Harvest

The space gradually shattered, and the headless Wooden Puppets accumulated on the ground vanished with it. The narrow corridor fell silent. Through the various Wooden Doors, Arrow could still faintly hear the soft breathing coming from different rooms.

Finally, he was back.

Arrow took a deep breath, stopped circulating the Knight's Breathing Technique, stepped over the shattered door, and returned to his room.

Inside, the faint candlelight swayed gently. Arrow looked toward the wooden bed. It sat intact in its original place; even the indentations from where he had slept before remained clearly visible.

He casually Picked Up the Sword Sheath from the ground and looked up at the row of upright wooden boards. Faint starlight seeped through the Wood Crevices, while a fresh, comfortable cool breeze drifted in.

Removing one of the boards, Arrow raised his head and looked into the distance.

The sky was strewn with stars, and a bright moon as large as a disc hung in its center.

The night was still long.

There was not a trace of water on the ground, yet the air carried a faint dampness.

It must have rained briefly just now.

Facing the fresh, cool breeze, listening to the faint Insect Chirping around him, and watching the glittering night sky, everything around Arrow made him feel utterly at ease.

Drowsiness rose again.

Arrow lay back down on the bed. Suddenly recalling something, he shifted his thoughts slightly, and the system panel appeared before his eyes.

Ding! Enemy defeated. Slash gained 186 Skill Experience.

Ding! Enemy defeated. Upswing gained 145 Skill Experience.

...

Converted into Personal Experience. Personal Experience increased by 1665 points.

Remaining Skill Points: 15 points

Personal Level: Level 16: 1941/20000

...

It had directly increased by more than sixteen hundred Experience Points?

Thinking of Monli, whom the Black Cat had carried back, a flicker of greed rose in Arrow's heart.

If he went in a few more times, wouldn't the twenty-thousand-point experience bar fill up very quickly?

But the various things within the Anomaly Space could not be generated without limit. The puppets in that space likewise needed time to recover.

A dangerous thought suddenly surfaced in Arrow's mind.

Since he would be imprisoned for the rest of his days anyway, why not... simply imprison him himself?

Arrow patted his head and gave himself a warning in his heart.

What am I thinking?!

The body is a Bodhi Tree, the heart a Mirror Stand; polish it diligently at all times, and let no dust settle upon it!

No matter how I change, I am first and foremost a person!

There were countless strange things in this world, and magical objects of every kind were beyond number. He could not let dangerous thoughts arise just because he saw something on another person that he needed!

Do not forget your Original Heart!

But someone like him... even if he had been lucky enough to transmigrate, he probably could not become the protagonist of a storybook, could he?

Arrow kicked at the blanket, tucked his entire body inside it, then pulled it over his head.

Sleep, sleep!

Morning.

Arrow got up early, toying with a Wooden Ball. Led by the Black Cat, he found Monli's room and saw the little boy curled up on the floor in a corner.

Seeing the high-spirited boy from yesterday now looking so lifeless, Arrow could not help but sigh inwardly. He walked over, crouched down, and said softly, "I told you yesterday not to keep talking about it."

Those words were both an expression of regret for the young man in the prime of his youth and a declaration of his own identity.

Monli slowly raised his head, revealing pitch-black, hollow eyes. The corners of his mouth trembled slightly. "Is that... Mr. Arrow?"

"Mm, it's me."

"Mr. Arrow, why did you tell me not to keep talking yesterday? Did you... know something?" Monli asked hesitantly.

Arrow had no intention of concealing what he knew. His goal was to Mix In among the Young Men, and there was no better opening than Monli now.

"Do you remember what I said yesterday? 'Ignorance is Bliss.'"

This principle could be stated plainly now. After all... Arrow had started to enjoy the feeling of entering the Anomaly Space.

It was just a pity that even if he said it, it would be difficult to enter last night's Anomaly Space again anytime soon.

"Anyone with decent aptitude and Mental Strength that Meet Standards may sense an Anomaly Space. But the more you know, the more easily you may stray into one."

"Because you had strayed into one before, every time you told others about it afterward, you were recalling the details of that Anomaly Space. That meant you might accidentally enter it again. You had been fairly lucky before, but this time..."

There were some things Arrow did not say.

Monli's reentry into that Anomaly Space might also have had something to do with him.

"Heh..." Monli gave a dry, expressionless laugh. "So that's how it is. No wonder... you left so quickly yesterday."

"Judging by what you were wearing yesterday, you came from a wizarding family, didn't you? That big Black Cat I saw before I fainted yesterday, was it the one beside you?"

Arrow hesitated. His mother had long instructed him not to reveal their relationship, so Teacher Gemma would only accompany him to the Open Space before the Port today, then return to his mother's side.

Thus, Arrow did not know how he should answer.

But sometimes, silence was itself an answer.

"Thank you!"

Hearing Monli's inexplicable thanks, Arrow glanced at the Black Cat beside him.

Had Teacher Gemma saved him yesterday?

Arrow asked strangely, "What are you thanking me for?"

