Sitting in his chair, Arthur's mind raced-
Suppose [Ei a] was a script unique to the Mystical Side, reserved for its use.
Then people on the Mystical Side should be familiar with [Ei a].
At the very least, they should have mastered the basics.
In Malinda's eyes, he should belong to the Mystical Side and should have mastered basic [Ei a]. Yet she had still sent him basic [Ei a] as payment.
This certainly wasn't a matter of her being so stingy that she wanted to pass off something inferior.
From what he knew of this lady, she was quite generous in her dealings. She would never play tricks with something as crucial to their cooperation as payment.
Then was this a test?
Instinctively, Arthur imagined the embarrassing scene that would unfold if he went to her with the excuse, "Would a genuine member of the Mystical Side not know basic [Ei a]? Including basic [Ei a] in the payment violates your original promise."
He would definitely be the one embarrassed!
Because, given this lady's style, she would never leave such an obvious loophole.
In other words, the remaining book not only had to fulfill her original promise of matching the value of the complete [Swiftbird Swordsmanship], but also had to make the inclusion of basic [Ei a] so reasonable that no one could object.
Of course, it would be even better if he failed to notice this test at all.
As a suspicion rose in Arthur's mind, his tapping fingers suddenly paused.
Without hesitation, Arthur reached out and picked up the other book.
[Ei a (advanced) detected. Evaluating...] [Mastery of Ei a (basic) not detected. Evaluation failed!]
Looking at the notifications before him, Arthur inwardly sighed as his suspicion was confirmed.
What a cunning partner!
Giving