Those time travelers that year

The path on the mountainside is difficult to traverse; both snow and mud can easily cause a careless traveler to slip and fall. And on this mountain, once you slip, you are very likely to tumble all the way down the mountain, at which point no one can save you.

Similarly, this desolate wilderness is not friendly to many travelers. Hidden among the trees and rocks, wolves roam the area unpredictably. These predators, roaming the wilderness, are not friendly to humans; when food is scarce, they will even attack passing travelers or human settlements.

These wolves roamed among the trees and rocks, coldly observing the surroundings. Once they spotted a target, they would pounce in packs. This time, the wolves had found their target again: a human. In Skyrim, humans were not to be trifled with, for the Nords were the permanent inhabitants. The Nords, who had maintained a martial tradition, especially those who grew up in a harsh environment, were not weaklings. It could be said that everyone in Skyrim, men and women alike, possessed martial prowess.

Every Nord who goes out carries a sword or dagger with him. These weapons, crafted by human ingenuity, can easily tear open the fur of any wolf. Heavy weapons such as two-handed swords, two-handed warhammers, and two-handed battle axes can easily cleave an adult wolf in two.

If they could, wolves would not choose to attack humans, but unfortunately, in the skies, survival or extinction is not a choice any species can make. Thus, every year there are reports of people being attacked and killed by wolves in various places, and wolf pelts are often seen for sale in human-owned shops.

The wolves had been having a run of bad luck lately; hunting wasn't enough to feed the entire pack, and prey was becoming increasingly scarce. Desperate, they decided to attack the nearest human village, but faced with well-prepared humans, the wolves were forced to flee after losing half their lives.

Although nearly half their numbers have been lost, food remains scarce. So now, these wolves are forced to make a choice for their survival. One human might not be enough to feed all the wolves, but at least it could keep them alive a little longer. But now, these hidden wolves hesitate, watching the human walk through the forest.

The reason for the hesitation was that the human was riding a huge cave bear. Cave bears and wolf packs are both competitors for survival in the wild. Compared to a wolf pack, a cave bear is far too large. With its thick hide and tough flesh, a cave bear could easily defeat a wolf pack. Unless the wolf pack has a population of double digits, they would not choose to provoke a cave bear.

However, after attacking a human village not long ago, the wolf pack has been drastically reduced, and now there are fewer than ten left. Facing a cave bear with such a small number would be extremely dangerous.

But hunger tormented the beasts, and the wolf pack finally decided to take the risk and attack the human riding on a cave bear. The wolves gradually surrounded the man and the bear, using the shadows of the rocks and trees to their advantage, approaching stealthily.

They were in, they were in! The wolf pack had surrounded the man and the bear. All the wolves were ready to leap out of the shadows and pounce on the human sitting on the bear's back. They would tear the human's body apart with their sharp teeth and flesh and devour him.

However, just as the wolves were about to launch their attack, an unexpected event occurred.

A thunderous roar echoed from the sky.

A roar that ripped through the sky resounded across the entire heavens, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure. A pressure surpassing all mortal beings descended as the black figure descended from the sky. In ancient times, these creatures soared above the world, and all living things below were their prey. They possessed writing and culture, but brutality was etched into their very souls.

With the sky as their stage, these creatures once controlled the entire world, and both mountains and plains were their territories.

They have bodies larger than mammoths, scales harder than steel, bodies strong enough to shatter rocks, and roars with extraordinary power that can shake mountains, summon wind and rain, split the sky and pierce clouds, and even spread death and heal life. Time itself seems to stand still in their roars.

Their souls are immortal, like those of the Holy Spirit; they are the embodiment of power and terror. The ancient Nords worshipped these beings with fervor, yet also harbored a deep-seated fear of them.

They are—Dragons.

All life under the sky fell silent at this moment, staring at the figure in the sky with fearful eyes. The entire forest fell silent. Whether it was the wolf pack that was about to attack or the cave bear that was being controlled, they all froze in place and trembled.

The black dragon in the sky paid no heed to the lowly creatures below. It flapped its wings and soared through the sky toward the distant mountains.

