Abel-Toriel

The castle pays Scholar Rodney an annual salary of 2,000 gold coins, a massive fortune for commoners, equivalent to roughly 800,000 RMB!

Borne learned from the sidelines that Scholar Rodney earns far more than this every month just by tutoring noble heirs in Seventon.

The title of "scholar" is a designation for the learned, and it carries more influence among the common folk than it does with the nobility!

Rodney received the patronage of Count Ioulaum in his youth, which is the reason he came to this small, rural place.

Initially, Rodney had looked down on this sum, but now he suddenly felt the money burning a hole in his pocket...

Count Ioulaum is a High Arcanist, quite famous in Seventon, and one of the vice-deans of Giles Academy!

Borne does not know if this arcanist is any different from the one in his memories, but he should belong to the mage variety. Not daring to act too out of the ordinary, after setting up a small training ground, he has been working hard to play the part of a (pseudo) genius.

Aside from working hard to exercise his body, he spends his time crushing other children in his studies.

He tries his best to act like a child of his age, and after Borne learned he had a mage for a grandfather, he became even more afraid to do anything strange.

This is a real world, not some brain-dead novel; one should not treat others like fools, as everyone possesses an independent soul!

Occupying someone else's child's body while constantly saying things different from others and doing things inappropriate for his age is practically telling people there is something wrong with this child.

Cases of being burned or hanged for demonic possession are real, and Borne dares not gamble on whether those ignorant commoners would storm the noble's castle to drag him out and burn him.

With the existence of transcendent power, the possibility of having one's soul extracted, or even having one's memories harvested before being locked away to burn for tens of thousands of years, is written about often in novels and movies. Borne does not want to gamble on that possibility.

Rodney is truly both happy and distressed; having a genius student is certainly a joy, but when that student is too much of a genius, the teacher's pressure is no longer just a matter of being overwhelmed...

No matter how much he slowed the pace, Rodney was finally being hollowed out, and in desperation, he could only bring out the Elven language, which he himself was not very familiar with.

He certainly couldn't speak it fluently; it was like someone who doesn't speak English still being able to spit out a few of the 26 letters.

"Then, starting today, we shall learn Elven script," Rodney said.

Borne's eyes lit up instantly.

Elves!

It seems elves are a standard feature of other worlds; he wonders if the elves of this world are the same handsome men and beautiful women from his memories.

For the children who could still keep up, Rodney considered taking on a few; those who could persist until now had excellent talent and perseverance. Of course, they couldn't compare to Borne—not to mention Borne's own talent, even with his grandfather, his teacher Count Ioulaum, Borne's future achievements would be limitless!

He could only turn a blind eye to the resentful gazes of the other students; Borne was his primary teaching objective, and the others were merely incidental.

There was no such thing as a subordinate offending a superior or someone jumping out to demand fairness and justice as seen in novels. In this world with its strict hierarchy, even whispering behind one's back is a grave sin. If discovered, it wouldn't just be execution; it could implicate one's entire family.

Being able to follow along and learn is already a blessing. Professor Rodney has taught many nobles, and most are extremely stingy with the spread of knowledge to the lower classes; many don't even allow their servants or tenants to learn to read.

He wrote a few Elven characters on the blackboard behind him, then pointed to one of them.

"True Elven script is even more elegant, and there are several ways to write it within the Elven script itself."

Rodney let Borne look for a while before continuing.

"The two most classic and commonly used forms are also the most common among the nobles of the human empire. This is the Quenya script," he said, then pointed to another: "And this is the Sindarin script."

"To learn Elven script, one must discuss the history of the Elven race. Aside from the Common tongue, the current human writing system is basically improved upon the basis of Elven script. After all, we humans are not as long-lived as the Elves, who have exquisite research into every craft."

Rodney also began to get into the zone. When it comes to bragging, as long as you find that feeling, you simply cannot stop, especially when a group of people is listening to you. Rodney became directly immersed in his own world and couldn't snap out of it until he finished speaking.

As Rodney spoke slowly, everyone listened, mesmerized, falling into a longing for Elven culture.

At this moment, no one noticed that Borne's face was becoming increasingly ugly.

"After the Crown Wars, Eaerlann became the center of art and high magic for all Elves, and a place yearned for by scholars of every race on the continent..."

"During the height of the Elven race, the first civil war broke out, known as the 'Crown Wars.' During this period of war, the Elves slaughtered one another, and all Elves were drawn into it. It also affected many kingdoms and races. Afterward, the Dark Disaster occurred, which destroyed Eaerlann and left a scorched earth on the High Moor. The specific causes can no longer be verified."

When Rodney reached this point, his face showed regret, his expression full of longing for Eaerlann.

"I once saw some descriptions in an obscure notebook—you can take this as a joke—saying that the continent we are on was originally one complete, massive landmass." Rodney wrote a few more characters.

"In the Elven language, it also means: Mer. Now, the various human nations basically use the Elven term, because the Elven throat is somewhat different from a human's; it is more delicate, so it is difficult to achieve the same pronunciation as an Elf. And the pronunciation of this word in the Elven language is..."

