Chapter 308: Extraordinary Skill Research Association
“Yes, just relying on this has grasped the foundation of the extraordinary skills that have sustained the development of Ninglan New City to this day. This truly reflects the charm and ability of the First Generation City Lord.”
“Is that so…” I looked at the fragments, lost in thought, feeling as if I had overlooked many important pieces of information.
That First Generation City Lord was able to grasp extraordinary skills through this and laid a solid foundation for the future development of Ninglan New City… by what means?
Natural talent? Giftedness?
Some geniuses can’t be gauged by common logic. Or could it be that the First Generation City Lord was a Child of Fortune, accomplishing this feat under the influence of the narrative?
No, no, no… I shouldn’t make baseless guesses; perhaps there are more straightforward reasons, such as… Spirit Vision?
However, that First Generation City Lord wasn’t necessarily an Innate Spirit Vision User. The enhancement of Spirit Vision likely improves naturally with age.
“May I ask, how old was that First Generation City Lord when he grasped the extraordinary skills? I mean, in terms of age.”
“Age? That’s quite a tricky question, but I remember it was 56. Otherwise, I would have to put on my reading glasses to check. At that time, the First Generation City Lord was aging yet strong, able to see through right and wrong, understanding reason and human nature… Most of the glory of the First Generation City Lord of Ninglan can be said to have started in the latter half of his life… Hehe, if that First Generation City Lord could live for another ten years, perhaps today’s Ninglan New City would undergo a great transformation, hehe…”
“56 years old…” I nodded.
At that age, if his Spirit Vision reached the second level of “Imaging,” or even the third level of “Unknowable,” even if there was a layer of “Threshold of Madness” between us, it would indeed be sufficient to comprehend the secrets of the runes involved.
As I pondered, the curator quietly moved away from my side, seemingly having seen something and went to greet it.
“You all are back again, you children! Don’t you get tired of coming here every day?”
“Eh?” I raised my head to look at the two people the old curator was speaking to.
“Grandpa Curator, we just come to see you often and to study our history’s initial extraordinary skills. You know we do this.”
“Oh? You two are also interested in this relic left by the First Generation City Lord?”
“Are you talking to me?” I looked up, puzzled, at the pair.
“Of course! Besides the old curator, there are only us two waves of people here,” the young man at the forefront said with a smile.
“Okay, is there something you need?” I frowned and asked these overly familiar two.
If it were an overly familiar young girl, I wouldn’t mind being very enthusiastic; as for the guy, let’s leave it…
“Oh, nothing, just to say hello. I’ve noticed you’ve been in front of this relic for a while; you must also be interested in extraordinary skills, right? Would you like to join our Extraordinary Skill Research Association?”
“Extraordinary Skill Research Association?” I regarded them with suspicion; I seemed to have heard this term before, perhaps mentioned by that City Lord.
“Yes! It seems, miss, you’ve heard of it. Our Extraordinary Skill Research Association is specifically responsible for researching extraordinary skills. Most of us are people interested in extraordinary skills gathered together to form this association. If you are also keen on extraordinary skills, you’re more than welcome to join us. We possess the most detailed foundational knowledge of extraordinary skills in Ninglan New City, all treasures passed down through generations of presidents.”
At this moment, the young man spoke with excitement; as soon as I mentioned the name of his association, he began to speak extensively, matching the old curator’s conversational skills.
“No, we are outsiders, not natives of Ninglan New City. We will eventually leave here.” I shook my head, indicating this was a polite refusal.
“Huh? Outsiders… wait, you are outsiders? The City Lord mentioned that Ninglan New City welcomed a batch of outsiders; I didn’t expect you to be them! That… that’s quite an honor! If you don’t wish to join our association but are interested in our extraordinary skills, you are still welcome!”
“However, speaking of extraordinary skills… I am indeed quite interested.” I nodded and then looked at Sister Bai, who simply smiled back at me.
“Isn’t that a coincidence! How about we go to our association now to learn more? Extraordinary skills are hard to learn without guidance; the learning threshold is incredibly high.”
“That’s fine.” I nodded, but then seemed to think of something, “By the way, I have interacted with the City Lord. He seems to be extremely strict regarding extraordinary skills; would he really allow you to freely develop extraordinary skills in the civilian sector?”
