Chapter 1: The Statue Speaks

In the sky, the orange-red sunset slowly descended, casting its final glow upon the earth.Low concrete buildings stood scattered across the land, and small groups of people walked numbly along the uneven streets.The fading sunlight struggled to pass through the old wooden windows, scattering the shadows in the room and illuminating a messy desk.On the floor next to the desk, a few patches of scattered, foul-smelling vomit lay.A young man, his hair a bit disheveled, slumped in front of the desk, his eyes bloodshot with visible anxiety and panic. He absently scanned the various papers and books, all filled with jumbled writing.Chaotic and unordered memories flashed rapidly through his mind.Chen Fan—that was his current name, and also the name he had before his "transmigration."Yes, he had transmigrated!Before transmigrating, he had been an average, run-of-the-mill private detective, mainly tasked with locating missing carbon-based life forms.To put it simply, he worked for wealthy families to find lost pets like cats and dogs.Of course, thanks to his good reputation, he occasionally picked up cases involving gathering evidence for extramarital affairs.At times, he even did side jobs like driving for a ride-sharing service, doing fake reviews for online stores, helping people with discounts, or even snatching train tickets during peak seasons...In short, he was an ordinary person with a "few special skills."But a sudden car accident shattered the peaceful and fulfilling life he once had.In the midst of a dizzying, bizarre drift, his consciousness seemed to be drawn by something, rapidly "falling" into this new world."What the hell is this place..."Chen Fan's face went pale as he stared blankly at the papers in front of him, a hoarse murmur coming from his dry throat.A burning sensation in his stomach, along with waves of nausea, overwhelmed him. His thoughts swirled like a tangled mess in his mind, and he could vaguely feel a dizziness, as if from prolonged oxygen deprivation.Perhaps it was because the original owner of this body had been dead for a long time, causing a massive loss of brain cells. At this moment, Chen Fan's mind had little memory related to the original owner—only some basic knowledge about language and human relationships remained.He gasped for air, struggling.Driven by the instinct to survive, Chen Fan endured the severe discomfort coursing through his body and began scanning the environment around him, trying to gather basic information using his detective skills.His gaze quickly swept over the desk, finally resting on a small glass bottle.Thanks to the memories of the original owner, Chen Fan quickly identified the words on the bottle: "Sleeping Pills."Combining the intense discomfort he felt and the scattered vomit near his feet, he quickly concluded: the original owner had committed suicide by taking sleeping pills.As soon as he arrived at this conclusion, Chen Fan's mind was filled with thoughts of possible reasons for the suicide.Was it a mental disorder? External pressures? Or perhaps some inherited factors?Regardless of the cause, it certainly wasn't good news for him!Chen Fan's expression changed slightly as he looked up at the room he was in.It was a cramped and narrow room, with furniture made entirely of wood. The only electrical device was a light fixture resembling an incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling—there were no other electronic devices to be found.Based on the low concrete buildings outside, it was clear that the technology level in this world wasn't very advanced—at least, not in the area he was in.Clothes were scattered carelessly in the corner, and by the closed wooden door, there was a quite substantial meal.It seemed that the original owner had spent a lot of time in this room, and during that time, their family had provided them with quality food.It appeared that the family relationships weren't bad, so it was likely not a family-related suicide.Chen Fan silently took note of this clue and then turned his gaze to the side of the room.There, hanging on the wall, was an old, large painting of a woman.The woman in the painting had a perfectly proportioned body, as if she were a goddess.Because of the perfect proportions, the figure exuded an otherworldly beauty.With the sacred lines in the painting and the deep reverence that arose in his mind, he quickly concluded: this was an image of a goddess.But… the size of this statue was clearly beyond reason—it nearly took up the entire wall!Looking at the goddess in the painting, Chen Fan felt a chill run down his spine, and the sense of crisis in his heart grew even stronger.Could this world still be in an era of worshiping gods?That would definitely be awful news!In Chen Fan's memory, the superstitious and feudal religious era was not a good time for ordinary people to live in!Not to mention the oppression and harm caused by religion to ordinary people, even the backward productivity and medical standards would be enough to terrify Chen Fan—he didn't want to experience so-called spiritual treatments when he got sick!As he thought about the bizarre events he might encounter