Initial Development of the Analytical Eye

As Lu Fei listened attentively, he couldn't help but wonder which method Lori preferred.

"Lori, what about you? Which method of spellcasting do you prefer?"

"Me?" Lori glanced at Lu Fei, her eyes curved as she smiled. There was a faint dimple on her tender white cheeks.

"I don't need any of those. For me, casting spells is as easy as pie. I just need to think it, and the magic happens."

With a proud lift of her chin, Lori continued, "So, what do you think, little Lu Fei? Do you find me impressive? This is just one of the countless minor talents of your master, Lori Veranika."

Lori was usually modest and composed, but in front of Lu Fei, she couldn't resist showing off a bit.

Lu Fei didn't know how many talents Lori had, but he knew she was quite self-assured.

"Wow, impressive, impressive. But Lori, what about beginners like me? Which method is suitable?"

For Lu Fei, methods like spellcasting and magic arrays were akin to writing code. Once the code was written, the elements would operate accordingly, casting various spells.

And now, he was choosing programming languages similar to Python, C, Java, and PHP.

Lori's casual response made Lu Fei a bit unhappy. She usually wouldn't praise herself like this.

It was just to see his admiring expression. But he didn't seem to care at all, not even as attractive as a little fire dragon.

"As for which method is suitable, you shouldn't stick to just one. You should learn them all. Only by integrating the best of each method can you become like me. I don't want you to end up like those who struggle with basic spells for half a day."

Lu Fei sensed something off in her tone but didn't pay it much mind.

He agreed with Lori that learning more things would always be beneficial.

"Now, let me teach you how to enhance your mental power and condense your magic," Lori continued.

This was important knowledge, and Lu Fei listened intently.

"Besides some special methods, normal enhancement mostly relies on meditation. By meditating, you absorb the elements from nature, nourish your mental power, and gather magic. There are various methods of meditation, adjusting your breathing, emptying your mind, sinking your consciousness into nature, feeling the elements..."

After listening to Lori's explanation, Lu Fei was eager to try it out.

But sensing his eagerness, Lori stopped him in time.

"Lu Fei, your first meditation session must wait until Anna returns."

Seeing Lori's serious expression, Lu Fei knew she wasn't joking.

"I understand, Lori. But why do I have to wait until Anna returns?" Lu Fei asked in confusion.

Lori didn't conceal anything and said directly, "Because you and I share the same talent. During your first meditation, you may trigger an elemental tide due to the joy of 'nature.' If you can't handle that immense tide, not only will it affect others, but you might also be in danger."

She paused before continuing, "I remember when I was young, if it weren't for my mother by my side, I might have been burst by that power. Not to mention your fragile body..."

Seemingly realizing something, Lori stopped herself midsentence.

"Regarding magic, let's stop here for today. Now, let's explore the capabilities of your eyes."

Then, Lori took out many strange objects—glowing crystal balls, petrified swords, ancient compasses, eerie masks missing a corner, gemstones emitting strange lights, and even unknown dark organs...

Seeing these objects, Lu Fei's scalp tingled.

"All right, Lu Fei, I'll teach you the methods. Take it slow, one by one..." Her lively voice now sounded like a demon's whisper, sending shivers down Lu Fei's spine.

The afternoon passed, and Lu Fei felt like a withered fish, weakly lying on the stone bench.

His eyes were dull, his cheeks pale, as if he had been laboring like an ox for a long time.

In stark contrast, Lori, who looked rosy-cheeked and joyful, stood beside him.

After a series of tests, Lori discovered that although Lu Fei's eyes didn't possess abilities like charm, petrification, or magical blasts, they had numerous auxiliary capabilities.

In addition to common functions like [short-sightedness], [far-sightedness], and [insight], his eyes could also resist illusions, see the trajectory of magic, and probe information about objects...

Especially the ability to probe information surprised Lori.

She thought Lu Fei's ability to gather information was similar to detecting magic, providing general knowledge about the type of item or a person's rank and strength.

But she didn't expect him to provide such precise information, akin to an omniscient and omnipotent goddess of wisdom.

He could discern others identity, concealed strength, and possessed talents with clarity.

With him around, it was as if she had an all-knowing artifact; no one could hide their secrets from her.

And this was just the initial stage of development; she believed there would be more surprises to come.

Thinking this, Lori smiled at Lu Fei, her smiling eyes infecting the surrounding environment, making the vegetation near the stone pavilion appear more vibrant.

"The development of the eyes will stop here, and we will continue later. When the magic power is gathered in your body, it will be the time to truly develop it."

Lu Fei thought he was done with the ordeal, but to his dismay, there was more. 

Then, Lori took out a light blue pill and offered it to Lu Fei.

"Here, Lu Fei, take this. It's good for your body."

He felt like he was being fed medicine by his bedside, suspecting that Lori was up to something.

He had been through quite an ordeal this afternoon.

Those strange things, each with its own effects, whether it was illusion or sensory deprivation...

To survive, he had to muster all his willpower.

He didn't want to open his mouth to swallow the blue pill; he was too lazy to move.

