Persuasion

Upon hearing this, Lu De broke out in a cold sweat.

However, he remained expressionless and said, "My job requires me to have a lot of contact with Crystal Beast. Is there a problem?"

Walon stroked his chin and said, "Hmm... requires a lot of contact? I remember you were actually in charge of equipment acquisition, so why are you in contact with Crystal Beast? Right... wait, I remember now, haven't we met before?"

Hearing this, Lu De's expression stiffened, but he still nodded. "Yes, I have indeed met Young Master Walon. Just half a year ago, I was competing with you for a position next to a high-level mentor."

Walon suddenly realized, clapped his hands and said, "Oh!! Right, right, that's it, I remember now, you and I took the written test three times, and we both got full marks all three times. Then we had a practical test, and you lost, right?"

"Yes, Young Master Walon is not only knowledgeable, but also very good at applying knowledge. Unlike me, who only knows what I read in books, it's only natural that he is better than me..." Lu De said with a forced smile.

Walon waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Let's not talk about that, it's all in the past. Let's answer my question first: why do you handle so many crystals when you're purchasing equipment?"

"When it comes to purchasing equipment, many things can't be solved with money; they all require crystals to trade. That's probably why I deal with crystals so often," Lu De explained.

Walon nodded slightly and then said, "Hmm, that makes sense. By the way, since you have access to a large number of crystals, Lu De, could you do me a favor? The circulation of crystals in the market is limited. You can sense when there's an extra or a shortage. Recently, a large number of Crystal Beast outside the city have died, but crystals haven't flowed in. There must be something fishy going on. Could you keep an eye out for me? After all, you're in charge of procurement, so you must have your own connections, right?"

Lu De nodded repeatedly and said, "Young Master Walon has given me instructions, so I certainly can't refuse. I will pay attention. But how should I tell you when I have any news?"

"Just tell Teacher Jin and have him pass it on to me. Here's some payment, please accept it," Walon said, handing over some money.

Lu De hesitated for a moment.

But he still reached out and accepted it, then smiled and thanked him repeatedly.

Walon didn't say anything, just gave a polite smile, and then turned and left.

After watching the other person leave, Lu De's expression darkened.

Then he grasped the stone and asked, "Mentor, how did he smell it?"

Stone explained in a voice only he could hear, "Let's modify him. I can sense that his nose Great One from that of ordinary people. It must be your unique technology, um... that enhanced his physical senses, causing a part of his inner world to be completely destroyed... What a stupid method. Don't learn it. If you do, your future will be ruined. He's already an artificially created cripple."

After half a year of study, Lu De had gained some understanding of the many strange terms that suddenly appeared in the stone, and knew that his mentor seemed to look down on this method.

He didn't offer any comment, but instead walked away, saying as he went, "Mentor, do you think I can beat him now?"

Stone honestly commented, "As I said before, you are now invincible among the apprentices. Your cultivation is far superior to theirs. They hardly do any cultivation at all, and all their Technique Method are improvised. They are no match for you at all."

"That's good." Lu De nodded.

A few days later, Lu De submitted a report to Teacher Jin, asking Teacher Jin to pass it on to Walon.

The above records some of the strange features of crystals, such as the abundance or scarcity of crystals in circulation in some places. These changes can be seen in the price of crystals.

Crystals can be exchanged for money anytime, anywhere, but it's very difficult to buy crystals with money.

Walon received the report and began his investigation.

The investigation went smoothly, and newspapers and various news channels in the capital began to praise the Duke's son, Young Master Walon, for his wisdom, courage, intelligence, and resourcefulness in analyzing the crystal's trajectory from various clues.

On the seventh day, he had found the mysterious hunter and declared that he would capture him personally, causing a stir among the crowd. He instantly became a prominent figure in the capital.

On the tenth day, the body of young Walon was found in the sewers.

A high-ranking mentor appeared, performed an autopsy, and discovered that he had died from a completely different kind of Technique Method, and had offered almost no resistance, suggesting that he was killed by a trap.

The trap was only at an apprentice level, but the problem was, no trace of the trap could be found.

Even high-level mentors couldn't figure out what was going on.

Walon was instantly killed by a spell, which means there was no actual combat. In the case of an apprentice-level battle, they would need at least three seconds just to chant the incantation, which would be enough time for Walon to activate his various defensive equipment.

The environment was very cramped, and Walon had a strong ability to detect spells, so a sneak attack was impossible. Therefore, apart from traps, it was basically impossible to kill instantly.

Some have speculated that an apprentice, who possessed the ability to cast spells instantly and was deeply trusted by Walon, killed Walon in close combat.

However, this conclusion was immediately overturned because Walon can also be cast instantly, but instant casting... saying it's instant only means that the spell's casting time is compressed; it still requires preparation time, which is about a fraction of a second.

Compared to chanting that takes three or four seconds, this is practically instantaneous.

However, the spell to kill Walon is much faster.

Such speed can only be explained by a pre-arranged trap.

But the problem is...

What about... the remains of the trap?

No traps were found at the scene, and even high-level instructors could not be found, which means that there are no such things. There is no technique in the world that high-level instructors cannot detect.

This is a completely unsolved case, just like the disappearance of the crystal.

The capital was in an uproar. The more they had praised Young Master Walon back then, the more awkward the atmosphere became now.

The Royal Guard took on the task of investigating the matter, including the investigation of the crystal.

The person who started all of this is taking the exam for the Royal Guard in hopes of obtaining a formal position.

And he succeeded.

The exam went smoothly. His abilities and knowledge made it easy for him to pass, and he obtained a formal position with a relatively high status. He became a magic consultant in the guard, only needing to undertake consulting work and basically not having to go out on missions.

