Do I Not Even Qualify to Be Your Threat?

"Tom, you went the wrong way. You should be heading this way."

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

At some point, Li Weide had once again stepped in front of him.

"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 before turning and leaving again.

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

I was too naive! Too presumptuous! My change was so abrupt—how could he possibly not have guessed what I was trying to do?

So... this is him warning me! Telling me not to entertain thoughts I shouldn't have!

He knows full well that I could turn on him at any moment, yet he still doesn't care and leaves me completely unchecked... 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 went pale, his eyes filled with humiliation. Even the veins on his neck bulged.

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

He had believed everyone else to be mediocre fools, utterly incapable of posing any threat to someone as extraordinarily talented as himself. That was why he had acted so tyrannically.

He just hadn't 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 "fools" who were looked down upon!

Only after being viciously struck by his own "boomerang" did Tom begin to understand how those people he had once bullied must have felt...

"Ding! Detected that the host has inflicted massive psychological damage on the future Dark Lord. Reward: 50 Merit Points."

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

Mrs. Cole was a gaunt woman with a worn, haggard face.

The clouds of war were gradually engulfing all of Europe. With everyone gripped by anxiety, there were even fewer kind-hearted people willing to donate money or supplies to the Orphanage.

Mrs. Cole did not even know whether the Orphanage could hold on for another few months...

Managing dozens of orphans and ensuring that they could still barely keep clothed and fed in these times had left her physically and mentally exhausted.

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

Mrs. Cole soon spotted the late-arriving Li Weide and Tom. "Weide, are you getting used to life here? Tom, I only hope you won't use your usual tricks to bully Weide! Otherwise, you'll be spending more time in the little dark room!"

Who exactly is bullying whom?!

Tom pressed his lips together and said nothing, merely staring silently at the dinner that had just been placed in his hands...

A small serving of baked beans, some Mashed Potatoes, a piece of bread, and a bowl of soup made from who knew what.

"I'm very used to it, Mrs. Cole... In fact, compared to the children still wandering outside with empty stomachs, 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 bring you back. You've helped me quite a lot these past few days. Hurry and eat your dinner. Here, take this..." A faint smile appeared on Mrs. Cole's tired face as she slipped an egg into Li Weide's coat pocket...

Beside them, Tom looked at his own plain, watery dinner, then at Li Weide, who had gained an egg in his pocket and an extra apple on his tray. For the first time, he truly understood just how vast the gap between people could be...

Watching Li Weide sit in the corner and slowly peel his egg, 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 disdainful gaze, Li Weide used his own spoon to place half the yolk onto Tom's plate.

"I only did a few small things within my ability... Of course, those little things happened to suit her tastes perfectly. In fact, you could do the same. You just think too highly of yourself and have never been willing to do it."

Tom disdainfully pushed the half-yolk aside. "Hmph, anyway, I can't do something as deliberately flattering as that..."

"Oh? Then who was it that groveled before me just now?" Li Weide laughed.

"I..." A rare flush rose to Tom's pale face. "That was because you're stronger than me! I had no choice..."

"Mm... Of course, of course, Tom. I'm not saying you were wrong. In fact, in order to achieve your goals, saying a few nice things now and then or doing a few small favors for someone isn't such a big deal."

Looking at the embarrassed Tom, Li Weide suddenly smiled again. "Just like how I flatter Mrs. Cole to get a good single room for my practice and research, while you flatter me to get a way to become stronger from me—so that you can take revenge on me..."

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

"Ding..."

After another system notification, Li Weide received another reward of 10 Merit Points.

"Reparo!"

Inside his single room, Li Weide made a special gesture toward the cracked lock on the wooden door and chanted the spell.

"Scrape..."

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

Li Weide looked at the restored, flawless lock with satisfaction.

Complete Book of Low-Level Spells was indeed detailed enough. Besides recording the evolution of every spell from ancient times to the present, it even documented the correct gestures for each spell when using Nonverbal Spellcasting...

That was why Li Weide's Repair Charm had succeeded so smoothly 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 Essence of Dittany, Li Weide still had 65 Merit Points left.

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

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