"Faerûn!"

When Rodney said this word, it was as if a "boom" went off in Borne's brain!

His face turned pale in an instant, his teeth chattered uncontrollably, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Rodney, who was standing nearby, immediately noticed something was wrong and asked with concern.

"Borne, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, nothing at all, Teacher Rodney."

Borne bared his teeth, forcing a smile, "My stomach is a bit uncomfortable today; perhaps I didn't rest well yesterday."

"How about we stop here for today, and you go back to rest," Rodney said.

"Alright." Borne stood up immediately and bowed: "Thank you, I've caused you trouble."

With that, he walked quickly out of the classroom.

Rodney watched Borne leave with a look of concern on his face.

The guards outside the door looked at Borne, who emerged with a grim expression, and felt quite bewildered.

Less than ten minutes later, news of Borne's condition reached Viscount Gordon.

Hurriedly ordering someone to summon a physician and fearing a relapse of his "old illness," he rushed to Borne's room.

He found Borne lying on the bed, looking at them with surprise. Viscount Gordon leaned in to inspect him, but finding only a pale complexion and no other symptoms, he let out a sigh of relief.

Borne immediately realized that he must have frightened Viscount Gordon, and a warmth spread through his heart.

"I'm fine, just an upset stomach. I feel much better now."

The physician arrived shortly after, but upon examination, found nothing wrong.

Only then did Viscount Gordon truly set his mind at ease.

"Focus on resting. We'll suspend today's lessons. If you need anything, just tell the maids..."

Knowing that Borne needed rest, he offered a few more caring words before taking his leave with his entourage.

Click...

Watching the door close, Borne let out a long, weary breath.

His head throbbed with a dull ache; the stimulation from Rodney had triggered a flood of memories.

The information was fragmented and incomplete, but he had grasped the general situation. As for his physical reaction, it was mostly just the result of being startled.

Though the recalled information was incomplete, he now generally understood where he was!

Abeir-Toril!

The most famous world in Dungeons & Dragons!

The history and stories of the Toril world could fill tens of thousands of scripts and novels!

The genesis of fantasy worlds, a tabletop game that evolved into a world-class phenomenon.

Developed over several generations, the derivative products are countless. Basically, any fantasy novel or film is inseparable from its shadow!

If one had to describe this world in a single sentence, it would be...

Demigods are as common as dogs, and liches walk the streets!

As a multiverse world and the starting point for all fantasy magic, Borne seemed to understand why this world was so full of malice toward him.

Every transmigrator is a destroyer of history; no world welcomes a traveler who knows its secrets.

The butterfly effect is not just a theory; any small change can cause the world's history to deviate from its original track!

If this were the Tang Dynasty world, the Legend of the Condor Heroes, or some other cinematic world, Borne might have had a chance to change history. But not the D&D world, not Toril.

Though he did not know which nameless deity or great existence had granted him this new life.

He still felt grateful to live another life; being alive is better than being dead.

Memories of his past life slowly returned. His life back then hadn't been anything special. Of course, if he had a choice, he would have preferred a modern life—no future worlds or parallel dimensions, just copying books and singing songs... Even if modern times weren't an option, he could have muddled through in ancient times, found a few soulmates, and lived a peaceful life.

But instead, he was thrown into a world of swords and magic.

And not just any world, but the most lawless, chaotic, and illogical Faerûn!

Forget about changing the world; this was a recipe for disaster!

It was total hell mode. Dying wouldn't be so bad if his soul could return, but he feared that even after death, he would remain in this world.

Yes, every sentient being or person in this world possesses a soul!

Those with devout faith can enter the divine realms after death and exist eternally with their gods!

As a youth from the new society raised under the five-starred red flag, how could Borne possibly have faith in gods? Even if he started now, it wouldn't work.

He lacked a heart of devotion. If he dared to chant a deity's name, the god would likely strike him down with divine punishment (due to his missing memories, he did not yet understand the distinction between fanatics, believers, and casual followers).

The most likely outcome was being plastered onto the Wall of the Faithless or falling into the River Styx to end up in the Abyss.

This world is truly disgusting; without faith, you can't even afford to die. If your soul ascends to the upper planes and is caught, you are treated like a brick and plastered onto a wall.

This place is known throughout the multiverse as the Wall of the Faithless!

Even if one managed to escape Faerûn, it was easy to fall into the River Styx. Falling into the Styx is essentially a death sentence, as one's memories are slowly washed away.

The River Styx also leads to the infinite Abyss!

The Abyss is a name that, no matter where you are, remains the most terrifying symbol.

And it is layered—a very "lucky" number.

666!

One wonders if it is a cruel irony!

(In the Western world, 666 represents the devil and demons; it is an unlucky number!)

666 layers of the Abyss, each essentially infinite in size, filled with nearly endless demons!

A place where even gods are torn to pieces in minutes if they descend.

(666 layers does not literally mean there are only 666; the Abyss expands every moment, and no one knows how many layers it truly has. 666 is merely a general estimate!)