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The fear that originated from his very soul made Charles stare intently at the black dragon. Only after the black dragon disappeared into the distance did Charles gasp for breath, still shaken by the experience.

Before encountering such a creature, no one could imagine how terrifying this being, existing only in stories, truly was. Only when facing a dragon in person did one realize that the descriptions of dragons in poems and tales were utterly ridiculous. Just how powerful must a human be to be able to decapitate these creatures with mere mortal flesh?

“…Alduin…” Charles muttered the name. “A game is just a game after all!? The world-devourer of the real world…” Charles closed his eyes, recalling the image of the black dragon flying across the sky, and sighed deeply, “How could it be that kind of lizard in the game that only bites people and breathes fire!”

Alduin, the Eater of Worlds, is the most powerful dragon in the entire Elder Scrolls series. He claims to be the eldest son of Akatosh, the god of time, and possesses an immortal body and soul. His true identity is one of Akatosh's avatars, whose duty is to devour worlds at the end of time, representing the end of time itself.

Because the ancient Nords fanatically worshipped the doctrines of the Dragon Cult, venerating Alduin as their ruler, and because the Dragon Cult held a very high position among the Nords, most Nords adhered to its teachings. This distorted belief influenced and bound Alduin, making him want to be a ruler, not a destroyer.

Thus, in ancient times, Alduin, the god who originally served as the world devourer and the end of time, fell into the form of a slightly more powerful dragon, namely Alduin the dragon, and lost his divinity and divine authority.

Even after falling from godhood to mortal, Alduin remained immortal and eternal. No matter how powerful the mortal heroes, they could never defeat Alduin, who was once a god. All magic and swords were useless against him. This was a mistake. Everything has a beginning and an end. Therefore, to correct this mistake, the God of Time created Miraak, the first Dragonborn. Only the Dragonborn could truly kill the immortal souls of dragons, only the Dragonborn could destroy Alduin's physical body, freeing him from the constraints of faith and allowing him to return to his divine form. However, Miraak abandoned his duty to defeat Alduin, which was a key factor in why Alduin was not ultimately defeated during the Dragon Wars.

During the Dragon Wars, Alduin fought three Nord warriors—Hakon the One-Eyed, Glalas the Golden-Sheathed, and Fideil the Old Man—at the Throat of the World. Although the three used their self-invented dragon roar, "Dragon Slash," to restrain Alduin's power, Alduin still gained the upper hand and killed Glalas the Golden-Sheathed.

None of them were Dragonborn, so they couldn't truly defeat Alduin. Ultimately, just as Harkon and his companions were about to be defeated, the old man Fideel used a pre-prepared Elder Scroll to banish the dragon Alduin, sending him to a point in the future. The prophecy stated that Alduin would one day return to Nirn, and at the same time, the last Dragonborn would appear to fulfill their destiny of defeating Alduin.

13. The Dark Side of The Elder Scrolls

The entire storyline of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an epic tale of heroes, and the infamous Dragonborn, the notorious scourge of Skyrim, is entangled with a host of behind-the-scenes forces. Didn't you see? The moment the Dragonborn arrived in Skyrim, the Daedric Lords were already eager to seduce and promote him. Why? Because during the Oblivion Crisis, the Daedric Lord Dagon, who had descended to Earth, was defeated and sent back to Hell by a Dragonborn. To put it another way, the one who sacrificed himself to send Dagon back to Hell can only be considered a descendant of the Dragonborn, not necessarily a true Dragonborn.

And Zhua Genbao is indeed a genuine descendant of the dragon.

From a business perspective, this is clearly a good investment opportunity, isn't it? So, Skyrim is in trouble now, and the most unfortunate are the undead dwelling in the underground ruins and the outlaws of Skyrim. Let's mourn for them…

If Charles remembered correctly, the black dragon that had just soared into the sky was none other than the infamous World Eater—Alduin, an immortal and indestructible dragon. And Alduin's return coincidentally saved his destined enemy. He hadn't thought much of it before, but now, Charles felt it was far too coincidental; who knew what hidden forces were at play behind the scenes?

