"The room is a bit small, but you’ll have to make do."
"The kerosene lamp is over here. There’s a well in the courtyard... You know how to use a well, right?"
"Good. Get some rest. We have to get up early tomorrow to restock, then head into the forest to set up the stall."
"What else? How are we supposed to eat and drink otherwise?"
"Here’s a fun fact for you: money doesn’t just magically appear in your pockets."
On the other side, in the small bedroom converted from a storage room, Lu Wei rolled his eyes and imparted a basic piece of knowledge to Furen—
Rich kids can eat and drink without lifting a finger, but ordinary people can’t.
And Furen wasn’t a rich kid anymore, so he had to follow the way of ordinary people.
Unless he went straight back to Kalin Port to ask his family for help.
To be honest, Lu Wei rather hoped Furen would do just that.
Unfortunately, it seemed the latter was determined not to go home until he had made a name for himself.
Lu Wei couldn’t say whether this was "youthful recklessness" or just "never having been beaten down by society."
If it were him, anyway, he would have definitely been content to be a good-for-nothing rich kid and live a life of ambitionless luxury and debauchery.
’Born in Rome, but insisting on playing life on hard mode?’
’Isn’t that just asking for trouble?’
"Alright, it’s getting late. Tidy up and get some sleep."
Waving Furen off, Lu Wei returned to his own bedroom, collapsed onto the bed, and didn’t move for a long time.
He’d had another busy day, but his luck today clearly wasn’t as good as yesterday’s.
Still, he couldn’t ask for too much.
He had made some gains, after all.
At least before Furen’s coin purse was stolen, he’d managed to get 50 Copper Coins out of him for a roasted rabbit.
But the promised tuition fee was probably down the drain.
Damn.
Rolling over, Lu Wei didn’t actually hold out much hope for getting the coin purse back.
The local residents of Heitai Town wouldn’t pull this kind of stunt.
So the thief must have been an outsider.
And after stealing so much money, they would most likely flee immediately... unless they were exceptionally confident in their counter-surveillance skills, or just incredibly arrogant, to even consider staying in town.
But according to Clara’s description, this person clearly wasn’t some "master criminal."
’He sounded more like a common petty thief...’
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted Lu Wei’s thoughts.
He turned his head and saw Furen standing behind the open door, looking at him with a silly grin.
Even with the door open, he didn’t just walk in. The latter once again demonstrated the most useless quality for an Adventurer—
Politeness.
"What is it?"
Lu Wei sat up on the bed in resignation. "This isn’t an inn. If you want to bathe, you’ll have to draw the water and heat it yourself."
"No, no, I’m not here to take a bath."
Furen quickly shook his head and walked into the room. "It’s just... about your father. I’m very sorry."
"..."
’You came all this way just to say that?’
Lu Wei’s face was the picture of despair. "You already consoled me on the way back, and you even used three different kinds of stories to encourage me to bravely face the pain of losing a loved one."
"Uh, did I really tell that many..."
"Do you need me to repeat them for you?"
"Ahem, no, no need."
Furen said awkwardly, "Actually, I came to thank you. Thank you for taking me in. Once I get my coin purse back, I’ll definitely..."
"Don’t worry about the rent."
Lu Wei just wanted to sleep at this point and cut him off directly. "Didn’t you say it when we were drinking? We’re friends, so it’s normal to help each other."
"Of course, if you really want to pay rent then, I won’t refuse."
"Anyway, let’s talk about all this after we catch the thief."
"Is there anything else? If not, you should get some rest."
Lu Wei gave a listless wave, his tone already growing impatient.
But Furen showed no intention of leaving. Instead, his face filled with emotion as he nodded emphatically.
"Yes! I have one more thing to tell you!"
"..."
’Wait, what are you doing?’
Seeing Furen so worked up, as if he’d made some momentous decision, Lu Wei froze for a second. Then, he was wide awake as all sorts of scenarios flashed through his mind.
The optimistic guess was that the former wanted to become sworn brothers with him.
After all, this world had a similar concept of "sworn brothers," forming a bond tighter than blood through rituals like drinking blood-mixed wine or exchanging weapons.
The pessimistic guess...
’Don’t you dare tell me you’re into men!’
He subconsciously scooted back, his expression instantly becoming vigilant.
At the same time, Furen pulled a small, black booklet from his chest.
It was very thin, five or six pages at most.
The cover seemed to be made of some kind of animal hide with a matte finish, barely reflecting any light.
Most importantly, for some reason, Lu Wei felt that the book’s outline was a bit blurry and distorted.
It was as if it were surrounded by a ring of invisible smoke, or like the distorted edges caused by turning anti-aliasing up too high.
In any case, it looked very strange.
’What the hell is this thing?’
’Could Furen be a Superpower Mage, or maybe a Necromancer, disguised as a goofy rich kid?’
’First, he gains my trust, then he’ll suck out my soul...’
His gaze instantly grew more guarded. Lu Wei quietly glanced at the wooden window right behind him, already prepared to jump out and escape at a moment’s notice.
This just goes to show that ignorance is indeed a terrifying thing.
At least in this moment, Lu Wei nearly lost a window due to his ignorance.
Fortunately, before he could act, Furen began to speak.
"This Skill Book was a birthday present from my father when I turned twelve."
"It’s also because of this book that I discovered I’m a Magic Dullard."
"I brought it with me when I left home, thinking that if I ever ran out of money, I could sell it in an emergency."
"But who knew my coin purse would get stolen so quickly..."
"I can’t learn it anyway, so I might as well give it to you. Just consider it payment for my room and board for the time being, plus the tuition I promised you."
Looking at Lu Wei, Furen’s tone was incredibly sincere as he held the black booklet forward.
Clearly, his current actions were more than a little sentimental.
After all, at current market prices, even the cheapest Skill Book would cost five Gold Coins.
As for the room, board, and tuition he mentioned... if you were to do the math, this one Skill Book would be enough for him to live off Lu Wei for at least three years.
Therefore, Furen’s choice to use this to cover his debt was undoubtedly born from "the bonds of friendship."
As for Lu Wei...
"A Skill Book?"
His eyes widened. He stared blankly at the booklet in front of him, not overly excited. Instead, he hesitated for a moment before cautiously taking it.
It was cool to the touch and smelled faintly of sulfur and earth.
His first impression was that it didn’t feel like a Skill Book at all, but more like some kind of evil Magic Item.
But there was no need to doubt that anymore.
Because the moment he took the booklet, he had already seen its detailed information through "Precise Identification."
[Universal Skill Book — Stealth]
[Species: Special Consumable]
[Level: High Level]
[Value: 9 Gold Coins and 5 Silver Coins]
[Introduction: Stealth is far from simple hiding. It is a comprehensive art that blends movement techniques, environmental exploitation, control over light, and psychological warfare. A Master-level practitioner of Stealth can pass through a heavily guarded corridor like a fleeting thought, or drift behind an enemy like a falling leaf...]
[Note: Caution, Stealth is not invisibility! You do not need to take off all your clothes!]