I Am a Refined Person

Xilin was immersed in the book, copying all the information into his brain, completely ignoring the gazes of the other two people in the display area. As long as there was no danger, Xilin wouldn't come out of that state.

After flipping through the books he found useful on the shelves, Xilin chose ten of them. When he turned around, he saw the other two looking at him with strange expressions. Xilin smiled and nodded at them, then said to the clerk, "These ten books."

"Oh... okay... okay, please wait a moment." The clerk finally snapped back to attention, scanned and demagnetized the ten books Xilin had chosen, and affixed the cursor "Bookstore Celebration Quiz First Prize" before handing them back to Xilin. "Please collect your VIP membership card at the main service desk."

"Okay, thank you."

After Xilin left, the clerk still couldn't believe it. "Jincheng, did he really finish reading them?"

"He probably memorized the few books he read."

"Is he even human! I've heard of people with photographic memories, but someone who scans like a machine like that, it's creepy just to hear about it." The clerk shivered as if feeling something.

"This year's freshmen are full of hidden talents." Ci Jincheng closed the book and put it back on the shelf. "I'm leaving too. I'll come back when I have time after I report in. The new batch of books will arrive in two days, and someone will contact you."

"Alright, I'll inform the manager. I've already submitted my graduation application, and I believe a reply will come soon. Your help will be needed to arrange my placement then."

Ci Jincheng made a "don't worry" gesture and also left the display area.

The ten books Xilin chose were all hardcover large volumes. It wasn't convenient to put them into his Subspace casually here. He couldn't risk the secret of his ring. However, carrying them would be too much trouble. So, Xilin arranged for storage, planning to contact the bookstore to deliver them after he reported in and settled into his dormitory. Because Xilin was the first prize winner of the quiz, the bookstore didn't charge extra for the storage.

As soon as Xilin walked out of the bookstore, he was called out.

"Daongs Xilin, please wait a moment!" Ci Jincheng, holding a book, hurried over.

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to remind you that since the winners are displayed on the store's big screen, even though there's no image, some people will still pay attention. Bullying freshmen by seniors is common here, but if you don't have concrete evidence, the Security Team won't do much."

Hearing this, Xilin smiled. "Thank you for the reminder. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Ci Jincheng. I'm also a freshman this year, but I'm quite familiar with Seven Luminaries Academy. If you need any help, feel free to ask."

Xilin thought for a moment and said, "Are you familiar with the trade district? Do you know which Flying Skateboard is more affordable?" Since Ci Jincheng showed his goodwill, Xilin didn't refuse. After all, in such a new and complex environment, making more friends meant more assistance.

"I know a place that has good Flying Skateboards. It's the freshman season now, so there should be many on sale. The quality is decent; I bought one there."

Ci Jincheng led Xilin to the shop. The flashing screen at the entrance displayed Flying Skateboards on sale. Xilin looked at the actual product; it was quite good and indeed affordable. It also came with two coupons for the open-air tea restaurant on the top floor of the mall.

To express his gratitude to Ci Jincheng, Xilin directly used the two complimentary tea restaurant coupons.

On the top floor of the mall, there were tables of various sizes, round or square, with large umbrellas. People in groups of three or five would take the elevator to the top floor after shopping to drink tea and have snacks.

It wasn't peak hour, so there were a few empty tables. Xilin and Ci Jincheng sat there drinking tea and chatting about Seven Luminaries. However, not long after they sat down, eight people surrounded them.

"Yo, you guys are here, how disloyal, not calling us to have tea." One of them greeted them enthusiastically, looking like a close buddy.

Xilin and Ci Jincheng exchanged glances. Trouble was brewing.

The eight people surrounded the small table. The person who had greeted them walked closer, pulled over a chair, and sat down next to the two. He grabbed a pastry and put it in his mouth, saying slowly, "I heard you two just made a fortune, enough to answer those perverted questions correctly. Truly good children who love to learn."

