Chapter 244 Who's on the Other Side of the Note? (Request for full subscription)
Although he was quite tempted to act immediately, there were simply too many candidates present. Human unpredictability far exceeded that of the Exotic Species; often, a Fourth-Tier Transcendent could be as troublesome as a Fifth-Tier Lord. With so many Transcendents around, Lu Luo's mood gradually calmed. Setting aside whether he could win, he felt it was imperative to get his hands on the witch's candy first. The witch's candy could directly enhance his strength, which was crucial for him at that moment.
Steady now, don't be rash!
Lu Luo turned and approached a deserted bookshelf, casually pulling out a book. Its cover was handwritten, titled "Luo Family Notes."
Upon opening it, Lu Luo discovered it was genuinely a complete handwritten volume. The handwriting, however, was wildly cursive, a veritable dance of dragons and phoenixes.
But to have written such a thick book by hand with a quill pen, how much time must that have taken!
Lu Luo quickly flipped through the book. His reading speed was extremely fast, like a relentless page-turning machine. This action undoubtedly caught the attention of others. In many people's eyes, Lu Luo's behavior was foolish, which was why they looked at him with disdain. Finding the notes was not an easy task; the entire process required immense concentration and care. After finding a note, one still had to answer its question meticulously, as a mistake could result in being turned into a frog. Thus, in their view, Lu Luo was simply courting death.
"Reading like that without understanding the rules, what a naive fellow," a voice sneered near Lu Luo. The speaker was obviously someone who read slowly themselves but was loath to admit it.
However, Lu Luo paid no mind, as his Observer had already recorded everything in the book. Even if something unexpected happened, the Observer could provide feedback instantly.
But there were clever people in the group, like Chen Mo. At that moment, Chen Mo's eyes were filled with curiosity as he watched Lu Luo and murmured softly, "Does he possess a Sequence related to observation or memory? If so, this environment is indeed perfect for him to shine."
Chen Mo observed Lu Luo a little longer but soon looked away. The witch's reward was very tempting. Naturally, everyone was there for power, so they couldn't stop at that point.
Soon, Lu Luo's finger paused on a page of "Luo Family Notes," for the Observer had already given a hint.
"The handwriting on this page is noticeably different."
Lu Luo began to slowly touch the paper. One particular area was indeed thicker than the surrounding parts. At the beginning of this section, there was a question:
"How many individuals are mentioned in the 'Luo Family Notes,' and what are their names and identities?"
Who the hell can remember all that? No wonder those people looked at me with such disdain. But luckily, I've got a cheat!
"In the 'Luo Family Notes,' a total of seven individuals are mentioned: Family Head Luo Cheng, his wife Qiu Shan, eldest son Luo Feng, second son Luo Yun..."
Listening to the Observer's prompt, Lu Luo picked up a nearby quill pen, ready to write. But as soon as he touched it, he realized the thing was alive!
"Human Dream Feather, a special creature, unranked."
Even a quill pen is alive. This place feels pretty weird.
Lu Luo quickly wrote down the names and identities of the individuals and then waited quietly.
Then, a ghostly figure materialized before him!
"Unknown Specter Species, First Tier, abilities unknown, attributes not worth mentioning."
The Specter Species's appearance was sudden, but it showed no hostility toward Lu Luo. It simply touched the spot on the page where Lu Luo had found the question. Soon, the thicker area of the page began to dissolve like paste, slowly unfolding to reveal a slip of paper.
These were the witch's colored notes!
However, Lu Luo didn't look at the colored note. Instead, he focused on the Specter Species before him. Its appearance...
Lu Luo cocked his head, a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he asked the Specter Species, "The young master of the Luo Family, Luo Ning?"
The Specter Species smiled at Lu Luo, then gave a casual nod before vanishing. Lu Luo twitched his fingers, wanting to say more, but the entity didn't give him the chance.
"Judging by the clothes and description, it's a strong resemblance."
Lu Luo nodded, his gaze lazily scanning the books in the area. One look confirmed the vague suspicion he'd had earlier. All the books here were handwritten! And all of them were incredibly sloppy!
Hah, the more I think about it, the more I want to kill that witch Ellie! But my reason tells me it's probably better not to do that right now!
"To be honest, that's accurate."
Many people witnessed Lu Luo finding the note, including the man who had just mocked him.
