√4=2
Three days after leaving Unicorn Harbor, the rookie Lin Yuan finally suffered his first Waterloo after crossing over.
——His luggage was stolen.
It was called luggage, but in fact it was just a small backpack made of hay, which contained enough dry food to sustain Lin Yuan for a week, fifty copper coins that he had saved up over several years, and two pieces of cloth sewn for him by the nun.
Although it was a pity to lose the first two, at least he could find a way to get them back. These two pieces of clothing were the most precious things that Lin Yuan had on this trip.
The clothes were not good clothes, and the fabric was just the cheapest "cheap cloth" - ordinary coarse cloth was moth-eaten and moldy due to improper storage or too long time, and was sold at a low price, so it was called "cheap cloth". However, it was cheap, but it was only ten copper coins cheaper than the price of ordinary coarse cloth of eighty copper coins per meter.
In Parnaki, the currency system is exactly the same as the most common "gold coin" system in novels. It is said that San Carlos did not originally use this system, but with the operation of the first empress of the Saint Malo Empire...oh, now renamed the "Holy Roman Empire", Owena Enki Collison, all human countries gradually unified their currencies, and finally formed the current "gold coin" system.
For the general public, "copper coins" were the most commonly used currency. Two copper coins could buy a piece of black bread the size of a child's fist, which was as hard as stone.
One hundred copper coins are equal to one silver coin, and one hundred silver coins are equal to one gold coin. It is said that people living in the Holy Roman Empire can earn at least two gold coins a year. This is simply unimaginable in San Carlos, especially for the residents of Unicorn Port. Earning one gold coin a year is enough to make them happy, and the average annual income per capita in this small town is only eighty silver coins.
Although it is a world where no one can get enough to eat, the price of food is very low. Therefore, even if the annual income is only 80 silver coins, there is no need to worry about not being able to buy food - the only thing you need to worry about is the problem of not being able to buy food.
In comparison, resources that require manpower and material resources, such as cloth, are so expensive that it makes people sigh.
Fortunately, clothes only need to be made into two sets, and they can be worn for a long time after washing and mending. They are not as indispensable as food. Therefore, although cloth is expensive, it is not so unaffordable.
But for the small town church, all the extra money was mostly used to adopt orphans and support the poor, so it was very difficult to get enough money to make a set of clothes. These two clothes were made for him by the nun who took care of him and spent a year saving and thrifty, using countless pieces of cloth stitch by stitch.
Before crossing over, Lin Yuan's family was very wealthy and had never had financial problems. His parents and brothers bought him enough clothes to fill up his closet, often costing thousands or even tens of thousands. Even the cheapest socks cost three figures.
In terms of material life, Lin Yuan's family had never owed him anything. Although love is not expensive, in this world where even having enough food is a luxury, two rags are undoubtedly more "expensive" than those expensive clothes.
——Isn’t it said that although there are many hungry people in San Carlos, the people there are very simple and honest because they believe in the ‘Goddess of Disaster’ and dare not do evil?
Cheating children!
Lin Yuan thought angrily, racking his brains to recall what happened before the backpack was lost.
He remembered that when he was halfway there, a bearded man driving a cart suddenly appeared beside him and asked him if he needed help.
At first, he was wary and didn't dare to approach, and only said that he was going to the "Temple of Disaster" for pilgrimage and that he was a believer of the "Goddess of Disaster". Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the big man showed a surprised expression.
"I am also a believer of the goddess, and I am also preparing to go to the temple to worship! My little brother, meeting is fate, why don't I take you there!"
The nun once taught Lin Yuan that the "Goddess of Disaster" always watched the believers' every move and listened carefully to their every call. Once they wanted to do evil, the goddess would immediately take action and punish them.
Lin Yuan didn't take these words seriously at first - how could gods have so much free time to stare at others every day, isn't that abnormal?
But he was a devout believer before he recovered his memory of Earth, and his belief in the "Goddess of Disaster" had long been rooted in his heart. Even if he thought that the people on Earth were clear-minded and rebellious, he could not resist the subtle "pollution" of his faith.
Looking at the bearded man, although he doesn't look good-looking, he speaks in a gentle and refined manner, as if he is well-educated.
He is a believer of the "Goddess of Disaster", has received education, and owns a car (although it's just a bullock cart). He can't be a bad person, right?
Lin Yuan, who had only experienced his youth in two lifetimes, thought so without any hesitation and gladly accepted the big man's invitation.
