For quite a while, Jake took some time to recover. Though the bodies of the bandits didn't disappear, Jake was certain that he wouldn't bother with disassembling them. As for the valuable items on the bandit's body, the most valuable thing might be his axe. However, after using the appraisal skill, Jake found that it was just an ordinary white-grade axe with poor attributes. After calming his emotions, Jake continued on his way.
During Jake's journey, it wasn't entirely peaceful. He encountered three waves of bandits, all of them equally poor. By the time Jake reached the later encounters, his ability to accept such situations had grown stronger, and he no longer felt the urge to vomit.
Apart from the bandits, Jake also encountered numerous monsters—ordinary beasts and magical creatures infected with magic power—all of them above level ten. For Jake, with his current equipment, it wasn't too dangerous to deal with these creatures as long as they were below level fifteen.
After killing all the bandits, the bodies and their belongings didn't disappear. Jake definitely wouldn't let go of the bodies that didn't disappear; he disassembled them all. The proceeds from the disassembly would be carried with him, ready to be sold for money when he arrived in the county. He was in dire need of money now. The effect of the jade pendant on drop rates seemed to be working, as Jake had managed to obtain two pieces of equipment from monsters during the day, even if they were only basic white-grade equipment, they were still better than before.
"Legendary-grade equipment is indeed impressive." Jake muttered to himself as he returned to reality through the teleportation process. The sudden increase in drop rates was undoubtedly due to the jade pendant's effect. Jake was quite satisfied with the jade pendant's ability.
Indeed, hermit village was quite a distance from the county. Traveling on foot, Jake hadn't even reached the county by nightfall. However, he was getting closer, and he expected to arrive before noon tomorrow, which wouldn't delay his registration.
"If only I had money. I'm sure that cunning merchant, Mason, at the grocery store, should have horses for sale. With that, I could travel much faster and possibly arrive today. No wonder the old village chief told me to leave a day early. He probably knew I didn't have money to buy a horse, and I could only walk, which would take more time." Jake lay on his bed, contemplating.
Jake realized that having no money wouldn't do, whether in reality or the game world. It would cause a lot of inconvenience. It seemed that he not only needed to make money in reality but also work hard to make money in the game world.
In the morning, there were noticeably more people exercising on Princeton University's playground. Many of them appeared to be freshmen, and quite a few had their eyes on a beautiful figure running by.
"Morning," Jake greeted as Wendy passed by him.
"Morning," Wendy replied casually, then turned her head to look at Jake, invitingly saying, "Wanna join me?"
This was the first time Wendy had invited Jake to run together. Although Wendy had replied to Jake before, she had never extended an invitation. Jake was even a little stunned when he heard Wendy's invitation.
"Sure." It took Jake a moment to respond, and he naturally wouldn't refuse the invitation.
The two ran side by side on the playground, with Wendy by his side, Jake felt the surrounding air seemed to be fresher.
"Your barbecue is quite good," Wendy spoke up after a while.
"It's not bad." Jake didn't need to be modest; there was no need for it. "If you want to try it, you can come to my stall anytime. my treat."
Wendy didn't speak, continuing to run at a steady pace. After a few laps, Jake noticed that Wendy's breathing remained even, her face unchanged, and she didn't look as exhausted as an average person.
"Could it be that she's really strong?" Jake thought to himself.
Jake had appraised Wendy once before, but didn't gain much information. At that time, his strength was weak, but now, with the equipment's enhancement, he was much stronger. He should be able to appraise Wendy's identity, but Jake resisted the urge to do so. If Wendy were to find out, it would definitely cause her displeasure, and the potential loss outweighed the gain.
Recalling Carlton's message, Jake speculated that Wendy might also practice some kind of technique. She and Carlton belonged to the same category of people, which was why Carlton had said they were not from the same world.
"You seem a little different from before," Wendy's voice sounded again while Jake was lost in thought. Although Wendy didn't have the appraisal skill, she had a certain perception ability regarding others' strength. She felt that Jake's aura seemed to be stronger than before.
Wendy's perception was accurate. Compared to before, Jake's level had increased, and he was now wearing three pieces of equipment – Gold Rat Robe, Flowing Cloud Boots, and Simple Silk Pants – and also carrying the White Crane Jade Pendant. His strength had undoubtedly grown stronger.
"In what way different?" Jake asked back.
"Aura," Wendy replied.
"Aura?" Jake didn't quite understand. His strength came from the enhancement of equipment and level. He had limited personal strength, and he knew nothing about Wendy and her circle of people.
"Yes," Wendy nodded but didn't elaborate. After another lap, Wendy stopped and said, "I'm leaving. Goodbye."
"Goodbye." Although Jake wanted to ask more, it wasn't appropriate to inquire further. Moreover, Wendy had finished her workout, and he couldn't hold her back.
"Aura? What does that mean? Can she feel that I'm stronger than before?" Jake pondered while jogging. Only Wendy could answer this question, but she had already left, so Jake could only give up.
After finishing his workout, Jake didn't leave Princeton University. Instead, he went to his office. He had classes today, and it was his first lecture in his teaching career. He didn't want to be absent.
It was still early, and the other teachers hadn't arrived at their offices yet. After a few days of absence, Jake's desk remained as he left it. He tidied up a bit and cleaned the office before returning to his seat to use the computer for browsing.
"Professor Jake? You're here?" Near class time, Professor David was the first to enter the office. He seemed somewhat surprised to see Jake there.