Evening Rest: All of You, Get Busy

[You have received an additional reward:]

[3. Friend of Low-Grade Sealed Artifacts] [The initial Affection of all Sealed Artifacts you encounter from now on increases by 0.5. This effect can stack.]

When Faith was maxed out, the reward for maxing out Affection ultimately changed from choosing one of three to choosing all three.

But not every object had this property... For example, the cane in his hand had remained at 100 Affection all along. No Faith notification had appeared, and it had shown no attitude or behavior indicative of faith.

Yize and the others would probably be busy tonight, and Xie Yu couldn't really get involved in what they had to do. He might as well focus on himself.

Xie Yu turned his thoughts away from the affairs of the nobles and the Education Bureau and considered his own ability.

The key to getting all the rewards seems to be permanent animation. Permanent animation lets the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll cast magic like a person, and Faith appeared at the same time.

But permanent animation never showed up for any of the other objects before. It wasn't among the rewards when I won over the test paper, the cloak, or the cane. Is it something special about Sealed Artifacts?

He studied the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll.

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 (Faith 100) is embarrassed by your gaze. It both wants to avoid your eyes and doesn't want to avoid them. It complains:]

[I'm completely unable to resist. All I can do is let Master look me over from head to toe...]

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Xie Yu slapped the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll.

You may be a human-shaped pendant that doesn't wear clothes, but you can't put it so weirdly.

Besides, it wasn't as if it couldn't resist. At least now, it could fly away if it wanted to.

"Get back to your book and learn some more magic."

Xie Yu put it back beside the wind-element magic book from before and urged it on.

[I don't want to study. I can already fly, and I've eaten that old thing. Besides, unlike you humans, I don't need to take exams for magic apprentice, mage, Magister, or professional certification...]

It lay down on the desk. Though it couldn't move, it looked thoroughly lazy.

"Your ability to substitute your life for mine isn't actually that useful to me. You need to be a little more useful," Xie Yu prodded it.

It seemed somewhat moved. Perhaps it had remembered the fate of "Knowledge Magic from Apprentice to Sage..." Wind stirred the pages, turning to a new one.

It continued to dawdle:

[But I don't know what I should learn. I don't know which spells I need to master, and I don't understand when to use magic. Master, I'm so lost.]

What are you so lost about? You don't expect me, a human who isn't even a magic apprentice, to guide you, a Sealed Artifact equivalent to a four-star mage, in your magical training, do you?

You need to take the initiative.

Xie Yu raised an eyebrow and tried a different approach:

"I order you to master magic!"

The wind element around the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll shuddered. It stopped rambling, and the poor little pendant began practicing spells in its thin, feeble voice.

If the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll could improve its spellcasting, then besides owning a Sealed Artifact, Xie Yu would also have the equivalent of a four-star mage as a personal bodyguard.

"At the very least, reach a level close to your strength. Learn whatever you like. Take your pick from this set of books; they contain basic spells from every field. Once you find a field that interests you, if you want more specialized and comprehensive books, I'll find a way to get them for you."

Xie Yu's expression softened, and he smiled encouragingly.

Give it a reward, encouragement, and emotional support when it obeys, and it will develop a habit of being obedient, just like training a kitten or puppy...

Xie Yu was still thinking about how to train a Sealed Artifact when the chanting stopped after his gentle encouragement.

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 sees your smile and feels that something about it isn't quite right. It feels more at ease when you give it orders.]

[After hesitating, it musters its courage and says to you:]

[Master, when you don't give me orders, I don't think I feel safe.]

[When Master smiles, I can't read Master's heart. I remember how you smiled at the book, at Fry, and at Wig Brown. Your smile is so mysterious, Master... But when you give me an order, I understand that at least the order is definite, useful, and must be carried out...]

[At least while I'm carrying out an order, I won't be thrown away.]

Xie Yu's expression stiffened slightly.

He hadn't expected the Sealed Artifact to rate his carefully prepared "encouragement" and "training" lower than simply shouting an order.

It was utterly disheartening.

Is the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll really mentally sound? Doesn't it need to see a psychiatrist? I only spent a short day with it before; that shouldn't have changed a normal Sealed Artifact so much. The only explanation is that this is its nature.

