Chapter 8

——Yes, there are three updates today

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Flipping open the magic notebook, row after row of unfamiliar, strange letters and characters appeared, none of which belonged to the two types of writing that Lucien knew before he was transported. The body he now inhabited, originally a pauper, had not learned any writing, which was quite normal. Being able to instinctively understand and speak the language of this world, without hindering communication, was already the most shining luck among the countless difficulties Lucien had encountered so far.

Therefore, Lucien, at present, tragically became a true illiterate, only able to stare at the magic notebook, unable to understand a single word.

Lucien gave a self-deprecating smile, "The feeling of being illiterate is really not good."

Although the day he was transported, he experienced many things, making Lucien more mature and calm compared to before, and even before looking at the notebook, he was worried about the threat from the Church and hesitated about whether to learn magic. Now, however, the immense disappointment still impacted Lucien's heart. As a university student with ideals, morals, culture, and discipline, the feeling of being illiterate was not good, especially when it came to extraordinary and non-human powers.

Without much hesitation, after a brief moment of calm, Lucien firmly decided in his heart, "The most important thing right now is to learn the writing of this world!"

Even if he did not choose to learn magic in the future, to escape the life and status of a poor person, learning to read and write and acquiring knowledge was still a viable path, especially since Lucien himself did not have great strength, a robust physique, or sword skills, making it very difficult to escape his current identity through military achievements, adventures, or being a hired hand.

With this idea and decision, Lucien quickly dispelled his disappointment, and a bit of fighting spirit welled up in his heart. He continued to flip through the magic notebook, looking for other secrets, such as treasure maps.

As he read, Lucien frowned slightly because he saw many familiar things in the magic notebook, such as various standard geometric shapes and strange patterns composed of lines.

"Magic arrays, or magic marks?" Lucien guessed based on the "Holy Emblem of Truth," then quickly flipped to the back of the magic notebook, where he saw rows of formulas similar to chemical equations, except that these formulas did not contain symbols but were written in words: "Magic formulas? Potion recipes?"

These two similarities made Lucien have some guesses, but with his inability to read the text, he could only have doubts for now.

After flipping through the magic notebook, Lucien opened another one. The writing in this one was even more twisted, with letters resembling patterns.

"Is it not the same type of writing?" Therefore, Lucien curiously opened the third one, which had pictures of plants, minerals, and monsters, seemingly a "guide" type of book, but the text on it was consistent with the second magic notebook.

"The language I know is likely the one in the first magic notebook," Lucien deduced based on the difficulty of the writing.

After flipping through the three magic notebooks and books several times without gaining more insights, Lucien lay down on the bed, forcing himself to fall asleep.

For Lucien, the desire to change his situation was so strong that from tomorrow, he would have to work hard every day. If he was mentally exhausted due to poor sleep, he wouldn't be able to better face the next day and seize opportunities.

Although Benjamin's healing divine spell had completely healed Lucien's wounds, the physical and mental fatigue from the intense battle still made him fall asleep quickly.

In the sewers, the witch's secret room had been completely destroyed.

At this moment, a black rat ran over from somewhere, with blood-red, cold, and eerie eyes.

It circled around the ruins, squeaked twice, and then ran to another direction in the sewers. After a long time, it found a hidden small hole, crawled in, and disappeared.

……

In the early morning, the Adelang district gradually filled with noisy voices, the sound of water being drawn, breaking the cold of the night, making Lucien feel the vitality and energy of life.

Lucien, who usually liked to toss and turn in bed for a long time before getting up, forced himself out of bed as soon as he woke up, lit the stove, boiled water, and toasted the last piece of black bread.

While painfully eating the bread that tasted like wood chips, Lucien planned his schedule for the day.

If he didn't have to think about things to distract himself, Lucien would absolutely not be able to swallow this black bread unless he was extremely hungry.

"First, I need to find out where I can learn to read and write, and the corresponding conditions. I also need to find a new job, or I'll starve to death at home before I learn to read and write." Lucien, who knew little about this world, could only make a simple plan, "It's best not to let familiar people know, to avoid revealing my situation."

After cleaning his face with clear water from the water jug, Lucien took out the seven coins from the wooden crate and put them on him. Although not many, they provided some sense of security.

Locking the door, Lucien walked directly to the house where Aunt Elisa and her family lived. He had no impression of the terrain of this Holy Chant City, so he had to ask someone.

"Hi, Lucien." A black-haired girl greeted Lucien, with a strong curiosity.

Lucien currently did not know her, so he could only force a standard smile and nod, "Hi, I have something to do at Aunt Elisa's house," and hurriedly passed by her.