And then... nothing happened.
Lin Yuan only remembered that he suddenly felt hungry and sleepy. He fumbled in the backpack to take out a piece of black bread, ground a small piece with his teeth while it was soaked in cold water, and then swallowed it whole. His memory was completely lost.
I guess the big man put some hypnotic device in the car, took away his luggage while he was sleeping, and threw him out of the car.
Human hearts are evil! Human hearts are evil!
Lin Yuan sighed, but his mind could not help but emerge the face of the statue of the "Goddess of Disaster" that looked like his classmate Yu Zhi, as well as the name of the Empress Owena of the "Holy Roman Empire" that he had heard from the nun.
If I remember correctly, there was also a classmate of his named "Owena".
Did our entire class travel through time?
Lin Yuan thought about it, but couldn't help but let out another long sigh.
Comparison is the thief of anger! How come his classmates who traveled through time are either goddesses who are high above others or empresses who dominate the world? Not only do they have no worries about food and clothing, but they also hold great power and possess supreme strength.
Unfortunately, he, once the "chosen one" and "winner in life", was reborn as an orphan and adopted by a church. He was either starving or on the way to starvation. He finally tried to change his fate, but his business collapsed before it was halfway through, and he lost everything.
Wait, according to the normal rules of time travel, shouldn’t a time traveler like me have a built-in cheat code?
Yu Zhi and Ou Wenna, why don’t the experiences of these two people seem like they have a golden finger?
Maybe I also have a powerful power that I haven't discovered yet.
Thinking of this, Lin Yuan became excited. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, squatted down, and took a solid horse stance.
"Haoyougen——"
Lin Yuan's fist, carrying the "energy" in his body, smashed heavily into a big tree beside the road.
Two leaves barely fell off, and Lin Yuan covered his swollen hand and let out a cry of pain.
“It’s too bullying!”
I don't know if it's because a person is too unlucky that his luck will turn around - or if he will become even more unlucky. Just when Lin Yuan was about to give up the search for the big man who stole the luggage and was about to find a place to spend the night, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in the nearby woods.
"Today's harvest is average!"
"Hey, don't mention it. I met a poor boy. I think he is going to make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Disaster, and he is thinking of meeting a fat sheep!" The man cursed.
Devout believers usually like to donate their extra money to the church, praying for good weather and good health for the whole family in the coming year. Even though the small church where Lin Yuan was located had repeatedly prohibited large donations and only accepted a copper coin for each prayer - it was said that this was a rule ordered by the goddess and that all churches must abide by, the believers still found ways to stuff money into the church, and some even threw the money at the door and ran away without telling the church.
This custom has also created a new profession: scavengers. What they pick up is not food or waste abandoned on the roadside - there is no such thing in Unicorn Port - but coins placed at the door of the church. However, they only take enough money to buy food for one day each time, and spend half a day praying to the goddess and asking for forgiveness.
Priests and nuns are all aware of the existence of "rag pickers" and condone such behavior.
When life has become so hopeless that one loses sight of direction, faith becomes people’s last light and support.
There is no other way, the church can only invest the money in helping more orphans and the poor.
Although Lin Yuan was born under the red flag and was a typical young man of the new era who never believed in any monsters or demons, he was quite fond of the various rules and ways of doing things of the church.
Just facing the church, believers are willing to give half of their savings as donations, not to mention those believers who leave their hometowns and choose to make a pilgrimage to the "Temple of Disaster".
They often carry enough food to sustain them for several weeks, money in silver coins, and other miscellaneous sacrificial items related to the goddess - many of which can be sold for a good price.
To those who rob along the way, these pilgrims are like walking fat sheep, and they are particularly easy to deal with - these people believe that as long as they pray loudly to the goddess, the "Goddess of Disaster" will punish them and kill them, the sinners.
As the bandits in the forest chatted, the topic fell on this matter. They laughed at it and began to miss their previous income.
"The guy I met the day before yesterday was a fat sheep! He had three gold coins and a bag of wheat! I have never seen gold coins in my life!"
"That's right! It would be great if there were more people like this every day. When we make a fortune, we can leave this crappy place and go to the Holy Roman Empire. That's where people can live a good life!"
"What a pity, the king is a woman."
"What's wrong with women? If you ask me, women are good. As long as you marry her and give birth to a son, the throne will be easy to obtain." The man laughed and said, "Even I know this truth. Do you think those nobles know it? Otherwise, how do you think a woman can become king?"
