Zane pondered, 'The innkeeper also mentioned that for me to become a merchant, I would have to have city citizenship.'
'So, once I have citizenship, things would open up for me. I would probably be able to gather some more information about the Ascendancy as well.'
After pondering over things, Zane started to walk around the city once again.
Zane found a small library in the downtown of the city. It cost him about 1 Magic Crystal to enter the library. It was probably the reason why not many were inside the library. Zane checked around and he saw some elves and demi-beasts. Interestingly enough he found no dwarves inside although this was a city ruled by the Dwarf race.
Passing the shelves, he found a human reading in one corner. He saw a skinny man with a silver-hair fully focused on reading a medical book titled 'Beyond Salvation, Dying Oak Disease."
Zane left him to his own reading, not bothering to introduce himself. Without wasting any time, he started storing one book after another in his System Library.
Most of the books inside the library were about the history of Dwarves and their various branches. Some books also focused on their way of life in the mountains. Many were related to architectural design, mining, crafting, and mountain exploration.
The Elven librarian felt odd about the way Zane was touching the books but didn't bother reading it. However, he didn't stop him from his peculiar activity. He felt that some humans are just plain odd.
When dusk was about to arrive and the library about to close, Zane stopped his information gathering. He stored about 80% of the books that were in the library.
'Sadly, storing the information in the System Library doesn't make me smart. But at least I got a copy on my own.'
When Zane was about to come out, he saw the same human who was reading the medical book reluctantly returned the book.
Looking closely, his hair was messy, but his eyes were gentle like puppies, and his body was skinny and pale. With one look, Zane concluded that this is a person who don't lift.
Coincidentally, Zane walked out of the building at the same time as him.
"Hey, are you alright, bro?" Zane casually asked seeing the troubled man.
The man was surprised by Zane's presence; he had not noticed that there was another person next to him.
"Ah, yes, thanks for asking. If I made you uncomfortable, I do apologize."
"No need, it's quite rare to see another human here," Zane shook his head.
"Yes, that's true. My name is John, by the way," while John extended his hand.
"John? Interesting name. I'm Zane. Pleasure to meet you," Zane shook his hand.
John looked at him with a gentle smile, "Likewise. If you need anything, you can let me know. My family is in the weapon and rune crafting business. Although we are have a small workshop, I will try my best to help."
Zane was surprised, "Aren't you afraid that I might take advantage of you?"
John answered with a smile, "I am willing to take the risk. I can see that you are still new to the city, and not many humans are here, so I believe we should help each other."
He continued, "In any case, our merchant store is just around the corner, but we are closed at the moment. My father is a Blacksmith and a rune crafter. If you need anything I can help with, you know where to find me."
"Oh, thanks." Zane was a bit baffled by the situation. This was the first time someone had wanted to help him willingly. He even felt that there might be a ploy at hand, checking the area with his identification.
"I've got to go, Zane. It's good to know you." John left, waving.
'Identify'
John
Level: 3
Strength, Dex....
Zane meticulously checked his information but found that John was not only weak, but extremely weak.
One thing that made him pause was his talent.
Talent: (Poor)
Introduction: The World Consciousness sees you as a beggar, nothing more, nothing less. It loathes you. No blessings are given.
This was the second time he had found another person cursed with Poor talent; most humans were born with average or below-average talent. Having 'Poor' talent was actually very rare. Seeing his talent, suddenly all of his worry was gone and even felt sorry for the guy.
...
Upon Zane's return to the inn, darkness had already fallen. There, he found Cecilia waiting in his room, engrossed in meditation.
"How was your day?" Zane inquired with curiosity, noticing the bruises covering Cecilia's body.
With a smile, Cecilia responded, "It was quite enjoyable. I stumbled upon a place where I could train and earn some money." She tossed three blue Magic Crystals to him.
Zane returned them, saying, "Keep them. Enjoy your earnings. Consider purchasing books that aid in refining your Sword Aura technique. If you come across skill books that can assist you, don't hesitate to acquire them."
He explained, "Over the next few days, I'll be working on securing citizenship for both of us. It comes with benefits that should aid us in gathering information about Ascendancy."
Cecilia nodded in agreement.
Zane continued, "I've already explored the library. It appears the topic cannot be found, but I do believe that as we make contributions, it should become easier to access."
"Okay," responded Cecilia.
In the subsequent days, both diligently explored the city to gather information.
In a workshop, Zane observed closely as a Dwarf blacksmith hammered an iron sword upon an anvil. The Dwarf's sweat glistened on his forehead, and his rugged hand guided the hammer against the molten steel.
Zane observed the dwarves movement carefully, his muscles bulging with every blow while sparks flew.
After paying attention to the rhythm of the hammer, he glanced at his interface, Zane discovered a new skill had been added: 'Blacksmithing 1/100' (Unlearned).
'Finally!'
Previously, Zane's independent attempts to learn blacksmithing had ended in failure. Without any choice, he put his hopes on perception stats to find a way to learn and understand the essence of blacksmithing. Thus, he visited a blacksmith store and requested permission to observe the crafting process.
When he saw the option to upgrade to level 1, he was ecstatic. However, he put the thought on hold since he was still in the store.
...