Chapter 14

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“No matter when I come, your place is awe-inspiring,” Valia exclaimed as she looked around and took another bite of salad with a happy expression.

“Yum, it’s good.”

Lin Suo’s Rhein bookstore had gone through a month of renovation. He had devised a new stable Logical Synthesis plan, and made many pieces of the furniture himself, like the sofa, coffee table, and glassware. He used his power of syntheses to cheat in every aspect of his life, making the place look at least 50% modern, which suited his habits.

Placed in Koster, a bustling port city with heavy human traffic, his place was average compared to other transcendent buildings in terms of attractiveness.

“Valia, I heard that the Language of Nature family had Magis in the past?” Lin Suo asked, with his intentions clear.

After some probing and investigation, he realized another problem: If he went to a professional Transcendence items store and bought Meditation Techniques that were owned by the three great Magus forces, he would easily attract the attention of self-taught wizards.

Koster may seem prosperous, but the bloody dealings in the dark were equally abundant. Just in this period, Rhein Bookstore had been demanded to pay a protection fee by five different racial gangs.

Under the circumstances that he didn’t fully understand their backgrounds and was still tentatively trying to make a living, he held the grudges in his heart for the time being and decided to endure it.

He had money. The important thing was safety.

Plus, it was very easy for Magis to deal with knights. Even if one cultivated to the Ultimate Knight level, one was but a stronger ant.

There was a well-known saying in the commoners’ society: All misfortune is brought by the inability of the victim.

This was an undisguised law in this transcendent world.

After looking into Valia·Language of Nature for half a month, Lin Suo believed that the rumors were real. Valia most likely had an Elven organization backing her. Otherwise, the fruit shop wouldn’t be so stable.

“Oh? Do you also want to become a Magi?” Valia’s question was one that almost everyone in this era would ask. When an ordinary person talked about Magi, it was usually either for medical treatment or to seek knowledge.

Lin Suo appeared healthy and robust, so it was apparent that his interest wasn’t due to any medical issues.

“That’s right. I want to become a Magi, but the Meditation Techniques outside are too expensive.”

Valia nodded in agreement and revealed a secret Lin Suo didn’t know.

“Mr. Rhein, if you have the aptitude to become a Magi, it’s best not to learn the Meditation Techniques publicized by the three major forces. The Dusk Meditation Technique of the Evening Bell Church is prone to make one fall. Once it happens, it’s irreversible. The corpses of fallen Magi are excellent materials for the Life Modification School. Every year, many corpses flow into the Evening Bell Church.”

Lin Suo was shocked. He shuddered as he gained more understanding of the Magi in this world.

“The Pure White Meditation Technique of the White Tower and the Deep Sea Meditation Technique of the Marine College both have major flaws, but their factions have specialized methods to address those flaws. Unfortunately, self-taught wizards don’t have such resources,” Valia said between bites of salad.

“To my knowledge, any Meditation Technique without side effects is reserved for official Magis and cannot be purchased with gold coins. You came to the right elf by asking me, Mr. Rhein.”

Lin Suo was taken aback.

“Ms. Valia, you mean…?”

“The Language of Nature family has produced more than one official Magi. I! Valie·Language of Nature, am also an advanced Magi apprentice!”

Looking at the smug Elf, Lin Suo felt uneasy. This was different from what he had learned. It seemed that it wasn’t a good thing to trust the information he gathered too much either.

As a hundred-plus-year-old Elf, even with a slow growth rate, Valia couldn’t be as naive and adorable as she appeared, right? If a human were her age, even their bones would’ve rotten.

Should he disguise himself?

Lin Suo scrutinized himself. Wealth? Average. Combat prowess? Average!

No matter how he thought about it, only by disguising himself with his language guru identity could gain benefits.

This was it. He adjusted his tone and asked, “Ms. Valia, how can I obtain a suitable Meditation Technique?”

Hearing this, the Elf paused for a moment before frowning and speaking hesitantly, playing her role perfectly, “Um… well, the family’s Meditation Technique cannot be passed on to you. If you truly want one, I can introduce you to the nature association.”

“Oh, wait!”

Valia’s eyes lit up, and she asked in Ancient Elvish, “Aren’t you a language guru? The nature association has recently discovered an Ancient Elven ruin. There are many inscriptions there that need to be translated. If you do it, it should not be a problem for you to get a Meditation Technique with minimal side effects.”

Lin Suo’s eyes lit up as well. It was indeed as he suspected. He became even warier of the Elf, who was quite the actress. He replied in Ancient Elvish, “That’s perfect. Thank you, Ms. Valia.”

“As expected, you know Ancient Elvish! You’re quite good at it too, better than an Elf like me.”

Lin Suo simply smiled.

After Valia finished her meal, she rubbed her belly and supported herself on the wall as she exited.

Then, Lin Suo sat behind the counter, his mood dark and brooding.

He thought he had everything covered and had his investigation had been carried out secretly. Still, something happened. It turns out he had ended up finding a force that had designs on him.

“Nature association, huh…”

Lin Suo tapped his index finger on the table. He really shouldn’t have allowed himself to be “noticed” by others. With this, he became more alert and warned himself to be even more careful from now on.

After that, he scanned himself and saw his progress in the last month, which gave him a slightly increased sense of security.

[Lin Suo]

[Age: 19 (72)]

[Talent: Myriad Synthesis]

[Rank: Superior Knight (93/100)]

[Transcendence: Moon Plate Breathing Technique (red), Original Beast Training Method+2 (23/100)]

[Skills: None]

[Arts: Language guru (red), medicine+3 (21/100), noble etiquette+1 (18/100), Art+1 (32/100)]

[Body Condition: Healthy, energetic]

“I’m almost at the Ultimate Knight level. If I work hard for another week, I should be able to break through.”

He had acquired the new breathing technique from one of the antique guild’s exhibits. It was inscribed in ancient Orcish language on a broken stone tablet that the guild had collected. It was an unexpected discovery.

According to the inscription on the stone tablet, the Original Beast Training Method was a method used by the Beastmen to improve their physical abilities in an era when Magi had not yet been born, around one hundred thousand years ago.

The Modern Knight Training Method used by present-day knights was actually derived from the ancient traditions of the Beastmen and improved by Magi. The effects were similar, though the Original Beast Training Method was more primitive and savage. Every time he practiced, Lin Suo felt his blood boil and his desire burn.

That being said, the results were also better, comparable to the top modern breathing techniques, and even surpassing them in some ways.

If he achieved limit-breaking enhancement five more times, he might even be able to reach the unknown level beyond the Ultimate Knight, becoming a pioneer on the path of the knights.

Even if he couldn’t reach that level, the fantastic reactions from the fusion of the red grade may be able to do it. This was the only method he could give himself a sense of security in the current stage.

As long as it wouldn’t kill him, he would practice it to death.

As for Valia’s matter, since he had agreed to her request, he would also need to be prepared.