In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

“…Tsk.” Elheisen tsked softly, no longer continuing the topic. “When are we setting off?”

That's a nonsensical question; they didn't specify where they were going.

But Wang Yan could understand: "I've posted a quest at the Adventurers' Guild. Let's see when someone will accept it."

As they were talking, the conversation was interrupted by a slightly urgent knocking on the door.

"Wang Yan, are you home? It's me."

“It’s Kavi.” Wang Yan smiled at Elhesen, then got up and walked towards the door.

As expected, when I opened the door, I saw Kavi standing outside, with a large stack of books piled high in his arms. The top few books even blocked half of his face, so all I could see was his bright smile and his sparkling eyes.

Wang Yan quickly reached out to help him steady the top few books that were about to slip, and asked curiously, "What are these...?"

Kavi squeezed through the doorway carefully, laughing as he went in, "Oh, not at all. It's that guy Al-Hysen. He said your new house is finished, and the study is especially spacious. His bookshelves are full and he can't fit everything, so he picked out some 'idle books' that he thought you might need or that would be suitable for filling your study, and asked me to deliver them over as a housewarming gift."

He spoke so naturally and fluently, as if he were truly entrusted with this task.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan's expression immediately turned somewhat strange.

He subconsciously turned around and looked at his roommate in the living room, who was calmly picking up a teacup.

Although giving a book as a gift is very much in line with Al-Hysen's style, if Wang Yan remembers correctly, the other party said not long ago that there was no gift for Qiao Qian.

Moreover, given Al-Hysen's personality, he usually either does such things himself or doesn't do them at all; he would definitely not ask someone else to do them, especially not to Kavey... to maintain such personal relationships.

Just as Wang Yan was thinking about how to smooth things over for Kavi...

Al-Hysen's voice rang out: "Yes, because the house is full of Kavi's things, I asked him to help me search through it, and I didn't expect it to be delivered at this time."

Wang Yan's eyes widened, and he looked at Elhesen in disbelief.

Did I hear that right?

Did the other party just try to smooth things over for Kavi?

What happened? Has Elhesen been taken away?

Kavi, who was holding the book and couldn't see Elhesen because his view was blocked, visibly stiffened for a moment.

To be honest, Wang Yan felt a little embarrassed for Kavi.

However, Kavi still tried his best to maintain his composure. After placing the book on the table, he said, "So Elhesen is here. I thought he went to the Order of the Church. Now that the thing has been delivered, I'll be leaving."

After saying that, he ran off in a flash before Wang Yan could even try to stop him.

I guess he's thinking of building a hole in the ground to drill into.

Yes, I'm a civil engineer; I build my own foundation joints.

Watching Kavi disappear, Wang Yan turned to Elhesen: "You just... actually tried to smooth things over for Kavi!"

"Or what?" Elhesen asked calmly. "Expose him? And then what? Watch him lose face?"

"Hmm? Don't you do this kind of thing often?" Wang Yan said irritably.

Who did Kavi get the most angry with? It couldn't be Dolly, could it? It must be Elheisen.

"..." Elhesen paused for a moment before saying, "He truly considers you a friend, and you are indeed a good friend, so I'm willing to smooth things over for him in front of you..."

"Yes, I believe you," Wang Yan said with a smile, then looked at the books on the table, "These books..."

Al-Hysen shook his head: "It's not mine. It must have been collected by Kavi himself according to my library. He always pays great attention to these details."

Wang Yan nodded, meaning that Kavi not only helped Elhesen maintain his social connections, but even spent his own money to do so.

He's such a kind-hearted person, it's hard to imagine.

“You can take a look. Although they’re not my books, they’re all within my reading range and should be quite good,” Al-Hysen said.

He has always been very confident in his taste, and once recommended that Ying and Paimon read "Logical Concepts in Rune Language".

Of course, neither of them could understand it at all.

"Okay, I'll take these with me when I go out." Wang Yan nodded. "Besides these, do you have any other book recommendations?"

Although Wang Yan has developed a great love for reading after confirming his cheat ability,

But compared to that guy Elhesen, he's still not good enough.

It's worth noting that even in the main storyline, Al Heysen was always reading a book.

He was extremely calm. According to him, he had done all he could, and there was no need to worry about things he couldn't change.

All I can say is that he truly lives up to his reputation.

"Book recommendations? Hmm... Recently, a retired scholar from the Zhilun faction named [Heban Tu] published a new book about his understanding of elemental runes. Perhaps you could buy it and take a look; this [Heban Tu] is quite knowledgeable."

"Also, there's an old book called 'Runes, the Essence of the World,' but very few copies of it exist. I searched for a long time before I found one... Hmm, perhaps I could have Kavi make a copy for you; he's capable of doing something like that."

"As for the art of mechanisms... I don't know much about it. Some of the teaching materials used by the Myo-ryo school are even based on the notes of the senior Falushan, so I won't give you any random recommendations."

When it comes to runes and scripts, Elhesen doesn't think he's any worse than Erosan, but when it comes to mechanical arts, well, Erosan is the living textbook.

Even now, there are rumors that if you encounter any classical mechanics that you don't understand, you can go to the Shravasti Academy, find Falushan, call her "senior," and she will explain it to you.

Although Erosanne disliked the fact that the Shahavara Academy claimed to be the only academy in the Order of the Church qualified to interpret mechanical arts, she was still generous in teaching the students of the Shahavara Academy who sought her guidance.

Wang Yan noted down all the books recommended by Elhesen, preparing to find a way to purchase them later.

The two had a very pleasant conversation about books.

Time passed slowly until there was another knock on the door.

Wang Yan thought it was Kavi who had returned, since only a few friends knew about his new home.

But when the door opened, there was a young man dressed in an adventurer's uniform.

