Chapter 1 Suren Also Has Matters to Attend To

Suren guessed that his senior apprentice sister wasn't as relaxed as she looked after the previous battle. After all, she had forced herself out of seclusion, her strength wasn't fully recovered, and she had traveled such a long distance, fighting a fierce battle. The burden must have been heavy.

After chatting for a while, Jing Xiansheng began to meditate cross-legged.

Youta was still unconscious, recovering from her injuries, and there was no one else to talk to. Suren didn't run around; he began to sort out his own affairs.

His Mechanical Alchemist battle armor was severely damaged and urgently needed repair. Although the two newly acquired pieces of Animated Silver were not enough to make an alchemy golem, it didn't prevent him from studying the various properties of this legendary puppet material. He also needed to digest and understand the skills and laws he had gained before. He had also discovered some problems with his psychic tentacles in actual combat...

Suren quickly became immersed in his busy work.

The underground palace was dark. A not-so-bright blue magic lamp illuminated a small area, casting shadows of three people.

From time to time, some subtle sounds could be heard in the collapsed tunnels, like the movements of mutated monsters following the scent.

But with his golden-thighed senior apprentice sister around, Suren wasn't worried in the slightest.

This meditation lasted for two days and two nights.

Finally, Youta woke up.

......

Suren had been observing Youta's condition, her breathing even, and her injuries were improving.

Suddenly, he keenly heard the change in Youta's breathing and opened his eyes from meditation.

Youta seemed to be recovering from a serious illness. Her expression was blank for a moment, as if she had just remembered what had happened.

She turned her head and saw Suren, her crystalline eyes filled with joy after surviving a disaster.

A cautious look appeared on her pretty face as she glanced at the mysterious cloaked woman not far away.

Suren walked over and asked, "Youta, how are your injuries?"

As he spoke, he reached out to check her himself without any hesitation.

Youta responded, "I'm almost recovered."

At this moment, Jing Xiansheng also opened her eyes.

Suren thought that he hadn't formally introduced the two, so he said to Jing Xiansheng, "Senior Apprentice Sister, this is Youta, a druid from the White Wolf Tribe of the Dalu."

Then, he said to Youta, "This is my senior apprentice sister, Ms. Ophelia Fei Isaac. You can also call her Jing Xiansheng."

Youta nodded obediently, her expression slightly restrained, and took the initiative to greet, "Hello, Jing Xiansheng."

After all, the person in front of her was an existence of ridiculously high seniority.

Sir Isaac was a witness to the oath signed by the ancestors of the Dalu tribe, and the daughter of that person...

She was definitely an ancestor-level figure.

Even without considering this relationship, this mysterious Ms. Ophelia was also Mr. Suren's senior apprentice sister.

For a moment, Youta felt like she was seeing elders like the clan leader and the Wolf Matriarch, giving her an invisible pressure.

Jing Xiansheng nodded.

Her nature was cold, and her tone of speaking naturally resembled the concern of an elder. She said lightly, "Being able to awaken the Dalu tribe's holy纹totem, you are also a great druid recognized by the God of Nature. You don't need to be so restrained."

She naturally saw the relationship between Suren and Youta, and a smile appeared on her lips as she spoke.

Youta listened and nodded obediently, "Okay."

Suren's expression became a little strange when he heard the conversation between the two.

Clearly, they were both normal people, but suddenly... it felt like adults meeting a junior?

He complained in his heart. Although it was a fact that his senior apprentice sister had lived for more than a thousand years, her appearance, temperament, and figure were no different from a young woman. Her personality was also gentle and kind, and there shouldn't be any generation gap.

Why did Youta look at her as if she were facing the Wolf Matriarch?

Suren recalled the scenes of getting along with Jing Xiansheng on weekdays. Apart from being a little cold, his senior apprentice sister didn't seem to care about seniority and was quite easy to get along with.

He couldn't understand.

He didn't know how to say it.

That's how the atmosphere was.

A little weird.

The two exchanged a simple greeting.

Youta saw that the previous black hole had disappeared, and her expression was worried. She asked directly, "Jing Xiansheng, how is the seal here? The God had sent down a divine decree, ordering our Dalu tribe to guard this place for generations..."

Jing Xiansheng responded, "The seal is very safe. I have placed restrictions on it to make it even harder to discover. That deep-sea giant shouldn't be coming back anytime soon either."

