Chapter 35

Joseph nodded, seemingly unsurprised. "Since you have already received initial training from a Druid, it makes sense that you would want to continue your training. Normally, transferring between different Druid communities is quite troublesome, but since you come from another world, it saves us a lot of trouble."

Zhao Mai put on his most sincere smile.

"Different Druid communities have different ecological environments, and thus different thoughts and philosophies. Could you tell me about the philosophy of your original community?"

Who could know that? Zhao Mai had fabricated his background, and now he had to face a "review." He licked his lips, his mind working quickly.

What theme should he choose? "Let industry roll out, long live nature"? This seemed a bit too radical and might not be mainstream. Moreover, Joseph was in Nep Town, and the relationship between the Druid community and the town was good, so this kind of slogan was unlikely.

"Discovering one's own balance, studying the essence of nature"? This was a universal principle, but it was a bit too mystical and not very suitable for a secular Druid community, more like the style of a hermit. Zhao Mai didn't want others to see him as a pure researcher and thinker; his main goal was to learn healing spells.

Suddenly, a good idea flashed in his mind. Druids were a profession, but more importantly, they were a culture with their own worldview and methodology. They were close to nature and the wilderness, studying the balance of the world. But if it came to the true essence of balance, the Druids were not the top.

"The philosophy in our place is 'Dao follows nature, the highest good is like water.'"

If it weren't for telepathy, these eight characters would be impossible to translate into Common. The moment Zhao Mai finished speaking, Joseph was struck as if by lightning. His entire spirit went blank, and his perception of the outside world vanished. Only the eight characters "Dao follows nature, the highest good is like water" remained in his mind.

Countless pieces of information surged like a continuous tide, and the eight characters seemed to contain boundless wisdom. He clearly felt that all this information was the essence of the essence, containing the supreme Dao, but he couldn't grasp it, couldn't turn it into his own understanding.

It was like being in a mountain of gold; even a tiny fraction would make one rich and full. But an invisible wall stood in the way, bringing endless regret and longing.

Joseph couldn't breathe, his face turning red. It wasn't until Zhao Mai noticed something was wrong and gently called out that he finally returned to normal. The Druid panted heavily, without any pretense, and grabbed Zhao Mai's sleeve. "What did those words mean?"

"Uh, it's hard to explain in words; it's a kind of enlightenment. I can only describe it in my own language, and I can't translate it into Common yet. Do you want to hear it?"

"Stop talking nonsense, tell me quickly!"

"Oh..." Zhao Mai chuckled inwardly, then shook his head and made a dreamy expression, reciting a part of the *Tao Te Ching* in reverse order:

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name... The Dao gives birth to one. One gives birth to two. Two gives birth to three. Three gives birth to all things. All things carry yin and embrace yang, and through the interplay of these forces, harmony is achieved. The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without contention, staying in places others avoid, thus it is close to the Dao. It is good to dwell in a low place, to have a deep heart, to be kind in giving, to be truthful in speech, to be good in governance, to be skillful in action, and to be timely in movement. Because it does not contend, it is without blame..."

Joseph didn't hear much before he passed out with a "thud."

Zhao Mai squatted down, checked his breathing, and felt his pulse. "Wow! He fainted so easily! Just a few lines from the *Tao Te Ching*? Really?" Out of respect for the elderly, he moved Joseph to the ginkgo tree, adjusted him into a comfortable lying position, and then sat back at the stone table to wait for him to wake up.

Cheese with wine was a popular combination in this world, but Zhao Mai couldn't adapt to it. So he separated the two, drinking the wine himself and letting the reserve grain eat the cheese. Recently, the reserve grain had been growing quickly, its body frame expanding while its fur became shorter. Despite this, its size seemed about the same, but its content was much richer.

When he stroked it, he often pulled out some old fur. The new fur that grew in was slightly harder but still felt very comfortable. The reserve grain liked to crawl under Zhao Mai's hand, letting him massage its back. If Zhao Mai was busy, it would rub against his feet, not being picky. It was growing rapidly, and once it replaced its teeth, it would be considered an adult dog.

It didn't look like a dog, neither in face nor tail. Dog Meat seemed to be a Golden Retriever, while the reserve grain initially looked like a floppy Akita, but as its limbs grew, it lost its cute and clumsy appearance and more resembled a farm dog. But this wasn't a big deal to Zhao Mai; as long as it stayed by his side, that was all that mattered.

"Reserve grain, do you think I can join the Druids? If I can learn to establish a natural bond, I'll definitely choose you as my animal companion, just like Karl chose Dog Meat."

"Woof!" The reserve grain licked Zhao Mai's hand and then rolled over to expose its belly.

Scratching the soft flesh on its belly, the reserve grain kicked its hind legs in pleasure. It felt very happy and never wanted to be separated from Zhao Mai. Following this master, it had seen landscapes it had never seen before and felt unparalleled care. The only worry was that the master was too weak, and it needed to protect him well, being careful not to accidentally kill him.

As the man and the dog played, this scene caught Joseph's eye. As a Great Druid, his body was quite resilient, and even if he was knocked out, he would wake up quickly. Hearing "Mike's" story earlier, the telepathic signals had given him a great shock, even shaking his natural heart, which was a very rare occurrence. He wanted to learn more from Zhao Mai, but the first thing was to see if this person had the potential to become a Druid.

The only standard for judging potential was whether one could harmonize with natural animals. So after waking up, Joseph didn't speak immediately but secretly observed the interaction between Zhao Mai and his pet dog. Even if Zhao Mai could fake his character and personality, a dog couldn't; its emotions were always naturally expressed. The interaction between the man and the dog showed a deep bond and harmony, indicating that Zhao Mai had the qualifications to become a Druid.

Understanding this, he pretended to have just woken up and stretched lazily.