Ch. 339 - Return with a Full Haul

“Once you flip through a book, you have to purchase it. Magic books are forbidden from being browsed. They may only be taken away and read elsewhere. Violators will be subject to a hefty compensation fee.”

A notice board stood at the entrance to the fourth floor. The warning was written in several different languages, including the common human language and several strange scripts that Yang Yi could not understand.

However, Yang Yi had the system. Once it identified the corresponding languages, the Activity Log immediately displayed options for learning them.

【You can spend 1,000 Seashell Coins to learn Ghoul Language.】

【You can spend 1,000 Seashell Coins to learn Abyssal Language.】

【You can spend 300 Seashell Coins to learn Merman Language.】

【You can spend 5,000 Seashell Coins to learn Ancient Yili Language.】

There were four languages in total. Aside from Merman Language, which looked as though someone had randomly stamped it onto the page with claws, the other languages looked more or less like foreign scripts. Some consisted of pictographs, while others were made up of various characters.

Yang Yi simply learned all of them. There was no reason not to.

Being able to learn an entire language by spending just a few thousand Seashell Coins was an absolutely incredible bargain!

After finishing his studies, the two of them began searching through the bookshelves, taking away any books that interested them.

There was actually very little to hesitate over. As long as they had never read a book before, it was worth buying a copy.

Through reading books, players could gain a deeper understanding of this world.

Even writings created purely for entertainment were inseparable from the culture and customs of their people. Reading not only helped relax the mind, but also had tremendous benefits for one's sanity, body, and spirit—especially out here on this excessively vast ocean.

However, books with strange titles had to be considered carefully.

For example, the book in Yang Yi's hand was titled:

《Simple and Efficient Ways to Commit Suicide: How to Properly Kill Yourself, 100% Effective Edition》

It was written in Ghoul Language.

The moment Yang Yi picked it up, he became more vigilant.

“A book teaching people how to commit suicide... Do people actually need to be taught how to kill themselves?”

He carefully examined it and discovered that the book had been sitting here for a very long time. Its cover was made from some kind of leather. It felt rather soft to the touch, almost like the skin of a two-legged sheep.

He turned to the back cover and found several small price labels stuck there. The older ones had already faded, but they had never been removed. One of them clearly stated that the price was 50,000 Seashell Coins.

At the very end of the book, there was also a tiny passage handwritten in red dye. Unlike the faded labels, the writing had not lost its color.

“If none of the methods in this book are capable of killing you, please do not panic. In particular, do not trust unverified remedies. You should contact the nearest Deathbirth Society as soon as possible. We will provide you with a practical and reliable death service.”

After reading this, Yang Yi frowned deeply.

He felt that this book was definitely worth buying and taking back to examine. He placed it inside his Charred Worm Ring, intending to pay for everything together later.

This was not a magic book, so reading it would not grant him any magical skills or recipes. Therefore, the system did not display its quality. Whether it was worth the price depended entirely on Yang Yi's own judgment.

He continued purchasing other books.

Books priced below 1,000 Seashell Coins were basically automatic purchases for him, as long as he avoided buying duplicates.

For example, the world map he had found earlier was priced at 100 × 10 Seashell Coins. There were more than a dozen copies on the fourth floor, and many of them were handwritten additions or supplementary copies, but there was no significant difference in their contents.

If Yang Yi bought one, he could purchase it at 80% of the standard price, meaning it would actually cost only 80 Seashell Coins. Still, there was no need to buy certain books.

He sent the titles of the books he intended to purchase to Suna so that the two of them would not accidentally buy duplicates.

“This is...”

Yang Yi discovered a book with a colorful cover. The book jacket had already curled up at the edges, and its color had turned a dark yellow, but the illustration was still recognizable.

It depicted a beautiful siren.

The book was priced at 3,000 Seashell Coins.

But the illustration of the siren was not what attracted Yang Yi.

It was the title:

《Hot and Spicy Siren Paradise, Volume Three》

The title was actually written using pinyin!

