New Attribute Point

Gallo offered his explanation, watching Professor Vanason stand there blank-faced in a daze.

After quite a while, Professor Vanason finally asked Gallo to confirm it again.

Gallo answered with complete certainty, "Based on these copied notes and some annotations on the rubbings, this was Professor Jeffrey's own conclusion.

"And as his later investigations progressed, his blind confidence in that conclusion only deepened.

"I think that was why Professor Jeffrey ended up in this state."

Vanason's expression finally became extremely solemn.

"I understand. Thank you, Gallo. You helped me understand, as quickly as possible, why Jeffrey became like this."

Vanason took out two five-Copper Nil banknotes and handed them to Gallo.

Gallo suppressed the excitement welling up inside him from earning his biggest income since opening for business.

He carefully folded the two banknotes, tucked them into his pocket, and asked Vanason, "Professor, what do you plan to do?"

Vanason rubbed the space between his brows. He thought for a while before finally sighing. "I haven't decided.

"But I find Jeffrey's conclusion utterly ridiculous. As a professor... to actually harbor such ignorant, blindly faithful ideas.

"I just hope he hasn't passed this conclusion on to the students who accompanied him on his investigation to the Southern Continent."

"I think that in order to continue investigating that so-called mysterious power, Professor Jeffrey's next focus should be deciphering the contents of these rubbings," Gallo said.

He continued, "But unfortunately, I don't recognize the pictographs on these rubbings, so even after seeing them, it's hard for me to remember them.

"Although my reading ability and memory surpass those of ordinary people, unfamiliar and incomprehensible images remain very vague in my memory."

Vanason looked at Gallo and smiled faintly. "Hearing you say that makes you seem more like a normal person."

"I was never a monster to begin with." Ignoring the remark, Gallo continued, "Among these rubbings, Professor Jeffrey only provided annotations for a small portion.

"But I'm certain Professor Jeffrey has already made considerable progress and achieved a great deal in this field."

The corner of Vanason's mouth twitched slightly, but he ultimately admitted, "Jeffrey is indeed far better than I am at deciphering pictographs. Pictographs from the Askia Dynasty era have already been lost in modern times.

"Even the people of the various tribal clans living in the former Askia Dynasty region of the Southern Continent cannot distinguish the meanings of these characters at all.

"How tragic. A dynasty that possessed a brilliant civilization more than fifteen hundred years ago—after its fall, its descendants lost even their writing, and their social structure became exceedingly primitive.

"Those locals even regard the ancient ruins left behind over countless centuries as creations of gods from the past, refusing to believe they were the glory of their ancestors' era."

Professor Vanason picked up the case and rose to leave. Before departing, however, he paused and looked at Gallo. "Perhaps I could bring over Jeffrey's research and decipherment materials on the rubbings.

"Then after you've read them, perhaps you'll be able to decipher the contents of these rubbings more quickly."

"In theory, yes," Gallo said.

After bidding Gallo farewell, Professor Vanason took the case away again, left the Moonlight Cafe, and returned to the school.

Gallo sat back down in his chair and calmly stared at the empty air before him. At that moment, he brought up the system's attribute panel.

Looking at the additional unassigned attribute point, he felt puzzled over why it had suddenly appeared.

This new unassigned attribute point had appeared only after he finished reading that box of Professor Jeffrey's investigation materials.

A few days ago, his soul had transmigrated into this world. Then the system had activated, and he had received five unassigned attribute points.

After choosing the Wisdom Path, Gallo had only gained one new attribute point two days ago, after helping Stur finish reading an entire book. At the time, he had guessed it might be related to choosing the Wisdom Path.

So, the way to obtain new attribute points was related to reading or acquiring new knowledge.

Yet afterward, Gallo had helped others analyze many books and had also read many books brought by other people, but he had not gained any more attribute points.

This made him wonder whether he had not reached the required number of books read, or whether there was some upper threshold for the amount of knowledge he had to acquire.

Over the past two days, he had read forty-seven books. If he included the copied notes and materials from that box just now, it amounted to more than fifty books.

Was that why he had gained a new attribute point? Or had he reached the knowledge threshold needed to earn one?

Gallo even speculated that it was more likely related to the materials in that box themselves.

As he looked at the attribute panel before him and hesitated over whether to use the extra attribute point immediately—

A stack of books tied with cloth strips landed heavily on the coffee table in front of him, startling Gallo and making him close the attribute panel.

He saw Stur standing before him with a wide grin. "What were you thinking about? You were so lost in thought that you didn't even notice me walk up to you."

Gallo took a deep breath, cast all the speculation from his mind, and said calmly, "I... I was thinking about whether I should open a bank account.

"To deposit all the money I earn every day."

"Then your business must have been really booming today." Stur sat down directly in the seat Professor Vanason had just occupied.

He continued, "If you want to open a bank account, I suggest going to Fengman Bank on the next street over. You can open an individual account there with a minimum deposit of fifty Copper Nil.

"Poor students like us all have individual accounts at Fengman Bank. Other banks basically don't serve poor people."

Gallo nodded seriously. So far today, including the ten Copper Nil he had just earned from Professor Vanason, his total income was forty-one Copper Nil and four Fenso.

That was still short of Fengman Bank's minimum requirement for opening an account.

The reason Gallo wanted to open a bank account of his own was that bringing so much money home every day would certainly make his mother suspicious.

Even if Gallo told her the truth, Aisha, who had never attended school a single day in her life, probably would not believe such an explanation.

It was better to keep pretending that he worked at a fictional bookstore. That would put Aisha more at ease.

At that moment, Stur patted the stack of books he had brought and said to Gallo, "I brought all the books I have left, including the few I'd lent out."

Gallo untied the cloth strips around the books, took the first one from the stack, held it in his hands, and began reading.

"Thank you. I need an enormous amount of reading material right now if I'm going to serve elite university students like you," Gallo said lightly as he read.

Stur smiled somewhat bitterly. If anyone else had said such a thing, they would definitely have been considered insane, but over the past two days, Stur had been completely won over by Gallo's terrifying ability.

He then sighed. "Unfortunately, the university library doesn't allow anyone outside the school to enter.

"Otherwise, you could handle the procedures and read in the university library. Its collection surpasses all the bookstores on Lubo Lane combined."