"Hi, Lucien, what are ghosts like?"

"Lucien, what does it feel like to cast divine spells?"

"I saw a guard lose his right hand last night. Was it very dangerous?"

The distance to Aunt Elisa's house was only a few dozen steps, but Lucien encountered several neighbors asking questions. In one night, Lucien seemed to have become a well-known figure in the Adelang district.

Lucien did not know any of them and could only make excuses as he walked to Aunt Elisa's house.

Before reaching the door, Lucien heard a familiar voice, "Little Evans, you got up really early today."

Lucien secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "Uncle Joel, good morning."

Joel was dressed more neatly today, holding a classical-style lute: "Little Evans, have you had breakfast? Your body is still recovering, there's no need to rush to find a job. Aunt Elisa has been calling you to come over for a meal."

Lucien had prepared this excuse to ask Joel about the terrain. Seeing him bring it up, he felt even more at ease, "Thank you, Uncle Joel. I've already eaten, and with the healing divine spell from Benjamin, I'm completely fine and don't need to rest anymore."

Joel nodded and called Lucien to walk with him, "With the divine spell from the priest, I'm relieved. Wait, go to the Copper Crown Inn and find the boss Coen. He still owes me a bottle of Riesling wine and will help you find a good job."

Lucien thanked him and was about to leave when Joel thought for a moment, put away his usual playful face, and said seriously, "Little Evans, you're already seventeen, not a young boy anymore. You should think about your future."

"Uncle Joel, what do you mean?" Lucien asked, understanding the implication.

Joel sighed, "Relying on physical strength, after forty, your body will age quickly, and it will be hard to find a job. If you don't have savings or good children, you'll be taken away by poverty and illness within a few years. I've seen many such people, few of whom live past forty-five. You should take advantage of your youth to learn a trade. Although the apprenticeship contract is ten years, if you learn well, you can definitely live a good life in a small place."

As they spoke, the two walked through a guarded city gate, and Lucien's eyes lit up. The wide road, clean streets, bustling shops, and people in colorful and varied clothing, even the occasional noble in luxurious clothes with jewelry, made the air seem to ripple with beautiful music, as if it were a different world from the Adelang district.

"Thank you, Uncle Joel." Lucien could feel Joel's sincere concern.

Joel paused, then showed his usual playful smile, "And if your master only has one daughter, you might go directly from an apprentice to the boss. Our Little Evans is quite good-looking."

Lucien could only awkwardly smile at Joel's teasing.

As they spoke, Joel suddenly stopped, walked to a corner of the street, placed a hat on the ground, and sat down to prepare to play the lute.

Is Uncle Joel a street performer? Lucien was not unfamiliar with this way of life.

Joel pointed to a luxurious and splendid building in the distance, similar to the Baroque style of Lucien's previous life, and said with a smile, "From here, you can directly see the Holy Chant Hall. For me, playing here feels like playing in the Holy Chant Hall."

Before Lucien could respond, Joel seemed to be moved by his thoughts and pointed to the Holy Chant Hall, talking incessantly, "Since four hundred years ago, when the Church guided the Holy Herz Empire to advance westward, occupying the last core of the ancient Silvanus Magic Empire, Altor, and driving the dark creatures and monsters to the Dark Mountains and deeper areas, Altor has been one of the most famous cities on the continent."

"Three hundred years ago, when Pope Charles I, then a cardinal, organized the hymns and song collections of the Church in Altor, setting the standards for hymns and singing, and after he became the Pope, officially promoted the Charles Chant and choir to every church, Altor earned the title of the City of Holy Chants."

"Due to its proximity to the Dark Mountains, there are often elves, dwarves, and goblins who change their faith and become part of the principality. The convergence of different music has made Altor the music capital of the continent. The emergence of polyphonic music, the formal formation of symphonies, and the invention of instruments like the Gisu violin all happened here. Great musicians have left their names in history."

"For every bard, every musician, every composer, performing their music in the Holy Chant Hall of Altor is the greatest honor."

"Although I, Uncle Joel, cannot enter the Holy Chant Hall, I am very happy to perform nearby."

……

After saying goodbye to Joel, Lucien asked for directions and experienced the atmosphere of Altor. On the streets and in corners, many bards played and sang, and from shops and houses, songs and music often drifted out, as if the entire city was enveloped in music.

Just returning to the Adelang district from another inner city gate, Lucien immediately saw the inn with the copper crown sign.

Outside the inn, young girls and women occasionally came over, secretly peeking inside and then leaving disappointed.