As you might have guessed, the young man in front of Herbert, named Merlin, was a Transmigrator.
Merlin felt that this was probably a huge joke the heavens played on him.
He prayed to God for wealth every day, but the only response he got was a reminder of his Huabei bill.
All the jokes he used to make about 'lying flat,' 'rotting away,' 'emigrating,' and 'restarting' had all come true for him.
And he had emigrated so thoroughly.
From Herbert's words, Merlin had a relatively clear understanding of this World; he had likely transmigrated into a parallel dimension.
Some of the history here overlapped with Earth, for example, the Roman Empire existed, but there were some differences, as Rome had fallen a few years later.
The World's landmass had also grown considerably; the Americas were connected to the Eurasian continent by land, so the Atlantic Ocean's area must have shrunk significantly.
Because of the connection between the Americas and the Eurasian continent, this land was colonized much earlier.
This Britannia Empire was established by foreign colonizers on the American continent, roughly three hundred times the size of Tongliao, and it likely encompassed most of North America.
But according to him, this was not the largest empire in terms of territory; there was an even more powerful nation.
The period was roughly the early stages of the First Industrial Revolution, but it was several decades earlier than on Earth, probably the eighteenth century.
Merlin nodded silently and said to Herbert,
"Thank you for telling me all this."
"It's my pleasure," Herbert said.
"Tell me," Merlin gazed calmly at Herbert, "your story."
Herbert looked up, his excitement almost inexpressible. He calmed himself slightly and began to recount why he had come to find Merlin.
Merlin had been mentally prepared after Herbert described the era's background.
Historically, the First Industrial Revolution was a relatively dark period, second only to the Middle Ages.
The Middle Ages had just passed, and the oppression of the nobility had not yet disappeared; a new oppressive class emerged.
The nobles controlled vast amounts of land, and only a small portion of farmers' land would be converted into factories.
These lands were transformed into factories, and the discharged wastewater polluted the fields, while air filled with harmful substances eroded the farmers' health.
Farmers who lost their land could only become factory workers.
However, this era had no labor protection laws, nor any worker rights or unions. They became sacrifices of the era, doing the hardest work for the lowest wages, yet unable to maintain a basic living.
However, to Merlin's surprise, this person was not a worker, but the son of a factory owner. The profits earned by his factory attracted the covetous gaze of the local nobility.
The nobles used the army to raid his family's factory under fabricated charges, killed his parents, and captured his sister, while he escaped because he was studying elsewhere.
"So… you want me to help you… seek revenge?" Merlin said calmly.
Herbert buried his head low, gritting his teeth.
"I can give everything for it."
Merlin looked down at him, his thoughts swirling. After a moment, he said, "I can help you."
Herbert looked up, hope in his eyes.
Merlin continued.
"However, you need to make a choice."
"A choice?" Herbert frowned.
"Do you want the goal to be achieved a little longer, but in the future you will not only have vast wealth, but also power and status respected and feared by everyone?
Or do you want it to be shorter, but you might have to live anonymously for the rest of your life, under a mask?"
"I choose the latter!" Herbert said without hesitation.
Merlin raised an eyebrow in surprise, "That's not a good choice."
"My sister is still in his hands!" Herbert said with firm eyes.
Merlin nodded, "Family is indeed very important."
He looked at Herbert, then slowly raised his hand, murmuring softly.
"Then… accept this fate I give you."
His voice was deep and magnetic; Herbert felt as if he were a majestic judge, seated high, pronouncing his fate.
A faint radiance detached from his hand and entered Herbert's body.
Herbert's pupils contracted slightly. He felt many memories added to his mind; this mysterious Wizard became his Professor, teaching him a lot of knowledge: stealth, assassination, climbing… He also became very strong.
He stood in place, a slight trance in his eyes, struggling between the false and the real.
"Wait here for a moment." Merlin withdrew his hand and then went upstairs. After a few hours, he came down, holding a hooded garment and an exquisitely crafted weapon.
"Wear this clothing; when the hood is on, it will reduce your presence in a crowd. As for the weapon, you should know how to use it."
Herbert nodded, then solemnly took the two items.
"Now, leave this place," Merlin said, "Fate will guide you."
Herbert was silent for a moment and said, "What price do I need to pay?"
"All gifts of fate are already marked with a price in the dark." Merlin sat back down in the chair in front of the fireplace, facing the Fire, and said, "Your price has already been paid…"
Herbert frowned in confusion, but he still nodded.
"I understand."
After speaking, Herbert walked down the stairs, and then Merlin's voice came from behind him.
"Turn the doorknob."
Although he didn't know what it meant, Herbert still obeyed him and turned the doorknob. With a ding, the four-color spinner hanging on the door turned to yellow.
Then, he slowly opened the door.
Everything before him made his pupils contract slightly.
