Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 148 An Unbelievable Gift! A Real Surprise!
Give me two more smart chips?

Xia Fa admitted that even he was feeling excited at this moment.

Although it is said that each person is only useful when absorbing the first smart chip, the effect of the second chip will be much less.

However, a significant difference doesn't mean it's completely ineffective!

The effect of the second one is thirty percent of that of the first one.

The effect of the third one is thirty percent of that of the second one.

And so on.

Adding them together like this should increase the effect by at least half!

It's even possible to advance your understanding to 20% and master a new secret ability within the Gate of Stars!
What if you obtained the "time concealment" you desired most?

Especially now, he urgently needs to advance his understanding of the Star Gate, a supreme-level contract, so that he can sign the eighth supreme-level contract, "Mystic Singularity," as soon as possible.

That's an unknown, overlord-level secret contract that even a being like the "Sage," comparable to the nine great gods, is searching for!
If I sign it, I will possess a supreme-level secret contract that is completely confidential and unknown to the vast majority of my enemies, along with all the secret contract abilities!

It's easy to imagine how much of an advantage this would provide when facing an enemy.

Therefore, Xia Fa certainly wanted those two extra smart chips, and one could even say he was quite eager for them.

"Cough cough."

After clearing his throat slightly and clearing the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Xia Fa spoke in a deep voice.

In that instant, he failed to notice that all the noble students and church elites behind him were staring at his back, eagerly anticipating his reasoning.

Because of this, they could at least be closer to Xia Fa in terms of intelligence, so they wouldn't feel completely crushed...

Moreover, it offers a glimpse into the thought process of geniuses.

"the reason is simple."

Xia Fa began with this routine, but didn't see that many of his peers behind him twitched their faces slightly.

"First of all, Mr. Storyteller, you mentioned at the beginning of your story that your pen pal 'claimed to be from afar'."

Upon hearing this, many people present frowned, clearly recalling this small detail.

At first, they thought it was a pen pal introducing himself as coming from afar in a letter to the story reader, hence the "self-identification."

But unexpectedly, this... turned out to be a logical trap?

Moreover, Xia Fafei not only noticed it, but also followed the clues and found the answer.

Xia Fa continued:
"Secondly, when home wireless telegraph machines were first invented, they could not conduct ultra-long-distance communication like they do now."

"By combining these two clues, we can deduce that your pen pal is not in the Kingdom of Augu at all, but is very likely... in the neighborhood near you!"

For some reason, these words sent chills down the spines of many people.

It seems that some kind of conspiracy is brewing in that story, a conspiracy by the pen pal against the person in the story.

Xia Fa then sighed and slowly said:
“Originally, this clue alone was not enough, but just now, during the discussion, someone mentioned a real key.”

"The key is that more than a hundred years ago, in the Boyue Empire... there was a serial killer who caused widespread panic but then mysteriously disappeared!"

At this point, Daponz, one of the people present, showed a hint of realization, as if he had grasped something.

But the others were puzzled, especially Auf, whose young face was full of distress, as if she couldn't figure it out.

Upon hearing this, the storyteller smiled slightly.

As Xia Fayue spoke, his thoughts became increasingly clear, and he continued:
"When I heard this background, everything became clear."

"First of all, you at that time, or rather, the you in the story, should have been above middle class, or even relatively wealthy within the middle class."

"Only under such circumstances can you afford a home camera and a home wireless telegraph machine."

"And one day, you are suddenly targeted by that serial killer. Maybe he is after your money, or maybe he has his eye on your detached house where you live alone. Killing you would not easily expose him."

"So, he started to slowly approach you. This could be his fetish. He wanted to know you thoroughly before killing you to satisfy his twisted desires."

"He must have been observing you from a nearby house when he noticed you fiddling with a home wireless telegraph machine."

"And so, a perverse plan was born in his mind."

“Every day while you’re at work, he sneaks into your house and uses your home wireless telegraph to send you telegrams, pretending to be a pen pal from afar.”

"When you returned, he was watching you read your pen pal's reply with great interest from the window of a nearby house, imagining when he would kill you."

