Chapter 617: The Efforts of Young Men

Although John was a young man from a barren village, after experiencing the prosperity of the big city, he had long cast aside the thought of making money for a few years and returning home to buy land.

He yearned to stay in Hall City, and even yearned to be bestowed a true name by the big shots. Names possess power. If one wants to open the door to the supernatural, one must have a true name inherited from a great existence.

Such a yearning was too fanciful. It was something even Lord Dur sought but could not get, so John could only bury the thought deep in his heart.

The reason he chose the career path of a pharmacist was that this profession had the possibility of coming into contact with legendary supernaturals. And by compounding supernatural potions for supernaturals, it was possible to obtain the keys to some mystical rituals, such as the Locksmith series of true name books, which were widely circulated but seen by very few.

Thinking of this, John’s decision was made. He said sincerely to the two: “Perhaps we really should take a risk. If we can make a fortune this time, Clay, you can use the money to find a blacksmith or carpenter to learn a trade and stay in Hall City in the future. Gale, even if you want to return to our hometown, you can’t possibly buy fertile land without enough money.

“And if I want to continue studying to be a pharmacist, I must prepare enough gifts for a teacher. All these require money. Let’s work hard together, okay?”

Gale was already moved. Clyster found it somewhat hard to back down. He actually wasn’t very willing to take risks, but under John’s burning gaze, he reluctantly nodded as well.

Early the next morning, the three brought their weapons and tools to an even more distant barren ridge. The starlight was faint. John, Gale, and Clyster weren’t in a hurry to dig.

“We have to light a fire first. This is lamp oil I begged for from the Aberdovey Church in the city. I heard it has mystical effects. Let’s make a torch with dry firewood dipped in lamp oil first, and then gather. Clyster, you have a shield, so you’re responsible for holding the torch, defending, and keeping watch. Gale and I will gather. Our lives are all in your hands.”

Clyster was half-believing and half-doubting. He firmly held the torch with his arm wearing the shield, while tightly gripping his short sword with his left hand, somewhat nervous.

This day passed quickly. There were some jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, but not many. They were all discovered in time by Clyster, and the three quickly relocated.

The harvest was pretty good. In a day’s effort, they dug up three black ginseng roots, each as thick as a thumb, and even more common medicinal herbs.

John took the common medicinal herbs to a pharmacy in the city and sold them. Gale and Clyster wrapped the black ginseng in oilcloth and brought it back to the cabin. Afraid of others discovering it and becoming greedy, none of the three said much and just went to sleep silently like this.

In the blink of an eye, almost ten days had passed. They had dug up a total of fifteen thumb-thick black ginseng roots, and even one large black ginseng root as thick as an egg. According to John’s words, these black ginsengs were enough to sell for at least two gold coins.

Even Clyster went from reluctant to enthusiastic. Who would complain about having too many gold coins?

Although his ruby could definitely be exchanged for dozens of gold coins, if he could earn an extra half or one gold coin, that was also very good.

…

Half a day later, Clyster was panting heavily, John’s face was pale, and Gale, covered in blood, was already lying unconscious on the ground.

A somewhat cloudy ruby floated in mid-air, emitting a bizarre light, immobilizing five shadowy monsters.

Clyster’s hand trembled, his whole body shivering as he murmured: “Great existence, please have mercy and purify this evil.”

The ruby suddenly erupted with five-colored brilliance, directly dissipating the five shadowy monsters, leaving not a single trace. After the monsters disappeared, the ruby floated down into Clyster’s hand, returning to its originally somewhat cloudy appearance. But Clyster no longer dared to think this was just a cloudy ruby.

“This gem must be the miraculous treasure of some big shot.”

John looked with some envy and reverence as Clyster put the gem away, thinking in his heart.

He didn’t say anything, just pulled up the unconscious Gale and, together with Clyster, carried Gale on their backs back to the city.

Regrettably, Gale passed away. By the time the two carried Gale into the city, Gale was already completely cold.

“According to tradition, we can only burn Gale and put his ashes into a clay pot. I will pay his remaining salary for this voyage. You are Gale’s fellow townsmen, so please trouble yourselves to bring it to his family.”

After Captain Dur found out, he said with a slightly regretful expression.

“Can’t we keep the whole body?”

