In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

"However, compared to the Traveler and Paimon, this King Yan does have great respect for knowledge..."

"It seems there are no problems for now, let's observe further later."

Nasita was not entirely at ease with Wang Yan's existence, but she also had no intention of keeping him under surveillance.

He is indeed a gentle god.

Even though Nasida had some doubts about a foreign student, she was still willing to show goodwill first.

As for how to treat this outsider in the future, we'll have to wait and see how Wang Yan behaves.

...

On the other side.

Wang Yan was suddenly awakened from his dream and sat up abruptly in bed.

The room remained dimly lit, with only the hands of the bedside clock gleaming faintly.

He looked around. The familiar little house was furnished as usual, and the book "Analysis of Common Ancient Characters" that he hadn't closed the night before was still lying on the table.

Outside, the city of Sumeru was silent in the dead of night, with only the orderly and low footsteps of the thirty-person patrol team approaching from afar and then gradually fading away.

A few short cries from unidentified night birds pierced the air, further emphasizing the stillness of the deep night.

Everything seemed unreal, like a dream.

嗏

He raised his hand and pressed his brow; the childlike and clear voice of the Little Lucky Grass King in his dream seemed to still echo in his ears.

“It wasn’t a dream, it was real. I was pulled into Nasita’s dream.”

Wang Yan's lips twitched, a bitter smile on his face.

The footsteps of the patrol team outside and the cries of night birds sounded exceptionally clear at that moment, but they did nothing to dispel the sudden shock that had gripped his heart.

"When did she..." Wang Yan murmured to himself, his voice sounding dry in the quiet room.

It's not about 'how', but 'when'.

He was completely unaware of what was happening.

Without warning, without resistance, and without even the slightest feeling of being 'invaded'.

By the time Wang Yan finally realized what was happening, he was already in Naxi Da's dream world.

This kind of silent control made Wang Yan's previous success in the field of translation because of his "knowledge of languages", and all the pride and confidence he had accumulated in the past when he could easily 'persuade' provocative scholars, completely disappeared in an instant.

He recalled his 'dissatisfaction' and 'testing' in the dream just now. Although Nasita showed tolerance and even self-reflection, looking back now only made Wang Yan feel a chill.

Before that deity, all my little schemes would probably be exposed from the very beginning.

When she said she "couldn't read her mind," she might only mean she couldn't directly access her specific thoughts, but her emotions, reactions, and even ideas were probably crystal clear to her.

“I’m just an ordinary person with a cheat code…” Wang Yan clenched his fist, his nails digging slightly into his palm. The real pain made him even more awake. “An ordinary person who can’t even realize when he’s being pulled into a dream.”

In Khalid's shop, he handled the linguistic challenges from scholars with ease, and even began to get used to being looked at with admiration by customers.

At the Lombard pub, being able to communicate on equal footing with a genius like Al Heisenberg made him unconsciously place himself in the position of a 'scholar' and 'capable person'.

The convenience and rapid success brought by his cheat system almost made him forget the true nature of this world—a world where gods, elemental forces, abysses, and all sorts of extraordinary powers exist.

Language and writing are indeed powerful vehicles, but possessing the key to deciphering them does not mean possessing the power itself, much less that one has the right to stand on equal footing with those who truly hold the rules.

Nasita's meeting was like a bucket of icy, piercing wake-up call, abruptly sobering him up.

The gap is too big.

That's a gap that can't be bridged by knowledge, skills, or the power of a cheat code; it's a chasm between different levels of life and different positions of existence.

"...Knowledge, I need more knowledge, enough knowledge to gain power."

Wang Yan took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and glanced at the "Demon Sealing Scroll" on the desk, but finally forced himself to hold back.

The corrupting power brought by the Abyss Whispers allows Wang Yan to forcibly drive elemental forces.

But what is the price? Wang Yan still couldn't tell.

Although the shock that Nasita had just brought made Wang Yan crave power, he did not lose his mind.

"Keep a low profile, take the entrance exam, and then join the Order Academy to acquire enough knowledge." Wang Yan suppressed the excitement in his heart. "Even if the sky falls, the Traveler will hold it up. I need to develop steadily."

He lay back down on the bed, but couldn't fall asleep again.

Looking up at the ceiling, it's as if you can see through the wooden structure to the Pure Good Palace that hangs high atop the sacred tree.

……

The next day.

As usual, Wang Yan went to work at the Menakali store, where she also had a translation job scheduled for today.

"Good morning, Wang Yan," Khalid greeted.

He arrived early and had already finished his work. He was now behind the counter teaching Ferretti how to identify antique jewelry.

Wang Yan smiled and nodded: "It's getting late, it'll be lunchtime soon."

"Haha, you look... a bit more energetic today," Khalid said with a smile, unconcerned.

During this time, Khalid and Wang Yan had become quite familiar with each other, but today Khalid noticed that Wang Yan seemed a little different.

Khalid couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, but he felt that the person seemed more energetic.

Wang Yan smiled and said, "I just felt a bit restless these past few days. Khalid, could you please reduce my workload a bit more? I need more time to read."

Upon hearing this, Khalid's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal: "Alright, since you've become quite famous lately, I can raise your prices and reduce the number of orders, that's perfectly fine."

He does not make money by taking a cut from Wang Yan's translations.

However, if Wang Yan continues to reduce her workload, it will definitely affect the store's popularity.

However, Khalid would not refuse the king's request because of this.

