After also spending the rest of the next day in a different place to 'grind', Gideon went to have dinner first, and then took a carriage
…He was quite satisfied with his harvest.
Yesterday night went well.
He had a lot of stamina, and could learn in sex quite fast due to the [Fast Sexual Adaptability] skill he had created
That translated to doing the deed many times. In fact, someone had to replace his… 'temporary partner', since she got tired, and he wasn't fully satisfied
Indeed, [Sexual Endurance] did wonders
[Get Creative]: [Increase Sensitivity], [Hands of Nirvana].]
And after that, he also created a skill to increase sensitivity, and a skill to make his hands make women feel… a lot of pleasure
….He got plenty of LP, so the grind was indeed worth it!
…
..
.
On Irongate Street, inside the Bravehearts Bar, in its billiard room.
Kaspars was playing billiards with others.
After seeing Gideon coming, he put down his stick and walked to the door, saying in a low voice:
"I will lead you to a place where the people are quite powerful. As for whether you can negotiate or not, it has nothing to do with me, but I must warn you in advance not to anger them, otherwise you may not see the sun tomorrow."
Gideon touched his nose.
If they caused trouble for him, he could always unseal his memories and let them understand what horrifying beings were watching this planet!
But he didn't show any of his thoughts on his face
On the contrary, he said sincerely: "I understand."
Kaspars turned around and said something to his golfer.
Then, he led Gideon, limping towards the bar and kitchen.
From there, he entered the back alley and went around to a darkened room.
He took out an iron mask that could only cover the upper half of his face, handed it to Gideon, and said with a chuckle, "Just take out the two pounds you brought here."
The corners of Gideon's mouth twitched.
"I have a better one"
He put a hand in his pocket, and he felt the mask under his clothes, the kind that covered it completely.
In the end, he took the mask and put it on his face.
"...Alright"
Seeing that he was ready, Kaspers started knocking on the door rhythmically.
Three long and two short... Kaspars had not finished knocking, but Gideon knew, because he had seen 'it' in the newspaper.
Seven or eight seconds later, a small wooden board on the door was suddenly pulled open, revealing brown eyes behind it.
Kaspars had obviously told him in advance, so the other party directly opened the door.
It was a man who also wore an iron mask.
He handed Gideon a set of hooded robes and said in a hoarse voice:
"Hurry up and put it on. Then come in with me. It will start in two minutes."
Gideon put on the robe and followed him through the dark space and into the living room on the first floor.
A candle was lit on the coffee table there, and a dim yellow light illuminated the entire room.
There were about six people sitting on the sofa and chairs around the coffee table, all dressed in the same hooded robes and iron masks as him.
Gideon found a vacant seat and sat down, and began to observe his surroundings expressionlessly
Soon, he noticed an old man on a single sofa. The nasolabial lines on his cheeks were deep, and his skin was slightly dry.
'So this is the 'Eye of Wisdom'- Detective Isengard Staton?'
Gideon thought inwardly
At this moment, the Eye of Wisdom glanced at the clock on the wall, and said slowly in an old voice:
"The time is up, let's start. We don't have to wait for our late friends."
His voice just fell,
Immediately, a man with a chubby face said:
"I'm going to sell four bottles of precious medicine, two of which can effectively stop bleeding and promote wound healing. Believe me- this is better than going to the clinic, and it will work within six months."
He suddenly let out a low laugh and continued to describe:
"The other two bottles will enable men to regain the feeling of being seventeen or eighteen years old and become a Beyonder in bed, hehe, you know what I mean! It's valid for one and a half months, and even if it exceeds the limited period, it can still produce effects, but It will spread to the whole body from there, and the user will become extremely violent, the strength, speed and agility will greatly increase, uh, after half an hour, the user will become weak."
Gideon's covered eyebrows twitched; he already knew who this person was- 'Apothecary' Darkwill.
The 'Apothecary' finally said the price, "The former is 10 pounds per bottle, and the latter is 1 pound per bottle."
As soon as he heard the price, Gideon was moved.
