Chapter 2: Talismans (Part 2)

Chen Chunzhai pondered for a moment before saying, “I really like this boy, Guo Shier. He has great potential. Well, I have a Fire Moon Talisman here. I’ll give it to you… as a gift. This fire-type talisman can be activated six times before it needs to be recharged. If it’s activated eight times in a row, it will become useless.”
Guo Liang was overjoyed. This was a talisman crafted by a talisman master, far superior in quality to those made by ordinary talisman users. With this Fire Moon Talisman, his strength could at least double. He thanked repeatedly and carefully placed the talisman in his bag, looking at Guo Shier with great enthusiasm.
Guo Shier smiled bitterly inwardly. His father in this life was so opportunistic that he couldn’t feel any resentment—only indifference.
Guo Liang said, “I hope Master Chen will take good care of him in the future. This boy is very honest.”
Hearing this, Guo Shier almost laughed out loud. To be honest, in his first life, he had been a monk—a truly honest person who spent his days chanting scriptures. He lived past sixty without ever leaving the temple even a hundred miles. After reincarnating in this life and going through countless hardships, it was impossible to remain honest anymore.
Madam Guo Li barely spoke. Like the other five mothers, she sat for a while before returning to the inner room. Guo Shier wondered: Were mother-son relationships here all this cold?
Soon, a servant brought in two wicker boxes. Guo Liang, holding a small cloth bag, approached Guo Shier and whispered, “Shier, keep this bag of talisman coins as pocket money. Count them yourself—it contains sixty black talisman coins, a hundred silver talisman coins, and some green talisman coins. The wicker boxes contain some replacement clothes and a bedroll. If it’s not enough, go buy more. Understand? Keep the talisman coins safe—don’t leave them around, or someone might steal them.”
At that moment, Guo Shier felt his father’s concern. Though there weren’t many talisman coins, he still smiled and nodded, saying, “Thank you, Father!”
Guo Liang apologized to Chen Chunzhai and quickly returned to the inner room. Moments later, he came out carrying a wooden box. He said, “Master Chen, this is a fragment of bone I obtained during my adventures long ago. Hehe, I’ve always wanted to sell it at a good price, but no one knew its value. It’s useless for me to keep, so I’ll give it to you.”

Guo Shier approached curiously to take a look. Chen Chunzhai wasn’t too concerned either; he casually opened the wooden box. As soon as his gaze fell on it, his expression changed. “Hm? Natural bone patterns!” It was a fragment of bone no larger than an adult’s palm, snow-white in color with faint blue patterns visible on it.

Chen Chunzhai pressed the fragment against his forehead, and immediately the blue patterns emitted a soft green glow. After a while, a hint of joy appeared on Chen Chunzhai’s face as he said, “Not bad. It’s actually a complete natural bone talisman. A fine gift. I didn’t expect you to have such treasures here.”

Seeing Guo Shier’s curious expression, Chen Chunzhai smiled and handed the fragment to him, saying, “I’m not sure what kind of beast this bone belongs to, but it’s definitely from an ancient beast. Modern beasts rarely have such intricate bone patterns.”

Guo Shier took the fragment carefully. Chen Chunzhai laughed and said, “No need to be so cautious. Such delicate and complex patterns show that this bone is extremely hard. It’s a pity it’s too small—only one complete pattern remains. If it were larger, its value would be much higher.”

Guo Shier stared at the fragment in his hand. This far exceeded what he had known in his previous life. Although information was highly developed back then, he had never seen any similar bone patterns on animal skeletons. The bone in his hand was as smooth as jade, crystal clear and gentle, with some areas glazed over, as if it were a naturally formed stone, possessing a unique beauty.

He imitated Chen Chunzhai and pressed the fragment against his forehead. Soon, it emitted a faint glow. Chen Chunzhai’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. This kid could activate the bone patterns just like him—this was the ability of a talisman master.

The bone patterns were extremely complex. In just a moment, Guo Shier was utterly confused. He quickly put down the fragment and shook his head vigorously, saying, “Sigh, such complicated lines…”

Chen Chunzhai’s expression turned serious. He asked, “Shier, can you sense the bone patterns inside the fragment? Are they clear?”

Guo Shier didn’t understand why Chen Chunzhai was so serious. He replied, “Yes, they’re clear. It’s just too complicated. Following those lines is confusing me.”

Chen Chunzhai’s heart surged with excitement. Such potential was terrifying. It was the first time he had met a child so outstanding. This child had a bright future ahead.

Although Guo Liang was a sorcerer, as a low-level one, he lacked knowledge and insight and wasn’t aware of how extraordinary his son really was.