Clyster asked sadly.

Dur shook his head, his small mustache trembling along with it. He actually didn’t look like a pure seafarer, but more like a gentleman.

“This is tradition. If you bring a whole corpse, I heard it will offend the God of Plagues. Many ships that didn’t believe in the evil ended up with the entire crew dead.”

Clyster wanted to say more but was interrupted by John. John knew a bit more than Clyster. Although this tradition couldn’t be explained clearly, it was indeed the case. Dead sailors had to be burned promptly, and voyages had to dock for rest, otherwise, plague and scurvy would follow like a shadow.

“We will deliver Gale’s ashes and his remaining salary to his hometown, in the name of Aberdovey.”

After speaking, John tugged at the corner of Clyster’s clothes, and only then did Clyster repeat it.

This was also part of the tradition: swearing in the name of a deity or a prophet mentor ensured mutual trust. This was a world with gods.

Dur’s two-masted sailboat was leaving that very night. Four sailors carried Gale to the shore. Captain Dur led some people to gather some dry branches and hay from nearby, and just hastily burned him like that.

Holding Gale, who had already turned to ash and lay in the clay pot, Clyster’s mood was complex. The black monsters appeared suddenly, and Gale was bitten to death almost without any resistance.

Just as the black monsters pounced on him, the ruby on his chest suddenly became scorching hot, pierced through his clothes, and actually directly immobilized the five shadowy monsters, shattering them with brilliant light.

This scene still swirled in Clyster’s mind, and similarly echoed in John’s mind.

The look in John’s eyes when he looked at Clyster changed, but he didn’t harbor any malicious intent. When it involves supernatural power, harboring malicious intent would probably lead to unforeseen circumstances.

John had always been very cautious about these things. The two looked at each other speechlessly and returned to the lower-class cabin just like that. They weren’t very familiar with the other sailors either. About a month later, Dur’s ship returned to Hall Port. The low-level sailors received their one-time salary and disbanded on the spot, while some experienced sailors signed long-term contracts with Dur, waiting to set sail again next spring.

“Lord Dur, when your ship sets sail, don’t forget us.”

Words like this rang in their ears. John and Clyster left silently, arriving at the temporary residence that was once for three people but now for two.

John carefully closed the door and took out the black ginseng from the bundle. A total of seventeen roots: two egg-thick ones, and the other fifteen were thumb-thick.

“Clay, my brother. In the name of the great Lord of Time, I want to ask you something: have you already been bestowed a true name?”

John took a deep breath and said in a low voice.

Clyster shook his head and smiled bitterly. Ever since that bizarre night, he had secretly studied the gem for a long time, but gained nothing.

“To tell you the truth, John, I really want to have one too, but I have nothing, except for that miraculous ruby. Perhaps it’s a gift from a deity; when encountering danger, the ruby indeed saved me several times. Actually, I originally planned to sell this ruby and exchange it for a suburban manor, but now I’m somewhat hesitating.”

John’s eyes looked even more different. He said in a low voice: “Perhaps it’s a test for you from a deity or a prophet. I do not recommend you sell the gem. This might be the opportunity for you, or even your family, to become a supernatural family. If possible, I hope if you have the opportunity in the future, you can give me a hand. I will pay equivalent exchange items as much as possible.”

As a person who firmly believed in deities and cause and effect, John’s behavior had always been upright. Clyster also trusted him relatively well, but he still added a sentence.

“John, if I can have the opportunity to become a supernatural, I will definitely give you a hand if I can. But I hope you swear with me in the name of God that you will not speak of any of this.”

About half an hour later, the two walked out of the temporary residence in the slums carrying a bag of black ginseng. John had been a pharmacist’s apprentice for half a year and had a little bit of connections. They found an acquaintance and sold all the black ginseng for the price of three gold coins.

“Clay, we’ll take one gold coin each. And the other one, I think we should give it to Gale’s family. After all, he died because he was digging black ginseng with us.”

Walking out of the medicinal herb shop, John and Clyster walked away quickly. John said in a low voice.

Clyster nodded. He had no objection to this. What should be given to Gale shouldn’t be embezzled even if he died. This was what Clyster appreciated most about John: he was an upright person.

