The End

Tom Wales stepped off the ship and stood on the pier, still feeling the world spinning around him.

For someone who'd spent half a year at sea, this was perfectly normal.

"We've reached the New World!"

"Good heavens, we've reached the Land of Gold!"

...

All around Tom, people wept and embraced each other, yet he stood alone on the dock, utterly solitary. But Tom felt no discouragement. Instead, he gazed at this fabled land of gold—discussed countless times—with burning ambition. He murmured softly: "New World, America, the America of the First Industrial Revolution—I'm going to conquer you next!"

With that, Tom couldn't help but clasp his hands on his hips and burst into maniacal laughter.

He paid no heed to the pitying stares from those around him.

Tom couldn't care less about those people. After all, unlike these natives, he was a time traveler from the modern world. His real name was Ye Shijie, a golden phoenix who had risen from a mountain village, gained admission to the prestigious Imperial Capital University, and even found himself a beautiful girlfriend.

Sadly, all of that slipped away within a year of graduation. The prestige of his elite university didn't translate to instant success in the workplace. Beijing's sky-high housing prices forced him to shuttle between cramped rentals and his office, leaving him with no savings.

But that wasn't the worst of it. The worst was that a year later, his girlfriend met a better man at work and simply broke up with him. The very night Ye Shijie got drunk and caused trouble was the day his girlfriend got engaged to someone else.

"You come home and do nothing. I have to come back after work to cook and wash dishes. You can't even remember to pick up a pack of toilet paper when you're out... Ye Shijie, I've had enough."

"You just hate me for being broke, don't you?!" Ye Shijie remembered his fury and shock at that moment. How could the love that had been so beautiful in college wither so quickly after entering the workforce?

"Ye Shijie! Search your conscience! We earn about the same, yet you send half your salary to your parents every month and only give me the rest. Not only do I spend all my money on us, but my parents secretly send me money every month too..." His girlfriend was actually a very pretty girl, gentle by nature. But at that moment, Ye Shijie saw her face flushed crimson, her eyes brimming with tears.

...Did Ye Shijie really not know any of this?

He knew everything.

He was just too proud. From childhood, he'd always been the best among his peers. Emerging from a remote countryside, he remained the top performer even in the city. Arriving in the capital as the provincial top scholar, he never imagined that when it came to truly exceptional talent, he'd never be the one who could stand alone and laugh at the world.

At the capital's university, provincial top scholars were as common as class officers in every classroom. Academic excellence was merely the baseline requirement. Beyond that baseline lay countless extraordinary individuals: those fluent in three or four languages, masters of multiple musical instruments, calligraphers and ink painters whose works began appearing in exhibitions... Ye Shijie worked tirelessly, yet found himself perpetually unable to catch up.

What was even more terrifying was that this sense of inadequacy only intensified after entering society.

The workplace demands more than just competent workers; it requires teamwork and communication. Only those with exceptional expressive abilities get noticed by superiors, becoming the pillars of the organization who are nurtured and promoted.

Ye Shijie gradually sank into despondency.

He railed against the system and corporate politics, cursing every person and circumstance that felt unjust. He became engrossed in video games and American TV shows, spending his days off either complaining or gaming.

It wasn't until the day they broke up that he suddenly realized: even though they slept together, he hadn't truly looked at his girlfriend's face in a long time.

"...I will succeed. I am the chosen one!" His girlfriend's tear-stained face tightened Ye Shijie's heart. He gritted his teeth, telling himself he hadn't done anything wrong. Even if he had, it belonged to a past life.

His life had only just begun. He was so fortunate—after that drunken accident, he had opened his eyes once more. At first, Ye Shijie cursed his terrible luck for being born on a continent ravaged by war.

The entire continent was engulfed in war—a tedious conflict waged by bored paladins defending the Temple against the Nat Empire-led alliance. This war had dragged on for over a decade. While it didn't directly affect him, more and more free citizens were saving money to relocate their entire families to the New Continent.

The reason? Rumors claimed the New Continent was utterly different from the old one—a land where gold lay scattered everywhere, where people ate fragrant, soft sweet bread and fresh milk, where meat was a daily staple, where the Temple's strict rules didn't exist, where commoners didn't have to kneel before nobles, where slavery was unheard of, and where everyone's work was treated with dignity and rewarded fairly...