Chen Chunzhai gathered the remaining bones, called over a Symbol Warrior to carry Guo Shier’s wicker box, then bid farewell to Guo Liang and left with Guo Shier. Guo Liang saw them out the gate and stood there watching them go. After walking for a long distance, Guo Shier glanced back accidentally and found that his father in this life was still standing at the gate. He couldn’t help but wonder: Why did family bonds here seem so superficial? His father in this life might not be indifferent after all; he was just hiding his feelings deeply. Guo Shier’s soul was not that of a child, and he could tell the difference. That night, Guo Shier didn’t return to his original hut but stayed at the Guest Inn with Chen Chunzhai. The next day, Clan Leader Guo Daguan brought many parents to see off their children. This time, fourteen children could definitely leave—four with potential as Symbolists, nine with potential as Spellcasters, and Guo Shier with potential as a Spellcaster. As for those with potential as Symbol Warriors, only twenty-six with relatively better potential were chosen. In total, there were forty eight-year-old children. The Guo family lived in a city built along a large river called Qingchang River. Here, aside from using special methods to travel, the most convenient and safe way was by boat. Traveling by land was extremely dangerous, while boats were fast and safe; as long as they could take a boat, no one would choose to travel by land. There were three large sailboats. Chen Chunzhai took fourteen children, along with a dozen or so Symbol Warriors, and occupied one sailboat. The lead sailboat was commanded by Hong Changfeng, who also brought a dozen or so Symbol Warriors and an Ice Spellcaster. The other twenty-six children boarded the last sailboat. Unlike the other children, Guo Shier appeared very quiet. Chen Chunzhai was amazed. After boarding the boat, the other children were very excited and mostly went to the deck to play, but Guo Shier followed him into the cabin, sat down, and asked, “Grandpa Chen, are there any books to read here?” Chen Chunzhai was surprised. “Can you read?” Guo Shier nodded. “I know a little.” He didn’t want to guarantee that the writing here was exactly the same as in his past life, so he spoke cautiously. Chen Chunzhai touched his waist, and several yellowed books appeared in his hand. Guo Shier was secretly astonished and couldn’t help asking, “Grandpa Chen, where did you keep these books? How did they appear so quickly?” “This is a Symbol Storage Bag. It can be used by Spellcasters, Symbolists, and Spellcasters. Well, Symbol Warriors can’t use it—they need to reach the level of Symbol Master first. It can be used to store symbols or small items, but not large ones. You can make your own in the future.”

Guo Shier was deeply shocked—there really were storage treasures. In his past life, such things only appeared in novels, yet they truly existed in this world, and one could even create them oneself. He couldn’t help but develop a longing for spellcasters.

There were three books in total. Guo Shier picked up one, and on its yellow-brown cover were two big characters—“Beast Study.” The other two books on the table were titled “Secret Trees” and “Records of Precious Jades.”

Chen Chunzhai said, “These are all the things spellcasters need to learn. Since you have free time on the ship and can read, go ahead and take a look. If you don’t understand anything, you can come ask me. Well, I live in the next cabin.”

Guo Shier was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly, saying, “That’s great! Thank you, Grandpa Chen.”

Chen Chunzhai was very happy, his voice becoming much softer as well. “Don’t overwork yourself. When you have free time, you can go to the deck to relax. We’ll be on this ship for about three months.” With that, he left the cabin.

Guo Shier eagerly opened “Beast Study.” It was a book about identifying wild beasts, providing a comprehensive introduction to the beasts in this world. He found that the animals here were somewhat similar to those in his past life, even sharing similar names, but they were not comparable.

For example, one beast described in “Beast Study”—the wolf—was similar to wolves in his original world, but there were many types here. Some were fierce, giant wolves the size of calves, with such strength that even spell warriors couldn’t match them. However, such wolves were rare; most were ordinary wolves. Ordinary wolves were also very dangerous, fast, with sharp teeth and claws, making it difficult for ordinary people to escape them.

“Beast Study” recorded more than fifty species of animals, mostly land animals with a few birds. Guo Shier was greatly enlightened by what he read.

“Secret Trees” documented many rare tree species. Many of their names were the same as those in his past life, but these rare trees were not used for making furniture but as materials for crafting spells, many of which were needed by spellcasters and rune makers.

As for “Records of Precious Jades,” it described various stone and jade materials, which also served as materials for crafting spells.

A month passed. Guo Shier lived a leisurely life, unhurried at all. His life experiences from his past life meant he had no childish impatience. He not only finished reading all three books but also memorized them completely. Thanks to his strong soul, his memory was excellent. Although he couldn’t remember everything at first glance, he could remember it after reading it a few times.

Guo Shier often went to Chen Chunzhai for guidance, as he was still very unfamiliar with this world. With such free time, why not make good use of it? His diligent attitude toward learning once again impressed Chen Chunzhai. Unconsciously, Guo Shier acquired a great deal of information from him. While other children were still playing on the deck, he was already beginning to understand this world.

Though hard to believe, he had come to realize that he had entered a strange world of spells. In this world, spells functioned like technological forces in his past life, serving as the driving force behind progress. Only by mastering the power of spells could one establish a foothold in this world and rise to its highest levels.

After over a month of study, Guo Shier deeply understood this. This world was cruel—he had to fight not only against beasts but also against wild people in the wastelands. There were also secret realms filled with strange creatures and many rare materials for crafting spells, so those who entered these realms had to fight as well.

No one, not even the spellmaster Chen Chunzhai, could say exactly how large this world was. Guo Shier was filled with curiosity and awe toward this new world.

The weather gradually turned cold, and the trees along the riverbanks shed their leaves. Guo Shier stood on the deck wearing a leather robe given to him by Chen Chunzhai, as he hadn’t found any suitable clothes in his trunk—mostly just single-layer clothes. According to Chen Chunzhai, if he continued wearing such clothes, he would surely freeze to death upon arriving at his destination.

The Qingchang River was wide and had gentle currents, making it ideal for sailing. Along the way, many fleets passed by, and from time to time, wild beasts came to drink water on the riverbanks. Their strange appearances amazed Guo Shier.

Chirp… Whoosh!

A dark spot appeared on the horizon at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, Guo Shier recognized it as a large eagle-like bird. Having studied beasts before, he immediately identified it and shouted, “Thunder Eagle! Hide quickly!” Then he ran back to the cabin.