On the Ark.

Boasting about his cats to others was a habit from his past life, because his cats were the things he was most proud to talk about. However, most people didn't find it interesting, so he gradually stopped talking about it in this life. But today, he couldn't help himself and rambled on and on. By the time he realized it, he had already said quite a bit and could only apologize.

But to his surprise, Mostima didn't show any impatience like the others; instead, he kept smiling, his blue eyes gleaming with laughter.

“It’s alright,” she said. “I’m quite interested, so please continue.”

"Hmm... there's not much to say. It's just a silly cat that likes to bring all sorts of weird things home. Like the mice and sparrows it hunts. Is it showing off to me? Or is it just sharing its food with me... Ah, thank you."

Lin Ye watched as Mostima placed a small steamed bun into his bowl and immediately thanked her.

“They’re sharing food,” Mostima said with a smile. “Whether it’s a person or a cat, when they see something good, they always want to share it with the people they like.”

Lin Ye smiled and said, "That's true."

Although I've only known Mostima for less than two days, I unexpectedly feel that we get along very well. It must be a wonderful coincidence.

But as we talked, it seems we forgot about Eyjafjalla.

Noticing that Eyjafjalla hadn't spoken for a while, Lin Ye quickly asked, "Eyjafjalla, would you like something else to eat?"

Eyjafjalla shook her head: "No need, senior. I'm already full. The desserts here are delicious."

"Okay, then I'll call the ranger and have him come pick us up." Lin Ye took out his phone, dialed the ranger's number, briefly explained the situation to him, and then hung up. "The ranger said he's already on his way, but there's traffic because of the rain, so it'll probably take him a while. We'll just have to wait."

Eyjafjalla nodded obediently and said, "Don't worry about me, senior. You and Miss Mostima can continue your conversation."

Lin Ye was finally relieved.

Then he heard Mostima ask, "Lin Ye, what do you think of the city of Lungmen?"

Lin Ye looked at Mostima with some surprise, because this was the second person to ask him this question that day. The first was Wei Yanwu, who asked because he wanted to recruit him into Lungmen. Did Mostima also have such plans? Did he want him to join Penguin Logistics?

No way, he hasn't even managed to bring Mostima to Rhodes Island yet, how could Mostima steal him away?

So, Lin Ye needs to think about this problem carefully... what the hell?

No matter how you think about it, there's only one answer.

"Longmen is a very nice city," Lin Ye could only say.

“Is that so?” Mostima said softly, watching the rain intensify. “But that’s only on the surface.”

Lin Ye was stunned for a moment, thinking that this development seemed to be somewhat different from what he had imagined.

Mostima turned his head, looked at Lin Ye, and slowly said, "Lin Ye, here's a piece of advice: don't even think about staying in this city."

Unexpectedly, it was someone who advised him not to stay.

Lin Ye pondered for a moment, then asked, "Why do you say that? Longmen is a very good city, isn't it?"

"It's just a glamorous facade."

"Are you saying that Lungmen is like a beautiful apple that's actually been eaten hollow by worms?" Lin Ye asked.

Mostima couldn't help but laugh: "That's quite a vivid analogy."

"It's alright, it's alright." That's something your elementary school teacher taught you.

But Mostima quickly wiped the smile off his face and said softly, "But if that's all there is to it, it's not that bad."

"……What's the meaning?"

“Using apples to describe Lungmen is not accurate,” Mostima said. “Lungmen should be a worm, a very hungry worm that wants to eat all the apples to survive. So it is very dangerous, and if you don’t want to be eaten by it, you should stay away from it.”

This was the first time Lin Ye had ever heard of someone using insects to describe Lungmen. It struck him as somewhat novel, but he quickly realized that Mostima was a messenger, and messengers certainly had a different perspective on things than ordinary people, right? They could see more things than ordinary people could see, so Lin Ye kept Mostima's words in mind.

"I understand, thank you for your advice," Lin Ye said.

