Chapter 61 – The Third New Profession

There were a total of seven books stacked on the desk, reaching almost half a meter high.

“Let’s go through them one by one.”

Lu Yuan habitually glanced at his mobile phone before diving into his studies.

The shattered screen of his mobile phone reminded him that it was time for a visit to the phone repair shop.

Lu Yuan opened a few unread messages and took a look.

Most of them were from the slim girl Cheng Yue, whom he had just met at the library that morning.

She was asking about the books and offered her help if needed, mentioning that she knew many senior brothers from different majors.

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but smile and sent her a few thank-you messages.

Scrolling down, he ignored a few messages from Cheng Peng and the class group chat notifications, and his eyes stopped on a particular contact.

• Older Sister (Lu Jing).

He opened the conversation with Lu Jing, and the chat history stopped three days ago.

[Lu Jing, can we video chat?]

Lu Jing hadn’t replied.

Looking further up, it was still Lu Yuan who had initiated the messages.

Lu Jing’s responses were sparse, with only a few scattered replies.

Ever since their last video call, during which Lu Jing mentioned the archaeological team and the incident at the temple ruins where someone had died, their communication had become sporadic.

Whenever Lu Yuan sent her a message, it often took one or two days, or even longer, for Lu Jing to respond.

Could something have happened?

A surge of worry filled Lu Yuan’s heart. He thought for a moment and sent a message.

[Lu Jing, Grandpa was discharged from the hospital today. Can you video call tonight? He wants to see you.]

Originally, he planned to send the message and leave it at that.

Unexpectedly, this time Lu Jing replied almost instantly.

[Tonight? Sure, I’ll try to find a chance to call you.]

Lu Yuan’s spirits lifted, and he quickly continued messaging.

[How have you been lately? Why do you always take so long to reply to my messages?]

[Bad signal, busy. (sigh)]

[How’s the temple excavation going? Last time you mentioned the incident, but didn’t tell me what happened next! (angry)]

[Xiao Yuan.]

At the top of the chat window, Lu Jing’s contact name indicated “The other party is typing.”

But Lu Yuan waited for a long time, and there was no further response from Lu Jing.

Until Lu Yuan was almost ready to send a few more “?” messages, Lu Jing’s reply finally popped up.

[Xiao Yuan, I’ve been really tired lately. Can we talk later?]

Lu Yuan stared at the message for a long time, picturing Lu Jing typing out many words on her mobile phone, only to delete them all one by one.

[Okay.]

Lu Jing sent a cute (obedient) emoji, officially ending their brief conversation.

Lu Yuan sat silently at his desk, his brow slightly furrowed.

His intuition told him that Lu Jing had been going through a lot lately, but she wasn’t willing to talk about it.

“Is it because she doesn’t want us to worry?”

In this regard, their family was remarkably similar.

Whether it was Lu Yuan, their grandfather Lu Yueping, their dad Lu Xinghua, or now Lu Jing, they all dealt with their problems by themselves, keeping everything tightly wrapped up and not wanting the family to know.

Sometimes Lu Yuan couldn’t help but think that his transmigration into the Lu family was due to this very reason—he had always had this personality in his previous life.

“Xixu and Jiaoyan are over three thousand kilometers apart, and Lu Jing is in the vast desert. Even if I knew what was happening, I wouldn’t be able to help her much. For now, it’s best to focus on handling my own tasks.”

Lu Yuan shook his head, put down his mobile phone, and picked up the top book from the stack of materials and books beside him.

“Exploring the Medieval Period: Lord of the Cavern Fantu Yasi”

This was one book in a series, combining a lot of epic legends with some of the author’s speculative imagination, leaning more towards a novel-like story.

So Lu Yuan didn’t activate [absolute concentration]; he simply read it like a novel.

Time passed with the ticking sound of the small clock.

He didn’t know how long it had been, but eventually, he flipped through the last page of the book in his hand.

By then, his notebook was already filled with densely packed notes.

This was a habit Lu Yuan had developed after becoming a top student—no matter what book he read, he would instinctively take notes.

[Fantu Yasi, the name derived from the Guduoer language’s phonetic translation of “Lord of the Cavern.”]

[The Lord of the Cavern, Fantu Yasi, is said to control all the treasures buried deep underground, possessing infinite power, wealth, and authority, and enjoying endless longevity.]

[Legend has it that Fantu Yasi has the head of a bull, the eyes of a deer, the body and limbs of a tiger or leopard, and the wings of a vulture. However, some say that Fantu Yasi often transforms into a handsome young man dressed in luxurious clothing, appearing on the second night of the full moon with a rat and a centipede, emerging from the foggy wasteland’s edge, only to return to the cavern before the sun rises the next day.]

[Fantu Yasi is a capricious evil deity, capable of bestowing eternal life and wealth upon followers, but also prone to snatching away your soul the next second.]

It is said that Fantu Yasi once used a bone flute to summon billions of hungry rats from underground, turning the most prosperous city of Ancient Donglunsa into a ghost town overnight.

In Lu Yuan’s scattered notes, every term related to rats was highlighted.

The computer on his desk had been turned on for some time.

His search history was filled with dozens of pages of information about the Baishan era and the Lord of the Cavern, causing his screen to lag severely.

On the most recent webpage was an old news report from eight years ago in Conradser State of the Distant Star Federation. It mentioned multiple incidents of cavern monster attacks on passersby in a small town in the eastern region of Conradser State within a month.

Cavern monsters are a local legend in Conradser State, referring to a type of creature that lives underground, resembling a rat in appearance, and known for its vicious and cunning nature.

The news report also included a drawing of a cavern monster, which bore a striking resemblance to the Ratman Lu Yuan had encountered.

“The area where the legend of the Lord of the Cavern is most prevalent, Ancient Donglunsa, is roughly near the present-day Conradser State of the Distant Star Federation. Ratman and cavern monsters are indeed very likely related to this so-called Lord of the Cavern.”

Of course, finding stronger evidence would require another approach.

With this thought, Lu Yuan picked up one of the last few unread books beside him—”Guduoer Language Self-study Introduction.”

This, he believed, was the ultimate key to unlocking the mystery!

“Level 3 [absolute concentration], activate!”

The sudden sensation of plunging into water hit him, and Lu Yuan instantly sank into the deepest level of focus.

The thick ancient language dictionary flipped rapidly in his hands, while his other hand swiftly jotted down notes.

Lu Yuan’s eyes were fixed on the book, with a constant glimmer as if data were streaming across his vision.

His mouth continuously opened and closed, producing various faint yet peculiar syllables.

Learning, imitating, correcting.

“Arka… Ru… Mi!”

Suddenly, Lu Yuan’s voice grew louder, and he clearly articulated a long string of sounds.

At the moment he spoke this phrase, his body trembled slightly, and he completely emerged from the state of [absolute concentration].

Simultaneously, a new message appeared before Lu Yuan from his professional panel.

[You have comprehended a new skill—[Guduoer Language Level 1]]

[Congratulations, you have unlocked a new professional panel—[Ancient Language Expert]!]