1: Chapter 1 Embarkation

"Clang... clang... clang..."

The dull roar broke the dead silence of the night, and two massive beams of light pierced through the darkness.

A steam train, puffing out white steam, rushed out of the darkness and slowly came to a halt on the open ground in front of the glimmering pier.

This steam train had a peculiar appearance, full of a mechanical aesthetic, but its hull was covered in strange, unknown textures visible to the naked eye.

At this moment, the pier, which should have been bustling with noise and filled with porters, was empty and terrifyingly quiet.

"Pssh——"

A powerful blast of air gushed out from the train doors, kicking up dust from the ground and filling the air.

All the train doors opened simultaneously, revealing faces that were young yet filled with exhaustion.

Immediately, a group of young men and women, around fourteen or fifteen years old, scrambled to jump off the train, breathing deeply of the fresh air at the pier.

The clothes worn by these youths varied widely, from coarse cloth robes to luxurious brocades, and their faces carried a hint of unease and bewilderment.

Byron blended into this crowd of hundreds of men and women, deliberately mimicking the others by panting heavily, trying his best to minimize his presence and avoid attracting attention.

He was a person who had undergone Transmigration.

He knew clearly in his heart that if anyone discovered he was a "stinky outsider," the only outcome awaiting him would be lying on a wizard's experimental table, being studied and sliced up, without any room to resist.

That's right, wizards!

Wizards who pursued knowledge and the unknown to the point of madness!

These young boys and girls were all individuals selected by their respective countries, possessing wizard Aptitude.

Their origins were diverse, including children of farmers, descendants of knights, and slaves; of course, they also included nobles.

And all of this was to complete the tasks assigned by the wizards.

When Byron's gaze swept over the behemoth that had stopped on the muddy ground without sinking in the slightest—completely defying the laws of physics—the corner of his eye couldn't help but twitch.

[Target: Unknown mechanical creation resembling a steam train.]

[Materials unknown, power source unknown, propulsion unknown, anti-gravity principle unknown...]

[High-energy reaction detected, too close, please move away immediately!]

[Analysis time: ∞]

Looking at the pale blue text appearing before his eyes, Byron's expression remained calm.

'Eye of Omniscience'—this was the only gift he received upon his Transmigration to this world. It possessed three abilities: analysis, recording, and deduction, and it had perfectly inherited all the knowledge from Byron's previous world.

And this was not his first time using the Eye of Omniscience to analyze this unknown steam creation.

Since waking up from his Transmigration, he had already been inside this... let's call it a steam train.

But without supporting data, the analysis results provided by the Eye of Omniscience were all "unknown," and the time required was infinitely long.

Byron sighed, withdrew his gaze, looked down at himself, and silently recited a command in his heart.

'Eye of Omniscience, analyze body.'

[Target: Byron Augustus]

[Age: 14]

[Physique: 1.28 (1.23)]

Looking at his own physical data, Byron felt a sense of emotion.

'It seems that no matter which world it is, taking a long-distance steam train is a form of torture; my Physique has slightly declined.'

Through repeated scans inside the train over the past few days, Byron knew clearly that although his Physique was not top-tier, it was not bad either, and should be above average.

But compared to that person...

[Name: Unknown]

[Age: 17]

[Physique: 12.23]

[Unknown energy fluctuations detected, extremely dangerous, please move away immediately.]

[Analysis time: ∞]

Even now, thinking back to the data he had seen before, Byron still felt numb.

Is this still a normal person?

The Physique was over ten times his own; it was completely unimaginable.

And that unknown energy fluctuation...

[Warning! Warning! High-energy reaction detected, extremely dangerous! Please leave immediately, move at least a kilometer away!!!]

[ ... ]

The warning flashed three times in a row, and Byron's heart jumped suddenly, startled by this sudden turn of events.

But he quickly forced himself to calm down, mimicking the others, and slowly looked up at the sea surface where the morning light was beginning to break.

The moment he looked up, a sudden change occurred above the sea.

At first, it was a black dot piercing through the clouds, blocking the morning light.

This abruptly appearing black dot was hard to ignore, not to mention that it kept growing, occupying people's field of vision at an unimaginable speed until it hovered in front of everyone.

With such a behemoth suddenly appearing before their eyes, many people were caught off guard, subconsciously gasping, and some were even so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.

Byron had been prepared in his heart; on the surface, he acted as stunned as everyone else, but secretly, he began to observe this behemoth that had descended from the sky.

It was a ship!

A ship with several masts standing tall!

Although it had the shape of a ship, with masts and canvas sails, and the hull was even built from some unknown Materials.

But even though it was a ship that was identical to a sailing ship in both style and Materials, it was not sailing on the sea, but hovering in the air.

'Eye of Omniscience, analyze target!'

[Target: Unknown creation resembling a sailing ship]

[Materials unknown, power source unknown, propulsion unknown...]

[Analysis time: ∞]

[Warning! Warning! High-energy reaction detected, super-level danger! Please leave immediately, move at least a kilometer away!!!]

As expected, the result was still entirely unknown.

Ignoring the warning, Byron's eyes flickered, and he silently recited in his heart: 'Record!'

Although he didn't understand what was going on with these things, that didn't prevent him from recording it.

Finally, that ship, looking like something from the Middle Ages, stopped above the pier, its cast shadow enveloping all the hundreds of men and women present.

Just at this moment, a crisp male voice came from the air, carrying a hint of impatience.

"Andrei, has the number of people reached the requirement? If we are still short, we will have to delay for a while longer."

"Damn it, I really don't want to keep wasting time here; there are no experimental Materials, no..."

"Alright, Klevin, stop complaining." That raspy voice sounded, interrupting the previous person's words.

"Those noble tasks were completed quite well; the number of people not only met the standard but even exceeded it slightly, so we can return now."

The one speaking was Andrei.

As the two talked, most people in the area held their breath, pricking up their ears to listen carefully, wanting to glean more information about the wizards from their snippets of conversation.

Byron's heart stirred, and he attempted to use the Eye of Omniscience to analyze the one named Klevin.

[Warning, insufficient data, subjected to unknown interference, unable to detect, unable to analyze target!]

Byron sighed inwardly; the data was too scarce, and even the Eye of Omniscience was powerless.

It was truly impossible to make a meal without ingredients.

However, not being able to detect or analyze didn't stop Byron from continuing to listen to the two talk.

Klevin's voice sounded again, with a hint of delight in his tone.

"Oh? That's really great; finally, we don't have to waste time here.

Honestly, if it weren't for the shortage of magic stones, I wouldn't have accepted this task; it's really too time-consuming, and it's all the fault of those participating..."

"Shut up, Klevin! Are you looking for death?!"

Andrei's voice suddenly became stern, and Klevin seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing and immediately shut his mouth.

For a moment, the scene fell into a brief silence.

Seeing that they didn't continue their conversation, Byron couldn't help but feel some regret at missing the opportunity to obtain more information.

"Start boarding; Klevin, be ready to receive them up there."

From the train behind the crowd, Andrei spoke again.

"Received."

Before his voice had even faded, several beams of light descended from the sailing ship, revealing several circular light pillars on the ground.

The hundreds of men and women in the area, as if pulled by an invisible force, subconsciously walked towards the light circles; Byron also blended in among them, slowly moving his feet.

But as the queue shortened and he drew closer to the light pillar, Byron's heart became even calmer, and he secretly issued a series of detection and recording commands to the Eye of Omniscience.

Before long, Byron reached the light pillar, and without a moment's hesitation, he walked straight into it.