Cultivation Method

After Canossa left, Rein was once again alone in the room.

He looked at the few items left on the bed, a hint of anticipation appearing on his face.

He had already recorded the "Monkell Ancient Script" on the animal skins left on the bed using the "Smart Brain"; whether he could obtain them was irrelevant. As for their content, the complex magic matrices indicated they were some kind of Tier 1 Spell.

For him, an advanced physical-系的 Surgeon, they didn't hold much significance.

However, he was very interested in the other item, an intelligence scroll, and the gene source cultivation method.

After removing the sealing wax from the scroll, Rein carefully read the intelligence information that had been auctioned by the "Thornbird Merchant Guild."

"So, more than half a year ago, when the 'City of Radiance' was pioneering an unknown misty area, they discovered a place named 'Ashen Forest'."

As Rein read, his brow furrowed.

Just as the auctioneer had said, a very rich coal deposit had indeed been discovered there. Furthermore, many remnants of ancient script ruins were found in the forest, such as temples, altars, and city walls.

The intelligence speculated that it might be the ruins of a large city left by the "Monkell Civilization" tens of thousands of years ago.

However, there was also a very troublesome problem.

That was the presence of "Barbarians," venomous insects, and a large number of high-level magical beasts in that forest.

"Barbarians?"

Looking at the description in the intelligence, Rein deduced they might be a primitive human tribal group.

They lived in treehouses among the giant trees of the deep forest, possessing their own unique language and script, and their civilization had developed to a considerable extent.

But it was a human community completely devoid of steam machinery, with almost zero industrial development. The weapons they used were mostly some kind of special enchanted stone tools.

Moreover, the combat power of those "Barbarians" should not be underestimated. The strong men were covered in strange totems, burly and tall, and they also had accompanying magical beasts; there were also priests holding staffs who could cast strange spells.

"Resource plunder war..."

Rein murmured, not unfamiliar with such situations.

It felt somewhat similar to how people in his previous life discovered the American continent and the subsequent resource plunder and conquest.

In the eyes of the Western humans at that time, the indigenous people of the American continent were uncivilized "barbarians."

He instantly guessed the purpose of the "Thornbird Merchant Guild."

This was likely the most astonishing coal deposit discovered in human history in the last few centuries.

To develop that rich coal mine, it would be necessary to eliminate the "unfriendly" barbarians mentioned in the intelligence. With a large number of barbarians, this was not a problem that a single merchant guild could solve, so they had to attract a large number of Scavengers to slowly chip away at them.

After all, those mineral resources would eventually need to circulate through merchant guilds like theirs.

At most, the profit margin would be slightly thinner, but by cooperating for mutual benefit, they could make the cake bigger.

This kind of resource plunder war was destined to mean killing and bloodshed.

But in this cruel world, there was nothing more to be said.

However, after reading the intelligence, Rein had no intention of getting involved.

"There are powerful barbarian priests who are comparable to fifth-tier Extraordinarys? Tsk, tsk, I can't afford to offend them, I can't afford to offend them..."

Muttering to himself, he put down the intelligence scroll.

He suddenly thought of Baron Morin's notebook, mentioning a crashed airship from an unknown origin.

On this continent covered by mist, no one knew how many human civilizations existed.

Perhaps in the eyes of those people on the airship, the two major empires of the Ice Ridge Wasteland were also "barbarian kingdoms" in their eyes.

Rein no longer paid attention to the content of the intelligence.

Instead, he picked up the source power cultivation method of the [Holy Shield Knight Breathing Method], his eyes shining brightly.

After humans broke through the first Gene Lock, they gained power far exceeding that of ordinary people. The most fundamental reason was that the Gene Potion opened the body's "breathing throat."

After advancing to Extraordinary, the body could "breathe" the elemental energy in the world to increase its own gene source power.

With the accumulation of time, the bodies of Extraordinarys would become stronger and stronger.

Elemental energy was everywhere, like rain falling from the sky. How much you could drink depended entirely on how big your mouth was.

And a source power cultivation technique was like a funnel, allowing you to absorb with twice the efficiency.

