In the small tower of the Magic Pavilion, I summarized everything I had just memorized in a heavy tone.

“True history always causes one to feel disappointed, is that right?” Tango laughed as he replied, “The history that you obtain from me will never be as beautiful as what’s recorded in history books.”

"So, did those heroes really shout, 'Humankind will never be slaves?'" I asked, feeling a bit skeptical about those epic tales from the past. Governments loved to rewrite history to make themselves look good, after all.

"Who knows." Tango shrugged, a hint of frustration flickering across his face. It was like he wanted to say something but was holding back.

The history that I could obtain also had its own limitations. Some truths had already been forever lost to humanity to the river of time.

Truth and falsehood had no meaning there. Regardless of whether those people had actually shouted that sentence, they had become the symbol and idol of the present-day human race in their struggles. Taking down their altar would not bring any benefits to the human race. I knew that the truth only existed to let myself learn how to deal with reality, and how to approach it.

As for thoughts like “setting things right” or “restoring truth to history”, it was best to give up completely on this line of thinking.

Despite inhabiting a thirteen-year-old body, I knew just how unreasonable and impractical these kinds of thoughts were.

Mr. Tango's smile stretched wide, his eyes twinkling with the enthusiasm of a dream fulfilled. "That concludes our history lesson for today," he declared, his tone light and airy. "Take a short break, we'll delve into the fascinating world of the Arcana language. It's a shame the Arcanists' Language Proficiency Technique has been lost to time. Legend says it allowed anyone with a decent grasp of the technique to effortlessly learn any language. Imagine that – no more tedious studying!"

A genuine smile formed on my face. "Learning from you, Mr. Tango, is a pleasure in itself. I don't find it tiring at all." I replied, expressing my gratitude for his teachings.

Tango puffed his chest out proudly, chuckling to himself as he exited the room, leaving behind a sense of warmth and camaraderie.

As his footsteps faded away, my gaze fell upon the book in my hands. The once blurry script was slowly coming into focus. I could still make out the characters, though not with clarity. The blurry writing was starting to reveal itself clearly, like someone was slowly adjusting the lens. I could almost make out the words now.

I jogged away from my neighborhood, doing a quick mental review of what I'd learned.

It wasn't until I hit the main street that I finally felt like I could breathe. Being at home was still a bit weird. I know, I know, it sounds cheesy, but I wasn't fully used to being Riktor yet. My mother was kind, and the family was fine, but it might take me some time to truly integrate into this new identity.

After strolling around for a bit, I stumbled upon a little corner store. The entrance was plastered with newspapers, like some kind of news explosion.

Newspapers were one of the few ways to get your info fix in this world, a quick way to catch up on the latest gossip. But who knew if the news was legit or just a bunch of propaganda cooked up by the bigwigs.

"Bro, do you have any old newspapers? Like from a week ago?"

"Old newspapers? What do you need those for?" the grocery store owner asked curiously. People usually bought recent newspapers, as old news became worthless.

"They're useful, of course. Anything from a week ago to about two months ago would be fine. You should have some unsold copies lying around," I replied as I casually browsed the items in the store, searching for things suitable for fusion.

"Oh, those will cost you a pretty penny. At least 1 Iyets ," the owner said, eyeing me as if thinking he had found a wealthy customer. Those newspapers would be thrown away anyway, so selling them was basically like finding money on the street.

"That's way too much. How about this, I'll take those along with these items for half Iyets," I countered, picking up a bell, a fruit knife, and a glass bottle.

"Deal," the grocery store owner agreed without much hesitation. Those items combined were only worth about half the price offered. The newspapers could only be sold as waste paper for a maximum of 1/5 Iyets, so he was still making a good profit. Riktor had helped him get rid of a lot of old newspapers at once, saving him a lot of effort.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

I was momentarily taken aback. It appeared that my bargaining skills left much to be desired. Even after managing to cut the price in half, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still paying too much. Seeing the self-satisfied expression on the grocery store owner’s face, I could only sigh and acknowledge my lack of experience in such matters.

I put the items into my bag and left the grocery store, heading towards a library in the city that I remembered from my memories.

Apart from the school, I was unfamiliar with many places in the city, but the library remained a vivid memory in his mind. Upon entering, I was greeted by a strong, peculiar smell – a mixture of ink and mildew, emanating from the damp books. This world had methods and technology for keeping things dry, but clearly, this library hadn't implemented them well, or perhaps not at all.

