The moment Meng Hao laid eyes on the items from the fourth treasure chest, he nearly forgot how to breathe.
An enchanted quill, a spell tome, a mana-measuring stone, and most miraculously—a Magic-to-Chinese translator…
Each artifact left him thunderstruck.
They were all indispensable tools for practicing magic.
But it was the last one that truly stirred his soul—the very object he had been yearning for.
Without hesitation, he retrieved the thick Witch's Grimoire from his storage ring.
"Ask and the world provides…"
This golden-tier artifact, said to contain ancient magical teachings, had once been indecipherable due to the strange arcane runes within. Despite its rarity, it had been utterly useless.
But now, all had changed.
With the help of the translator, Meng Hao could finally decode the grimoire—
He could finally begin cultivating magic.
His throat went dry from excitement. With shaking hands, he selected option two.
[Congratulations! You have received: Enchanted Quill ×1, Spell Tome ×1, Mana Stone ×1, Magic–Chinese Translator ×1.]
Without delay, he placed the translator beside the grimoire.
Then, carefully, he opened the translator.
The first few pages were filled with radical breakdowns of magical glyphs, akin to the structure of Chinese radicals. Each segment linked to a corresponding page number.
Using this reference, one could translate the arcane runes into legible Chinese—
a magical dictionary of sorts.
"Let's see what the first page reveals…"
Turning back to the Witch's Grimoire, he once again beheld the four-petaled sigil on the opening page.
Cross-referencing each rune, he began the painstaking task of translation.
"Earth!"
"Water!"
"Fire!"
"Wind!"
His heart trembled slightly.
These were, unmistakably, the four elemental magics chronicled in the grimoire.
And now, with this translator in hand, he had a real chance to learn them.
"Just how many types of magic exist in this world?"
"How long would it take to master them all?"
A frown furrowed his brow as fragments of old Earth knowledge drifted through his mind.
In books and films, elemental magic usually revolved around four classical forces: earth, water, fire, and wind.
Some works expanded that to include metal, wood, light, darkness, thunder…
But Meng Hao scoffed inwardly—those authors clearly hadn't cultivated even a breath of real magic.
Here in the wilds of the Archipelago World, these four elements might well be the building blocks of all sorcery.
And if so, mastering them would open the gates to power unimaginable.
"As expected of a golden-tier item—the Witch's Grimoire is no ordinary book."
Delight spread across his face, and a foolish giggle escaped his lips.
Surrounded by ocean, he reasoned water magic would be the easiest to grasp first.
Flipping to the relevant chapter, he began to read:
"Water—an invisible, tasteless, transparent liquid. The wellspring of all life. The most essential element within all living beings."
"Its presence shaped the evolution of life, destined to wield immense power."
"Water nurtures life... and ends it."
"Seek it. You will fall in love with its strength."
First Spell: Illusory Water Orb
Second Spell: Frost Sigil
Third Spell: Aurora Ice Burst
Fourth Spell: Soulpiercing Ice Arrow
...
It took him over thirty minutes to translate just a portion of the first page.
Even this fragment was enough to leave him parched and breathless.
"So powerful…"
Had night not fallen, he would've continued his studies without pause.
But the sun had now completely sunk beneath the horizon.
He could barely make out the words on the page.
Forty minutes had passed since donning the Healing Headband, and his wounds had now completely closed.
His vitality restored, his HP had returned to 100%.
Refreshed, Meng Hao gathered more dry wood and rekindled the fire, casting golden light across his shelter.
"Alright… translation time continues."
"No—I need to write this down somewhere. I'll forget all this if I don't."
Translating word by word had been exhausting. To forget anything would be a painful loss.
But as he reached for a notebook and pen, he came to a rude realization—he had none.
The earlier treasure chest had contained both… but he'd chosen the rarer magical set instead.
Sure, he had an enchanted quill and a spell tome—but those were precious tools for spellwork.
Using them for mundane notes would be a colossal waste.
"Let's see if I can trade for them."
He quickly entered the trading channel and listed his request.
He needed: a notebook and a pen.
His offer: rare, coveted freshwater.
By now, other players had surely looted similar supplies.
With billions stranded worldwide, someone was bound to have what he needed.
And if not a notebook, even plain paper would suffice.
His listing went live:
[Seller: Meng Hao 746996585]
[Offered: 50ml Water, Qty: 2]
[Request: Notebook, 1:1 exchange]
[Request: Pen, 1:1 exchange]
By now, the scarcity of clean water had reached unprecedented levels.
As evening meals approached, freshwater became even more precious.
Night had fallen. No one could venture out to explore.
If a player had no water, they were in for a long and thirsty night.
True, some had obtained water purifiers—but their output was low, barely enough for one person.
This had sent water prices skyrocketing.
Other players had entered the trade channel too, bartering for rare goods with tiny quantities of water.
But Meng Hao's supply still dwarfed theirs.
Within less than a minute, both of his listings were snapped up.
For most players, a notebook or pen held little value—useless for survival.
Yet now, they were being exchanged for water?
"Look! It's Meng Hao, the legend himself!"
"Oh my god—he's trading water again!"
"Meng Hao, you're finally back! I missed you so much!"
"I love you, Meng Hao! Like a mouse loves rice!"
"Not gonna lie… I'm really into your water."
In an instant, the marketplace erupted with excitement.
Notebooks and pens were common enough.
And now, one could trade them for 50ml of water each?
A blessing from the heavens!
Only Meng Hao would think of such creative ways to shower others with blessings.
Cheers filled the air.
Players praised him fervently as they rushed to trade—
Only to find… the trades were already over.
"???"