Though he said this, there was clear sarcasm in his eyes. To these people, anyone who could answer those questions correctly was a bookworm, and bookworms were easy targets. They had always looked down on these sickly, artistic types...

Xilin had changed into a different set of clothes after leaving the port. Ci Jincheng was also dressed inconspicuously. Neither of them wore anything extravagant, making their identities unclear. It was no wonder these people had targeted them so quickly, assuming Xilin and the other had little backing.

However...

The hand holding the pastry froze in mid-air, even beginning to tremble—a gun barrel was pressed against his forehead.

Aside from Xilin, the others hadn't even seen Ci Jincheng's movement clearly. They just felt that without any warning, a gun had appeared. It wasn't until their heads were pressed that they suddenly realized the other party had produced a gun at some point.

In Qiyao, gun control was very strict. Most people were not qualified to possess firearms. These individuals hadn't expected that one of the two people they had targeted, who looked so easy to bully, would be armed. Moreover, this seemingly refined fellow was definitely powerful!

The eight people were stunned. Clearly, after bullying so many people, this was the first time they had encountered such a target. They didn't dare to escape, nor did they dare to shout loudly. They breathed carefully. No matter how many of them there were, they couldn't match a single gun. It was as if an icy hand had gripped their necks, and a chill instantly spread throughout their bodies.

Xilin was only surprised for a moment when Ci Jincheng drew his gun. Beyond that, no emotional change was visible. He continued to drink tea and eat pastries, thinking it would be a waste not to eat what he had paid for.

Ci Jincheng, holding his teacup in his free hand, calmly took a sip. "I am a civilized person. I don't like to resolve problems with violence."

Civilized my ass!

The eight people cried out in their hearts. Damn it, is this how you resolve problems without violence? What would the violent method be? A high-energy laser cannon?!

"We... we..." The person with the gun to his head stammered for a long time, almost biting his own tongue.

"Scram." Ci Jincheng had no intention of listening to explanations. Any so-called explanation was pure nonsense. With a flick of his finger, the gun disappeared. Ci Jincheng retrieved his hand and continued drinking his tea, not looking at the man the entire time.

The group knew the gun hadn't disappeared; rather, the other party's movements were so fast they couldn't capture them at all.

From the moment Ci Jincheng drew his gun, even a fool would understand that this person was not to be trifled with. Staying any longer would be idiotic!

Without even looking at the fleeing group, Ci Jincheng maintained his scholarly smile. "In Qiyao, the best way to solve problems is absolute suppression."

Xilin raised his cup in a toast. "Good method."

After finishing their tea, the two exchanged comms IDs. Xilin then stepped onto his newly purchased Flying Skateboard and headed towards the Global Train station. There were dedicated slow lanes in the air for slower flying vehicles like Flying Skateboards, while faster ones like flying cars had separate runways.

Xilin bought some instant pastries and put them in his bag, saving himself the trouble of finding a shop later if he got hungry. Riding the Flying Skateboard, he looked at the tall buildings on either side and the pedestrians below, finding it a unique experience. Xilin didn't use the Manual Control Rudder because it consumed more energy. Energy Ore and Energy Storage Boxes were not cheap, and Xilin was confident he could control the Flying Skateboard without it.

When he arrived at the station, the next train was still twenty minutes away. Xilin put away his Flying Skateboard, bought a newspaper, and sat a short distance from the platform to wait.

The advantage of the Flying Skateboard was that it didn't take up much space when stored. A Flying Skateboard over a meter long became less than twenty centimeters when retracted. Since his backpack was filled with food, Xilin placed the Flying Skateboard aside.

"Hey, you little kid over there!"

No one responded.

"Hey, you little kid reading the newspaper over there!"

No one answered.

"Hey, you, the little kid on the left with the Flying Skateboard, a backpack on the right, and reading the Seven Luminaries Weekly!"

There's another chapter this afternoon. I'll try to speed things up these few days.