Stepping into the dorm, Caesar let out a long sigh of relief. It was finally Friday night again. Although his bed was on the top bunk, making it somewhat inconvenient to get up and down, this did not diminish Caesar's dependence on his bed.
Ever since he bought a foldable table that could be used on the bed, he rarely used his computer anywhere but on the bed, and his computer was usually just left there. Because of this, his roommates affectionately called him: Bed Animal.
He casually grabbed a bottle of Coca Cola from the table, climbed back onto his bed, set up the table, positioned it, and pressed the computer's power button. He took a sip of Coca Cola, preparing to continue his unfinished 'endeavor.'
Caesar had been playing Europa Universalis IV for several years now, ever since he first started, but his love for the game had not diminished over time.
Over the years, Caesar had played many other games, but after all was said and done, no other game could replace its position in Caesar's heart.
In the blink of an eye, the computer had finished booting. He opened the game, loaded his previous Papal States save, which was in the year 1494. Starting from 1444, after fifty years of diligent governance, the Papal States had already unified the Italy, North Africa(Tunisia) the Balkans and had begun expanding north. The situation was excellent.
A heavenly kingdom would reign over Europe, and the reconstruction of the Roman Empire was just around the corner. Thinking of this, Caesar smiled with satisfaction.
His fingers moved rapidly, occasionally picking up the Coca Cola for a sip.
One hour later…
"Damn it! Coalition! It's a fucking coalition again! A bunch of rats, they don't dare to fight me one-on-one! My three dogshit allies, selling me out again, cowards!" Looking at the declaration of war event box on the computer screen, the vast disparity in military strength, and the terrible news that his three allies refused to join the war, Caesar almost spat a mouthful of blood onto the screen in anger.
Given the circumstances, he could only be forced to fight. Winning was impossible; he could only hope to minimize losses. But Caesar quickly realized he was still too naive.
In the face of an absolute human wave, all tactics and operations were futile. He watched as his 120k army was routed and retreated step by step.
In a fit of rage, Caesar cursed, "What the hell is there to fight?!"
He slapped the table, about to get up, when suddenly, a wave of dizziness swept over his head, and his body lost control.
He inwardly cursed, "Oh no, this too? The blood sugar is getting to me from anger." His body uncontrollably tilted to the left.
It's over…
With a sideways roll, he fell headfirst.
Accompanied by a muffled 'thud,' his memory stopped at that instant.
After an unknown period, Caesar forced his eyes open, enduring a splitting headache. What he saw was an unfamiliar world. Caesar's mind was blank. This, what was going on? Was I dead?
After sorting through what had happened, Caesar came to a conclusion: a certain college student, overly excited while playing a game in his dorm, fell off his bed and smashed himself to death.
Damn it, although I consider myself quite eccentric, this way of dying is too bizarre, isn't it? Such a death, I'm afraid, will be fodder for many unscrupulous marketing accounts… No, that's not the point. I'm dead, why am I thinking about this?
Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. This hell, it seemed the environment wasn't bad. Caesar composed himself and decided to observe this 'hell' first. This should be where he would live next. His bizarre thought process made Caesar highly adaptable.
The first thing that caught his eye was a ray of light. Where there was light, there was hope, Caesar thought.
Following that light, he saw a window with several patterns carved out of metal wire. The metal shimmered brilliantly under the strong light.
To the left of the window was an oil painting that he completely failed to appreciate. In the painting, a naked, flabby European woman tried her best to strike an extremely seductive pose, making Caesar's stomach churn.
In the corner was a tall, bright yellow cabinet. The cabinet opened at the top and had four drawers below. On top of the cabinet sat a half-dead, unknown flower.
On the other wall adjacent to the cabinet, there was an ancient and elegant door. To the right of the door was a full-length mirror nearly a meter tall.
By the wall opposite the door, there was a set of reddish-brown wooden table and chairs. On the table lay several scattered parchment books, densely covered with incomprehensible text and symbols.
He was lying on a large bed with a magnificent canopy, adorned with goose-yellow drapes that fell on both ends of the bed.
Below the bed was a brown floor, and above his head was a bright golden chandelier with 12 candles.
This is… Europe? Caesar felt even more bitter. Why, why on earth! It's already tragic enough that I died in such a bizarre way, and now I've ended up in a European hell.
Could it be that the hell of my great China is already overcrowded, so I was banished here? No, I don't want this! I was born a person of Chinese, and I will die a Chinese dammit!.
Thinking of this, Caesar's face showed a look of grief and indignation.
"Welcome to the Paradox plane. This is 17th-century Rome." A fat man in a blue robe appeared out of thin air beside the bed, giving Caesar a cold sweat.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Paradox. I am the master of this plane. You have arrived on this plane by chance. I have just granted you some abilities. Now, on this plane, you have acquired the ability to use all languages and scripts. When certain conditions are met, you will gain the ability to travel freely between the two planes."
After hearing him, Caesar looked at the parchment books again. The incomprehensible text and symbols miraculously made sense. They were treatises on Christian doctrine.
"Transmigrated? Paradox plane? And I can go back? No, I'm here now, so by the time I can go back, wouldn't the me in that plane have already been cremated, with grass on his grave taller than a person?" At this moment, Caesar was filled with doubt.
"Don't worry, the you in that world has been temporarily taken over by me, time will flow slower, and everything is as usual. As long as you are alive here, the you in that plane will be fine. Conversely, if the you in this plane ceases to exist, you will also disappear in that plane."
The stone hanging in Caesar's heart immediately dropped. But soon, another thought appeared in his mind. "Temporarily taken over, everything as usual? Then can I make the me in that plane not as usual?"
Paradox was stunned by this strange request, and his expression became peculiar. "What do you want?"
Seeing Paradox's change, Caesar felt a hidden delight. He slowly said, "Don't be nervous, it's nothing. I just want him to study hard, and use all his time for studying every day, except for eating, sleeping, and using the restroom."
"You… Fine, your request can be granted. However, you are responsible for any consequences."
Consequences? What consequences could there be? Caesar's heart didn't ripple in the slightest, and he even felt a little like laughing.
Paradox's voice sounded again, "This is 17th-century Rome. Before your intervention in this plane, everything in this plane developed according to historical trajectory. But from the moment you woke up, everything will no longer follow history, but will randomly develop in any possible direction. However, because it is not the same plane, everything that happens here will not have any impact on your original plane."
Hearing this, Caesar not only did not feel fear or unease, but rather was exceptionally excited. In fact, Caesar had just guessed what Paradox was saying.
This way, this transmigration was simply perfect. Not only did he come to a very interesting world, but he also didn't have to worry about things in that world, and he could even get this Paradox to work for him for free.
"Alright, my communication with you has a time limit. The time is almost up. Everything from now on is entirely up to you. I will not appear again until you meet the conditions."
As soon as he finished speaking, Paradox vanished without a trace. Watching this scene, Caesar's smile gradually froze. What, there's a time limit? Hey, why didn't you say so earlier? You haven't even told me what the conditions are, how am I supposed to meet them? Also, who am I now?!
Recalling how he had just been leisurely chatting with him, he was filled with regret. He could only take it one step at a time.