"Let's explore the downtown area first." Looking at the bustling streets, I chuckled. A new world awaited my exploration, and it felt quite good.
In my memory, the previous Riktor was someone who worked hard but couldn't quite achieve good results. He had only mediocre talent. It was as if all the talent of the triplets had been concentrated in the younger sister instead.
He had spent most of his time studying, filling his head with knowledge from various basic subjects taught at the junior academy. This was a last resort, as he lacked talent and had a weak constitution. Even if he exercised, the results were minimal. If he didn't study hard, he might not even have the chance to become a mage.
It could be said that he had done his best within his limitations, at least laying a decent foundation for him. However, for the current Riktor, most of the academic knowledge was of little use.
I urgently needed to broaden my understanding of the world.
My worldview was far too narrow, limited to the fact that we were citizens of the Atheanora Empire. That was it.
I knew there were powerful individuals in this world but had no idea how powerful they truly were—truly baffling. I also knew about the terrifying demonic beasts but had no clue just how terrifying they could be—again, very shocking. And when it came to magical items, my knowledge was even more scarce. The only curios I could recall were the cooking pot at home and the magical blackboard at school. —Extremely awkward!
Furthermore, my understanding of my parents and family was incomplete.
This little information was far too insufficient for me. To establish myself in this world, I needed much more.
This world wasn't information-driven either. The primary media outlets were the magical broadcasts in the city center and ordinary newspapers. Without computers or mobile phones, my options for quickly understanding this world were limited.
To learn about the world, I needed to start with the city. And to understand the city, there was no faster or more effective way than exploring the streets.
I was currently well-off. Besides the 20 Iyets mom had given me, I had also saved up a dozen of them in pocket money. This was originally meant to be my predecessor's reserve fund for entering the Royal Academy.
Now, it benefited me. Hehe.
I had a different personality from the kid. If there was something out there that could give me a leg up, I wouldn’t think twice about shelling out the cash for it.
With a light step, I strolled through the streets of the city.
I sampled the local food, bought a few toys I found interesting, and enjoyed the scenery. I had gained a basic understanding of the local customs and habits of the ordinary people in the city.
....
A person with physical disabilities was interested in studying methods for inspecting treasures.
No matter how one heard it, it would sound ridiculous.
However, Riktor's expression was sincere and his tone dead serious.
Seeing his attitude, a storekeeper Tango let out a long sigh and began to speak very slowly and deliberately,
“Hee, I have no other abilities except to identify a few magic tools, some precious antique texts and the like. Even if you didn’t mention this or kowtow to me, or even if you weren’t here, these are all things that I need to focus all my attention on doing. What could I possibly help you with?”
"You can teach me that, as I specifically came for that," I replied with a light tone.
The storekeeper was startled. “What did you say? You want to learn how to inspect treasures?”
“Precisely so!”
“If you wants to learn how to inspect treasures, it is certainly an inspiring aspiration. Naturally, it’s a very useful skill. However, the path of inspecting treasures is extremely complicated and all-inclusive. Even those old hands who’ve been in this line of business for a long time also have times where they make an oversight.”
“What the storekeeper is trying to say is that if even those who have sight to aid them can make such oversights, why would we talk about treasure inspection when a person with eyes like mine doesn’t even have the ocular qualifications to make an oversight? Only that you were being considerate of my feelings and didn’t directly say it, am I right?” my eyes, with their grayish hue and peculiar aspect that seemed to lack conviction, leaving observers unsure of their visual acuity and suspecting potential sight problems.
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He let out an embarrassed laugh, but still replied, “Kid, forgive this old man for speaking directly and without respect, but that is precisely so.”
I laughed bitterly, “It is a very good thing for storekeeper to be willing to speak bluntly to me. I also know that my eyes are inadequate for the task, and that wanting to learn how to inspect treasures is an extremely difficult matter. However, I still believe that one day my eyes will recover. What I learn now will serve as a foundation for when that occurs. Even if I don't fully recover and learn everything perfectly, it's not a major concern. At most, I would compensate you for the additional time you invest in my learning. My primary goal is to gain knowledge, and I certainly wouldn't want to hinder the head storekeeper's business operations."
The storekeeper let out a sigh, “If you put it like that, naturally there is no problem.”
“Since it’s like this, then everything will depend on head storekeeper. Where should we start?”
