Chapter 49: Parallel Worldlines, The Age of Mist (Part One)

Although natural history also possesses an internal logic and connections between its points of knowledge, this interconnectedness is by no means absolute. It is a discipline that values the accumulation of insight; even if one does not begin from the very start, as long as one is literate and can comprehend the text, one can still acquire later knowledge points. These points of knowledge are not necessarily derived from secret tomes; ordinary life experience, reading, and newspapers can all contribute to one’s cultivation in natural history. Thus, even if Shi Tiexin struggled with other subjects, he excelled singularly in natural history, reaching a commendable level.

Today, Shi Tiexin intended to seek the answers he desired within his history and geography textbooks.

He first opened his geography book, skimming through line after line, searching for the information he sought.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

He flipped through the entire book, page after page, but found nothing at all!

The geography book contained only descriptions of the geographical features of the Eastern Hua Nation, perhaps some information on the Pacific’s hydrology and climate, but not a single word about other planets in the solar system.

This would have been unthinkable in Shi Tiexin’s original world! How could one study geography without learning about Saturn? How could the Saturnian rings and its moons be omitted? The book detailed Earth’s geography with meticulous care, yet mentioned nothing about any other planets in the solar system. There were only two possible explanations for this.

Either this world, this place, this First High School of Fengming in the Southern Metropolitan Province, strictly isolated and prohibited all geographical information regarding other planets from ordinary students,

Or, exploration of other planets in the solar system had simply not advanced in this world. Even if there was some understanding, such knowledge was not made public, or at least, not included in high school geography textbooks or in the "Third Level of Foundational Natural History" manuals.

In Shi Tiexin’s view, the latter was more likely.

If that was truly the case, it signified that humanity here had probably never left Earth. The place he now found himself was not somewhere else, but Earth itself—the central star of humanity’s domain!

So, the white jade disc he had seen in the night sky yesterday was actually the legendary moon?

It was said that such breathtaking scenes could only be enjoyed by the great figures of the central star.

The central star...

How many have yearned for it all their lives! For a moment, Shi Tiexin’s heart surged with emotion, and he sat there lost in thought, unsure how much time had passed.

“Shi, about the homework—could you…” came Zhao Qingmiao’s voice from nearby. Shi Tiexin snapped out of his daze and realized that morning reading was about to begin. Zhao Qingmiao, as always, had come to collect the homework.

As usual, Shi Tiexin replied, “I didn’t do it.”

“Oh, alright, then… I won’t disturb you.” Without further word, Zhao Qingmiao retreated, showing none of the sternness a class monitor might display toward a slacking student.

Called back to awareness by Zhao Qingmiao, Shi Tiexin finally set aside his whirling thoughts for the time being, composed himself, and opened his history book. The central star was what it was, and despite his shock at being on the central star, it was not, among all of last night’s revelations, the most astonishing or difficult thing for him to accept.

What truly left him dumbfounded were the stars.

Shi Tiexin flipped rapidly through the book, scanning page after page.

The history of the Ming Dynasty—no.

The history of the Qing Dynasty—no.

Late Qing, modern history—yes, here it is!

Shi Tiexin carefully searched the records covering the period after the late Qing, reading them straight through—nothing. He read them backwards—nothing. He meticulously pored over the events of the early twentieth century, scrutinizing every detail, so much so that his cultivation in natural history advanced several notches, yet still he found nothing of what he sought.

There really was nothing!

He sat stunned for a while, then flipped further ahead. After modern history, the text recounted the founding of the Eastern Hua Nation, the revival of the Hua people—eloquent and grand, yet still nothing relating to what Shi Tiexin was looking for.

At last, Shi Tiexin snapped the book shut.

Drawing together the observations of the past two days, the records in the books, and the fragmentary messages that surfaced when that other consciousness dissolved in his spiritual domain, Shi Tiexin was now almost certain that this world and his own must be intimately connected.

Examining the two worlds, the astronomical conditions and the historical records were nearly identical. He had once thought he had crossed into another realm, or perhaps a colonized star, but in the end, he realized he was on Earth.

The history recorded in the books, though different in detail and focus, was essentially no different from what he knew. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, the Opium Wars—all were the same.

Languages, writing, culture, customs, and even food showed remarkable consistency. If both worlds had not had steamed buns, how could Shi Tiexin have immediately recognized the name "big bun" upon entering the cafeteria?

And as for himself—

His current body was also called Shi Tiexin. Not only did they share a name, but their appearances were identical. He was a bit shorter, weighed less, and his constitution was weaker, but those were the results of nutrition, development, and training—factors of nurture, not nature.

He was nearly certain that the body he now inhabited was deeply connected to his self from the other world.

It could be said that for a considerable stretch of history, there was no observable difference, from Shi Tiexin’s perspective, between this world and his original one. With his body of knowledge, the two worlds were almost entirely the same.

But!

From a certain point in time, the two worlds diverged dramatically.

That moment was in the year 1919.

Shi Tiexin pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and began to carefully recall all he had read in the natural history manuals.

January 21, 1919—a date that would be remembered throughout history. This day was also known as the Eve of the Mist. On this day, across the Pacific, the former United States of America discovered an astronomical phenomenon that stunned all of humanity. It was—

A vast, unfathomable mist appeared before Earth.

To be precise, Earth and the other planets of the solar system move alongside the Sun through the cosmos. Ordinary people might not perceive this, but the solar system was indeed hurtling forward at an incredible speed. Since the dawn of recorded history, there had never been a moment’s exception, nor any unforeseen deviation.

But on January 21, 1919, astronomers discovered, lying in the path of the solar system, a region of mist so immense as to be immeasurable, unimaginable, and incomprehensible.

Humanity could see it, but could do nothing. They knew of it, but could not resist.

In the Eastern Eight Time Zone of the central star, at about 5 a.m. on January 22, 1919, as if dictated by fate, the solar system plunged irrevocably into the region of mist.