"Hmm...that's good. But don't worry too much. As long as you don't live in this city and just treat it as a place to pass through, Lungmen is indeed a very nice city."

“Yes.” Lin Ye nodded and said with a smile, “Compared to Lungmen, Rhodes Island is practically a rural area…”

Wait, if he portrays Rhodes Island as too shabby, won't Mostima not want to come?

Can't say that.

Lin Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Compared to Lungmen, Rhodes Island is much more simple and honest."

“Really? You’re quite the talker,” Mostima said with a smile. “Oh, right, there’s one more question.”

"Hmm? You go ahead."

"Can you use Originium Arts?"

Lin Ye was somewhat surprised: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"I just wanted to ask."

"Um... I don't know how."

“Is that so? In that case…” Mostima unfastened the black staff from her back and handed it to Lin Ye, “Would you like to try this?”

Chapter 441 The Choice Between Black and White (3K)

"Let me try?" Lin Ye looked at the staff Mostima handed him with great surprise. "What do you mean?"

"The literal meaning."

“But I can’t use Originium Arts,” Lin Ye said. “My Originium Arts compatibility is very, very low.”

You could also say there is none at all.

“Oh?” Mostima asked, “Is this the diagnosis Rhodes Island gave you?”

"Yeah." Lin Ye nodded somewhat helplessly. Although his physique was something countless people in this world would envy, as he couldn't be infected with Oripathy, it was still a pity for someone who had transmigrated to this world and didn't have any superpowers, not even knowing how to create a fireball. He really wanted to be like Skyfire, raising his staff and shouting "Bad!" and then watching meteorites fall and crush those who opposed him—that would be so cool!

It wouldn't be like this now. Although he learned the Leaping Wave Strike from Skadi, his physical condition limited its duration, and his own combat strength was too weak, so even with several times the amplification, he couldn't defeat many opponents. Even now, without [Maple], Lin Ye felt he still couldn't beat Yato. Yato only needed to endure the duration of the Leaping Wave Strike; he would simply collapse without Yato lifting a finger.

Even after receiving [Maple] from Messiah, Lin Ye still couldn't escape his Schrödinger's cat-like weakness. So he kept thinking how great it would be if he knew some Originium Arts, even if they weren't very powerful, just something to aid him in battle would be enough. Besides, every man has probably fantasized about superpowers in his childhood, right?

Mostima placed her staff on the table and said slowly, "Originium Arts are an innate talent that everyone is born with. There may be differences between individuals, but it should not be non-existent."

Lin Ye thought that even if it had existed in the past, it had probably been absorbed by the "L cells" in his blood. However, he couldn't tell Mostima about the "L cells," so Lin Ye could only vaguely say, "It's true, it didn't. There's nothing I can do about it."

Warfarin had suggested that he could try learning Originium Arts, simply by transplanting a pure Originium into his body, since he wouldn't contract Oripathy. However, Lin Ye immediately rejected this dangerous idea. Even if he couldn't use his superpowers, Lin Ye was unwilling to put such a dangerous stone into his body.

While Lin Ye was lost in thought, Mostima was also pondering something. Then, she slowly raised her hand: "In that case, let me give it a try."

"Give it a try?" Lin Ye asked, somewhat puzzled. "Try what?"

"Hold my hand," Mostima said to Lin Ye.

"...Huh?" Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly. "What kind of explanation is this?"

“Let me examine your body,” Mostima said with a smile. “To be honest, I’m quite sensitive in this area. Some people have said that my Originium Arts adaptability is among the best. I can even feel the flow of Originium particles in other people’s bodies.”

"Is that so? But it still won't work for me," Lin Ye said. "My body has been examined by countless instruments. One doctor even said that the only way for me to use Originium Arts is to implant a pure Originium inside my body. Don't even think about anything else; it's just a waste of effort."

Mostima blinked and said with a smile, "So, you don't trust me?"

"How can this be called distrust?"

“If you trust me, you won’t even hold my hand?” Mostima asked.

