The story begins with a young man working at an old bookstore in Beiping, who happens upon a mysterious set of manuscripts titled Records of Dust and Shadow at the End of Time. Their author is Yan Ke, a legendary figure of great renown during the Republican era, yet rarely mentioned in official histories. A refined collector, a newspaper editor, and a secret chronicler who moved between the common streets and the halls of power, he witnessed and recorded firsthand every inexplicable marvel of his age.