'That's….pretty good'
"It's 22 pounds in total, I want it all."
Gideon declared loudly
The 'Apothecary' looked at the others in the room and said, "Is there anyone else who wants to buy this?"
The room was quiet
"Deal."
He said as he looked back at Gideon
The masked blond boy also nodded at him
The waiter who brought him in walked over to the apothecary, took the four bottles of medicine, and then walked to Gideon, who counted the 22-pound note and handed it to him.
Finally, the waiter returned to the Eye of Wisdom and handed him the money and medicine.
Then, he saw Eye of Wisdom taking out a ring with many fine diamonds surrounded by green-like gems from his arms.
Information about this ring instantly appeared in Gideon's mind
It was a sealed artifact of the sequence 6 of the White Tower pathway.
For it to be able to identify if a potion formula was not fake, then this artifact must have imitated the power of a notary- the Sun's pathway sequence 6
And indeed-
The 'Eye of Wisdom' held the ring and imitated the extraordinary ability of the 'Notary', confirming that the function of the potion was just as the 'Apothecary' had said.
So the waiter brought the medicine to Gideon and the banknote to the 'Apothecary'. After the 'Apothecary' took it, he blinked at him and said:
"I'll also have these pills next time. If you want, I'll keep some for you."
Gideon's mouth twitched
….
..
.
After a few back and forth, Gideon finally couldn't hold himself back
"I want the sequence 9 formula of Reader."
Reader was the sequence 9 of the White Tower pathway- and 'Eye of Wisdom' was sequence 7 of this pathway. So he obviously has the formula
The room was once again silent
"I have it."
Old 'Eye of Wisdom' finally spoke
"I can give you both the formula and the main ingredient for 600 pounds. How about it?"
Gideon stared at this undercover detective
Why was he suddenly so generous?
"Sure"
At first, he thought that he'd have to get the formula and then look through various channels to obtain the ingredients…..But this was quite convenient
…
..
.
"Let's end it here today. And as usual, leave one by one, with three minutes apart from each other."
Old Eye of Wisdom announced the end of this gathering
After that, some people left one after another, and he was undoubtedly the last to leave.
After all of the other people left, Gideon turned to the host
"Why did you give me the formula and the main ingredient?"
He was right to be suspicious- after all, this detective was too generous
"Heh, heh. Young man, I can see you're the studious type. And I can also see that you also value wisdom and intelligence."
Eye of Wisdom chuckled
"To make such a targeted request….You must not be new to the beyonder world. Though I want to ask, why did you choose to embark on the path of a Reader?"
The hidden detective asked him with curiosity
"...."
Gideon put his hands under his robe, and after a few seconds of silence, he replied:
"Out of all pathways, the Reader pathway has the abilities that appeal to me the most."
Clap….Clap
Eye of wisdom slowly clapped at his answer
"It's good to see young people valuing wisdom and intelligence over barbaric brute force."
The old guy nodded in approval
"Young man, what's your strongest point?"
He suddenly asked
"Hm…It's mathematics."
Gideon replied after a moment of thought
From all the knowledge of his previous world…..Not all could be revealed, and certainly not all can he put into practice
"I also want to learn Hermes, Ancient Hermes, and Jotun- but unfortunately, I don't know where to start."
The masked blond kid shook his head in disappointment
"I see….Let's make a bet. If you impress me with your mathematical skills, I'll give you a few books about Hermes and Ancient Hermes."
"....Why?"
Eye of Wisdom shook his head at his doubts
"Naturally, since you will become a Reader, all your subsequent formulas and most main ingredients will come from me. Heh, I don't know if I mentioned this, but I'm affiliated with the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom."
He smiled
"It's just an investment, you can say. I'll give you some books, and you'll buy more stuff from me."
"...."
Gideon remained silent
Indeed, it made sense, but at the same time- it did not
"Alright"
…
..
.
Under the guidance of the waiter, he left the living room and finally returned the hooded robe to the other party at the gate.
