Chapter 314 - 311: Selection

Time with the person you like is always so relaxing.

After a leisurely stroll through the garden, Blanche led Ronin to her study.

"Wait here for a moment."

She gave him a mysterious smile and walked into an inner room.

Ronin glanced inside. It seemed to be a private library, filled with bookshelves.

He couldn’t help but remark, "Your collection is much larger than mine."

"I flip through them when I’m bored. There are many books I still haven’t gotten around to reading."

As she spoke, Blanche opened a bookshelf to her left, pulled out several books, and placed them on the desk.

"What are these?" Ronin asked, walking over curiously.

Blanche explained, "The last time we were boating on Wushan Lake, you mentioned you wanted to learn about the history before the Empire’s founding, didn’t you? I’ve been looking around since I returned and only managed to find these."

Ronin remembered saying that.

Although he had partly said it just to make conversation, he was genuinely interested in the pre-Imperial era.

Books in this world were expensive. A forty-page sheepskin book sold for four Silver Coins, and the information it contained was often quite brief.

Historical texts were considered dull and unpopular, so they held little market value. This, in turn, meant few people put much effort into recording history.

It was only natural, then, for gaps to appear in the historical record.

Ronin picked up a book and flipped through it casually. "Thank you. Can I take these back with me to read?"

"Of course!"

Blanche smiled. "I’ve read all seven of these, and the contents aren’t very detailed or complete. Still, three of them mention words like ’Demon God’ and ’Cataclysm.’"

’Demon God... Cataclysm...’

Ronin mulled over the two words. He thought back to his encounter in the Mysterious Valley and those strange men who couldn’t be killed even when run through with a Longsword. He felt that there must have been a far more glorious Extraordinary history before the Empire.

’Could it be that a cataclysm caused the world to restart?’

Blanche opened one of the books, found the page with the relevant information, and handed it to Ronin.

"Even though they all mention those words, the descriptions are still quite vague. And if you ask me, they read more like fanciful knight novels."

"Let me see."

Ronin took the book and began to read.

It’s a common illusion that time seems to fly when you’re with someone you like.

This was exactly the case for Ronin and Blanche. It felt as if they had only taken a few turns around the garden and exchanged a few words in the study before it was noon.

They had planned to go pick out books that morning, but now they would have to wait until the afternoon.

In the afternoon, Blanche acted as his guide, taking the opportunity to stroll through the vast Golden Feather Palace on their way to the Library.

They occasionally ran into other nobles also strolling through the palace and would stop to exchange greetings.

Ronin, however, noticed that when Blanche introduced him as a friend, a few of the ladies seemed to look at him with what appeared to be sympathy?

Blanche seemed to have noticed as well. Her expression grew a bit unnatural, and her mood appeared to be affected.

Being the considerate person he was, Ronin naturally offered some words of comfort.

Before long, the two of them arrived outside the Library.

Unlike the tall, magnificent building Ronin had imagined, the so-called Library was merely a single-story structure covering about a hundred square meters.

Unlike an ordinary wood or stone building, the Library’s outer walls seemed to be coated with a special material, and numerous Magic Patterns were carved upon them.

According to Blanche, the Library had been reinforced by Magic Master Bellora, making it difficult to damage with ordinary attacks.

If the Magic Array inside was activated, its defensive strength would be even greater.

Ronin scanned the surroundings. In addition to the Library’s own powerful defenses, a Knight Team of no fewer than ten men stood guard, so there was no need to worry about thieves.

The tall Knight at the entrance must have received instructions from His Majesty the King. When he saw Blanche approaching with Ronin, he came forward to greet them. After a few pleasantries, he allowed them to enter.

However, he also reminded Ronin that he could only choose two books and could not take any more than that.

The heavy, massive doors were pushed open, and an odor that was part Sheepskin, part Magical Beast Hide wafted out. It wasn’t very pleasant.

"There’s a list over here."

Blanche had clearly been here before. She confidently walked to one side, picked up a booklet placed there, and handed it over.