"In this way, through this back and forth, he has come to know you completely, and you have also come to know the identity of the pen pal he fabricated, but of course you know nothing about him."

“Until that day, you asked to meet him.”

"When he realized he couldn't hide the truth any longer, he prepared to kill you, but he wanted to play with you one last time and exchange photos with you as you suggested."

"Given the generally twisted psychology of serial killers, he might even be planning to kill you from behind the moment you receive the photo, which is also the moment you are most excited."

"If he were bolder, he might even dare to use his own photo."

"But he overlooked a crucial and fatal point."

"That is, on the day you took the photo, as you said, you left work early to get a haircut and a beard trim, but he didn't know you left work early."

"So when you come back, he should still be hiding in your bedroom, fiddling with that home wireless telegraph machine, continuing to pretend to be your pen pal and reply to your letters."

"At that time, he must have heard the sound of a door opening downstairs. The sound went upstairs, and in his panic, he chose to hide under your bed in your bedroom."

"He just hid there, and you were completely unaware, setting up a camera in front of the bedroom window and taking a selfie."

"It wasn't until a few days later that you received his reply."

"In your excitement at the time, you didn't really think much about it, and you didn't consider whether the reply was too short. You just opened the envelope and took out his photo."

"Although the photo shows his original appearance, cameras had only been invented more than a hundred years ago. As a serial killer, he must have been extremely skilled at counter-tracking and counter-surveillance. It's impossible that he had left his own photo before that, or even been photographed by anyone."

"So, you didn't actually make that connection at first."

"But then, you noticed something amiss in the photos he sent you."

"I guess... the clue is in his shoes, whatever they are, whether they are calfskin shoes, round-toed dress shoes, or Doc Martens, it doesn't matter."

"The key point is that you saw his shoes in the photo he provided."

"Then, in the background of your own photo, under the bed in your bedroom... you find a pair of legs wearing the same shoes!"

"You were startled and instinctively turned your head, only to find those legs and those shoes under your own bed!"

"When you first discovered this secret, you were probably quite frightened, but you quickly realized something, especially when you thought of that notorious serial killer."

"Perhaps at this point he realized you had discovered him and chose to attack, but you killed him instead. Or perhaps you pretended not to know he was hiding in your house and plotted to kill him."

"In short, in the end, he died at your hands, so from the outside world's perspective, the serial killer disappeared, right?"

As Xia Fa finished speaking, he looked directly into the eyes of the person answering the story.

He was very confident because the truth could only be this way.

The storyteller, who looked like an old miner, nodded with satisfaction, a look of reminiscence in his eyes:

"That's right, that's exactly it. The conclusion you've drawn is almost identical to the reality that happened at the time."

"At the time, I looked at his photo first, and then I immediately saw the legs hiding under the bed in the background of my own photo, and I immediately thought of that serial killer."

"Because only serial killers would be so twisted as to hide under a grown man's bed."

"Then, I found his legs under my own bed. He had actually hidden them there, so I guess he was planning to attack me."

"Because I've already seen his real face, and he likes that kind of thrill."

"But I didn't expect that this would put me on guard. I picked up the hunting rifle that was in the bedroom closet. He had just crawled out from under the bed with a knife and a sinister smile on his face. I confirmed his identity and shot him dead."

After the storyteller finished speaking, the noble students and church elites could no longer contain themselves and exclaimed in genuine amazement!

"So that's it!"

"No wonder the story mentions the bedroom multiple times, like fiddling with a household telegraph machine in the bedroom, or taking photos in the bedroom!"

"Yes, and it was even mentioned that the people in the story lived alone in a detached villa, which is also key!"

"And there are photos too. That makes perfect sense that he killed his pen pal as soon as he saw the photos!"

"Xia Fa, how do you even think of a brain? You're so smart!"

"I have to say, this is absolutely a fantastic suspense thriller!"

The storyteller stood up, his smile growing even more benevolent:
"Child, you are very good, very good. This is a gift for you."

