Translator: AnubisTL
For the next dozen or so days, Jieming lived like a learning machine wound tight.
Ever since the hypothesis took root in his mind—that the knowledge of this world likely originated from other Fallen Wizards—an unprecedented sense of "getting a bargain" had begun to grow wildly within him.
Learning the core knowledge of other wizards for free?
Such an opportunity, encountered by any wizard, would be an unprecedented stroke of luck, nearly impossible to replicate!
If his previous immersion in study had been driven by a researcher's instinctive thirst for the unknown and a wizard's respect for knowledge, then now, this drive was infused with a fervor akin to a bandit's raid.
During this period, Jieming's days consisted of nothing but study. When he wasn't listening to lectures in the classroom, he was in the library consulting materials. Or he would use his personal terminal to connect to academic databases, frantically downloading, reading, and comprehending those profound theories and applied technologies.
His single-minded devotion, to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep, not only drew the attention of his classmates and teachers but even left his "parents" trembling with worry.
They urged him repeatedly to take care of his health and balance work with rest.
Jieming promised to do so, but his body remained honestly immersed in the ocean of knowledge.
It wasn't until this day off, more than ten days later, that he finally lifted his head from his studies with some reluctance.
Today was the day of the "Clean Ocean" public welfare event.
The so-called "Clean Ocean" event was, to put it bluntly, just volunteers manually cleaning up trash on the beach along a designated coastline.
With the level of technology in this world, this kind of work could be efficiently completed by low-cost automatic robots.
But according to the community manager, this event was kept to "enhance citizens' environmental awareness" and "promote community neighborhood interaction"—a typical social behavior where form was more important than substance.
Jieming arrived at the designated beach meeting point and registered with the manager.
He received a biodegradable large black garbage bag and a long-handled clamp, and was assigned a section of the beach that he needed to be responsible for.
His gaze swept casually over the already dispersed crowd of volunteers, and he quickly locked onto that familiar figure.
Viola was dressed in light sportswear and a wide-brimmed sun hat, holding her tongs and trash bag. A flawless, gentle smile graced her face as she elegantly picked up scattered debris from the beach. A small circle of people, both men and women, had naturally formed around her, all eager to strike up a conversation.
Jieming didn't approach her immediately. Instead, he kept his head down like the other ordinary volunteers, diligently cleaning his assigned area and patiently waiting for the right moment.
Halfway through the activity, the organizers announced a fifteen-minute break. Only then did the volunteers relax, putting down their work and gathering in small groups under the shaded pavilion where water was provided.
Jieming slowed his pace and adjusted his direction, "coincidentally" crossing paths with Viola as she also headed toward the rest area.
"Senior Viola? What a coincidence," Jieming said, his expression a perfectly timed mix of surprise and slight exhaustion.
"Oh, Jieming! What a surprise," Viola replied with a smile, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. "Amy was right—you've been studying so hard lately. You look a bit worn out."
"Yeah, my parents kept nagging me, saying I'd grow mushrooms if I didn't get out more. They insisted I come out and get some activity," Jieming replied with a helpless shrug. His tone then shifted to one of feigned surprise. "I never expected you to participate in an event like this, Senior Viola. And seeing how everyone around here is greeting you... you seem to be a regular?"
The smile on Viola's face remained flawless. "Yes, I do participate in various public welfare activities quite often. Contributing to society feels very meaningful."
If anyone else had heard these words, they might have found her kind and socially responsible. But Jieming, knowing her true nature, deliberately wore a particularly subtle expression. "I never would have guessed you were such a compassionate person, Senior Viola."
Hearing this, the curve of Viola's smile deepened slightly, and a faint, imperceptible glint of amusement flashed in her beautiful eyes.
She lowered her voice, speaking just loud enough for the two of them to hear. "A spirit of selflessness? Perhaps. But... it seems you've already heard about my situation from Amy, haven't you?"
"To be honest, seeing these volunteers working so hard under the scorching sun, their backs aching, their faces etched with exhaustion yet forced into smiles... that subtle sense of 'suffering' brings me quite a lot of pleasure."
A cold sweat instantly broke out across Jieming's back.
Recalling the crowd of men and women who had gathered around her just moments ago, Jieming suddenly realized something. "So, the reason you were with them was just to supervise whether they were working hard?"
Viola laughed at his words. "Oh, don't make it sound so harsh. I was simply encouraging them to work harder for the benefit of the community."
Sure enough!
Still the same old Viola!
Jieming gave a dry laugh, at a loss for words.
Is this what it means to be a senior?
Even in another life, she still finds ways to appreciate the suffering of others from a moral high ground.
...A normal person would never have thought of this.
Just then, he sharply felt a gaze filled with obvious hostility shoot toward him from the side and behind.
He subtly turned his head, catching sight of a young, fairly handsome male volunteer glaring at him from the corner of his eye. The man's resentment was nearly palpable, especially as he watched Jieming talking to Viola.
Jieming recognized him; he had been the one most eagerly vying for Viola's attention earlier.
Jieming blinked, then feigned a sudden realization. He turned back to Viola and asked, "Senior Viola, is that... your boyfriend? He looks different from the one we saw at the mall last time, though."
Far from being embarrassed, Viola's eyes lit up as if he'd brought up a fascinating topic. "Oh, you mean my ex?" she said, her tone brimming with enthusiasm. "That's ancient history."
"I heard about it from Amy, but I didn't expect you to move on so quickly..." Jieming's eyelids twitched.
Viola, however, watched the man in the distance with a mischievous smile. She leaned in closer to Jieming, her lips almost brushing his ear. "My ex was a brilliant artist, deeply emotional and sensitive. All I did was use a little 'misunderstanding' and a touch of 'indifference' at the height of his love for me to make him believe I'd fallen for someone else."
"You should have seen his face—the utter despair, the agony, the disbelief. It was a masterpiece! Truly magnificent!"
As she described his suffering, her eyes sparkled with a light Jieming knew all too well: the pure appreciation and pleasure derived from "pain" itself.
"And then, after I finally cleared up the misunderstanding, he showed me a whole new kind of pain..."
Listening to Viola's soft-spoken chatter, Jieming felt the hostile gaze from behind him nearly solidify into a physical force. He shifted slightly to the side, a wry smile touching his lips as he looked at Viola. "Senior, you're willing to chat with me for so long... Could it be that you're also savoring the 'jealousy' and 'anguish' your current boyfriend is tasting right now?"
Viola didn't deny it. Instead, she nodded with a hint of approval. "Sharp as ever, Junior Jieming. Observing the subtle agonies born from emotion is one of the highest forms of pleasure, after all."
Before they could say more, someone called out Viola's name from a distance. It sounded like the event organizer needed her.
Realizing their brief encounter was coming to an end, Jieming suddenly spoke. "Senior, there's one last thing."
"Hmm? What is it?" Viola paused mid-turn, looking at him in confusion.
In that split second—
Jieming's face still wore the same easy smile from their conversation, but his right hand suddenly shot out. With lightning speed, he threw a fierce straight punch, aiming for the bridge of Viola's nose without warning!
Though his physical strength was sealed, the punch—empowered by absolute mastery of technique—was still fast, precise, and brutal, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.
In the blink of an eye, before the smile could even fade from Viola's face, her body reacted instinctively. Her head jerked to the side at a slight, precise angle—a movement so fluid and swift it could only have been performed by someone trained in combat.
The dodge itself bore the faint shadow of some martial art.
The fist whistled past, grazing a few strands of her hair.
And almost simultaneously, Jieming's clenched fist instantly opened into a palm.
His fingers brushed gently against Viola's temple, plucking a tiny, withered leaf that had somehow landed in her silver-gray hair.
The smile on Jieming's face remained unchanged, as if the earth-shattering strike he'd just unleashed had been a mere hallucination. His tone was light. "All good now, Senior. You had a leaf in your hair, so I helped you take it out."
Viola froze in place, the color draining from her face.
For the first time, those eyes that always held a smile or a hint of mockery clearly revealed shock, wariness, and a trace of undisguised horror.
She stared fixedly at Jieming for several seconds, her lips moving, but in the end, she said nothing.
She simply took a swift half-step back and spoke quickly, her tone more distant than ever before. "Thank you... I'll be going now."
With that, she turned and hurried toward the crowd calling her name, almost as if she were escaping.
Jieming stood where he was, the formal smile on his face slowly fading.
He turned away, carrying the half-full, oversized black trash bag, his expression blank.
He walked away steadily, step by step, in the opposite direction from Viola.
On the sun-drenched beach, the volunteers continued to chat and rest.
No one noticed the heart-stopping tension that had just unfolded in that brief exchange.
But Jieming knew. The probe had yielded its result.
(End of the Chapter)
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