“Ah? I didn’t expect you to have talked with the City Lord! In truth, the initial City Lord did not allow us to study extraordinary skills privately, but this dates back several generations of City Lords. Over time, things gradually opened up, which led to the establishment of our Extraordinary Skill Research Association.”
“However, the extraordinary skills we handle are all civilian applications. Extraordinary skills that can cause direct harm are classified as controlled-level extraordinary skills. Even if one has mastered them, they are usually valued by the City Lord and end up working for him. In fact, our Extraordinary Skill Research Association serves as a stepping stone for many ordinary people to master extraordinary skills, mainly seeking the attention of the City Lord.”
“But we are also inclusive; after all, we are just responsible for guiding those who love extraordinary skills to enter that realm. If they can use us as a launchpad to work for the City Lord, it indicates they possess a great talent in extraordinary skills, and our association would never stifle others’ development.”
“Is that so?” I nodded, understanding somewhat.
So there are military applications divided into civilian and controlled levels? This didn’t seem out of my expectations.
Then, Sister Bai and I were led by these two to the so-called Extraordinary Skill Research Association’s location. I was surprised that such an association would have a formal venue, and it was quite large.
It was bustling inside, even more lively than a history museum.
Indeed, extraordinary skills tend to attract a lot of attention; after all, mastering extraordinary power is incredibly appealing to ordinary people.
However… the extraordinary skills here seemed quite different from what I had anticipated. Based on earlier information from the history museum, their mastery of extraordinary techniques seemed to stray slightly from my expectations; it was not simply about extraordinary skills but also involved another element.
That being gear and mechanical structures.
Yet this didn’t pose any problems. Mechanical structures are quite common, and their synergy with extraordinary skills can ignite new sparks, representing a typical practical stage of extraordinary technique evolution.
When they realize that their mastery of extraordinary skills, combined with mechanical structures, has become an obstacle to their development, they will have two choices: one is to change tracks, and the other is to advance along the mechanical path to a new beginning.
This made me think of the classification in alchemy that seems akin to mechanical alchemists?
Indeed, the saying “everything can be alchemy” doesn’t seem to be an exaggeration; after all, the scope of the alchemical concept is clearly expansive.
Seeing that I was merely flipping through their introductory books, while our focus was more on the exhibited extraordinary skills, they did not engage in any deeper conversations with me.
After all, they had seen many people like me. They didn’t really love extraordinary skills; they were just naturally curious and were there to satisfy their own curiosity rather than sincerely learn, so they thought there was no need to pursue someone like me further.
However, if I could understand what they were thinking, I could only say they were overthinking it. I wasn’t interested in their introductory books because their content was probably comparable to the popular science books from the Witch Academy. Just skimming through the basic content of my Memory Shelf’s spellbooks could crush theirs.
But I still took the time to read through everything.
Because I had my own considerations.
I was more interested in their definitions and understandings of extraordinary power. The extraordinary domains are highly inclusive; depending on how one regards, discovers, and researches, one will obtain corresponding theories, viewpoints, and outcomes, and that is what I wanted to explore. This could broaden my understanding, knowledge, and thought processes.
Of course… before that, I also learned about the concept of “Spirit Vision” from them. They also have Spirit Vision, but one point is that… their probability of awakening Spirit Vision is very low, exceptionally low.
Spirit Vision is a blessing bestowed upon us by the world, akin to a gift; theoretically, everyone has it, but it all comes down to the chances or possibilities of awakening. After all, some people may never awaken in their lives, while others possess Innate Spirit Vision. This difference highlights the disparity in awakening.
In this place, the probability of Spirit Vision awakening is extremely low…
This made me recall when I hadn’t entered the Extraordinary Academy, where it was said that Spirit Vision was the threshold for approaching the extraordinary. But looking at it now, it seems to be rather narrow-minded.
That was merely the threshold for admission to the Extraordinary Academy; does that mean others without Spirit Vision couldn’t access the extraordinary?
No, the people here told me that was not the case; they could access it, but the cost was… their achievements would just be lower.
It seems I have found the reason for Ninglan New City’s average development over a millennium, along with its technology level being typical and extraordinary skills also being mediocre.
Of course, the low population base also played a role.
