Fiery

Over the next few days, that feeling of being watched and followed from the shadows came and went, intermittent and fragmented.

This left Gallo unable to discern the other party's true objective, as they merely monitored him from the dark without making any contact.

Divination through coins could only yield binary results of yes or no, making it impossible to grasp the other party's true intentions.

Gallo had once considered utilizing the knowledge in his mind derived from the Subspace to thoroughly investigate the true identity of this mysterious watcher.

He currently had two unallocated points that could be invested into the Psionic path, but every time this thought crossed his mind, those memories would surface.

The knowledge originating from the Subspace would cause his very nature to recoil in timidity.

Since they haven't caused me any harm and are just following from the shadows... I'll wait until a crisis arises before investing those points into Psionic.

Gallo consoled himself in his heart; if danger were to arise regardless of his choice, then he might as well leave things be for now.

The only thing that brought him comfort was that his business had been booming lately.

Gallo's reputation began to spread through the campus of the Imperial Industrial University like ripples on water.

He had initially targeted his client base toward these university students, who had high demands and were currently in the midst of their studies.

Aside from students of the Imperial Industrial University, some people from the general public had also heard rumors and sought Gallo's help, usually for simple book-finding services.

After all, with so many bookstores in Lubo Lane, most people from the outside who came here were looking to purchase books.

Because of Gallo, it had become rare to find an empty table at the Moonlight Cafe during the day.

Some students, even if they had no specific needs, would sit near Gallo outside the cafe during their free time to listen to him analyze the contents of books for others.

Sometimes, for books they had already read, hearing Gallo explain them to others gave these listeners a different kind of insight.

Neither Gallo nor his clients felt any resentment toward these eavesdroppers.

Meanwhile, Gallo's Knowledge Navigation business proceeded steadily, and the money in his pocket grew with each passing day.

From the moment he sat down in the morning, a short but constant queue would often form in front of his stall.

Some students even came specifically for his reputation, just to verify the near-legendary "photographic memory" and "precise analysis."

The number of books Gallo read accumulated at an astonishing speed.

Stur had almost become his exclusive "book porter," and besides him, several other students who were won over by Gallo's abilities were also happy to borrow various books from the library.

This gave Gallo the feeling of being fed with knowledge.

With the explosive growth in his reading volume, Gallo's understanding of the collections in each bookstore became increasingly profound.

Later on, he didn't even need clients to provide specific titles; based solely on their description of a research direction or a difficult problem, he could act like an experienced guide, pointing directly to the most suitable books and the bookstores where they could be found.

Alternatively, he would provide professional content analysis; after his breakdown, clients could often understand and grasp the core ideas of the books much faster, which was equivalent to having a tutor highlight the key points for the reader.

At the same time, this immense success brought immense exhaustion.

The high-intensity, high-precision mental labor left Gallo feeling as if his brain had been hollowed out by the end of each day, and he would even feel dazed and lightheaded on his walk home.

To maintain his condition, he set a rule for himself: rest for one hour each from ten to eleven in the morning and three to four in the afternoon.

During these times, he would stop accepting clients and simply sit there, drinking coffee provided by the cafe as a gesture of friendship, occasionally chatting with those around him, or simply closing his eyes to rest.

At the same time, while he was resting there, the three chairs around the table where Gallo sat would remain empty.

Only his close friends would sit there during his breaks to see if Gallo had enough energy for a brief chat.

The afternoon sun became soft and thin as it filtered through the perennial coal smoke and fog of Tin City.

Gallo had just finished his hour of mandatory rest and was taking small sips of the now-lukewarm water in his cup, allowing his exhausted brain to catch its breath.

However, no sooner had he finished his break than a figure hurried to his table.

The visitor was a female student wearing the dark blue uniform of the Imperial Industrial University, the silver thread on her cuffs slightly frayed, and her face showing the faint, dark shadows of someone who had stayed up all night.

She held a piece of paper covered in dense writing, her fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure of her grip.

"Are... are you Mr. Gallo?"

Her voice carried a hint of uncertain anticipation, her gaze quickly sweeping over Gallo's youthful, boyish face and the crude cardboard sign beside him.

Because of his reputation, he was addressed as "Mr.," though it was hard to imagine this as an honorific for a fourteen-year-old boy.

