The story begins with Zhou Mingrui experiencing excruciating head pain, shattering a gaudy dream. He finds himself unable to move, trapped in a state between sleep and wakefulness. He considers the possibility of a cerebral hemorrhage and desperately tries to wake up.
As the pain subsides slightly, Zhou Mingrui manages to move and open his eyes. His vision is initially blurred by a faint crimson red. He sees a sturdy wooden study desk with an open notebook titled in strange, deep black lettering. To the left are neatly stacked books, and to the right, grayish-white pipes with wall lamps.
The lamp has a classical Western style. Diagonally beneath it is a black ink bottle with a pale red glow, its surface embossed with a blurry angel. In front of the ink bottle, to the right of the notebook, is a dark-colored pen and a brass revolver.
The sight of the gun shocks Zhou Mingrui, as the objects are unfamiliar. He realizes the desk and items are bathed in a crimson light emanating from the window. Looking up, he sees a crimson moon hanging in a "black velvet" sky.
An inexplicable horror grips Zhou Mingrui, and he stands up abruptly, only for the throbbing pain in his head to return, causing him to fall back onto the chair. He stands again and frantically surveys the room.
The room is small, with brown doors on opposite sides. A low wooden bed is against one wall, and a cabinet with open doors and five drawers is between the bed and the left door. A grayish-white pipe connects to a strange mechanical device with exposed gears. A coal stove and kitchen utensils are in the right corner near the table. Across from the right door is a cracked dressing mirror with a plain wooden frame.
Looking in the mirror, Zhou Mingrui sees himself: black hair, brown eyes, a linen shirt, a thin build, average features, and a deep outline. He gasps, realizing the ancient European-style revolver and the unusual crimson moon can only mean one thing – he might have transmigrated.
Having read web novels, the idea isn't entirely foreign, but the reality is hard to accept. He curses his "love of fantasy" while trying to remain calm despite the throbbing headache. Memories begin to surface: he is Klein Moretti, a history graduate from the Loen Kingdom's Tingen City. His father, an Imperial Army sergeant, died in a colonial war. His mother, a devotee of the Evernight Goddess, passed away recently. He has an elder brother and a younger sister, and their family is supported by his brother's clerk job. As a history graduate, Klein knows ancient Feysac and Hermes languages.
The mention of Hermes triggers Zhou Mingrui's attention to the open notebook. The strange black lettering shifts and becomes readable – it's written in Hermes: "Everyone will die, including me."
A sudden horror grips Zhou Mingrui, and he recoils from the notebook. He feels a turbulent energy in the air, like faint whispers. Shaking his head, he tries to regain his composure. His gaze falls on the brass revolver, and he wonders how Klein's family could afford it.
Lost in thought, he notices a deep red handprint on the side of the table, darker than the moonlight. He looks at his right hand, which was holding the table, and sees it covered in blood. The throbbing headache persists.
Zhou Mingrui turns towards the cracked dressing mirror to examine himself. He sees a black-haired, average-built man with brown eyes – Klein Moretti. He moves closer to the mirror and, using the crimson moonlight, examines his forehead. He sees a grotesque wound at his temple with burn marks and grayish-white brain matter slowly oozing out.