Chronicles of an Interdimensional Drifter

 

Late at night.

Siegfried sat at his desk, poring over the Wanderer's Manual. He was set to return to the Qilan Continent tonight to complete the first phase of his mission, and he was conducting a final review.

Over this period, he had amassed a considerable stockpile of medicines, food, and various survival tools, cramming them all into his inventory to ensure he could handle any situation with ease.

Initially, he had considered bringing some modern technology, but Shannon informed him that items incompatible with that era's technology couldn't be retrieved from the inventory even if brought over.

After careful consideration, he came to terms with this limitation.

After all, his mission was to repair history, so how could he bring futuristic technology that didn't belong to that era?

Still, Siegfried couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. He had entertained the idea of purchasing a couple of AR15s in Texas to take to the other world. Even if he couldn't dominate entirely, at least dealing with small-scale forces like Catalina's would have been a breeze.

Moreover, Siegfried discovered that his status panel differed from the one in the other world.

On Earth, his status panel appeared as follows:

Name: Siegfried
Male, 22 years old
Race: Wanderer
Education: High School

An ordinary salaried worker among the vast sea of humanity, you've inadvertently become a Wanderer. How will someone as seemingly ordinary as you survive the perilous tasks ahead? Or perhaps, you're not as ordinary as you appear.

Specialties: Cold Reading 73% (Expert), Acting 65% (Expert), Intimidation 35% (Advanced)... (40 more items omitted)

Special Ability: Deception

Strength: E+
Agility: E
Magic Power: /
Intelligence: A
Luck: B
Leadership: B

Overall Rating: C

Several details had changed, such as his age. In the other world, Siegfried was 20 years old, but on Earth, he was 22.

However, more significant than the age difference were the changes in his first three stats. Strength and agility were low enough, but magic power had completely vanished, making Siegfried realize that even if he mastered magic in the other world, he would be powerless to use it back on Earth.

The reason for these changes likely stemmed from the fact that while the consciousness of Earth Siegfried and Qilan Continent Siegfried were identical, they inhabited two distinct physical bodies.

Consequently, the data related to his physical attributes had changed, while mental attributes like intelligence, luck, and leadership remained constant.

Siegfried closed the manual and took it to bed with him.

The method to return to the other world was straightforward: simply sleep while holding the Wanderer's Manual. If he wished to avoid crossing over, he need only place the book at a distance.

"Shannon, what will happen to this body while I'm in the other world?"

[Rest assured, as long as you complete the mission, you'll return to the current time point. Even if you spend a year or more in the other world, in reality, it will be no more than a fleeting dream.]

[I won't be monitoring you throughout this mission. If you have any questions, you can consult my terminal at any time.]

(Oh, so you're just pawning me off on an AI because it's too much trouble? Tch~ You really are the problem child among the historians, aren't you?)

Siegfried remained silent for a moment before speaking again:

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

[Given your lack of experience and the difficulty of the task, we'll have another Wanderer currently on a mission in the Qilan Continent assist you.]

[Well then, I wish you the best of luck!]

...

Shannon's voice in his mind gradually faded away, and Siegfried felt himself drifting off to sleep.

However, something seemed amiss.

(Strange, was my pillow always this soft?)

Siegfried's bedding consisted entirely of cheap items purchased from Pinduoduo; it shouldn't be this soft and plush. Moreover, there was a rich fragrance emanating from the pillow.

Siegfried groggily felt his pillow, encountering a handful of smoothness.

"Mmm~"

The quality of this pillow was remarkably good; it even produced sounds.

?

Produced sounds?

Siegfried's eyes snapped open, and he leapt up.

In that spot, the female knight Catalina lay on the ground, clad only in a thin shirt. The collar, with one button undone, revealed a deep cleavage and a large expanse of snow-white skin.

It appeared this had served as Siegfried's pillow last night.

Siegfried pinched the bridge of his nose, recalling the events of that night, and then let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, nothing too serious had transpired.

Then he felt a twinge of regret. Why hadn't anything serious happened?

Subsequently, he summoned the Wanderer's Manual and turned to the task page.

As anticipated, the phase mission for this time had already materialized.

Phase Mission:

Join Prince Roderick's faction or Princess Kriemhild's faction: 0/1
Gain the trust of the faction leader: 0/1
Historical correction time limit: 1094 days / 1095 days

Complete the phase mission to choose to end this wandering and settle rewards, temporarily return.

