body all over and finally found a protrusion in the lining of his coat. It seemed to be a sewn-on patch, but one side wasn't sealed, leaving a small opening for two fingers to slip in.

The paperboy observed curiously, unable to resist asking, "This... isn't your clothes, is it?"

Lu Shi coughed awkwardly, took out a penny coin, but instead of giving it directly, he asked, "Hey, are there any places nearby to rent?"

Food, clothing, shelter, transportation; shelter had to be addressed.

The paperboy swiftly grabbed the coin, "Behind you, there's a pub!"

Leaving this sentence, he hurriedly ran away.

Lu Shi muttered, "Little rascal!"

But he obediently turned his head and found that the stone steps he was sitting on indeed belonged to the front door of a pub, where rowdy laughter occasionally came from inside.

He stood up and read the sign of the pub: "RUDDER."

There was a large ship's rudder nailed to the sign, very fitting.

At this moment, the door opened.

A tall, mustached sailor pushed the door open, his face flushed, his muscular chest heaving with each breath.

He noticed Lu Shi immediately, gave a mocking smile, and said, "What's up, done vomiting? Want another round? Let me warn you, there's still room in my belly for a whale."

Sailors loved to boast, and this guy was probably no exception.

Lu Shi couldn't be bothered to expose him, glanced at the ground, and only then noticed a pool of vomit there.

The cause of death for the former owner of this body was found.

You could only say fake alcohol was harmful.

Lu Shi shook his head and replied to the man, "I just arrived in London, don't know where to find rental housing?"

The sailor paused for a moment, then said, "No wonder you look like a fresh face. Tsk tsk tsk... How can someone be so stupid, coming out for a drink without even renting a place to live?"

He shouted into the bar, "Little Stanfer, we've got someone looking to rent!"

"Coming!"

Little Stanfer rushed out of the door in a few steps, sizing up Lu Shi.

That look, obviously evaluating.

Lu Shi cleared his throat and said, "I want to rent a room."

Little Stanfer probably thought this wasn't going to be very profitable, so his earlier eagerness vanished. He asked nonchalantly, "Alright, long-term or short-term rental, suite or single room, take your pick. What do you want?"

Lu Shi had just felt around and found little money in the patch, so he replied, "The cheapest will do..."

Before he finished speaking, a surprised voice suddenly came from behind:

"Lu, are you moving? Didn't we just agree?"

Lu Shi couldn't help but turn around,

Unexpectedly, he was faced with a short East Asian man, still sporting a somewhat ridiculous little mustache.

He looked like he hadn't slept well, with disheveled hair and heavy dark circles under his eyes, as if he had deliberately applied smoky makeup, making his already small eyes seem even smaller.

However, this appearance added a touch of scholarly air to him.

Lu Shi felt this person looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him in an old black-and-white photo.

He fell into recollection,

This person is...

Could it be...

Suddenly, he raised his head and stared intently at the short man,

"Xia... Natsume Soseki!??"

Upon hearing this name, the man's beard visibly trembled. He pulled Lu Shi towards the other side of the alley and simultaneously complained in an extremely awkward "English accent", "Fxxk, how many times do I have to tell you, don't call me by my pen name!"

It turns out he really was Natsume Soseki!

Lu Shi hadn't expected to encounter a historical figure on his first day of time travel,

And, from the sounds of it, it seemed like the two of them were roommates.