From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

On the morning after the promotion ceremony, Edmund woke up very early and felt an unprecedented sense of clarity.

He settled into the soft chair in the study, closed his eyes, and began to carefully analyze his newly acquired abilities.

Your current rank is Traveler (Traveler's Path - Tier 1 Transcendent), with abilities including: Awakening (Basic), Spiritual Perception, Swift Steps, Vigorous Energy (Passive), Path Intuition (Passive), Astral Blink (Special)

The changes are obvious. The range of "spiritual perception" has become clearer, extending to a much greater distance, compared to the original vague perception of about ten meters.

The description of "full of vitality" has also become more detailed—it has a higher life force than ordinary people, can accelerate fatigue recovery, injury healing speed, and spiritual recovery speed, which is crucial for future wars of attrition and long-term exploration.

The description of "path intuition" as being influenced by the concentration of spirituality in the environment has disappeared, which means that the instinctive sense of direction and location is more stable and reliable no matter where you are.

As for "Swift Steps," the side effect of reduced thinking speed when activated has also lessened, which is probably a result of the simultaneous increase in total spirituality and control after advancement.

But what really caught Edmund's attention were two new skills, which he experimented with all morning like a child with a new toy.

The effect of [Astral Blink] is to teleport to any location within 30 meters after being guided, providing a practical short-distance displacement ability.

The guidance requires about two seconds of preparation time, and there is a brief period of dizziness after being teleported to the target location.

However, the value of suddenly appearing behind the enemy or going around a locked door during infiltration is self-evident.

He tried several times on the beach, and after confirming a location in his mind, his vision slightly distorted, and in the blink of an eye he was there—unfortunately, he could not anchor beyond thirty meters.

The other new ability, [Activation Technique], is even more unique.

[Opening Spell: Enlightenment forbids closure and isolation. Activate this spell to dismantle barriers in the name of "Enlightenment."]

Based on current experiments, he can open all the doors in the mansion by simply knocking on them and using his spiritual energy.

Even more remarkably, as he experimented with this skill, those lost memories from the past, which had been forgotten over time, began to become clearer.

Ed determined that this so-called "essential" skill was likely some kind of conceptual ability. If it was a gift from the so-called "Mirror Image," that would also make sense.

There is currently no good testing method to exhaust its boundaries, but he is looking forward to seeing how this skill will perform.

Edmund repeatedly tested the [Activation Spell] until lunchtime was approaching before he finally stopped.

His gaze unconsciously fell on his left arm, where a faint, intricate pattern flowed beneath the skin—a special contract granted by the Dionysian play: "The Manipulation of Traces."

Edmund traced a line above the emblem with his index finger, the lingering effect of just testing his new ability making him feel a little itchy.

With just a simple thought, the monster dwelling at the intersection of the spiritual realm and the path of the mortal world will appear from the nearest spiritual weakness, communicate with his soul, and serve him.

But he eventually lowered his hand, took a deep breath, and turned to walk towards the restaurant.

Restraint is too precious to be used for mere novelty.

Anyway, the information about this ability is quite detailed, so there's no need for me to waste the opportunity to take the test.

Rebecca arrived on time in the afternoon.

After finishing the last bit of server hardware debugging, the two sat in the living room of the mansion, enjoying the tea and snacks prepared by Thomas, and discussing the details of the subsequent system deployment.

"The server architecture is almost complete," Edmund said, taking a sip of tea. "Besides maintenance, I plan to find something else to do next."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow: "Something else? Looks like that game isn't enough for you."

"I'm planning to start a decent side business." Edmund put down his teacup. "I have a deceased writer relative who left behind quite a few manuscripts and ideas. I plan to organize them in my spare time, and if I can find a publisher, it will be a good supplementary income."

Finding a seemingly legitimate source for the enormous, dubious wealth of funds that the religious order would soon receive was indeed a problem he had been considering recently.

Since the [Activation Technique] made many of his past life memories clear, some new ideas naturally emerged.

The deceased "writer relative" did exist, but he lived in another world and was named Arthur Conan Doyle.

A flicker of interest crossed Rebecca's eyes: "Coming these words from someone who can pull out a MUD's storyline framework so easily... it doesn't seem like they're just organizing someone else's stuff?"

"Those manuscripts themselves were fragmented, many only having outlines and fragments," Edmund replied calmly. "What I did was closer to 're-creation,' but fortunately it wasn't entirely unfamiliar. Building the framework of a MUD and writing a novel are similar in some ways."

Rebecca's smile deepened: "I'm a little curious, what kind of writing are you planning to do?"

"Crime, mystery, detective novels," Edmund answered crisply.

Rebecca repeated it again, as if savoring the word: "Detective novel, that sounds a bit unfamiliar."

Edmund explained, "This makes it easy for me to pick a few stories of suitable length to serialize first. Each case can stand alone, with each story being 30,000 to 50,000 words long. The writing and serialization cycle are both quite good, and there's also plenty of immersion involved."

In fact, there's another point: Edmund didn't want what he wrote to collide with the real supernatural system of this world and attract unnecessary attention.

Rebecca nodded thoughtfully: "That sounds good. I personally think I'd like this kind of story."

"If you're interested, I can show you the first draft once I've put together a rough draft," Edmund said, extending an olive branch at the opportune moment.

"I'd be happy to be the first reader." Rebecca picked up her teacup and took a sip. "But I'll make it clear beforehand—if there are any logical flaws, I'll point them out without hesitation."

After seeing Rebecca off, Edmund returned to his study and pulled out a stack of white paper and a fountain pen.

The effects of the [Activation Technique] on past life memories are still ongoing, and those once blurry details are becoming increasingly clear.

He certainly couldn't possibly reproduce the original text word for word; that would be neither realistic nor necessary.

He only needs to extract the core skeleton and then refill it with the flesh and blood using the language style and cultural background of this world.

In the first story, "A Study in Scarlet," Baker Street could be changed to an unnamed alley in a bustling city, but the name London could not appear.

The brilliant consulting detective needs a new name and a less British background, and Dr. Watson's military medical background needs to be adjusted to reflect the war—this world seems to have plenty of local conflicts to draw upon.

As for that revenge story that spans the ocean, the history and geography involved need to be thoroughly localized.

The Mormon community in Utah could be replaced by a closed sect in some remote part of this world—well, thinking of this, Edmund couldn't help but think of the Abyss Order, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Irony. One of the core elements of the novel he's about to use to launder money happens to be a story about a cult.

In novels, cults are merely the backdrop for crime; in reality, however, cults are the main perpetrators of crime.

The pen tip landed on the paper, making a soft rustling sound.

"In 1878, Dr. John Wash, a medical doctor from the university town, returned home after retiring from the army..."