He didn’t expect that I would be so eager to learn, even wanting to start immediately. He thought for a moment, and said, “How about let’s start from the Magic Pavilion. Since you’ve come to your own family’s store, we probably should start by understanding the circumstances inside this store.”
“Okay!”
“The main business of the Magic Pavilion is the sale of a few antiques that originate from the noble families in this nation. Occasionally, we will also receive a few antiques from the ancient times. However, these kinds of antiques require even higher levels of visual acuity so unless one is absolutely sure about them, we do not accept them lightly. Please follow me, I will take you to see some of the purchased treasures of our pavilion. Although you cannot see clearly, you can smell, hear, and touch. I will first tell you about the uses of those senses……”
As Tango spoke, he had already pressed an ancient jade into my hand.
The ancient jade was warm; holding it in my hand, I actually felt a grand, imposing aura surrounding my hand.
“This is the Idle Cow Patterned Tricolored Jade, consisting of the three colors azure, red, and yellow. It originates from the time period of the Old World, and was the personal belonging of Solua, a magistrate of the Nine States. He could be considered to be a sober and calm person, somewhat uncommon during that dark period of time. This three-colored jade was with him for many years, and was eventually being infused by his righteous aura. Thus, wearing it even confers the ability to avoid evil and exorcise demons.”
Old magic tools had many strange effects.
For it to be considered the pavilion’s treasure, this Idle Cow Patterned Tricolored Jade naturally also needed to have some special effects for it to live up to such a title.
Although this jade’s exorcism effect was only average and could only suppress a normal amount of evil, fiendish energy, normal people would consider this to be quite a good effect.
After introducing this piece of ancient Jade, Tango brought me to a counter.
“A book belonging to the Arcanists is placed in here. The Arcanists were an extremely powerful race that existed thousand years ago. They possessed an unbelievable affinity for innovation. Many of the great constructs and inventions all come from that time period, but many of them were also annihilated during that time period.
Arcanist? I asked curiously, “Storekeeper, how do you know the name of this book? The words of the Arcanists shouldn’t be similar to the words of the human race, right?”
He stroked his beard as he laughed delightedly, “Naturally this is because I understand the words of the Arcanists. You must know that examining cultural relics is not an easy matter. An outstanding treasure inspection expert must also be someone who is very learned and well-informed. The knowledge of history and languages are the fundamentals of antique inspection.
“So it was like that.”
“Since you wants to learn, I will teach you. But, it’s probably best for you to begin to learn from the knowledge perspective. As long as you willing to learn, this old man is willing to teach you everything I know about the history of the Primordial Continent, its geography, and the development and changes of the ten or so ancestral races, as well as their cultures and their languages!”
This was a time where martial prowess was valued and culture was belittled. The threat of the Magical Beast races caused each ancestral race to exist under arduous circumstances. They had no choice but to use all their effort to expand their martial forces in order to resist the endless waves of beasts in the wilderness. The usefulness of culture was thus reduced to its lowest limit.
Instead, it was all about combat skills and secret fighting techniques passed down through generations.
In comparison, the hierarchy of knowledge and its importance clearly begun to decrease. The people that controlled knowledge were no longer the upper echelons of human society; rather, they consisted of those in the middle of this social pyramid. These people, like tradesmen and doctors, who grasped a particular set of talents, were the core of society and passed down their traditions and techniques from generation to generation.
And if you didn't fit into either of those categories? You were stuck at the bottom of the food chain.
Under these kinds of circumstances, Tango had found exactly what he had been looking for when Riktor expressed his desire to learn. He had nothing that could be used to attach value to him; but rather, he felt extremely surprised and happy that all the knowledge that he had accumulated over the years could be put to good use.
If in the future Riktor attained any great achievements, as his previous teacher, Tango would be destined to rise as a result. Of course, considering the young man current condition, Tango did not place any expectations on this matter. At the moment, he simply liked Riktor, appreciating the young man’s intelligence and desire to learn, as well as his progress. At the same time, he was only holding onto his sense of loyalty, wanting to perform some meritorious services for his family.
To his delight, Tango discovered that Riktor's comprehension was astounding. He could understand many things after only being told once and could even make many inferences using that information.
As for the things that required brute memorization, I was basically able to memorize them after one time.
"It seems I've acquired a sharper mind and a more formidable memory, allowing me to learn anything I set my mind to with greater speed." pondering this, I glanced briefly at my fingers, noticing a ring with its unassuming style, almost resembling a discarded object.