A class lasted for more than two hours.
But it felt like time passed quickly, and in a blink, it was over.
The young hunters were very interested in joining the Storm Corps, gathering around the podium to register as potential team members.
Ji Xun had no intention of joining any team for now and walked out of the Hunter Guild building.
Although the class covered only the basics of being a spell card master, he found it very rewarding.
Unconsciously, he walked into the guild's bounty hall.
Ji Xun also stopped to take a look.
As he expected, several days had passed, and there was still no "wanted notice" or "bounty" looking for him in Innocence City.
The fourth young master of the Cao family probably feared the news would leak and could only search secretly.
This also made Ji Xun feel that the threat had greatly diminished.
As he walked along, he observed with his peripheral vision and noticed some suspicious individuals.
They might be after him, or maybe something else.
But he was not the only one with secrets in Innocence City.
Ji Xun didn't take it too seriously.
After all, they didn't catch him on the train last time, so finding him now was even less likely.
...
Without overthinking, Ji Xun walked out of the building and continued to wander around the market outside the Hunter Guild.
It was rare for him to have a day off, and he was very interested in the strange and unusual items at the stalls, so he wandered along.
Although these stalls looked simple, they sold original items hunters brought from ruins. Extraordinary materials, ancient documents, antiques, blueprints, secret scrolls...many of which even the vendors themselves didn't know what they were selling.
There were many good things.
But finding a treasure depended entirely on luck.
After all, outside, Insight wasn't always useful.
If something exceeded his understanding too much, Insight wouldn't display it, or it might only show part of it.
Like the previous "Mystic Medium," if it wasn't within his knowledge, he couldn't even see it.
These days, Ji Xun gradually figured out some patterns of this mysterious "Insight."
He found that everyone saw different contents of Insight.
This seemed to be related to personal knowledge.
Like himself, there were some terms in his knowledge, such as "BOSS," which didn't exist in this world.
But Insight would display them.
In other words, Insight was a higher-level special expression that transcended human current knowledge and wasn't limited by language types.
Ji Xun wasn't surprised.
With miracles like the extradimensional space, this world had too many secrets.
It was this sense of mystery that made it increasingly interesting for him.
After browsing several stalls, Ji Xun's gaze suddenly stopped in the distance.
He saw two beggars by the roadside.
One was a dirty little girl of about seven or eight, holding a younger child who seemed to be her brother. The siblings huddled on a stained blanket, their hollow eyes staring at the passing people, their hunger written on their faces.
Beggars in Sinless City fell into two categories: thieves and true orphans.
In this city of sin, human life was cheap. The mortality rate for hunters was high, resulting in many such orphans.
Most passersby were numb to it.
People in Sinless City were mostly bloodthirsty wolves; no one pitied the weak.
Ji Xun thought of something, picked up a few things, and walked over.
He squatted in front of the siblings and asked with a smile, "Little girl, what's your name?"
As he spoke, he took off his gas mask, and like performing a trick, his face turned into that of a clown with a funny red nose.
Just the bright smile on his face seemed to make anyone who saw it laugh and feel happy.
The sister's eyes remained cold due to hunger, but the brother reached out curiously, seeming to want to touch the clown mask.
Ji Xun didn't mind. Instead, he grinned, "I'll show you a magic trick."
Saying this, under the curious gazes of the siblings, he stretched out his hand, turned it over, and showed that it was empty.
"Watch closely."
At this moment, the clown's smile became even brighter. He placed his left hand in front of him as if hiding something, then made a grabbing motion with his right hand, pulling and pulling...
In the next second, the boy's clear eyes suddenly lit up because he saw a black object being pulled out!
It even had a hint of freshly baked bread's aroma.
The boy, seeing the most unbelievable sight in his life, couldn't help but swallow and exclaimed, "Sister, it's bread! Bread!"
"Yes, look how long it is~"
The clown, immersed in the performance, wasn't finished yet.
He kept pulling, and a black bread as thick as his arm kept getting longer.
It was truly magical, as he pulled out a piece of black bread longer than his forearm.
Seeing this miraculous scene, the boy danced with excitement, tugging at his sister's clothes, "Sister, sister, look! This gentleman really made a bread appear!!!"
