— Hmm, three updates today
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Opening the Magic Notes, row after row of strange, unfamiliar lettered script greeted Lucian's eyes — none of it belonged to either of the two writing systems he had known before his transmigration. The body he now inhabited had belonged to a pauper, so it was only natural that it had never been taught to read; being able to instinctively understand and speak the language of this world, enough to communicate, was already the single brightest stroke of luck among the countless hardships Lucian had faced so far.
Which meant that the present Lucian had wretchedly become a true illiterate, capable of nothing more than staring at the Magic Notes without understanding a single word.
Lucian laughed at himself ruefully. "Being illiterate really is miserable."
Though it had been only one day since his transmigration and he had already gone through enough experiences to make him more mature and composed than before — he had even been worrying about the Church's threat and debating whether to study Arcane Magic before opening the notes — the crushing disappointment still hit him hard. As a college student of the new era, raised with ideals, morals, education, and discipline, the feeling of illiteracy was unbearable, especially when those words were the gateway to extraordinary, superhuman power.
Without much hesitation, after simply sitting quietly for a while, Lucian steeled his resolve: "The most important thing right now is to learn this world's writing!"
Even if he ultimately chose not to study Arcane Magic, mastering the written word and acquiring knowledge would still be the most viable path out of the life and status of a bottom-tier pauper — especially since Lucian had no tremendous strength, no robust physique, and no swordsmanship to speak of. The odds of escaping his current station through military merit, adventuring, or serving as a hired thug were vanishingly small.
With that decision made, Lucian quickly cast off his disappointment. A small spark of fighting spirit rose in his heart as he continued flipping through the Magic Notes, searching for any other hidden secrets — a treasure map, perhaps.
As he read, Lucian's brow furrowed slightly. He spotted many familiar things in the Magic Notes: numerous standard geometric shapes, lines arranged into strange patterns.
"Magic Circles, or Magic Seals?" Lucian guessed, drawing on what he had learned from the Emblem of Truth. He quickly flipped toward the back of the Magic Notes and found row upon row of formulas resembling chemical equations — only instead of symbols, they were written in words. "Magic equations? Potion Recipes?"
These two similarities gave Lucian some grounds for speculation, but unable to read the text, he could only hold his suspicions in reserve.
After finishing that volume, Lucian opened a second one. The writing in this one was even more twisted, the letters nearly indistinguishable from decorative flourishes.
"A different script?" Curious, Lucian opened the third book. It contained illustrations of plants, minerals, and monsters — seemingly a bestiary or reference guide of some kind. The text in it, however, matched the second volume of Magic Notes.
"The language I can understand is most likely the one in the first Magic Notes." Lucian reasoned from the relative difficulty of the scripts which one was more widely used.
After going through the three Magic Notes and books several times over with no further discoveries, Lucian lay down on his bed and forced himself to sleep.
For Lucian, the desire to change his circumstances was overwhelming. Starting tomorrow, every single day would have to be spent fighting for survival. If he slept poorly and showed up tomorrow groggy and lethargic, he would never be able to seize whatever opportunities came his way.
Although Benjamin's healing Divine Arts had fully closed his wounds, the intense battle had left both body and mind exhausted. It did not take long for Lucian to drift off.
Meanwhile, deep in the sewers, the Witch's hidden chamber had been completely destroyed.
Now, a black rat scurried out from somewhere, its eyes blood-red, cold, and eerie.
It circled the ruins once, squeaked twice, then darted off down another stretch of sewer. After a long while, it found a concealed small hole, squeezed through, and vanished.
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Dawn broke over the Adrang District, and gradually the noise of people, the clatter of fetching water, and other sounds of daily life rose to shatter the cold stillness of night — instantly making Lucian feel the pulse of life and energy around him.
Normally, Lucian liked to roll around in bed for ages before getting up, but the moment he woke he forced himself out of bed, lit the stove, set water to boiling, and began toasting the last piece of black bread.
While he ate the sawdust-like bread in misery, Lucian planned out the day ahead.
If he didn't keep his mind occupied with something, this black bread — when he wasn't starving — would be absolutely impossible to swallow.
"First, I need to find out where I can learn to read, and what the requirements are. I also need to find a new job, or I'll starve to death at home before I've even learned the alphabet." Lucian knew very little about this world, so his planning could only be rough. "And I'd best not let anyone who knows me find out, lest I give myself away."
He splashed his face with clean water from the jar, then took the seven coins from the crate and tucked them into his clothes. It wasn't much, but at least it provided a small measure of security.
Locking the door behind him, Lucian headed straight for Aunt Elisa's house. He had absolutely no recollection of the layout of the City of Sacred Hymns, so naturally he needed to ask someone for directions.
"Hey, Lucian!" A black-haired girl greeted him, her voice brimming with curiosity.
Lucian didn't know her at all. He could only manage a polite, practiced smile and a nod of vague acknowledgment. "Hey, I'm heading over to Aunt Elisa's — got some things to take care of." Then he hurried past her without another word.