Hearing this, Youta breathed a sigh of relief, her face full of sincerity. "Thank you for resolving the crisis of our tribe and saving me."

However, even though she said so, the worry in her eyes had not completely disappeared.

The cursed valley ruins had troubled the Dalu tribe for five hundred years. Now that Luying and those people had discovered it, there would definitely be no shortage of trouble in the future.

Seeing that Youta still looked worried, Jing Xiansheng guessed what she was thinking and said decisively, "My father once signed an oath with the Dalu tribe on behalf of human civilization. Although times have changed and some humans have betrayed the alliance, those of the Isaac family have never forgotten it. From now on, the oath between humans and the Dalu tribe will be guarded by us."

Suren heard that she was clearly including him in this and nodded in agreement.

He didn't feel that the oath was a burden. Instead, he felt that it was an honor to be able to protect some things from the height of civilization.

Youta's crystalline eyes flickered with emotion as she listened. She crossed her hands in front of her chest and bowed deeply, "The Dalu tribe will forever remember the oath."

......

Youta's injuries were almost healed.

This trip to the Cursed Valley not only disrupted the heretics' attempt to destroy the seal, but also coincidentally allowed her to retrieve one of the four sacred objects, the Dagda's Magic Cauldron.

It could already be considered a complete success.

Moreover, she was the first druid in five hundred years to feel the call of the God of Nature again. This was great news for the Dalu tribe. She needed to return to the Holy Land as soon as possible to share this exciting news with the clan leader and the tribe members.

Furthermore, the descendant of Sir Isaac had also arrived.

A grand welcome ceremony was needed for the Dalu tribe's friend.

It seemed that everything was getting better.

The environment in the ruins, filled with the aura of the undead, was not suitable for Jing Xiansheng to recover her strength. The three of them decided to set off immediately for the Dalu tribe's Emerald Holy Land. Jing Xiansheng also needed to meet with the elders of the Dalu tribe.

The Cursed Valley was fraught with danger, but unlike when Suren and the others had walked on thin ice, their return was very fast.

Now that there was a top expert in their team of three, they didn't need to worry about any monsters.

The journey that originally took more than half a month was almost at the Emerald Holy Land in just a few days.

.......

During these few days, the three of them were together day and night. Although Youta and Jing Xiansheng became more familiar with each other,

the atmosphere was still a little strange.

Suren couldn't put his finger on what was strange.

But clearly, when he was with Jing Xiansheng alone, although they didn't talk much, they could still joke around occasionally.

It was even more so when he was with Youta. They could laugh and talk happily, and occasionally get intimate in this primitive forest.

But when the three of them were together, the atmosphere would become strangely serious, solemn, and there would be little small talk.

Even if they talked, it would be about very serious things, such as the Dalu tribe's predicament, the problems they were currently facing...

Suren guessed that it was still due to Jing Xiansheng's seniority.

On this day, Suren and the others found a cave in the primitive jungle to settle down for the night.

The bonfire was burning brightly, and the roasted meat on the rack was fragrant. Some orange-red fruits were placed on fresh leaves.

Youta enthusiastically distributed the food, as if she were a host entertaining guests.

Jing Xiansheng was of the Blood Clan bloodline and had little need for normal food. She only ate a few bites as a courtesy.

Suren had a good appetite. Youta's roasting skills were excellent, and he needed to replenish energy after a long journey.

Before long, night had fallen, and the sky was filled with sparkling stars.

The night in the silent forest was very beautiful.

A night breeze blew through the forest, and the leaves rustled like the sound of endless ocean waves.

According to the previous few days, the three of them should rest after dinner.

Because there was someone else present, Youta couldn't make any overly intimate gestures. She would usually lie quietly beside Suren to sleep.

And Jing Xiansheng would meditate cross-legged.

Until dawn.

During these few days together, Suren realized that Jing Xiansheng must have been injured in the previous battle, so he never bothered her along the way.

But today, Jing Xiansheng's condition seemed to have improved.

After dinner, she didn't immediately enter meditation. Instead, she took the initiative to chat about some idle things.

She seemed to be looking forward to the Emerald Holy Land. She said, "My father once told me that the Dalu tribe's holy lake, Lake Gaius, has the most beautiful scenery in the world. When the sunlight shines down, countless rays of light come from the heavens and pass through the world. I wonder if the water in the Holy Lake is still the same as it was a thousand years ago..."

