Build an ancient-level power in the nightmare world

"?"

That's it?

A flicker of surprise crossed Chris's eyes, and he immediately realized that he had overpaid.

He had already cut the stake in half, but he still made a careless mistake.

40 copper crowns is not a small amount; it's almost equivalent to his daily income.

His income was definitely enough to reach the minimum threshold of the middle class in Rom, where many people didn't even earn 40 kronor a day.

The price has been offered, and the other party has agreed to the deal; the verbal agreement for the transaction is now in effect.

Chris could only force a wry smile, weighing the cards in his hand, and looked at the stall owner, asking with a smile:

"Boss, could you tell me the origin and purpose of these playing cards?"

At first, he tried to act like he knew what he was talking about. He even carefully managed his expression and tone of voice while talking to the other person, not wanting them to realize that he didn't actually understand the cards.

But since the price is already high, it doesn't matter if I take this opportunity to ask the stall owner more questions about the playing cards.

"40 copper crowns, pay me first." The stall owner stretched out his calloused hand and smiled.

"Heh." Chris didn't say anything more, and simply took out 40 copper crowns from his wallet and handed them to the other party.

The stall owner held two copper coins with a face value of 20 copper crowns, weighed them in his hand for a few moments, and then put them away.

He looked at Chris, pointed to the cards in the other's hand, and slowly said, "We usually call these the Star cards."

"Star brand?"

Chris looked at the card in his hand and whispered the name.

Now, based solely on this name, he was even more certain that there must be some connection between the playing cards and that mysterious space.

"Yes, it's mainly used for astrology. You know astrology, right?"

The stall owner could tell that Chris knew nothing about the cards. He had made a lot of money selling this tattered deck of star cards for 40 copper crowns, so he patiently continued to explain.

"Astrology?"

He didn't know anything about astrology, but one of the two occult books he rented during the day was about astrology.

However, he hasn't read the book yet.

"It's about using playing cards to simulate changes in the stars for divination. I'm not entirely sure how it works. After astrology was banned, those who knew how to use it became more discreet, and it's not easy to find someone to teach you if you want to learn," the stall owner continued.

"Astrology is banned?" Chris asked, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, that happened several decades ago. The Im Empire enacted an anti-superstition law, which classified many divination and prediction methods, including astrology, as superstitious activities, and at least they cannot be carried out in public places," the stall owner continued.

Chris really didn't know this part of history.

He looked at the cards in his hand, somewhat puzzled, since astrology had already been banned.

Then how come he was able to borrow books about astrology from the library?

Without hesitation, Chris voiced his doubts.

Upon hearing that Chris was borrowing books on occultism from the Rom City Library to study occult knowledge, the stall owner immediately let out a soft chuckle.

"If you borrow books from the library to study mysticism, you can only learn about some myths and history, and even those are edited and abridged."

"As for other genuine items, don't even think about it," the stall owner said to Chris with a confident expression.

Is this even possible?

Chris frowned slightly after hearing this.

Listening to the stall owner's words, he understood that the Im Empire seemed to not want the spread of occult knowledge on a large scale. However, it was better to guide than to block, so they deliberately placed many modified occult books in public libraries and other places to mislead beginners who wanted to learn about occultism.

Many people only have a three-minute burst of enthusiasm. They find that following the methods in those books doesn't yield any feedback related to mysticism, and they give up after a short time.

"Which two books did you borrow?" the stall owner asked suddenly when he saw Chris deep in thought.

"A General History of Mysticism: History, Symbols, and Ritual" and "Astrology and Spiritual Traditions," Chris stated directly.

"These two books are alright."

Upon hearing this, the stall owner nodded slightly and continued, "The book 'General History of Mysticism' explains the origins of the Holy Spirit myth and some mystical symbols and rituals quite clearly. However, the book mainly talks about the origins of these things and doesn't really cover their usage and principles. It's fine to read it as popular science."

"You don't need to read the book 'Astrology and Spiritual Tradition'. It contains almost nothing of substance. Astrology has already been banned, so how could they possibly put genuine content in a library for you to see?"

As he spoke, the stall owner pointed to a stall not far away and said, "If you really want to get started, go check out that stall. That guy sells a lot of old books."

Upon hearing this, Chris turned to look at the stall the vendor was pointing to. He saw that the stall indeed had many old books with worn-out covers, and the vendor there seemed to be an elderly man with gray hair.

"Thank you." Chris turned his head and sincerely thanked the burly stall owner in front of him.

His words were of great help to him.

At least it saved him from taking many detours.

He suddenly felt that the 40 copper crowns were well worth the money.

"Don't mention it, we've all been there." The stall owner smiled sheepishly, with an expression of complete indifference.

"Then I won't bother you any longer."

Chris carefully put away the cards in his hand, slowly stood up, nodded to the stall owner, and then turned and walked towards the book stall.

The stall owner's gaze remained fixed on Chris until the man walked up to the bookstall, at which point he slowly looked away, muttering to himself, "There seem to be so many new faces lately."

Chris approached the bookstall, examined it carefully, and then, looking at the stall owner who appeared to be over 60, pointed to an old book on the ground and whispered, "Boss, may I take a look at this book?"

None of the books had titles on their covers, which puzzled Chris, so he could only tentatively ask.

The stall owner had just finished serving a few customers, but it seemed none of them had made a sale. He wasn't in a good mood and didn't answer Chris's question directly. Instead, he said stiffly in a slightly hoarse tone, "What kind of book do you want?"

"Um, books on basic occult knowledge and astrology."

Chris realized that the boss seemed difficult to talk to, so he directly told him his needs.

He decided to read these two types of books first.

He does lack common sense about the occult, which he needs to fill as soon as possible. Astrology is related to the use of that deck of star cards and his further understanding of that mysterious space, so it is also very important.

Regarding his study of the occult, Chris knew he could only take it one step at a time. He didn't have the time or energy to read too many books at once, so he had to put other things aside for now.

Moreover, studying mysticism inevitably involves practical application.

This will definitely require the preparation of some experimental equipment and materials.

This is another expense.

Although he had just received some extra income, his economic situation had not become particularly optimistic, and he still had to save money in the province.

Excluding public holidays, he only gets four to five days off a month.

However, Colin will be filling in for him for four or five days next month, giving him more time, which will be perfect for him to study these things.