The title of the book was written in Celtic, the common language of the Celtors. As a matter of fact, Celtic is currently one of the most used languages in the modern ages, and he was no stranger to it.

  "The First Light". He murmured, his face froze. This title resembles a folklore, or a children's book he would find in the children's section of the library.

  It was not a title that invokes the sense of history and wonder. As a self-proclaimed scholar, he has seen his fair share of historical work. And for that reason, he can't help but grow skeptical of its content.

  I can't judge a book by its cover yet...!

  His rough finger held onto the cover and flipped to the first page.

  As he skimmed through the text, most was written in Celtic, while some was undecipherable. Despite not understanding them, he could easily see that these characters were ancient Hermes.

  By the time Ulrich reached the end of the book, his expression darkened. There was a mix of confusion and bitter disappointment etched across his face. He stared at the final page, unblinking, as if willing different words to materialize before his eyes.

  After a minute, his face twisted, and one word slipped out of his mouth:

  "Fuck."

  This? This was what I'd taken a risk for? He closed the book slowly, his fingers trembling—not from fear this time, but from bitter disappointment. Was he so delirious to believe that this book held some value?

  Ulrich set it down on the crate with deliberate care, though part of him wanted to hurl it against the peeling wallpaper.

  Folklore. Myths.

  Children's horror tales wrapped in flowery words. A few scattered fragments of ancient Hermes that he couldn't even decipher, probably decorative nonsense added to give the illusion of authenticity.

  Ulrich dragged a hand down his face, exhaling slowly through his teeth. He glanced at his watch again—8:41 PM.

  I had wondered why the Union confiscated all the text related to ancient Hermes yet left his one behind. So this is the truth. He sighed.

  This was a question that appeared in his mind when talking to Selena. Due to the urgency at hand, it was buried in the back of his mind, and he lost the chance to inquire about the specifics before his departure.

  He didn't blame Selena for not telling him, after all, he believed that she hadn't looked through the content herself. As a library receptionist clerk, it would be unusual if she knew the content of every book that existed in the library.

  Thus, he could only blame himself for being negligent. He should have been more thorough.

  After a moment of silence, Ulrich picked up the book again.

  He spent the hours reading through the book, again and again. And as time passes, the lamp's light on the street would constantly flicker, hindering his ability to focus.

  In this world, there was no moon. A phenomenon that once riddled his mind. But ever since his transmigration, his view gradually expanded, becoming an acceptance of bizarre things.

  Since there was no moon, the night was naturally lost from light. If not for these few scattered lamp posts, being as old as history itself, and the occasional light from other residents, this entire city would wallow in darkness.

  Unable to steadily focus on the book at hand, he had to find a reliable source of light. Fortunately, despite the unit's disheveled state, there were some old oil lamps in the room.

  Ulrich had to make sure the oil reservoir was filled with fuel and the wick was saturated with oil. Otherwise, he would have let the wick soak for an hour, time which he did not have.

  To his surprise, the wick was quite saturated with oil, saving him the need to soak it. He turned the knob on the side of the oil lamp, adjusted the wick to an appropriate height, then lit it with a match.

  At the same time, he raised the curtain, blocking the light of the lamp from the window. Eventually, with the help of a reliable light source, he was able to study the text and decipher some of the symbols as well as their corresponding meaning.

  What caught his attention most was some fascinating creatures he'd never heard of before. Even with Ulrich's knowledge and understanding of the ethology of this world, he finds himself lacking in regard to the mentioned creatures.

  For example, Murloc.

  It is mentioned to be a bipedal, amphibious humanoid with bulbous bodies, large mouths full of sharp teeth, and slime-coated skin. Often, their skin would be greenish, sometimes blue.

  The text also mentioned its weak points, as well as habits and behavior, in great detail. Reading this, he can't help but grow surprised.

  'Does this creature even exist?' As far as he was concerned, Ulrich had never heard of such a bipedal sea creature before, at least, not until now.

