The Secret Collection of Patchouli's █■ Books

Patchouli was acutely aware of her own shortcomings, and throughout her long life, she sought ways to address them.

As a mage, chanting spells quickly and quietly is something all mages need to learn, and Patchouli's asthma and frail health are a devastating crisis.

A mage sometimes represents a profession, and sometimes a race. Patchouli, who is over 100 years old, still looks as young as a girl, which proves that she is no longer human.

Even at the cost of being inhuman, the other party still couldn't cure their asthma.

Having read so many books—so many that they astonished Chen Luo for an entire year—and still unable to find a cure for her asthma, it proved that her asthma was no longer the same as ordinary asthma.

"Originally, it was simply asthma, but now it's more like a curse. [Shouldn't all mages be sickly?] That's probably it," Patchouli said calmly.

Patchouli has now given up any hope of being cured of her asthma.

Despite being a mage who can gain endless lifespan through magic, Patchouli may die young due to poor health and asthma, but she seems to have given up on treatment.

This also made everyone in the Gensokyo Scarlet Devil Mansion who cared about Patchouli, especially Patchouli's best friend, Remilia, quite worried.

"But what if I'm also a magician?" Chen Luo pointed to himself.

"... I can tell." To Chen Luo's surprise, Patchouli actually nodded.

"Wow, you actually noticed that?" Chen Luo exclaimed in surprise.

Where do I look like a magician?

"The thirst for knowledge in your eyes is undeniable. At the same time, those of us who pursue Forbidden Knowledge are often cursed by it, and my intuition can sense some signs of that."

"And although you look like an ordinary human, I can sense a lot of danger emanating from you. You... are you a human mage?" Patchouli asked after a moment's hesitation.

"You haven't practiced the [Insect Shedding Magic] yet, is that right?"

"What do you mean?" Chen Luo asked.

"So, you're still just a human right now, right?" Patchouli asked, rephrasing the question.

"...Yes, that's right." Chen Luo glanced at his [Herrscher's Body], [Inner Demon's Body], [Hyper-Evolution Factor: Infinite], and then nodded firmly.

Although I, Chen Luo, possess many strange and unusual characteristics, I Chen Luo still just an ordinary human being.

"There are different kinds of magicians. There are two ways to become a magician: one is born with magic power and the other learns and trains to become a magician."

"Whether it is innate or acquired, one is still a human mage. Only by continuing to cultivate can one become a pure mage."

"When a human mage cultivates to a certain level, they can learn 'Insect Shedding Magic' and formally evolve into a pure mage. And I have this method here. If you want to learn it, you can exchange your knowledge with me." Patchouli stated her purpose directly.

Patchouli would never underestimate any magician, because they would always have some hidden treasures, and these were the things Patchouli wanted to collect.

Every school of magic that has survived must have its own reason for existence.

"The magical power within you is already quite considerable. Soon, you will be able to use a special ritual to become a pure mage, Insect Shedding Magic is one of them."

"Well... I'm sorry, I don't have any plans to become a pure mage yet." Chen Luo shook his head.

"Do as you please."

Patchouli didn't care about Chen Luo's rejection and didn't show any disappointment or anger. She had only proposed a deal, and whether the other party was willing to do so was their business.

Everyone has their own inner convictions; some people simply want to live their lives as human beings.

This kind of persistence may seem strange to outsiders, but it is also quite normal.

For example, there is a magician in Gensokyo whose name is Marisa Kirisame.

Although Patchouli doesn't know Marisa Kirisame yet, there are indeed magicians of this type in the outside world.

"Of course, if you're not interested in Insect Shedding Magic, you can exchange other knowledge, provided it's of sufficient value. By the way, what do you major in?" Patchouli asked.

"Uh, to be specific, I should actually be called a puppeteer."

"A puppeteer?" Patchouli frowned upon hearing Chen Luo's words.

Patchouli didn't have any objection to Chen Luo's profession; Patchouli only objection was to the exchangeable magical knowledge, since she happened to have collected quite a bit of information about Patchouli.

It's like collecting decks; the most annoying thing is collecting a deck you've already owned.

"Which faction of puppeteers specifically?" Patchouli asked after stretching.

Sitting for long periods of time can indeed easily lead to muscle strain.