"Alright, considering how hard you've worked, I won't hold your stubbornness against you."

Watching Lu Fei, Lori smiled and, with her delicate jade hand, directly pushed the pill into his mouth.

Before leaving, she even wiped her finger on the edge of Lu Fei's lips.

Perhaps due to the rapid effect of the medicine, Lu Fei's pale complexion regained some color, and he felt a bit more energetic.

"All right, I'll be going now. Remember, don't meditate secretly!"

Seeing that Lu Fei was fine, Lori reminded him once again before teleporting away.

After Lori left, Lu Fei secretly touched his lips, still retaining a hint of sweet fragrance.

His heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate a bit.

He felt like he had Stockholm Syndrome; despite being tormented by the witch just now, he couldn't help but beat faster because of her tenderness.

He really was beyond redemption.

But upon careful consideration, although Lori's methods were a bit cruel, her ultimate goal was for his own good, to help him develop his talents faster.

If he were to handle it himself, perhaps he wouldn't have discovered so many abilities so quickly.

He might have even passed out like he did on the training ground.

Understanding Lori's deeper motives, Lu Fei decided it was pointless to dwell on them.

"Okay, just think that what Loli did was for me."

Muttering to himself, Lu Fei slowly got up and headed towards his room, intending to study the common language of the continent...

In the following month, Lu Fei studied basic knowledge in the morning, practiced magic in the afternoon, and reviewed and studied in the evening.

With his naturally sharp mind and the new ability of his [Analytical Eye]—"Imprint: quickly memorizing what the eyes see"—Lu Fei's learning became even more efficient.

In just over ten days, there were very few problems that could stump Lu Fei.

Now, he could start self-study and exploration.

The magic book Lori gave him had been completely memorized by Lu Fei.

It contained almost all the basic magic spells on the continent, as well as a small portion of intermediate magic.

Text and language were no longer obstacles for Lu Fei; he could confidently say he was no longer illiterate.

Lu Fei usually sat alone in the library, browsing through books that interested him.

Haf declared him officially graduated half a month ago.

The teacher even said Lu Fei was the most intelligent student he had ever seen and even wanted Lu Fei to inherit his mantle, becoming a distinguished scholar.

Of course, his wish was promptly vetoed by Lori.

The books Lu Fei was reading now were about contracts and similar ancient texts.

His focus had been on this for the past few days. While studying, Haff had told him that a slave contract couldn't be unilaterally terminated. It could bind the master and servant together forever.

Lu Fei didn't believe in absolutes; otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in this world in the first place.

However, after perusing many ancient texts, he found no methods or clues to break the contract.

"Sigh..."

With a soft sigh, Lu Fei rolled up the ancient scrolls and placed them back where they belonged.

"Am I destined to remain under the tyranny of a loli?"

Clutching his head, Lu Fei's expression turned somewhat despondent. It wasn't that Lori was unkind to him; on the contrary, Lori was very good to him.

Although she often teased him, Lu Fei could feel her genuine kindness and closeness.

In the manor, he enjoyed the best of everything every day.

Because Lori's favoritism towards him was obvious, everyone else in the manor treated him kindly.

All of this made Lu Fei feel warm, comforting his lonely and restless heart.

And precisely because Lori was so good to him, he wanted to break free from this bondage.

To shed the identity of a slave.

Only then, in his interactions with Lori, could he feel more relaxed and equal.

If there was inequality in their status, true intimacy would be impossible.

Having grown up in an environment of freedom and justice, such thinking was deeply ingrained in him.

He had no intention of overthrowing the world's system or abolishing slavery.

Adaptation was key; this world was vastly different from the one he came from. They possessed extraordinary powers here, and people were born extremely unequal due to their innate status.

A group of people might not be able to stop someone's little finger, and one person could destroy a city.

The weak would cling to the strong for survival, becoming servants or slaves.

For them, becoming a slave meant their lives were secure, which was already a form of happiness.

If the existence of slavery were eliminated, there might be other forms of bondage like prisoners or serfs.

The unequal distribution of power would inevitably lead to despairing class divisions.

Unless the entire power structure of this world was dismantled, and everyone reverted to being ordinary, perhaps some of the situation could be alleviated.

But by then, if power couldn't be used, intellect would become another means of stratification.

Even where Lu Fei used to live, ordinary people still labored like oxen and horses, just with more flattering titles and relatively more freedom and justice.

The eradication of class disparity was an almost impossible problem to solve.

Lu Fei only sought relative equality, at least not facing her as a slave.

After all, there were already too many disparities between them...

After searching the bookshelf for a while longer, Lu Fei didn't find what he was looking for.

Glancing at the time, it was almost mealtime, and his stomach started to rumble with hunger.

"I'll continue searching later. I believe persistence pays off; there will always be a solution."

After Lu Fei left, a figure emerged from the shadows, with a stunning and delicate face—it was Lori, whom Lu Fei had just mentioned.

She approached the bookshelf Lu Fei had been browsing and took out the ancient scroll.

As she looked at the text, Lori's eyes darkened, unclear what she was thinking.

But her slightly clenched fist indicated her inner turmoil.