Ryan discovered that his Qi Gong posture could now last for a full hour. Moreover, the sense of "Qi" was becoming increasingly pronounced. Yet, he began to suspect he might be practicing incorrectly. Previously, practicing Qi Gong would produce tiny red light dots, but now, they were multi-colored, akin to the sensation of being punched hard in the face and seeing stars. Additionally, it didn't align with online descriptions of circuits or "Heavenly Circulation." Instead, Ryan felt the Qi flow from the soles of his feet, through his abdomen, and then disappear at his brow. Earlier, only his soles experienced this sensation, but now, it extended to his calves. What's more, the Qi felt like a thread as thick as a chopstick at the sole, but it thinned to a hair's breadth by the time it reached his brow.
Nevertheless, the benefits were undeniable. No matter how exhausted he felt, maintaining this posture for an hour restored his mental energy, with his physical energy recovering to about 70-80%. This allowed Ryan, ever focused on safety, to keep practicing diligently.
What Ryan failed to notice was that as he slept, a faint, hazy white light emanated from his body. Even the strange egg lying on his pillow emitted a similar light. Upon closer inspection, it appeared the egg was absorbing the light from Ryan's body. This continued until dawn, when the brightness of the day concealed the ethereal glow.
"Let's go." Ryan strapped on a pair of straw sandals, secured tattered cloth around his legs as makeshift gaiters, and donned a hat. A worn cloth bag, once used to store grain, hung from his back. At his waist was a small knife, purchased with a few copper coins, and in his left hand, a wooden stick for probing the path and doubling as a walking cane. In his right hand, he wielded a sharpened sickle—his weapon of choice. Although Tory assured him there were no dangerous beasts in the area, Ryan reasoned that wild animals wouldn't notify Tory before appearing. Safety first, always.
From Tory, Ryan had learned that Terry Town lay at the center of the human-occupied region. The area was rich in dense forests but lacked large predators or magical beasts. The mountainous terrain, however, rendered the land infertile, making it appear desolate. This poverty stemmed from the limited output of grain, small amounts of lumber, and an abundance of rocks.
Today, Ryan's luck wasn't great. So far, he hadn't come across anything edible. Wild fruits abounded, but he didn't dare eat what he couldn't recognize. With no better options, he munched on hardened cakes he'd made himself. These were simple concoctions of wheat-like grain mixed with mushrooms, dried fish, and salt, cooked into a paste, shaped into balls, and roasted by the fire. While palatable when fresh, they hardened into something akin to rocks when cooled. Begrudgingly, Ryan nibbled on small chunks, softened them with water, and swallowed.
"Oh! Did something explode here?" Ryan exclaimed in shock as he stumbled upon a chaotic scene of scattered rocks covering a few hundred square meters. Sparse shrubs occasionally peeked out amidst the debris, and the terrain resembled the aftermath of a violent explosion.
"Hmm, not one explosion, but two." After careful observation, Ryan realized the blast patterns suggested two separate points of origin.
"Let's see…45 steps to here…a radius of 45 steps. So, the blast center should be right here…" Using simple pacing, Ryan identified the epicenters of the explosions. One had clearly been more powerful, its blast radius wider than the other.
"With about four hours left before I need to head back, let's dig." Ryan glanced at the sun before beginning his excavation. The truth was, boredom had been gnawing at him, and he felt on the verge of developing cabin fever—or worse, splitting into multiple personalities. Driven by curiosity about what could cause such destruction, he got to work.
"Damn it! Not a single hair!" Ryan cursed loudly after his efforts yielded no results. Initially, the surface appeared to be solid rock, but digging revealed that the stone had been blasted into loose sand-like particles. Within two hours, Ryan had dug a pit about one meter in diameter and 40 centimeters deep. He stopped only because he hit solid bedrock, which his tools—a basic iron shovel with a newly-made wooden handle—couldn't penetrate.
"Might as well dig at the other site. If there's still nothing, I'll head to Harry City tomorrow. No one comes here, anyway." Ryan mentally calculated. Truthfully, he'd long wanted to visit Harry City. The stables wouldn't need attention for three months, giving him the perfect opportunity. Thoughts of the unknown wonders in the city filled him with excitement.
"Huh? What's this? A piece of fabric? Or some pages from a damaged book? And there's so much of it." With a single shovel thrust, Ryan unearthed what looked like several parchment-like sheets covered in intricate lines that made his head throb just looking at them.
"Forget it, I'm heading back. Wasted an entire day. Tomorrow, I'm definitely going to Harry City." The current Ryan was no longer the timid child he once was but a nearly 30-year-old soul in an adult's body. If it had been the old Ryan, he wouldn't have dared venture to Harry City alone.
By the time Ryan returned to his lodging, night had fallen. He lit a fire, boiled some water to fill his belly, and prepared to wash up. While waiting, he examined his haul for the day.
"Huh! Why is this stuff so clean? Not a speck of dust." Ryan carefully examined the three parchment-like sheets, marveling at their pristine condition. The intricate, non-mainstream patterns on them only deepened his curiosity.
"Maybe I should tear one apart and see?" Resolving to uncover their secret, Ryan selected the one with the fewest lines and ripped it in half.
Boom! No sooner had he torn the parchment than a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. It felt as though countless worms were burrowing into his brain, catching him off guard and causing him to fall face-first onto the boiling kettle.
"Ah! Ow!" Ryan quickly plunged his reddened arm into a bucket of cool water. Thankfully, the water hadn't been too hot, sparing him a severe burn.