Coincidentally, Wang Yan knew the other person; it was this young man who notified him of the mission to Liyue.

"Hello, has someone accepted my task?" Wang Yan asked.

The young man smiled and said, "Yes, Scholar Wang Yan, but they said they won't charge for the journey. I hope you can help me out."

"Help? Hmm... tell me the specifics first."

"That's right, the person who accepted the commission is Old Man Sangge Mahabayi, and she hopes..."

Chapter 152 Wang Yan: Leave it to me. (4.5k)

Half a day ago.

Inside a safe house in Sumeru City.

Dolly frowned as she looked at the injured, burly men of the gilded guild before her.

"Lord Sangge Mahabayi, please punish me. I failed to protect your goods. Please do not blame my team members."

The burly men of the gilded guild standing before Dolly trembled at the sight of the Lord of Casazale Palace's furrowed brow.

Legend has it that this old man, Sango Mahabay, is a big merchant who travels between the legitimate and criminal worlds... If you lose his goods, you probably won't have a good ending.

"Hmph, you lost my goods... and you expect me to forgive you?" Dolly's face darkened as she glared fiercely at the burly man from the gilded guild. "Tell me what happened. If you can't give me a straight answer, you're in big trouble."

The burly men from the gilded tour group turned slightly pale as they reminisced.

"At that time, we followed your instructions and..."

……

three days ago.

On the way from Sumeru to Casazale Palace.

A swift, scimitar-wielding horse, the procession carrying the banner of Sangge Mahabay.

Because she has "laundered" her identity, Dolly, although still engaging in some shady businesses, can now openly display her banner in the rainforest.

Even many gilded guilds, upon seeing her flag, would give her some face and wouldn't immediately change their identities from gilded guilds to treasure-stealing groups.

But this time, an unexpected incident occurred.

"Stop right there and hand over the goods."

Dozens of fierce-looking men rushed out of the roadside bushes.

It's also because the rainforest is so lush that the caravan didn't spot these people beforehand.

“We’re from the Iron Fist Brigade. This shipment belongs to Master Sanggo Mahabay. If any of you brothers are short of money, here’s three thousand Mora. You can treat us to some drinks.”

The leader of the caravan's guards, a burly man from the gilded brigade, stepped forward and handed over a money bag.

"Huh? Three thousand Mora? Hahahaha, is this guy crazy, trying to give money to a beggar?"

The leader of the raiding group was also a man, half-naked from the waist up, carrying a giant axe in his hand.

The guard leader could recognize the other's identity—Daytime Thunderclap, a true descendant of a warrior tribe whose calling is to fight.

Despite his ability to wield a massive axe with ease, these warriors were actually quite knowledgeable about the ancient texts and poems of the desert ruins.

In short, they can be considered descendants of the nobles of the desert empire.

The weapon in his hand, a huge axe, is also a true evil spirit weapon, which can summon the town spirit sealed within it during battle.

This kind of weapon can be considered a way for ordinary people to use supernatural powers.

With the peace talks failing, the guard leader knew there was no way things could end peacefully, so he shouted, "Prepare for battle!"

Dolly's gold-plated brigade is naturally quite powerful in combat.

Even when facing an enemy several times their size, they quickly find themselves at a disadvantage.

Finally, the guard leader had no choice but to order the caravan members to retreat, leaving all the goods behind.

Fortunately, the criminal gangs did not continue their pursuit after obtaining the goods.

After escaping, the guard leader finally collapsed due to the severity of his injuries.

Then, when he woke up, he saw Dolly.

...

"So, a criminal gang infiltrated the rainforest, with a 'Daytime Thunderclap' as their leader, and they even robbed me of my goods without giving me any face?" Dolly's little face showed a thoughtful expression.

Since she landed at Casazale Palace, no one in Sumeru has dared to steal her things for a very, very long time.

Throughout Sumeru, who doesn't know the name of Lord Sangge Mahabayi?

Even the fiercest tribes in the desert would bow down in her presence.

Because only Dolly could deliver supplies intact to the depths of the desert.

Now, a mysterious, gilded band has robbed her of her goods.

"Master Bai, could you be a remnant of the God-King? I heard that there was an attack on a warehouse by a remnant of the God-King in Kawan Post Station."

A middle-aged man beside Dolly spoke in a low voice.

This is one of Dolly's managers.

Upon hearing this, Dolly thought for a moment and shook her head: "It's unlikely. If they are remnants of the God-King, then they should hide themselves better after entering the rainforest, instead of coming out to plunder."

Looting in the desert leaves no trace when the sandstorm blows, making them difficult to track down.

But in the rainforest?

Let alone disciplinary officials, even a group of thirty people could find the person.

“Since they dare to commit evil in the rainforest, it means they are not afraid of the Church’s investigation. Therefore, these people may have a way to leave Mount Sumeru,” Dolly said.

Why leave Mount Sumeru instead of fleeing into the desert?

If you've already done such bad things, how stupid would you be to hide in the desert and eat sand?

Moreover, they're stealing Dolly's goods. In the desert, a bounty from Dolly is more useful than the Order of the Fathers.

"Could it be a gilded troupe hired by businessmen from other countries?" the middle-aged man guessed.

Dolly shook her head: "There's no point in guessing now. They hijacked replacement parts for the spaceship. The spaceship is heading to Maple Leaf in a few days, and then to Nordkalley. If we can't find them, the shipment will be delayed, or we might even have to break the contract..."

Dolly's face was not very good. As a businesswoman, although she was known as a shrewd merchant, she had always had a good reputation.

She will do whatever she promises, no matter how difficult it is.

Just like her collaboration with Alice, even when Alice was on the edge of the world, Dolly would send the profits from the collaboration to the city closest to Alice.