Someone who did not understand it might mistake it for some kind of decorative pattern in the writing, but anyone who understood pinyin would immediately realize that something was wrong.

“This book definitely has something suspicious about it!”

Yang Yi said with certainty and glanced at Suna.

The latter's attention was completely focused on the book. She was even flipping through it before placing it into her Myriad Treasure Bag.

For ordinary books like these, once they had decided to purchase them, flipping through them was perfectly fine.

Magic books, apparently, were not located on this floor.

Yang Yi put the book into his Charred Worm Ring.

At the same time, he sensed a gaze.

It was coming from the Light Fairy, Tricia, inside the pocket over his chest.

This guy gave him a contemptuous look and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but Yang Yi interrupted her and pushed her back into the pocket.

“What are you doing? Don’t touch me! I finally managed to adjust myself into a comfortable position!”

Tricia cursed.

..............

Ten-odd minutes later.

Yang Yi and Suna had gone through every book on the fourth floor, purchasing more than two hundred books in total.

As long as a book was not a duplicate, they basically bought a copy.

Among them were several suspicious or particularly noteworthy books that deserved careful reading, such as:

《Beware of the Despicable Outsiders》

《The Vanished Duchy of Kambal》

《The One and Only Great Existence: The Goddess of Radiance》

《The Source of Calamity — Witches and Warlocks》

Each book was priced at around 1,000 Seashell Coins. Those with color illustrations cost an additional two or three hundred. The total came to 318,000 Seashell Coins, or 254,400 Seashell Coins after the 20% discount.

Most of the books were written in the common human language. A small portion was written in other languages, while books written in Merman Language were scarce.

“Suna, did you see any world maps for sale?”

Yang Yi sent Suna a private message.

“No.”

She replied very quickly. She had already set off toward the floor above.

Yang Yi followed her, but he continued thinking about the issue of the world maps.

The two of them arrived at the final floor.

This floor was completely different from the previous ones. There were no windows, and the only source of light came from oil lamps hanging from the ceiling, leaving the place dim and quiet.

There were quite a lot of Monkey Bats here, though.

A small room of less than fifteen square meters contained four Monkey Bats, each hanging upside down from one of the four corners.

These creatures were adapted to dark environments. Not only did they possess a pair of eyeballs that glowed in dim light, but they also had the ability to use ultrasonic waves for positioning.

Yang Yi examined the layout of the room.

Compared with the fourth floor, the bookshelves had once again been replaced with crystal display cases.

This indicated that the value of the books here was considerably higher. They were not comparable to the ordinary books on the lower floors.

The crystal display cases formed a circle around the room. In the center was a separate, small display case containing only a single book.

Yang Yi and Suna examined them one by one.

Many of the display cases were empty, with only the indentation where a book had once been. Someone had probably purchased those books already.

Only seven or eight books remained.

Yang Yi picked up a book with a white cover. It felt cold to the touch, and information immediately appeared.

【Name: The Book of Pure White, Part One (Fake)】

【Type: Relic/Book】

【Quality: Fine】

【Description: A fake magic book containing mental interference magic. After reading it, the reader will experience dizziness and a decline in sanity. However, they will actually learn nothing, causing the reader to mistakenly believe that they simply failed to understand the contents.

Remaining Reading Attempts: 2/3】

“Even magic books can be fake?”

Yang Yi sent the information about the book to Suna.

Suna was also holding a magic book. There was a look of pleasant surprise in her eyes. She then sent him the information on her book.

【Name: Burned Alchemy Manual】

【Type: Treasure/Book】

【Quality: Precious】

【Description: A record book belonging to an unknown alchemist. It was burned, resulting in some of its contents being lost. It records many high-value alchemical magic arrays, techniques, and insights.

Written in Ancient Yili Language. Reading it requires a certain level of proficiency.】

Yang Yi walked over to take a look.

He discovered that this book, despite being half-burned, was actually being sold for 500,000 Seashell Coins.

If it were complete, it would probably be worth several million.

Yang Yi nodded, agreeing to purchase the book.

He then continued examining the other books.