After Ye Shijie came back to life, he discovered his original family had perished in a cold epidemic. Just as he was deciding whether to join the war on the Old Continent and make a name for himself, he heard whispers about the New Continent.

It sounded like the First Industrial Revolution had unfolded there—steam engines, factories, a way of life far superior to this rural existence... The last vestiges of ambition to become a noble vanished when he witnessed someone being publicly hanged by the aristocracy. Ye Shijie promptly sold every valuable possession in his home and boarded a ship bound for the New World.

Ye Shijie didn't have much money. Everyone wanted to go to the New World, and tickets were extremely expensive. A single berth in a six-person third-class cabin cost Ye Shijie nearly his entire fortune.

With food and drink to pay for along the way, no matter how frugal Ye Shijie was, by the time he set foot on the New World, he had only a paltry two pennies left in his pocket.

Ye Shijie completed his registration—the New World had a citizenship registration office right at the dock, reportedly to ensure these people weren't criminals—for those seeking relatives was straightforward. For someone like Ye Shijie, however, they had to produce the unified registration book issued by the shipowner for verification before being released.

The contrast between those disembarking and the New World's residents was stark. The locals were generally robust and ruddy-cheeked; even young girls walked with heads held high, their faces radiating confidence and contentment. In contrast, those leaving the ship appeared frantic and haggard, only daring to weep uncontrollably upon seeing their loved ones...

"Registration complete. You can take a carriage from the dock to town, then catch a train to Central City in the Free Federation. Plenty of work opportunities there. Good luck, young man," the young clerk told Ye Shijie after processing his papers.

Ye Shijie smiled, nodding with evident satisfaction. He certainly couldn't wait. To someone from the Old Continent, this dock was astonishingly clean and grand. The massive arched structures and the inscription "Welcome to the Free Federation" made it painfully clear just how prosperous this place was.

But to a modern man, all this was utterly ordinary. Ye Shijie couldn't wait to get to Central City. Though settling there was difficult, it was incredibly prosperous and offered countless opportunities.

"Hey, you! Wait up!" After walking a short distance, Ye Shijie heard a young man who'd disembarked from the ship calling his name as he caught up, still muttering, "I asked around earlier. Apparently, there's plenty of work in this little town. The inns are hiring young folks to help bring in customers. They say the best earn five or six pounds a month, with a guaranteed two pounds minimum. I'm heading there so I can save up faster and bring my sister and parents over... Tom, wanna come with me?"

This was Ye Shijie's cabin mate on the ship—a very amiable fellow his age. They'd developed a decent rapport, though Ye Shijie considered this unremarkable young man merely a travel companion. Once they reached their destination, he had no patience for listening to his ramblings about country life.

"Jerry, I'm heading to Central City. See you!" Ye Shijie smiled and patted Jerry on the shoulder. "Good luck, and I hope you achieve your dreams!"

This was the common practice among many Old Continent immigrants: families would pool their savings to send their youngest child to work first, then the child with the higher salary would bring the rest of the family over.

The New Continent treated all residents equally. It was developing rapidly. Newcomers could register, find work, and then purchase land to settle down.

"Central City? Alright." Jerry had actually hoped to travel with Ye Shijie, but upon hearing Ye was headed for Central City, he had no choice but to abandon that plan. Unlike Ye, who had no ties to hold him back, Jerry carried the hopes of his entire family. Rather than venture into the unknown territory of Central City, he preferred the certainty of immediate earnings. The docks offered plentiful opportunities and heavy foot traffic, where he could supplement his wages with tips from side jobs. Jerry dared not take unnecessary risks.

With a lingering wave, he called out, "Good luck, Tom!"

Ye Shijie gave a carefree smile, bidding farewell to this friend he'd met along the way. He bought only a sweet bun on the street, nibbling on it as he boarded the train.

Central City was indeed a bustling place. Massive city walls and moats encircled the towns outside its core. Steam trains puffed smoke as they traversed the countryside, where one could spot fair-haired, blue-eyed women in modern European-style dresses, parasols in hand, strolling through nearby woodlands.

If one had a cell phone, they could snap pictures of European countryside scenes anywhere.

