Chapter 10: A Stack of Knowledge Points? A Stack of Lists!

The next morning when he woke up, the butler had already gone out and bought breakfast; Lei Kedun simply finished his breakfast, changed clothes, and left.

Starting today he must clock in at the Knowledge Church every day, but before that Lei Kedun plans to first go to a nearby shop to buy a new pair of glasses, as his eyes need something to conceal.

Fortunately, the most popular accessories among Knowledge Church members are still easy to find near the Knowledge Church.

For most people in the Knowledge Church, glasses are indeed just an ornament to accentuate oneself, making one look more like a learned scholar. Of course, many also need glasses because long hours of reading have weakened their eyesight.

Taking a carriage to the vicinity of the Na Suoxi Grand Library, Lei Kedun randomly chose a shop that sold glasses, and there selected and bought a pair of silver‑white and cobalt‑blue metal‑stitched, somewhat punk‑style glasses; the lenses glowed with a blue‑purple light, perfect for masking the subtle color change of his eyes.

"How much for this pair of glasses?" Lei Kedun asked politely.

"Sir, you have excellent taste; this pair is brand‑new stock in our shop, a completely different style from before. Wearing it will make you look younger and more energetic—perfect for a young gentleman like you. It's a newly released model and only costs one gold li‑suo." The middle‑aged shop manager, wearing a top hat and a tailcoat, answered enthusiastically in a gentlemanly manner.

The first order of the day already involved Lei Kedun, a big spender evident from his attire, and the owner's smile stretched across almost half his face.

"So expensive?" Lei Kedun raised an eyebrow; he isn't short of money but isn't foolish—this owner was clearly inflating the price on purpose.

"Sir, this model is the latest arrival; both craftsmanship and material are first‑rate, so the price isn't high." The owner maintained his smile while explaining.

"Fine, give me two of these glasses, the lenses don't need any prescription." Lei Kedun nodded, not fussing over the detail.

"Two pairs?" The owner's smile widened even more exaggeratedly.

"Yes, two pairs. I really like this design, and I'll also buy an extra one to give to my future teacher." Lei Kedun replied.

"Ha ha! Sir, your taste is superb; your teacher will surely love this gift. Is your teacher a scholar of the Knowledge Church? People who come here this early are either worshippers heading to the chapel or members of the Knowledge Church." The owner praised Lei Kedun's taste while making small talk.

"Indeed, otherwise I wouldn't have to go to the church every day. As a Fenebote person, I never imagined that life after joining the church would be just like my university life—no, even stricter." Lei Kedun half‑jokingly mentioned that he is also a scholar of the Knowledge Church.

"When we immerse ourselves in knowledge, it feels like being in the kingdom of God!" The owner chanted a statement of his faith at that moment.

"Shop manager, you're right. To utter such a philosophical line, you must be a loyal believer of my Lord." Lei Kedun said while drawing the Knowledge Church's holy emblem on his chest with his right hand.

"It's my honor." When the topic turned to faith, the owner's smile became sincere: "Looking at your age, you must have only recently become a scholar of the Knowledge Church, right? As a devout believer of my Lord, these two glasses will cost you just one gold li‑suo, a token of my support for your joining the church to serve my Lord. Please don't refuse."

While speaking, the shop manager took a finely crafted wooden box from the bottom shelf, opened it, and handed it to Lei Kedun, who saw inside a pair of glasses identical to the one he was holding.

"Sir, please don't refuse; this is my modest offering as a believer of my Lord to the church that serves my Lord." The owner's words and expression were especially devout.

Lei Kedun took the wooden box, reached into the inner pocket of his brown long coat and pulled out a gold tael, handing it to the owner.

"Serving my Lord is my honor; thank you for your generosity, sir!" Lei Kedun replied with a solemn and devout expression.

After a few more idle chats, Lei Kedun left, put on his newly bought glasses, and headed to the third‑floor lounge of the Na Suoxi Grand Library to find Mr. Ke Si.

"That shop owner may not be an especially devout believer, but he is certainly a qualified believer and a pious merchant." Lei Kedun whispered a sigh.

As a deduction trainee of Sequence Eight, Lei Kedun naturally saw that the owner's initial price was wildly inflated, likely assuming Lei Kedun would haggle; if he didn't, the owner would profit even more.

