Ch. 981Learn Another Skill
Chapter Summary: “Learn Another Skill”
Key Plot Points and Events
- Nameless observes the Scholar Foundation’s discussion of Plan B, realizing it cannot be stopped unless he solves the Great Wilderness crisis within a week.
- Plan B involves exploiting the weaknesses and desires of wicked individuals, binding them through contracts so they cannot act recklessly. Though morally questionable, Nameless acknowledges its effectiveness.
- Nameless considers negotiating with Daji if no better solution appears. Daji wants the Great Wilderness preserved and granted autonomous rule after the Eternal Silence Prison Tower is repaired.
- To strengthen himself, Nameless uses several SS Skill Stones. He learns:
- Path of Radiance, a high-speed movement and evasion technique that resembles spatial blinking.
- Golden Thread Binding, which creates sharp, durable golden threads throughout any area covered by his Mental Strength, allowing him to restrain or kill enemies.
- He notes that, unlike his previously learned SSS skills, these SS skills lack Proficiency, making them initially rigid and difficult to control. He will need to train them manually.
- After learning and testing the skills, Nameless leaves the inn with Shui’er. They go toward a scorpion-meat restaurant near Fragrant Stone Hall, giving Nameless an opportunity to observe who enters and exits the hall during the day.
Character Developments
- Nameless becomes more urgent and pragmatic because of the one-week deadline. He accepts that negotiation with Daji may be necessary and focuses on increasing his combat abilities while investigating the Great Wilderness.
- He demonstrates growing mastery of his powers by carefully analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each new skill.
- Shui’er remains cheerful and food-loving, eagerly anticipating the scorpion meat, contrasting with Nameless’s serious concerns.
Significant Themes
- Ends versus means: The Scholar Foundation’s coercive Plan B is ethically reprehensible but effective, raising questions about whether immoral methods can be justified by necessary results.
- Power and vulnerability: Even evil individuals possess attachments and desires that can be used against them.
- Preparation and adaptation: Nameless responds to the crisis by expanding his abilities and learning to use unfamiliar techniques.
- Urgency versus patience: His previous willingness to investigate slowly is replaced by haste after the threat of Plan B emerges.
- Autonomy and negotiation: Daji’s demands introduce the possibility of preserving the Great Wilderness through political compromise rather than direct conflict.
Character Interactions
- Nameless internally weighs the Scholar Foundation’s decision and considers negotiating with Daji, though he knows the Foundation’s scholars would ultimately conduct those negotiations.
- He tests his new skills alone, comparing their limited initial control with the flexibility of his Proficiency-enhanced abilities.
- While traveling, Nameless and Shui’er share a lighthearted exchange about trying scorpion meat. Beneath this ordinary outing, Nameless is deliberately positioning himself near Fragrant Stone Hall to continue his investigation.