The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 2: Chapter 2: A Most Peculiar Introduction

Read chapter 2 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 2: A Most Peculiar Introduction Never in his wildest imagination did Lucius ever expect to be thrown into such a bizarre course of events, but he wasn’t startled. Life was unpredictable after all. Who knew what future awaited them? The strange and irregular, to be brought outside one’s zone of comfort… that was what made living all the more entertaining. It was a shame he had to part with his lovely flowers back home; however, who was there to say he couldn’t return? You never know what just might happen, and towards this curious situation he fostered a bubbling sense of excitement. Lucius stood up, dusted off his attire (he so abhorred to look messy), and looked around his newfound destination. The space was pure white far as the eye could see: unblemished, blinding, with no perceivable end. There was no floor below him, nor was there sky to greet him. All was simply white. All, except for a panel that levitated right in front of his face. >[Welcome, Lucius Rose. Your orientation will begin shortly. Please be patient, there are currently 4,938,873,362 players ahead of you waiting in line]< “Player?” Lucius said aloud to himself. He couldn’t help it; he very much enjoyed the sound of his own voice. “What a peculiar little display. Is this magic? God, perhaps? I do believe I’ve read something similar in my books before: Alice in Wonderland. Chronicles of Narnia. Oh, to be whisked away onto a whimsical adventure! How surprising for it to happen so late into my life, but what is this player business? Are we going to partake in a billion-wide game of poker?” Before Lucius could wonder any further, the space around him began to change. The white collapsed into itself, giving way for a harsh room of stone and muted grey to unfold before him. What was most interesting, however, was that he was not alone. Three other people seemed to appear right out of thin air. The first was a large, burly, and balding older man with the build of a brick house and the attire of a mobster: a charcoal pinstripe suit, silk suspenders, and black dress shoes. He looked italian. “God help me,” the man muttered, reaching into his pantsuit and pulling out a cigar. “Now I’ve seen everything. Jesus, just what’s happening to the world?” The second was a younger asian looking woman, perhaps Japanese, who wore an exceedingly stylish outfit that looked to be a combination of a fur coat and the jacket of a punk-metal rockstar. It was flamboyant, strikingly yellow, and matched her wild frizzy hair. She also held an electric guitar in her hands. How the young lady managed to keep her grip onto it despite being sucked into the air was a mystery. “Huh? The heck is this!?” She shouted with a powerful, booming voice - like thunder. “Aw crud, my manager’s gonna kill me. Where’d the concert go? The people? MY FANS!?” The last one was… a very boring looking gent: slim and with a gloomy presence. He had glasses that seemed to muddle his eyes, unkempt hair, and appeared no different from an ordinary office worker. If one were to see him amongst a crowd, their eyes would pass by without a second thought. Out of the current company, however, he was the most composed: perhaps even a little excited. “Yes… yes, yes!” He pumped his fist and celebrated, fidgeting in place with an awkward manner one couldn’t help but feel a little repelled by. “Sayonara, you office assholes! Goodbye shitty old life! I knew reading all those webnovels would pay off eventually. What’s it gonna be? Isekai? System Apocalypse? Doesn’t matter, I’m going to thrive either way. I’ll stand at the very top!” Eventually, they all began to settle down. Everyone was wary at first, a few nervous side-glances here and there, but Lucius took the chance to break the ice by strolling over to the awkward man. “Hello there, Mister…?” Lucius said. The man flinched and stepped back, eyeing him with a distrustful gaze. He quickly composed himself, though, and coughed: puffing up his chest and donning an air of brav