Even though the probability of Spirit Vision awakening is tiny, it does exist. If even such beings have only made this little progress after a thousand years, then… what about other worlds?
Perhaps all they can do is continuously increase their population, hoping to have such extraordinary talents lead their world to leapfrog?
However, generally speaking, such talents are born in response to fate, merely… narrative, Child of Fortune, acting as “tools” with the world’s consciousness as the driving force.
In truth, without external interference, for a civilization, narratives and fortunes are beneficial presences as they can help a civilization leap forward or serve as a form of self-rescue for that world, etc.
“Xiao Han, it seems you’ve gained quite a bit?” Sister Bai asked beside me.
“Yes, I’ve indeed gained a lot; I would say I have broadened my horizons. Having left the Witch Academy, separated from the environment filled with advanced extraordinary knowledge, I seem to prioritize those so-called foundations better here.” I nodded.
Here, one can learn many foundational aspects, even set aside the limitations of spellbooks and directly use spells!
This place is an excellent learning venue. If all of this is the Academy Head’s arrangement, I seem to understand the Academy Head’s intent a bit.
If we can eliminate external disruptions and learn here, it would certainly be more efficient.
Moreover, this place not only has those extraordinary mechanical techniques but also has the prototypes for spell applications!
That is, the prototype of the minor spellbook utilizes extraordinary power to construct spell prototypes or builds spell effects through unorganized rune ceremonies. This undoubtedly is a great place for learning and understanding spells!
Even… theoretically, it might suit me and Sister Bai better.
Although Sister Bai only encountered runes and spell ceremonies shortly before graduation, it’s precisely because she has just encountered them that learning the basics here is just right.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Sister Bai, you should study with me! This is the initial stage of exploring runes, and the related theories of spells have just begun to develop. In such a grand environment, it is indeed more meaningful than the so-called foundational courses at the Witch Academy.”
“Eh? You mean… but we didn’t come here to…”
“What is it? It’s nothing to hold off waiting for something that hasn’t happened yet. Sister Bai, didn’t you say you wanted to study runes with me! Learning about spell knowledge, didn’t you initially say you admired learning spell knowledge? Here, without the limitations of spellbooks, we can cast spells ourselves and freely express ourselves. There’s no better place to learn than here, right?” I turned to Sister Bai, looking at her with hopeful eyes.
“This…” For a moment, Bai Yu couldn’t keep up with the pace of my exuberance, “But…”
“What are you worried about, Sister Bai? Our bodies are fine in the outside world, and the medical room has people taking care of us.”
“Alright…”
“And we don’t know how long we will be here. We can’t just wander around, right? We should find something to do.”
“So, Xiao Han, what are you going to do now?”
“Hehe, of course, I want to collaborate with the Extraordinary Skill Research Association to demonstrate our value so that they will cooperate with us. Learning is a process of constant exchange and promotion; the people here are all normal people, even geniuses. They lack only knowledge, but they aren’t fools. What do you think, Sister Bai?”
“You’re right, Xiao Han.” At this moment, Bai Yu accepted this arrangement. Indeed, setting aside those worries, as well as the threats of nightmares and dream demons, this place is undoubtedly a great learning place.
“Hehe~ that’s how it should be!” I said with a smile.
Of course, I had an additional thought, which was to enhance Ninglan New City’s application of extraordinary skills. After all, our greatest enemy is the dream demons, and relying solely on ourselves won’t be enough to defeat those cunning dream demons; it requires cooperation from the people of Ninglan New City.
Earlier, during the battle where we captured that dream demon, I realized the value of these people in Ninglan New City. They filled the gaps we had on the reality side.
However, for this Ninglan New City alone, their combat power is still insufficient. The so-called Type III extraordinary weapon is still good enough to be seen, but it’s still not sufficient.
Just the fact that using that thing requires authorization indicates that it cannot be popularized and cannot be applied promptly in all kinds of emergencies.
Perhaps I can expedite their developmental progress.
The only concern is how the City Lord will react to this kind of eager growth regarding extraordinary skills.
It’s akin to the technological development that often brings about growing pains across many fields in society. In Ninglan New City, the drawbacks of such development will only become more apparent. Of course, if that City Lord possesses equivalent decisiveness, everything will be fine.
“Come on, let’s see if the president of the association is here.”
