Book Exchange

Turquoise Street is a street in the affluent northern part of the city.

Linsey thanked the old man at the library and then set off to find the Book Collector.

While he was Hidden Borderlands, trying to repair the Teleportation Array, he visited a collector in town.

Both types of people seem to be awakened.

However, in terms of the specific techniques involved, there seems to be a completely different division. Book Collector cultivate their skills through the original books they collect, while collectors can unleash incredible power from their collections.

Linsey headed north of the city and began to see different sights along the way.

Moreover, this scenery is also somewhat related to him.

—Stockings.

In other urban areas, stockings are almost never seen on people.

But this thing has gradually become common among the awakened, the wealthy, or the nobility.

After all, women are naturally drawn to beauty, and men are willing to spend money on it.

After gaining popularity among both men and women, the product was a huge success upon its release, and people were eager to showcase their beauty.

At the border of the city.

Linsey also saw many ordinary people whose lower body clothing was also changing.

Awakened individuals and nobles chose this attire.

Ordinary people will naturally envy and yearn for it, and Mimic will naturally appear on the streets.

However, Ailini adopted a high-price strategy.

Ordinary people can't afford stockings.

So they used dyed white cloth to sew stockings in the shape of stockings. Although they were completely different from stockings in terms of specific details, they could still look quite beautiful when styled.

"Now even stockings are out."

"When did anyone wear knee-high socks with a short skirt?"

Linsey pouted:

"They started copying it in less than a week. These guys are fast."

Amidst her reflections, Linsey also realized the problem.

In this world, there exist awakened beings known as craftsmen.

After reaching the Fourth Stage, artisans will gradually be able to create truly extraordinary items. While they may not possess particularly advanced skills in the earlier stages, imitating stockings is likely only a matter of time.

"So what Ailini has now is the first-mover advantage."

"When the news gets out and craftsmen rush to make imitations, the way we do business will have to change accordingly."

Linsey did a quick calculation.

Nine Bends City is only about three or four months away from Remote Yue City.

In this world, messengers help deliver messages.

Considering the time involved in the round trip, it should take at most six months before counterfeit products of the same quality begin to be available.

As Linsey walked into the north of the city, she noticed a detail.

There are no strict restrictions on movement between the different districts of Nine Bends City.

But once inside this area, the ordinary people wearing stockings completely disappeared.

Ordinary people naturally have awe for nobles and those who have awakened.

Especially in large cities with well-established order, this class divide is far more pronounced than in Hidden Borderlands.

Ordinary people don't even need reminders or isolation.

People will spontaneously define a range of activities for themselves; the real-world impact of power is that clear.

Book Collector are not hard to find.

Linsey opened the map and started questioning people she encountered on the street.

In less than half an hour, he was standing in front of an unfamiliar building.

The Book Collector's residence had almost no courtyard; it was just a square building covering the entire plot of land, like an apartment with a strictly planned space.

Linsey went up and knocked on the door.

Soon, a middle-aged man's voice echoed in the room, "Hello, who are you looking for?"

Then, the door opened.

Standing in front of Linsey was a man wearing a yellow bathrobe, with a thick book tucked under his arm.

Linsey narrowed his eyes; he could tell at a glance that the other party possessed Essence.

Based on his attire, the man in front of us should be the owner of this house.

"Hello, I'm Linsey."

"I want to find the Book Collector here and ask him for some help with knowledge."

The man looked at Linsey with curiosity:

"An Awakened One?"

Linsey nodded in agreement:

"That's right."

The man in his pajamas immediately made way for him.

"Then come in."

The Book Collector led Linsey into the house.

The building was dimly lit, with a long corridor leading to the back of the living room, and the air was filled with the distinctive smell of pages and ink.

"Just call me Alande."

Only the Book Collector Alande lives here.

He led Linsey into the living room, poured her a cup of tea in a friendly manner, and then asked Linsey seriously:

"Mr. Linsey, what kind of knowledge are you looking for here?"

Linsey didn't mention her arm injury, but simply stated her purpose. "It's like this, I want to find the Life Secret Realm in the forest. But the library has moved all the information on this topic."

"Between the City Hall and the Book Collector, I think you are more trustworthy."

The Book Collector smiled and said, "Then you've come to the right place!"

"Before the library moved, I specifically copied a lot of books there."

At this point, Alande changed the subject. "But I won't let others use all this hard work for nothing, you understand?"

Linsey was quick to speak, raising her hand to signal the other party to name a price. "You get what you pay for, of course I understand."

Alande replied, "It's simple, I want books."

"Anything I haven't seen before, or any rare book, can be used to exchange for knowledge."

—Book Collector need books.

—That request is quite reasonable.

Linsey lowered his head and thought for a moment, and realized that he happened to have such a thing in his hand.

In the Icebound City beneath Black Mountain, he acquired a collection of ancient scrolls that had been gathering dust for a long time; and when leaving the Hidden Borderlands, Linsey also took a copy of the Expedition Team's notes.

Both of these items are Linsey's exclusive collection.

But the former might involve some danger; the latter would expose Linsey's own origins, and he didn't want to lose the Expedition Team notes, which were of great significance to him.

After weighing the options, Linsey decided not to hand over either of the items.

I had no choice but to hand over my beloved "The Merchant and Dragon Maid," which had been with me for a long time.

"Could you take a look at this?"

"This is... ' The Merchant and Dragon Maid '?" Alande's expression was somewhat puzzled.

He wanted to refuse immediately.

But when he saw the book Linsey handed him, with its worn cover, he had a sudden thought and began to examine it carefully again.

Before long, Alande raised his head, his tone now carrying a hint of respect. "This is an old copy of ' The Merchant and Dragon Maid,' published over a hundred years ago!"

"No problem, Mr. Linsey, I'm very satisfied with this deal!"

"Please wait here for a moment, I'll go get the documents for you right away."

Alande clenched his fists and walked deeper into the room.

Not long after, he returned with books and paper.

The Book Collector did not hand over his collection of books; instead, he placed his hand on the table, and the power of the Essence transformed into a technique that began to take effect.

Snap—

Black liquid rose into the air from the ink bottle.

This trickle seeps into the gaps between the pages, automatically forming words and patterns, and the contents of a book are copied in the blink of an eye.

The Book Collector made a copy of the materials he had taken out in this way before handing them to Linsey: "Mr. Linsey, you can take them back and read them at your leisure."

"If you encounter any problems, just come back here, and I'll help you free of charge!"