To Ye Shijie, the place exuded the charm of 18th-19th century Europe. Though simple cottages dotted the landscape, they were built with exquisite care and beauty. The grand estates, in particular, gleamed with pristine newness. From afar, the gardens, lawns, and dazzling sunlight inspired nothing but praise for the beauty of life.

Yet none of this could rival the awe-inspiring impact of the central city.

The central city was vast, its walls said to have been under construction for years without ever truly being completed. Yet this was merely the inner city. Where the train disembarked lay a thriving town, bustling with horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts ferrying passengers—and this was still outside the outer city walls.

"Only five pennies to the city center now! Five pennies gets you to the inner city gates!" the coachmen shouted enthusiastically. While in the Old Continent these were noblemen's modes of transport, here in the New World they functioned almost like buses—though the carriages were less ornate and the horses mostly old.

It was said all this stemmed from the Black Duke's vision. He sold retired horses slated for slaughter to commoners at low prices, encouraging them to learn horse care and build public transportation.

"I'm going! Me too!" Ye Shijie hesitated, but people were already boarding ahead of him.

While many had journeyed to the central city in years past—after all, opportunities abounded there—Ye Shijie was perplexed. He murmured to himself in low, puzzled tones, "The inner city? Isn't that a restricted area?"

"...You're new to the New Continent, aren't you?" Just as Ye Shijie stood bewildered, a smiling middle-aged woman beside him struck up a conversation.

"Yes." Ye Shijie glanced down at himself, feeling a pang of regret. His clothes were too worn, and he hadn't properly groomed himself, which was why his origins were so obvious at a glance.

"No," the woman chuckled, clearly reading his thoughts. "Because everyone in the Free Federation knows—the day after tomorrow is the wedding of His Grace the Black Duke and his boyfriend! All citizens can attend the ceremony in the Inner City. Luckily you arrived today. We're the last group departing. Those arriving tomorrow by ship might not even find staff to serve them—everyone wants to see His Grace and his future Duchess!"

Her smile brimmed with pride and satisfaction, but Ye Shijie was utterly dumbfounded. He repeated in astonishment, "The Duke and his boyfriend are getting married?!"

That made no sense. The Old Continent was still at war at this time. The Holy Temple still railed against medicine as blasphemous, declaring that cutting into human bodies for surgery was the work of unsettling demons... In Ye Shijie's memory, there was still the image of wandering doctors from the Nat Empire being captured and hanged...

And one of the Temple's gravest crimes was love between men.

On the New Continent, the supreme leader who had yet to formally ascend the throne—the one who had established the Free Federation, remained known as the Black Duke, yet effectively ruled as its highest authority—was actually going to marry a man?!

Ye Shijie was stunned.

But his shock was misinterpreted. The woman before him, who had been smiling, slowly stiffened. With hostility and wariness, she asked, "...Are you a believer?"

"What?" Ye Shijie retorted, then jolted in alarm and hastily added, "I don't believe in gods."

The Free Federation had a strict rule: fanatics and missionaries were unwelcome, and believers were barred from entering the central city. Ye Shijie had been warned during registration, but he had no interest in the Temple's mind-numbing nonsense and hadn't pressed the matter. Seeing the woman's expression sour, he quickly denied it.

He neither believed in gods nor held any prejudice against them. Ye Shijie hastily explained, "I was just a bit surprised."

"Ah, I see." The couple before him, along with the local residents listening to their exchange, finally relaxed. For the rest of the journey, Ye Shijie listened as this group began recounting the origins of the Free Federation over the past twenty years—from its beginnings as a refuge for mountain dwellers and exiles to its reputation as the Golden Land spread by all seafarers...

The more Ye Shijie listened, the more uneasy he felt.

His grand scheme for wealth seemed increasingly perilous— Glass had been born over a century ago, and the future Duchess, the daughter of a local gentry named Lance, had brought neglected public health and medicine into this era. Soap even existed in versions infused with medicinal herbs for sterilization; He unearthed the legacy of Charlemagne the Physician and established modern medicine. His own brother now held the title of Count, overseeing the Federation's premier hospital and medical equipment research division. These were mere details. He had planned and built Central City, the New Continent's most vital economic and strategic hub. He pioneered irrigation systems and farming techniques like mulberry-fish-paddy fields. Beyond that, he vigorously developed maritime trade, placing crucial modern grain crops and agricultural talent under state protection. More significantly, under his influence, the Black Duke—once solely focused on land warfare—shifted his gaze to the seas. This vision has maintained the New Continent's security in recent years, even as piracy surged...