The reason is simple: the one with the skills is Wang Yan, not himself.

Wang Yan has already made a name for himself, and even if he no longer works for him, there will be other people willing to hire him.

Therefore, Khalid was willing to go along with the king's wishes.

"But do you still need to read books?" Khalid joked with a smile. "I feel like even the books in the Order of the Church don't know as much as you do."

Wang Yan had already reached his seat, brewed himself a pot of tea, and then took out a book and opened it: "I only know a lot about writing and language. Besides, how can I compare to the thousands of years of accumulation of the Academy? People... still need to keep learning."

The little boy, Feretus, nodded in agreement: "That's right, Father. Why don't you go to the Order Academy and get certified too?"

Khalid glared at his son: "I should have sent you to tutoring."

Ferretes' face turned pale: "No, no!"

With that, he dashed out of the shop.

Khalid shook his head, not giving chase, but instead looking at Wang Yan: "So, what about today's work..."

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Today will be the same as usual."

"Alright." Khalid immediately smiled.

Chapter 36 Healthy Home

The two chatted for a while, and soon the guests arrived.

Wang Yan glanced at the other party and, unexpectedly, it was not a scholar, nor a typical businessman or collector, but a rare gilded tour group.

She is also a member of a gilded girl group that Wang Yan knows.

"Khalid, long time no see. This must be Mr. Wang Yan." Dixia, with her slightly healthy skin and dashing appearance, walked in from outside the shop, greeted Khalid, and then smiled at Wang Yan.

Khalid also came out from behind the counter: "This is Dixia, from the renowned Gilded Brigade of Sumeru. Wang Yan, if you ever need anything in the future, you can always ask her."

Then he nodded to Dixia: "This is Wang Yan, the translator you booked."

Wang Yan also stood up and nodded to Dixia: "Lion with a Mane, I have heard of your name."

Dixia scratched the back of her head: "Huh? Haha, am I that famous?"

“Of course, brave and powerful warrior, your deeds are already being sung. If you don’t believe me, ask Khalid.” Wang Yan pointed to the boss next to him.

As a businessman, Khalid naturally knew how to speak: "That's right, that's right, Dixia, you're already a big shot."

Then came another round of praise, which made Dixia wave her hands repeatedly, saying, "Stop talking, stop talking, you're making me embarrassed."

She quickly changed the subject, took out a photograph, and handed it to Wang Yan: "Mr. Wang Yan, could you please take a look? Can this be translated?"

Using photographs for translation is very common.

After all, many ancient texts are either engraved on stone tablets or left on fragments of scrolls, so they are not easy to carry around.

In situations like this, a phonograph machine is very useful.

Taking a photo and then having it translated is the most suitable option.

Wang Yan reached out and took the photo, his gaze falling down to it.

The photograph shows neither a typical inscription nor a tattered scroll, but a person.

However, strange patterns and symbols appeared on this person's skin, which looked quite frightening.

Khalid glanced over from the side, his face turned pale, and he quickly looked away.

【Language proficiency】Initiation.

The symbols begin to be slowly deciphered.

This indicates that the symbols are a type of extraordinary runes, not words.

Regarding language and writing, regardless of whether one possesses supernatural powers, [Language Mastery] can quickly analyze them.

For runes containing extraordinary power, such as elemental runes, the decoding speed of the [Language of Knowledge] becomes extremely slow.

This is also the pattern that Wang Yan discovered.

However, Wang Yan didn't understand how to distinguish between these characters and runes.

After a while.

Wang Yan frowned slightly and looked up at Dixia: "This is... Inazuma's talisman?"

Dixia's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, this guy went to Inazuma, and after he came back, he fell ill, and then these strange runes appeared on his body."

"The doctor at Health House said that in order to treat this, we must first understand what the incantation means, otherwise, we may end up doing more harm than good."

As she spoke, Dixia gave a wry smile and pleaded, "Although this guy isn't a member of the 'Radiant Hunters,' we've worked together before. He's a good person, Mr. Wang Yan. Please help me out."

Although she paid for the translation, Dixia still maintained a very humble attitude.

She knows exactly how to ask for a favor, instead of having an attitude of "I've paid you, so you have to do a good job."

Wang Yan didn't care about these details. He turned his gaze back to the photo and said, "The photo is incomplete. It only contains part of the incantation. The effect of this part of the incantation is to carry a certain power."

After a pause, Wang Yan looked at Dixia: "I need to see her in person to be able to translate completely."

Dixia immediately understood and looked at Khalid.

Khalid nodded: "Then you can go ahead, I'll stay at the shop."

Dixia gave him a grateful look, then said to Wang Yan, "Mr. Wang Yan, let's go to the Health Home now."

"Okay." Wang Yan stood up and returned the photo to the other person. "Please lead the way, Dixia."

...

The House of Health is actually the hospital in Sumeru, similar to the Bubu Lu in Liyue.

However, compared to Bubulu, Health Home is more systematic.

It is a medical system controlled by the bio-theorists and is theoretically an official institution.

During the period of leprosy, even when facing a terminal illness, the Health House continued to work hard to save lives.

Today, it is the mainstay of medical care in the entire Sumeru.

By the time Dixia brought Wang Yan to the Health Home, she had already explained the situation to him.

The problem stemmed from a lone, gilded guild that had taken on a mission to Inazuma. Upon their return, something seemed amiss, and they eventually fell into a complete coma.