"I don't really belong to any particular faction; I know a little about everything. But it's precisely because of the uniqueness and mystery of this puppeteer faction that I really do have a way to solve your asthma," Chen Luo said sincerely.

"Oh? Even knowing that my asthma is not an ordinary illness, you still have this confidence?" Chen Luo's words made Patchouli take it a little more seriously.

After all, Chen Luo didn't seem like the kind of person who would make grand pronouncements that he couldn't possibly accomplish.

"Due to special circumstances, I am more skilled at creating puppets from other living and non-living things. Of course, I am also quite skilled at carving puppets myself. As a puppeteer, the most important thing is to collect materials."

"So... I also have another special professional talent, which is to strip certain characteristics or concepts from the other person, including but not limited to knowledge, skills, and even talents. And diseases are naturally among those that can be stripped away," Chen Luo said.

In fact, the Stripping Ability peel away not only the good things about a person, but also the bad things.

In a sense, Chen Luo can be considered a born doctor. Even without studying medicine with Mobius, his Stripping Ability alone is enough to bring the dead back to life.

[Ding! You have a new request!]

[Treatment of Asthma]: Cure Patchouli's asthma problem.

Rewards: 500 Primogem + random reward + Patchouli's Affection Level 20 + Gensokyo Scarlet Devil Mansion's Affection Level 10 (excluding Patchouli) for all factions

Difficulty: 3 stars

"I'm not entirely convinced of your true abilities, so I need to test you," Patchouli said after a moment of silence.

"Sure, how do I get tested?"

"Since it's about removing a special curse, then naturally we'll be using living human bodies for experiments."

"Sigh, who should we use?" Chen Luo was taken aback.

Because during the time that Izayoi Sakuya was preparing black tea, it seemed that only she and Patchouli were in the library.

"Koakuma, come here quickly!" Patchouli called out into the library.

Nonsense, who else could it be?

Chapter 497 Patchouli's Treasured Collection ■■Doujinshi

"I'm telling you, this time it'll cost more." Chen Luo wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to Patchouli was watching from the side.

"This time I'm really exhausted." Chen Luo sighed.

After sighing, Chen Luo looked at the Koakuma lying on the table with his eyes closed.

Because the library's facilities were rather rudimentary, Patchouli's Magecraft Workshop was a little messy, so it was even better to do the dissection directly on the table.

Perhaps Patchouli was deeply aware of her own flaws, or perhaps for other reasons, Patchouli didn't just place one curse on Koakuma, but a whole host of mixed curses.

A whole bunch of them, and they're even mixed curses.

Chen Luo looked at the Crystal Ball in his hand, feeling utterly exhausted.

Patchouli's Stripping Ability away most things is effective, but the problem is that while her mixed curse doesn't have a significant impact on people, it's still troublesome.

From Chen Luo's perspective when his Stripping Ability was activated, the Koakuma's entire body seemed to be wrapped in a curse, just like a doll tangled in threads, which was quite a sight.

However, Chen Luo endured it for the sake of his reward.

"And it will cost even more!" Chen Luo couldn't help but turn around and complain again.

Please help Huizi, she's almost driven crazy by exhaustion.

"Okay." Patchouli nodded in response to Chen Luo's tearful accusation.

Patchouli wouldn't mind paying Patchouli hefty price to cure her asthma.

"Let me check on the other side." Patchouli patted Chen Luo on the shoulder. Chen Luo wisely moved aside, allowing Patchouli to stand next to the Koakuma.

Although Patchouli is Seven Luminaries Magus, she has the broadest range of knowledge and knows everything, so she naturally knows curses, and she knows the most troublesome mixed curses.

"The curse has actually been cleared?" Patchouli was surprised to discover this while touching the Koakuma's forehead to check the state of the curse within him.

Patchouli had been standing next to Chen Luo the whole time, so she could see all of Chen Luo actions. Therefore, she knew for certain that Chen Luo hadn't used any abilities other than the other party's amazing Stripping Ability.

"This might actually cure my asthma, but the problem is that my asthma is not just like a curse; it actually has an effect on the organs of the body."

In other words, the manifestation of asthma in Patchouli was not only a curse, but also a tangible reality.