Ronin took it and had a look, and he couldn’t help but admire the richness of Bruno’s collection.

It contained a collection of Magic and Combat Skills of all attributes, from the Basic Level all the way to Seventh-level and Eighth-level. On top of that, there were also Fighting Qi Cultivation Secret Scriptures and the Secret Skills mentioned yesterday, and more.

"As expected of His Majesty the King. The value of this Library is probably enough to buy my entire Wubei Territory."

Blanche pursed her lips into a smile. "You’d better choose carefully."

"Naturally!"

Bruno had only let Ronin choose two books. He hadn’t specified which two, nor had he limited the Level of the Combat Skills or Magic Books.

To maximize his benefit, Ronin skipped right past the Sixth-level Combat Skills and Magic that were suitable for him at his current level and turned his attention to those that were Seventh-level and higher.

At the Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce, even Sixth-level Magic was difficult to purchase, let alone anything Seventh-level or higher.

"Seventh-level Magic, ’Wind’s Wings,’ allows a Mage to break free from the bonds of the earth and soar through the sky like a bird."

"Seventh-level Magic, ’Earth Core Fire,’ can generate temperatures high enough to melt iron into liquid!"

"Seventh-level Magic, ’Earth Bear,’ allows the caster to summon a giant rock bear to crush everything!"

"Eighth-level Magic, ’Weighting Skill,’ alters the gravity in a given area, making it impossible for pathetic Knights to even move an inch..."

’That description is a bit discriminatory toward Professional Knights.’

As he browsed through the list, Ronin could almost feel the immense power hidden behind their names.

’Even though I only have Wind and Fire Attributes, the other Attributes might be useful someday.’

’Water Attribute, Earth Attribute, Thunder Attribute... the Transcendents with great potential in my territory might have a use for them in the future.’

Unfortunately, he could only pick two.

Ronin blinked at Blanche. "What am I supposed to do? I want all of them."

"Uh..."

Blanche froze for a moment, then blinked as well. She asked hesitantly, "How about I go ask Father for a few more?"

Her face suddenly flushed as she said, "Or, when you marry me, I’ll have him add a few more as a gift."

"Hahaha, deal!"

Laughing, Ronin turned his gaze back to the list and began to select his books.

First, considering how powerful and rare they were, Ronin’s top choice was a Secret Skill.

However, he didn’t have to spend much time choosing, as there was only one on the list—*Scorching Beam*.

This Secret Skill required the user to fuse and compress Fighting Qi of both the Wind and Fire attributes, then project it outward in the form of a ray.

The resulting ray possessed both extremely high temperatures and unusual piercing Power. It was said to be able to melt and pierce even heavy Armor.

"This will be my first one."

Blanche leaned closer. "Only Meteor Knights are qualified to master a Secret Skill. If you pick it now, I’m afraid it will be many years before you can use it."

According to the rules set by Bruno, any books on Combat Skills or Magic taken from here were not allowed to be taught to others.

If someone was discovered to have passed on the knowledge, not only would they face a fine of up to thirty times the item’s value, but the Royal Family would also suppress them in every aspect, from their reputation to their territory. The consequences were extremely severe.

So, in Blanche’s eyes, while the Secret Skill Ronin chose was priceless, it was somewhat of a waste, as he wouldn’t be able to use it for several years at best, and several decades at worst.

"It’s fine. It’s better to have it when I don’t need it than to need it when I don’t have it."

Seeing that Ronin was insistent, Blanche didn’t say anything more. "Then I’ll go find it for you. You think about what you want for your second choice."

With that, she went to find the book, following the location recorded on the list.

’What should I choose for the second one?’

Ronin frowned, deep in thought.

’I already have two Meteor Level Combat Skills. The rest are Magic spells I’ll need to master when I become a Great Mage.’

’Wind’s Wings, Heart-Piercing Wave, Terrain Fire, Summon Fire Element.’

His gaze drifted back and forth over these four Magic spells.

After a long while, he made his choice.

"It’ll be you, Wind’s Wings!"