He actually found it? How is that possible? I've been searching for twenty minutes and found nothing. This guy's luck is just too good, isn't it? the man thought, looking at the book in his hands. He began to doubt his own reading comprehension and fell into deep thought.
The handwriting on Lu Luo's note was still very messy, but this time, there were only a few words.
[What is a dream?]
A dream? Of course, people have to have dreams. Otherwise, what's the difference between them and salted fish?
This time, the question wasn't multiple choice, so Lu Luo quickly wrote his heartfelt answer on the paper.
[I don't know what "a dream" is, but I know my own dream. My dream is probably to find a few wives, have over twenty children, then find a place where the world is at peace and vegetables are half-price, and live a happy and fulfilling life.]
Lu Luo's dream was filled with a rustic simplicity. He didn't know if he would receive an extra reward from the witch this time. However, as he finished the last stroke, new text materialized on the note.
[Your dream is indeed simple, yet achieving it sounds quite difficult!]
What the hell? What does this mean? The note is talking to me?
Lu Luo looked up at the witch at the end of the room, only to see her dozing, not even glancing his way. Her hands were still.
So what's the deal with this note?
Lu Luo hesitated for a moment, then wrote again.
[Who are you? What is your dream?]
[Who I am is unimportant. As for my dream, it once was to be happy together with them. But I later realized, what's the point of dreams? Staying alive is more important.]
Reading the other's words, Lu Luo suddenly thought, So you surf the net too, huh?
A brief, soul-baring pen pal? Seems kind of interesting.
Lu Luo continued to write:
[Without money or strength, there's no happiness, let alone dreams. Folk songs are lovely, but the wine in small taverns isn't cheap. It's as if, without some effort, one can't even afford to indulge in nostalgia. With money and strength, you can control your own destiny and then talk about dreams.]
[You're right. Without power, what dreams can one speak of? Do you know what saddens me the most?]
[What is it?] Lu Luo was genuinely curious now.
[It's watching them grow up nestled in their parents' arms, seeing them have epiphanies while listening to their teachers' lectures, witnessing their excitement as their strength advances... That's when my heart was stirred!]
From this description, is the other person a Transcendent? A young Transcendent without parents?
[This world is inherently unfair. All roads might lead to the Inner Ring, but some people are born there. Some things truly can't be achieved through sheer effort. The only fair thing about this world is that everyone dies... well, it seems some people don't die either.]
Writing this, Lu Luo added the last line somewhat helplessly. Because of the Fruit of Life, some people really wouldn't die.
The people of the Church are all scum—uh, except for the few I know.
[This world has lost its fairness. I don't want to be a loser; I don't want to be mediocre like the others. I don't want to die without a single memorable thing to my name. I want reform. I want to change all of this. I want to change the world. I am someone born at the summit; having everything my way is my privilege. This world exists solely to welcome my arrival.]
Seeing the sudden shift in tone and style, Lu Luo felt something was off.
This guy! Did his thinking get twisted while he was growing up?
He thought for a long time before finally writing a tentative reply.
[We're all small fries, so why the big talk!]
[Heh!]
Lu Luo felt a bit annoyed. We were having a nice chat, what's with this 'heh'?
[Since you're so amazing, what do you plan to do?]
[What do you think?]
[That's rich coming from you! If I asked you the name of Old Wang's wife from next door right now, you wouldn't know either!]
[Originally, I wanted this world to feel pain because it brought me pain. But after I matured, I found such methods too crude and uninteresting. I've already set my sights on higher pursuits. Now, I only want to break free from this world's shackles because I have found my path forward.]
Lu Luo narrowed his eyes. Found his path forward? Can a path forward be equated with a purpose?
[What do you mean by the 'path forward' you mentioned?]
[If our paths are the same, I hope we meet as equals.]
Lu Luo narrowed his eyes; the other person knew who he was! However, Lu Luo also had a guess about the other person's identity.
When Lu Luo tried to write again, all the other party's writing vanished from the paper, leaving only his own.
Looking at the note, Lu Luo fell silent once more.
Was that an illusion just now?
"According to the principle of dual sensory confirmation, you saw it, you thought about it, you wrote, and you didn't enter an illusion. Therefore, what happened just now, what you saw, must have been real."
Lu Luo nodded. If what had just happened was real, then the other person's identity...
Claims to be human?