The words they spoke became more and more vulgar, and Lin Yuan frowned deeply when he heard them.
Not to mention how harsh these people's words were, the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire was most likely his classmate - she was his fellow countryman, his own person!
Lin Yuan, who was very protective of his own people, thought angrily and wanted to roll up his sleeves and rush forward to give each of them a turtle punch.
Unfortunately, reality is not a novel. No matter how domineering Lin Yuan’s fantasy is, he knows that this matter is not something he can solve now.
It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge. Wait until I find my old classmates, turn over a new leaf and become Long Aotian, then I will come and take my revenge on you little punks!
Lin Yuan thought so while holding his breath and quietly retreating - since the voices of this group of people chatting could reach his ears, it meant that if the sound of him leaving was loud enough, he would be easily discovered by them.
Lin Yuan had a very good idea, but things did not go as he wished. His heavy body was simply not able to support him in completing such a complicated operation, not to mention that the other party was a cautious bandit who was living on the edge of a knife.
Lin Yuan had just taken a step back when the sound of dead leaves and branches breaking under his feet easily exposed his presence.
Facing the three big men rushing towards him aggressively, Lin Yuan felt like crying but had no tears.
"Boss, it's this guy!" The bearded man pointed at Lin Yuan and said, "I ran into him this afternoon, a poor fellow!"
He spat at Lin Yuan: "It seems that this guy wants to take the money back from us. Bah, just fifty copper coins, not even enough for a meal for me."
Lin Yuan wanted to say, "What's wrong with fifty copper coins? That's the money I saved up little by little over a long period of time." He also wanted to shout, "Hey, give me back my clothes!"
But although Lin Yuan was a middle school student, he was not a real fool. A twelve-year-old boy who was powerless and could not even tie a chicken, encountered three big men who were twice his size and had weapons in their hands. If he rushed up and said a bunch of arrogant words, he would only lose his life in vain.
The fact that these people robbed him but didn't kill him was enough to show that they didn't really want to kill anyone. As long as he said something nice, behaved a little more humbly, and talked to them nicely, maybe these people would let him go.
Lin Yuan was thinking about how to convince these people, but he saw the "boss" of the trio looked at him coldly and said, "Kill him."
Lin Yuan: “???”
Hey, hey, hey, can't you guys just follow the procedure?
It was agreed that the villain would have a ten-minute verbal argument with the protagonist before taking action - although it is hard to say whether he is the protagonist, but it is too much to start a fight just because of a disagreement!
"I told you a long time ago not to leave yourself in trouble!" The eldest brother scolded, "Do you not dare to do anything just because he is a child?"
The bearded man who was originally extremely arrogant suddenly became as obedient as a quail in front of the boss: "Boss, you are right, I will definitely correct it!"
"Then I'll leave this kid to you." said the old man.
"Yes, boss!" The bearded man nodded heavily, tightly gripping the axe in his hand, with a ferocious light flashing in his eyes. Like a black bear whose animal nature was aroused, he pounced towards Lin Yuan with heavy steps.
“Wait, wait!” Lin Yuan said hurriedly, “Don’t you believe in the ‘Goddess of Disaster’? If you do this, the goddess will not let you go!”
“Hahaha!” The big men laughed loudly, “If we were afraid, would we still take your things?”
"Boy, you may have lost your ability to think because of the nun's chanting. Regardless of whether this goddess really exists or not, she is a god. Why would she care about us poor people instead of enjoying the fine wine, delicious food, jewelry and handsome men?" The bearded man sneered, "The 'Goddess of Disaster' controls storms and disasters, not the lives of ordinary people. Besides, we rob just to survive. How come those pilgrims are considered human beings, but we are not? As a goddess, shouldn't she treat everyone equally?"
"You are sophistry!" Lin Yuan shouted.
"Stop talking nonsense with him. This kid talks too much! Get rid of him quickly!" His companion next to him urged him.
Being urged by his two companions, the bearded man himself was not a person who would procrastinate. He moved his wrist, raised the axe in his hand, and chopped it down hard on Lin Yuan's head.
"It's over. Is my life going to end here?"
"I haven't figured out the truth about my time travel, haven't found my classmates who might have traveled here, and haven't apologized to the nun for sneaking out without permission..."
"Dad, Mom, Brother..."
Lin Yuan closed his eyes in despair.