Different cultivation techniques would construct different shaped funnels, leading to different characteristics of source power within the Extraordinary.

This [Holy Shield Knight Breathing Method] focused on physical enhancement, forming a continuous sea of qi, which was very suitable for power-type Extraordinarys to cultivate.

Rein read it carefully, and the "Smart Brain" also scanned and stored it.

With this breathing method, his source power cultivation would likely be more than twice as fast as before.

But cultivating gene source power was a process of accumulation. The "Smart Brain's" dream cultivation couldn't help with this. Breathing, meditation... slowly cultivate.

For the next few days, Rein did not leave his room.

Besides meditation and cultivation, he also dissected corpses daily. The twentyfold time distortion in his dreams allowed him to practice his dissection skills continuously, enabling him to master almost all the basic techniques required for an entry-level Surgeon.

Finally, ten days later, the train arrived at its final destination, "Andohar Province."

Rein got off the train with the beautiful lady.

To his surprise, this wealthy woman, who was suspected to be a Countess, didn't have many attendants.

There was a stern old butler in a tuxedo, a freckled maid, a plump cook, and a middle-aged shield knight who looked like a bodyguard.

Then, the six of them took a cross-country train and arrived at "Twilight City" three days later.

They then traveled with a caravan that dealt in firearms and reached the Shining Gold Outpost before the Alkolon Mountain Range five days later.

It was basically like taking a train, then a car, then a bullock cart.

Rein also enjoyed the true luxuries of a high-class noble's journey with this wealthy lady.

Even if the conditions were harsh, it was still the most luxurious experience within those hardships. Food, lodging, and transportation—whatever money could buy was the best.

Storage rings, which would be considered priceless by ordinary people, were almost a standard item for everyone in their group. Even the cook, Aunt Susan, wore one. And in a rather wasteful manner, she used it to store raw meat and seasonings.

The stern old butler, Benjamin, seemed to be an "all-knowing" person, capable of arranging everything in advance.

The freckled maid, Sandora, often made mistakes and got scolded, always looking wronged.

Rein also noticed that the members of the group seemed to hold a near-servile reverence for Madam Vanessa. Besides normal work-related interactions, they never dared to engage in casual conversation with her, nor even look her directly in the eye.

Yet, this charming Countess was quite amiable and approachable.

At least, that's what Rein thought.

He estimated that perhaps the concept of class in this world was deeply ingrained in people's consciousness, a class disparity that felt insurmountable.

This led to the beautiful lady often seeking him, a young doctor she'd only known for a few days, when she was bored. During meals, he was also the only one who dared to sit at the same table as the Countess.

Chatting and flirting made the journey less monotonous.

Rein had also wondered if he had fallen into a trap set by someone.

Could this captivating beauty, who was like a siren, not know the great Ymir, but was actually an enemy? Was she approaching him, a mere doctor, with such elaborate efforts just to extract information about the great Ymir?

But the truth was, he himself didn't even know the identity of the great Ymir. No matter how eloquent or persistent she was, she couldn't get anything out of him.

Moreover, the Countess had never shown any intention of prying for information. Their daily conversations were always lighthearted topics, never touching upon Ymir.

Because of this, Rein had completely dismissed his concerns.

However, as they spent more time together, Rein also realized that this woman, whose very essence exuded charm, seemed to be not as uninhibited as she appeared.

Even with a mask on, her allure was undeniable. Along the way, they often encountered noble gentlemen who tried to strike up conversations.

But these were merely polite exchanges.

Rein never saw her show excessive warmth towards anyone. In fact, he always felt that in the eyes of this proud Countess, no man had ever truly caught her attention.

So, her flirtatious demeanor was only directed at him?

Rein, who had never taken off his mask, didn't believe he had the qualifications to be noticed by her. Even if she were looking for a male companion, the young nobles who had tried to flirt with her before were no less handsome than him.

This was also something that puzzled him greatly.

Therefore, Rein tried to avoid being alone with the Countess, who could distract him from his focused cultivation.

Instead, he preferred to ask Uncle Sam, the shield knight, for advice on warrior martial arts.