Finally, along the road in his memory, he returned to the back door of the "Bravehearts Bar".
Gideon then took off the iron mask, walked through the kitchen, and saw Kaspars standing outside the card room amid the chaotic and noisy voices.
"I'm glad you could come back."
Kaspers was obviously relieved.
"Thank you for your introduction. I have found a bodyguard."
Gideon said with a smile.
Kaspars looked behind and around him, and found that there was no one,.
-But thinking of the horror of those people, it would be very easy to make themselves invisible.
So he did not dare to look around anymore, fearing that he would cause the people protecting Gideon in the dark dissatisfaction
"This was our deal. Now, I'm leaving"
Kaspers turned and returned to the pool room.
Gideon smiled, knowing that he was afraid.
When he got what he wanted, he didn't say anything more. He took a carriage and returned home
…
..
.
In his room, Gideon placed the suitcase containing the 'materials' beside a cauldron
Inwardly, he commanded his 'cheat'
[Get Creative: [Clean], [Deodorise].]
Both are very useful and could save him a lot of time. Now he could clean both his body, and any object
There was….something he had noticed today. Not at the beyonder gathering, but before that- when he had used the [Hands of Nirvana]
He had felt a certain energy consumption in his body
"....."
[Get Creative: [Mana Arrow].]
He brought his hand up and-
A blue, transparent arrow appeared in his hands
"Indeed…"
It wasn't the spirituality of this universe. It was….mana.
Was this the magic power of the 'The hidden dungeon only I can enter' anime? It would only be natural, since his cheat is also from there
Regardless, this was good news. He had one more option to rely on beyond the local powers of this world
He glanced at his LP
[LP: 4677]
It was....plenty for what he wanted
[Get Creative: [Item LP Conversion], [LP Generation via Money], [Pocket Dimension], [Mind adaptability], [Define], [Merge]
[Item LP Conversion: Convert items in LP. The more valuable the item converted, the more LP it generates.]
[LP Generation via Money: 1 pound may be exchanged for 10 LP]
[Mind adaptability: The mind can more quickly adapt to external stimuli and interference]
[Define: Define skills]
[Merge: Merge skills]
Satisfying his own desires didn't really seem efficient. Sure, he can get a lot of LP stably- but there is a cap to that
So now, he has the option to convert both items and money into LP
As for pocket dimension? Well, it was something he straight up copied from the MC of the 'Hidden dungeon only I can enter'. It's like an inventory of sorts, and….it's surprisingly cheap
Though at the level he made, time passes the same inside it, and it isn't a large space. But it is currently sufficient for him.
And…Fortunately, he could afford the [Mind Adaptability] skill with his remaining LP
It wasn't something impressive. People can develop and grow their 'mind' overtime.
For example….Mental fortitude, willpower, discipline
These are all things that can be 'trained'. This skill just makes the process a lot faster- which is why it didn't cost a whole lot
As for why he made such a skill...?
The answer is obvious
…
Gideon stared at the blue, viscous substance, which hovered between liquid form and solid form
Indeed, this was the sequence 9 Reader potion
With the main ingredient, the rest of the supplementary ingredients in the formula were easily obtained
After all, what truly matters is the main ingredient- while the supplementary ones can be skipped or altered, the main one can not
Besides, sequence 9 potions were quite simple. The supplementary ingredients can be found easily and are common
With the [Mind Adaptability] skill, he was confident that even if things went wrong, he would be able to successfully become a beyonder
Even after he becomes a beyonder, his mentality would adapt to the possible madness and corruption quite fast
Gideon grasped the potion, raising it to his face. Opening his mouth, he downed the potion with a calm look
The icy liquid slithered down his throat, popping with tiny bubbles as it went.
Suddenly, a flood of information rushed into his mind, exploding like fireworks within his thoughts.
However, compared to the information and knowledge already stored in his mind, this flood that was rushing towards his mind seemed small and insignificant
And with the [Mind Adaptability] skill, he felt himself getting used to this flood at a very fast speed
"...."