Youta's expression dimmed slightly as she heard this. She responded, "No one has been up to the Holy Lake Steps for hundreds of years. The elders in the tribe say that only those who have received a divine call are qualified to go up. I have only heard the elders talk about the scenery of the Holy Lake and have never seen it..."

Jing Xiansheng raised her eyebrows slightly. "Oh, is that so?"

It was fine if they didn't chat, but once they started chatting, Jing Xiansheng's "ancestor-level" seniority immediately became prominent.

What she knew and could talk about were all things from a thousand years ago.

And when Youta responded, she would naturally talk about the distant legends of the ancestors. When mentioning those topics, this Druid Miss would always have a strange sense of reverence and tension.

Jing Xiansheng was a very serious person, especially to those she was not familiar with. She almost never smiled, so she always gave people a cold and aloof feeling.

But Suren knew that his senior apprentice sister was actually quite easy to get along with.

Therefore, it was up to him to warm up the atmosphere.

Hearing that the two were about to kill the conversation, he immediately interjected, "Youta, how much longer until we reach the Holy Land?"

Answering Suren's question, Youta's expression was obviously much more relaxed, "We should be able to arrive by the evening of tomorrow. The clan leader and elders will definitely be very happy to know that Jing Xiansheng you are here..."

The closer she got to the Holy Land, the stronger the expectation in her heart became.

The prophecies circulating in the tribe had now been fulfilled. "The warrior who follows the ancient covenant will reappear, save the tribe, and bring back the sacred object."

Now it seemed that the warriors were Mr. Suren and Jing Xiansheng.

Youta's eyes seemed to see the cheering appearance of the tribesmen, and her eyebrows were as happy as crescent moons.

Jing Xiansheng smiled and said nothing.

Perhaps she felt that there was nothing to say.

Youta wanted to say something, but she was too shy to say it.

They needed to start a topic soon.

Taking advantage of Jing Xiansheng's rare free time, Suren thought of some questions he had and asked them.

He said, "Senior Apprentice Sister, have you heard of the Cyclops race?"

"Cyclops?"

Jing Xiansheng seemed unfamiliar with the term, but she seemed to have heard of it. She tried to recall as she asked, "Where did you see this race?"

Suren said, "I saw it in the cursed space of the ruins in Cursed Valley. There was a mural in that former giant city, and I guessed it might be the origin of the All-Knowing Eye talent..."

He described the content of the mural he had seen in detail and talked about some of his guesses.

Jing Xiansheng listened and seemed to suddenly understand. "Now that you mention it, I really remember some things."

After a pause, she seemed to remember something. Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she continued, "When my father was young, he traveled to many places. When he told me bedtime stories as a child, he talked about his adventures in the Western Wasteland Sea. Father once said that on some islands in that dangerous sea area, he encountered giants who could fight dragons. I was very impressed at the time because in the story, those giants only had one big eye on their foreheads..."

"There really are?"

Suren was also pleasantly surprised as he listened.

He had never heard of the Cyclops race before. Theoretically, it was an extinct species.

When he asked this question, he originally wanted to see if his knowledgeable senior apprentice sister knew anything about the legends, ancient books, or ruins of the Cyclops race.

Unexpectedly, the Cyclops race still existed a thousand years ago?

Maybe they still do!

"Yes."

Jing Xiansheng nodded, naturally guessing the reason why Suren asked this question.

She also said, "Many human talents originate from ancient gods. According to your statement, the origin of your All-Knowing Eye may really have a direct relationship with the Cyclops race. If that's the case, your talent may be able to take a shortcut of bloodline reversion for its second awakening."

Suren was originally just curious and asked casually to see if he could learn more about the origin of the All-Knowing Eye.

Listening to Jing Xiansheng's explanation, it also involved a second awakening?

The second awakening of the Death Reaper could be pondered through life-and-death experiences. But there was no clue at all for the second advancement of the All-Knowing Eye.

Now that he heard this, it seemed that he could put some effort into the bloodline?

However, before Suren could ask in detail how the bloodline reversion operated, Jing Xiansheng poured a bucket of cold water to dispel his idea.

She changed the subject and said, "However, after all, it is a mythological story, and it is difficult to say whether it is true or false. Moreover, I am not sure whether the Cyclops that my father once saw was the same as the one you mentioned. The most important thing is that the island is in the extremely dangerous sea area where dragons exist in the Western Sea..."

"..."

Suren smiled bitterly when he heard this.

Sure enough, the races involved in mythological stories were not that simple.

