Chapter 13: Echoes of Fate
“Well done.”
After landing on the ground, Feather, unusually, praised Qin Yuan.
The entire process had been eventful but ultimately safe.
The main reason was Qin Yuan’s low damage output; otherwise, he could have exploited the weak point with a sneak attack and dispelled the magical armor in an instant, just like Feather did, preventing all the unexpected incidents that followed.
Qin Yuan bent down and picked up the two clusters of powder emanating intense magical energy.
[You have obtained Magic Ember ★★ *200g]
[Magic Ember ★★ (Magical Material): A magical material that is produced in small quantities only in certain special magical zones. It has wide applications and can be incorporated into various crafted magical items to enhance their power.]
[Note: It is said that mixing it with certain items can cause explosions. Please store with caution.]
A two-star magical material!
This should be quite valuable...
Qin Yuan examined it carefully and cautiously placed it into his backpack.
Having completed everything, he approached the end of this area and pushed open the wooden door.
As he expected, it was a rather spacious room.
The first thing he noticed was the crystals scattered all over the room. Even after nearly a century, they still emitted a scorching white glow.
In the corner, there was a large pile of disorganized books.
At the window-facing spot ahead, there was a set of pale yellow wooden desk and chairs, crafted with exquisite workmanship and remarkable artistry.
On the desk lay a book with an unusual cover quietly resting.
Upon gazing at this book, the Eye of Revelation flooded his mind with information.
...
[Whispering Grimoire: An extremely special and rare creature possessing profound wisdom, capable of carrying vast knowledge. However, it can only be opened and read with its recognition.]
[Ability: Alchemist (Level 3).]
...
“Who?”
Suddenly, a voice came, and Qin Yuan watched as the grimoire on the desk suddenly leapt up, two eyeballs protruding from its cover.
It looked at the intruder who had entered the room.
Then, the grimoire’s eyes seemed to notice something extraordinary and suddenly widened.
Staring into the gaze of this strange book, which remained silent for a long moment, Qin Yuan greeted it.
“Hello.”
“Oh, please forgive my earlier rudeness. You resemble an old acquaintance of mine. But after a closer look just now, it seems I was mistaken...”
The grimoire said somewhat sheepishly:
“Sigh, it’s strange—it must be that damned old man. Perhaps because I spent so much time with him, his terrible memory problem has rubbed off on me, causing many memories once inscribed in my mind to be forgotten. For example, 325 years ago, at 6:30 in the afternoon, I recall a minor event, but I can’t remember the details. Also, 176 years ago, at 8 in the morning, something happened that I can’t recall. Oh, and 460 years ago...”
Qin Yuan stood there dumbfounded, listening to this magical book ramble on for several minutes, repeating odd and inexplicable things.
And the key point was, it showed no sign of stopping.
---
He might have understood: this Whispering Grimoire... seemed to be talking because it hadn’t spoken for too long.
“Ahem...” Qin Yuan coughed twice, interrupting it before it could continue, and asked:
“May I ask, where did the original owner of this room go?”
He hadn’t wanted to interrupt others while speaking, but if he let the grimoire continue its long-winded monologue, who knew how long it would go on.
“Oh, that old man? Sigh, don’t mention him...” The grimoire rolled its eyes and replied irritably: “He hasn’t come here for many years, leaving me here alone. He’s probably dead somewhere in some corner.”
“Just thinking about him makes me angry. He was always so secretive and strange, forcing me to memorize all kinds of useless knowledge in my pages. Boohoo... he never understood how precious these pages are to me!”
The grimoire’s voice grew more agitated, as if deeply wronged, almost on the verge of tears.
Seeing it wouldn’t stop babbling, Qin Yuan said helplessly:
“Alright, alright, I get it. Your former owner abandoned you here, and it’s been many years...”
“Yes, it’s absolutely outrageous!”
The Whispering Grimoire said indignantly: “Anything in here you want, just take it. But since so much time has passed, most of the magic has dissipated, turning them into useless junk.”