With a flick of his wrist, a cone-shaped bottle flew toward Xia Fa, containing a swaying black potion.

Then, the storyteller looked at the noble students and church elites behind Xia Fa:
"Since Xia Fa answered the question correctly and provided the reasoning process, this is your reward."

As soon as he finished speaking, a shard of metal, resembling a piece of glass, appeared in each person's hand.

Xia Fa held three in his hand.

The storyteller smiled, his figure slowly fading away, seemingly about to disappear.

"I look forward to our next meeting, Xiafa."

His voice suddenly faded into the distance at the end, and this entity finally departed.

The next moment, both the smart chip in everyone's hand and the three smart chips in Xia Fa's hand merged into their respective bodies through their skin.

Everyone was overjoyed and immediately surrounded Xia Fa, chattering away.

"Xia Fa, you're amazing! How did you come up with that?"

"Have you considered studying at our Royal Masinari Mechanical Academy? My uncle is the dean of studies; I'll have him personally write a letter recommending you to the principal!" "Xia Fa, with your intelligence, it's a waste not to pursue a career in mechanical engineering! The mobile armor and magic-powered mechanical cannon you create will definitely be masterpieces!"

"You may not know this, but I used to question you privately. I apologize to you now, Xiafa. Although you are only a bug-level, I admire your intelligence."

"Me too. I feel that in terms of intelligence alone, you're practically on par with Avalon, who entered the Earthly God Kingdom of the [Silver Universe]!"

Listening to everyone's heartfelt gratitude and slightly exaggerated praise, Xia Fa couldn't help but laugh:
“There’s no need for this, everyone. If one of you hadn’t mentioned a serial killer who mysteriously disappeared from the Boyue Empire more than a hundred years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to come up with this either.”

He spoke from the heart; it was this crucial clue that had instantly connected everything and led him to the truth.

Unexpectedly, when Xia Fa said this, everyone was first stunned, and then they felt a lot more favorably towards Xia Fa.

Because Xia Fa deliberately didn't take all the credit, but shared it with everyone!

The noble students and church elites couldn't help but think of those famous emperors in history, those monarchs who commanded the obedience of their subordinates.

It is precisely because they do not monopolize all the benefits, and even fully consider the nobles and knights who fought alongside them, that they share the spoils so well, that everyone trusts those emperors so much, isn't that right?
Now, Xia Fa's magnanimity and demeanor are exactly like those of emperors; he is born to be a leader!
……

The party has begun.

While the fog carnival was still going on, people gathered around the bonfire and began to revel, singing, dancing, laughing, and playing around.

This time, the fattest lamb legs, the tenderest steaks, and the juiciest chicken legs were all unanimously allocated to Xia Fa by the noble students and church elites.

Some noble students even brought out their treasured wines from their sachets to share with everyone, and they poured the first glass for Xia Fa first.

Because of this incident, Xia Fa has gone from a commoner who became a nobleman by sheer luck to someone whose status is roughly equivalent to that of Poincaré, Olivier, and Anser.

He was only slightly inferior to Levimir, who remained silent like a lion, after all, Levimir was almost a demigod.

Xiafa enjoyed the meal immensely and got to know all the noble students and church elites, making many friends in the process.

After a satisfying meal, everyone tacitly dispersed, some going home, others heading to safer areas of the Mist God Hunting Grounds to use their abundant supply of extraordinary ingredients to advance their individual understanding of the secrets.

After all, they've all absorbed smart chips; we can't let them go to waste!
Xia Fa left the Mist God Hunting Grounds alone, claiming he was drunk and needed to go home to sleep, but actually headed towards the Coast Market.

He's going to buy the Nightmare Octopus.

Once you acquire the Nightmare Octopus, lure out the Mist Scale Dragon, crush the SOS Candy, and Prince Justinian will descend upon you.

Then, in the form of the Silver Throne or the Starry Silver Throne, receive the reward of 300,000 gold pounds plus 500,000 gold pounds, as well as a secret treasure worth 20,000 gold pounds.
Xia Fa then prepared to leave the Mist God Hunting Grounds to search for the whereabouts of the demigod Pompeii.

