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“That’s what I call an all-day brightness!”

So, Miho and I decided to head back to Jinrang Valley. It’s not like I’ve got all day for the sun to shine and the world to go mad with some evil sorcery.

Mangnyang heard our story and said, “Ah, that’s the Extreme Day phenomenon. It’s just a natural occurrence, so chill out.”

“Extreme Day?”

“Hmm… I think I once explained to you in a past life that our world looks like a round ball. This phenomenon is due to that very principle.”

“…?”

Mangnyang drew a round sphere in the dirt and added, “If this is our world, it revolves around the sun. Theoretically, it also rotates on its own. Since it’s spherical, during this rotation, the protruding parts get a lot of sunlight, while the concave parts get less.”

“Ah…”

“The North Pole is where sunlight is rarest. It’s like the top of a person’s head, so not only does it not get dark, but stars also dance around the North Star there.”

“What a fascinating place!”

“No need to grasp all of it. It’s just a hypothesis, nothing crucial.”

As Mangnyang rambled on, he asked, “By the way, how are our exploration results?”

“No clue. If we really made it to the North Pole Continent, I don’t know if we should just keep heading north…”

“Isn’t the Xuyou Makya reacting?”

I pulled out the Xuyou Makya I’d stored in my wooden armor. I kept it for Mangnyang’s sorcery training before heading to the Arctic, but it seemed like it was about time to put it to work. I placed the Makya on the great hall table and shook my head.

“No reaction at all. At this rate, I’m starting to doubt if it’s really a legendary spirit treasure.”

I expected the Xuyou Makya to send some signal after reaching the North Pole Continent, but despite wandering around there, it showed no signs of waking up.

Mangnyang stroked his chin, deep in thought. “Let’s recall what the prophet from Astana said regarding the Xuyou Stele.”

“Hmm…”

He sat quietly, seemingly racking his brain for about a moment. Then he said, “It seems the order is mixed up.”

“How’s it different?”

“First, the Xuyou Stele says, ‘There is no trial.’ But it hints that you need to meet the ‘Silent God’ to unlock the secondary seal. To meet this Silent God, it says, ‘You must draw blood to awaken the ancient bloodline.’

“Drawing blood to awaken the ancient bloodline… not a clue where or how.”

“…”

Mangnyang thought long and hard. Then he let out a sigh. “Too many uncertainties. I think we have only one way to figure this out properly.”

“What method?”

“We’ll need to broker a deal.”

I finally understood what Mangnyang meant. “You’re saying we have to trade knowledge with the prophet from Astana!”

But then I hesitated, “Even if I want to, I no longer have any Grimoire. That guy doesn’t care much about gold or spirit stones…”

“I have another Grimoire,” Mangnyang replied nonchalantly.

I had never mentioned the Heavenly Secret to Mangnyang in this life, and apart from the interpretation of it, I’ve tried to keep its existence under wraps in previous lives. But the way Mangnyang spoke was so heavy that I tensed up instantly. Then, with a sly grin, he continued, “What about the Nameless Ritual Book?”

With that, I hurried to steal the Nameless Ritual Book from the Inner Imperial Pavilion of the Imperial Palace. Of course, I planned my move carefully, waiting for nightfall to avoid detection. The moment I entered the Inner Imperial Pavilion, I spot the Nameless Ritual Book right there taunting me, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

‘Man, I really did remember that right back then.’

In my twelfth previous life, when I offered my skills to the Primordial Void Ruler, I sneaked into the Imperial Palace to confirm the location of the Nameless Ritual Book. Remembering its exact position, I quickly shoved the book into my wooden armor.

I glanced around nervously. ‘Hope I haven’t triggered any barriers… time to make my exit.’

Just then, a sharp sound sliced through the air!

A blue light erupted in the dark Inner Imperial Pavilion. As it gradually took human form, my face froze. I may have thought I wasn’t detected, but stepping into the Inner Imperial Pavilion triggered a sensing barrier.

It had to be Zhuge Bu.

Facing him in a one-on-one fight would be rough, even with the Baek Woong protective treasure.

But I had enough leeway. Without further ado, I quickly utilized flight to zip away to a desolate area around Luoyang.

Pop!

The reason I didn’t head straight to Jinrang Valley was that I was wary of the possibility that some tracking magic had snagged onto me in that brief moment. I stood silently in the empty plains and waited about a moment until I sensed no pursuers, then made my way to the Great Temple of Astana.

As soon as I opened the huge doors of the temple, the prophet appeared.

[What brings you here?]

