In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

“To be precise, it’s assisting Mr. Nizam in his vizier work,” Fariha said seriously.

As she spoke, Faliha noticed the confusion on Wang Yan's face and explained, "Vizier is an official position in the Faculty of Orders, equivalent to... well, the General Affairs Officer in Liyue."

Wang Yan then nodded in understanding.

He didn't know the official positions in Liyue's General Affairs Department, but he could understand the term "Miscellaneous Affairs Officer".

Faliha smiled and asked, "You came from Liyue to study... what are you studying?"

Before Wang Yan could speak, Ian and the other two began to introduce themselves to Falihar, mentioning the Hilichurl attack they encountered on the way and Wang Yan's plan to deliver a letter to Falusan.

“Senior Valusan?” Fariha frowned slightly upon hearing this. “Then you’ve come at a bit of an inopportune time. This senior only recently left Sumeru City, saying she went to the desert for research.”

As Vizier's secretary in the Sumeru City commercial district, Faliha was quite familiar with the comings and goings of the high-ranking members of the Church in Sumeru City.

"Huh?" Wang Yan was taken aback and quickly asked, "Did Senior Falushan say when she would be coming back?"

Fariha shook her head: "I don't know. I'm just a secretary. Senior Falusan is a senior [Habantu]. How could I know her arrangements?"

Ian and the other two also became somewhat worried for Wang Yan: "Since Senior Erossan isn't here, Wang Yan, do you have anywhere else to go?"

Wang Yan forced a smile and nodded: "Yes, Tina also asked me to deliver a letter to Khalid at Menakali's shop."

Upon hearing this, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that they had found a solution.

“Then we’ll take you to the Menakali shop first,” Ian said.

Wang Yan thanked them again: "Thank you all."

"Haha, we're all friends, then goodbye Fariha, I'll treat you to dinner sometime." Ian smiled and waved to the secretary next to him.

Fariha nodded: "Okay, goodbye, I have to go and take care of Mr. Nizam's work too."

Chapter 22 Jeweler Khalid

Goodbye, Faliha.

Wang Yan followed Ian and the other two forward again.

After passing through the commercial street at the city gate, you will arrive at the square above the Tianbi Pond Wharf.

The square was bustling with people, including scholars, gilded tour groups, and tourists dressed as out-of-towners.

Most of them gathered at the entrance of a tavern in one corner of the square.

“That’s Lambad’s Tavern, the best tavern in Sumeru. I highly recommend you try their Lambad fish rolls, they’re delicious,” Ian told Wang Yan.

Wang Yan nodded slightly, her eyes filled with curiosity.

In the game, he often came here when he was progressing through the story.

Seeing the tavern and the crowds queuing outside in reality, Wang Yan couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

However, he still asked curiously, "Does this place offer accommodation?"

"This... I don't think so." Ian shook his head.

Perry spoke up, saying, "I know a female student from Liyue who works part-time here. The tavern provides her with a loft to stay in, but as for whether there is any accommodation service... I don't think so."

Hawke, standing nearby, shook his head: "The tavern doesn't provide accommodation. If you're looking for a place to stay... well, for a night or two, you can squeeze into my place. If you want to stay longer, it's best to rent a house from the instructor in the accommodation area."

"The accommodation area?" Wang Yan asked curiously.

Hawke nodded: "Yes, it's at the end of Baoshang Street, where many visiting scholars live."

Wang Yan nodded slightly: "I understand, thank you."

"Haha, no need to thank me."

The three of them talked as they walked along the winding road, passing the Adventurers' Association and walking a distance before finally stopping in front of a huge shop.

“This is Menakali’s shop, the most famous jeweler in Sumeru City,” Ian said, pointing to the shop. “Would you like us to accompany you inside?”

Wang Yan quickly shook his head: "No need, no need, thank you, I can go in by myself."

“Okay, then we’ll head back to the Academy to report on our research. By the way, this is our accommodation. If you have any accommodation problems, you can come and find us.” Ian took out a small notebook from his bag, wrote down three addresses, tore it off, and handed it to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan was somewhat touched and wanted to refuse, but after thinking about her situation, she still reached out and accepted it, saying, "Thank you."