As he strolled and digested his food, Xia Fa pondered the origins of the entities.

Judging from the current situation, there really was a serial killer who appeared and then disappeared more than a hundred years ago.

So, the entity that is telling the story isn't actually a fabricated story, but rather something that actually happened?

Did that serial killer really die at his hands?

But the storyteller has been around for over a thousand years, and there are records of him in history books from a thousand years ago. How could he have become an ordinary clerk in a shipping and ocean shipping group more than a hundred years ago?
Moreover, even a clerk who aspires to become an extraordinary being?

Recalling the previous story, the questioner mentioned that he had been a stable boy for the Duke of Oberon more than a thousand years ago...

Xia Fa felt that the origins of the entities, especially the story answerers, were becoming increasingly mysterious and intriguing.

Speaking of which, Off is from the Oberon family. I wonder if the Duke Oberon from a thousand years ago is the same one as now.

Thinking along the way, Xia Fa had already arrived at the Coast Market.

As dawn broke, the Barron's Ocean stretched out in a deep blue.

A gentle sea breeze carries the fresh saltiness and the beauty of sunshine, as seagulls soar freely and contentedly over the water.

The sea stretches to the horizon, its beauty breathtaking.

Along the coast, stalls stretched as far as the eye could see, all selling ordinary fish and shrimp.

This place is usually very lively, but it's become even more so with the arrival of the Fog Carnival.

Many fog people and other demi-humans, along with the residents of Augustus and the three smaller towns, strolled around the coastal market, occasionally squatting down to select the fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish caught by the fishermen and sailors.

This place is seen by many extraordinary individuals from the lower classes as a place where they can "strike gold".

Because the Barron's Ocean is rich in marine life and has a wide variety of species, fishermen often return with a full catch, even in the nearshore waters where fish and shrimp are frequently caught.

As for the captains who specialize in fishing, they rarely return empty-handed. Every time they set sail, the minimum standard is that the ship's hold must be completely sunk before they return.

However, in this world, extraordinary individuals are always a minority, and among ordinary people, there are not many who can distinguish supernatural beings, which requires occult knowledge that is difficult for ordinary people to access.

This means that many fishermen and captains often find one or two supernatural creatures hidden in the buckets and basins of fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish they sell, without their knowledge.

Supernatural creatures, especially those from the ocean, have always been extremely popular.

An ordinary sea bream might be worth one or two silver coins, but a golden sea bream, a mutated variety, can be worth hundreds of gold pounds!
This is just the lowest level of supernatural creature that has mutated from a common marine fish like sea bream.

If the mutated fish is a reef snapper or even a crystal-eyed snapper, then it will basically start at five hundred to one thousand gold pounds.

Therefore, many supernatural beings from the lower classes like to come to the coastal market to find bargains, taking advantage of the fact that fishermen and captains do not recognize supernatural beings, and secretly buy them at low prices.

Of course, some kind-hearted superhumans will also pay high prices to buy them.

However, sometimes, when fishermen or captains realize that it is a supernatural creature, they will directly raise the price.

This complex situation has left the authorities unable to manage it, and the church even more difficult to control, leaving both sides to rely on their own consciences.

"Looks like it's going to be a huge project..."

Xiafa walked from stall to stall at the coastal market, focusing only on those selling octopus or squid.

According to the information he specifically researched before coming, the Nightmare Octopus looks similar to a regular octopus, and some may even resemble a cuttlefish.

Because the Nightmare Octopus is a mutation of an ordinary octopus or squid.

Only by touching the Nightmare Octopus with your hands can you determine whether it is a Nightmare Octopus or not.

The method of identification is quite simple: if an ordinary person touches the Nightmare Octopus, they will immediately fall into a deep sleep and have a very terrifying nightmare.

As for those with extraordinary abilities, they can easily fall victim to such attacks if they are not careful.

However, Nightmare Octopuses are extremely rare. Although they are not expensive, they are very rare, so they are not even sold in the Extraordinary Market.