"That's me." Gallo set down his water glass, a reassuring, calm smile appearing on his face—a look of maturity that belied his age. "How can I help you?"

Seeing that Gallo was about to start working again, the people nearby who had been quietly drinking coffee and chatting began to lean in, intending to listen in.

Watching Gallo work had become a way for them to calm their minds and pass the time.

"I need to find some books, regarding... regarding 'The Influence of High-Frequency Oscillation on the Micro-Fatigue of Precision Metal Components'."

The female student rattled off the tongue-twisting topic at high speed, then added with a hint of dejection:

"I've been looking for three days. I've been to the library and several large bookstores, but the materials are either too old or just general overviews; I can't find any targeted, cutting-edge research.

My project report is due next week."

Her anxiety was almost palpable.

Gallo did not answer immediately; he closed his eyes slightly.

In an instant, his brain seemed to transform into a magnificent library reading room, where the phantom images of countless bookshelves from the forty-one bookstores on Lubo Lane rapidly rearranged and reorganized themselves.

Book titles, authors, publishers, and even the approximate colors of the covers and their specific locations were like soldiers awaiting inspection under an invisible commander, undergoing rapid cross-referencing and associative filtering.

"High-frequency oscillation," "metal fatigue," "precision components"... these keywords acted like keys, precisely inserting themselves into the keyholes of his memory.

A few seconds later, Gallo opened his eyes, his gaze resolute as he said:

"<Mechanical Fatigue: Theory and Frontier Applications>, by Morris Hopkins, has a third chapter specifically discussing crack initiation under vibration loads.

It's on the third shelf on the east side of the second floor at New Knowledge Journal Press, with a green spine."

His speech was steady and his articulation clear, with every word quickly recorded by the girl in front of him in her portable notebook.

"Applied Physics Review: Materials Volume, the second issue of this year, page 178, contains a short article titled Evolution of Alloy Surface Damage.

The data is very recent; it should still be in stock in the periodicals section of John Joe Bookstore."

The student's eyes brightened bit by bit, and those nearby could hear the rustling sound of her pen as she took notes at high speed.

"Also..." Gallo paused briefly, seemingly searching for more obscure information.

"On a corner shelf at Metallurgy Literature Bookstore, there is a copy of Case Analysis of Industrial Resonance Failure.

The cover is a bit worn; it's a publication from five years ago.

However, the content inside covers real-world cases of metal fatigue caused by specific frequency oscillations in industrial production.

Although the machinery and products differ between factories, the mechanism analysis should be quite enlightening for you."

These books were all ones Gallo had either read while helping others recently or had been shown by Stur and the others after they borrowed them from the university library.

Thus, for the student's needs, Gallo directly linked the content that matched her requirements.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" The student thanked him repeatedly, excitedly recording the information before quickly taking two Fenso coins from her wallet and placing them solemnly in front of Gallo. "This is for finding the books, thank you so much!"

Gallo smiled and tucked the coins away: "I wish you success in your research."

The student hurried away, her steps much lighter than when she had arrived.

Just as Gallo finished his work, the people around him whispered to one another, discussing the works Gallo had just mentioned.

Some who had read them affirmed Gallo's recommendations, and even though many had seen Gallo fulfill client requests and provide perfect solutions countless times, they still marveled at the scene that had just unfolded.

Gallo himself watched as the student sitting opposite him stood up to leave, and the chair was immediately occupied by another person who had been waiting behind her.

"Professor Vanason, I haven't seen you for the past two days." Gallo looked at the person sitting across from him—a professor from the history department at Imperial Industrial University.

The professor had hurried over, only to find Gallo already occupied with a client, leaving him no choice but to wait.

His face now bore an unconcealable anxiety, though the crowd around Gallo had grown significantly.

"Gallo." He didn't even bother with pleasantries, lowering his voice immediately: "Jeffrey has returned home, but his office has been almost completely cleared out!

All his materials, including his private collection of books that he treated like treasures, are gone!

I consulted the department head, but he only said that Jeffrey had filed for leave through the normal channels."

Perhaps sensing that this elder was a friend of Gallo's, the surrounding crowd consciously moved away, giving them space for a private conversation.

