In the rain, Ji Zhixu stopped.
But the old man walking towards him did not stop.
The two people passed each other.
Ji Zhixu didn't even have time to open the mechanism to switch the blade stick.
It's not that she didn't want to, but the invisible power so close to her made her whole body stiffen, and cold sweat dripped from her forehead.
The old man, wearing a dark old suit and a gentleman's hat, paused beside her, looked at the book in her hand with some surprise , and muttered in a low voice: "It's this book. What a lucky little girl."
His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, and the half of his face exposed under the umbrella was covered by a black and old iron mask, revealing only a pair of dark green, snake-like, sinister eyes.
His eyes were as sharp as a sword, without any of the turbidity that an old man should have.
Ji Zhixu only had time to catch a glimpse of the name of the book with a black background and red patterns in the old man's hand - "Void and Extinction" - before the old man passed her and walked towards the dimly lit bookstore.
The cold moisture from the rain crawled along my exposed skin, bringing a chill.
"phew..."
Ji Zhixu breathed a sigh of relief .
Turn around.
A conversation could be heard faintly through the slowly closing door of the bookstore.
"Welcome... Hey? It's Lao Wang. Are you here to return the book?"
"…Although you said this is a name that indicates intimacy, I still feel like something is wrong. Can you please call me by my name, Mr. Lin?"
"Of course, Mr. Wilde."
"Huh... I'm so relieved. Do you have a new guest?"
"Yes, Lao Wang."
"Name... never mind. It seems like you like her very much. You even borrowed the books you often read. Here are the books you borrowed last time."
"A book that you read often is still a book. Besides, I just think that book is suitable for her. It's only been 20 days since you came to return it. The last bet was within 30 days. You lost, haha. I told you that old people like you are not suitable to read such books, lest you get dizzy , but you still didn't believe me."
"…I lost. Sorry, this book is too profound. It is like a complete and huge world, full of mystery and magical unknowns, transcending the limitations of time and space. From life to death, from birth to extinction. With my shallow knowledge, it is hard to imagine that someone can write such a great work. He must be a great person."
"Of course, that is a giant who has passed away."
"Giant? No wonder..."
The sound gradually faded away.
Ji Zhixu looked at the book and umbrella in his hands.
The bookstore owner was much more relaxed and humorous when talking to the old man who was obviously a regular customer.
The old man was also kind and friendly, as if they were close friends regardless of age.
However, when Ji Zhixu recalled the encounter just now, he felt cold sweat on his back.
Frank Wilde, the "Faceless Man with Black Scales", is a dark wizard of the destructive level.
The most iconic features are the mask on his face and the dark green snake eyes caused by his half-snake bloodline .
The seemingly gentle old man was actually a well-known and notorious cold-blooded and cruel executioner, a butcher with blood on his hands.
He once fought against one of the ten glorious knights of the Mystery Tower, destroyed an area of nearly ten thousand kilometers, and won the title of Destruction Level.
Later, for some unknown reason, he disappeared from the public eye.
According to the regulations promulgated by the Truth Society in 1788, extraordinary people are divided into four levels, also known as the "APDI classification method", and the Truth Society publishes a list of changes to the registered extraordinary people of each level every year.
Abnormal.
Panicky.
Destructive.
Indescribable (god-level).
Although Wilde's name was marked with the notes "missing" and "wanted in the Arcana Tower", it remained at the destruction level without any change.
You know, there are less than ten destruction-level transcendents in the upper area of the city of Nogin , and in the entire Azir, there are less than a hundred.
Such a cruel dark wizard who had long disappeared would actually appear here? !
And he seemed to be friends with the young man.
Ji Zhixu took a deep breath and left in a hurry, becoming more and more convinced in his heart.
The owner of this bookstore is indeed a mysterious wizard with extremely powerful strength!
At least it is at the same destructive level as Wilde!
She hooked up with an extraordinary person...
…
Lin Jie put the copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude back on the bookshelf and turned to ask, "Old Wang, you don't seem to be in a good mood."
Wilde was a frequent visitor to his bookstore.
——Although his shabby bookstore didn't have many customers in total, if you counted carefully, you could count the regular customers on two hands. But thanks to his careful management, these customers had established deep friendships with him and basically made it a habit to come to his shop.
Like Wilde, he has borrowed books five times since his first visit to the bookstore two years ago, including this time.
Although it seems that the frequency is a bit small, the borrowing period for each book is about one month, which means that in two years and twenty-four months, four months are contributed to Lin Jie , which is a full one-sixth!
Full of sincerity!
He has run this bookstore for three years. There was no business at all in the first year, so Wilde can be said to be a long-time customer.
At the same time, he is also the object of Mr. Lin's frequent life guidance and psychological counseling.
well.
The elderly, especially those living alone, are prone to physical and psychological problems.
Comrade Lao Wang is a very typical empty-nest elderly person.
According to Lin Jie , Lao Wang has two children, but they treat him very badly. His wife left him, and his colleagues ostracized him and were even afraid of him because of his appearance, leaving him alone to live in a big city like Nokin .
Although they have no shortage of money and no worries about food and clothing, they are very lacking in spiritual life.
This lack is not just a lack of care from relatives and friends, but more importantly a lack of a sense of identity.
Lao Wang himself is an expert in linguistics. He has in-depth research on various rare languages and is a focused and highly accomplished scholar.
Such people can easily get used to being alone, but cannot stand the loneliness of being misunderstood.
So Lin Jie started from this aspect!
When we first met, we gained initial goodwill by facing and respecting each other's physical flaws.
The identity information was inferred from the books that the other party was selling.
Then I recommended a book called Wenzhou Dialect.
This is one of the most difficult dialects to understand in China, known as the "devil's language".
In Wenzhou, there are as many as 12 languages that are mutually unintelligible.
During the war, Wenzhou dialect was even used as a secret language that the enemy could not decipher at all !
Lin Jie watched Lao Wang's eyes change from casual, to confused, to terrified, and finally to ecstasy of rekindled hope in life, shouting "Devil, this is the real devil", and felt the significance of being a chicken soup master.
Alas, the joy of being a life mentor is so plain and boring.
Of course, there is no Wenzhou, let alone China, in this land called Azir. Lin Jie can only interpret this book as coming from a remote relic that has disappeared.