A wisp of breeze quietly wrapped around Lin Yuan's hand. Then, the breeze turned into a storm, surrounding Lin Yuan.
When he opened his eyes again, the ground was covered with blood and body parts, but they were firmly isolated within a circle thirty centimeters away from him.
——It was not until Lin Yuan followed Yu Zhi to learn magic that he understood why he unconsciously used magic to kill three men at that moment.
The strength of magic depends not only on the magic power in the body and the use of magic elements, but also on strong emotions, which can cause the explosion of magic. Just like Yu Zhi's path to godhood, extreme pain brought about the second sublimation of magic power.
But for a magic user, being affected by emotions all the time is not a good thing. The more powerful the power in your hands, the more you must learn to control your emotions and stay calm. Otherwise, once you lose control, you will not only harm yourself, but also others.
...
Lin Yuan didn't have much of an impression of how the day ended. He only remembered that the Knights from the Temple found him and carried him onto their horses.
The knights walked very slowly, and the horses were swaying, making people drowsy. But not long after, the hard saddle hurt his thigh, and Lin Yuan became more awake. He heard the knights' conversation in a daze.
"...After guarding for so long, I didn't expect that it would be solved by a young boy."
"This child has great talent. After we bring him back to the temple, he might become an excellent knight in the future."
In a trance, he heard someone ask him: "Kid, where are you from?"
"...Unicorn Harbor."
"where are you going?"
"'Temple of Disaster'."
"Hey, you're really brave. Yorman and Port Unicorn are at the north and south ends of San Carlos. You have to cross the entire island!"
Those people laughed a few times and then said, "You are so unlucky that you actually ran into those pagans who did not convert to the goddess. Those who are still wandering around the countryside and doing evil are mostly nobles who fell into decline a hundred years ago and their servants. They believe that it is the goddess who brought disaster and destroyed their rich lives, so they hate the goddess to the core, and even more so those of us who believe in the goddess. Since you said you were going on a pilgrimage, how could they not target you?"
What else did they say after that, Lin Yuan could no longer hear.
The explosion of magic power made his body fall into extreme emptiness, and even the fear of killing someone for the first time was forgotten in exhaustion.
When Lin Yuan woke up again, he was no longer in the forest filled with the smell of blood.
What meets the eye is a sea of white, but it is not dull. Instead, through the integration of gradient and gray, a magnificent palace is constructed.
The style is very similar to the "Church of Disaster" that Lin Yuan is familiar with. It is somewhat like the Gothic architecture on Earth, but it is much more gorgeous than that small church.
At the front of the church, a huge statue of the "Goddess of Disaster" is placed in the center, with large pieces of colored glass behind it, using cutting and painting to outline complex geometric lines.
The light shines through the window, turning into a colorful veil that gently drapes over the body of the statue.
Such a magnificent and artistic church should have priests preaching, choirs holding Bibles, nuns praying devoutly with their hands folded, and believers sitting in the audience, either reciting scriptures or praying sincerely.
But at this moment, apart from Lin Yuan leaning on the bench, there was only one person left in the huge church - she was wearing a white dress, with long hair draped over her shoulders, and her soft profile was slightly exposed, like an angel walking down from a mural.
Lin Yuan blinked and stood up by holding the back of the chair.
Hearing his voice, the girl facing the statue slowly turned around, revealing a face that was very familiar to Lin Yuan - it was his classmate, Yu Zhi, the "Goddess of Disaster" of San Carlos.
...
"Hey, Lin Yuan - Lin Yuan -"
Bai Luo stretched out his hand and waved it vigorously in front of Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan hummed and looked at him in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Bai Luo sat down opposite him, feeling somewhat puzzled: "What have you been doing at night lately? Why do you seem listless every day?"
Lin Yuan yawned, rubbed his face tiredly, and tried to make himself more alert. He said casually, "I've been dreaming about the past a lot recently, and I always feel very tired after waking up."
Bai Luo: “…”
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Yuan was puzzled: "Did I say anything weird?"
Bai Luo sighed, "You two have known each other for nearly four hundred years, and you have told us this same thing over and over again countless times. I thought you were tired of it, but why are you still reminiscing about your youthful past in your dreams at night?"
Lin Yuan: "...Is that what I want to recall? Dreams are not something I can control!"
"Then you are just old." Bai Luo clenched his right fist and clapped it on the palm of his left hand: "Old men just like to reminisce about the past."