Even those who recognized Vanason as an authority in the university's history department did not dare to disturb him at such a moment.

Gallo could see Professor Vanason's unease and comforted him: "Didn't you hope earlier that Professor Jeffrey would take some leave to get some proper rest at home?

Perhaps Professor Jeffrey is just recuperating at home and adjusting his state of mind."

Professor Vanason shook his head: "It's not the same... even if he were going home, there would be no need to take all the materials and documents from his office."

Gallo thought for a moment and asked if he knew Professor Jeffrey's home address.

"Our offices are very close; unless one of us is away on business, we almost always run into each other during work hours, so we haven't visited each other's homes privately.

I only know which street he lives on, but the specific number..." Professor Vanason thought for a moment before continuing: "I can find that out at the university."

Gallo nodded and asked: "So, you haven't seen Professor Jeffrey at all these past two days?"

Professor Vanason sighed: "I haven't seen him since I returned his research notes on the ancient hieroglyphs of the Askia Dynasty.

He must have moved some things out of his office that same evening, and then entrusted a student to request leave for him at the department the next day."

Gallo reached into the left pocket of his jacket and, under Professor Vanason's gaze, pulled out a Fenso coin that looked perfectly ordinary to him.

"Professor, I would like to perform a divination for Professor Jeffrey to see if he is currently in a state of danger."

Vanason was stunned: "Divination?"

Gallo nodded affirmatively, then used his thumb to flick the coin into the air to the height of his brow. In Gallo's eyes, the coin looked like black gold, though it appeared normal to everyone else.

As the coin landed on the back of his hand, he immediately covered it with his other hand. Before tossing it, he had silently recited in his heart: "Is Professor Jeffrey currently in a state of danger?"

When he moved his hand away, the coin showed heads on the back of his hand.

This was the first time Gallo had used the coin divination method to divine the fate of the Law of Causality for someone else.

At the same time, he wanted to use Professor Vanason to verify whether the result of this divination was accurate.

Gallo took a deep breath, put the coin back into his pocket, and said solemnly: "Professor Jeffrey is in a dangerous situation."

"If you intend to visit his home, I suggest you do so as soon as possible."

Vanason looked at Gallo, his Adam's apple bobbing once as he swallowed, and he said blankly, "Is this the divination you performed? By using a coin?"

"But coin divination only has two outcomes, heads or tails; no matter how you look at it, it's fifty-fifty!"

Gallo smiled and said, "The success rate of my divination is extremely high. I am even considering adding divination services to my cards as a future offering."

"The fee will be entirely at the client's discretion."

Professor Vanason gave a light cough. As a university professor, he was not particularly interested in divination, but any diviner who tried to fool clients by flipping coins would certainly never earn a single cent in service fees.

He stood up, deciding to return to the university immediately to inquire about Professor Jeffrey's home address. As for the result of the divination Gallo had just performed, Professor Vanason did not take it to heart in the slightest.

In his eyes, Gallo was an eccentric with an extraordinary memory and an uncanny ability to read and learn. For someone with such superhuman capabilities, having a few minor quirks was harmless.

After Vanason left, looking deeply troubled, another person sat down in front of Gallo's stall.

The man was slightly plump, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and had a genial smile plastered on his face.

"Mr. Gallo, I am the owner of Aofan Bookstore, Moron Aofan." His tone was polite, perhaps even a bit humble.

"Business at the shop has improved quite a bit lately, especially regarding books on obscure subjects. It is all thanks to your recommendations."

Gallo understood immediately. By directing university students to specific books over the past few days, he had inadvertently become the best salesman on the street.

"You are too kind, Mr. Aofan. I only did what was expected of me." Gallo remained polite.

In truth, the moment the man sat down, Gallo had already recognized him; after all, he had gone to his shop to apply for a job just last week, only to be rejected outright.

"No, no, this is definitely to your credit." The owner of Aofan Bookstore rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice, "I see you out here every day, exposed to the wind and sun, and it truly looks exhausting."

"How about coming to work at my shop instead?"

"I will offer you the position of acting manager, with a daily wage of fifteen Copper Nil!"

"The work is easy, the shop assistants will handle the chores, and you will only need to help look after the store. In your spare time, you can still read as much as you like!"