This is the advantage of the research institute; compared to those rough men who practice martial arts... oh, knightly martial arts, the apprentices of the research institute are rare and precious.

He learned the term "martial arts" from Shi Tou, who called them martial arts practitioners.

Before this, he had always called these people 'knights'. They developed a special power by training their bodies and cultivating their willpower. This power was different from any magic and was very mysterious.

However, he is now adopting Stone's way of speaking, because he believes that Stone is a high-level mentor, so the terms he uses must be quite sophisticated.

Another year has passed.

That year, Lu De graduated from the research institute.

Because he passed the exam to become a 'trainee mentor,' he is no longer an apprentice from now on.

This puzzled Shi Tou greatly. He muttered about it a lot, saying, "What's going on... He's not even a ninth-rank, so how did he become a mentor? Is the quantification of strength in this world so lenient?"

Regardless, a trainee mentor is still a mentor, and Lu De has become a true superior.

It was at this moment that he became qualified to 'reshape the body of the stone'.

He brought it up almost immediately, hoping Stone would tell him what to do.

But Shi Tou told him not to rush.

In Lu De's office, Stone said to the emerging young genius, "Before we talk about this... I want to tell you about an organization... called 'The Triangle Eye'."

"The Triangle Eye?" Lu De frowned in confusion.

He had never heard of this name before. Was it some kind of secret organization?

"Yes, this is the organization I belong to. It's an organization that can stand shoulder to shoulder with all nations," Stone said.

Lu De got up from his desk and walked to the window.

His office was bright and clean. In just one year, with the help of his senior mentor Stone, he accomplished almost all of his goals. In that short year, he experienced many incredible things, completed numerous adventures, and challenged many impossible things.

During this process, he also met several beautiful girls, each with their own unique characteristics, but he didn't have any romantic feelings for any of them for the time being.

He is now a mentor for young people, holding a high position and with a promising future.

All of this, while inseparable from his efforts and perseverance, ultimately stemmed from the stone in his chest.

He walked to the window, grasped the stone, and said, "What organization can rival a nation? Impossible. If such an organization truly existed, why wouldn't it occupy a nation itself? Why would it choose to hide?"

"It's not about hiding, it's about concealing ourselves. We are the manipulators behind the scenes. We are not the kings, so why should we stand in the spotlight?" Stone retorted.

But Lu De was very clear-headed. He knew that a hidden force could not exist for long, so he asked again, "What's the point? If an organization wants to achieve its own goals, it naturally needs to stand up. If it's always hiding, what's the difference between hiding and not existing?"

"For a large organization, hiding is the stupidest thing to do. It can neither spread its ideas, nor attract a large number of talents, nor control land and resources. Even if the initial team is very strong, it will inevitably weaken or even be forgotten in the long run. I don't understand, if this Triangle Eye really exists, what is its purpose?"

Lu De's questions left Shi Tou speechless.

Indeed, Lu De's statement is entirely correct.

Why did the boss create this Triangle Eye?

But he couldn't just say it directly at this point, so Stone pretended to be profound and said, "I can't tell you the organization's philosophy right now, but it really exists. Now that it's almost time for you, I'll introduce you to the organization in a few days."

"Be careful, things aren't peaceful within the organization. I need your protection to prevent my current vulnerable state from being exposed."

Since Shi Tou had said that, Lu De calmly nodded. "I understand. Is this why you didn't want to contact this organization beforehand? Is someone coveting you?"

Stone replied, "That's just how the world is. You have to be vigilant when dealing with strangers."

"I understand." Lu De nodded, then fell into deep thought.

It's another night.

This time, Shi Tou contacted Li Shiwei again.

The moment the connection was established, Stone couldn't wait to say, "Boss, I have a question."

On the other end of the Technique Method, Li Shiwei seemed to be copying something, and replied absentmindedly, "Huh? What is it? Tell me."

Stone asked, "I just want to know, why is the Triangle Eye organization a secret organization? What is its purpose in being secretive?"

Li Shiwei casually replied, "Huh? There's no particular purpose. It's just really cool, don't you think? At first glance, it's a mysterious organization hidden deep within civilization, secretly controlling everything! Don't you think that's amazing?"

"That's... it's that simple?" Stone was taken aback.

"Otherwise what? What deeper meaning could there be?" Li Shiwei said indifferently.

Stone said, "But there's a problem. I hadn't thought about it in detail before, but this young man I met here said something that I'll relay to you."

Li Shiwei interrupted Shi Tou: "Huh? The natives are talking to you? And you actually listened? No, the natives are incredibly stupid. They don't even understand basic cultivation. What could they possibly find out?"

"Boss, let me finish speaking first," Stone said.

Upon hearing this, Li Shiwei replied, "Then you speak."

Then, Shi Tou relayed Lu De's questions verbatim to Li Shiwei.

After he finished speaking, he asked Li Shiwei, "Boss, when you made these plans, didn't you consider these things? Or did you think they were locals, so you didn't pay much attention? You thought you could just get by?"

Li Shiwei remained silent for a while.

Stone didn't wait for her to think, but continued, "Boss, I've always thought you were pretty smart, but... after we got to the outer realms, you seemed a little off."

"I think we can pause our collection of Civilization History. If we want to truly understand the information contained within Civilization History, the first thing is to treat it as civilization, not a game. Boss, think about it carefully. I think... if you continue like this, you probably won't understand any Civilization History."

"I'll say something you might not like to hear, but if you switched places with them, would you have your current status? I've heard that the world calls itself civilized, and at the same time, it also calls these other worlds civilized."

"If the whole world is like this, what about you, boss?"

After saying that, Shi Tou cut off the Technique Method.