It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

......

The wealthy traveler who had unexpectedly gotten lost (Li Cheng claimed to be the traveler) was treated to a lavish meal by Susie's family—although their so-called lavish meal consisted of simply cooking the bread and porridge a little longer and adding a couple of handfuls of salt.

After dinner, Li Cheng took a bath in the river outside and changed into clean clothes. He lay on the smelly haystack but couldn't fall asleep.

He was pondering his next steps.

The fact that his body was dumped shows that no one except Edward knew for certain that he was dead, so he could easily have used an excuse, such as faking his death to escape.

However, Edward would definitely kill him once he found out he was still alive. No matter the era, a son murdering his father is a very serious crime. As long as the evidence is conclusive and there is a suitable opportunity, he can completely ruin Edward's reputation.

However, it's easier said than done. There are still many problems in practice... For example, who exactly is Edward's accomplice? What is his motive for doing this? And how can we prove that Edward was the one who poisoned the person and not someone else?

The second question, in particular, left Li Cheng utterly perplexed. He couldn't understand why Edward would take such a huge risk to kill his father, Charles II. It couldn't have been just to become king a couple of years earlier, could it?

Unfortunately, we have very few clues. I estimate that we'll be able to find out something once we get in touch with Veronica.

Although he was certain that Veronica and Edward were not in cahoots, Li Cheng still needed to carefully investigate the recent situation in London before contacting them, all under a covert identity.

Knock...knock...

Just as Li Cheng was planning his route, he suddenly heard a faint footstep, as if something had sneaked into his room.

!

Holy crap, is this for real? Did I get scammed? Am I going to be murdered and robbed?

Li Cheng immediately and nimbly jumped off the haystack, assuming a defensive stance and preparing to escape at any moment.

"Wow."

The black figure that had sneaked in was startled by Li Cheng; the exclamation indicated it was Susie.

"Susie? What are you doing here so late?"

Li Cheng looked at the country girl with some surprise, wondering what she was doing sneaking into his room so late at night.

"Of course, it's to do things that are inconvenient during the day."

Susie said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I've been waiting this long. Let's hurry while my parents are asleep."

???

Li Cheng immediately had a slightly inappropriate thought and was shocked—was this place really that open?

He coughed lightly twice, lowering his guard: "I don't think this is appropriate."

"Don't do that."

Susie gave her a pitiful look: "I've already let you stay at my house, so hurry up and perform a spell for me, anything you can do!"

"Perform magic?" Li Cheng was taken aback. "You came all this way at night just to have me perform magic?"

“Yeah,” Susie said, a little puzzled. “Otherwise, why would I call you so late at night? It’s because I’m afraid you’ll be discovered during the day.”

"......"

Li Cheng first reflected on his unhealthy thoughts for 30 seconds, and then began to wonder how Susie could have such a strong belief that he was a wizard. Although seeing the dead come back to life in front of him was indeed quite a shock to his worldview, well... it seems the reason has been found.

He apologized to the silly girl in his heart, and then said, "I really don't know magic, but if you don't mind, I can tell you about other interesting things—like a carriage that can run without horses, or a flying iron lump."

Li Cheng would never dare to spout such surreal things about anyone else, but Susie has spent her whole life in the countryside, so even if she told others, they would probably just listen to it as a story; on the other hand, her already fragile worldview had already been shattered by Li Cheng a few hours earlier, making it easier to reshape.

Susie was indeed curious and urged, "Okay, tell me quickly, I love hearing stories."

So the two of them sat on the pile of straw, and Li Cheng began to tell Susie about the technology of the other world. To put it simply, he was just bragging about how amazing it was. Sometimes, as he was bragging, he would even start talking about science fiction.

For example, in a place where three suns take turns rising in the sky, the people there will periodically dehydrate in order to survive...

Susie listened with great interest throughout. She had grown up in the countryside, and apart from her second uncle telling her stories about the outside world, she had only heard her father talk about werewolves and vampires to scare her—Susie had only learned about the concept of wizards herself.

But as she listened, she couldn't help but interject, "So, is all of this true?"

"Of course it's true." Li Cheng nodded seriously. Anyway, the other party couldn't verify whether it was true or false, and the Trisolarans couldn't possibly jump out to refute him.

"Could you let me take a look?"

"Um...it will be a few years. Come find me then, and I'll take you to see it."

"Isn't it possible now?"

"To be precise, it didn't work before." Li Cheng pointed to his head: "Now everything is inside."

Chapter 148 I'm Still Alive

The next day.

After thanking him for the hospitality, Li Cheng prepared to board a nearby merchant ship and travel downstream along the Thames.

At this time, land transportation still largely relied on the road system left by the Roman Empire. These ancient roads had existed for more than 1000 years since the Romans left, and had fallen into an absurd state of disrepair.

But just as he was about to board the ship, Susie, the lively brown-haired girl, hurried up from behind carrying a package.

"Wait for me!"

Susie finally reached Li Cheng, stopped, and gasped for breath, saying, "Huff...huff...you, why didn't you call me before you left?"

“You weren’t home at the time.”

Li Cheng answered the question first, then his gaze fell on the bag on her back, and he asked with some surprise, "You...are you going to London too?"

Susie finally caught her breath, stood up straight, and said expectantly, "Yes, I want to go outside with you to see all the new and interesting things you mentioned last night—we finally met a real wizard, I definitely want to go out and broaden my horizons with you."

Ever since witnessing Li Cheng's resurrection, the girl's worldview was quickly shattered and then reshaped, and she firmly believed that Li Cheng was a wizard.

