Do I Not Even Qualify to Be Your Threat?

"Tom, you took the wrong way. You should go this way."

Li Weide's words pulled Tom back from his thoughts.

At some point, he had already stepped in front of Tom again.

"Sorry, I... I was just distracted..." Tom hurriedly explained.

"Tom, you're trying too hard. If you want to seem obedient, you need to make it look more natural..." Li Weide patted Tom's shoulder meaningfully, then turned and left again.

Tom stood frozen in place. Li Weide's words struck his ears like a bolt from the blue!

I was too naïve! I took it all for granted! My change was so abrupt—how could he possibly not guess what I wanted to do?

So... he was warning me! Telling me not to entertain any improper thoughts!

He knows full well that I could turn on him at any time, yet he still doesn't care and lets me do as I please... Does he think I don't even qualify as a threat to him?

Damn it! That arrogant bastard! How dare he? How dare he look down on me like this?!

Tom's face turned pale, his eyes filled with humiliation. Even the veins in his neck bulged.

In fact, Tom understood Li Weide's thinking better than anyone, because before meeting Li Weide, he had thought the same way about everyone else.

He believed everyone else was a bunch of mediocre idiots, utterly incapable of posing any threat to someone as extraordinarily gifted as himself. That was why he had acted so domineeringly.

He just had not expected that today, the one being treated as an ordinary person would be himself...

He had never imagined that one day, he too would become one of those "idiots" others looked down upon!

Having been struck hard by his own boomerang, Tom finally understood, to some extent, how those people he had bullied must have felt...

"Ding! It has been detected that the host has inflicted massive mental damage upon the future Dark Lord. The host has been rewarded with 50 Merit Points."

Ah... Tom, I was starting to like you a little.

Mrs. Cole was a thin woman with a haggard face.

The clouds of war were gradually shrouding all of Europe. With everyone in a state of panic, there were even fewer kindhearted people willing to donate money or supplies to the Orphanage.

Mrs. Cole did not even know whether this Orphanage would still be able to hold on a few months from now...

Managing dozens of orphans and ensuring they could still barely keep fed and clothed in these times had left her exhausted in both body and mind.

"Eric hasn't been feeling well all day. God bless us, don't let it be chickenpox again... We're busy enough as it is. Billy seems much better already. Remember to dab some iodine on him tonight..." Mrs. Cole said as she handed out food, speaking to a girl beside her who was dressed in ragged clothes and wore an old apron.

Mrs. Cole soon noticed the late-arriving Li Weide and Tom. "Weide, are you getting used to living here? Tom, I only hope you won't use your usual tricks to bully Weide! Otherwise, you'll have to stay in the little dark room again!"

Who exactly is bullying whom?!

Tom pursed his lips and said nothing. He merely stared silently at the dinner that had just been handed to him...

A small serving of baked beans, mashed potatoes, a piece of bread, and a bowl of soup made from who knew what.

"I'm getting used to it very well, Mrs. Cole... In fact, compared to the children still wandering outside and going hungry, I already have it very good! If you hadn't taken me in from the streets... I don't know what would have become of me." Li Weide looked at Mrs. Cole with a face full of gratitude. "I'm truly very grateful..."

"You child... It turns out I was right to take you in. You've helped me quite a lot lately. Hurry and eat dinner. Here, take this..." A faint smile appeared on Mrs. Cole's weary face as she slipped an egg into Li Weide's coat pocket...

Beside them, Tom glanced at his bland dinner, then at Li Weide, who now had an extra egg in his pocket and an apple on his plate. He instantly understood just how vast the gap between people could be...

Watching Li Weide sit in the corner and peel his egg unhurriedly, Tom could not help carrying his plate over and sitting across from him.

"What did you do to help that woman? Why does she treat you so differently?"

Li Weide carefully scooped out the yolk and said casually, "Maybe, just as you said, it's because of my pretty face?"

Tom tightened his grip on his spoon, wanting to get angry but not daring to show it.

"Haha, just kidding. I'll give you half the egg." Under Tom's disgusted gaze, Li Weide used his own spoon to place half the yolk onto Tom's plate.

"I merely did a few small things within my ability... Of course, those small things happened to be exactly what she wanted. In fact, you could do them too. It's just that you've always thought too highly of yourself and never been willing to do them."

Tom disgustedly pushed the half yolk aside. "Hmph. Anyway, I can't bring myself to deliberately curry favor with people like that..."

"Oh? Then who was the one groveling before me just now?" Li Weide laughed.

"I..." Color rose to Tom's pale face, a rare sight. "That's because you're stronger than me! I had no choice..."

"Mm... Of course, of course, Tom. I'm not saying you're wrong. In fact, in order to achieve one's goals, occasionally saying a few pleasant words and doing a few small favors within one's ability is no big deal."

Li Weide looked at the embarrassed Tom, then suddenly smiled again. "Just like how I curry favor with Mrs. Cole in order to get a nice private room for my practice and research, while you curry favor with me in order to get a way to increase your strength from me, so you can take revenge on me afterward..."

Tom felt as though even his breathing had stopped. He hated this feeling of being seen through so easily while being unable to do anything about it!

"Ding..."

After a string of system notifications, Li Weide received another reward of 10 Merit Points.

"Reparo! (Restore to Original Condition)"

In his private room, Li Weide made a special gesture toward the door lock covered in cracks and cast the spell.

"Rrrip..."

A faint sound of metal scraping rang out, and the cracks on the metal lock gradually disappeared!

Li Weide looked with satisfaction at the lock, which had become perfectly intact again.

The Complete Guide to Low-Level Spells was indeed detailed enough. Besides recording the evolution of every spell from ancient times to the present, it even recorded the proper gestures for casting each spell with Non-verbal Magic...

That was why Li Weide's Repairing Charm had succeeded so well this time.

It could be said that after obtaining this book, Li Weide's research and practice speed had increased by at least a hundredfold.

After spending 5 Merit Points to buy a bottle of Dittany, Li Weide still had 65 Merit Points remaining.

Li Weide was looking forward to seeing what items the shop page would refresh after midnight tonight.

Fortunately, there was also an item-locking function. Otherwise, a balance of 65 might not have been enough.