Chapter 42: Getting Acquainted

“That’s amazing! To think you can master so many professions at once.”

Hearing Lu Cang’s unreserved praise, Mezer’s weathered face flushed slightly.

Mezer was a man wearing a cowboy hat and carrying a longbow on his back.

He gave a bitter smile. “It’s not so much that I’ve mastered them; it’s just that I felt there was no hope of advancing my main profession, so I turned to part-time ones.”

“It’s your talent that is truly amazing.”

His tone was filled with genuine envy.

Joining Lu Cang’s team was also due to his understanding of the boy.

Who wouldn't admire a magic genius second only to Izpalut... and that was Izpalut, the youngest Level 5 mage on the Rulen Continent and a legendary magical prodigy in history.

“Besides, as an Archer, my combat profession is only Level 2.”

Lu Cang shook his head. “No, I think it’s very impressive that Brother Mezer could find a path that suits him.”

“Combat professions aren't the only ones that are useful.”

“Since Brother Mezer has become a Level 3 Gatherer, I’m sure many teams must need you.”

Hehe... as an adult who had navigated the professional world for years, Lu Cang was quite skilled at saying the right things.

Moreover, these words, which sounded like flattery, had a completely different effect when spoken by a child.

Looking into Lu Cang’s sincere eyes, a warm current rose in Mezer’s heart.

He had originally thought Lu Cang would be a difficult-to-communicate-with genius... he hadn't expected him to be such a heartwarming child.

A subtle barrier always exists between geniuses and ordinary people.

Even though he was right beside him, Mezer still felt an invisible wall between them.

Lu Cang’s warm attitude acted as a current that melted that subtle barrier.

“Haha, that’s true! Many teams want me to help them with gathering work!”

“Gosh, deciding which team to join every day is actually a bit of a headache.”

*Tsk tsk, he’s really easy to coax.*

Mezer, you’re getting a little ahead of yourself just from a few compliments.

“But, being able to master an extra profession is indeed very convenient.”

“I want to take on a second profession as well. Do the older brothers and sisters have any suggestions?”

Lu Cang steered the conversation back, asking the question he wanted to ask.

Books did indeed contain a lot of information on this subject, but there was a significant gap between books and reality.

Even on Earth, no one would use a popular science book from several years or even decades ago as a current reference.

“A second profession?”

Luo Si lowered her head in thought for a moment before saying, “Generally, people only take on a second profession when they feel their main profession can no longer advance.”

“After all, it is seen as a deviation from the 'Principles.'”

Deviating from the Principles.

Lu Cang knew about this. Because he was so concerned with this matter, it was one of the first things he had researched.

The advancement ceremony is the practice of the "Principles."

Taking on another profession is a departure from the original path of the Principles, making subsequent advancement ceremonies much more rigorous.

It was probably similar to the feeling of being caught by your boss while working two jobs at once and then trying to ask for a promotion...

That was why Iz and the others hoped he would follow the path of a Mage first and only take on part-time professions once he reached a high level. This would minimize the suffering.

“But if I had to say, the profession with the strongest correlation to a Mage would be the Polymath.”

A Polymath.

Lu Cang had seen introductions for this profession as well; the librarian in Rain Town was also a Polymath.

He had heard that the librarian was a Level 4 Polymath who had read every book in the Rain Town library and could recite their contents from memory.

If that were true, he was indeed very learned.

“However, in terms of combat, Healers and Mages share many commonalities. I’ve seen adventurers who are Mages by trade but part-time Healers, and they perform quite well.”

“Enchanters, who focus on crafting, also need to train their mana. If a Mage is their main profession, it can be twice as effective.”

*So the suggestions are Polymath, Healer, or Enchanter?*

Thinking of Kumironi’s performance, Lu Cang was indeed more inclined toward the Healer profession; being able to heal himself after an injury would significantly increase his survivability.

A Polymath was also not bad; the ability to acquire information faster would allow him to rapidly supplement his knowledge in this different world.

As for Enchanters... he’ll pass for now. Crafting professions like Blacksmiths and Enchanters felt "trashy" to Lu Cang.

It wasn't that they had no future, but he felt he wouldn't use them for a long time, and they were difficult to use for increasing direct combat power.

“By the way, aren't you Izpalut’s apprentice?”

“When it comes to professional advice, we are all laypeople... I heard that in the White Tower and the Church of Life, they conduct specialized research on these topics.”

“They should have deeper insights.”

“As for my answers, I was just talking casually, haha.”

After giving her answer, Luo Si actually felt a bit embarrassed.

What was her status? To be teaching Iz’s apprentice how to change professions...

“It’s okay, Sister Luo Si, your suggestions are very helpful.”

“I’ve already memorized them.”

“Besides, we are all in the same team, so it’s fine to just chat—”

“I really want to become friends with everyone, too.”

Naughty children are annoying, but well-spoken children are very likable.

Lu Cang proved this point.

They became very willing to chat with him, and almost any question Lu Cang posed would receive an answer. Even when asking somewhat private questions, they didn't feel he had ulterior motives.

Communicating with people provided information that was much more relevant to the current situation than what was in books.

In addition to information about profession changes, he learned about the income and salary levels of Level 3 adventurers, what skills they had learned, where their hometowns were, and their food preferences.

He even learned the reason why Luo Si went bankrupt...

Mezer’s gossip about "playing both sides" was also inexplicably dug up.

The more silent Trand mentioned his happy family and even showed everyone his pocket watch, which contained a photo of his wife.

He was adventuring to earn money for his unborn child.

*What a massive flag...*

Trand, I would have preferred if you hadn't told me that.

...

Aside from that, there was crucial intelligence regarding the formation of monsters.

Monsters flow along with an aura called the "Monster Tide"...

It is a type of aura invisible to the naked eye that exists throughout the world and remains in constant motion.

As the aura flows, monsters are born out of thin air in places where life is difficult to observe.

The denser the Monster Tide, the more and the stronger the monsters produced.

And dungeons are also generated in conjunction with the Monster Tide.

However, compared to wild monsters, the generation of dungeons is linked to more factors, such as the month, stellar positions, and... the agitation of certain ancient nests.

The Monster Tide cannot be seen with the naked eye, but it can be detected through certain methods.

Every day, the Kingdom uses special methods to broadcast the daily weather. This weather report includes not only wind, rain, thunder, lightning, temperature, and humidity, but also the flow of the Monster Tide and changes in the lunar cycle...

Powerful adventurers follow the flow of the Monster Tide to find money-making opportunities.

Directions where the Monster Tide is dense are often where adventurers congregate.

For Lu Cang, the process of subjugating monsters was not just about killing creatures. Communicating with these adventurers was also a vital part of the process.

“I see the target...”

As they approached the destination, Mezer was the first to stand up in the carriage.

He saw the target, and Lu Cang looked in the direction of his gaze.

Lu Cang didn't see it.

Was it because of an Archer's vision?

Archers possess vision that is further and clearer; while they cannot compare to true Observers, they are significantly stronger than other combat professions.

It seemed his field of vision was indeed broader than his own.

The terrain here consisted of sparse woods.

The trees did not completely block all lines of sight, but it was also difficult to see far into the distance.

Lu Cang stood up.

The ring on his right hand glowed faintly.

This was the spatial ring he had bought at the magic tool shop yesterday. It cost 10 gold and had a cubic storage space of 27 cubic meters, though it could not store living things.

As the light rose, a grey staff appeared in Lu Cang’s hand.