~ Somewhere in the West, in a certain room in a certain mansion

Ngh… what… what’s this… mmm feels comfortable… I feel like I’m getting energized like a battery getting charged for some reason…

Hnngg this is so comfortable… I don’t know what happened, but this is what heaven must’ve felt like…

“...wake up”

Nuu… I want to stay like this… so comfortable…

“Wake up you fool”

But…

“WAKE UP DAMMIT HOW LONG DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE SLEEPING YOU USELESS HUMAN!”

Godammit there was no need to shout alright, Salty! Guh… I can’t even enjoy my beauty sleep.

“Hmpf! At least you’re still alive! I’m tired now, so go find out your own situation yourself.”

Salty? Oh well then. Let’s see… for some reason, I’m on a super-large queen-sized bed with golden and red silk blankets, in a super-large bedroom that has extravagant sculptures and art pieces placed seemingly randomly, yet feel so natural to the eye. And all on top of one large red carpet with golden patterns on it. The style of the entire room is that of an ancient chinese building design, even the chair and table in the middle of the room is made of a jade-like material.

Now, what world have I tumbled into? And also, my lab coat is gone, but my uniform is still on me. What happened while I was out?

“Vor, nortuul, nei forshun dul?” A man who seemed to be in his late thirties walked in from the hallway. He dressed casual, unlike what one would think of, I assume, the owner of a mansion like this. His hair mostly black, but strands of white hairs could be seen from the reflected light. He didn’t look to be old, but his voice and mannerisms are alike to that of a wise old man.

Man, I really must’ve gone to the other side of the world now, did I? He’s speaking some language I don’t understand, but now that I think back at it, how did I understand the language the people spoke when I first arrived? No point thinking about it now, but somehow I have a rather uneasy feeling about it.

Either way, I have to learn the language in order to communicate with him in a manner fitting of humans. But for now, I guess I’ll have to engage in a conversation of the lowest level possible.

I shook my head, and I pointed at one of the white curtains, then showed the action of me putting on a coat, then put my hands up in a fashion that conveyed, “Where is it?”

Luckily, that old man understood, but he also gave a hearty laugh, clearly amused at my actions. Looks like I really made a fool of myself, since he replied, “I can speak Eastern a bit. Your coat is washing, it is dirty. How are you feeling, young boy?”

I should’ve known.

“Very good, thank you. Do you have a dictionary and some books I can read?”

“Aah, dictionary, I know. I have a library, you can use it. Follow me.” He replied, as he turned around and walked out of the room.

I reluctantly wriggled out of the bed, purely motivated by the thought of having a library chock-full of books of history and literature to read. Oh man oh man, if this is already a fantasy world, then what would a fantasy tale of a fantasy world be like?

I looked around the edge of the bed, and found my black school shoes placed neatly on the front side of the bed. I slid my feet in both of them, and ran out of the room to catch up on the old man.

I followed his back, but my eyes were focused elsewhere. Along the large hallway, one side is filled with windows, not glass ones, but actually made of carefully carved wood. Some of the large panels actually seem to be of one entire piece, seemingly to be carved from a single wood log. The ceiling can at least fit two elephants high, and is made of multitudes of supporting beams each painted with golden patterns. Occasionally, some sort of lamp hangs from the top, giving a slight warm tint to the hallway.

I followed the old man as he walked across the long hallway, then down some spiral staircase to what seems to be the first floor. And as if the ceiling on the second floor wasn’t tall enough, the first floor was twice as tall. What is this, a cathedral? I’m starting to doubt whether this can actually be called a mansion. This is TOO FREAKING HUGE! But this only means that if the library is here, then…

2 floors of library-room. Both floors the same height as the first floor ceiling. The entire library is just a huge spiral. As I walked through the library door, it felt as if I was entering an entirely different world. The world of books and knowledge. The dark brown wood absorbed much of the warm orange light coming from the suspended lamps in mid-air, but it was still plenty well-lit. The walls of the library were rounded, but there were not any parts of a wall could actually be seen. It was filled with shelves and books, all two floors of them. I looked down from the railing of the stairs once I fully entered the room, and the stairs just kept spiraling down until it reached the bottom, where there seems to be a single table and chair one can use. I looked upwards, and it was the same spiral of staircase and shelves of books.

The old man walked down the staircase, and retrieved a book from one of the shelves. He walked back up, and passed that nondescript book to me and said, “The dictionary. I am busy, but you can stay here until I am back.”

What a strange old man. I accepted the dictionary and nodded my head. He smiled a little and went out, closing the door behind him. Now, I truly felt as if I really am in an alternate world.

Time to use eye enhancing magic! As I walked down, I scanned through the bookshelves for interesting books I should prioritize first. Once I saw one, I would pick it up using telekinesis and floated it behind me. By the time I got to the bottom, I already had a large stack of books that towered over me, three times. And I haven’t even got to the upper section yet.

To be honest, I had only judged them by their appearance, since I don’t understand the different language yet.

The dictionary was the first. Its nondescript dark-blue hardback with a slightly tattered look definitely isn’t eye-catching at all. However, what I have noticed on its cover, was that it had not one, but five different languages on it! Looks like I’ve gotten much more than I have expected right here! And yes, it says, ‘Dictionary’, and I would expect, in five languages. Looks like that’s the first word I learnt in 4 languages at the same time.

Time for a double magic - eye enhancement and mind enhancement. I’m almost drooling over the pages of the dictionary. I’m STARVING for all that knowledge! Picking the large dictionary up, I flipped through page and page. I can see everything and remember everything in a flash. I see the patterns and the characteristics of the different languages. I flip and I flip, and I flipped. I got faster and faster, as my concentration increased till the point where the only thing I could think of in my mind was the dictionary and everything inside.

…

After what seems to be eternity- no, was it only a moment? I couldn't tell. I had flipped through all pages of the dictionary. It didn’t seem like so, but it was extraordinarily thick. The last page had me stunned for a few seconds as I tried to regain my senses. It was a mind-bending experience, and my head is hurting with sharp, intense headaches once I released the magics. Is this the limit of the human mind? No… that is not it.

I started to feel sleepy and strange… my consciousness, drifting away…

As the world started to spin, I thought I saw a figure standing behind me…

Faint words could be barely heard… “Intr-”

*fwump*

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