Transmigration

Year 3859 of the Faerûn Calendar:

In an inconspicuous coastal area in the north of the continent of Faerûn, there were seven fishing villages.

Initially, to resist the orc bandits who came to pillage every year, the fishermen decided to form an alliance to provide mutual aid. To this end, the Shaman King of Giles, Great Nether, even created a new calendar to celebrate the birth of the alliance. Thus, the seven sworn villages established a new nation, and this union was named Seventon.

The Age of Founding began!

At that moment, immense joy dominated Seventon; people celebrated the first step toward civilization and praised the wisdom of their king.

Not long after, King Great Nether changed the name of the country to "Netheril," meaning the land of Nether. Subsequently, Nether became increasingly extravagant and licentious, beginning to impose heavy taxes and levies on the people, to the point where members of the alliance feared that Netheril would collapse. Resentment brewed within Nether, cries of resistance arose, and the populace felt deeply anxious about the future of the nation.

Year 3827 of the Faerûn Calendar.

Finally, a poisoned dagger announced the end of Great Nether's reign...

512 years later, Year 3315 of the Faerûn Calendar:

The castle of Viscount Gordon of Ioulaum House was situated in a vast forest south of the royal city of Seventon; he was merely a minor rural noble in this region.

There were hundreds of such nobles with small villages as their fiefs around Seventon.

Viscount Gordon had a young son named Borne Ioulaum, whom many privately called "the retard"!

Not long after the news reached the ears of Viscount Gordon, a dozen people were hanged on the outer walls of the castle. No one in the fief dared to say it again, but the shameful nickname had already spread, and nobles for miles around knew of it.

This was an innate, sluggish reaction; even if he were hurt by a fall, it would take half a day for him to react. Over a dozen physicians and clerics had examined this strange condition, but all were helpless!

Given the chaotic relationships among the nobility, it was not uncommon for infants with strange ailments to be born in Faerûn every year.

The divine spells of the clerics in the Temple could only treat external wounds from blades, and some apothecaries could treat illnesses like colds and fevers, but for stranger maladies, one could only hope for the protection of the gods!

Shortly after little Borne was born, his mother also passed away.

Even so, little Borne stubbornly survived until the age of three. Fortunately, his "condition" slowly eased as he grew older. This caused those who had been waiting for a joke to exclaim in disbelief, and the reputation of little Borne, who was favored by the gods, spread far and wide...

Viscount Gordon did not have much faith in the gods. Although he was a knight, he believed more in the Goddess of Magic, Mystra (though this belief was not religious faith, which will be explained later).

As for how he earned a title through military merit, a greater reason was that he had a good father.

The High Arcanist, Count Ioulaum!

In the castle, a spacious and bright room.

Apart from the bed and table, the room was covered with soft cushions to prevent little Borne from falling due to his slow reactions.

Three years had passed; little Borne could walk on his own, rarely fell, and could communicate normally, which brought tears of joy to Viscount Gordon's eyes!

It was just that his physical reactions were still a beat slow. For example, if both saw something falling, a normal person could dodge it in advance, but he could not.

Viscount Gordon discovered that little Borne liked watching the rain and would often fall asleep while leaning against the window, so he moved the bed next to the window.

The chirping of birds in the early morning drifted into his ears.

Little Borne opened his eyes, stretched for a while, and stood up slowly.

Two maids on the side had been waiting early and very skillfully helped little Borne change his clothes.

Borne was a transmigrator; inside a small body lived the soul of an adult!

After experiencing the initial "mystery of the womb," Borne slowly realized that his soul was different from the people of this world.

The wisdom of his past life began to awaken!

The memories of his previous life were very blurry, with scattered fragments flashing from time to time. He did not even know his name in his past life, only that it was a colorful and magnificent world where steel machines could fly in the sky and dive into the sea. Over a distance of ten thousand miles, a box the size of a palm could make calls, and one could even see the other person through a screen.

Little Borne could start remembering things from birth. During the first week of arriving in this world, he was still in chaos, feeling lost in the new world, and he felt the intense malice of the world!

His soul was like a small boat in a storm, experiencing the baptism of wind and rain, and this process lasted for a full week!

Everything around him felt like it was fast-forwarding; even though he was in the midst of it, it felt as if he were not in the same dimension.

Fortunately, as his soul and body gradually merged, Borne was able to slowly adapt to the frequency of this new world.

Later, he discovered that as he grew older, the memories of his past life began to be recalled slowly. More importantly, his mental power was actually strengthening as he grew, and his memory was becoming better and better!

By the time he was over a year old, Borne could already accurately express his thoughts, even more proficiently than his peers.

He knew this was because the increase in mental power brought about an enhancement in memory. In his past life, he had studied a language called "English" for seven years, yet he still spoke like he had a stutter.

It was the height of spring, and the maid opened the window. A burst of floral fragrance drifted in. Below was the garden, which had originally been Borne's mother's room before Borne moved in.

Viscount Gordon had very special feelings for Borne's mother. After she passed away, he never found a stepmother for Borne, a situation that was extremely rare among the nobility, whose private lives were often chaotic.

It was normal for a viscount to have a dozen lovers or even illegitimate children, but Viscount Gordon showed no interest in other noblewomen.

Borne arrived at the study located in the castle. Rows of shelves held books of various sizes, arranged neatly and cleanly, showing that they were cleaned frequently.