It was no longer the despairing snowfield, but a tranquil City street.
It seemed to have just rained lightly; the entire City was enveloped in a layer of mist, hazy and indistinct. The Water stains on the uneven bluestone pavement shimmered faintly under the kerosene streetlights.
People on the street hurried by, coming and going.
"This is the Imperial Capital!?" Herbert murmured in a daze.
Although he had some mental preparation for the abilities of a Wizard, such immense power that could cross hundreds of kilometers in the blink of an eye still left his heart restless for a long time.
"Clang~"
The sound of the door closing automatically pulled him back to reality.
He looked back at the door, then at the familiar street.
He took a deep breath. Although he was not clear what the so-called guidance of fate truly was.
But at this moment, he felt a little more confident.
Thinking, he resumed his steps and walked towards the end of the street, finally disappearing into the mist.
"So this is the Imperial Capital?"
Merlin quietly looked at the bustling metropolis through the window, murmuring softly.
The Imperial Capital naturally referred to the capital City where the emperor resided, which was the nation's capital.
The location he was in when he first arrived in this World was the snowfield Herbert had walked through.
Unlike Herbert's prior preparations, at that time, he had almost nothing, no equipment whatsoever, and was even wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so the outcome was naturally predictable.
However, just as he was about to become a new ice sculpture on the snowfield, he met a person.
That person said, "This is the choice of fate," and then asked him what he wanted.
Merlin's consciousness was already very blurry at the time, and he could only make a wish based on what he most desired in his heart.
He said he wanted to go to a warm place and hoped to roast by a fireplace.
Then, he obtained this Castle.
Merlin quietly gazed at the burning flames before him, his thoughts, like the burning Fire, drifted back to the past, to about a day ago.
The first time he entered this Castle...
"You can call me Fate."
It was still inside the same Castle, but now, sitting in front of the hearth was not Merlin, but an old man. He was hunched over, draped in a long robe, with his back to Merlin.
"Fate?" Merlin frowned.
"Do you believe in the existence of Fate?" the old man named Fate asked.
Merlin pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps. In this World, some are born destined to enjoy glory and wealth, while others may struggle their entire lives and perhaps only manage to live in a small corner.
In this World, there are indeed things that are predetermined from birth, things that humans cannot change."
"Interesting answer."
The old man murmured, the corner of his mouth seemed to curl slightly, "What cannot be changed is called a constant, and conversely, what can be changed is called a variable.
A constant is destiny, a variable is fortune; only when combined can they be called Fate."
"You are not from this World."
The old man continued, "There is a variable in you, but no constant. This means that you do not exist in the fate lines of this World.
You have no origin."
Merlin was silent for a moment before saying, "Do you know why I came to this World?"
The old man shook his head, "The most wondrous thing about Fate is its uncertainty; it chose you."
He paused, then said, "From now on, this place belongs to you. It can take you out of this snowfield."
Merlin looked around, a little confused.
"Are you familiar with this moving Castle?" the old man said calmly, "This is a creation I materialized based on what you consider the warmest house deep in your heart."
At this, Merlin finally remembered why this house felt so familiar; it originated from an animated movie Merlin had seen in the past, titled "Howl's Moving Castle."
"Then, what is the price?" Merlin asked. He never believed there was such a thing as a free lunch in this World.
The old man turned his head; his face was full of the marks of time, with wrinkled skin sagging on his face, but his eyes were bright and wise.
"I want you to take my place."
Merlin frowned, "What place?"
"Long ago, people called me the Fate Weaver."
"Does Fate need to be woven?" Merlin asked, somewhat confused.
The old man smiled. He raised his hand, and a speck of light was injected into Merlin's mind.
In an instant, Merlin's pupils contracted to a pinpoint.
His perspective expanded at an astonishing speed: space, time, finally expanding to an incredibly vast perspective.
He saw a giant tree, extending infinitely from the distant past into the future, with constants and variables interwoven into its branches. This was a Tree of Fate, and also a Tree of Time.
Merlin saw the fates of many people, saw time flowing on the Tree of Fate.
He suddenly realized.
From a physics perspective, the Universe has no concept of time, or rather, simply doesn't need time.
The Universe is composed of countless elementary particles. The manifestation of time in human cognition is the movement of elementary particles, entropy increase.
It's just that humans cannot explain the passing of things, or aging, so they attached the concept of time, forming the current Worldview, and extending it into three time perspectives: past, present, and future.
Fate is the same; the concept of Fate is born within life.
The variables and constants of countless lives intertwine to form the Tree of Fate.
So if life perishes, Fate loses its meaning of existence.
Although Fate has no consciousness, it has an instinct for continuation.
It needs the existence of a Weaver to ensure the continuation of Fate, in other words, to ensure the continuation of living beings.
But the Weaver is not a savior, but is responsible for weaving the fate of the savior.