Volume One: Nobodies

Chapter 001: The Great Xia Dynasty

　　“In the tenth year of Xuanyuan, the five stars moved out of order, and in the night, stars fell like rain, destroying two houses and injuring one person.”

　　—“Annals of Great Xia, Volume Thirteen”

　　Great Xia Dynasty, Astronomical Bureau.

　　The imperial astronomer casually jotted down a line on a bamboo slip, then went off to attend to other matters.

　　Though falling stars were rare, they occurred every few years. Besides, most of last night’s meteor shower that fell in the city had been blocked by the court’s consecrated experts. Except for one unlucky, fallen noble’s son who suffered a minor injury, there were no serious consequences.

　　As an imperial astronomer, last night’s celestial phenomenon only needed a simple note on the bamboo slip. As for the poor soul who nearly died under the falling star, he wasn’t even qualified to have his name recorded in the official history.

　　Just across the street from the Astronomical Bureau, in a certain residence, several servants were carefully moving some broken bricks and wood outside.

　　Last night, a meteor fell from the sky and landed in the residence, not only collapsing a room but also injuring the young master, who was still unconscious.

　　At this moment, on a soft couch in a room at the back of the residence, a handsome young man’s eyelashes trembled.

　　Grace Clark vaguely remembered that he had made plans with a girl he met at a bar three days ago to watch the Perseid meteor shower together that night.

　　When Grace Clark had prepared steak, red wine, and candles, and walked out to the balcony to adjust his telescope, he suddenly saw a bright spot through the lens.

　　That spot grew larger and larger, eventually turning into a glowing mass with a long tail. The intense light made Grace Clark unable to open his eyes, and then he remembered nothing.

　　Thinking of this, Grace Clark slowly opened his eyes.

　　And then he saw a square face.

　　A man with a full beard was looking down at him from above.

　　Seeing Grace Clark open his eyes, the man became very excited and blurted out, “Young master, you’re awake!”

　　Staring warily at the unfamiliar man before him, Grace Clark asked, “Who are you, and why are you in my house?”

　　The square-faced man was shocked: “Young master, you don’t recognize me?”

　　A moment later.

　　A figure stumbled out from the residence, standing in the street, looking blankly at everything around him.

　　People passed by, unable to resist pointing and whispering.

　　“Isn’t that the Young Master Clark? I heard he got hit by a meteor last night?”

　　“He looks so dazed, he’s not even wearing shoes. Did the meteor knock him silly?”

　　The passersby’s gossip reached Grace Clark’s ears, but he didn’t hear a word. His mind was blank as he stood there in a daze, until he saw someone flying through the air in the distance, passing right in front of him and quickly disappearing at the end of his vision.

　　“Someone’s flying...”

　　Grace Clark let out a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on his face as he muttered, “So it’s a dream...”

　　After a bout of dizziness, Grace Clark lost consciousness again.

　　How Grace Clark wished that when he woke up, he’d be lying in his own bed, with the pretty girl from the bar beside him. But when he opened his eyes again, all he saw was that same square face.

　　The square-faced man exclaimed in delight, “Young master, you’re awake again!”

　　Grace Clark gave a bitter laugh: “Heh, still a dream...”

　　The square-faced man grabbed Grace Clark’s shoulders and shook him hard: “Young master, this isn’t a dream, wake up...”

　　The man’s grip was strong, making Grace Clark’s shoulders ache.

　　Grace Clark was awake now—completely awake.

　　……

　　Ancient-style streets, bustling crowds, the noisy cries of street vendors.

　　Grace Clark and the square-faced man sat on the stone steps at the entrance, resting his chin on one hand, watching people in ancient costumes pass by, his gaze unfocused.

　　The square-faced man beside him told him that this was the Great Xia Dynasty, and he was the son of Lord Ping’an, Grace Clark, who had been knocked out by a falling meteor last night.

　　But in Grace Clark’s own memory, he was clearly from 21st-century China. Last night, he was planning to watch a meteor shower with a girl he’d just met, and then, after watching, maybe have a deep discussion about life. And then... nothing.

　　He had appeared in Lord Ping’an’s residence, becoming the son of Lord Ping’an of the Great Xia Dynasty—Grace Clark.

　　Grace Clark clearly remembered that before he lost consciousness yesterday, he saw a magnified meteor through his telescope.

　　It seemed he’d been hit by a meteor...

　　At this moment, Grace Clark didn’t know what to say.

　　Aside from living a bit indulgently, he didn’t really have any other faults. He always donated enthusiastically to disaster relief, often participated in charity auctions, and even took his girlfriend to visit orphans at the children’s welfare home every month—though he brought a different girlfriend each time.

　　Grace Clark admitted his love life was a bit colorful, but he still considered himself a good person.

　　Besides, these things were all consensual. Every relationship ended peacefully, and even after breaking up, his ex-girlfriends would introduce their best friends to him...

　　There’s no justice...

　　After a long while, Grace Clark sat on the steps and let out a long sigh.