“Prophet, I have something to trade.”

I quickly said and pulled out the Nameless Ritual Book from my robes. Upon sensing the magic within the book, the prophet jolted slightly, rolling his eyes before gazing at me and saying, “[A powerful Grimoire. You’re really going to trade that?]”

“A book like the Nameless Ritual Book seems worth a lot of information from you.”

[Nameless Ritual Book… I see…]

The prophet looked at me intently and said, “[Hand it over.]”

“I need to know first if you possess the information I require.”

[That’s fair. So what do you wish to know?]

I voiced my inquiry, “I ventured to the North Pole to break the secondary seal of the Xuyou Makya, but it responded not at all. Where must I go to meet the [Silent God]? What does it mean to [draw blood to awaken the ancient bloodline]?”

Upon hearing my questions, the prophet extended a claw-like hand towards nowhere in particular. Then, as if pulling something out of thin air, he grabbed a stone that was vastly oversized compared to him. He rubbed the stone and murmured, “[If you give me the Nameless Ritual Book, I’ll provide answers.]”

“Don’t try anything funny, or you’ll regret it.”

When I tossed the Nameless Ritual Book to the prophet, he immediately responded, “[Pour your blood on the Makya and implant it into the Arctic earth. An ancient magical beast will take you to the Silent God.]”

This was more straightforward than I expected. So I remarked suspiciously, “How do you know that so quickly?”

[I have the ability to read fate. I merely amplified that power using the magic from your Grimoire…]

And just like that, whoosh!

Suddenly, a blue light shot up from the air, and moments later, Zhuge Bu appeared. I was taken aback.

‘What the?! How did that guy leap from the Central Plains all the way here?!’

The reason I lingered near Luoyang for about a moment was to figure out whether the Nameless Ritual Book had any tracking magic on it. After confirming nothing unusual, I’d headed to the Great Temple of Astana since it seemed far off from the Central Plains.

But it turned out Zhuge Bu had attached tracking magic to the Nameless Ritual Book, and here he was, flying across thousands of Li to find me!

“You thief!”

“How did you make it here?”

“No need to know. You’ll be dead soon enough.”

Zhuge Bu shot me a piercing glare before turning to face the prophet, who had been standing by the altar. He let out a short gasp and addressed the prophet with martial authority, “I greet this illustrious lineage.”

[……]

“I assume you’re the one holding the Nameless Ritual Book, so hand it over. That’s property of the Imperial Family, and that thief should return it to its rightful owner!”

Although the prophet was not human but rather of the otherworldly race, he displayed no significant change at Zhuge Bu’s words. With no visible emotional response, he merely twisted his body in silence. Then the prophet retorted, “[If it must return to its rightful owner… then the Nameless Ritual Book should go right back to the evil god that lies in Le Rue.]”

“……!!”

Zhuge Bu looked startled. The prophet slowly moved to the center of the altar and raised the Nameless Ritual Book, saying, “[I’ve already transferred the ownership of the Nameless Ritual Book from So Woong. I’ve paid the price as well. Due to the nature of the Grimoire, I must acknowledge the rights of possession rather than essential ownership; hence, the Nameless Ritual Book is now mine.]”

“That’s ridiculous! I’ll take it by force if necessary!”

Just then, Zhuge Bu unfurled the Baek Woong treasure. I was waiting for an opportunity to assault him, but it didn’t present itself. Tension coursed through me as I wondered what sort of sorcery he might use. If he invoked his combat skills, this place would become a total battlefield.

But just as the prophet lifted his claw-like arm…

Whoosh!

Zhuge Bu, who was ready for battle, simply evaporated into thin air. Literally vanished without a trace. I wondered if some invisibility spell had gone off, but it didn’t seem that way.

“What on earth did you do?”

[I just sent him back to where he came from.]

Is he skilled in time-space magic or something?

The prophet curtly answered and continued, “[There’s a little more time; if you’re curious, feel free to ask.]”

“Hmm…”

I didn’t contemplate Zhuge Bu’s abrupt disappearance further. This prophet seemed like a seasoned practitioner of the otherworldly race’s magic, particularly adept in time-space techniques. Although Zhuge Bu had come thousands of Li to reach here, if the prophet had sent him away, I had no need to worry about his pursuit.

‘What should I ask?’

All the tangled issues before me were related to the otherworldly race, so there was a mountain of things I wanted to inquire about. However, knowing the prophet’s nature, I doubted he would reveal everything. It was best to focus on questions that would directly benefit me. After thinking for a bit, I spoke up.