But later, when Lei Kedun mentioned in conversation that he was a scholar who had joined the Knowledge Church, the owner's sincere devotion when offering the extra pair of glasses proved genuine.

"People in this world are generally especially devout toward their own beliefs; it's a belief of body and mind." Lei Kedun mused.

"Good morning! Ms. Jie Xika!" When Lei Kedun arrived at the third‑floor lounge, Jie Xika was already sitting in yesterday's spot, sipping coffee and leafing through a newspaper.

"Good morning, Lei Kedun. You're here early! Such a disciplined big boy!" Jie Xika replied, not missing a chance to tease Lei Kedun.

"Disciplined, sunny, cheerful, handsome, and smart big boy!" Lei Kedun boasted in reply.

Lei Kedun's reaction surprised her, a psychologist, which left Jie Xika a bit startled.

"Hmm! I can see you're in good shape today; keep it up. A pleasant mood will make your body and mind happy and also help you better cope with the effects of demon drugs." Jie Xika nodded and praised Lei Kedun's mental state.

Lei Kedun nodded and walked toward the far corner of the lounge; perhaps because it was his first day arriving early, at that moment the lounge only had Jie Xika drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, and Mr. Ke Si writing something in the corner, while everyone else had not yet arrived.

It might also be that they went straight to the work area; Lei Kedun didn't know where the work area was, so he first came to the lounge he had visited yesterday, since his task is to read and study, which inevitably brings him to the library.

"Good morning, Professor Ke, what are you writing?" Lei Kedun called out as he approached.

"Good morning, Lei Kedun. Here's your study list for this period—here, a portion is already written, the rest is about half left; I'll give it to you later. I didn't expect you to come so early; Qiao Xi and the others are always very punctual." Professor Ke nodded, handing Lei Kedun a stack of papers he had already prepared.

"A very punctual checkpoint for clock‑in?" Lei Kedun asked, receiving the stack of papers from Professor Ke.

It was a sheet of paper folded together; Lei Kedun held the top page, then unfolded the rest, and the paper dangled down to the floor.

Lei Kedun stared blankly at the list in his hand, originally thinking it was a pile of knowledge points copied by Professor Ke! He never expected it to be a list, densely written with book titles and the corresponding locations in the library.

He swallowed, incredulously saying, "This is a list?"

"Yes, these are the books you need to finish and master within a month; I still have about half left, I'll give you the rest when I'm done." Professor Ke said, still nodding.

"A month? Finish them all?" Lei Kedun wondered if he had misheard.

"Yes, this is the first batch, so it's a bit light; after you adapt, future lists will contain more." Professor Ke seemed to think the content was still too little and added another sentence.

"Also, each month I'll devise exam questions based on the books you've read; you must study seriously." Professor Ke added at the end.

"Destroy it! Quickly! I don't love it!" The little devil inside Lei Kedun had already given up.

"Are these books something I can finish in a month?" Lei Kedun thought Professor Ke was joking.

"In theory it's doable; you're already a Sequence Eight deduction trainee. Building on the memory and comprehension boost from the original Sequence Nine reader enhancement, you've further improved observation and logical reasoning. As long as you master your extraordinary abilities, finishing and mastering these books in a month isn't too hard. Moreover, they're relatively basic, so reading and understanding will be easier." Professor Ke explained in detail why he assigned so many books.

"I feel my grasp of my extraordinary abilities isn't at that level yet." Lei Kedun said.

"That's precisely why you need training. I told the captain yesterday that since you can directly ingest the extraordinary traits of Sequence Eight—whether by luck or not—it shows a high compatibility with the reader path; you'll soon adapt and master your extraordinary abilities." Professor Ke's answer was persuasive.

"Hmm!" Lei Kedun nodded, no longer dwelling on the issue.

"I always feel like I'm being PUA‑ed at work, sigh! It's a pity the reader path and I probably have little compatibility; I survived not by luck or strength but because a senior gave me a poison‑against‑poison, using a higher‑level contamination to suppress the impurity in the extraordinary traits." Lei Kedun muttered silently, unwilling to speak aloud.

"Take a break, then go down to the first floor of the library and fetch the books listed in the first few rows of the list; if you have any questions, raise them, and I'll adjust the plan according to your progress." Professor Ke instructed before returning to his notes for Lei Kedun's study plan.

(End of chapter)