The two circled around more than half of Hall City, looked at each other, and Clyster said in a low voice: “We are being followed. Very likely by a nearby gang. I heard the Grizzly Gang likes doing this kind of underhanded thing the most.”

John nodded: “It’s really hard to say. Maybe that acquaintance of mine, or others in the shop, have a problem. In short, we’re being targeted. This is a big problem.”

Clyster’s heart pounded. The ruby wrapped against his chest suddenly became burning hot, gradually calming his state of mind.

“It’s fine. We have this.”

He patted his chest. Both of them recalled the scene from that day and gradually became confident.

They gradually walked towards a secluded area. A dark cloud obscured the moon, and the entire alley was pitch black.

The sound of drawing blades, sounds of threats, sounds of reprimands, and a sudden emergence of dream-like five colors enveloped the place in an instant, like a beautiful bubble.

The bubble suddenly shattered. Except for Clyster and John, everything else shattered along with the bubble, as if they had never appeared.

“This power… is absolutely supernatural.”

John’s whole body trembled as he murmured.

Clyster was also increasingly convinced that the gem was protecting him. He couldn’t help but kneel down, holding the gem in his hands, and said piously: “Unknown great existence, please allow me to forcefully call You the Lord of Gems. May You protect me, may You temper me, may You have mercy on me.”

Meanwhile, the gem slightly flickered with dream-like colors. Ace’s dream thought clone was actually a very bizarre clone.

The defenses of the True Name World were strict—loose on the outside but tight on the inside. Even from within the world, one could feel an omnipresent prying.

To resolve the issues of safety and identity, Ace’s True God projection ultimately chose this method: merging into a shed skin.

As the Wizard World had researched shed skins for a hundred thousand years, Ace understood shed skins very well. He disguised His clone as a native “god” within the shed skin that retained a small amount of power and consciousness.

The so-called native “god” was actually not a Level 5 existence in the broad sense, but an existence possessing relatively strong supernatural power and having faith—that is to say, an existence Level 3 or above could be a native “god.”

According to the observation of Ace’s dream thought clone, just in this shed skin He merged into—now the New Aberdovey Island—there were no fewer than ten native gods, and they had spawned so-called savage tribes to confront the colonizers.

And those shadowy figures were some remnants within the shed skin that had lost normal consciousness and only retained instincts.

These remnants gradually revived under the natural environment.

Ace’s clone could feel the prying, could always feel it. This wasn’t an illusion; it was faint, and if it weren’t for the powerful essence of His life, He might have even ignored it.

Because of this feeling of being pried upon, Ace’s thought clone ultimately chose this method: under the world’s prying, disguising Himself as a native “god,” and integrating into the True Name World in this manner.

This was probably the method with the lowest cost. Anyway, Ace hadn’t discovered any powerful existences coming to enforce the law so far. However, He was very careful, because He had already discovered that this world had a strong rejection towards Him.

This rejection grew larger and larger as time passed. After Ace protected Clyster, this rejection decreased somewhat, but was still very large.

“I am like a virus, already discovered and marked by the world’s immune system. The more I act, the more intense reactions I might trigger. But if I don’t act, what awaits me is inevitably failure.

“I must utilize these two people. Clyster’s destiny matches mine very well, and John’s personality is also very worthy of cultivation. Perhaps…”

As an outsider, and to avoid being heavily marked from the very beginning, Ace’s clone did not have much power. Now, being rejected by the surrounding environment, He could barely even maintain Level 3 power.

He had to seal His power within this gem, because being suppressed by the world made it unable to manifest. Even interfering to help the two was very difficult.

The entire world was too hostile towards Him. According to Ace’s judgment, this feeling inevitably meant some kind of program-like entity was prying and suppressing.

“The devotion of these two towards me has already reached a certain level. I should be able to enter their dreams to communicate this time.”

Ace’s dream clone evaluated. He had once tried over a dozen times to communicate with Clyster in his dreams. Regrettably, the other party fundamentally couldn’t maintain rationality in the dream, and after waking up, forgot everything. But this time, it was very different.

Clyster and John didn’t dare to stay here long. They rushed out of the city gates before curfew and slept for a night at a post station inn. Seemingly because of the gem’s protection, the two slept very soundly.

(Chapter finished)

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