With the topic opened, Jing Xiansheng's erudition was displayed.

She suddenly thought of something and said as if chatting, "But speaking of your All-Knowing Eye, I remembered a very powerful talent that may have some connection with your ability."

Suren asked, "Oh?"

Jing Xiansheng said, "S-009-Myriad Phenomena True Understanding, also a pupil technique released through the eyes. This talent is very strong. As long as the talented person can understand the composition of matter, he can decompose everything into its original structure. Speaking of which, it has a very high compatibility with your All-Knowing Eye talent. That talent requires you to understand yourself, while your talent understands everything. Moreover, the source of that talent is also said to come from an ancient god."

Speaking of this, she thought for a moment before saying again, "Before you said that the mythological story of digging out eyes to obtain knowledge made me think that the two talents may have the same origin. However, S-level talents are very rare, and I have only heard of the Myriad Phenomena True Understanding. I have never seen any talented person."

Hearing this, Suren's expression changed slightly.

But he didn't take it too seriously.

Myths were already ethereal, and adding legends and speculations made them even more unreliable.

He just treated it as listening to his senior apprentice sister telling a rare story.

While they were chatting, Suren suddenly thought of something. He took out a stone rune in a sealed box and asked, "By the way! Senior Apprentice Sister, Youta, can you help me see what this thing is for? I also got it in the previous cursed space."

Youta took a look and said as if she had sensed something, "This should be a solidified form of a top-level rune language."

Suren shrugged and said, "Yes. It's an Imitation Primordial Rune. But apart from the name, I don't know what it's for."

Obviously, alchemists knew more about runes. Jing Xiansheng immediately realized what this was when she looked at it.

She took the sealed box and looked at it carefully. She said with emotion, "This is a good treasure. Even if it's a fake, the rune language contained in it is the most top-level I have seen in the past thousand years."

If Jing Xiansheng said so, it was naturally a good treasure.

Suren's eyes also lit up, and he asked curiously, "Then... Senior Apprentice Sister, how do I use this thing?"

Jing Xiansheng obviously knew and responded casually, "Put it by your side and slowly feel it. Once you understand it thoroughly, you may be the top master in the field of runes in the world. However, this requires a very high level of comprehension and rune attainments. Perhaps you will need decades to thoroughly understand the high-level rune language contained in it."

"Decades?"

Suren's eyelids twitched when he heard this.

The use of this stone rune was indeed a pleasant surprise, but the method of using it was troubling.

He had put it by his side and looked at it many times these few days, but apart from the "?????" information, he didn't understand anything.

This situation also showed that he might not even have reached the threshold of understanding.

Maybe he would never understand it in his life.

It felt like a very useless thing...

Jing Xiansheng smiled slightly when she saw Suren's expression. "If you want to quickly understand this thing, there is actually a clever shortcut."

Suren followed up and asked, "Is there a shortcut?"

His level of knowledge was much lower than that of his senior apprentice sister.

He knew a lot about low-level things, but when it came to the field of these top-level items, he was almost completely ignorant.

Jing Xiansheng did not answer directly but said, "The reason why alchemists are strong is because they know how to use tools."

Suren had already guessed something. When he heard this, his eyes turned, and he immediately said, "Senior Apprentice Sister, do you mean to refine this thing into a job change material?"

Jing Xiansheng smiled and nodded in agreement.

As soon as these words came out, a new idea immediately opened up, and Suren's thoughts turned quickly.

.......

The essence of job change materials was to help alchemists forcibly understand some things that they could not originally understand.

Then slowly digest them.

This was the strength of the alchemy profession system.

It was also the foundation of alchemists.

It was like the Space Law that Suren understood in the second stage. To be honest, he just used job change materials to advance and forcibly opened a door to the Space Law for himself. He only understood some superficial knowledge and definitely did not understand it. How far he could go in the end depended on his degree of understanding later.

But this first step of opening the door was the most critical.

It was the first step from nothing to something.

Now that he had this Imitation Primordial Rune in his hand, his attainments in runes would definitely be qualitatively improved if he forcibly understood it through job change.

This was exactly what Suren needed now.

"Runology" seemed like drawing patterns in the early stage, but in fact, this subject was one of the most profound branches of alchemy.

In the early stage, he needed to work hard on the texture, and what needed to be improved was his "drawing skills."

But after the middle and high levels, it involved those mysterious levels, and what was needed was an understanding of the rules and a perception of the laws of nature.

