Chapter 45: Crafting Talismans (Please Vote!!)

After talking with the angel of the Knowledge Church, Lei Kedun felt his heavy mood improve a bit.

The other side represented the attitude of the God of Knowledge; although I am merely one of the pieces the God of Knowledge set down to combat the Apocalypse and the Ancient Sun God, as long as I have value I can receive their assistance.

The honorific name of the Knowledge Wilderness makes it hard not to suspect that the other side intends to reclaim the Perfect and Hermit paths to become a Knowledge Demon.

Moreover, the Hermit Path is essentially already controlled by the Knowledge Wilderness; once the seal on the Western Continent is lifted, it can retrieve it at any time.

"It seems I am a tool the Knowledge Wilderness uses against the Perfect, but the Perfect is already a true god; what can a mere Sequence Two being like me possibly do?" Lei Kedun was baffled by this.

"Forget it, never mind. Tomorrow I'll apply to the captain for the Sequence Seven Knowledge Keeper's magic elixir. Since everything's already out in the open with the Knowledge Church, there's no longer any concern," Lei Kedun thought. Not having to worry about the magic elixir was probably his only good news at the moment.

"The Knowledge Wilderness must have other reasons for casting me into the Reader Path; it can't be a random choice," Lei Kedun mused, but could not discern what purpose it served.

Unable to find a reason, Lei Kedun stopped probing further and familiarized himself with the martial scholar's bodily enhancements. He could only say that now he was finally not powerless.

The martial scholar's improvements to physical condition and combat techniques finally gave Lei Kedun a somewhat respectable means of confronting opponents.

Tu Ba Ge, who Lei Kedun had summoned to the balcony, was now clawing at the soil in a flowerpot; Lei Kedun saw that the neatly placed potted plants had been moved, some even replanted.

"What are you doing?" Lei Kedun asked curiously.

"I found the planting and arrangement of these plants unreasonable, so I rearranged them," Tu Ba Ge said, energetically clawing at the soil.

"This creature adapts to the magic elixir so quickly; it's already voluntarily following the role‑play method," Lei Kedun was shocked by the rabbit.

"Tomorrow I'll take you to buy some seeds and tools, then have Mr. Butler convert this balcony into your little garden; you can plant whatever you like," Lei Kedun said casually, noticing the rabbit's interest in horticulture.

Lei Kedun planned to let the rabbit try the role itself, since he knew nothing about the role‑playing rules of the Farmer Path.

"Woo~ great, I want to grow lots and lots of tasty grass," Tu Ba Ge exclaimed excitedly.

Lei Kedun restrained his urge to complain and said, "You can grow whatever you want, but besides your own food you also have to help me grow some medicinal herbs."

"No problem, it's all on me," Tu Ba Ge said confidently, patting his chest.

Seeing Tu Ba Ge engrossed in digging, Lei Kedun let him be and returned to his room to prepare a few talismans with ritual magic.

However, when Lei Kedun crafted the talismans, he did not intend to pray to the God of Knowledge; although he already knew the deity's stance, he remained wary of this omniscient being.

There was no other reason; he simply resisted the deity's omniscience. Every time he faced the angel of the Knowledge Church, Lei Kedun felt completely seen, his body and soul laid bare. Thus he always recoiled from praying to the God of Knowledge.

Lei Kedun decided to try praying to the Hidden Sage; the materials were prepared haphazardly, and the talismans' effects would depend on the Hidden Sage's mood.

Lei Kedun swiftly set up the ritual, arranged the talisman materials and offerings, and then began praying directly to the Hidden Sage.

"Sage who perceives the world, eyes that probe truth, embodiment of endless knowledge and spiritual numbers, the unknowable Hidden Sage. I pray to you, I beseech mysterious power!"

The honorific name of the Hidden Sage was obtained by Lei Kedun through a brief divination after peering at the sage traits within himself; the other side did not conceal this information nor interrupt or attempt to influence him through his own divination.

Lei Kedun thought that since the Hidden Sage gave him its honorific name, it must have consented to his use of it.

The prayer to the Hidden Sage was answered quickly, as if the other side had already known when he would pray and was prepared to respond.

Under the influence of the power the Hidden Sage projected, Lei Kedun's prepared materials turned into a series of jet‑black talismans, each covered with intricate tiny symbols that made Lei Kedun feel dizzy just to look at them.

Lei Kedun took each talisman into his hands, examined them closely, and used divination to learn their effects.

Unexpectedly, each talisman possessed a different effect, similar to the abilities taught by the Sequence Six scroll professor of the Seeker Path, except the other side had embedded the various abilities into the talismans.

The talismans' potency was roughly at the level of Sequence Eight to Sequence Seven; perhaps because Lei Kedun's materials were ordinary, reaching this level still counted as a private gift from the Hidden Sage.

These talismans each had one of the following effects: paralysis, poisoning, freezing, lightning strike, or mental shock—exactly five talismans, one effect each.

Regarding this result, Lei Kedun could only say the Hidden Sage was magnanimous; whatever it gave was never useless.

The successful talisman crafting put Lei Kedun in a good mood; taking advantage of it, he planned to write a letter to his father about his earlier idea for a card game.

Originally Lei Kedun was still pondering how to proceed; making and selling cards required a suitable factory and shop. After reading his father's letter today, Lei Kedun realized he could simply ask his father for help.

Lei Kedun wrote in the letter the rules of the Da Vinci Code game he previously played with his squad, also described the Werewolf game, and detailed his envisioned card designs.

Lei Kedun felt these two games had a good chance of spreading, and it would also help him save up for future extraordinary items; relying on his pocket money alone after Sequence Seven would likely be insufficient.

After finishing the letter, Lei Kedun immediately went to the butler and asked him to mail the letter to his father.

"By the way, Uncle Sean, could you have someone fill the second‑floor balcony with soil? I want to plant some vegetation there," Lei Kedun added, recalling his promise to Tu Ba Ge about a small garden.

"Young Master, are there many plants you wish to grow?" Mr. Butler asked upon hearing this.

"Quite a few," Lei Kedun nodded.

Lei Kedun thought that the Farmer role shouldn't be satisfied by merely planting a few flowers and grasses.

"Young Master, the balcony may not meet your needs; you could consider a countryside estate where there is ample space," Mr. Butler suggested.

"That's too far; it's not convenient to get there from here," Lei Kedun shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.

"Young Master, the house next door has a large open‑air balcony; could we remodel that instead?" Mr. Butler offered a second option.

"That could work, but I recall the neighboring house hasn't been up for rent or sale recently," Lei Kedun asked, curious why the butler suggested it.

"No, Young Master, they do intend to sell the house, but since the gentleman has already negotiated with the owner and plans to purchase it, the news hasn't spread," Mr. Butler explained.

"Huh? Why is father suddenly buying the neighboring house?" Lei Kedun was genuinely confused.

"The gentleman plans to expand our house; he feels that once he and his wife stay here long‑term, the current house will be too small," Mr. Butler explained.

"Alright, when can the transaction be completed?" Lei Kedun asked.

"It can be done in the next few days. If you wish to remodel that balcony quickly, I'll talk to the neighboring homeowner within the next two days," Mr. Butler said.

"Fine, let's do it as soon as possible," Lei Kedun nodded, agreeing to the butler's suggestion.

(End of Chapter)