novelhk Chapter 4, Part 4: May Lady Luck Bless You
Chapter 4, Part 4: May Lady Luck Bless You
The fog before my eyes receded layer by layer, as if space itself were collapsing.
Ian suddenly opened his eyes.
On the cramped little bed, Ian shifted uncomfortably, while the bright moonlight outside the window seemed to drape the room in a silvery mist.
A clock hangs on the wall.
The hands pointed to 12:7, the seconds still ticking away.
Having entered such a realistic yet psychedelic dream, I never imagined that only seven minutes would pass in reality.
"call.."
Ian took a deep breath and reached up to wipe away non-existent sweat from his forehead.
He just felt a little dazed, it was a mental state.
He thought of what had happened in the dreamlike illusion, and subconsciously looked at the back of his hand, where he could see a faint white mark.
The small room was still somewhat dark, relying solely on the moonlight.
Ian sat up, walked to his desk, opened a drawer, took out a small flashlight from among various craft knives, turned on the light, and illuminated his arm to examine it carefully.
"What is this?"
Ian observed the gift from his friend with curiosity.
The faint mark vanished in a flash, disappearing completely into the skin.
Entering a dream, he can bring things from reality into the dream, and he can also bring things out of the dream. Just like the chocolate he gave Ariana.
But what is the purpose of this mark?
Ian didn't know.
He tried to check his skill panel.
Name: Ian Prince
Class: Bloodline Warlock
Magic: Level 4
Skill: Language Proficiency (Level 3): 23/400
Biological Anatomy (Level 4): 796/800
Free Fighting (Level 3): 85/400
Psychology (Level 6): 42/3200
[A remarkable characteristic of psychology: cognitive perception.]
There is something to look forward to.
however.
However, there was no display of any markings on the panel.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. This gift from a friend is clearly not a skill. Just like Ian's ability to enter the illusionary realm can't be found on the character panel.
Perhaps I should check the Hogwarts library to see if there are any similar cases? That place is said to have the most comprehensive knowledge in the entire wizarding world—Ian thought to himself, touching his arm on the desk. Soon, drowsiness came over him, and he went back to bed and fell asleep.
Time flies.
The next morning.
When the sun rose, Ian was already at his desk, reading language books for quite some time.
[Successfully read a French word, language proficiency +1]
[Successfully read Roman text, language proficiency +1]
[Successfully read Roman text, language proficiency +1]
"call.."
Ian let out a breath and rubbed his eyes and brows.
Learning languages is not easy for him. He needs to use phonetic symbols to pronounce each word, and he also needs to memorize the meaning of each word.
of course.
Hard work always pays off.
Language proficiency (Level 3): 35/400 (+12)
A morning of practice.
That's already an increase of 12 points in proficiency.
The day when this skill reaches level 5 and unlocks its extraordinary trait isn't too far off. With no spells to learn, the range of practical skills available is ultimately limited.
I just don't know what the extraordinary features of this language will be.
Holding onto expectations for the future.
Ian began his day.
After lunch.
He then carried his cart to the familiar spot and began his daily fortune-telling routine. Calling it fraud or deception might be a bit of an exaggeration, but this method of making money ultimately depends on the person being told what to do with it.
Ian appeared to be fiddling with the divination tools on the table, the tarot cards. In reality, he was relying entirely on his self-taught psychology and its inherent characteristics to guess what the other person was thinking.
to be frank.
Even if someone could actually tell fortunes, from a money-making perspective, it might not be as profitable as what he did—sometimes, people aren't always happy to hear the truth.
With Ian shouting loudly.
soon.
Another woman was drawn to Ian and curiously gave it a try. So, Ian observed her clothes, the pauses in her speech, and the way she looked when she spoke.
I know what I know.
He blurted out his answer as if he could read the woman's mind.
"Madam, you seem to be under a lot of stress lately."
The woman calmly nodded at his charlatan-like words.
This is not something that is difficult to guess.
Ian smiled. "Is it about further education?"
The woman was somewhat surprised: "Oh, you're right."
Ian nodded: "Yes, your advisor has given you some trouble. You're about to graduate, but if things continue like this, it's clear your advisor won't let you graduate smoothly."
The woman stared wide-eyed in shock for a long while before she came to her senses.
After this, her voice trembled, and her tone towards Ian became more respectful: "Young fortune teller, yes, you're right, so what should I do?!"
[Successfully observed psychology, psychology proficiency +1]
The attribute panel has been improved.
Ian remained calm and unhurried; at this moment, the customer in front of him was completely within his "hunting" range.
With his ability to read minds, he could now completely control the girl psychologically.
However, Ian is a man of principle.
"Miss, you'll probably need to spend some money to ask the headmaster to pull some strings... but that's difficult. If you have a lucky charm, you're sure to be blessed by Lady Luck..."
The woman trusted Ian completely, and looking at the various amulets he recommended, she asked...
"How much is one? Can I buy them all?"
They looked rich, but I never imagined they were this rich. What a fat sheep!
