The Joint Investigation Bureau cafeteria was past mealtime, with only a few agents scattered around.
Carlo poked at the pile of pale yellow mashed potatoes in the plate with his fork, then picked out a boiled potato with its skin on and arranged it neatly on the iron plate. "I suspect that the Joint Investigation Bureau not only suffered from dumping, but also signed a wager agreement, the kind where if they don't finish the inventory, they'll send Parker to a marriage alliance."
Isaac and Li Jiehao sat down opposite him. Li Jiehao looked at the food on his plate, his eyes lighting up. "So much delicious food?"
"The cafeteria has unlimited food, as long as you can eat your fill."
Li Jiehao had already forked a piece of boiled potato and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing a few times. "It's actually quite delicious, much better than I expected. I thought it would taste terrible because you described it that way."
"Eat more if you like it."
"Potatoes can't be too bad no matter how you cook them, right? Baked, boiled, fried, mashed, they're all good..." Li Jiehao forked another piece. "Besides, potatoes have gone down in price lately, so I can finally afford some decent food."
"A few days before that, we could only eat black bread, which had some unknown stuff mixed in it. It was so hard it could hit you, and we had to soak it in water to soften it. Occasionally, we'd open a can of food, but as soon as we opened the lid, we'd lose our appetite... Ugh, what kind of life was that?"
"That's true. Compared to black bread and canned food, the Joint Investigation Bureau's potatoes are definitely a luxury."
"Black bread, canned food..." Isaac thought for a moment. When he was in Palmer, his adoptive father was a university professor. Although he wasn't particularly wealthy, his daily expenses were not a problem. He had seen those tin cans in the grocery store, but he had never bought them.
"These two are considered staple foods at the bottom of the food supply," Carlo said. "Black bread is even cheaper than potatoes. After the northern trade routes were opened, large quantities of rye were imported from there, driving down the price. As for canned goods, Vista has several canning plants that specialize in buying ingredients that are about to spoil from the market and processing them into canned goods that can be stored for a long time."
Li Jiehao slowed his chewing. "Huh? Ingredients that are about to spoil. I knew it tasted awful, and it's barely shaped..."
"The advantage is that it can fill your stomach, has a long shelf life, and doesn't require cooking; it's ready to eat straight from the can. For those without a kitchen, this is a very practical solution. At the same time, Ta Kung Pao has laws to stabilize the prices of these protected food items, not only by setting price limits but also by recycling them. You can take the empty cans to a recycling center and exchange them for new cans at a discounted price."
"Damn, I didn't know!" Li Jiehao's eyes widened. "I threw away all those tin cans... I was wondering why someone was watching me throw out the trash and even rummaging through my things..."
On the bright side, you're also benefiting others.
"I think I'm the one who needs to be taken advantage of..." Li Jiehao pouted.
"Alright, let's get down to business. I've already spoken to Parker about your future arrangements. You're now considered an unofficial member of Section Nine, with access to the Joint Investigation Bureau building, the cafeteria, and basic equipment."
Li Jiehao nodded repeatedly. "So what exactly do I need to do?"
" Asa can skip physical training and start learning Spirit Vision directly. As for you, you'll have to work on your physical fitness while you're at it, to get that little body in shape first. Your Constitution is 5, which is a bit below average. If something really happens, you won't even be able to run away."
Li Jiehao looked at his skinny arms. "8 o'clock... how long will that take to train?"
"Who knows? Some people can't get up even after training like crazy, while others' weight gain skyrockets just from a slight improvement in their diet." Carlo waved his fork. "Run a short distance every day to get your cardiovascular system in shape, and once you're a bit stronger, you can do some strength training."
"I'm afraid I'll run and run through time again..."
"Then take it easy. Nobody's racing you. If you really collapse, have Fenri do CPR on you."
Are you serious?!
Isaac tried to imagine Fenri performing CPR on Li Jiehao... well, he couldn't quite picture it.
"Anyway, I've found you a rehabilitation coach to get rid of your malnutrition first, and we'll talk about the rest later. I've spoken to the Joint Investigation Bureau instructor; you'll go there every morning for two hours of training. But don't expect to see results in a week; you'll need to stick with it for at least a month or two to see noticeable changes."
"Understood, understood, I'll definitely practice hard." Li Jiehao nodded repeatedly, then thought for a moment, "What about Spirit Vision? I want to learn that too."
Carlo glanced at him. " Spirit Vision puts a lot of mental strain on people, and those with weak Spirit Vision are prone to fainting if they force themselves to activate it. However, you can go with Asa to Moran to attend a basic course and understand the concepts."
Li Jiehao turned to Isaac: "Big brother, can you help me out?"
"I'll take you with me when I go." Isaac nodded.
"However, the foundation of Spirit Vision is meditation, and the foundation of meditation is the ability to calm the mind. See how long you can sit still first," Carlo said.
"No problem, I can sit still all day while playing games!"
"Meditation and playing video games are not the same thing."
"Oh, so I can just daydream in class for a whole period of time!"
"Tsk, keep your voice down. Is this something to be proud of?" Carlo turned to Isaac. "And you, how was your meditation this afternoon? You didn't come out for ages to see me collapsed. I guess you only finished meditating when Jacob arrived."
Isaac touched his nose. "I accidentally fell asleep."
" Asa, oh Asa, you have fallen! How can you fall asleep while meditating?"
"Cough... but I did think about some things before falling asleep, like where that court wizard's claim came from."
Carlo raised an eyebrow. "Have you come to any conclusions?"
"No, I just fell asleep while thinking about it." Isaac paused. "But I had a dream after I fell asleep, it was quite strange, but I can't remember it."
I can't remember what you said.
"But I feel that dream wasn't an ordinary dream," Isaac said thoughtfully. "After waking up from this dream, it felt like something was left behind, or... it was always there, and was suddenly discovered."
Li Jiehao, listening nearby, said, "Could it be a precognitive dream? I've seen this kind of plot in novels all the time, where people dream about things that will happen in the future..."
"Who knows?" Carlo shrugged. "But Asa's situation is certainly worth noting."
"Dreams are a complex field in mysticism. Some dreams are just byproducts of the brain processing memories, some dreams are the awakening of something on your spiritual level, and some dreams... are other things connecting with you through dreams."
Isaac frowned. "Boss, which category do you think my dream falls into?"
"You can't even remember, how am I supposed to judge?" Carlo shrugged. "But since you care, next time you meditate, you can try actively recalling the details to see if you can grasp more."
"Active backtracking?"
"If this dream wasn't random, and it truly bears some mark on your spiritual level, then try replicating the pre-existing conditions that led to this dream; you might be able to have the same dream again."