Qin Yuan was taken aback, not expecting this grimoire to be so rebellious... No, so straightforward!
Well then, what could he say? He could only resign himself to looting:
“Ahem, then I won’t refuse.”
He began to examine the glowing crystals on the floor.
Suddenly, the grimoire floated up and approached Qin Yuan, speaking coaxingly:
“My lord, could you grant me a small request?”
“What request?” Qin Yuan asked, curious.
“Well... may I follow you from now on? Don’t worry, although I’m not strong in combat, over the years with that old man, I’ve learned a lot of strange and rare knowledge. Many formulas might be lost today.”
“And I can brew alchemical potions. Though I’ve been out of practice for many years, with some retraining, I can quickly get back up to speed. For example, the most basic health potion — I still remember six recipes. The first recipe is mixing silverleaf flower and blue crystal leaf with a bit of life dust and a cup of water. The second recipe is... also, I can...”
“...”
Watching the grimoire passionately introduce itself like an eager job applicant, Qin Yuan was somewhat baffled.
But after some thought, he knew such windfalls often came with strings attached—like asking for help with revenge or assisting with evolution.
In short, there’s no such thing as a free lunch!
So he didn’t rush to agree. Instead, he asked:
“Do you have any conditions? You can tell me.”
“No, no, my lord, you misunderstand,” the Whispering Grimoire shook its head:
“Truly, I have no other demands.”
...
[Although it sounds unbelievable, it indeed harbors no ill intent towards you.]
...
Seeing the prompt, Qin Yuan scrutinized it a few times. Although the situation felt somewhat unreasonable, he shrugged helplessly:
“You’ve already boasted so much about yourself; I’d be a fool to refuse.”
“My lord! You agreed?” The grimoire immediately opened its pages, clasped around Qin Yuan’s leg, and cried loudly:
---
“I, the Whispering Grimoire, have wandered the world for half my life, and finally found a worthy master. Rest assured, I am a very capable companion. Whatever you need, just say the word. Besides what I mentioned earlier, I can do many things, like taking care of children, cleaning, serving tea, and...”
“Alright, alright, I got it...” Qin Yuan interrupted with experience, knowing if he didn’t, the grimoire would babble on for several more minutes without stopping.
Who could endure that...
“Just say what you need normally, no need to add all that extra stuff.”
Qin Yuan tugged the corner of his mouth.
“Okay...” The grimoire bowed its head somewhat ashamedly: “I realize that too, but I haven’t talked for so long, I might have gotten too excited just now. I’ll be more mindful and try to improve, boohoo~”
“...”
Are you possessed by a drama queen...?
Qin Yuan now understood why others couldn’t stand it—constant nagging like this was a continuous mental assault.
Calming his swirling thoughts, he resumed observing the room.
“My lord, are you looking for something left by that old man?”
The Whispering Grimoire’s interest perked up.
“I happen to know. Though he took most things when he left, and the magic in these crystals has long since dissipated and is useless, there is still one very precious item left here.”
“What item?”
Qin Yuan glanced around the room and fixed his gaze on an unremarkable wall.
“It seems you’ve already noticed it,” the grimoire said, following his gaze. “It’s a special spatial artifact called the Teleportation Crystal...”
Following the Whispering Grimoire’s description, Qin Yuan approached a corner and tapped various spots from different angles.
It must be designed like the tree outside—a spatial design. A ripple of distortion appeared, and after a moment, a small space inside was revealed.
A cerulean crystal orb lay quietly within.
Qin Yuan gently picked it up.
[Teleportation Crystal]
[Type: Special Item]
[Description: An artifact created by souls. By consuming the material 'Spatial Locator Stone,' you can establish a new node within the crystal. Up to ten teleportation nodes can exist simultaneously. Consuming the energy inside the orb, after a brief delay, you can be teleported to any linked node, regardless of distance.]
[Note: The Teleportation Crystal currently contains three nodes, with code names as follows:]
[A: Floating Island]
[B: Desert Outpost]
[C: Surface of the Abyss]
[Due to lack of energy, it is currently unusable.]