Ian immediately replied, "Sure, of course, the amulets are only 5 dollars each."
Ian took out 20 amulets and placed them on the table, allowing people to choose freely.
"I'll take them all! Twenty times the luck!"
After watching the lady in front of me buy all 20 amulets, she paid a full £100.
This is a huge profit.
Those twenty handmade amulets were actually foreign versions of talismans...
On the yellow paper, lucky words were drawn in illegible English, and that was all.
However, Ian still pretended to say to the lady, "May Lady Luck be with you."
"Thank you!" The girl clasped her hands together, looking very loyal.
Soon after, I watched the guests leave.
Ian finally smiled.
"Looks like my luck has turned around. I completed my task in just one day... I might as well head home early today!"
One hundred pounds was a large sum of money, with significant purchasing power, equivalent to about one thousand RMB, and that was in 1990.
This purchasing power is considerable; it's almost equivalent to Ian's living expenses for two months.
"Let's close up shop early today..."
After Ian put away the money and tidied up his fortune-telling stall, he pushed his cart and, after thinking for a moment, went into a restaurant and bought several hot pot soups.
And so, pushing the stroller, they returned to the orphanage.
"Wow, Ian, what's this?"
When he returned to the orphanage, the children drooled when they saw him return with so much food and Ian's little cart.
Not only small children, but even slightly older children couldn't help but run over.
"Hey, Ian!"
After exchanging greetings, they stared intently at the soup pot, suppressing their craving to eat, and just watched.
Ian smiled, picked up the soup pot, placed it on the table, and said to the children.
"Alright everyone, go find some tableware, and while you're at it, wipe your drool!"
Upon hearing Ian's boast, everyone burst into laughter.
Soon, following Ian's instructions, they found some tableware, and the group of children devoured the food with gusto.
As they ate, someone said something.
"Ian, I really envy you. You're going to a prestigious school soon. I heard from Ms. Elena that the principal personally invited you!"
"Wow, I really want to go too!"
"Tom, just forget about it. Even in the orphanage, Ian studies and reads all sorts of books every day! Can you even study?"
"The reason why nobles would take a liking to Ian is because of his intelligence!"
Listening to a group of people talking.
Ian was initially stunned. What kind of prestigious school was this? But he quickly realized that this was the power of the Confusion Charm.
So, I listened to everyone's conversation with a smile, only occasionally responding with a few words.
Just then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out beside me.
"Ian, I know you're not going to a prestigious school, you're going to Hogwarts. That old white-bearded gentleman said it's a school for wizards who can turn candy into sweets."
Ian was thrown off his train of thought by the sudden sound and felt his mind go blank.
He turned his head and looked at the blonde little girl in front of him.
The little girl looked conflicted. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she spoke to Ian in a pleading tone.
Looking into the little girl's longing eyes.
Suddenly, as if activated by some skill, Ian felt a ringing in his ears, and in the ringing, he seemed to hear the girl's urgent cries.
"I want to go to Hogwarts, and I want to learn the magic to conjure candy out of thin air! Then I'll definitely be the Candy Princess!"
Ian shook his head.
The sudden sound disappeared.
This is the ability of [thought perception]; occasionally, he can directly hear the most urgent thoughts in other people's minds.
at this time.
Everyone was happily playing and eating hot pot, while the little girl in front of them still looked at them with longing eyes.
Ian looked at the little girl and quickly realized that she might have magical talent, and the Confusion Charm had no effect on her.
This could only be the outcome; otherwise, Dumbledore's magic could not have resulted in such an oversight and error that could have been heard by Muggles.
"Is it alright, Ian?"
Looking at the little girl's anxious expression.
Ian recovered from his shock and calmly smiled, "Of course, Catherine, but you must be good and keep this a secret for now..."
"Hogwarts only admits obedient children."
The blonde little girl named Catherine was overjoyed and wanted to celebrate.
Ian quickly stopped her, saying, "Catherine, we agreed this needs to be kept secret."
Catherine immediately covered her mouth: "I'm a good girl, I won't tell! Even if Granny breaks my legs, I won't tell!"
Ian: "..."
Nighttime.
In the kitchen of the orphanage.
Ian brandished the knife in his hand, slaughtering chickens, ducks, and other livestock.
The two chefs standing nearby continued to praise Ian: "We have to thank you for your help every time, Ian. With you here, we save so much time."
Children need to eat meat to nourish their bodies.
Every evening, Ian would come to the kitchen to help.
That's why.
[Successfully slaughtered a chicken, Biological Dissection Proficiency +1]
[Successfully slaughtered a duck, dissection proficiency +1]
[Successfully slaughtered a duck, dissection proficiency +1]
Only then did he acquire the characteristics of dissecting organisms.
However, tonight is different.
[Ding! Congratulations! Your Biological Anatomy Proficiency has reached its maximum level, and you have successfully leveled up.]
Biological Anatomy (Level 5): 1/1600
[Congratulations! Your skill has broken through to level 5, granting you an extraordinary trait...]