Reading? Or Putting on a Show?

Looking at the book's title, Ye Jin was utterly baffled.

The name was too long and too awkward to say.

And it did not belong among books on nautical vessels at all.

One was about seafaring vessels; the other was about sailing through the stars.

The two sounded similar.

But in reality, they were worlds apart.

"Interstellar Voyage Cruiser Conceptual Design Theory and Applications."

Every word in it looked incredibly impressive.

But put together, they were a complete mess.

Interstellar voyages, cruisers—and it was all conceptual design.

All in all, the title told him one thing: it existed only in the realm of fantasy and theory and was fucking useless!

If it were useful, it would have been put into practice long ago. Why leave it gathering dust in a corner?

Even so, he picked up the book.

Because those words on the cover had struck a nerve.

Interstellar voyage cruiser.

If one could be built, would the cosmic invaders... still be a problem?

A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

He began flipping through it.

What would happen if he mastered this book?

A frightening thought suddenly occurred to him.

No way!

If I really use my talent skill to learn this book, then... could a star voyage cruiser actually be built?

The thought took root and grew wildly in his mind.

It left him itching to know.

Even his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Even though he knew it was only fantasy.

He could not resist gambling on that one-in-ten-thousand chance.

If he won that gamble... he would surely give the cosmic invaders a "great big" surprise.

He flipped through the pages rapidly.

His eyes swept over the text ten lines at a glance.

For his talent skill, a single glance was enough. Once he finished the book, he could spend Talent Points to learn it.

The entire island was covered with densely packed high-tech nano cameras.

The library was no exception.

The footage had already begun switching as soon as he entered.

When Ye Jin pulled out the book, viewers all over the world saw it clearly.

Especially when he sat quietly at the desk and began leafing through that book on cruisers.

Who knew how many people's eyes nearly popped out?

The viewers only saw him take out a book.

They could not make out the words written on it.

And since they were in Chinese, they did not understand them either.

They only thought the title was rather long.

Beside him, Brian translated in a measured voice. "Everyone must be curious about what Ye Jin is reading. Let me explain. The book is called 'Star Voyage Cruiser Conceptual Design and Applications.'"

"It's somewhat like... one of our science fiction novels!"

His tone sounded normal, but it also carried a hint of malice.

He had finally found something to attack.

Although that flaw would not have counted as a flaw at all in anyone else—it was only reading a science fiction novel.

But Ye Jin had long since been given a different significance.

Anything about him would be magnified infinitely.

"I thought he went to the library to study. Turns out he's here to read science fiction, hehehe!"

"Has he finally shown his true colors? I thought he came to the library to read and study. And here I was, admiring him so much and wanting to follow his example and work hard to get into Harvard University. I never expected he was here to escape reality. I'm no longer a fan."

Some vicious remarks used praise as a weapon.

People chimed in with comments one after another.

The Nine Domains Nation viewers had already found these people an eyesore, and they fired back without mercy.

"What's wrong with reading science fiction? Don't you read novels? Besides, host, you don't understand the breadth and depth of Nine Domains Nation culture at all. If your Nine Domain language skills aren't up to scratch, don't go translating things at random."

"Can you even understand those words? This isn't a science fiction novel. It's a design theory for humanity's future voyages among the stars. You're really uncultured."

After being called uncultured by the people snapping back at him, Brian's face turned alternately pale and ashen.

But he was the host and knew how to keep control, so the displeasure on his face vanished in a flash.

"Oh, so that's how it is. It seems I misjudged contestant Ye Jin. But the things mentioned in this book would be very difficult to realize, wouldn't they? Science fiction is science fiction in the end. You shouldn't get too absorbed in it."

"Still, he's reading far too quickly, a page every few seconds. Bite off more than you can chew, and you won't digest it."

Without being either too soft or too forceful, he pushed the nail back at them.

A crowd followed his lead.

"Is that reading? I'd bet my son has no asshole that Ye Jin's just doing it aimlessly and isn't taking it seriously at all."

"I thought he was so diligent. Turns out he's only pretending to be serious."

"That title-can humans build ships for interstellar travel? The author who wrote this book must be an idiot, right?"

"Probably daydreaming. Wait another five hundred years and maybe they'll be able to build one, hahaha."

"Hahaha, maybe so. Isn't there supposed to be a spaceship in Sea Eagle Country's Area 51? Did this nano camera technology come from there?"

"Could Ye Jin be planning to build a spaceship of his own based on the one in Area 51? I can't wait! How many years do you think it'll take him? Fifty, a hundred, five hundred?"

"Maybe the faster he flips through the book, the faster he'll build it."

The Nine Domains Nation viewers did not want to bother with these people whose brains had bubbles in them.

They concentrated on watching the livestream.

Ye Jin rapidly flipped through the book in his hands.

The contents of the book were indeed just as its title suggested.

It was a proposal for building a cruiser in a future age of star voyages.

It divided the warship's various components into detailed design sections.

These included seven major sections: the exterior design system, propulsion and energy system, defense system, weapons guidance system, life support system, living system, and command system.

These seven sections formed the basic components of a future interstellar warship.

There were still many shortcomings in this conceptual design theory, but the wild ideas in it left him in awe of the original author.

This was nothing short of a superweapon from the world of the future.

If someone possessed a star cruiser like this, they could step outside the governments of the world and stand on their own.

And the various ideas in it were enough to make his blood surge just from reading them.

It was as though he were already in the futuristic superworld described within.

Just as he turned to the last page, an electronic notification suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Learn 'Star Voyage Cruiser Conceptual Design Theory and Applications'? Upon successful learning, Talent Points will decrease by fifty."

Ye Jin abruptly raised his head, a brilliant gleam shooting from his eyes.

Finally... it's here!

"Learn!"

"Ding! Learning initiated! Talent Points decreased by fifty. One thousand two hundred and eighty remaining."

Just after he finished clicking to learn.

A vast amount of knowledge instantly entered his mind, all of it content he had just read.

It appeared in his mind without the slightest discrepancy. Everything was perfectly clear, and he could recite it backward.

Yet disappointment showed in his eyes.

What he wanted was not to be able to recite it backward, but an actual warship design.

Just as he was feeling disappointed.

Another notification sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Incomplete design theory from a level-three civilization detected. Seventy percent complete. Meets the requirements."

"Ding! Spend one thousand Talent Points to unlock the level-three civilization knowledge base and obtain one star cruiser warship blueprint."

Brothers and sisters, it's the last part of the day again! If you still have recommendation tickets, hurry and send them in! Thank you, big shots!