While Lu Luo was still pondering, the witch Ellie stood up, her long, coiling tongue unfurling. It extended towards the others who had also found notes. First, she collected their notes, giving some of them candies. Others declined the candies and instead walked behind the witch, choosing to leave the study. There were also those who had found notes but failed to answer the questions on them. It was obvious these people lacked reading talent, what's colloquially termed 'effectively illiterate.' After arguing with Ellie, they were transformed into toads by her magic. However, these toad-people weren't dead; there might still be a chance for them.
After dealing with everyone else, Ellie finally extended her tongue towards Lu Luo.
"This candidate, you've already answered the note. Why didn't you proactively raise your hand to give it to me?"
"The witch is here, stop thinking!"
Only then did Lu Luo snap back to reality. But the witch Ellie before him seemed oblivious to what he had just experienced.
"My apologies, Miss Ellie," Lu Luo said. "I was engrossed in something from the book and got lost in thought."
"That's quite alright. Oh, a simple answer. Not very original, but it counts as a response. So, do you wish to proceed, or will you continue to stay here?"
The key hasn't been obtained yet, and I'm still waiting to break through to Fourth Tier and then kill you all. How could I leave at this time?
Lu Luo nodded decisively. "I want to stay here."
His reason for staying was no longer just about the key. From the book he had just read, he had learned how to obtain the notes. Normally, getting a note was indeed very difficult. One needed to read a book very carefully before one could possibly find a question. After finding a question and answering it correctly, one could obtain a witch's note. After obtaining a note, one had to answer the question on it to possibly receive candy. The entire process was interconnected; one misstep meant failure. Of course, there was also the possibility of being turned into a toad!
In short, obtaining the witch's candy was indeed a challenging task. But these difficulties were not a problem for Lu Luo, who had the Observer. What he needed to do now was flip through books quickly, just as he used to in the school library, and collect the witch's notes. Then he would answer the questions and obtain the witch's candy in bulk.
It was certain that the witch's candy could be exchanged for rewards. But as for the specific exchange rate, Lu Luo was unsure. Considering the ten-minute quizzes, a total of seven hours, and the reading efficiency of a normal person, Lu Luo was fairly certain that the number of candies needed to exchange for a Dusk Ceremony keepsake would be around twenty, and normally wouldn't exceed that.
Apart from the Dusk Ceremony keepsake, there were likely higher-level items, such as the Netherflame on these Lords. Like the drink on the first floor, this kind of item should also be exchangeable. Estimating its price was difficult. Lu Luo guessed it might be around thirty.
Apart from keepsakes and Netherflame, candy could probably be exchanged for some small items, like the food rewards on the first floor. Lastly, there was the candy itself: one piece could add one attribute point. One could eat up to ninety-nine pieces, an outrageous effect! Ninety-nine attribute points! If all ninety-nine candies were of the same color, for Lu Luo, that would equate to 150,000 energy. If his attributes reached 200 before consuming these candies, the effect would be astronomical!
Fuck, thinking about it this way, this witch really has some tricks up her sleeve!
That was already the several-th time today Lu Luo had cursed "Fuck!" But this was too much to pass up, so he was determined to fleece this witch.
As for the key to Ling Jia's shackles! Lu Luo didn't know if it could be exchanged. If not, what conditions were needed to obtain it?
Killing? Quests? Puzzles?
All three options were acceptable for the current Lu Luo.
In fact, another question lingered in Lu Luo's mind, along with a very bold idea. The question was whether the witch's candies were made by the witch herself or with the power of Nightmare Demons. If they were made by the witch, then the very bold idea Lu Luo had in mind might have to be implemented. That was to kill the witch now, collect her Doomsday Factor just in case, and then release her to make candies for him.
And it must be done now!
Because if the witch left the restaurant after they had all departed, just like Qiu Shan had, then Lu Luo would miss an opportunity for everyone to skyrocket in power. Ninety-nine pieces of the witch's candy! That meant ninety-nine attribute points. Not only could he consume them himself, but he could also share them with his brothers! If Qi Xinzhu and the others each had ninety-nine pieces of the witch's candy, what kind of enhancement would that be?
Normally, this would be an impossible task. But Lu Luo had the Summoner. By merely killing the witch, he would only need to expend some energy.
Killing the witch, producing candy, and everyone achieving an Exotic Species-level physique... That's the recipe for taking off!
"The host is daydreaming again! Why hasn't someone snapped him out of it with a splash of cold water, or something stronger?"