in the future, Chen Fan felt even more anxious.He nervously licked his dry lips, then turned around to try to get more information from the papers and books covered in messy, slanted handwriting.Suddenly, a series of irregular knocks came from the closed wooden door, followed by a woman's voice tinged with concern:"Xiao Fan?"It was the voice of the original owner's mother!Chen Fan froze, instinctively holding his breath and slowing his movements.If anyone discovered that "he" had failed to commit suicide...Without a doubt, it would lead to unnecessary disputes, and his identity as a transmigrator might be exposed!Perhaps because she didn't hear a response, the voice outside the door became increasingly anxious: "You've been locked in your room for three whole days.""Come, tell me what's going on."With that, the doorknob began to rattle.Stay locked in the room, claiming to be sick?Pretend to be asleep, saying nothing?Fake madness and use amnesia to cover everything up?Escape through the window and become a wanderer?After quickly dismissing a few rash options that appeared in his mind, Chen Fan swiftly tidied up the messy desk, shoving the sleeping pill bottle and the papers into the drawer. Then...He opened the door and walked out!..."Xiao Fan!"Seeing the door open, Chen Fan's mother looked surprised.She quickly wiped her eyes and muttered, "It's good that you're out, it's good that you're out..."Then, as if she remembered something, she grabbed Chen Fan's hand and hurried toward the living room: "You haven't prayed to the gods in the past few days.""Hurry, come and pray to the statue with me."Pray to the statue?Chen Fan froze for a moment, and his earlier suspicions about this world resurfaced uncontrollably.He kept quiet to avoid making a mistake and silently followed the middle-aged woman.The house was small, and in just a few steps, they arrived at the dimly lit living room.Like his room, the only electrical device in the living room was the incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling.Perhaps noticing Chen Fan's gaze, his mother stopped in front of the dimly glowing light bulb, clasped her hands in prayer, and a look of devotion spread across her face: "Thank you, Lord, for the light you've given to the world..."Upon hearing this, Chen Fan's expression grew even more confused.Praying to a light bulb, a purely technological object, as a gift from the gods?This was way too bizarre!Although he was internally mocking the situation, Chen Fan decided to "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" to avoid raising unnecessary suspicions. He lowered his discomfort and imitated his mother, praying in the same manner.Seeing this, his mother immediately showed a hint of joy."Xiao Fan, come here."She softly called, then led him to the other side of the room.Chen Fan stiffly moved his legs to follow her.As they passed the dining table and around a wooden partition, a statue of a goddess stood proudly on a sturdy wooden table!The statue was unmistakably the same woman he had seen in the painting earlier—only this time, it was more dignified and imposing.Chen Fan's mother, without him noticing, had already knelt on a prayer mat in front of the statue, her hands clasped in prayer again.To follow tradition, Chen Fan knelt on another mat, mimicking her actions."Xiao Fan, I can see you're not doing well lately. Is it because of being chosen by the gods?""You are one of the chosen. The gods are watching over you.""Don't feel too much pressure. If you encounter difficulties, you can talk to the gods, and they will help you."His mother whispered with closed eyes, praying with devotion.Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and quickly noticed a key detail in her words.He was a "chosen one," recently selected by the gods.On the surface, this seemed like a pretty good position.At least in a feudal superstitious society, being chosen by the gods should mean a high social status.This revelation eased some of the unease in Chen Fan's heart.As for the talk about gods watching over him and helping him... Chen Fan dismissed it completely.As a staunch materialist, he didn't believe in any gods."Xiao Fan?" His mother prompted in a low voice.Noticing he couldn't stay silent any longer, Chen Fan quickly thought of something to say.With his mother watching, he moved his dry lips and hoarsely murmured,"I'm just a bit confused.""I heard that if the left eye twitches, it means fortune, and the right eye means misfortune. Since becoming the chosen one, my right eyelid has been twitching, so..."He sighed dramatically, his eyes dull as if overwhelmed with despair.Fighting superstition with superstition!Since she brought up superstition, he would respond in kind!His mother didn't say anything but instead turned her head to look up at the statue.Just as he thought he had fooled her, a stiff, electronic voice came from the statue in front of him:"Right eyelid twitching is a sporadic, involuntary spasm caused by the brain's control of the orbicularis oculi and facial nerves. It is usually caused by fatigue, and there is no need to worry."At that moment, Chen Fan's expression completely froze.What the hell?