Suren now felt a little overwhelmed in the field of runes.

It was not that his basic skills were not solid enough, but that his understanding could not keep up.

The Reaper talent allowed him to lay a solid foundation in a short period of time, which was very useful in the low-level field. But he seemed very powerless against the compound runes after the fourth and fifth stages, or the more complex variations of the low-level Rune.

He could not draw those advanced runes that needed to integrate laws and will, even if he copied them.

It was like everyone could draw, and at the same time copy a tiger. Some people only drew the skin, but others drew it as if it were "alive."

This was the watershed between rune masters and grandmasters.

Suren was now stuck in this bottleneck in the field of runes.

It would be very slow to improve his skills further.

If he really wanted to improve step by step and rely on proficiency, he estimated that it would take him a lifetime to reach the level of "Rune Grandmaster."

But rune skills were an ability that greatly increased his combat power.

Suren was a puppet master himself, and a large part of his combat power was on puppets.

The greatest difficulty in making puppets was in rune skills.

Especially for alchemy golems, the more advanced the runes, the more powerful the finished products would be.

Currently, his skills were not enough to support him in completing very powerful puppets in a short period of time.

He felt that it was completely worth it to use an advancement to open the door to runes!

.......

Since Jing Xiansheng had said this method, she naturally knew how to operate it.

There was no need for politeness with his senior apprentice sister.

He asked directly, "Senior Apprentice Sister, what do I need to do if I want to refine this rune into a job change material?"

Ingredients were not eaten directly, but needed to be cooked before they could be eaten and easily digested.

The same was true for career advancement items. Forcibly digesting them would only waste such good raw materials.

Jing Xiansheng smiled and guessed his thoughts. She responded, "I may have to disappoint you. Although I know some general information, I don't have a specific refining blueprint."

"Ah..."

Suren's eyes twitched when he heard this.

Even his senior apprentice sister didn't know?

It was like the recipe for ingredients. The best combination method must have been created through countless failures and time.

Now that the materials were in his hand, it was impossible for Suren to slowly try to figure out how to refine it into a job change material on his own.

The effort spent on that might not be less than directly understanding the rune.

Suren looked at the hint of teasing in his senior apprentice sister's expression and knew that there might be a turning point.

He asked directly, "Senior Apprentice Sister, do you know where I can find the refining blueprint?"

Jing Xiansheng did not keep him in suspense and said directly, "There is a very small classification of alchemists called Rune Alchemists. This branch specializes in rune research. And they also have a systematic method of refining career materials. The only problem is that the development of traditional alchemy has stagnated for nearly a thousand years, and I don't know how much inheritance is left."

"Rune Alchemist?"

Suren pondered for a moment, and there seemed to be a vague impression in his mind.

In the memories he had reaped, at least someone had heard of this branch.

This was good news.

Jing Xiansheng thought of something and said again, "Although I don't know where the Rune Alchemist branch is now, we still have other people in the Jing organization. You can ask more questions in the future. Everyone is very talented and should have adapted to the world on the ground by now, and there will be more and more information..."

"Oh."

Suren then realized that he was not fighting alone.

He was still a member of the Jing organization.

Assassin Lei, Red Devil Kai, Number Nineteen, Mr. Black, Card, Rotten Flower...

Of course, there was also the most familiar Chitiao.

Each one was a very powerful partner.

When he joined the Jing organization, he was told that it was a very loose organization, but everyone would help each other.

Speaking of this, Suren muttered, "I wonder how Sister Chitiao is doing recently..."

"Her?"

Jing Xiansheng's face showed a hint of helplessness. "I contacted her a few days ago. She's having a lot of fun as a pirate. I heard that she has a little fame in the North Sea."

Suren listened and couldn't help but laugh and sigh. "She really went to be a pirate."

It seemed that the gangster boss transforming into a pirate captain was... almost the same.

.......

With the topic opened, the three of them sat around the fire, and there was more laughter.

Suren picked some light topics.

Youta also interjected from time to time.

She was also very interested in Suren's past and listened with relish. She also realized that Mr. Suren was once someone else's slave.

"Mr. Suren, how did you and Jing Xiansheng meet?"

"I remember the first time I met Senior Apprentice Sister was in the gambling den's private room. Senior Apprentice Sister was wearing a very cool black dress..."

"Yes, I remember it seemed to be to pick a guide in the Cross Society. Chitiao recommended you. My first impression was not bad..."

"..."