This was just a small trick many magicians could perform.
At this moment, seeing the pure, innocent faces of the siblings light up, it felt as if the entire world had brightened, warming the shadowed heart and body.
Seeing this, the exaggerated red smile of the clown stretched to his eyes. He handed over the bread without any pity for the weak, only equal kindness: "Eat it. It's for you."
With the bread, the siblings wouldn't go hungry for the next couple of days.
He didn't give money because he knew they wouldn't be able to keep it.
Holding the bread, the siblings' eyes trembled with excitement, and finally, their faces, once dark and lifeless, began to brighten.
Seeing this, the clown smiled with satisfaction.
He stood up and as he put his gas mask back on, his eyes turned sharp again.
Ji Xun turned and left.
After a few steps, he heard the sister's hurried voice from behind, "Thank you, sir. My name is... Ning."
Hearing this, Ji Xun smiled faintly under his gas mask.
But he didn't look back and walked straight away.
Though his own life was tough, he couldn't stand to see others suffer.
That's probably what a clown is.
Life kissed him with pain, yet he always responded with a smile.
Through his comical performances, he brought joy to others.
Ji Xun thought about it and remembered.
If it weren't for the kind-hearted bearded man from the traveling circus, that cold winter, there would have been one more frozen little boy in the kiln by the railroad.
...
It was like a minor episode in life, not something that left a deep impression, just a casual act of kindness.
Or maybe it was a professional habit engraved in his bones from playing a clown for many years?
Probably.
Ji Xun didn't dwell on it.
As he walked, he soon arrived at a shop with a sign reading "Old Benson's Antique Bookstore."
A wooden board at the entrance also said: Buying and selling all kinds of ancient books and documents.
This was a small bookstore that sold breathing techniques, card-making manuals, and various magic books.
Last time, Ji Xun bought his "Great Darkness Breathing Technique" from this store.
The shop wasn't big, but it had a good reputation among hunters for fair prices. Many hunters liked to sell their finds here, so there were plenty of good things.
This time, he wanted to look at other items.
"Boss, the 'Great Darkness Breathing Technique' I bought last time was very useful. Worth every penny!"
As he entered, Ji Xun started with some flattery, then said, "This time I want to look at other things."
"Sure, take your time."
The owner seemed to remember this returning customer and swallowed his usual "Don't mess around" warning, letting him browse through some less important books.
Ji Xun didn't hold back and began looking through the shop's collection.
He couldn't flip through the breathing technique books, but the ancient texts on stone tablets and antiques were on display.
It didn't matter if he couldn't understand them; the key was his photographic memory!
As long as he looked at them carefully once, these things were etched in his mind.
Knowledge is the most precious resource at any time.
And any civilization's writing or symbols have patterns; with enough references, they can be deciphered.
Whether they're pictographs, ideograms, or phonetic letters, they all follow this principle.
The mysterious symbols and incantations of this world are no different.
They essentially use patterns to express what the writer wants to convey.
Ji Xun believed that if he memorized enough symbols, he could slowly decode this world's ancient texts.
The secrets of the world would naturally open up.
Looking at these books, Ji Xun suddenly thought that his photographic memory might make transitioning to a [5-Wisdom] series scholar card master a good choice in the future.
He quickly flipped through various texts in the shop, his mind like a typewriter, recording all the mysterious symbols.
...
Because Ji Xun was so focused, he moved quickly, and to others, it seemed like he was just casually flipping through books.
The owner said nothing.
People came and went, but Ji Xun only glanced occasionally, not paying much attention.
Unnoticed, a new customer suddenly entered the store, their voice preceding them: "Old man, got any new stuff?"
Ji Xun initially didn't pay attention.
Hearing the voice, he instinctively glanced over.
But the owner, hearing the inquiry, immediately stood up, his tone showing a hint of fawning for an esteemed guest.
"Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!"
Saying this, he took out a thick stack of black and white photos from his storage ring and eagerly explained, "These are the latest ancient documents found by hunters. If you want the originals, I'll fetch them from the warehouse."
The person responded, "Not for now, let me take a look first."
Ji Xun was surprised: ???
