Chapter 103 - 103 86 4 Professions

103: Chapter 86 4 Professions 103: Chapter 86 4 Professions “What? An internship? Give me a moment…” Xia Qin’s initiative was quite impressive. When Lu Ping’an received the call, someone was already stunned, even a bit overwhelmed. “…Fine, I’m free anyway, just remember to pay me.” Lu Ping’an thought about it for a moment before easily agreeing. Yes, Lu Ping’an wasn’t stunned. He really didn’t mind; he could have fun anywhere, right? “Are you kidding me? Reject it! Reject, Lu Ping’an!” The confused one was the big cat, who originally thought she could hide in the safety of Ancient City University’s Secret Realm and wait for her followers to be dealt with by the Secret Keeper…or, failing to acquire anything from the ruins, be expelled by the stronger ones who came to help. But just like the countless protests before, her opinion was once again ignored by her master. Given their improved relationship recently, Lu Ping’an didn’t force the issue. “To be honest, Chris, do you really think there’s such thing as absolute safety? Even if someone else kills your pursuers but doesn’t take that holy image that can track you, you’re still unsafe, right? And even if the holy image is taken by an official, are you really sure you won’t be found…” Lu Ping’an’s words made some sense; without taking care of that remaining “holy image,” big cat and himself would never be able to let their guard down. Even if Ancient City University came out victorious, could they guarantee that the holy image wouldn’t fall into the hands of knowledgeable officials? When that happened, the people who came after them might be a hundred times more troublesome than the cultists. In fact, Lu Ping’an wasn’t overthinking it. The local Secret Keeper had already sought help from the Church of the Lady of the Forest, and a bishop-level figure was set to arrive. At that point, they would definitely search for Chris. From Lu Ping’an’s perspective, it was better to participate and respond to any problems as they arose instead of hiding and waiting for everything to pass. “…Besides, given the current situation, hiding in Ancient City University’s Secret Realm is no longer safe, right? Wasn’t it exposed last time?” A Sophist isn’t stupid. He probably locked onto the “examinee” as a target based on the circumstances at the time. Maybe he had already infiltrated Ancient City University. Lu Ping’an knew that some harsh truths needed to be told. “Sis, you’re a Quasi-God, don’t you know that some things can’t be avoided? Your performance here… isn’t it a bit embarrassing… for a god?” Lu Ping’an spoke calmly, but the furious Chris on the other end instantly cooled down. Professional life is full of “coincidences” and “destiny.” Escaping is pointless, often ending in a life-or-death struggle. Didn’t Big Cat understand? She knew more than Lu Ping’an, and even more about how inescapable reaching the roots of the cause in the Tree of Life in Kabbalah is. The Mother Goddess believers who chased her represented a part of her past that she had to face. She also knew that, just like the adverse fate of her ascension, it could not be avoided. She just wasn’t used to living without a sense of security and power. Was the tracking of the Holy Image really impossible to solve? Chris’s experience with the Sophist had proven that as long as she had the right cover, she could. Either way, Lu Ping’an casually continued. “Most importantly… I just want to go. I’m too lazy to think of a reason. You can come up with one to convince yourself.” Lu Ping’an didn’t want to act anymore! So what if he wanted to go? Explaining his side to Big Cat allowed her a chance to step down. It was her choice to make. There was a long silence on the other end, but that silence itself meant Big Cat was wavering. She realized that she’d been too timid, choosing to escape without hesitation when confronted with danger after losing her power. She couldn’t avoid it. “…Come in tonight when nobody’s around. We’ll talk.” Although she hadn’t agreed to it yet, it was obvious that she had softened. If life couldn’t be resisted, might as well lie down early. “I’m not going. I’m tired and need to catch up on sleep after gaming.” “…There are benefits.” “OK, around twelve, then?” Lu Ping’an smiled. He knew that Big Cat had been hiding something from him. Then he resumed his task, browsing through the nearly 700-page “training manual” in his hands. This was his top priority at the moment. In front of him, a thick notebook lay open on the table. From time to time, Lu Ping’an wrote and drew in it, recording his latest reading insights and personal experiences. If someone were to use Spirit Vision to look at this room, they would see that the “book” and “person” were connected, with “pollution” constantly transferring between the two. Whenever Lu Ping’an “records his insights”, the “pollution” transfers from him to the “notebook”. This isn’t just Lu Ping’an researching martial techniques; it’s a ritual, one that has already taken up far too much of his time. “…It looks like I still need at least another week to become a 0-tier Scholar…” It’s true, the fourth profession Lu Ping’an chose was the Scholar Path. There seems to be no need to introduce this overly common path as he had already determined his decision by witnessing many powerful advanced scholars along the way. This decision has also won the approval of the big cat which has even started preparing for it since a week ago. “A Gardener needs a Scholar as support, and it’s a good thing to get into the profession early. Your Gardener (Life) and Soldier (Death) professions balance each other, and Runner also needs a balanced profession. Scholar isn’t the most suitable, but it’s not bad. Balancing the two sides of the equation – life and death, stillness and movement – is a solid foundation.” The Scholar Path has virtually no combat capabilities at the zero-order and first-tier stages, having only two abilities: “read” and “write”. “Read” allows for the understanding, recording, and storage of taboo knowledge from outside to inside. “Write” allows for the external expression, projection, and depiction of taboo knowledge from inside to outside. At the first-tier stage, this is just a basic ability, but as evidenced by the performances of “chess players”, “painters”, and “contractors”, it is in fact a prerequisite for many high-level abilities. In particular, the Elemental system mainly starts with the Scholar Path. As long as one uses the ability to “write” their inherent “element”, be it through a “chess piece”, “painting”, or “contract”, they possess natural destructive power. The Scholar Path could be seen as the most promising yet least useful profession in the early stages, even less capable of combat than the Gardener. “…Tsk, there are still 79 pages to go. It seems I’ll need at least three more days.” The ritual for becoming a 0-tier Scholar is extremely simple and has no difficulty, the only requirement being time – and not the kind of time that can be lazily skipped. Read enough taboo knowledge and, after understanding it, write it in your “notebook”; when you reach 300 pages, your initiation into the profession will be successful. As soon as it was decided that the last profession before advancing to the 2-tier stage would be Scholar, Lu Ping’an began to work hard. However, this wasn’t exactly an easy task. Not only is the “work itself” a challenge but reading and writing taboo knowledge also comes with the risk of “polluting” oneself. Many people can only write about one page a day before reaching their limit… Lu Ping’an has relied on his pollution resistance multiple times, but it still consumes too much of his time and energy. Professions like Gardener and Scholar that lean towards “civilian” roles require time and cumulative action for their initiation rituals. This is because these special professions require consistent, time-consuming progression. The Gardener’s “tree planting ritual” expresses their ability to “take good care of magic plants” and fulfill their role. For the Scholar, it proves their basic ability to “read” and “write” and demonstrates their understanding of what it means to be a “learning person (scholar)”. It takes at least half a year for a Gardener to be initiated, which is why Lu Ping’an’s Plant Acceleration ability can’t easily be concealed. The initiation time for a Scholar depends on their individual capabilities. Lu Ping’an has already written more than 200 pages of notes and estimates that he can finish in half a month. The reason for this speed is thanks to his LV6 “General Skill, Taboo Knowledge” which, after conversion, becomes the Scholar’s Professional Skill. This is really beyond his control, just like how receiving dividends in All Weapon Specialization only requires using weapons or fighting empty-handed. As long as a professional comes into contact with pollution and taboo knowledge, they will receive dividends in this skill. Since everyone keeps giving Lu Ping’an dividends, his progress naturally increases rapidly. Once Lu Ping’an successfully becomes a Scholar, it probably won’t take him long to advance to first-tier. He silently reads and writes, watching as his “General Skill, Battle Axe Skills (Wave School)” and “General Skill, Taboo Knowledge” both slowly gain experience points. There’s no need to rush this ritual, and it wouldn’t be wise to do so. The Scholar Path is adept at creating and utilizing tools and items, and the “notebook of forbidden knowledge” completed upon initiation is your first “quasi-taboo item”. In Lu Ping’an’s notebook, the first section consists of magic plant cultivation records, tips, and reports on the development of several new magic plants. The middle section is filled with martial art research and reflections on space and body as a Runner. The latest part includes Resonance characteristics associated with the Wave Axe Technique. Although these contents may not hold much significance, the “taboo knowledge” they carry is continually elevating and transforming the fragile notebook, ultimately turning it into a new source of pollution. While reflecting and writing, Lu Ping’an unexpectedly discovers that he has a surprisingly high affinity for this profession, almost no resistance to it. “Tsk, I never thought I’d have a day when I’d be so absorbed in studying that I wouldn’t want to play games. If it weren’t for the Life system’s excessive compatibility with me, this might be a decent primary path…” Unconsciously, time passes and it is midnight. Lu Ping’an stretches, gets up, and flips through his notes. He has made good progress with another five pages added. With the increase in his understanding of taboo knowledge and writing proficiency, both his writing speed and quality have steadily improved. Lu Ping’an looks around to make sure there are no Watchers, before turning off the light to sleep…and disappearing without a trace. However, the first sentence that Lu Ping’an said to the big cat upon meeting it made the once quasi-God lose its composure. “Chris, what’s in it for me? Are you going to discuss the Holy Image with me? That Divine Power Crystal you deliberately hid?”