Alduin, now back in action, is resurrecting dead dragons all over Skyrim. Then, the Dragonborn eagerly rush off to slay dragons... To this, all I can say is, Alduin, you're far too diligent! Don't you know that without dragon slaying, where will the Dragonborn get dragon souls to level up and learn dragon shouts?!

……

The dragon's power was immense, especially since that dragon was very likely the final boss of the main storyline. After the dragon swept across the sky over this area, the forest below, after a brief silence, erupted into chaos. Herbivores and carnivores alike, whether flying or running, all scattered and fled in disarray.

The wolves that had been trying to attack Sharl all turned tail and ran without looking back. However, Sharl had no intention of dealing with the wolves now. He found a mount, and the cave bear became flustered. Although the poor cave bear was considered a top predator in the skies, facing a dragon was no match for it!

Even Charles was astonished. The black dragon, with merely a casual display of its dragon might, had overwhelmed the cave bear afflicted with the Imperius Curse, forcing it to break free of the curse's control through fear. This was completely beyond Charles's expectations. The Imperius Curse could be broken through fear? How could the wizards of the Harry Potter world possibly accept this? They were no match for even a beast…

Now, he's innocently being dragged around aimlessly by the terrified bear.

"Damn it! Stop!" The cave bear, which had taken off running, ignored Charles's shouts as he clung tightly to its fur on its back. In fact, the cave bear wasn't thinking about anything else at the moment; it was simply running away out of sheer fear.

This was hardly a good thing for Charles. The charging bear was moving at a speed disproportionate to its size, making Charles feel as if he were riding on a car that had lost its brakes and was hurtling away. This feeling was bad, and what was worse was that they were on a mountain road, and this bear was clearly not an AE86…

After nearly being thrown off for the third time, Charles finally steadied himself, then took out his wand and used the Imperius Charm on the cave bear once more, finally calming the bear down as it ran wildly in fear.

……

Skyrim is dotted with countless roads, and these aren't the muddy paths worn smooth by countless footsteps, but genuine stone roads. It's a mystery how the ancient Nords managed to do this; these stone roads have survived countless ages. Therefore, although food is scarce in Skyrim due to its harsh environment, transportation is remarkably efficient. This explains why the Imperial Army and the rebels, despite their widespread campaigns across Skyrim, have made little progress.

Because the roads are so good, advancing has become very easy, and now they are locked in a stalemate.

In fact, the fact that a world with a culture stuck at the medieval level possessed such engineering skills truly surprised Sharl. However, upon reflection, it wasn't surprising given that this was a real magical world. Moreover, didn't the vast number of ruins filled with ghouls beneath Skyrim prove the incredible architectural skills of the ancient Nords? Besides, there were also dwarven ruins with advanced technology.

After calming the cave bear down, Charles quickly rode it to a rocky road. By the roadside, he saw some piles of stones that had been deliberately piled up, with a tattered cloth on top of them fluttering in the wind.

Obviously, wild animals wouldn't pave roads in their habitat, just as goats wouldn't lay stones on roads to prevent their hooves from sinking into the mud. Even more conspicuously, a road sign was kindly erected at the fork in the road.

This indicates that Xia Er has now left the wilderness and is approaching the civilized areas of this world. He jumped off the bear's back; although the journey had been somewhat bumpy, at least Xia Er no longer needed to rely on his own feet to travel through the mountains.

Patting the cave bear on the head, Charles said, "You've worked hard!" He then released the Soul-Stealing Curse that was controlling the cave bear.

After the spell's power dissipated, the cave bear snapped out of its dazed state. This bear, which had had such a bad day, blinked its small eyes blankly at the human before it, now free from the curse.

At this moment, the cave bear was confused, completely bewildered by what had happened. Normally, upon seeing humans, it would fearlessly charge forward and confront them, but for some reason, the cave bear froze in place, not even understanding why.

In short, sensing something was amiss, the cave bear ultimately couldn't muster the courage to attack Sharl. Instead, it turned around, wiggling its large rear end, and dashed off towards the forest.

"I wonder where the plot is at?" Charles didn't care about a bear's thoughts. For him, the primary goal of coming to the world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was to find and learn about the magic of this world. Next, what was more important to him was how to make enchanted equipment. In addition, the advanced technology in the dwarven ruins also interested Charles.

