Yes, Lin Jie was an immigrant who had moved from Earth to this vast country called Azir.
There were countless other migrants in this vast cosmos, but in some aspects, he was unique because his migration was somewhat voluntary.
It all started with Teacher Lin's fascination.
It's common knowledge that young people these days have strange quirks ranging from OCD, claustrophobia to having to read every line of text on a bottle of shampoo.
Lin Jie was an avid book collector. His greatest desire was to collect all the printed books in the world. Regardless of whether or not he could finish reading them all, the mere thought of all those hardcover books neatly arranged on the shelves was enough to make him feel uneasy....
Needless to say, he could not undertake such a great endeavor alone. In China alone, over ninety thousand new books were printed every six months. Assuming each book cost 45 yuan, he would need 4 million yuan to buy them all! It was financially impossible for him to collect all the books in China, let alone all the books in the world!
And that was purely the monetary aspect of the problem.
There were other obstacles as well, such as obtaining out-of-print books or books that were completely banned. Finding and collecting all these books would take unimaginable time and effort, if at all possible.
In other words, this was nothing more than Lin Jie's pipe dream.
But everything changed one day when Lin Jie unknowingly discovered a shortcut, a ritual that could realize any wish as long as he paid the price.
Admittedly, Lin Jie was really skeptical of the ritual, but he still performed it out of curiosity and made a wish to obtain all the books in the world.
As soon as he made his wish, he vaguely heard a quiet muttering that he couldn't understand. Blinking, he suddenly found himself in another world, standing in front of an abandoned bookstore.
There was an inexplicable thought in his mind that told him that his dream of getting all the books in the world could be realized if he entered the bookstore, but the price he had to pay was to never return to Earth again.
It was a simple question. The lonely Lin Jie pushed open the door of the bookstore and entered without hesitation.
Three years had passed since then, and Lin Jie had already gotten used to living in Norzin City.
There was nothing for Lin Jie to get used to since the technological level in this world was similar to that of Earth in the 80s and 90s. Language wasn't a big obstacle either, as both English and Chinese characters were used here for historical reasons.
However, there were some differences such as strange names and crazy hair colors that were common here. In addition to these, Lin Jie had also heard rumors about the 'inner world' and 'unusual beings' existing in this world, although he had yet to see anything until now.
Even until now, he still hadn't felt the price he had to pay for his desire.
And truth be told, none of this mattered to Lin Jie as he was content with his current life. The bookshelves were updated every day, and he could easily conduct manual searches and refresh himself. With an endless amount of books and customers he could contact to to dispense chicken soup, he had nothing more to ask for.
"I recently discovered a bottleneck in my research," Wilde remarked in his squeaky voice. "I found a new direction thanks to you lending me Devil's Language two years ago. However, I need more clues and documents in similar languages."
Is it some kind of joke among academicians to call a real book 'Devil's Language'? - Lin Jie thought as he approached the counter and wrote the word 'Returned' into one of the columns.
"Am I right in saying that you want to pick up a book of this type?" - Lin Jie asked, tapping his pen on the countertop.
"The previous book was too deep for me. It seemed like a small part of the whole to me. You have something more detailed... It would be better if it also had the context of the language. The previous book was too much influenced by other languages and all sorts of customs, making it very complex. I need to get a better sense of the meaning within," Wilde muttered.
After two years, he finally found the clues to unlock the forbidden curses in this book. This could very well have been an opportunity for him to rise to the highest rank!
Mages knew how to create spells using languages and symbols. Black mages used verbal languages when chanting curses, while white mages used symbols to write sigils.
As a first-class black mage, Wilde had already mastered most of the basic spells. Now he needed to unleash the potential of his inner soul to provoke a breakthrough. In other words, he needed to find the voice of his own soul.
The black mage's final calling was to create a language that belonged exclusively to him!
This was the path he had to take to reach the Highest rank.
"That's right... Please wait for a while while I find something suitable," Lin Jie replied.
Wildd nodded and went to examine the shelves behind him.
Old Wil's request made sense. Although the languages in this world were similar to those of Earth, the differences in culture and customs still led to a certain degree of divergence since they were two different worlds. It would be difficult for him to thoroughly understand Chinese culture. I should find some books for him with a more general scope of study.
Lin Jie's index finger slowly slid along the bookshelf before abruptly stopping.
While Lin Jie was selecting a book, Wilde looked at the gloomy downpour outside the store, reflecting on the past.
It was two years ago, when he was in the midst of escaping after being defeated by Joseph, he had stumbled into this bookstore and met Lin Jie. Lin Jie offered him guidance and showed him a different path.
Even before this day, he couldn't keep his heart from raving and his body trembling whenever he thought of the book containing the language of the devil and the amazing mysticism and power contained within it.
A feeling akin to first love!
It reminded him of the time when he first saw the power of a mage while still a student.
"Die."
One word from his aged teacher was enough to extinguish the life of the beautiful bird fluttering before them.
Astonishment and shock!
These were Wilde's first thoughts when his goals and beliefs became a conviction!
The present Wilde was very far from the selfish man he had been a few years before. And this change was accomplished by this selfless, all-knowing bookstore owner.
Wilde never asked about Lin Jie's background or personality, but in truth, he already had the answer in his heart.
He is definitely a reclusive scholar of the Truth Union!
He even suspected that Lin Jie was a legendary top ranked great sage who possessed the key to the Temple of Truth.... However, this was nothing more than an assumption he had made up, and he had never sensed any changes in the ether coming from Lin Jie either.
Wilde dismissed his thoughts when he saw the young man pull a book from the shelf. "You found this?"
Lin Jie cleared his throat and handed over the book with a smile. "It may seem presumptuous, but my gut tells me that this book is suitable for you. To be honest, I'm quite confident in my research in this field..."
"?"
The slight embarrassment coming from Lin Jie puzzled Wilde. He received the book from Lin Jie and looked at its cover. Lin Jie's eyes also followed his gaze to the printed title and author.
Ceremonies and customs
Lin Jie