Though rumors suggest that ships flying the Black Duke's emblem are safe from piracy. Those who plunder at sea, it's whispered, are either exiled nobles or unfortunate victims of robbery—and they seem to be familiar faces, friends of the Black Duke himself. That famous Marquis of Roses... His Lordship, the Marquis of Raven...

As Ye Shijie listened, he felt his path to wealth—originally planned as a spectacular breakthrough using future knowledge to make money—suddenly crumble before his eyes.

The paths to quick riches, the easy methods—it seemed they had all been figured out already.

What remained were either steady, methodical approaches or the need to devise arduous alternatives.

Ye Shijie's mood was incredibly complex.

It seemed that long before him, a fellow countryman had already paved the way to wealth and power. Not only that, but this fellow countryman was gay—and had even managed to charm the local duke into his corner!

Jealousy surged within Ye Shijie toward that fellow countryman.

All the simple, easy paths had been blocked off. Why did he always have such terrible luck?!

The carriage raced forward.

Ye Shijie's heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

The next day, he still entered the inner city and witnessed the grand, once-in-a-century wedding. The duke stood on the castle walls, arm in arm with a blond man in a white suit, waving to the crowd.

Truthfully, the distance was too great for anyone to make out the figures on the ramparts.

Yet everyone could see the stern-faced Black Duke clasping his lover's slender waist the entire time, never once letting go for even a second.

Happiness didn't need to be close—its scent could be caught from afar.

Ye Shijie tilted his head back, his heart brimming with envy for that power. Rage burned within him as he thought—that power should have been his.

But as Ye Shijie gritted his teeth, he had no idea what lay ahead— He would spend every last penny he had, yet still fail to find that noble, simple path to wealth.

He would lose everything he owned.

He would go hungry, forced to accept charity.

Then one day, he would be offered a job opportunity.

He never stood upon those city walls in his lifetime.

But through his exceptional foresight, he eventually became the manager of one of the Earl's enterprises.

He had a wife and three angelic children.

He even met the older brother of that fellow villager—a gentle middle-aged man whose years of healing the wounded had filled his emerald eyes with tenderness. His demeanor was calm and serene. When Ye Shijie attended a ball, he saw the nobleman from afar, holding hands with his wife, her face dotted with freckles, surrounded by a large group of children.

It was said the eldest child resided in the castle, receiving an heir's education. Proud and strong-willed, he took after his mother—the junior colleague of His Excellency Alexander, a woman destined to leave her mark on history. Her mastery of modern medicine was rumored to rival that of her teacher.

The child himself was much the same—clever and assertive, yet prone to mischief that could sometimes be downright vexing.

Ye Shijie overheard the noblewomen whispering with laughter that even the gentle Lord Lance had once been so enraged by the young duke that he rolled up his sleeves and beat someone.

At this moment, Ye Shijie no longer felt jealousy.

He thought of his girlfriend's tear-stained face, of his own anger and jealousy, of his initial arrival in this era filled with perceived injustice and resentment...

After those days of struggle had faded, sitting solidly at the dining table in his own home, smelling the aroma of delicious food, watching his wife and the noisy children... All those emotions passed, ultimately transforming into a gentle smile.

Author's Note:

Thanks to Tangyuan Nuonuo for the landmines...

Only after finishing dare I say it—if not for this young lady constantly planting landmines and leaving comments, I truly would have run away.

After all, the brainwave was exhilarating, but writing hundreds of thousands of words... it was exhausting (guilty conscience.jpg)

Truthfully, my heart holds mountains and oceans, but I've only managed to write a small stream.

Both my writing skills and time were limited, so I couldn't polish it properly... But honestly, I'm truly happy. Thank you all for sticking with me.

Finishing it feels so satisfying!

Well then, mountains and rivers may bring us together again. Everyone, until we meet again in the world of fiction!