Chương 17: The Ideal of Selflessness

"Is there any way to get my hands on this magic attribute?"

The sacred texts are tools that monks carry with them every day for recitation and rituals; you can't just ask someone for them directly...

Shane quietly got up from the hard floor and tiptoed past the snoring businessman.

The moon is at its zenith.

The monastery was quiet.

Aside from the snoring of the cabin behind me, the only sounds were the occasional chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves.

Following the light, Shane arrived outside the monk Belial's study.

rustling -- An oil lamp sat on a wooden table, and the monk Belial sat at the table, holding a quill pen, copying something incessantly.

Perhaps it was the dim light, or perhaps it was his age and poor eyesight, but every time he finished copying a line, he would put down his quill, pick up the book in front of him, move slightly closer to the oil lamp, squint at it for a while, and then put the book down to continue copying the next line.

The scratching sound of the pen tip falling on the paper thus became intermittent.

Xia En listened quietly to the sounds coming from inside the house, pondering what to do.

Saying you want to learn magic?

However, such profound goddess magic can only be learned and used by becoming a monk, and he does not want to give up worldly desires for the time being.

But... we can't just let such a great keyword opportunity pass us by.

Unlike rudimentary magic used to treat or detect diseases, the Goddess's Barrier is a divine artifact.

In the future, if we encounter a powerful enemy, we can simply run to a secluded corner and hide, then activate the barrier. Even a mage of Frillian's caliber won't be able to find us, let alone ordinary monsters.

Unless the Demon King is resurrected, I am invincible.

We absolutely must find a way to get our hands on magic of this level!

The monks inside the room were unaware of Shane below the window, as he was intently copying the book in his hands.

One page, two pages, three pages...

The oil lamp was refilled several times, but the monk still did not stop writing.

call-- call--

"Hmm? Where's that snoring coming from?"

After an unknown amount of time, the monk in the room was interrupted by a sudden snoring sound. He slowly stood up from the table, walked to the window, and peeked out.

At this moment, Xia En was sitting half-upright, leaning against the wall, and had unknowingly fallen asleep.

The monk smiled slightly, said nothing, turned around, picked up his coat from the back of the chair, and covered Xia En with it.

……

the next day.

Xia En suddenly woke up with a start and sat up abruptly.

He glanced around blankly. It was still the same small wooden cabin where everyone had rested the night before, and the same spot on the floor where he had slept the previous night.

"When did I get back? Or... am I actually dreaming and never went out at all?"

Just as Shane was talking to himself, Frilian walked in.

She handed a small piece of dark bread to Shane and said expressionlessly:

"The old monk said you didn't sleep well last night and told you to get some more sleep. This is the breakfast he left for you."

After saying this, Frillie turned to leave, but when she reached the door, she turned back and added, "Please get a good night's sleep. The old monk's legs are not very strong, and it will be difficult for him to carry you. Don't trouble the old man."

After saying that, he gave Xia En a serious look.

"..."

Xia En scratched his head.

What kind of blunder is this?

What's wrong with that old man? He saw someone appear outside his house in the middle of the night, didn't ask any questions, and even brought them back? That's incredibly careless!

"No! I need to come up with a plan quickly to get a life-saving spell!"

After much deliberation, he decided to try to get closer to the monks during the day and play the emotional card.

……

I went to the study again.

Just like the night before, the monk Belial sat upright at the wooden table, diligently copying a classic text.

Seemingly exhausted from working at his desk for long periods, he would stop after copying only a few lines to rub his eyes or neck.

Xia En pushed open the door and went in, greeting him, "Grandpa, may I copy the book with you?"

Upon hearing Shane's words, Belial's face was filled with smiles:

"Oh, it's young Mr. Shane. You want to copy a book? That's great, I need someone to help me copy it."

"No problem, where should we begin?"

Under the monk's guidance, Shane held a tattered book with one hand and a quill pen in the other, quickly copying the contents onto the blank pages.

The pages of the old book contain many annotations made by the monks themselves.

As Shane copied the text, the monk explained it to him.

When the two worked together, their copying speed became exceptionally fast. What would have taken the monk several days to copy on his own, Xia En finished in just half a day.

"Excellent, excellent. The content is complete, the font is neat, and the annotations are correct."

"All the copying requirements were met perfectly, and the speed was beyond imagination. Mr. Shane, you are truly a blessing from the goddess."

The monks kept praising Xia En, which made Xia En feel somewhat embarrassed.

"May I ask why you are copying these books?"

Hearing Xia En's question, the monk smiled and closed the book in his hands, his aged hand covering the cover, and said solemnly, "Because I want to pass on the goddess's magic to future generations."

He said that when he was young, he traveled all over the southern countries and witnessed soldiers wounded in war and children who died of plague. The loss of those innocent lives pained him.

From that moment on, he vowed to dedicate his life to deciphering the goddess's magic and finding a way to heal more people.

"I am a monk with no particular talent, and I have lived a life of obscurity. This is the greatest contribution I can make to the cause of magic for humanity."

"The most torturous thing about practicing asceticism in the deep mountains is the loneliness, but every time I recite the Holy Scripture in my hands, I can get the courage to persevere from the goddess."

"Mr. Shane, you are the most outstanding young man I have ever met. Many travelers have visited this monastery before you, but only you were willing to help me copy those messy books and listen to this old man tell stories."

"With young people like you around, the future of humanity is truly something to look forward to."

As he spoke, he looked at Xia En with loving eyes, patted Xia En's shoulder, and thanked him sincerely again.

Xia En suddenly felt a burning sensation on her face.

What's going on here?! This isn't right! I was secretly coveting someone else's holy book, approaching them with ulterior motives, but I'm being treated so sincerely. What should I do?

After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, Xia En turned and slipped away without looking back.

……

"Ouch."

Running too fast, he bumped into the businessman uncle around the corner.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"It's Mr. Shane. I was just about to look for you. We found a carriage nearby and are preparing to set off back to Godstan City first thing tomorrow morning. I wanted to ask if you and Ms. Frilian would like to travel together?"

Hearing the uncle's words, Xia En turned around and glanced at the monk's study not far away.

The inner struggle still overcame his desire for magic; he didn't want to spend the rest of his life wishing he could slap himself every time he thought about this day.

"Okay, let's set off together tomorrow morning."