“I wish to learn your magic! If I were to take in everything as compensation, how much could I learn?”

[Magic, you say? What exactly do you mean?]

“The most convenient or most powerful magic you know, of course.”

Learning the magic of the otherworldly race!

The wooden armor and flying techniques I use were all crafted through the magic of the otherworldly race; thus, the underlying sorcery must be undeniably powerful. After all, the prophet just blew away Zhuge Bu into the Imperial Palace, right? My heart raced as I looked at the prophet, who rolled his eyes and said, “[That’s not a fair trade. Without knowing what you fancy, there will always be second thoughts. I seek fairness; can you agree to further discussion?]”

“Seeking fairness? What do you mean by fairness?”

[Your desires… needs… psychology… I need to know them in greater detail. Only then can I prepare a suitable price of magic to share…]

“How do you plan to find that out?”

At that moment, the prophet extended a claw-like leg towards me.

[You just need to agree to share the source of your desires. If you do, I’ll use the Sharing Spell to discern your inner psychology…]

“……”

The source of desires?

I pondered over it. Is this truly a trade worth accepting? This being had lived for thousands of years, being an ancient member of the otherworldly race filled with wisdom, possibly smarter than Mangnyang. I had no heart to enter into a rash trade with someone of such caliber.

‘Damn it. But if I don’t accept, he seems set on not trading at all…’

I clenched my teeth. If it gets too dicey, I can always come back in a future life and extract a better deal from the prophet. Just like how Mangnyang is risking his life and staying up all night to get stronger, I’ll need to brave greater risks myself.

“Alright, I’ll accept.”

[Good.]

A moment later, a translucent white thread appeared between the prophet and me, and a blue orb formed in the middle. I felt like my spirit was being sucked into the orb, and simultaneously, I had the sensation of reading the prophet’s desires and thoughts right in front of me. However, it felt more like a connection to an instinctual realm of primal subconsciousness rather than something expressible in words.

‘So this is the source of desires…?’

Through this, I couldn’t uncover significant secrets, as it was too profound to verbalize. However, I could discern the most powerful desire or lingering thoughts instinctively hidden within that person. As I held the thread of sharing for some time, the prophet remarked, “[I see. I’ve found the right type of magic for you…]”

He interrupted the sharing and severed the connection. As I looked at him, the prophet continued, “[I will impart to you the spell of Obsidian…]”

“Obsidian magic?”

[Obsidian is the most efficient gemstone for storing memory. Using this magic, you can preserve your own memories…]”

“……?!”

What kind of ridiculous statement was that?

I was flabbergasted and snapped back, “That’s nonsense! Why would I need a spell for memory storage?”

[Your source of desires clearly indicated that you needed that. It’s because there is a pain associated with gradually losing grip on all this information pouring in.]

“……”

[Being able to store your own memories in obsidian means you can also eliminate unnecessary ones, enhancing the efficiency of your consciousness. This gives you the potential to elevate your talents.]

His explanations made me pause in thought. ‘Certainly…’

Recently, I’ve found it difficult to convey the details of my past lives accurately to Mangnyang or Miho. It’s not that I’ve gone through unreal experiences over fourteen past lives; there’s just a lot to remember that demands tremendous mental strength.

Worrying that I might forget something while focusing on training was another concern.

So I asked, “Is it also possible for others to access the memories stored in the obsidian?”

[Of course! That’s precisely what this spell is designed for… You can store memories and easily read them whenever you wish.]

The prophet then proudly added, “[Consider yourself fortunate. You’re getting a perfect match for Grimoire. This spell is transmitted only within our great race and is quite advanced. I can even say that I might be at a slight disadvantage here.]”

“Tch…”

I pretended to grumble but replied, “Fine. How long will the transfer take?”

[As long as it takes for an adult human to have a meal.]

“Just say it takes about one chakra cycle…”

I successfully learned the Obsidian magic through memory transfer from the prophet. It seemed that the otherworldly races impart magic not through verbal instructions or training but by directly passing their memories to another being. The moment I sensed that the transfer of knowledge was complete, I realized I had flawlessly grasped the Obsidian magic.

As a bonus, the prophet handed me three pieces of obsidian, saying, “[This is a gift… Now you know, the larger the piece of obsidian, the greater the amount of memory it can hold. So find more on your own.]”

“Thanks.”

With the obsidian in my hands, I returned to Jinrang Valley with a smug smile on my face.

‘Awesome.’

Memory distributed storage!

From here on out, the risk of mixed or confused memories was significantly reduced.

 

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