"This isn't a big problem. I already said I'm a puppeteer, and a human puppeteer at that, so curing an ordinary person's asthma shouldn't be a problem," Chen Luo assured, patting his chest.

If it were just ordinary asthma, not to mention Chen Luo himself, even Patchouli could find several ways to cure it. Although asthma is indeed incurable in ordinary society, it is different in the world of magicians.

"I can even help you change anything if you're unhappy with any part of your body," Chen Luo asked considerately.

"No need, I'm satisfied with the current situation," Patchouli said, shaking her head.

"Hey, wake up." After responding to Chen Luo, Patchouli pinched the Koakuma's cheek.

It's unclear what magic or method Patchouli used, but the Koakuma, who had been sleeping, suddenly awoke. As if startled, he sat up straight and began to gasp for breath.

"Master, please don't use me for these experiments next time. It's really unpleasant to be plagued by so many curses, okay?" the Koakuma said to Patchouli with some lingering fear.

"The curse I cast on you was just a mixed curse, but it's not very powerful on its own. It won't really bother you. You should work on your courage instead of just playing pranks," Patchouli said with a sigh.

Demons are supposed to be on the same level as powerful beings like mages and vampires, but just as there are different mages, and Remilia can beat other vampires to a pulp, there are also weak individuals among demons, and the Koakuma just happens to be one of them.

The Koakuma is really weak.

I'm not pretending to be weak.

Watching the interaction between the Koakuma and Patchouli, Chen Luo stroked his chin and looked at the two of them. Chen Luo thought of Yun Lian'er and Sister Meng.

One of them is S-rank Talent User with the Seven Luminaries Magus talent, and the other is a succubus.

This combination has a serious tendency to plagiarize, or is it that all serious mages have a familiar to help them fight or do housework?

Although it's still early in the Present Tense, and it's unclear whether Patchouli and Koakuma have a friendly relationship, Yun Lian'er and Sister Meng seem to have a pretty good one.

Although Yun Lian'er's talent is very similar to Patchouli's, it's not certain who is stronger or weaker when it comes to comparing the two.

Who says counterfeits can't beat the original?

Moreover, it is not entirely a counterfeit, but rather a product that combines the unique related abilities of this world with this concept.

After the Koakuma awoke, Patchouli began to examine his body. Although the mixed Koakuma had indeed been completely removed, Patchouli was quite worried that Chen Luo might have removed something else along the way.

Moreover, whether this ability will cause harm to the other person's body is also unknown.

Patchouli can be considered an egoist in a sense, so she is quite thorough in considering such matters.

Meanwhile, Chen Luo, holding the Crystal Ball containing the Koakuma and all the mixed curses within its body, began to analyze it.

However, nothing was analyzed.

Because Chen Luo understands neither curses nor mixing.

"Alright, I'm very satisfied with your abilities. We can trade now." After a thorough magical test to confirm that the Koakuma hadn't gained or lost anything, Patchouli turned to Chen Luo and said.

"The word 'transaction' is well said. So, my reward is curing your asthma, and what will you give in return?" Chen Luo asked, sitting in his chair.

"Since you came here specifically to find me, then don't talk about what I can offer. Just tell me what you want," Patchouli asked calmly as she accepted the red tea offered by Izayoi Sakuya, sitting opposite Chen Luo.

Although Patchouli experienced a little excitement at the beginning, after all, asthma was something that had been bothering her for a long time, Patchouli was still the Sage of the Seven Stars, whose intelligence and composure were second to none.

"I want your library..."

"You have a good eye, knowing that knowledge is the true power of a magician, but your appetite is too big. I can only give you 1/10 of the collection at most," Patchouli said after taking a sip of her black tea.

Transactions are like confessions of love; whoever takes the initiative loses.

"..." Chen Luo fell silent for a moment after hearing Patchouli's words.

Is this person really that generous?

To be honest, Chen Luo originally just wanted the right to borrow books from the library at will.

Patchouli's words did indeed slightly tempt Chen Luo.

Such a huge library, with so many magic books, and he could have a tenth of it—what an enormous fortune that must be!

Besides, one of the reasons I came here was to borrow a magic book, wasn't it?

Another purpose? The other purpose, of course, is to gradually Patchouli.

Chen Luo was indeed pondering the difference between reality and the prototype, perhaps he could study something from it, such as the essence of the world.