  Regardless, he attempted to memorize as much information as possible, then glance at the watch on his wrist.

  00:31.

  Ulrich closed the book, stood up, then walked to the bed and hid it in the deep corner beneath the bed frame.

  Afterward, he hurried to one of the wooden cabinets in the room and opened it. Inside was a single silver revolver. Seeing this, his face lifted into a smile as he reached his hand inside to pick it up.

  The leather handle fills him with warmth, and as he caresses the barrel, it is cold to the touch.

  He didn't waste too much time and quickly found a clean white shirt as well as a black coat inside one of the closets. Surprisingly, its quality was quite good and untouched. After changing his attire, he tucked the revolver inside his black coat, then barricaded the door with the chairs and crate available.

  Once everything was in place, he glances at his watch one final time and lies on the floor, closing his eyes to greet the darkness.

  "..."

  Ulrich's nose twitched, his eyes slowly opened, greeting a familiar sight — Donghai City.

  The sun was bright, searing his skin with heat. As the scent of the hot pavement filled his nose, Ulrich pushed himself up from the bench.

  The location of my spawn seems to remain unchanged… He noted, observing his surroundings.

  The street thrummed with life. Crowds surged along the sidewalks in a river of summer clothes—tank tops, sundresses, shorts in every color. Then, a metallic ching of a bell announced another sale of shaved ice, there was a nearby ice cream vendor sweating under the sun.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Ulrich smiled and walked into the crowd; his figure eventually blended into the background. As he walked, he noted anything that would seem out of place. However, from what he could see so far, nothing had changed.

  That's a good sign. He sighed with relief.

  Upon recalling the appearance of the black book, a sense of apprehension washed over him. At the same time, he recalled the organization mentioned by Zheng San, feeling the need to perform an investigation as soon as possible.

  "I need to meet him again… 5 Gongyuan 1st Alley, was it?'

  Ulrich didn't waste any time and did the first thing that he usually does — commit a crime. A rather insignificant crime.

  How else would he get money in this dream other than stealing?

  He stole a wallet of cash from a passerby, then used the money in the wallet to purchase a watch as well as some 'tools'. To him, this watch was the most valuable asset in this dream world. It allowed him to manage his time and act accordingly.

  As for the tools, they were essential needs for a criminal such as himself. With the cash secured, a way to monitor his own time, and the necessary tools, Ulrich called a taxi and hurriedly gave the driver the address.

  "5 Gongyuan 1st Alley."

  "Alright," The driver replied, noticing Ulrich's rushed voice.

  As they passed through the streets, Ulrich saw a stall selling cartoon children's accessories and items. In that pile of toys, there was a particular mask that caught his eye—a Taiga mask, to be more specific.

  Hehe. He smiled and stopped the driver, buying the mask without any hesitation.

  Would he be shocked if I showed up with a Taiga mask? Ulrich mused, an amusing scene appeared in his mind. He didn't forget the spilled coffee, nor the interruption to his quiet night. How could he?

  As Ulrich put on the mask, the driver was speechless and frightened; his car halted momentarily. Though for the sake of money, he pretended as though Ulrich wasn't a lunatic or madman in his passenger seat.

  After all, who the hell would wear a cartoon mask this early in the day of the year?

  Let it go, there are all sorts of crazy people these days!

  Eventually, they reached their destination. Ulrich followed the address given to him by Zheng San and found a rather shabby apartment building. To his surprise, the area was quite poor.

  Would a criminal like Zheng San be lacking in money? Definitely not!

  Regardless, Ulrich didn't question it too much and found himself standing in front of Zheng San's door.

  A gentleman knocks and goes through the front door. However, I am no gentleman. Ulrich lampooned, his eyes glancing at the side of the building.

  Knock. Knock.

  He knocked on the door twice and ran toward the side of the building. With ease, he climbed the air conditioning units and quickly reached the balcony of Zheng San's apartment. From here, he waited for a certain sound before proceeding.

  Click.

  The front door slowly opened.

