By the window stood a young man, lean and tall, with short black hair.
He bore a striking resemblance to Kaizen, having high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and sharp black eyes that seemed to take everything in.
The only difference was the cane in his right hand, which he used as a crutch.
"Ahh my brother. You've finally woken up. I've waited a long time for this moment."
The young man smiled. His voice was soft, calm, and peaceful.
Unlike Kaizen who looked and acted like a reincarnation of chaotic mess, this young man was an existence which radiated nothing but serenity.
Kaizen felt a sense of dissociation as whatever was going on obviously belonged to the true owner of the body, not him. He wasn't supposed to be the recipient of such care.
Nonetheless, he displayed a clueless expression, which prompted the young man to introduce himself.
"I'm Adrian, the fourth prince, also your elder sibling. Of the emperor's five children, we're the only two born of the same mother.
"Even though you've been in a coma since birth, you were nurtured with countless treasures. You've grown just like anyone your age in body, cognitive capability, languages, and understanding of the world. Maybe just a bit more innocent, since you haven't lived it yourself.
"I'll have my attendants bring you some general information. It should help you get your bearings."
He paused, studying Kaizen for a moment.
"Do you need anything else?"
Kaizen thought for a moment before speaking.
"Safety?"
Something stirred within the deep black eyes of the serene Fourth Prince as he heard his younger brother's wish. He smiled faintly and nodded.
"I'll make sure you have it. Anything else?"
"Resources?"
The Fourth Prince tilted his head.
"Are you trying to practice a domain?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Tell my people what you need, and they'll see to it. On another note, Mother's already heard about your recovery, she'll be here soon."
His tone softened slightly.
"She's been under a lot of strain lately, so don't make any excessive requests. Given her nature, now that you're finally awake, she'll try to give you whatever you ask for, even if it hurts her. And none of us want that."
It seemed that the Fourth Prince had matters to attend to, as he left the room shortly after.
In the corridor, the faint tapping of his cane echoed against the marble floor. His subordinate softly whispered.
"Your highness, you seem… happy?"
A genuine smile touched Adrian's lips.
"Why wouldn't I be? My little brother made his first request to me. I should do my best to see it through."
In his current room, Kaizen took a seat on the sofa and browsed through the information he had received.
It took him nearly an hour to read through everything, after which he leaned back into the sofa.
Ahh… It really is the Nine Heavens cultivation world. I've transmigrated back to the past.
What exactly is going on? System, any ideas?
[Your cultivation world has most likely been punished. You remember the world you transmigrated to before this?]
One which was about to get an RPG-style power system?
[Yes. And as you might recall from that young man's memories, an RPG power system involves hunting beasts, completing quests, and all that nonsense.]
[Now, where do you think it would take place? Right here. People from that world will come to this one, to fight, to grow stronger, to "level up." Do you realize your predicament yet?]
Kaizen was silent for a long while before asking once again.
Did others of the Nine Heavens also get a system?
[What a stupid question. Is there any mention of it in the information you received from the Fourth Prince? A significantly important thing such as that would be on the first page of an information booklet everywhere. Only you have it among the residents of this world.]
How can I practice two domains?
How did I transmigrate?
How did I awaken an ability?
How —
[Shut the fuck up. I don't know the answer to those big questions, okay? Ask something small. Something I would know. C'mon, let me feel important.]
Kaizen took a deep breath and mentally conjured a middle finger before leaving the room.
[Hey hey hey, you'll regret this!]
Kaizen ignored the system and entered the busy streets again, returning to his room only after the daylight began fading away.
With his experience, Kaizen could sense the presence of several people shadowing him at all times.
The Fourth Prince's people? From the looks of it, they were there to ensure my safety. It seems he took my request seriously huh.
Despite his frail appearance and limited influence, he still made sure my wish was fulfilled.
One of the pieces of information he heard was related to the current political environment.
The emperor's grip on power was weak, prompting his children to begin their struggle for the throne long before his decline.
The first prince, the crown prince, commanded great wealth through his mother, a princess from a foreign power equal in might to the Aeonhart Empire.
The second prince held sway over the majority of the court; his mother was the empress, the emperor's official wife. The rest of the royal children were born of concubines.
The third princess commanded the empire's armies through her mother, the grand commander herself.
The fourth prince and his own mother, Katherine, was a daughter of a major merchant clan.
Although the merchant clan's wealth rivaled that of the first prince's maternal line, due to Katherine's feud with her father, who was the current head of that clan, she didn't have as much personal wealth at her disposal.
For reasons that remained unclear, Adrian had willingly renounced his claim to the throne.
People gossiped that he did it because he didn't see any hope of winning, which could be seen from the fact how weak and frail he looked.
Even his eyes never held any hint of fighting spirit, just a serene calmness of having accepted his fate and surrendered.
Kaizen exhaled softly.
I don't want to fight for this stupid throne either. I need to get stronger and quickly leave this planet to find my companion.
Judging by the timeline I put together from the various pieces of information, she should have already begun her cultivation.
As if to remind him that his priorities weren't simply limited to that, a system prompt appeared in his mind.
[Detected a successful connection.]
[Time left before players enter the world: 29 days.]