Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

Winslow touched the manuscript on the table one last time, took off his glasses, slowly wiped the lenses clean with a handkerchief, and put them back on.

"Gordon," Winslow said seriously, "we can only deduce the essence from the reactions now; we have the will but not the power. I want you to do something difficult but right... to reveal the truth of the Source to humanity and conquer its mysteries before the end of this era."

"Professor, I do want to uncover the truth," Gordon said.

"Very ambitious," Winslow said. "It reminds me of the first time I participated in the dissection of a demon when I was young. I saw that terrifying Balrog with a huge, alien heart growing out of its chest cavity... Everyone around me screamed and screamed, wishing they could get as far away as possible. I, on the other hand, continued to make my cuts."

"And you are not afraid at all!" Gordon said with awe.

"No, they just ran too fast and blocked the door."

"..."

Winslow skipped over this detail.

"In short, all I thought at the time was that if something could be dealt with by having its heart and soul taken out of it, then we could deal with it. People can't live in fear forever."

Gordon thought of Harold at the Rice Pump Station, and his fanatical appearance.

Looking back now, Harold was disgusting and dangerous, but... yes, he could be defeated, he could be smashed to pieces.

Throughout his life, Winslow likely unraveled countless similar secrets.

"Professor, you're still young," Gordon said. "You can still publish many top-tier papers that will keep your peers up at night."

"My spirit is young, not this body." Winslow's voice held a touch of melancholy. "...I hope to establish a method. A school of thought. Let's call it the Winslow School for now, whatever others want to call it. It requires four top-notch crafts, and these four crafts are also my specialties..."

He opened a small blackboard and wrote on it with chalk.

Gao Deng listened attentively.

"Superior anatomy exposes the secrets of all so-called 'monsters' under the knife."

"Natural science involves observing, identifying, and recording all natural substances in the world, and classifying and naming them."

  

"Spiritual craftsmanship transforms danger into tools, making the 'extraordinary' truly useful to humanity."

"Pollution pathology studies the erosion of human health by pollutants and seeks methods to treat and reverse it."

Winslow lowered his hand and looked at Gordon.

Which subject do you want to study?

Looking at these four propositions, Gordon felt as if he saw four weapons that could conquer the world.

"Professor," Gordon said earnestly, "I want to learn everything if the tuition isn't extra."

Winslow's brow twitched slightly. To be honest, this was both the answer he wanted to hear and the one he expected Gordon to say.

He nodded.

"But Peter studied for six years and still didn't master any of them," Winslow said. "He was the one who persisted the longest."

"There are big differences between people," Gordon said.

"Yes, at least Peter can support himself, while you have to attend classes, write reports, work as an assistant... and pay off your debts," Winslow said dismissively.

Gordon smiled, but showed no sign of backing down.

He thought of Vera's illness, and of all the unsolved mysteries in the world.

If he knew a little about pollution pathology, he might be able to cure Vera. If he knew spiritual craftsmanship, he could personally process every piece of source matter he obtained…

"Professor," Gordon said, "I can learn slowly, but I won't just learn one subject."

"What's the reason?"

"Anything can happen in this world," Gordon said. "I can't possibly see an Otherworldly corpse and then learn how to dissect it, while my patients wait until I've learned medicine before they die."

Winslow sighed.

He walked to the bookshelf and took out several thick books.

These are some of the most precious books in the world.

"Don't lose or damage it," he warned.

"Anatomy of the Otherworldly Demons," "The Nature of the Source," "Introduction to Spiritual Crafts: Dominating the Source," and "Symptoms of Source Pollution." Each of these books puts even the most stoic to shame.

Gordon received the four books with reverence, feeling as if he were receiving four religious classics.

Their weight is so real.

Gordon couldn't even imagine it.

If he thoroughly reads these four books, he will become an incredibly learned and versatile person.

Looking at Gordon's expression, Winslow knew he had given it to the right person.

That was genuine... a pure thirst for knowledge.