Li Cheng felt a headache coming on after hearing this: "First of all, I have a name. Secondly, it's one thing if you like to shout like that when no one's around, but shouting like that in public places can cause trouble, you know? Finally, what about your parents? Are they just going to let you go with a stranger like that?"

Susie replied, “They initially refused, so I took out all the money you gave me and gave it to them—that money is enough for my parents to not have to work for a very, very long time.”

So it's my fault for giving too much... Li Cheng's lips twitched, and he tried to dissuade him: "Think carefully, don't impulsively go with a stranger, isn't it better to stay at home?"

Susie gave her a determined look: "I've thought it through. I've had enough of the village. All I do every day is work, work, work. Besides, my second uncle says I've always been good at judging people, and I think you must be a good person."

"..."

Li Cheng rubbed his temples: "So you're determined to come with me? It has to be me?"

Susiet looked at Li Cheng with admiration: "You are a wizard, following you is definitely the right thing to do."

Li Cheng was too lazy to correct her, and instead asked directly, "Why should I bring you along? What use are you?"

"what."

When Susie was asked this question, her expression quickly changed from admiration to bewilderment. It's likely that this girl's simple worldview had never considered the possibility of being rejected, just like how the protagonist in the story was never rejected by those white-bearded old men.

She lowered her head, lost in thought, but couldn't come up with anything after a long time. Finally, her voice quickly dropped: "Um, does it count if I can do laundry, cook, hoe the ground, grow vegetables, brush fur, and milk cows?"

Li Cheng's lips twitched: "You might be considered very talented in the village, but do you think I need these skills?"

Susie immediately became anxious: "But it must be inconvenient for you to go alone, you'll need an attendant, right?"

Li Cheng was taken aback: "Attendants?"

“Yes, an attendant!” Susie said quickly, seeing an opening. “Think about it, you can’t do all the little things yourself, like carrying things, relaying messages, and tidying up rooms, can you?”

Li Cheng had never considered bringing Susie along, but after hearing this, and considering that he would be unable to personally appear in many matters during his upcoming trip to London, he realized he did need a trustworthy helper who wouldn't be associated with him.

He began to scrutinize Susie: she was a typical English country girl with brown, wavy hair and bright grey eyes, and a few freckles on the tip of her nose, but they were so light that they could easily be overlooked at first glance.

At this moment, she felt a certain impulse because of the chat last night, and longed to go out into the world with Li Cheng, this 'wizard'.

"Hmm, although he might not be the sharpest tool in the book, he should be reliable enough..." Li Cheng nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. I do need an assistant for the next period of time. You can come along for now."

Susie immediately perked up again: "Right, right? I knew you'd need a helper. Then let's go together from now on."

However, looking at Susie's happy face, Li Cheng suddenly fell into deep thought... Something felt off. He'd only known this girl for one night, right? How did she get snatched away so easily...?

------

We traveled downstream by boat and completed the journey that was supposed to take a whole day in just half a morning, arriving in London without incident.

More than a month has passed, and on the surface, London doesn't seem to have changed much. The shops and vendors along the streets are still bustling with activity, as if nothing has happened.

Susie was dazzled by what she saw, exclaiming in surprise at every turn, and tugging at Li Cheng's arm every now and then, asking all sorts of questions, just like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time—well, this girl really was visiting the city for the first time, so it's not surprising.

"Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes, that woman over there is dressed very scantily."

"Sherlock Holmes, where are we going now?"

"Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes..."

Because Susie was so noisy, Li Cheng began to doubt whether he had made a mistake in his decision—could this girl really be of any help? What if they were arrested by the guards halfway through because they were too noisy, and they were taken in to verify their identities?

However, since they've already come all the way to London, it's not a good idea to send them away. If Susie goes back alone, she might get sold off.

So Li Cheng put up with Susie's nagging, took her to the hotel to register two rooms, and then began to work on the next step of the plan.

While he was on the ship, he made some inquiries and learned some unpleasant news.

In the past month, Charles II died from an overdose of medication during a tooth extraction, and his doctor, Arnold, committed suicide out of excessive guilt. Prince Edward then ascended the throne... well, perhaps he should be called Edward VII now.

It must be said that he did a very good job, and the method he chose was also very clever. He successfully concealed the truth from everyone. Even if someone occasionally suspected that Charles II's death was too accidental, it would be difficult to suspect Edward VII, his only son.

Unfortunately, there was one person who remembered what he did.

At this moment, Li Cheng's expression was calm, but a fire was burning inside him.

boom--

Just then, the door, which wasn't fully closed, was pushed open forcefully and slammed against the wall with a loud thud. The one who did it was a brown-haired girl.

Susie shouted enthusiastically, "I've packed my things! When's dinner?"

The emotions he had been building up vanished instantly. Li Cheng rubbed his temples in exasperation, regretting once again why he had impulsively agreed to bring the equipment—this was the third time today that he had felt a headache coming on.

"Never mind, I'll just make do with this..." Li Cheng muttered a few words of self-hypnosis to himself, then pointed to the chair in front of him: "Go sit down there."

Susie immediately sat down in the chair and asked, "And then?"

"Then I need to tell you some things that you must know as my assistant."

Li Cheng made his expression serious to deepen the impression of his words on the other party: "Listen carefully, I have an enemy in London. Although he doesn't know I'm here now, once he finds out, he will do everything he can to kill me."

"Enemies?"

Susie was a little surprised: "Who is that person? An enemy that even you are afraid of?"

Li Cheng waved his hand: "You don't need to worry about that. In short, you need to be careful to hide yourself. I'm telling you to be discreet when you do things, so that no one finds out that I'm involved."