After following Joseph into the basement, Annan finally saw the books that Joseph had kept well.
The books received different treatment from that sledgehammer.
These books were placed carefully in metal boxes, and each box contains only one book.
There were a total of sixteen boxes of different sizes and colors. What they had in common was that each box was inlaid with a small blue gem on the top.
“This gem is used for dust removal. I have made a simple modification to it. It can continuously keep the box dry and clean while eliminating insects and ants.”
Joseph noticed Annan’s gaze, so he explained carefully, “After divorcing Clara that year, I didn’t take many items away with me. I just took away these sixteen books.”
As he said, he caressed the boxes lightly.
His expression seemed a bit complicated.
Until now, Annan finally saw a trace of loneliness that belonged to the old man on Joseph’s face.
So, Annan didn’t disturb Joseph reminiscing on his past.
Annan held the hammer as tall as him with both hands horizontally as he stood silently and obediently at the side.
After a while, Joseph recovered from his deep thoughts.
“Sorry, feudal lord. I have embarrassed myself in front of you.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Annan smiled gently, “This is probably life.”
Annan turned out to be a little… envious.
But even Annan himself didn’t know what he was envious of.
Joseph just smiled and said nothing.
He opened the boxes one by one. He confirmed the contents in it before closing it and moving on to the next box.
Finally, he selected six boxes and found a bag to put them together.
“They are all the only ones in this world, very precious. I can’t let them be destroyed or lost in my hands, so I have been taking care of them all these years.”
Joseph explained carefully, “Feudal lord, after you finish reading those six books, you may come back to me and request for other books. The rest of the books are probably of no use to you until you advance to silver.
“As we often say, ‘what’s hidden is poisonous.’ The reason I didn’t leave them to Clara… It’s also because Clara doesn’t have the talent to be a wizard. If she looked directly at the knowledge, her soul couldn’t bear it.
“For example, what I told you before, about that person’s story. They are recorded in those six books. The person’s real name is even recorded in them. But this knowledge can only be obtained by reading this book.
“After all, whether it is a true deity or false deity, as long as the soul is promoted to deity, their names can’t be spoken,” Joseph whispered.
Annan nodded.
He also learned about this previously.
Just the name of a deity, it also had a mysterious power. If a mortal spoke it out, he would die immediately; for Transcended, their real name itself was a powerful and uncontrollable spell.
In addition to the deities’ names, there were also some advanced rituals, secrets, etc., which couldn’t be expressed in human language.
Those who got to hear it once would never forget this knowledge. But once the knowledge was used—which meant being “read out” once, they would realize they couldn’t say it a second time until they refilled the knowledge once more.
Annan opened his eyes slightly, “You mean…”
“Yes, there is genuine mysterious knowledge in it.”
Joseph nodded.
He opened six boxes one by one and showed them to Annan:
“A Comprehensive Study on the New Deity the Venerated Skeleton,” “A Comprehensive Study on the New Deity the Rotten Man,” “Black Widow’s Spider Ritual (January to March),” “Old Grandmother’s Frost Ceremony,” “Entry Level Edict Spells,” “How to Detect and Resist the Curse of Unknown Origin.”
“In these four books, there is a certain degree of mysterious knowledge hidden, so it can’t be copied. For the latter two books are the first editions of the spellbook and the reference book, which offer great value. Therefore, feudal lord, you should keep the two books in your collection after you finish reading them.”
Joseph introduced the books to Annan.
Annan nodded repeatedly. What a generous gift.
Of course, since Joseph took the initiative to give them out, Annan won’t shy away hypocritically.
Annan had always been disdainful of being vain.
Annan raised the sledgehammer, spoke in a childish and well-behaved voice, and asked respectfully, kindly, and humbly,
“Do you have anything else, Teacher Buckel?”
“Yes! Wait a minute-“
Joseph Buckel also nodded readily.
He opened the drawer under the books.
It was a wooden tube.
After opening it, there was a pair of pure white slender gloves seemingly made of rubber.
Annan got it in his hands, and its attributes emerged in his eyes:
[Elves’ Hand]
[Type: Armor (Purple)]
[Description: Gloves made of elf skin imbued with curse and resentment.]
[Effect: You can guide two Guided Spells at the same time when your hands are clasped together.]
[Cost: You can’t equip it for more than an hour. Otherwise, the gloves will grow on your hands.]
[Description: It seems that there are some other effects, but you can’t see it for the time being (Your Advanced Mysticism has failed the assessment).]
“This is the gift that my instructor gave me when I graduated from the Diamond Tower after advancing into silver.”
Joseph Buckel said nostalgically, “But to me, this item is no longer useful. It isn’t more valuable than a bag of flour to me.”
With that, Joseph looked at Annan.
“My Transcended journey is over, feudal lord. Silver rank… Many people in this world struggle their entire life but still can’t reach the rank of silver or even bronze. But on the transcendence journey, this attainment is only half the journey.”
There was no mockery in Joseph’s eyes, no expectations, no regrets.
Only calm and relief.
Joseph whispered, “The Transcended journey is the path of endurance, the path of curse, the path of oath. The Transcended path is the road to the truth…
“—The path of transcendence is the path of becoming a deity.
“I gave up. But your path has just begun.”
“I understand.”
Annan nodded slowly with a stern expression, “I will remember today’s conversation, Teacher Joseph.”
After that, the atmosphere fell into a wonderful silence.
The two stood in place. Annan could see that Joseph still had something to say, but he didn’t in the end.
Annan quickly understood what Joseph intended.
So Annan thanked Mr. Joseph again. Then, he notified Joseph in advance that some people might come to him with questions later on. Annan carried a heavy package, a wooden tube around his waist, and a sledgehammer wrapped in cotton in his hands when he left the bakery.
Annan’s expression was a bit complicated.
Although he told the players that he would “go out and get something” as an excuse…
He didn’t expect to get so many things in the end.
Joseph was seemingly pushing these items to Annan.
This reminded Annan of the time when he was on Earth. When the seniors in online games wanted to be away from the keyboard (AFK), they also enthusiastically gave him pieces of precious and memory-laden “legacy.”
Annan had never been willing to consume these items.
His popularity was great, being friendly with many seniors.
In the end, Annan’s warehouse would always store a lot of legacy from the predecessors when they retired from the game. He kept these as a collection.
“I didn’t expect to encounter such a situation in this world.”
Annan sighed somewhat complicatedly.
He walked on the deserted streets with many items, like a homeless man who had left his hometown and a child who had run away from home.
Suddenly, Annan felt a strange chill engulfing him.
As he passed an alley, the tension he had before resurfaced suddenly.
Annan was startled, his whole body stiffened, and his back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
At this time, Annan finally saw it.
He saw what on earth he was being stared at.
A tall figure stood in the alley.
He appeared to be approximately three meters tall.
He wore a duke’s robe, a sacred white crown on his head, a golden mask like a crying human face, heavy white metal boots, and heavy white thick leather gloves on his hands. The being was entirely shrouded in clothing.
But after Annan looked closely, he realized that being was “too thin.”
It was like there were only bones under the clothes.