Viscount Gordon and the Chief Knight John were sitting at a round table, with exquisite ceramic cups placed in front of both of them.

Borne glanced at them; this was the barley tea unique to the Ioulaum House. Most mages were forbidden from drinking alcohol, and the High Arcanist Count Ioulaum strictly forbade members of the family from drinking.

The tradition of drinking barley tea was thus passed down, and the specially made barley tea became a feature of the Ioulaum House, famous even in Seventon.

"Father, Uncle John." Borne bowed. At this moment, Borne looked like an exquisite little doll; the "illness" he had experienced since childhood made him more "mature and sensible."

It also made those who cared about him feel even more heartache.

Uncle John was nominally a retainer of the Ioulaum House, but in reality, he was as close as a brother to Viscount Gordon. Compared to the "useless" Viscount Gordon, the Chief Knight was more like a noble, and a high-ranking knight at that!

Vassalage is passed down through generations; in his grandfather's time, the wife of Count Ioulaum—who was also Viscount Gordon's mother—was the aunt of Knight Commander John.

His great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather had lived the same way, with one vassal from each generation swearing loyalty to protect the head of the house!

Knight Commander John had also welcomed a baby girl just a few days ago, who, barring any surprises, would eventually become Borne's protector.

"Sit," Viscount Gordon said, gesturing toward a high-backed chair to the side.

Borne nodded and sat down, listening quietly for the Viscount's next instructions.

"Borne, I have given serious consideration to the request you made last time, and I have decided to grant it!" Viscount Gordon looked at Borne, a trace of worry still lingering in his eyes. "Your constitution has been poor since childhood. Moderate exercise is good, but given your special circumstances, you will study literacy with Scholar Rodney in the morning and combat techniques with your Uncle John in the afternoon."

"Understood, Father!" The sudden good news left Borne overjoyed.

Though he was ecstatic inside, he controlled his expression to remain blank. He had originally only intended to use exercise to improve the coordination between his body and consciousness; he hadn't expected to gain early access to the knowledge of this world.

He had been in this world for three years, and aside from the daily gossip among the servants and local anecdotes, Borne knew almost nothing about this world!

Fear stems from the unknown, and he was desperate to understand this world as soon as possible.

Seeing the "tense" little Borne, Knight Commander John offered comfort: "Don't worry, starting tomorrow, the other children in the castle will be training with you as well."

Viscount Gordon ruffled Borne's small head and said softly, "Later, your Uncle John will pass on the heritage technique of Ioulaum House to you—the Breathing Method. Remember to practice it persistently every day; it will be beneficial for your body."

"Yes," Borne nodded.

Just then, the old butler, Walker, knocked and entered: "My Lord, Scholar Rodney has arrived."

"Very well, have him wait in the drawing room. I will be there shortly."

"Yes."

Old butler Walker withdrew.

Viscount Gordon exchanged a few more words with the Knight Commander, took a final look at Borne, and walked out.

After Viscount Gordon left, the Knight Commander first pressed on various parts of Borne's body, telling him to watch him perform it once, before walking to the open space in the middle of the study to begin the demonstration.

Borne was filled with anticipation; after all, this was something from another world, surely not the run-of-the-mill 'qigong' from his past life.

Knowing that Borne's neural reflexes were slow, the Knight Commander took care to recite the Breathing Method to him sentence by sentence, explaining as he went and having him repeat it.

By the third time, he even demonstrated the details of each sentence.

Having watched him grow up, John knew that despite his strange 'illness,' Borne was actually very clever and had a strong ability to learn.

However, he hadn't expected Borne's memory to be this good; by the fourth repetition, Borne was already able to recite it back perfectly.

But knowing the method was useless if you couldn't execute it! Being unable to perform it was a waste, and given the lack of coordination between Borne's consciousness and his body, the difficulty was even greater!

The practice of the Breathing Method had many requirements; there were specific frequencies for inhaling, exhaling, and holding one's breath, along with many taboos. Without someone to guide a novice, it was impossible to learn.

The only advantage of the Breathing Method was that it required no specific posture; it could be done whether sitting or lying down.

Although the Knight Commander had a wealth of teaching experience, Borne's situation was truly unique. Even though Borne had memorized the chants and essentials by heart, his body simply refused to obey.

This stumped him. After a moment of thought, the Knight Commander suddenly placed his hands on Borne's stomach.

"Now, follow the feeling!" the Knight Commander said in a low voice.

"Okay..."

As soon as the words left his lips, Borne felt the control over his body being stripped away.

The Knight Commander's hands were vibrating at a high frequency.

Borne was horrified!

He could actually feel the rise and fall of his internal organs being completely controlled by the breathing!

He knew that professionals were divided by rank, and he had assumed it was merely a difference in combat power. Seeing the Knight Commander usually so quiet and unassuming, he hadn't expected his strength to be this monstrous!

Borne suppressed the shock in his heart and began to carefully experience it with his mind.

By the end of the third repetition, white steam was already rising from the Knight Commander's entire body.

With a flushed face, Borne felt deeply grateful. Seizing the sensation left in his body, he began to practice, following that very feeling!

(PS: This is a fantasy novel that anyone can understand. Even if you don't know what D&D is, or have never touched the Dungeon series or played games, you will be able to understand it easily.)