The thought of a psychiatrist reminded him of Kaiming. Wig Brown was already dead, which was some consolation for Kaiming.

Xie Yu mourned Black Pine City's best psychiatrist for a while, then wiped the cane clean and set it down neatly, thinking that perhaps he could visit the cabin later. The cabin's Affection was nearly maxed out too.

[The loyal solid-wood cane (Affection 100) asks:]

[I think I can read books too.]

"What would you read books for?" Xie Yu asked in surprise.

It was just a beautiful solid-wood cane, not a magic staff or a Sealed Artifact. It was completely unrelated to magic, one could say. Even if it could understand words and magical knowledge, it couldn't possibly cast spells.

After learning of the fake Kaiming's death, the cane had begun addressing Xie Yu more respectfully.

[Sir, I only want to do things for you. I have a very good memory. I can help you read books, if you need me to.]

Xie Yu had been about to say there was no need, but on second thought, the cane's suggestion was rather interesting.

Of everything his ability brought him, besides the rewards for winning objects over, the value of the objects themselves was not to be underestimated either.

For example, helping him read books.

Xie Yu felt his pocket, then took out the [gentle fountain pen (Affection 100)]. This fellow seemed to have a good memory too.

"Help me read books. That's right, you can help me read books. Go through them and look for anything about Sealed Artifacts, then tell me about it when you're done."

"Besides, I'm a magical genius who scored a hundred points. A magical genius certainly needs to master a considerable amount of magical knowledge. As it happens, you can help me master it."

It would be like reading several times as many books in the same amount of time.

[The gentle fountain pen (Affection 100) says in surprise:]

[I have to read too?]

[All right, as long as it's something Xiao Yu needs, I'm happy to help. But how am I supposed to turn the pages? The book will be open on the desk, so I'd have to float up to see it...]

"Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll, I order you to use magic to make this pen and this cane float and help them turn the pages. Pen, read this book on the void domain. Cane, read this book on the earth and soil domain."

Xie Yu promptly solved the problem.

The Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll was thrown into a fluster. It was still unpracticed with the wind-element magic it had just learned, and Xie Yu's complex instruction required it to handle several things at once. It struggled to keep up.

Fortunately, its mental and soul power were strong enough to support the precision and accuracy of its spellcasting. After a little practice, it ultimately carried out Xie Yu's instructions perfectly.

At the desk, the pen and cane floated in the air, several books lay open, and the wind blew past from time to time, turning their pages.

Xie Yu was very pleased with this!

The books were very displeased.

[The lonely book (void element) complains:]

[Hey, we don't want the wind blowing on us. We want hands to turn our pages! Wind is cold, but hands are warm! (Affection has dropped to 30)]

Only "Dream Magic from Apprentice to Sage..." was being read by Xie Yu himself, and its Affection was still rising rapidly.

[The lonely book (dream element) (Affection 85) lies lazily in your hands and offers a terrible suggestion:]

[If the wind is cold, warm them up by a fire.]

[I've heard a nice warm fire is really toasty.]

Warm books by a fire?

Given how crude the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll's spellcasting was right now, a report of a fire would probably appear in tomorrow's Black Pine City newspaper, right next to the news of his perfect score.

These books really show no mercy to their companions.

Xie Yu took another look at the many objects on him to see if any were still idle.

The Affection of several articles of clothing had been maxed out from the start because he wore them against his body, but they didn't seem very educated and might not know many words... Still, perhaps he could try.

The two gold coins Kaiming had given him had been in his pocket all along. He hadn't had time to win them over, but their Affection had reached 30 from being close to him. Still, winning over these two little fellows didn't seem very meaningful, since he might spend them at any time.

That evening, after washing up.

Xie Yu changed into the spare clothes Fry had provided during the day (Affection 0). He washed his original clothes, whose Affection was 100, and dried them with the inn's hot-air magic array. Then he lined them up on the clothes rack and asked them with an encouraging look:

"Which of you can read books?"

[Steadfast white shirt (Affection 100): What are books?]

[Lazy outer jacket (Affection 100): What is reading?]

[Silent trousers (Affection 100): ...?]