"Give me a notebook every week," Winslow said. "Keep writing during the Easter holiday as well. Note that taking notes is not the same as copying from a book. I want to see the results of your thinking, to see what you have actually understood."

[Books. Significantly increase intelligence and significantly reduce sleep time.]

"Understood," Gordon said.

"Take him away." Winslow waved his hand. It was a reluctant parting, after all.

"And..." Gordon finally stated his purpose, "Professor, do you recognize this item?"

He took out a copy of an ancient rubbing from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Professor Winslow paused for a moment, opened the drawer, took out his precious magnifying glass, and examined it carefully.

"Where did this come from?" Winslow asked.

"A personal notebook."

"Who would use ancient Logarithmic inscriptions to write notes?"

"It was a slip of the tongue; it was 'Dead Man's Notebook,'" Gordon said.

Winslow turned the knob on the gas lamp and carefully examined each stroke.

“These are inscriptions used by the island’s early inhabitants,” Winslow said. “They predate St. Joshua’s arrival in Gloris. Back then, people didn’t understand what grace, suffering, and redemption were. They would offer sacrifices to anything inexplicable—tides, lightning, harvests, diseases… even a bleeding stone.”

"Can you help me translate?" Gordon asked curiously.

"We can leave it to someone more professional," Winslow thought for a moment. "I have a student who is an expert in this field; her name is Eve Grant."

Gordon had never heard of that name before.

Eve...

Have I seen her before?

"No, that's impossible," Winslow said. "She's not in Lundnim. And I wouldn't really want you two to see her."

Why?

"You're both too smart," Winslow said, "in a negative way. Maybe you're just two idea geniuses, and who knows what will happen when you get together."

Okay, Gordon now really wants to see her no matter what.

"She's also your student? What unique skill did she inherit from you?" Gordon asked.

"She doesn't care about my skills." Winslow glanced regretfully at the several thick volumes in Gordon's hands. "She cares more about theology. She says there are things in this world that are more important and more powerful than St. John... never mind, I don't dare to continue."

"Heretical worship," Gordon murmured.

So Eve must have heard of the "Fisherman King" worshipped by the Blackwater Hermitage.

“Yes, she left Logris after several arguments with the church.” Winslow took a stack of business cards from his drawer, flipped through them, and had Gao register Eve’s address. “If you want to translate these inscriptions, you’ll have to write to her. Send it to 17 St. Michael’s Street, Lumin City, Crown Territory of Gallia.”

Gao Deng understood.

He picked up the four books and walked out.

……

The next day, after class, Gordon went to a coffee shop and wrote a letter to Eve Grant.

"Dear Ms. Grant..."

"I recently came across a ritual inscription that appears to be from the ancient Logarithmic era. Professor Winslow believes you might be one of the few people who can correctly decipher it..."

"Attached are copies of the relevant symbols..."

"P.S.: If you have any information related to bizarre tales such as 'the deep sea lies beneath Lundnium,' 'the connection between humans and water monkeys,' or 'the King of Fishermen,' please let me know..."

After Gordon finished writing, he changed "Blackwater Hermitage" to "a less enthusiastic folk group" and "ritual" to "repetitive behavior." If Eve were truly intelligent, she would know why he wrote it that way.

As for the sender's name, he wrote Professor Noah Winslow first, then Gordon Vick. The former ensured the letter wouldn't be thrown into the fireplace, and the latter ensured a reply would reach him.

After the ink dried, he put the letter paper, the rubbing, and the return address into a cream-colored envelope and stamped it with a small seal.

Finally, he went to the post office and sent a registered letter, spending 100 copper coins, to the other side of the strait to address the problem.

It will be transported to the city's largest port, passing through the wilderness and vineyards of the Gallia region, and arriving in Lumin.

Lu Ming! Gao Deng also had some longing for that place.

It is the second largest city in this world after Lundnium, a city of light and brilliance. The Logris call it the jewel in the crown.