Standing on a towering rooftop, Chris surveyed the entire castle. Around him were thick castle walls and fluttering black banners. Beyond the castle were vast fields of wheat and, further in the distance, forests and mountains.

He reached up to rub his forehead, feeling a lingering hangover headache. He tried hard to remember how he ended up here and where exactly "here" was.

Fragments of memories flashed before him, starting with a pair of elegant leather shoes and sharp trousers. Chris recalled that he had been standing on the top floor of a skyscraper.

Yes, he remembered now. He had jumped off the building, leaping from the top floor of his own company. The memories clicked together, piecing together the puzzle of his life.

In his memories, he had died. Yet, now, he stood on the rooftop of a castle, with only a faint recollection of a name: Donning.

As he struggled to recall more memories, it was as if he had opened Pandora's Box. Countless pieces of information flooded his mind, connecting like veins. Knowledge of forging, metallurgy, and various achievements of modern industrial civilization were all intricately woven into this web of golden threads, gradually forming a strong and robust tree of knowledge in his mind. This tree seemed to encompass all of human history before his time.

Equipment he had never seen before, chemistry he had studied for a decade, and countless other bits of knowledge were etched into the golden threads that comprised this tree. Chris could access them effortlessly, as if he were flipping through a reference book in a library.

"Ah!" The process was excruciating, causing him to clutch his head instinctively. His body twisted and writhed in agony, even making him retch uncontrollably.

"Click!" The window behind him was pushed open from the inside, and a man in black armor reached out, shouting in alarm, "My lord! My lord, don't jump!"

Chris turned his head, seeing the man in armor behind him, and suddenly, he felt the ground give way beneath him. He reached out to grasp something, but there was nothing to hold onto. In that moment of free fall, he had the urge to shout, "I didn't mean to jump..."

...

When Chris opened his eyes again, he found himself under a silk canopy. He didn't quite fancy the Western-style décor; it seemed ornate and impractical.

"Ugh." He parted his dry lips, making a hoarse sound that caught the attention of several anxious figures by his bedside.

"The lord has awakened!" The man in armor was the first to approach Chris's bedside, followed by two middle-aged men in splendid robes.

"Where am I?" Chris asked, his voice parched.

The man in armor glanced at one of the middle-aged men, then turned back to Chris, appearing puzzled. "My lord, you are in your own chambers."

Given that he had read numerous time-travel novels during moments of boredom, Chris remained remarkably composed. He understood that this wasn't a dream; everything around him was real.

He had crossed over, but not to a specific point in history. He had landed in another world.

Chris had jumped off a skyscraper in his previous life. Fragments of memory connected, and he recalled many things.

In his memory, he had died. But now, he stood on the rooftop of a castle, remembering only a name: Donning.

As he tried to recollect more memories, he was bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information. It was as if he had access to the entirety of human history and knowledge, forming a thriving tree of golden threads in his mind.

Chris couldn't help but feel excited. He possessed knowledge of modern technology and science, unfamiliar to this world. With this vast knowledge, he could thrive in this new environment.

"Ah, well... Dean, I find it hard to believe, but I can't remember anything," Chris feigned frustration, "I'm feeling a bit hungry. Could you have some food prepared for me?"

Chris had at least loyal servants, if not a grand army. He knew he wouldn't have to worry about going hungry. Even a lord with limited means would have access to fine cuisine.

Sure enough, servants arrived promptly with a sumptuous meal. Chris had bread chunks, warm mashed potatoes, and a somewhat undercooked piece of beef on his plate. Unfortunately, there wasn't even a decent bottle of red wine.

Chris struggled with the unappetizing meal, silently lamenting the history of Western cuisine. These Westerners could have put a fraction of the effort they spent on colonialism into making better food.

"By the way, this matter about paying 1,000 gold coins... What is that all about?" Chris set aside his fork and knife after sampling some mashed potatoes and bread.

"That, my lord," Dean began, sitting to Chris's left, "The Arlant Empire recently raised taxes. Our annual tax, which used to be 300 gold coins, has been raised to 1,000 gold coins."

"That amount is nearly all of Seris Castle's income," added Strid, sitting beside Dean, in ornate robes.

Chris thought about how his ambition might not be as straightforward as he initially believed. He had to overturn the massive burden of these taxes if he wanted to rise to power.

"Chris's lordship!" Just as he was pondering his next move, one of the servants, who looked like a minister, intervened, "No disaster is insurmountable. We will find a solution. Even though we must pay 1,000 gold coins annually, we will manage somehow."

"Yes, my lord," another minister-like figure chimed in, "While it's a substantial increase, we will make it work."

These two ministers seemed interesting to Chris. He was curious about their names but decided to employ a time-honored technique: feigning amnesia.

"I can't remember anything," Chris declared, adopting a tone of utter confusion. He was acting his heart out. "Ah, I'm quite hungry now. Could you prepare some food for me?"

Since he had servants and military commanders, Chris figured he wouldn't have to worry about going hungry. He also suspected that as a lord, he could enjoy many privileges in this world.

"Of course," one of the servants replied, and soon, a sumptuous meal was brought before Chris. It included chunks of bread, warm mashed potatoes, and a piece of half-raw beef in the center of the plate. Unfortunately, there wasn't even a decent bottle of red wine to accompany it.

Chris struggled through the unappetizing meal, silently lamenting the development of Western cuisine. These Westerners could have diverted just a fraction of the energy they put into colonization into improving their food.

"By the way, this matter of paying 1,000 gold coins, what's the story behind it?" Chris inquired, setting aside his utensils after sampling the food.

"That, my lord," Dean began, sitting to Chris's left, "The Arlant Empire recently increased the tax burden. Our annual tax, which used to be 300 gold coins, has been raised to 1,000 gold coins."

"That amount nearly equals Seris Castle's entire income," added Strid, sitting beside Dean, wearing ornate robes.

Chris realized that his journey might not be as straightforward as he had initially thought. He would need to find a way to overturn this heavy tax burden if he wanted to rise to power.

He was about to continue questioning when something struck him.

"Wait! Does this world... actually have dragons?" Chris widened his eyes and asked in astonishment, focusing his gaze on his military commander, Vaglon.

"Indeed, my lord," Vaglon nodded and confirmed, "And there are many of them."