Chapter 28: A Newfound Memory and Strategic Disclosures

If memory served, how many extraordinary items had I truly encountered? And for this, I was granted an achievement?

Gazing at the achievement, I felt my understanding of the criteria for unlocking such accolades had been completely redefined.

Extraordinary materials—surely I’d come into contact with them before?

Did the Witch’s Heart count? What about the previous contract parchment? I’d even handled incense, a whole box of which sat in my dorm room.

What, then, were the precise trigger conditions for this achievement? Was it the cumulative number of extraordinary items I’d touched, or something entirely different?

Given that the achievement was ‘Sorting Master,’ it likely stemmed from some related action I’d performed.

I shook my head faintly. Why did I bother fretting over achievement requirements? They weren’t displayed, and I couldn’t see them anyway.

Still, these achievements… I’d unknowingly accumulated six of them by now. It was truly astonishing.

More achievements would likely follow, bringing with them a greater array of ‘cheats’ or special abilities. It seemed imperative to capitalize on them swiftly.

Aside from the self-sealing technique, which still baffled me, wasn’t the effect of this latest achievement quite remarkable?

It boosted my memory! The very reason I detested rote memorization was my poor retention, which demanded endless, dull repetition, wasn’t it?

With this in mind, I relegated the section on extraordinary materials to the back, instead opening my basic alchemy textbook to the introductory chapters.

Perhaps I should try memorizing it directly from the table of contents?

I perused the table of contents, noting the categorization of extraordinary materials: first-level, second-level, and third-level entries. Once the general scope was clear, I could then delve into the corresponding sections.

After a cursory glance, I closed the book. In the past, my mind would have retained nothing more than the sensation of turning a few pages. The actual content? What content? Had I even looked at it?

But now, everything had changed!

I could distinctly recall a specific line’s identifier I’d inadvertently noticed, and the page number indicated by the last line I’d unconsciously scanned. Perhaps because I’d only skimmed it, my memory wasn’t comprehensive, yet I *remembered* it!

The crucial thing was, I remembered; I hadn’t forgotten!

If I applied myself to reading it thoroughly, wouldn’t it leave an indelible impression then?

In that moment, a surge of uncontrollable excitement coursed through me, causing my arm to tremble involuntarily.

I drew a deep breath, composing myself, and wondered if this newfound ability extended to other subjects. While the achievement specifically mentioned ‘extraordinary materials knowledge,’ it hadn’t explicitly stated that other areas couldn’t benefit!

What if it did?

With renewed enthusiasm, I opened my book on meditation methods. Though its practical use to me had diminished, that didn’t mean I retained its contents. I could follow its instructions to meditate, but recalling the specifics of the text was beyond me.

I quickly finished reading a single page of meditation case studies.

I closed the book…

My mind remained utterly blank.

Had I seen anything at all, or nothing whatsoever?

As expected, I was still utterly useless!

Despite this profound disappointment, which almost brought tears to my eyes, it did not deter me from picking up the alchemy materials textbook once more.

How marvelous was the knowledge of extraordinary materials! See how intimately familiar it felt, remaining remarkably clear in my mind even after I closed the book.

It was like an old friend.

Truth be told, this ‘cheat’ was incredibly potent. Given enough time, I felt I could commit virtually all knowledge to memory!

Albeit, only knowledge pertaining to alchemy materials.

Upon reflection, if this were a causality-based ability, and I simply deemed everything an ‘alchemy material,’ wouldn’t the scope of what I could remember vastly expand?

Was such a thing even possible?

It wasn’t entirely impossible. However, I currently lacked the luxury of experimenting. After all, I was merely a novice dipping my toes into the vast ocean of alchemical knowledge; there was no immediate need to expand its boundaries.

“Yang Yuehan, are you alright? You’re not going to bury yourself in books, are you?” Kereiya inquired, having observed me decline the extraordinary material she’d offered.

“I’m fine,” I patiently explained, my voice regaining its usual even tone. “I just find some of the knowledge about alchemical materials incredibly fascinating and want to delve deeper.”

“Really?” Kereiya sounded somewhat unconvinced.

“It’s true. I’m not so fragile,” I asserted. “At least I’m still a man, and not *that* fragile.”

“Eh? You’re still a man?” Kereiya exclaimed, as if she’d just made a startling discovery.

“Is that strange? My hair has merely grown longer,” I replied. There were, of course, other subtle alterations, but I couldn’t be bothered to elaborate.

“Oh? What a shame! I honestly thought you’d already become a girl. I was even getting ready to help you acclimate to a girl’s life.”

“Oh, how terribly kind of you,” I deadpanned. Yet, I inwardly conceded that I truly should consult her in the future—perhaps on hair care, outfit coordination, or general life considerations.

‘Do witches even have menstrual cycles?’

‘I’d need to consider this later. After all, I was merely undergoing ‘witchification,’ not yet a full-fledged witch. It was likely only after fully transitioning into a girl, but before becoming a witch, that I would genuinely need to address such matters.’

“No need to thank me,” Kereiya replied. “You’re my deskmate, after all. We should naturally help each other out.”

‘As for me, I held little faith in ‘mutual help.’ But this elf… was she truly so guileless?’

‘Still, it was too soon to jump to conclusions. I needed more interaction. Presently, she represented a highly valuable contact to cultivate.’

‘She was a means to remain uninvolved in social circles while still acquiring crucial information about my surroundings.’

I resumed my perusal of the textbook.

Granny Dou lectured for a considerable time before she finally finished explaining all the intricate materials required for extraordinary incense.

She then returned to the podium, commencing the much-anticipated demonstration of incense blending ratios.

I, however, found little interest in this part. My sole anticipation lay in the incense’s potential to enhance the quality of meditation.

Yet, the basic meditation techniques were already proving inadequate for subsequent mental power cultivation. Clearly, a more advanced meditation method was imperative.

‘Should I… approach Teacher Qieluo directly, or first explore the library’s offerings?’

‘In the past, I would undoubtedly have chosen the library, as it allowed me to avoid any interpersonal interaction.’

‘But now… I leaned more towards seeking out Teacher Qieluo. She was aware of my successful mental power condensation, meaning she ought to value such talent. Or perhaps she simply hadn’t shown it?’

‘A simple probing conversation should reveal the truth.’

‘As she was my homeroom teacher, increased interaction with her was unavoidable in the future. Thus, my plan inherently included revealing my identity as a prodigy to Teacher Qieluo. Otherwise, my access to resources would be severely limited. Furthermore, concealing it from her felt inherently unreliable; it’s better to disclose it sooner rather than later.’

‘The crucial challenge, however, lay in convincing her not to expose my deliberately mediocre performance in class.’

‘Teachers, by nature, wished for their class geniuses to become leaders, the very pillars of the classroom. My current ‘slacker’ persona was something she would undoubtedly disapprove of.’

‘She might even call on me randomly in front of the entire class, which would be incredibly uncomfortable.’

‘Therefore, I needed leverage—some bargaining chip that would persuade Teacher Qieluo to permit my unconventional approach.’

‘Ultimately, it boiled down to understanding Teacher Qieluo’s needs, and how I could achieve them through my own methods, perhaps even more effectively.’

‘If I did this, would it simply make me more exhausted?’

‘Undoubtedly, I would be more fatigued, but I typically idled away my time anyway. Who didn’t harbor a dream of subtly controlling the bigger picture from the shadows?’

‘Without the bothersome external social interactions, I would possess ample time to accomplish far more.’

‘After all, I also feared loneliness. The simplest solution was merely to keep myself occupied.’