"Ha, we're all friends." Ian and the other two smiled, then waved and left.

Wang Yan watched them walk away before turning and heading towards the Menakali shop.

Inside the shop.

"Halva, if you like her, I can give you a discount." The middle-aged man said to the young girl with a hint of helplessness.

The female scholar named Halva blushed slightly, but still shook her head: "Mr. Khalid, I'm just admiring, admiring. I'm just an intern tax clerk, I can't afford the jewelry here."

Even if the shop owner were willing to offer a discount, she still couldn't afford it.

“Then take a look.” Khalid shook his head, turned his gaze to Wang Yan who had entered, and said, “Welcome to my shop, sir. Are you here to buy jewelry? We have the finest jewelry in all of Sumeru…”

Wang Yan walked to the counter, interrupting the introduction, and took out the letter given to him by Tinari: "Hello, Mr. Khalid, it was Tinari who introduced me here."

As he spoke, he handed the envelope to the other person.

Khalid frowned slightly, but still took the envelope, opened it, took out the letter, and looked down at it.

Wang Yan did not disturb him and waited quietly.

A short while later, Khalid raised his head and glanced at Wang Yan: "Tinari said you are an expert in ancient scripts?"

Wang Yan nodded: "Yes, I specialize in ancient scripts in Liyue, and I came to the Order of the Arts to further my studies in this area."

Khalid nodded slightly: "For Tina's sake, I can introduce you to the corresponding job, but you'll have to pass a test first."

“Of course, if I am not suitable, you don’t need to force yourself,” Wang Yan said confidently.

These words made Khalid nod slightly.

He was worried that Wang Yan didn't have any real skills, but since he was introduced by Tina Li, it would be difficult to arrange things for him.

Now that he has said that if it is not suitable, there is no need to force it, Khalid has a better understanding of the situation.

They must have real skills, otherwise they wouldn't have said that.

"Ferrets, go and get the bamboo baskets from the first shelf of the warehouse on the right," Khalid called out to one side of the shop.

Wang Yan looked over and saw a little boy fiddling with something. Upon hearing Khalid's voice, he immediately stood up and said, "Yes, Father."

Then he ran straight to the store warehouse.

Khalid laughed and said, "My son has a real talent for collecting and appreciating things."

Wang Yan smiled and nodded: "In Liyue, having someone to carry on the family line is a very happy thing."

That makes me happy.

Many successful people have seen their businesses fail because they had no one to carry on their legacy.

Having someone to carry on the family line is a very good blessing, and Khalid's gaze towards Wang Yan became more affectionate.

As they were talking, the little boy came out carrying a small basket: "Father, I've brought the things."

He handed the items to his father, then didn't leave, looking at Wang Yan with some curiosity.

Wang Yan nodded to him in a friendly manner.

Khalid placed the small basket on the counter, looked at the contents, and then looked at Wang Yan: "There are eight items here, all with ancient writing on them, from different regions. If you can decipher half of them, you'll pass."

In reality, an expert in ancient script translation would only be hired by Khalid long-term if he could decipher at least six out of eight scripts.

But who could blame them when Wang Yan was introduced by Tina Li, and he speaks so nicely?

The scholars in the Academy are very cultured, but when it comes to their speech and conduct... the more knowledgeable they are, the stranger they become.

"Do you need me to prepare some paper and pen for you?" Khalid noticed that Wang Yan had not brought any paper or pen.

Wang Yan shook his head, turning his gaze away from the artifacts in the small basket: "No need, they're not very difficult characters. However, it would be best if you could give me a pair of clean gloves."

Khalid's eyes lit up: "You also know about antiques?"

“I’ve had some contact with it in Liyue, but I don’t really understand it,” Wang Yan said.

He had only watched antique appraisal shows. Although not every antique requires gloves, wearing gloves is better than not wearing them.

He's interpreting the text, not actually looking at the antiques, so there's no need for him to use his fingertips to feel the texture of the antiques.

Khalid nodded slightly: "He's already better than many young intellectuals."