Xia Fa understood that he was the only one who could find it in this coastal market.

"The information never mentioned that Nightmare Octopus was the favorite food of Mistscale Dragons. Even Prince Justinian seemed to be unaware of it, which explains why he didn't mention it..."

Xia Fa could only sigh inwardly, truly worthy of being the information written in the diary by [First History]. Although He may have just written it down casually, under normal circumstances, no one would know it.

But that makes sense, since supernatural creatures like the Mist Scale Dragon only appear in the Misty Realm or the Land of Gods, and never in the real world.

In this situation, who could possibly connect the already extremely rare Nightmare Octopus with the Mist Scale Dragon?

Moreover, it's even less likely that we've ever seen a Mistscaled Dragon preying on a Nightmare Octopus.

As Xia Fa pondered, he looked at each stall one by one, but he wasn't entirely focused on the octopuses sold in the wooden buckets or basins; he was mainly observing the stall owners' expressions.

If a stall owner looks exhausted and has just woken up, there's a high chance they'll have a Nightmare Octopus at their stall.

As for why one doesn't look refreshed after waking up, it's simple: ordinary people who come into contact with the Nightmare Octopus will definitely have nightmares and suffer great mental torment, making it impossible to sleep well. It's no wonder they feel tired when they wake up.

As Xia Fa thought this, his gaze swept across the faces of the stall owners.

The stall owners were mostly reddish-brown, clearly having been exposed to the sea wind, and their faces looked quite impoverished.

But there were also those with fierce faces and a thuggish air—those were the captains.

The difference between a captain and a fisherman is that captains often own a large ship, many of which are even steamships. They have large businesses and are naturally unlikely to live such a hard life.

Suddenly, Xia Fa's eyes lit up, for he saw a captain with a fierce look on his face sitting in a rocking chair behind a large fish stall, yawning repeatedly and looking exhausted.

On his stall, one of the blackened, foul-smelling wooden basins was filled with half-dead octopuses.

Xia Fa's heart stirred slightly, and he quickly walked forward, pretending to pick and choose in front of the stall.

He didn't want to take advantage of the fishermen. If he bought the Nightmare Octopus from them, he would pay whatever he was owed. It wasn't expensive for him now, only a thousand gold pounds, but it could change a fisherman's life.

But if it's this kind of captain, then it's not necessarily true. It's often said that captains take advantage of the size of their ships and the number of their crew to bully poor fishermen.

As Xia Fa continued picking and choosing, he finally reached into the wooden basin full of octopuses, dipped his hand into the cool seawater, and touched them one by one.

The octopus's tentacles are slippery and have suckers, making them quite disgusting to touch.

But Xia Fa didn't care. He quickly went from the first one to the last one, more than a hundred in total. He touched every single one, whether they were alive, dead, or half-dead.

Unfortunately, no, I didn't feel sleepy at all.

This means there are no nightmare octopuses here.

Xia Fa found it a little strange, but didn't think much of it and stood up.

Just then, another tall, thin man wearing a captain's hat approached, holding a bottle of vodka, and walked up to the captain, whose face was full of menacing features.

"Heh, you were still trying to outdrink me last night, now you know what's good for you, huh? I'll get you drunk."

The captain, whose face was fierce, waved his hand and said:
"You son of a bitch, I was drunk yesterday afternoon. Let's try again tonight!"

Xiafa: ...

So you look exhausted because you drank too much last night? You should have said so earlier!
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and silently left the stall.

My gaze swept across the stalls in front of me, and I saw fishermen and captains. Many of the fishermen were bent over, picking and choosing from their wooden buckets and basins.

One of the fishermen, with a gaunt face, was particularly kind-hearted, picking out the dead fish and shrimp and selling only the fresh ones to his customers.

But suddenly, Xia Fa saw that the thin-faced fisherman... had his head droop down and he had fallen asleep!
His hand was still inside the wooden tub, unable to be pulled out in time.

"Could it be that……"

Xia Fa's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly walked over.

(End of this chapter)