"I'm still alive. Shouldn't I thank you?"

Monli had assumed Teacher Gemma had led him out of the Anomaly Space?

"Uh... you should."

In a sense, his thanks could not be considered wrong. Without Teacher Gemma, who knew what he might have encountered after falling unconscious?

"Am I... a monster now?"

Monli raised the leg that had already turned into a wooden stick, then tentatively touched his empty eye sockets.

To prevent Monli from giving up on going to the Open Space before the Port, Arrow hurriedly said, "Then you should board the ship even more. Wizards have all sorts of miraculous abilities. Maybe they can restore you to how you were."

After finally persuading Monli, Arrow found him a bandage. Once he had simply wrapped the terrifying black eyes on his face, Arrow supported him out of the room.

When they reached the hall, Arrow first found the Middle-aged bartender at the counter, briefly explained that the Wooden Door had been damaged, and left behind some coins. The matter was smoothly settled.

Then he ordered a simple breakfast and ate while waiting for the little girl Emily to arrive.

She had made an agreement with Arrow the night before. Since Arrow wanted to Mix In with the crowd, it would not have been appropriate to refuse her. Although Monli was now a better substitute for the role she could play, it was not good to go back on a promise.

Emily arrived much later than expected. Once Arrow saw the clothes she had put on haphazardly, he had some idea why she was so late.

There were actually ten-year-olds in this world who did not know how to dress themselves?

If she went alone to study under wizards, she would probably starve to death before she even got there.

Noticing Arrow's gaze, Emily blushed and hurriedly explained, "Of course I can put on the clothes I wear during my leisure time. But this formal dress has to be put on with a Maid's help!"

Since you knew it was difficult to wear alone, why had you chosen this outfit for the trip?

Arrow said nothing more and simply said, "All right, let's hurry over. Don't let everyone else board the ship and leave while we still haven't arrived."

Emily hurriedly replied, "They won't. I looked from the balcony. The Lord Wizards haven't come down yet."

Of course not. The wizard conducting the assessment is my mother. If I haven't arrived, how could she come down?

Ignoring Emily's expression, Arrow helped Monli to his feet and headed outside.

Only then did Emily notice Monli's abnormal state. She hurried after them and asked, "Monli, what happened to you? Can't you see clearly? Why are your eyes covered with cloth? And what happened to your foot?"

Although one of Monli's feet had turned into a wooden stick, it was concealed by his trousers, so ordinary people could not spot anything wrong. It only made walking inconvenient.

Faced with Emily's repeated questions, neither Arrow nor Monli spoke.

Seeing that neither of them paid attention to her, Emily became somewhat awkward, and the three of them silently walked toward the Port.

At that moment, Arrow suddenly noticed several tall, broad-built men quietly following behind them. Yet they made no excessive moves and seemed vaguely to be protecting them.

So Emily had not come alone either?

Were knights protecting her in secret?

Then why had she not brought a Maid?

Arrow quickly put these thoughts aside. Whatever she was thinking, what did it have to do with him?

By then, many Young Men had already gathered at the dock. Quite a few richly dressed Young Men sheltered in the great ship's shadow, complaining and muttering among themselves, while many Young Men in rough hemp clothes gathered uneasily in the vast Open Space of the dock beneath the Blazing Sun.

Just as Arrow approached the Open Space before the dock, the wooden ladder was lowered from the ship. Nicole, holding the Black Cat that had somehow gone over there, slowly walked down with an indifferent expression.

"Quiet!"

With those two simple words, a sense of oppression immediately rose in every young man's heart, and they unconsciously stopped talking.

"Now, the testing begins."

Nicole swept her gaze around, then looked at Arrow, whose clothes were somewhat similar to her own.

"What is your name?"

Pretending not to know, Arrow released Monli and bowed respectfully. "My name is Arrow Garner."

The Garner Family?

Which noble family was that?

The finely dressed Young Men could not help looking at Arrow curiously. But when they noticed the hemp-clothed young man he was supporting, traces of disdain appeared in their eyes.

So he was a commoner. He had actually dressed like a Lord Wizard just to catch the Lord Wizard's attention. What a lucky brat.

"You test first."

Arrow pointed at Monli. "Honored Lord Wizard, may I test together with my brother? He has trouble moving around."

The moment Arrow finished speaking, a Noble Boy immediately jumped out. Pointing at Arrow, he cursed, "Who do you think you are, daring to negotiate with a Lord Wizard? Lord Wizard, someone who does not know when to advance or retreat should be thrown out!"

Seeing his righteous, stern expression, Arrow nearly laughed aloud.

You had flattered the horse and kicked its leg instead!

Nicole Frowned slightly and glared at him.

"Shut up!"

The Noble Boy's face immediately turned deathly pale, and he collapsed onto the ground.

From his expression alone, Arrow knew that this unlucky Noble Boy had definitely taken a blast of Mental Pressure. He simply did not know how much force his mother had used.

Nicole said coldly to Arrow, "Then come over together. We'll begin with you two."

"Thank you for your consideration, Lord Wizard!"