Many of the intellectual scholars who come to his shop part-time to analyze texts don't understand antiques at all, and some even use ink to make rubbings of the text on antiques without his permission.

Khalid took a pair of gloves from under the counter and handed them to Wang Yan: "No need to rush, I can translate it before I close the door."

He lowered some of the standards again.

Chapter 23 Translation of 'Faithfulness, Expressiveness, and Elegance'

"It won't take that long; these are just simple words."

Wang Yan smiled as he took the gloves and put them on, then took an antique out of the small basket.

This is a broken stone slab, and the inscriptions on it are all incomplete.

Wang Yan glanced at it and immediately recognized that it came from the same source as the desert stone slabs he had seen at Ke Lai's place before.

Even if they are not from the same tribe, they should be from the same civilization system.

"This is a stone slab left by an ancient desert civilization. The words on it are incomplete, but the translatable content includes: 'water source, dry up, punishment...' It probably tells the story of a tribe's water source drying up. Some people believe it is a story of divine punishment. However, there are too many missing pieces. Other fragments are needed to piece together the complete content."

With that, Wang Yan placed the broken stone slab on the counter.

Khalid's eyes brightened slightly. He looked at the stone slab, then at Wang Yan, and then took out a small notebook from the counter and began to compare the contents.

After a moment, he sighed and said, "Absolutely correct, exactly the same explanation given by the scholars of the Order of the Church."

He was already certain in his heart that Wang Yan was a person with real skills.

As expected of someone recommended by Tina, he is indeed very capable.

Wang Yan smiled and took out the second antique, which was also a stone slab, but its color was whiter than the previous yellow sandstone slab.

The text on it is completely different from the previous desert stone slabs.

Wang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, and the winding symbols on them transformed into understandable knowledge, flowing into his mind.

"This…"

Under Khalid's gaze, Wang Yan said with some surprise, "This is not writing, it is a musical piece. The patterns on it are musical notes. Unfortunately, I do not understand music theory and cannot translate it."

As he spoke, Wang Yan put down the stone slab: "I need the assistance of a music theory master to translate this."

Although it seemed like the translation failed on the second attempt, Wang Yan had actually understood the content and could even hum the verses.

This is a stone slab from the Remulia dynasty, and it is engraved with a hymn to the Remulia king.

However, considering that few people know about the history of Remuria, Wang Yan still lied and only revealed part of the information.

Even so, Khalid's eyes widened: "Impressive! I've had over a dozen scholars of the intellectual school examine this stone slab, and none of them could figure it out. In the end, it was a scribe who gave the answer, saying that it was left behind by an ancient civilization of Fengdan, and that it has musical notes on it."

Wang Yan also feigned interest: "Which clerk is it?"

“It’s Clerk Elhesen,” Khalid said. “This clerk is quite remarkable; he previously served as acting sage.”

Wang Yan understood perfectly, and could only say that he truly lived up to his name, Brother Hai.

Even if epistemological scholars should know at least twenty languages ​​upon graduation, Wang Yan is certain that the phonetic branches of the Remurian language should not be among them.

Wang Yan cheated by using "prophecy," while Elhesen simply had a broad knowledge base.

"We must exchange ideas when we have the chance," Wang Yan said, taking out a third antique.

This one is simpler; it's a cup with a few ancient seal characters engraved on the bottom.

Without using the [Language Proficiency], Wang Yan knew that this was an antique from Liyue. Immediately, he glanced at it and read the ancient seal script on it.

“This is ancient Liyue script. It says ‘Made by Blackrock Factory’.” Setting down the cup, Wang Yan continued, “Blackrock Factory is a long-established manufacturing company in Liyue. Its main business is manufacturing weapons. I’ve never heard of them making porcelain. If you take this to Liyue, I think many people will like it.”

Since he claimed to be from Liyue, Wang Yan naturally had to give his opinion on this Liyue porcelain cup.

Upon hearing this, Khalid flipped through the booklet and nodded: "That's right, that's what the people from the Order of the Church said too. However, the scholars from the Order of the Church didn't mention the Black Rock Factory. It seems you're quite capable."