Archer's Adventure Manual

Anxious Thompson led Lorraine back to the antique shop at a jog. He just hoped the dog wouldn't break too many things. Even if most of them were fakes, he would still feel bad!

They quickly opened the door and saw Brian lying obediently on the ground, looking as if he had been drinking fake alcohol.

"Hiccup~" Brian hiccuped, looked at the two of them in a daze, his tongue lolled out, and he howled at the ceiling with his mouth open: "Awoo~"

Loran blinked. Was Brian out of his mind?

Thompson, however, didn't care about that and began checking the antiques in the shop for any damage. Fortunately, after scanning around, he found no signs of damage.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on the warehouse door, which was slightly ajar.

Thompson quickly stepped forward, opened the door and peered inside, finding books scattered haphazardly on the floor.

"Oh no!" Thompson cursed and rushed inside to check, with Lorraine, who was unaware of the situation, following him.

Thompson picked up a book from the ground, paused for a moment, and then looked at the cover of the book with some uncertainty.

"No...that's all?" Thompson's voice came through trembling.

"What's gone?" Loran asked in surprise.

Thompson opened the book, pointed to the blank space on the yellowed pages, and said, "The rune shapes recorded... are gone!"

Loran remembered what Thompson had said before, that his appearance had changed because of an accident during a rune research project.

"What exactly is a rune?" Loran asked with a serious expression. This was the first time he had encountered this term, and even in the original Loran's memories, there was no explanation of this term.

Thompson explained calmly, "A rune is a specific type of symbol, which can be artificially drawn or naturally generated, and it contains powerful energy."

"But so far, no one knows where this power comes from. There are rumors that in ancient times, when humans were still in a state of tribes, they would often carve such symbols and pray to the gods to give them supreme power."

"This claim is impossible to verify, but some people have indeed witnessed the powerful force expressed by the runes. Modern alchemists and scholars often explore this area, but so far no results have been found."

Thompson pointed to the book on the ground. "I got this book from an eccentric sorcerer. It contains a lot of speculation and theories about runes. I tried to study it, and as you know, I paid a price."

"I accidentally came into contact with the powerful energy released by the runes, but I had no idea where it came from or how to release it in a controlled manner... So this book was left in this small storeroom, gathering dust."

Loran nodded, seemingly understanding, and pressed on, "Then why are the runes and symbols in this book gone? Did something happen?"

Thompson looked at Loran with a serious expression and said in a deep voice, "When we left just now, there was no one in the shop, but there was a creature, namely your dog."

Loran was startled and looked back through the door at Brian, who was hiccuping and in a dazed state. He asked in surprise, "You mean the runes disappeared because of Brian?"

"That's right, these books fell off the table. It's only possible that your dog wandered in, accidentally bumped into the table, scattered the books, and then inadvertently caused the runes to react and disappear from the pages."

Thompson analyzed and spoke earnestly.

"But, Mr. Thompson, I still don't understand. This is just an ordinary book, and the runes and symbols engraved on it are just ordinary printing. How could it possibly have the kind of power you're talking about?" Loran asked, still somewhat puzzled.

Thompson looked at Loran and said patiently, "As I said, the power of runes comes from the symbol itself, not from the carrier or the inscription."

"Even a rune that a child accidentally scribbled on the mud, even if the symbols are crooked and the mud is very messy, can still unleash terrifying power. No one knows why, including me, understand?"

Loran's mind worked for a moment, and he roughly sorted out his thoughts. "So, even if I draw a crooked rune on paper, it might still contain hidden power?"

"That's right, but that's not the point right now. In the accident during my rune research, the runes unintentionally activated their power without warning, and the laboratory exploded..."

"The rune also disappeared, but the carrier that held it, a hard stone, was not destroyed in the explosion and was preserved, but the rune engraved on it was nowhere to be found."

"So I think the runes don't just disappear out of nowhere. Their disappearance likely signifies activation, which is very important. I think the answer lies with your dog!"

Thompson looked intently at Loran. "You're its master. Go ask it what it saw at the antique shop."

Loran pointed to himself. "Huh? Me...me? You said he's a dog, I don't understand its language!"

Thompson suddenly grasped Lorraine's hands, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Child, do you know what my biggest regret has been all these years?"

"Is it... Mrs. Juno?" Lorraine asked uncertainly.

Thompson glared at him. "What nonsense are you spouting, kid! My biggest regret is not understanding runes! Runes! They took away my youth and beauty, they took away my years. All I want is to understand the secrets of runes, and now... there's an opportunity right in front of me. Can you help me?! Please!"

"Uh... alright, I'll go ask him then." Loran couldn't very well refuse the poor old man, so he went to Brian and asked him in detail.

"Brian, what did you see when I left?"

"Hiccup~" Brian hiccuped.

"What did you do in that room just now?"

"Woof woof~ woof woof!"

Loran looked at Thompson with a helpless expression. "You see, it can't talk."

Thompson smiled confidently. "Your adventure pass says your profession is Ranger, right?"

"Uh, yes, but why ask that?" Loran asked suspiciously.

"Strictly speaking, you half-baked archers can't really be considered rangers. There's a very unique profession among rangers called 'beast tamers,' who can communicate with animals, did you know that?"

Lorraine paused, then roughly understood what Thompson meant.

He put on a mournful expression. "Mr. Thompson, my talent is rather lacking, otherwise I wouldn't be unable to use a single skill right now..."

Thompson waved his hand dismissively. "No problem! This is no issue at all. I've traveled all over the country for so many years, what haven't I seen? It's just learning a skill, right? I'll hire someone to teach you. Young people learn quickly, I'm sure you'll be good at it soon!"

Loran was secretly delighted. Although he had a way to teach Brian to speak, now there was a free tutor right in front of him.

This is great! Why not take advantage of it?

Although this old man in front of me seems a bit unreliable... it shouldn't be too much of a problem to help him make some progress.

As for the runes... Loran glanced at Brian, lost in thought.