After tending to himself, Ryan turned his attention back to the torn parchment.
"Contract Scroll…Fireball Spell." To his astonishment, he found he could now comprehend the squiggly text on the remaining two parchments.
Stunned, Ryan frantically retrieved his other books, flipping through them one by one: "The Tale of the War God," "The Noble Lady's Thoughts," "Aria's Poetry Collection," and "The True Essence of Men."
"Trash!" Ryan realized he could now read their contents, only to discover they were mostly love stories or manuals on seducing noblewomen.
"But there are still two books left. 'Compendium of Magical Beasts on the Continent' and 'Basic Alchemy.' These might be interesting. Looks like I don't need to visit Harry City tomorrow." Ryan decided not to read them immediately; it was nighttime, the light was poor, and he had plenty of time.
"Is this Contract Scroll the kind used to tame magical beasts? And what about this Fireball Spell? How powerful is it? It seems these scrolls can be used by non-mages as well." Lying in bed, Ryan tossed and turned, unable to contain his excitement. The magic he'd just encountered was too incredible. Simply tearing a scroll had granted him universal literacy. His curiosity about the remaining scrolls' powers burned intensely.
"Sleep, just sleep," Ryan mumbled, tossing the Contract Scroll aside before drifting into slumber. Exhaustion overcame him. Unbeknownst to him, the scroll landed on the strange egg, triggering an interaction. As Ryan's body emitted its faint white glow, the egg responded by emitting its own light, absorbing Ryan's glow through the scroll. The scroll, now sandwiched between Ryan and the egg, suddenly burst into flames as the light converged.
"Ah! Damn it, the Soul Contract Scroll!" A sudden scream broke the silence.
"Ah! Who hit me? Who hit me?" Ryan was dreaming when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his head. He woke up, rubbed the spot, and found a large bump.
Then Ryan's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. In front of him—or more accurately, floating in mid-air—was a palm-sized miniature beauty with transparent wings. She was holding a wooden stick several times her size. Judging by her stance, she was the culprit.
"I can't tell him the truth, or I'll be in big trouble. Besides, no one would expect me to sign a soul contract with a human," the little fairy thought, her eyes darting.
"Who… who… who are you?" Ryan stammered, overwhelmed by how surreal this was.
"I don't know either. I came out when I signed the contract with you," the little fairy replied, feigning confusion.
"Ah! You're the one who came out of that egg!" Ryan quickly searched around and discovered the strange egg and contract scroll were missing. It was obvious what had happened.
"I really don't know!" the little fairy repeated, still wearing an innocent expression. But in her mind, she was cursing, "This lowly human! If it weren't for someone ambushing my father, someone like you wouldn't even be fit to lick my toes as a Diamond Angel. I'll endure this for now, but just wait—I'll make you pay. Even though it's a soul contract, our power levels are worlds apart. I can read your thoughts, but you can't read mine. If it weren't for me being in hibernation and instinctively absorbing the surrounding elemental energy, I wouldn't have signed this contract. And it's a soul contract, of all things!"
"So… can you leave? You know, I can barely take care of myself. What if I willingly break the contract?" Ryan stuttered for a long time before finally blurting out something that made the fairy want to punch him.
"Why? Isn't it great to have a magical pet?" The little fairy asked, puzzled.
"No! It's not that… I don't have money! Even my clothes are second-hand." Ryan had heard that raising magical pets was an expensive endeavor. Determined to rid himself of this seemingly eye-catching but costly companion, he decided to be honest.
"I'm sorry to say, we signed a soul contract. That means if either of us dies, the other dies too. So… do you still want me to leave?" The fairy gave Ryan an innocent look.
"No! No! No! Stay with me!" Ryan felt like crying. What kind of situation was this? His life was now bound to someone else's!
"You'll be called Niu Niu from now on. Okay?" After a long pause, Ryan finally accepted the situation and decided to name the little fairy.
"Sure! Niu Niu sounds lovely," the fairy agreed cheerfully. She had green hair and transparent wings, resembling the descriptions of grass sprites from the Bestiary of the Continent. Grass sprites had lifespans similar to humans, and if someone were lucky enough to encounter an elemental grass sprite, it was considered a treasure. There was once a warrior who partnered with a light-element grass sprite—one fought while the other healed, forming a perfect team. Alchemists especially loved grass sprites as assistants because they were intelligent and loyal.
Ryan had learned all this from Basics of Alchemy and Bestiary of the Continent. He also knew that to become an alchemist, one first had to become a competent mage. But for now, Ryan's most pressing task was memorizing the thousands of plants, minerals, and materials listed in Basics.
"How much money do we have?" Niu Niu asked Ryan.
"Six gold coins," Ryan replied. He decided to underreport and keep one coin for emergencies.
"Hand it over." Niu Niu stretched out her tiny hand.
"For what?" Ryan asked cautiously.
"I'll manage our finances." Niu Niu spoke through gritted teeth but thought to herself, "If I didn't have to worry about you dying and dragging me down with you, who would bother with this nonsense?"
"Okay," Ryan obediently handed over the coins. Niu Niu had incredible strength and would bonk him on the head if he resisted.
After all, Niu Niu was a Level 1 magical creature, which was far superior to even the strongest wild beasts. Even the weakest Level 1 magical creature could easily defeat a novice human mage. Poor Ryan, meanwhile, wasn't even at the level of a mage apprentice yet.