Lin Yuan rolled his eyes: "Get lost!"
After joking, Bai Luo said seriously: "Seriously, do you want to ask Lu Baixi for help? Now that your magic power has been restored, any dream may contain revelations. Maybe your dream has a special meaning."
"Not really." Lin Yuan scratched his head. "I just dreamt about the past again. There's nothing special about it. Besides, although Lu Baixi is a vampire, she's not good at dream magic. If you ask her, she'll just say: I'm only good at fighting. Don't ask me about this kind of thing."
"Why are you two secretly spreading rumors about me?" As he was talking, Lu Baixi came in with a box of takeout. "Two men saying bad things about a girl behind her back, that's too much!"
"Who said something bad about you behind your back?" The students in Class 9 were used to mocking each other. Bai Luo knew that Lu Baixi was just joking along with what they said, so he didn't get angry. Instead, he stared at Lu Baixi's takeaway box for a while and complained, "Why are you eating Maoxuewang again?"
Lu Baixi pulled out a chair and sat down next to the two of them, while starting to unpack his takeaway: "Didn't you see my QQ group name? I love to eat Maoxuewang. Besides, I'm a vampire, so it's normal for me to like Maoxuewang."
Lin Yuan glanced at her and couldn't help but ask, "You're eating at the advanced math seat? That guy must be a germaphobe."
"It's okay, he can't beat me." Lu Baixi broke off the chopsticks and said, "I'll clean it up for him after I finish eating."
After saying that, Lu Baixi picked up a piece of duck blood and put it into her mouth. The spicy taste and the fresh taste of the bean paste intertwined. She ate so hard that her eyes narrowed, and a smile finally appeared on her cold face.
"Tell me about your dream." Lu Baixi said, "Although I'm not very good at dream magic, maybe I can figure out something."
Lin Yuan repeated the scene in his dream to Lu Baixi. All kinds of scenes from the past flashed through his mind as he told the story. A trace of nostalgia flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes. He turned around and saw that Lu Baixi had almost buried his head in the maoxuewang, eating so much that he couldn't even lift his head.
Lin Yuan: "...You just want me to tell you a story to help you enjoy your meal!"
"You really hurt my heart." Lu Baixi finished the last piece of duck blood, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said slowly: "I just think it's more efficient to do two things at the same time."
Lin Yuan: "...Okay."
"You first dreamed on the second day of the social practice activity, which was the day when your magic power officially began to recover. Yesterday was your second dream, and it has been ten days since the first time. The frequency is not high." Lu Baixi said as he packed the bags: "I think this should be related to the recovery of your magic power. Now your magic power is recovering day by day. Memory is inextricably linked to magic power, so it is normal for it to appear in the form of dreams as magic power recovers."
"Then why am I the only one in the class who is dreaming?" Lin Yuan asked, "Everyone in our class is recovering their magic power, so it doesn't make sense that I'm the only one with a problem, right?"
"Everyone's physique is different. Maybe they also had dreams related to the past, but they naturally forgot about it after waking up. Maybe it's because of your physique that you are naturally prone to remembering things in dreams."
Lin Yuan: "Then what should I do?"
As he spoke, Lu Baixi had already packed up the takeaway: "Don't do anything, just think of it as a recollection of the past."
Lin Yuan: "...You said it but it's the same as not saying it."
However, what Lu Baixi said did make sense. Anyway, recalling the past did not have much impact on him. Apart from being a little tired during the day, it was quite interesting to look back on the past from his current perspective.
So Lin Yuan no longer rejected it and nodded, accepting this reality.
"Come to think of it, why do you keep ordering takeout these days?" Bai Luo, who had been listening in, quickly shifted his attention to another matter: "Doesn't our school prohibit ordering takeout?"
"Don't you know?" Lu Baixi stood up and walked out with a takeaway bag. "The school has been causing a lot of campus gossip recently. The head of the grade has been busy dealing with these things and has no time to grab some takeaway food."
"Campus ghost story?" Bai Luo and Lin Yuan looked at each other in bewilderment: "Does our school have such a thing?"
"Probably." Lu Baixi shrugged. "What I heard is that a student collapsed because of too many test papers. His resentment turned into a ghost and tortured the principal all night long. As a result, the principal's remaining hair all fell out. The deans are investigating where this rumor came from."
Lin Yuan/Bai Luo: "......"
Why does this campus ghost story sound so sad?
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