After Dorothy confirmed her prayer, the dialogue box-like thing suddenly disappeared, and then the surrounding environment suddenly shifted.
In the originally calm and undisturbed room, a small whirlwind suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The flickering candle was instantly blown out, the lingering smoke was dispersed, the outer circle of the magic array drawn with ash was blown into a regular expanding spiral, and the cloak Dorothy wore rustled for a moment, while the 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) symbol drawn in the center of the magic array remained unchanged.
This wind that rose from the ground lasted for a moment and then immediately stopped. When the wind stopped, the candle was extinguished, the incense was not burning, and the magic array drawn with accumulated ash was also blown away, while Dorothy, who was kneeling, slowly stood up within the magic array. At this moment, her gaze was clear and her thoughts were like a mirror.
"Is this, an Extraordinary?"
Looking at her hands, Dorothy murmured, she had clearly felt the changes happening within her.
Now, Dorothy felt her thoughts were clearer and brighter than ever before. Her attention could be easily focused and dispersed, her mental energy was greatly improved, and her whole person felt refreshed and invigorated. Her mind had never been this clear.
"This is the Student rank Extraordinary of the 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) path, named 'Knower'... Compared to the 'Cup' which strengthens vitality and the body, 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) has strengthened my mental energy and thinking ability..."
After the promotion ended, Dorothy seemed to know the name of her current rank and its corresponding abilities as if she had received a revelation.
"Now, I can go and experiment a little..."
Dorothy smiled and muttered to herself. Having just been promoted to an Extraordinary, she wanted to verify her extraordinary abilities. However, when she put on her hood and walked out of the room with a stylish smile, she suddenly thought of something, looked back at the residual ritual site behind her, and then sheepishly ran back to take out the new small broom and dustpan from her bag and began to clean up.
After spending half the day finally cleaning up the ritual site meticulously, the tired Dorothy wiped the sweat from her forehead and couldn't help but complain in her heart.
'Phew... The first thing after becoming an Extraordinary is physical labor... This damn 'Knower' doesn't add any physical strength at all...'
After cleaning up the ritual site, Dorothy quickly left the small woods. After walking one kilometer, she arrived at the fishing spot by the river. Exhausted and panting, she finally got on a carriage and returned all the way back to the Igwinte City.
Through the carriage window, Dorothy looked at the pedestrians coming and going along the road and the dazzling billboards. Finally, the carriage stopped in front of a bookstore. Dorothy got off the carriage and walked directly into the bookstore, picked up a rather thick tap dance instruction book, and found a quiet, unoccupied seat to sit down.
Dorothy quietly read the book in her seat, her posture focused and natural, no different from other people who came to the bookstore to read... except for the incredibly fast speed at which she turned the pages.
A page full of words, Dorothy would glance at it seven or eight times and then immediately turn the page. After that, it was roughly the same speed. At first glance, it looked like she was just casually flipping through the book for fun... However, she had actually read all the content on every page, which was one of the extraordinary abilities she had gained.
The "Knower" possesses thinking power and mental energy that surpasses ordinary people, which brings powerful learning ability. When reading, she can read ten lines at a glance, greatly compress learning time, and easily understand the content of books.
In just half an hour, Dorothy finished reading the entire poetry collection. Then she closed her eyes and recalled the content of the book, remembering almost every word without missing anything. What's more, she also recalled the pedestrians and billboards she saw on the roadside in the carriage on the way here. Even now, she could remember the content on the billboards and the appearance of the pedestrians, remembering even their every movement and expression clearly. Every strand of hair on a small dog's body and every wrinkle on an old man's face were close at hand, as if they were ultra-clear images that could be retrieved and viewed in her mind at any time.
This is the powerful short-term memory brought by the "Knower". Basically, Dorothy can remember everything she has seen and heard within half a day, no matter how trivial. After the memory limit is exceeded, those overly detailed memories brought by the ability will gradually fade with time, but she can also spend time specifically strengthening the memory of a certain period to preserve it long-term.
'It feels like this is a skill exclusive to top students...'
Dorothy murmured, then put the book back on the bookshelf. Immediately after, she slowly walked out of the bookstore and took a carriage to the dock area.
Upon reaching the noisy dock area, Dorothy put on her hood in the carriage, and then walked through the Fishy smell air all the way to a warehouse. After stopping in front of the cubicle she rented, Dorothy opened the cubicle door with a key.
Entering and closing the door, Dorothy's gaze fell on the several long boxes placed in the center, then she opened one of them with a key and activated the Corpse Puppet Ring on her hand.
Immediately after, a familiar figure lifted the lid of the long "coffin" and stood up from within. This was Edrick, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
After shaking off the Holy Communion Society people by jumping into the river that day, Dorothy controlled Edrick, who had jumped into the river, to swim to the bottom of the river and hook onto abandoned machinery deposited at the river bottom with a hook prepared in advance, preventing him from floating up. Then, Dorothy returned the next night under the cover of darkness to manipulate and recover him. When recovering, she specifically controlled Edrick to crawl along the river bottom to the upstream of the river, landing on a hidden and uninhabited beach.
The reason for keeping Edrick was that at that time, this was the only Corpse Puppet she could control. If he was gone, it might be inconvenient for future actions. And now Dorothy came here to manipulate him for an experiment.
Looking at Edrick, who was pale-faced, wooden-faced, and silent before her, Dorothy raised her finger, and with a thought, she injected 1 point of 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) Spirituality into the Corpse Puppet Ring.
Immediately after, Dorothy felt that her connection with the Corpse Puppet Ring became closer, and the spiritual thread connected to Edrick instantly thickened significantly.
Then, with a thought from Dorothy, Edrick, being a Corpse Puppet, immediately began to move, jumping into a tap dance on the spot, which was exactly what Dorothy had just read in the book.
In the silent, dim space, Edrick was dancing, his feet alternating and his body leaping. The sound of leather shoes tapping echoed continuously in the space, his movements natural, not at all like a dead Corpse Puppet, but like a real person.
Immediately after, Dorothy waved her hand, and Edrick began to change his movements. He first performed a set of calisthenics from the 'Era is Calling' broadcast, then performed a front flip and a back flip, scratched his ears and cheeks pretending to be the Monkey King, his expression and demeanor were all in place, and finally, he supported himself with both hands and did a Thomas flair, each one more difficult than the last.
Finally, Dorothy made Edrick stand straight in front of her, then whispered.
"Hello, Mr. Grandy."
Listening to Dorothy's words, Edrick smiled slightly, and with a natural demeanor, he knelt on one knee towards Dorothy, covering his chest with his hand and speaking.
"At your command, Miss Meisihuos."