As for the Elder Scrolls and the Dragonborn, those are sensitive topics that Sharl doesn't intend to deal with. Acquiring these items involves far too many things; it's best to avoid them if possible.

The most direct way to achieve your goal is to go to Winterhold, where the magic academy is located in the entire province of Skyrim.

14. Guardian Stone

Riverwood is nestled in the forest below the peaks of Coldfall, built along a clear stream and surrounded by tall fir trees. Geographically, Riverwood falls under the control of Whiterun and belongs to Lord Balgruuf the Mighty. Although Helgen is the closest town to the city, it serves more as a military fortress than a city.

The town had simple fortifications. A stone wall, nearly seven meters high, surrounded the town, with an arrow tower built into it. This defense, which seemed utterly rudimentary to Charles, was sufficient to protect the town's inhabitants from wild beasts and roaming bandits in a medieval world. At least the wild animals wouldn't be foolish enough to try and breach the stone wall, and any bandits attempting to attack the town would only suffer heavy losses.

Looking down from the high ground towards the town, it appeared peaceful and serene. The war in Skyrim seemed to have had little impact on this town, at least on the surface. This was thanks to the lord of Whiterun, who had maintained neutrality throughout the civil war, but who knew how long this could last? Moreover, beyond these mortal battles, the Daedric Princes had their sights set on Skyrim, for here, the return of the Eater of Worlds would bring forth the final Dragonborn.

……

Along both sides of the road, wildflowers and lavender were in full bloom, their vibrant colors seemingly unaffected by the cold weather. After seeing the road sign at the fork in the road, Xiaer bid farewell to the unlucky cave bear. This bear was truly unlucky; its misfortune began after encountering Xiaer. First, it was unwittingly controlled and became his mount, then it was inexplicably terrified by the dragon's might emanating from a black dragon flying overhead, completely losing its dignity as a top predator in this forest.

But the cave bear's bad luck finally ended. After seeing the road sign, Sharl immediately released the cave bear from its control, and the cave bear was finally able to run back into the forest in a flash.

After seeing the road sign, Xia Er followed the text and headed down the mountain. He had released the cave bear earlier primarily to avoid causing panic. In modern society, a bear running into the street would cause a major disturbance, let alone in this medieval fantasy world.

Not far along, Shire stood atop the hill, gazing into the distance at the famous Riverwood from the game. The reason this town, which would be considered an extremely impoverished village even in modern times, is famous is because it's the first town the game character encounters on their journey (excluding Helgen, which was burned to the ground).

Besides being famous for its location, Riverwood is also known for harboring a Blademaster, but this Blademaster is not the same as the one in the story. The Blademasters who live in seclusion here are actually dedicated to destroying dragons. They were founded during the Dragonborn dynasty, originally as the guards of the Septim royal family. At their peak, their members were spread throughout the continent. However, after the last member of the Septim royal family sacrificed himself, the Blademasters gradually declined. The royal families of the new empire did not trust them, and coupled with the signing of the Platinum Pact and the suppression and persecution by the High Elves, this organization that had lasted for several eras finally fell into decline.

However, the Blademaster was equally useless to Sharl! First, he didn't want to get involved in the Dragonborn's wreaking havoc; second, he especially didn't want to be targeted by the demons eyeing the Dragonborn. In Sharl's view, his main purpose in coming to this world was to acquire magical knowledge, especially healing spells. Additionally, he wanted to learn how to craft enchanted equipment, and if he was lucky, perhaps even collect dragon lich masks and various staves.

Other things were really not in Shire's plan. Of course, some extra gains were possible, such as the three strange rocks next to where Shire looked out over Riverwood.

The three stones are identical, in every way—height, length, and width—except for the carvings on them. One stone depicts a valiant warrior, another a cloaked thief, and the last a robed mage.

These are Guardian Stones, a specialty of Skyrim. There are 13 in total, each with different abilities and uses. In the game, some can grant a buff, while others can grant a skill that can only be used once a day. Some are incredibly powerful, while others are practically useless.

However, having played the game, Sharl knew that the three Guardian Stones near Riverwood, which could be considered a beginner's map, were quite useful. Therefore, Sharl was quite interested in the principles and functions of these Guardian Stones.

Looking around at the three stones, I realized that in the game, these three stones correspond to combat skills, stealth skills, and magic skills. The buff effect is to increase the speed of skill experience growth by 30%, but whether it works in reality remains to be seen.

Charles first placed his hand on the Warrior Stone, which represented combat skills... Well, there was absolutely no reaction...

“Well, that makes sense.” Charles muttered, “I’m not one of those DIO’s lowly warriors… Although I’m not a sorcerer who’s the favorite daughter of the D&D community, according to the rules of D&D, I’m still a spellcaster, and I can completely look down on those DIO’s lowly warriors.”

“In that case, the Thief’s Stone won’t work either…” Sharl removed his hand from the Warrior’s Stone and placed it on the other side. The Thief’s Stone, which represented the stealth skill, did not react as expected.

"As expected, I told you so! I'm a spellcaster, after all, and I'm related to the mage..." Charles raised his eyebrows and lifted his hand from the Thief's Stone, finally placing it on the Mage's Stone, which represented magical skills, hoping that, just like in the game, the stone would light up with a beam of blue light shooting straight into the sky.

...A minute passed...

...Two minutes passed...

...Three minutes passed...

"This is outrageous! This is ridiculous!" Charles pulled his hand down in dissatisfaction. "The discrimination is too obvious! A Dragonborn can light up just by touching it, why can't I?" Resisting the urge to blast the three stones with a Shattering Charm, Charles began to examine them closely.

Warrior, rogue, and mage—these correspond to three different classes, three different paths. Warriors are brave and fierce, rogues ambush from behind, and mages manipulate magic. The former consume stamina in the game, while the latter consumes mana...

Wait... blue bar!! ???

"It can't be... like this!?" Charles reached out and placed his hand on the Mage Stone once again. This time, after placing his hand on the Mage Stone, Charles channeled magic power into it.

A deep blue light shone from the cracks in the Mage Stone, and the runes engraved on the stone emitted a dazzling light. A visible beam of light shot up from the top of the Mage Stone, instantly traversing the sky and connecting with a star that had appeared in the daytime.

15. Riverwood

In ancient times, both Eastern and Western civilizations believed that stars reflected the trajectory of fate. However, in modern science, stars are merely insignificant spheres floating in a world called the universe, just like Earth. Some stars may be countless times larger than Earth, but compared to the Milky Way, which spans countless light-years, planets are just insignificant specks of dust. And to the universe, the Milky Way is also just dust.

However, in mysticism, those stars do indeed illuminate the trajectory of destiny. Both Eastern stargazing and Western astronomy involve supernatural forces within mysticism. Although their developments differ, they all implicitly acknowledge that the stars influence a person's fate.

Although Ciel had entered the world of mysticism, he still held a somewhat skeptical attitude towards concepts like fate and prophecy. Whether it was the Harry Potter world or the Elder Scrolls world, both involved prophecy and fate, but without firsthand experience, Ciel remained skeptical.

But now, Charles felt that perhaps fate wasn't some ethereal thing after all. After placing his hand on the Mage Stone and channeling magic into it, accompanied by a blue beam of light shooting into the sky and a star appearing on the horizon that connected with the blue beam, Charles inexplicably felt as if something had been touched.

Something had connected him to himself, and although he didn't know why, Ciel subconsciously felt that this was a good thing... It was like he'd been given a buff!!!

"30% increase in magic skill experience gain... It wouldn't be like this in real life, would it!? I don't have the skill tree from Skyrim..." The blue beam of light connected to a star in the sky, but it only lasted for a little over a minute before it dissipated. The star in the sky disappeared, and the Magestone dimmed, turning back into an ordinary stone.

Charles could only vaguely sense that this was beneficial to him...

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Riverwood is a quiet and peaceful town, famous for its excellent timber and various mountain products. For a long time, Riverwood has been nestled peacefully in the forest. Even now, with the Imperial Army and the Stormcloaks fighting fiercely in various parts of Skyrim, this insignificant town remains unaffected.

But how long can this peace last?