Behind the myth

Xia Lun pinched the yellowed page and carefully turned it.

His newly acquired skill, "Text Sense," could only translate a limited number of characters, so if he wanted to grasp the book's key points today, he would have to employ a few reading techniques.

Judging by the book's foreword, Isoville wrote in a very structured manner. His text generally followed a "summary, elaboration, summary" pattern, which meant Xia Lun could use that habit to quickly locate the important passages.

Xia Lun took out a charcoal pencil and the Black Notebook the captain had left behind. He opened the notebook to its final page, then swiftly copied out excerpts and systematically arranged the key information from the thick cowhide-bound book in chronological order.

The charcoal pencil rustled across the paper. Outside the window, the sunlight slowly shifted as time passed.

After a while, Xia Lun flexed his aching wrist and set down his pencil in satisfaction.

"Finally got all the important information sorted out." He picked up his coffee and took a small sip. "Lucky timing, too. Just as I finished copying everything, Text Sense reached its translation limit."

He rested for a moment, then picked up the Black Notebook and leisurely read through the material he had organized.

"Isoville was originally a prince of the Moen People, but he lost all his honors and was exiled by their council of elders. He left the tribe with his 93 followers, only to be shipwrecked during their journey and stranded on the Deserted Island."

"On the Deserted Island, they built a Shelter, but soon came under attack from Salt Monsters. With nowhere left to turn, they reached the edge of the Sacrifice Cave, and then a miracle occurred."

"At their most desperate moment, a man claiming to be from the future climbed