"You're back, Mr. Riktor. What books are you borrowing this time?" The speaker was Billy, the plump bookkeeper who recognized this young man who often came to bury himself in books.

"Mr. Billy, the Royal Academy entrance exam is approaching, and I need to improve my knowledge in areas beyond just textbooks. So, this time, I brought some newspapers with me. If I need any other books, I'll let you know," I replied politely. However, Billy’s brows arched slightly upward, as if he sensed something different about me.

In the past, although my predecessor also conversed with Billy, there was an air of arrogance about him. After all, coming from a family of extraordinary individuals and being influenced by the academy, looking down on ordinary people was almost inevitable.

This sudden change surprised Billy slightly, but as an experienced individual, he simply smiled and said, "You're a remarkable young man. If you graduate from the Royal Academy, you'll surely become a formal professional." Billy was just an ordinary person, and in his eyes, becoming a professional was already an incredible achievement.

"You flatter me, Mr. Billy. I haven't even been admitted to the Royal Academy yet, and besides, the graduation rate is only around half percent."

"Hahaha, I've always had a good eye for talent. I'm sure you'll get in, and you'll be among the graduating half. Here's your library card, don't lose it."

"Thank you, Mr. Billy." I politely accepted the library card. Although Billy was just an ordinary librarian, he could be quite helpful. At the very least, he was familiar with the library's layout and could save me a lot of time searching for books.

Time's money, my friend.

I found a seat and settled down. Bringing a pile of newspapers to the library might seem odd, but ignoring the curious glances from others, I began quickly flipping through them.

[November 3rd, Tim Highlands Border: Imperial forces launched a surprise attack on a branch of the Firespear Cult, eliminating nearly 500 cultists and completely clearing the area of their presence. The operation resulted in the loss of 153 soldiers and 19 professionals.]

[November 5th, Baltty City, Northern Lynan: The Holy Light Cathedral was attacked by armed assailants, with multiple sections of the cathedral burned down and a total of 23 clergy members killed.]

[According to the Security Department's investigation, the incident was caused by a conflict between a society and a religious group. Afterward, Slazi, the fourth leader of the Iriella's Eye, claimed responsibility for the attack.]

[November 6th, Outskirts of Tain: A large pack of Demonic Beast Caion Wolves has been sighted. Individuals venturing outside the city are urged to exercise caution. Madam Xuellarem, the Provincial Governor of Tain, has expressed great concern and dispatched troops to drive away the wolves.]

Similar incidents were endless, as if not a single day passed peacefully in the entire Atheanora Empire. Demonic beast attacks, border conflicts, terrorist attacks, and occasional strange occurrences seemed to be the norm. It was evident that the farther away from the imperial capital, the worse the security became. Even cities weren't particularly safe.

Lynan Province was already in the central region of the empire, yet armed attacks still occurred in its northern cities.

Clearly, the safety dynamics of this world was vastly different from the world he had come from.

In my current state, with no fighting ability whatsoever, even an average adult man could easily overpower me. And my only skill was making buns, which wouldn't be of any help in a real danger.

I glanced at the Satan Ring in my finger – this was the only thing that could protect me. Probably.

My sense of danger was not that much lower compared to ordinary people in this new world. "I still need to have combat ability. Being an arcanist might provide a comfortable life, but it won't bring true safety," he thought, feeling the 'system' within his body. "I'll have to rely on you, my guy."

Putting aside my thoughts, I continued reading the newspapers. However, reports of crises, battles, and killings continued until the end of November.

"Aren't the rulers of this world afraid that such turmoil will lead to social instability?" This thought popped into my mind. But if I considered it from another perspective, this world was incredibly chaotic, and civilians had no way to protect themselves. The only reliance was on powerful force, which explained the newspapers' unrestrained reporting.

"The world is in chaos, and commoners fend for themselves, unable to survive on their own. They need someone to protect them, and naturally, the Empire is the strongest barrier."

"So, commoners surely need to rely on the Empire." I said, caressing the ring.

"Sun Strategy, a simple yet a crude method. Even if some people understand these things, they still have to lean towards the Empire. If faced with a large-scale beast tide, it's not something individuals or small forces can contend with." Riktor narrowed his eyes, a habit from his past life, one he had no intention of changing.