Lin Ye was truly stumped by the question. Looking into Mostima's blue eyes, he inexplicably reached out and shook hands with hers. It wasn't until the cool, soft touch made Lin Ye turn slightly around that he realized he and Mostima had only known each other for less than two days. Why were they already talking about trust? This was clearly abnormal.

What's even more unusual is that Lin Ye didn't seem to notice anything wrong.

Seeing Mostima's slightly furrowed brows, as if she were deep in thought, Lin Ye had a strange feeling, as if he and Mostima hadn't just met yesterday, but had known each other for many years. Otherwise, he wouldn't have subconsciously listened to everything Mostima said.

How strange, is this really an angel? It looks rather eerie.

Lin Ye thought to himself.

About five minutes later, Mostima released Lin Ye's hand and said thoughtfully, "Your body is indeed a bit strange. I can hardly feel any flow of Originium particles."

“Yes, I already said that there are no Originium particles in my body at all… Hmm? Almost?” Lin Ye sensed something was wrong.

“Yes, almost,” Mostima said with a smile. “Although very few, they are not entirely nonexistent, so after some effort, I managed to find them.”

"How did you find it?" Lin Ye found it incredible, since even the instruments couldn't detect it. If he hadn't believed Mostima wouldn't lie to him, he would never have believed it.

Mostima said matter-of-factly, "As long as I treat you as a staff, I can access the Originium particles within you."

"Huh? This works?" Lin Ye thought this was too ridiculous.

“It would be difficult for others to do, but I could manage it with a bit of difficulty,” Mostima said. “However, it would be very difficult to use Originium Arts with Originium particles of this size.”

Mostima's previous words had already given Lin Ye some hope of creating a fireball, but this last sentence shattered that hope.

He sighed, "That's why I said my body simply can't use Originium Arts."

“I didn’t say that,” Mostima shook her finger. “Actually, there is a way.”

"What other options are there?"

“Although you have relatively few Originium particles in your body, you can still unleash decent Originium Arts, or rather, spells, if used properly,” Mostima said. “Although there are many limitations, and it’s quite difficult to release them…”

Lin Ye immediately said, "Limitations and difficulties don't matter, as long as I can create fireballs."

"Huh... conjure a fireball?"

Lin Ye immediately coughed twice: "I was just giving an example."

“Is that so? But I don’t know how to make fireballs.” Mostima shrugged. “I don’t have that kind of Originium Arts, so I can’t teach you.”

Can't I make fireballs?

Lin Ye was somewhat disappointed, but he concealed it well: "It's okay, I'm satisfied as long as I can use Originium Arts, but can I really learn them?"

Mostima shook her head: "You can't learn it. You haven't communicated with the Originium particles in your body on a daily basis, which means your Originium adaptability is almost zero. Under these circumstances, it's impossible to learn Originium Arts. Or rather, it's impossible in a short time. In a long time, it might be possible in a few hundred years."

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly.

He wondered if Mostima was deliberately toying with him, constantly giving him hope only to take it away. Was that really interesting? Why didn't you just tell me from the beginning that there was no way?

Perhaps guessing what Lin Ye was thinking, Mostima smiled and said, "You really can't learn it on your own, but if I help you, there won't be a problem."

"Help me? How can you help me?"

“So-called Originium Arts,” Mostima said, dipping her finger in water and scribbling on the table. “Simply put, it’s about manipulating the Originium particles within your body to unleash various abilities. It’s like writing with a bowl of water; some bowls have more water, some have less. The bowl with more water can naturally write more words, while the bowl with less water can only barely draw a single stroke.”

Lin Ye nodded, understanding Mostima's meaning. Simply put, he was the kind of person who had very little water in his bowl, and before, he even thought there was no water in his bowl, so he didn't know how to write with water.

"What should I do with the water in my bowl?" Lin Ye asked.

“It’s very simple,” Mostima said with a smile. “I’ll write it for you.”