[Mr. Wanderer, the Shannon system is at your service.]

At this moment, Shannon's voice suddenly resonated in his mind, but this time it lacked its ethereal quality, instead carrying a mechanical tone. Clearly, this was the so-called terminal.

(Well, well, now it's really become a system.)

[I suggest you attend to the female knight on the floor first. Someone will be knocking on your door in ten seconds.]

Heeding this advice, Siegfried glanced at the disheveled Catalina on the ground.

Indeed, if others were to witness this scene, his reputation would be irreparably damaged. He needed to swiftly move her onto the bed.

Uh, why did that sound somewhat inappropriate?

Just then, a series of urgent knocks interrupted his thoughts.

Siegfried hastily carried the female knight to the bed, then opened the door.

Outside stood the sturdy young man who had been responsible for guarding the Garden People scout earlier. He was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, clearly having sprinted all the way here.

Siegfried's expression darkened. This didn't bode well.

"Calm down, what's happened?"

"Brother Siegfried, that dwarf, he's escaped!"

"How did he manage to escape? Weren't you watching him?"

"The dwarf was unconscious after we knocked him out. We thought he wouldn't wake up for a while, so we left him in the woodshed. When we went to check this morning, we found he had vanished..."

The sturdy young man's voice grew increasingly faint as he spoke. This incident was largely his responsibility.

He had been tasked with guarding the prisoner, but during last night's village feast, he had succumbed to the temptation of a few drinks and ended up passing out.

Siegfried furrowed his brow. This Garden Person was undoubtedly a spy, not aligned with Catalina and her group.

Catalina had genuinely come to the village merely for provisions, but this Garden Person likely harbored ill intentions towards the entire village.

(If I were in his position, what would my next move be?)

"Asher, go instruct the villagers to secure their doors and windows tightly. Advise them not to wander about until I return."

"Understood. Please be careful, brother."

Siegfried turned back into the room. The female knight was still sleeping peacefully. Siegfried delivered a sharp slap to her forehead.

"Your Highness!"

Catalina let out a piercing cry. She had just been dreaming of bathing with the princess, who was, as usual, fondling her body. She was about to resist when the princess suddenly headbutted her, and then she awoke.

Siegfried gazed helplessly at this naive girl. If all the people surrounding Princess Kriemhild were of this caliber, it was little wonder they had been driven to such a poor and remote location.

"Enough sleep. The scout has escaped."

Catalina, who had been groggy, shuddered at these words and instantly became alert.

"That traitor! Lord Meilan, I beseech you to allow me to return and report to Her Highness."

Siegfried didn't respond immediately. Instead, he retrieved the Wanderer's Manual. He needed to formulate his next actions based on the information at his disposal.

The manual's information search indeed furnished him with the desired intelligence. He smiled slightly and issued instructions with calm authority:

"Not yet. Gather your soldiers, then follow my instructions to the letter..."

...

When Catalina appeared at the wooden hut where the soldiers were being held, all the men were utterly astonished. And when she bid farewell to Siegfried with an excited, flushed face, the soldiers were even more horrified.

What on earth had transpired last night? This question burned in every soldier's mind, but none dared to voice it aloud.

According to the villagers, Lady Catalina had spent the night in Siegfried's quarters. And this morning, they were released, with Lady Catalina displaying such enthusiasm towards that man...

The same thought occurred to every soldier.

(Bastard! It's so envia... no, it's utterly despicable. The noble Meilan family, resorting to such methods to take advantage of someone, it's not just beastly! It's worse than beasts!)

Every soldier's gaze towards Siegfried grew increasingly venomous, wishing they could rend him limb from limb. But they could only nurture these thoughts in silence. They were acutely aware that their meager numbers were no match for him.

Catalina led the soldiers off to execute the task Siegfried had assigned her, her spirits high, completely oblivious to her men's low morale.

Siegfried had noticed their hostility but couldn't fathom the reason behind it. Hadn't he already granted them their freedom? Such ingratitude.

Siegfried's strategy was elegantly simple. Since the scout was a spy, he must have a means of transmitting information or a contact. If so, they would turn the tables on him. He used the manual to pinpoint the meeting location and instructed Catalina to take her men to plant false information.

As for himself...

Siegfried extracted a black robe from his inventory and donned it. This was an item he had brought from Earth. The hooded, voluminous black robe enveloped his entire form.

"Well then, I believe it's time I made the acquaintance of that esteemed Princess..."