He felt his head swelling as though it were about to burst, his vision blurring with countless afterimages, and his ears filling with a cacophony of buzzing and roaring.
Realizing this was the overflow of the potion's power, Gideon recalled how Old Neil had advised Klein in the novel.
Slipping into a meditative state, he imagined an object that didn't exist in the physical world, allowing himself to regain control over his senses and rid himself of the visual and auditory distortions using a method called 'Cogitation'
Feeling the overflow of the potion receding, Gideon looked at his palms
"Is this how it feels to be a Beyonder?"
The blond boy smiled cheerfully, excitement overflowing from his mind
He examined his body but found no abnormalities. Yet he could sense that his focus, memory, and comprehension had all significantly improved.
"Now, learning Hermes and Ancient Hermes should be quite simple."
With a smile still on his face, he turned his head towards the two thick books that old eye of wisdom had given him
-It is natural that Old Isengard couldn't match his math skills.
After all, how could that old detective know Integration and Linear Algebra?!
…
..
.
The crimson moon receded, making way for the sun to ascend and welcome a brand new day
Gideon was sitting at his desk, eyes closed in deep thought
Learning two new languages wasn't as easy as he thought
-Yes, even with the Reader potion
Speaking of this… he had already felt quite a bit of this potion being digested
To fully digest and 'master' the potion, one needs to act out its name. Doing this, one can get the 'recognition' of the mental imprint of the potion, and the imprint would lower its 'defence' and allow the drinker to harmoniously 'fuze' it
(A/N: For a better explanation, check the wiki)
For the Reader potion- it is quite obvious that one has to act like a Reader
How does one act like a Reader?
Every person's acting is different. Every individual sums up 'acting rules' that are unique to them
But of course, all should be in accordance with the name of the potion
Gideon has already summarized his own acting principles for the Reader potion
'Regard the world as a book, and its individuals as characters'
'Do not participate in the plot. Look at everything with the perspective of a Reader and an Outsider'
In fact, despite everything, Gideon can't help but still regard this world as a novel, and himself as a foreign Reader and outsider
It isn't a great perspective to have, as he is sure that this would lead to mental problems further down the line- however, for the him of now, it's very beneficial!
In fact, he feels as though he will digest the potion by tomorrow!
Even Klein, the main protagonist, wasn't so fast!
And along with the digestion of the potion, his mental faculties had improved
…Which helped in learning Hermes and and Ancient Hermes
However, he wasn't satisfied with his progress
So, last night, he went out to 'grind' once again!
And he made a skill- [Perfect Recall]
Simply put, he could actively recall every information he has ever seen, and every single memory
-Which means, he could easily recall potion formulas that he had seen in the novel and the wiki
And thus, he could sell them and make money!
"Hm…"
He rapped his finger on his desk, mimicking a certain Fool
"Should I write a novel?"
Gideon questioned himself
Besides being another way to make money, it could also give him the opportunity to meet a certain lazy salted fish- Fors Wall
She was an Author, and also a sequence 9 Apprentice of the door pathway
Despite everything… LP points are generated from his 'satisfaction' and 'enjoyment'
What else could be more enjoyable than talking and interacting with one of the important characters of this world, who was, coincidentally, also a beautiful woman?
"I should think of which novel to plagiarize first…"
Of course, since his digestion is almost done, his current priority is to learn Hermes and Ancient Hermes
-Getting the formula of Sequence 8 of White Tower, too. But he has to wait to get it from Isengard
'Well…Let's just buy Fors book first. Then…I will express my liking for her novel, and also ask for advice through letters. Perhaps I could also get her help in publishing 'my' novel?'
Nodding rapidly, a more complete plan came to fruition in his mind
….While he didn't have enough for a sequence 8 potion formula and its characteristics… He did have enough to buy Fors novels
…Perhaps he could exchange some of his knowledge for the formula from Eye of Wisdom?
....
...
..
.
------------
(A/N: There's a perfectly logical reason that would explain wholly why Isengard treats him like that- so don't worry, it's not plot convenience)