Chapter 1153: Travelogue of Nan Jing, the Fate of a Bard

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that these people have absolutely no sense of shame, speaking what others want to hear to their faces and what ghosts want to hear behind their backs. After all, apart from Lawrence, while these few are quite famous in Seventon, their reputations are not exactly positive.

Thinking of this, Xia Duo looked forward to Lawrence's work even more!

"Lawrence, they all collaborated in groups, yet you created yours alone. I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of work you can produce!"

Facing Xia Duo's expectant gaze, Lawrence's expression remained calm. Even when facing a Senior Arcanist, he remained composed throughout, neither fearful nor sycophantic.

"Lord Xia Duo, Lawrence will certainly not disappoint you!"

After saying this, he did not begin performing directly like the previous few Bards; instead, he took a stack of manuscripts from his robes, handed them to Xia Duo with both hands, and explained:

"Your requirement was to create a simple and easy-to-learn literacy textbook for your territory's people, and this is it!"

Xia Duo focused slightly, not detecting any traces of magic on the manuscript.

As for poison, he was even less worried. Not to mention how rare poisons that take effect upon contact are, even if there were one, there was always a thin film of air on his skin.

This was shaped by his Bloodline Ability 【Wind Control】, which was sufficient to block the vast majority of physical toxin intrusions.

He took the manuscript casually and began to flip through it quickly.

In Xia Duo's hometown, there is a saying that "the handwriting reflects the person." The handwriting on Lawrence's manuscript was elegant and neat, almost rigorous, and there were no corrections anywhere.

Combined with the fact that Lawrence could cast spells, it was highly probable that magic was involved. It was just that, perhaps because Lawrence finished the draft early, there were no residual magical auras left on the manuscript.

The content of the manuscript was indeed related to Daxia Territory, but in terms of conception, it was inferior to "From Netheril Slave to Daxia Citizen" performed by Kanaer and the others, or even "Legend of Daxia" performed by Ruide earlier.

This was purely a travelogue of Nan Jing. Although the latter half focused mainly on Daxia Territory, it mostly described natural scenery, with less description of human landscapes.

Its only advantages were perhaps that the writing was simple, progressed from the shallow to the deep, and at the same time subtly conformed to rhythm, making it easy to recite.

This was not a song lyric or a script, but a literacy textbook for the territory's people that fit Xia Duo's requirements almost perfectly!

"Lawrence, you truly did not disappoint me!" Xia Duo said indifferently.

Although there was still some gap from what he had expected, objectively speaking, he really could not find any faults with this "Nan Jing Travelogue."

If he had to write it himself, he probably wouldn't be able to catch up to Lawrence even with a whip; as expected, there is a specialty in every trade!

……

After fully understanding the works of the seven Bards, Xia Duo arranged for Laidun to settle the final payments for these people, and then issued new tasks—

First, continue to improve the literacy textbook. A single "Nan Jing Travelogue" was still slightly insufficient; it needed to include at least most of the common characters and grammar to be considered a formal textbook.

In the future, there will inevitably be competition between humans and Elves in the cultural sphere. If one is not even proficient in the language, how much competitiveness can one speak of in other aspects!

The second task was to compile an "Encyclopedia," used to increase the knowledge and broaden the horizons of the territory's people, which could also be used by the Tower of Time Apprentices.

In fact, previously, Xia Duo had also let Laidun collect the customs and traditions of various places in the north from the territory's people, but the people had low status when they were in the north and their knowledge was limited; having more professional people participate was only right and proper.

For this reason, he also promised to open some of the books in the Tower of Time to these seven Bards, which included various secret materials, which was extremely attractive to Bards.

The third task was to select Bard Apprentices in Daxia Territory; of course, more accurately, it was "to cultivate suitable cultural and artistic workers for Daxia Territory."

As for spells, the spellcasting of Bards is somewhat similar to Elven Magic, requiring a relatively high level of personal sensibility, and Xia Duo made no requirements regarding this.

If they have it, it can enrich the composition of spellcasters in the territory, like Druids or Priests; if they don't, it doesn't matter, as it does not hinder the overall situation.

The mainstream of territorial magic he planned was the Arcane Magic System of Netheril, which is more suitable for ordinary people to develop collectively; this point is beyond doubt.

There were three tasks in total, especially the latter two, which would take a long time to complete. Xia Duo did not even propose a clear goal for the last task.

This was actually equivalent to recruiting Lawrence and the others.

"Lord, I am very interested in the compilation of the 'Encyclopedia,' and there is no problem with the advanced literacy textbook or even recruiting apprentices. But I will not stay in Daxia Territory forever. Once I lose the sense of being moved in my heart, I will leave. This is also the fate of a Bard. I hope Lord Xia Duo can understand!"

Kanaer, Ruide, and the others agreed to Xia Duo's recruitment very readily, but Lawrence actually made Xia Duo feel surprised.

This was the first time Xia Duo had heard such a description when the other party mentioned the "fate of a Bard" in such a formal tone, so he asked curiously:

"Lawrence, what is the 'fate of a Bard' you speak of? If it is inconvenient, you do not need to answer."

"This is not a secret; any Bard who has gained spellcasting ability will be aware of it."

Lawrence glanced at the few Bards nearby and then explained: "A Bard begins with the sublimation of sensibility and must live by chasing the feeling of being moved. Once the things around them no longer have freshness and can no longer provide the feeling of being moved in their hearts, their sensibility will become dusty, and their spells will disappear."

Speaking of this, Lawrence smiled rarely and continued: "I do not cherish spells, but for so many years, I have long been accustomed to chasing the feeling of being moved. If I do not do this, I would not know where the meaning of life lies."

Xia Duo naturally knew that the "feeling of being moved" Lawrence spoke of did not mean gratitude, but the stirring of sensibility, or rather, clear fluctuations.

However, this explanation from Lawrence changed Xia Duo's view of him once again.

Just from the point that Bards constantly track freshness, they are more like "scumbags" or "prodigals" rather than ordinary cultural and artistic workers.

Now, looking at Lawrence again, Xia Duo no longer saw him as a noble person with a long heritage or a Paladin who strictly followed commandments, but as a heartless person playing in the human world.

Even the act of treating sick slaves on the ship to Nan Jing earlier might have just been out of curiosity about such behavior, or perhaps a brand-new experience.

For a moment, Xia Duo even regretted knowing these things, but if he didn't know now, he would probably regret it even more later.

At the same time, he also knew where all those scandalous news stories about Bards came from. Without a doubt, flirting and philandering is the easiest way to obtain freshness.

From this perspective, Lawrence, who does not flirt or philander, seems quite decent.

But in fact, there is not much difference; it is similar to the Flower Sect and Joy Sect of the demonic path in a certain novel from Xia Duo's hometown.

They only care about the feeling of being moved itself, not the person or thing that triggers it. By abandoning the root to pursue the tip, they are essentially heartless people.

If being a Bard is considered a disease, Lawrence is already terminally ill, but Kanaer, Ruide, and the others are still in the mild stage.