join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
I was so foolish, truly. I only knew that I needed to follow the Captain's instructions while on the Golden Dream, but I never expected to still need to study after leaving the ship.
Looking at the book list, which contained at least thirty books by a rough count, my brain trembled, and my already weak legs instantly felt even weaker.
Captain, I might not live to see the day I return to the Golden Dream.
— Danitz, Final Words.
Well, the above content was just a joke, but Danitz was indeed completely dumbfounded at this moment. His eyes were fixed on the book list, and he subconsciously counted it from top to bottom.
One, two, three… thirty-two, thirty-three?
Thirty-three books?
I can't even finish one book a day!
Danitz was genuinely on the verge of tears. He looked at the smiling Lin Ruo, forced a smile that was uglier than crying, and almost gathered all his courage to say, "But… but I don't have these books…"
"It's fine, I have them. I can lend them to you," Lin Ruo said with a smile. He had kept rubbings of most of the books he borrowed from the Church of the Evernight Goddess, so he certainly wasn't lacking in study materials.
"But, but thirty-three books are too many. I might not be able to finish them in a month. Can it… can it be fewer?" Danitz's voice grew softer and softer, and the courage he had painstakingly gathered completely dissipated after he finished speaking.
He didn't dare not to study, after all, he didn't want to have his legs broken by Wayne and be thrown into the sea to feed the fish. But Danitz truly felt that studying so much in one month would lead to sudden death.
It was too terrifying.
Even the Captain hadn't forced him to study so much in one month.
Lin Ruo, however, was completely unmoved. He smiled and said, "Why don't you take a closer look at this book list? Do you feel that many of these books are very familiar?"
"Huh?" Danitz was stunned. He almost subconsciously looked at the book list again, staring at the titles. His gaze was initially full of confusion, then he seemed to recall something and showed a reminiscent expression, finally realizing, "It seems I've already studied many of these books."
"Of course. This list was specially prepared for you based on my understanding of you. Most of them are just basic mysticism books, which you must have encountered."
Lin Ruo nodded, looking at Danitz with a warm and brilliant smile, and said, "Actually, you only truly need to start from scratch with about six books. As for the rest, as long as you weren't slacking off when you studied them before, it's just a simple review. How about it? Isn't this study task very easy?"
It seems very easy… not at all!
Bullshit, who can finish six books in a month? It's not like reading novels!
Danitz cursed inwardly, but on the surface, he still forced a smile and said, "It's really easy… Haha."
"Right, you also think it's very easy," Lin Ruo also smiled, his smile pleasant and radiant. "So, we'll agree on this: if after a month, you haven't finished them…"
Lin Ruo intentionally paused, watching Danitz's nervous expression, then said word by word:
"I might go chat with your Captain about your study problems, and also discuss whether liking someone can speed up learning, and what she thinks about a man liking a woman who is stronger than himself and can step on him."
Danitz: …
Ahhhhhh!
At this moment, Danitz's heart was completely filled with marmot-like screams. He didn't even care how Wayne knew about his preferences; there was only one thought in his mind—absolutely, absolutely cannot let this happen.
Otherwise, he wouldn't need to return to the Golden Dream in the future; he might as well find a sea area and drown himself.
As for whether Wayne would actually do that?
Don't be ridiculous. She had no qualms about messing with her own students. Danitz didn't think Wayne would go easy on him if he didn't meet the goal after a month.
"I'll finish them!"
At this moment, Danitz's expression was more resolute than ever, and his eyes seemed to burn with flames.
Lin Ruo, of course, was not surprised by this.
No one wants to be publicly shamed in front of the person they like, let alone a simp like Danitz.
So, to avoid this, they will inevitably put in their full effort.
The more Danitz liked Vice Admiral Iceberg, the harder he would work in his upcoming studies.
And this was the effect Lin Ruo wanted.
He wasn't simply persecuting Danitz by doing all this, although persecution was indeed enjoyable. But if it were purely for persecution, how could he have tailored a book list for Danitz so early?
In fact, one of the reasons Lin Ruo came to the Five Seas this time and sought out Danitz as a guide was to use this opportunity to cultivate Danitz.
Lin Ruo actually quite liked this lively character and had no objection to cultivating him towards becoming a Divine Emissary of the Church of the Fool, as in the original work. But since he was to become The Fool's Divine Emissary, various mystical knowledge naturally could not be neglected.
Otherwise, wouldn't it be ridiculous for a dignified Divine Emissary of The Fool to not have fully mastered even a few common mystical languages of the extraordinary world?
Considering Danitz's almost simple-minded personality, which might make it difficult for him to digest the Conspirer potion, Lin Ruo even developed a role-playing plan specifically for this aspect.
As for the Conspirer potion, Lin Ruo had digested it before. Role-playing, to put it plainly, didn't require Danitz to truly grow eight hundred extra eyes and become an old Conspirer. He just needed to act the part well enough and carry out a few significant conspiracies.
To digest the Conspirer potion, the key points are, first, conspiracy, and second, feedback or imagination from those caught in the conspiracy. Both of these can be manipulated.
For example, when Klein plans to act against Admiral of Blood and others in the future, letting Danitz play some important roles in it, making him unconsciously become the driving force of the event, and then letting the victims know about it afterward, allowing Danitz to realize that he inadvertently completed a conspiracy, can help Danitz digest the Conspirer potion to a certain extent.
— This kind of unconscious role-playing is feasible, as long as actions consistent with the role are genuinely performed. In the original work, after Klein reached Sequence 6, many of the potions he drank involved unconscious pre-digestion, and the Cryptic Servant almost melted upon consumption.
Unlike Klein, Lin Ruo's demands for Danitz weren't that high. He only hoped that in the future, the other party could stand on his own and not disgrace the Church of the Fool. As for Sequence, it would be best if he could advance to the demigod level, but if not, Sequence 5 would suffice.
Alas, I am truly a great person. Danitz is so lucky to have met me.
Lin Ruo sighed in his heart, shamelessly praising himself, then looked towards the door and said with a smile, "How long are you going to stand outside the door? I don't remember teaching you to eavesdrop."
"I just felt that the situation just now wasn't suitable for me to enter, and I wasn't eavesdropping."
Klein pushed open the door. Having already put on his Gehrman persona, he naturally paid attention to maintaining his character. His gaze almost subconsciously fell on the book list in Danitz's hand, then quickly moved away, feeling sympathy for Danitz for a second.
If he remembered correctly, Lin Ruo had said before coming to the Five Seas that this book list was for three months of Danitz's study.
One could only say, he was asking for it.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr