Chapter 732
Chapter 732 - 718: Necessary Investment
2,139 words
•
11 min read
Before the dagger draws blood, everything is fake except for strength.
In Lu Ping’an’s view, not only his tier needed to be improved... he was even considering how to pave the way for his companions, and at the moment what needed to be improved was their overall combat power.
"...it’s too expensive, but there’s no other way." Gritting his teeth, Lu Ping’an knew he had to make a choice.
So, his hard-earned total Life-points turned negative again.
Along the way, Lu Ping’an had many cards in his hand, some of which were the result of innate dividends, and some of which could be considered gifts from fate.
He had gained a lot in professions like Scholar, Gardener, Runner, Soldier, and so on.
It wasn’t just that he had so many cards that he couldn’t play them all, but in many cases he didn’t even have the chance to take a proper look at them before throwing them directly into the warehouse area.
"There are too many cards. Let me read the instructions and then decide which to play."
"There are too many skill trees; I don’t know which one is better to climb."
"Uh, I leveled up too fast. My core professional Abnormal Abilities haven’t been practiced or learned before entering the next stage... I’ve missed out on many useful professional Abnormal Abilities as a first-tier Runner, first-tier Gardener, and first-tier Soldier."
In a sense, this was a problem that couldn’t be shared with others unless Lu Ping’an wanted to invite mockery with others cheering on the sidelines.
But in his case, it was rather innocent.
It had only been four or five months since he had gone from an ordinary person to where he is now, and for a normal person, being able to become a formal professional would already be considered having good talent and hard work.
Well, digressing, perhaps it was precisely this kind of experience that made him view "professions" in an exceptionally "utilitarian" light.
While many professionals saw their profession as a lifelong area of study and as a sacred, inviolable domain, Lu Ping’an regarded it with an unusual sense of rationality and reality.
"What’s it for? What can it do for me?"
In Lu Ping’an’s eyes, all of these were just tools – useful or useless, cheap or costly.
It’s normal for other professionals to become idolized and sanctified as they study and train, putting in the effort and the emotions, especially when True Gods are involved, and faith becomes a troublesome matter... Some people, as they practice, become fanatics.
It’s the combined influence of both internal and external factors, easy to get in, hard to get out.
But in Lu Ping’an’s eyes, even the Deities were just useful tools, just ladders to higher places – if they were useful, he would use them, if they were too costly, he wouldn’t.
And recently the pair of eyes he had acquired were telling him that this was a fact... that these Deities were not providing these Paths out of good intentions.
Some people walk the path and climb the ladder given by others, and as they walk and climb, they turn into someone else.
And this "turning into someone else" is not just metaphorical, on the surface...
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"...is it possible to acquire the power of those ’Divine Gift paths’ in a world without Gods? If possible, it’s better to filter them through..."
This was not just Lu Ping’an’s desire to use the supernatural careers in a godless world, but also his "greed" for the power of the Deities without wanting to pay too much of a price.
In his view, if one were to make a hard comparison, the "professions" given by the Deities were like a neatly packed "one-click unzip package", easy to download and ready to use.
Very easy to use, with high compatibility both up and down, and compared to the supernatural systems of other worlds, it was simple to operate and comprehensive, with everything that should be there and even the ability to add external patches.
But at the same time, it inevitably "unzipped" many unwanted "trojans" and "junk files".
What is even more frustrating is that in most cases, this is not a result of the Deities’ malice, but it’s just what happens when you use their power...
"Power is will, power is the essence, having seen the ’true you,’ you should already have the answer." Chris didn’t really care, in a sense this was also the inevitable path for high-level professionals who have come this far.
She just didn’t expect Lu Ping’an to take this step so soon, not even being at the Decree-level, and already thinking about "splitting up"... but it was also a good thing, being able to pay a little less of a price when forcibly separating later.
"That’s right, I’m asking you because I understand, and I don’t believe you high-level people don’t have a solution to such an obvious hidden danger."
"...actually, you do have a solution, you’ve even guessed it, you’re just asking me for confirmation. Yes, it’s that answer."
At the words of the big cat, Lu Ping’an just nodded silently.
"...Scholar?"
The Scholar Path is the most special of all the professions, not only does it not require the power of supernatural deities, but no deity can truly master a complete Scholar Path.
It is a ladder to heaven jointly built by countless mortal professionals, and there is not much left over by the "predecessors." In plain terms, when other paths reach a certain point (lv4, lv7), they often send a "gift" feature and Abnormal Ability.
For the Scholar Path, it’s usually a rather useless passive trait, with zero combat ability...
[All-Knowing Reader (General): A wide-ranging reader, proficient in reading, able to read books faster (including contaminated knowledge), and possessing a permanent quality that enhances clarity, memory, focus, and understanding while reading. Note: It also enhances resistance to contaminated books and the ability to understand Foreign Domain knowledge and writing...]
[Erudite Scholar (General): Reading a wide range of books is just the beginning, a true scholar can turn any "knowledge" into his own power. Comprehensive increase in the speed of learning professional skills, the chance of awakening professional Abnormal Abilities.]
Both were passive traits, the first was given by the "reading" ability, that is, the ability to comprehend and grasp the "truth."
The latter, the "writing" ability, was based on the capability to manipulate reality based on the "truth" one understood.
Frankly speaking, both seemed useful, and they probably had been working all along, but Lu Ping’an really couldn’t tell when they had started... Even without these two displayed "traits," the Scholar’s "writing" and "reading" abilities had always been effective in this regard.
"Can a scholar modify even the ’compressed files’ of a deity?"
"Why not? Scholars are designed to transform ’contamination’ and ’reality’... it’s just that to modify the ’grace’ of a higher-being, your own level must be high enough."
Lu Ping’an looked at his Scholar Panel...
[Professional Skill, Taboo Knowledge (Universal) lv33: Due to the understanding of the source, you are, in a sense, "all-knowing." It can greatly enhance your understanding, recording, and research ability of other knowledge, paths, and items.]
[Immortal: I am gradually understanding everything....]
Well, it seems like that’s enough.
"It’s not enough. Many times, whether or not you can change it is not about whether you have the technology, but whether you have the power... Uh, maybe it’s more accurate to say authority."
This made it clearer for Lu Ping’an. For a programmer to modify the crappy code package handed down from the superiors, not only does it require skills, but also the permission to rewrite it.
Of course, this isn’t a problem of "permission." Once the divine position package leaves the superiors, no one can control how you modify it. The problem is whether you have the "pen" to "rewrite" it, and whether the new code you write can be embedded in it.
"As a peak Brass-tier Scholar, you might be able to make slight changes to Decree-level, but it’s definitely not enough..."
For a mortal, deciphering an offline package of deity is something they cannot do, let alone completely rewriting its core. Even a Decree-level Scholar can only do it slowly, not to mention a Cursed-level Scholar like Lu Ping’an.
"If you’re not in a hurry, you can take it slowly. You can decipher one path, create your own counterfeit profession, and replace the original with a knockoff."
"That would take a lot of time, and the technology required is too advanced. I can’t do it..."
Lu Ping’an understood the advantages of building from scratch. As long as the technology is good enough, there’s no reason counterfeit products can’t surpass the original.
But if every brick and tile requires your own polishing, the foundation knowledge and time needed would be too exaggerated. Lu Ping’an doesn’t have that time.
According to Big Cat’s speculation, Lu Ping’an might need to become a fifth or sixth-tier Scholar to consider working on the "Divine Position," but with limited efficacy. For a truly combat-effective option, a seventh-tier Scholar would be needed...
"...If I were a seventh-tier Scholar, I wouldn’t even care for those junk products from deities anymore."
"That’s the idea...."
Lu Ping’an knew how hard and fierce it was to become a high-tier pure Scholar.
The strongest human was a pure Scholar, as Big Cat told him.
Not to mention others, the Sophist who turned the content of "writing" into "human" "depraved Scholar" was obviously going the wrong way. But in every aspect, he still crushed a bunch of Decree-level Scholars. Given time (without self-destructing), entering Rule-level or higher would just be a matter of time.
Scholars possess the power to hold the truth, reshape reality, and do not exclude other professions and paths. On the contrary, other professions and paths are the targets for their transformation, the sources of their nutrients, their tools, and nutrition.
Therefore, the tier of a Scholar is its "level," the lower limit of what it can rewrite.
As a result, leveling up is extremely difficult, requiring a lot of things... Some of Lu Ping’an’s needs have been met, some things need time for testing and polishing, unavailable in the short term.
"You can’t do it, but someone...something can."
"As expected, it can’t be avoided."
So, the facts return to the beginning.
"Big Library... Why did the price go up again?"
"You get what you pay for, because it has more value."
When Lu Ping’an was a 2-tier Pact-maker (pure Scholar), it was worth 1500points, making it the most expensive rule building without exception... At that time, Lu Ping’an really couldn’t afford it.
Of course, the main reason was that Lu Ping’an’s skill wasn’t good enough back then. Even with a great weapon, he couldn’t find a target, making it unnecessary to be so luxurious.
After his promotion, he considered that the library may lower its price, but the result was the opposite.
[Do you want to build the Taboo Library (4000) Life-points?]
Looking at the system prompt, Lu Ping’an felt numb.
After becoming a third-tier Taboo Scholar, the price had been like this, with no discount.
But some money just can’t be saved.
"If you want to use deity professions without deities, it’s definitely doable. But to be honest, that’s a bit of an overkill..."
After pondering for a moment, Big Cat offered a rough possibility.
"...It should give an upgrade to all the rule buildings. I don’t know about the others, but the Beast Taming Garden should at least go up by one grade..."
Could it not be upgraded? With 4000 points, in terms of the outrageously expensive Life Bank, it is equivalent to four rule-level items at the base price of 1000 points.
"It’s not calculated like that. Considering the multiples of the buying prices of Quasi-rule-level and Rule-level, this huge difference in quantity maybe means that it is on a completely different level than other rule buildings. It’s a qualitative change...."
What is beyond Rule-level? Uh, Lu Ping’an was almost afraid to think about it.
"Go for it, anyway, there will be nothing left if I lose."
So, in an instant, the hard-earned savings evaporated, and Lu Ping’an went back to square one overnight.
[Lu Ping’an, 17 years old, Life-points 951 (-1000)]
And a magnificent library responded to him.
— End of Chapter 732 —