March 18th was the birthday of a certain university student named Wang Xiaoming, and as expected, apart from a call from his mother, there were no other birthday wishes.
This was not the first time he had spent his birthday alone; he had long since grown accustomed to it.
"Oh God, if you can hear me, please send me to a world full of light." He silently made this wish in his heart… Well, actually, that was a joke. He never blew out candles; when he opened a cake box, he just started eating. He wasn't some wishy-washy woman.
Perhaps as punishment for all his complaints, God sent down a bolt of lightning that directly struck through his dorm building, which daily shed plaster, leaked water, and was damp and gloomy.
The lucky Wang Xiaoming was thus reincarnated into another world and became a brave hero… No, he became a brave young man.
Opening his eyes, what greeted him was a greasy, shadowy uncle's face. The man was looking at him with concern, and his prominent hooked nose and terrifying underbite made Wang Xiaoming feel a chill in his heart.
"Laszlo, are you feeling better?" the uncle asked in as gentle a tone as possible.
Laszlo felt dizzy, but he still nodded, secretly feeling strange in his heart.
What the other person said was clearly not Chinese, nor did it sound like English. It sounded like German, but it didn't feel as harsh. Anyway, he understood it.
"Welcome to 1455, dear time traveler. In this worldline, Constantinople fell in December 1454, just four months ago. Now you have finally bid farewell to the 'dark' Middle Ages, and welcome to the bright new era!"
An AI's voice came from his ear, a flat, emotionless reading. Also, this cold joke wasn't funny.
Poor Constantinople, was it destined to fall in every world?
Laszlo's expression stiffened. When he looked at the person in front of him again, a string of information inexplicably appeared in his mind.
"Character: Frederick V, Archduke of Inner Austria."
"Identity: Regent of Austria, your paternal uncle and educator."
"Attitude: Trust (blood relative)."
"Abilities: Administration 2, Diplomacy 5, Military 1."
Looking at these familiar yet strange values, Laszlo, who had over a thousand hours in EU4, was stunned.
2, 5, 1, such abstract panel data, who could it be?
It's so hard to guess, don't you think? The useless Emperor Frederick the Third?
Seeing his little nephew remain silent, Frederick was anxious.
Could this little fellow have been knocked silly by the fall? What if the Emperor blamed him? What then?
Today was supposed to be the Crown Prince's coming-of-age day, and he had specifically arranged a parade. Who knew that an assassin would suddenly dart out from a dark corner and try to assassinate Laszlo?
Fortunately, he ultimately failed, but such an action caused Laszlo to be startled and fall from his horse, landing headfirst, and he had been unconscious until now.
The good news was that the fallen Crown Prince had woken up. The bad news was that he seemed to have been knocked silly.
Fortunately, at this moment, Laszlo, who had barely grasped the situation, spoke up.
"Dear uncle, what happened to me?"
"Phew, you still recognize me? That's great, thank God." Frederick let out a long breath, then rubbed Laszlo's head and said, "You were targeted by a rat from a dark corner. Fortunately, no great disaster occurred. Your father is rushing to Vienna. You'll be able to see him in two days."
Laszlo's eyes widened slightly, revealing a clear stupidity.
In reality, he had already begun a brainstorm.
"If he is Frederick, then am I not Laszlo the Posthumous? Who is Laszlo's father? It's Albrecht II. He is the German King, the uncrowned Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary, King of Croatia, and King of Bohemia. So many titles are dazzling… Although a large portion of them were obtained through marriage. Ahem, that's not the point. The question is, shouldn't he have died of illness in 1439, before Laszlo was born, on the front lines against the Ottomans invasion? Did that voice just mention that it should be 1455 now? Albrecht is still alive in 1455? This is the most wonderful start ever!"
Laszlo already had a plan in mind. If the old Emperor Albrecht II truly lived until this time, his life as the sole heir would be comfortable. However, it was also possible that his father had left behind a mess.
But this start was far better than the ill-fated Laszlo V, the Posthumous, in history.
"Is that so? I'm really looking forward to it."
Laszlo quickly accepted his current situation of having transmigrated into a parallel world.
He was truly looking forward to meeting his cheap father, who had secured the thrones of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia through his lower body. He was simply a legendary figure. If it weren't for his bad luck and early death, the course of history would definitely have changed drastically.
Frederick could understand his nephew's eagerness to see his father. Seeing Laszlo safe and sound, he also relaxed and joked, "There's something even more worth looking forward to. As far as I know, a ship set sail from distant Aragon not long ago."
"Huh?" Laszlo made a pure, villager-like sound. He should be in Austria now, right? How did he get involved with the Kingdom of Aragon, which was far away on the Iberian Peninsula?
Frederick laughed, "You haven't even forgotten about your own marriage, have you? Your future wife, I hear, is a renowned beauty."
There's such a good thing? Laszlo's heart brightened, but he didn't pay too much attention to it.
He had transmigrated and became Laszlo with a heaven-sent start. How could he just think about finding a wife and living a stable life, like in his previous life?
Compared to a beauty, conquering the world was more in line with his interests.
However, what concerned him more was the crisis that had already appeared.
"Uncle Frederick, do you have any information about the assassin?" Laszlo carefully observed Frederick's reaction. This guy was no more trustworthy than anyone else; in fact, he had a motive for the crime.
Frederick's expression didn't change at all as he explained to Laszlo, "That Hungarian who attempted the assassination took his own life after failing. Dying like that was too easy for him."
"A Hungarian?" Laszlo fell into thought. This clue was almost useless.
Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia—there were people everywhere who wanted to kill him.
For now, it was better to wait for his cheap father, Albrecht, to return and meet him before discussing further.
"Uncle, how much longer until my Imperial Father arrives in Vienna?"
To his surprise, Frederick looked at Laszlo with a hint of worry, and after a moment, he slowly said, "Laszlo, listen to me. Your father, this time he returns, he might… You need to be mentally prepared."
"???" Laszlo looked bewildered. Wasn't everything fine before? How did the topic suddenly become so heavy? What exactly happened to Albrecht II?
The originally excellent situation seemed to be clouded by a new shadow.