Timeline Player

"Enough, forcing it would be impolite." Aston withdrew his gaze. "Then, until we meet again."

The carriage slowly rolled over the stone-paved road and headed out of the city. Chi Que immediately turned around and disappeared into the alley.

The crimson dot ahead gradually expanded, and he quickly walked out of the alley, taking in the entire small square.

The square is not large, with a stone fountain in the center, but it has long since dried up, and dark red fallen leaves have accumulated at the bottom of the pool.

Honey stood beside the fountain. The bat-shaped iron cage lights around them cast a blood-red glow.

She was holding a bulging cloth bag, which looked particularly deep and mysterious in the dim red light, like a bottomless pool of water, out of place with the surrounding darkness, as if she were in another world.

Chi Que stopped and glanced at her from a distance.

—Mysterious and dangerous.

This word inexplicably came to mind.

At that moment, she truly gave him that feeling.

Mi'er noticed his gaze, and a bright smile bloomed on her face, instantly dispelling any sense of mystery.

"Master Chef, you've finally arrived!" She waved the cloth bag in her hand. "I bought so many things."

Chi Que walked over and asked, "What did you buy?"

"Vegetables, bread, and a small piece of meat—" Mi'er counted on her fingers, "The butcher said it was fresh, I don't know if that's true, but it smells alright."

"Look!" she said triumphantly, shoving the bag in front of Chi Que. "I'm treating you to dinner!"

Chi Que was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"Trying to treat me to dinner?" he said. "But I'll still have to cook."

Mi'er blinked: "You're the chef! I'll be in charge of buying, and you'll be in charge of cooking. That's called division of labor."

Chi Que smiled and did not refute.

He picked up the bag, turned around, and walked out of the square.

Mi'er jogged a couple of steps to catch up, walking on his right, her steps light and quick, like a cat that had just stolen a fish.

"By the way, have you found a place to live?" she asked.

"Found it," Chi Que said. "It's located on the west side of the old town, with a kitchen, and it costs sixteen blood coins per day."

"That's great!" Miss Mi'er couldn't help but stretch. "I don't have to sleep on the streets tonight."

Chi Que didn't respond to her words, and the two of them disappeared into the alley on the west side of the old square, one after the other.

The dark red bat lights behind them shone like countless silent eyes watching them.

The two stopped in front of a small building.

A layer of moss had grown on the stone steps, indicating that no one had lived there for some time. Chi Que tried twice before he was able to open the lock.

Pushing open the door, a damp, musty smell hit me.

Mi'er peeked inside and said, "It smells a bit."

"Ventilation will solve the problem." Chi Que walked in, observed for a moment, and said, "There's one room upstairs and one downstairs. Which one do you want?"

Mimi circled around the attic: "I want to go upstairs!"

"Whatever you want," Chi Que said.

Mi'er didn't dawdle. She rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning. She found a rag, filled a basin with water, and wiped the dust up and down the stairs. Chi Que glanced at her, said nothing, and carried the ingredients into the kitchen.

Half an hour later, Mi'er came downstairs.

"It smells so good!" She went to the kitchen doorway.

The two sat down facing each other and had a simple meal.

Mi'er ate very attentively, hardly saying a word, while Chi Que also ate slowly, preoccupied with plans for tomorrow.

"I'm full." Mi'er put down her bowl, greeted him, and said, "See you tomorrow, Mr. Chef."

"See you tomorrow." Chi Que went into another room, pressed the bed board, and then lay down on it.

He has a habit of thinking before bed, and sometimes he falls asleep while thinking. This is not a good habit, but he can't help it.

For a detective, there are things to remember, things to deduce, and things to forget.

As I continued thinking, my consciousness began to blur.

Just then—

A strange feeling suddenly welled up inside me.

His breath hitched.

He'd experienced that feeling before.

The first instance: The Wrongfully Dead.

In that icy mountain village, he repeatedly returned to twenty years ago.

He initially thought that he had accidentally triggered the game's mechanics, allowing him to travel between the past and the present.

But now, the same feeling is back.

No?

Isn't that a dungeon mechanic?

Was that his own ability?

If time travel is a unique ability he possesses, why has it never occurred in his past life?

Problems kept popping up one after another.

What unsettles him even more is that if this feeling pulls him away now, when will he return to?

Is it the territory's past? Or some point in time completely unfamiliar to him? In what form will he appear? Will he be himself, or some other "identity"? What can he change? And what price will he pay?

He originally thought he was fully prepared and had calculated every step that followed very clearly.

But now, everything is in chaos.

Chi Que stopped thinking about those unanswerable questions.

come on.

He thought to himself.

Let's see where you're taking me.

Consciousness gradually sank into darkness.

......

Many years ago.

So bright.

Chi Que slowly opened his eyes.

He lay in the shade of the tree, as if taking a nap.

He straightened up, looking at the golden sun in the sky and the path in front of him that led to the town in the distance.

Smoke curls from the kitchen.

A peaceful scene.

Chi Que felt a sense of familiarity at this moment.

Looking at the town in the distance, he connected it with his memories.

That's right, that town is actually the old town in the "present" timeline.

Chi Que first observed the situation for a while to confirm that the surrounding environment was safe, and then did something.

Open the career panel.

It opened smoothly, but some function buttons were obscured, such as retrieving items from the system space or forcibly exiting the current instance while out of combat.

However, apart from that, all other functions remained normal and did not change due to the time travel.

Having gained some confidence, Chi Que brushed the grass clippings off his clothes and headed towards the path leading to the town.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, scattered buildings began to appear along the roadside, with a few farmers occasionally walking among them. When they saw Chi Que, their eyes showed a wary look, and they quickly looked away.

"Am I that conspicuous?" Chi Que was also somewhat helpless. This time, it seemed that his transmigration was not about replacing someone's identity, but about directly wearing their body, which made his appearance different from ordinary people.

In an era where civilization seemed to be still in the Middle Ages, a black-haired, black-eyed stranger was far too conspicuous.

Chi Que entered the city.

The city gate was much lower than the old city later, but it also lacked those annoying bat-shaped iron cage lanterns. The streets were paved with bluestone slabs, and the buildings on both sides were a mix of wood and stone.

It looks like a normal medieval town.