This old man usually treated everyone with indifference, yet he was being so enthusiastic with this customer? He even used respectful language.
Who is this person?
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the newcomer was a woman in a black motorcycle leather jacket. Her figure was perfect, the tight leather jacket accentuating her curves. However, she was wearing a half-face gas mask, obscuring her face, but her eyes were sharp.
Ji Xun didn't care much about appearances, but he immediately noticed the mechanical equipment she was wearing.
Although most of it was hidden under her clothes, Ji Xun recognized a detail at a glance.
This was the most sophisticated mechanical equipment he had ever seen.
TR-33 military-grade single-soldier exoskeleton? Someone actually got their hands on this?
He hadn't seen it before but had heard about it.
It's said to be one of the most advanced single-soldier gear of the Federal military, and its appearance outside the military was considered "contraband"!
This person must have a significant background.
Ji Xun speculated about the identity of this leather-clad woman and glanced again at the stack of photos the shop owner had handed her.
The photos depicted various ancient books, scrolls, or stone carvings with texts. There were also some blueprints.
A single glance told Ji Xun that these seemed to be ancient documents related to machinery.
In this world, steam machinery wasn't the product of contemporary research but of archaeology. Like the architectural level of the "Demon's Cross" ruins, which has remained intact for thousands of years, even by today's standards, it's difficult to replicate.
The leather-clad woman seemed very interested in the content of the photos, studying them intently but with a furrowed brow, clearly not understanding: "Old man, have you found anyone who can translate these mechanical blueprints?"
The owner replied, "No. The few scholar-sequence card masters I know only understand a bit of Taran. The mechanical blueprints have many technical terms they can't translate. To find someone truly proficient in Taran ancient language, you might have to go to Dragon City."
"..."
The leather-clad woman seemed a bit helpless. Just looking at the drawings on the blueprints was no longer enough.
Ji Xun, hearing this, took a closer look at the photo.
It had some strange symbols, which were the Taran ancient language.
A language from a civilization said to have been cut off thousands of years ago.
It wasn't until the other side of the world rift was discovered that people confirmed the mysterious civilization mentioned in legends really existed.
Ji Xun had seen this kind of writing before.
The first time was in the 407 interdimensional space.
The Demon's Cross is actually a relic of the Taran Dynasty.
The 407 instance restricts card master apprentices from entering due to its high difficulty. He could only understand it at the time thanks to the space's inherent enlightenment.
Thinking of this, Ji Xun had a thought: "Hmm... if I get that material, I could grasp some ancient texts..."
The materials he found in the safe were a thick stack.
Even disregarding the content, the value of the text alone was far more than these scattered fragments in the photos.
And the crisis of death deepened his memory; he could still recall many of the contents roughly.
With accurate references, deciphering them would be much easier.
Unfortunately, the materials were with Chu Jiu.
He didn't know if she brought them out of the space.
A fleeting thought, Ji Xun reined in his mind.
...
The leather-clad woman continued looking at the photos, occasionally picking some out and asking the owner to prepare the originals to take away.
Ji Xun didn't have the privilege of such VIP treatment. He quickly finished looking at what he could.
He didn't plan to linger in the store; there were many other shops to visit. Finally, he thought of something and casually asked, "Boss, do you have any breathing techniques that can absorb multiple elements simultaneously?"
As expected, the owner reverted to his usual indifferent demeanor, coldly saying, "No."
After a pause, he couldn't help but add, "You're quite strange. The purer the curse power, the safer and more efficient the card spell release will be, and the less likely it is to lose control during advancement. Yet you want multiple elements?"
"..."
Ji Xun found this answer unsurprising.
He had already looked carefully; all the breathing techniques were for single elements.
It was just a casual question anyway.
He thought it might be as the owner said, absorbing a single element to condense curse power was the proper way? Or perhaps the store only catered to ordinary people and didn't have access to rare breathing techniques?
But still, without a suitable breathing technique, his talent for all-element tolerance would be wasted.
A real pity.
Not getting the desired answer, Ji Xun turned to leave the shop.
But then, unexpectedly, the leather-clad woman suddenly spoke up, "Are you looking for a multi-element breathing technique?"