  Immediately, Ulrich unlocked the window with the prepared tools on his person and entered with quiet steps. All this occurred within the span of a few seconds.

  "The hell, is it another door prank by the neighboring kids?" Zheng San exclaimed, irritated by the disturbance from the front door. After checking the hallway and seeing no one, he closed the door behind him and walked to the living room.

  Entering the room, he froze, his hand twitched before forming a fist.

  "Who the fuck are you?"

  There was a shadow in the corner of the room, small and unremarkable. The shadow became alive, revealing a pair of eyes staring back at him. This shadow was Ulrich, who sneaked through the balcony window.

  Quickly, Zheng San rushed toward the counter nearby for a gun; however, his face betrayed his surprise.

  "You're looking for this?" Ulrich said, his voice calm and low, almost as though he was watching a show in front of him.

  At the same time, he waved the gun in the air, pointing its barrel toward Zheng San's direction. Seeing this, Zheng San's face immediately dropped, a helpless sigh escaping his body.

  "Brother, it is not proper to trespass into someone's home, isn't it?" He protested, raising both his hands in the air to display his surrendered attitude.

  Seeing this, Ulrich smiled.

  'He is quick to admit defeat, this person is smart and has potential for greatness… Unfortunately, he does not exist,' He thought, then shook his head.

  "I am not your enemy," Ulrich said, lowering his hand and ejecting the magazine from the gun.

  Immediately, Zheng San was shocked.

  Why did he unload the gun? And why does he speak as though he knows me?

  It was incomprehensible. A random stranger sneaked into his place without his knowing, had him at their mercy, yet willingly disarmed themselves?

  What is his purpose?

  Zheng San knew that with his involvement in the underworld, he was bound to have an enemy or two. Dying at the hands of an enemy is simply part of the job, an outcome he long accepted.

  As for Ulrich, his action was indeed risky. It was no different from giving up the upper hand to stand on an equal playing field with Zheng San.

  However, he was willing to bet on his understanding of Zheng San's character from their first meeting. More importantly, he wanted to gain Zheng San's trust; only then could he gain the necessary information in a satisfying manner.

  "Would you believe me if I said we met before in our previous lives?" Ulrich said with a blank face, placing the gun on the armrest of the chair.

  At the same time, Zheng San sighed and lowered his hand, realizing that Ulrich bore no ill intent.

  "Bullshit, I don't believe in a previous life," He said with affirmation," I only believe in this one and only life."

  Ulrich didn't refute him and changed the topic.

  "I heard you accepted a mission from an organization to steal a certain item. What do you know about this organization and item?"

  Hearing this, Zheng San's face contorted. Clearly, he did not expect Ulrich to ask this question. However, glancing at the gun on the chair's armrest, he answered truthfully.

  "This… I have no idea about the item. The organization simply assigns us the task without the specifics, this is to protect the client's identity."

  Ulrich nodded. "What is the name of this organization?"

  For a moment, Zheng San said nothing. After about a minute, he whispered.

  "Eternal Club."

  This answer matches what he said previously… It seems like that wasn't a lie. He wasn't quick to trust Zheng San's word and take it to heart in their first encounter. Only by verifying it multiple times can it be considered trustworthy information.

  "As for the organization, I'm not sure where you heard about my connection with them, but even I do not know much about them. The reason is that my rank is simply too low."

  Zheng San observed Ulrich's reaction, noticing that he was not pleased with the answer, so he quickly added.

  "Although I do not know much about the organization, I can tell you some rumors within our line of work."

  "Rumors?"

  Ulrich repeated, feeling strange and puzzled.

  What rumors haven't I heard of in this city? I have basically lived here for ten years... However, thinking about the name "Eternal Club", he kept his mouth closed.

  Right... There are certain matters even beyond me!

  "Yes, rumors. They are rumors and speculations because it's simply absurd. What I mean is, do you believe that there are people capable of wielding supernatural abilities, summoning lightning, and shooting lightning out of their fingers?"