In the end, Luo Shu remained awake all night.
However, the reason for his sleeplessness wasn't Mira and Kisara's overt and covert struggles, but rather organising intelligence.
Within the Astronomy Club's extradimensional space.
Luo Shu sat at the head of a stone table, before which lay a rhombus-shaped sapphire.
This was a Fragment Crystal of the Authority of Knowledge, extracted from the Divine Rank Fairy of Knowledge, Vassago.
It had been the main subject of Luo Shu's research throughout the night.
Over the course of the evening, he'd continuously studied methods to utilise this Fragment of Knowledge Authority, eventually arriving at several relatively effective approaches.
"The first method involves me personally using spiritual energy to mobilise the Divine Kingdom's power, using the kingdom as an energy source to activate the fragment's authority."
"The result would be the fragment temporarily becoming an answering machine - as long as I pose questions, it can draw from its knowledge base to provide suitable answers."
"To some extent, it would function as an encyclopaedia of mysticism, with its data originating from the memories of Vassago, a Divine Rank being."
"The answers obtained from a god-tier entity would carry extremely high authority."
"As for the second utilisation method, it's the knowledge bestowal of the knowledge authority fragment."
"This approach can both impart knowledge that I or Vassago possess to others, while also serving as a powerful attack method."
"Ishaha angered that noble of Hell by luring Vassago into this Divine Kingdom, resulting in having her soul exploded by an overload of bestowed knowledge - this is essentially knowledge bestowal used as an attack."
"Overwhelming an enemy's soul with excessive knowledge - if it doesn't burst, they gain massive knowledge instead? What a move that tests one's luck."
"However, the lucky ones are few. Even a Calamity Bringer like me, or those of a higher rank, would likely be unable to withstand such an onslaught of information. So, this move is a Demigod-level killing technique?"
"Does this mean I've acquired a Demigod-level method in advance?"
After a whole night of effort, only two methods of utilising the Fragments of Knowledge Authority were revealed, yet Luo Shu didn't feel like he had wasted any time. On the contrary, he felt much more at ease.
The ways to utilise the Fragment of Knowledge Authority—whether answering questions or bestowing knowledge—were both urgently needed by Luo Shu at this stage.
These two abilities could greatly compensate for his current shortcomings.
Knowledge about the mystical side, or high-level Demigod techniques, could enrich Luo Shu's meagre foundation.
Thinking this, Luo Shu toyed with the Fragment of Authority in his hand, narrowed his eyes, and finally took a deep breath. Gripping the blue diamond-shaped gem tightly, he channelled the power of the Divine Kingdom into it with all his might.
An invisible whirlwind swirled around Luo Shu's hand.
An unseen force slowly infused into the diamond-shaped gem in his grasp.
At that moment, Luo Shu posed the question he cared about most:
"How can I enhance the power of the Calamity Bringer and advance to the next Class?"
That's right—what Luo Shu wanted most now was a method to grow stronger without relying on points.
After all, starting from the Elite Rank, advancing to the Hero Rank required hundreds of thousands of points and specific rituals. This forced Luo Shu to consider alternative ways to gain power.
Otherwise, relying solely on points, while feasible over several years, no longer seemed suitable after realising he possessed a treasure like the Divine Kingdom.
With such a secret treasure in his possession, Luo Shu now harboured a constant suspicion that everyone was out to get him.
Thus, for him, strength had become the most pressing need in the near future.
That's why, the moment he returned home, he immediately began researching how to utilise the Fragment of Knowledge Authority. And after discovering its uses, he wasted no time seeking advancement methods beyond points.
After all, even though Vassago had misunderstood his identity and was injured after intruding into the Divine Kingdom, Luo Shu knew full well that in a real fight, the Demon God Vassago could obliterate him in an instant.
Under such circumstances, anyone who didn't seize the chance to grow stronger must have a screw loose.
And now, Luo Shu was searching for a way to grow stronger without relying on points.
Because of his need, the Authority of Knowledge responded to his inquiry.
In a daze, Luo Shu's vision blurred.
When it cleared again, he found himself transformed into a faceless traveller.
The traveller journeyed through city-states of diverse customs.
And wherever he passed, disasters of all kinds began to plague the once-harmonious and friendly societies.
Sometimes, the earth cracked, resulting in barren fields due to drought.
Other times, raging floods destroyed crops, bringing calamity.
Or perhaps lightning struck trees, igniting devastating wildfires.
There was also the sight of a sly-faced man whispering into the ear of an obviously noble figure adorned in gold and silver. Not long after, the noble donned armour, mounted a fierce steed, and led an army to conquer a city-state.
The traveller, whose face remained unclear, either passed by coincidentally or chased after these disasters. Each time, he would come into contact with the misfortune, carefully collecting and absorbing it into his own body. Then, at the opportune moment—within three days—he would release the misfortune upon more people.
The faceless traveller was like a spreader of calamity, leaving misfortune in his wake wherever he went.
Yet, what was peculiar was that most of these misfortunes were hardships that could be endured.
Though painful, as long as one persevered, the misfortune would soon be overcome. And at such times, the traveller would always linger near those who had surmounted the misfortune, offering them some form of aid.
With each instance of the traveller's lingering and correction, the aura of misfortune around him grew denser.
Finally, the traveller's body radiated an intense aura of misfortune from within. But at the same time, Luo Shu noticed that the traveller seemed to smile.
The vision ended abruptly, and Luo Shu's eyes cleared in an instant.
Reflecting on the scenes he had just witnessed, he concluded:
"To gain power as a Calamity Bringer, I must absorb misfortune and then spread it to others, bringing them suffering and the unpredictability of fate."
"And when they overcome this misfortune, it will feed back to me a surge of power, strengthening me?"
"No, merely spreading misfortune also enhances my power. The power from spreading misfortune and the power from overcoming it are two sides of the same coin."
"The stronger the person I bestow misfortune upon, the greater the feedback they contribute."
"And if the misfortune I impose is overcome by others, I will receive yet another wave of feedback—what's colloquially called 'one dish, two servings.'"
"In other words, by spreading misfortune, I can at least reap the reward of spreading it. With luck, I might even get a second reward from its overcoming."
At this thought, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes and said in a grave tone:
"So this is the Calamity Bringer?"
"Bringing misfortune, chasing after it, yet leaving behind a sliver of hope—truly like an envoy of calamity."
At this point, Luo Shu let out a light chuckle, stroking the diamond-shaped gem before narrowing his eyes and saying:
"I don't like this method of gaining strength."
Luo Shu despised spreading misfortune to ordinary people—it only added to the burdens of innocent, suffering masses. Having been saddled with family gambling debts before his transmigration, he disliked this way of utilising his ability.
So!
"I'll bestow misfortune upon the strong—upon those powerful, shadowy organisations that bring calamity upon others."
"When the brave are angered, they draw their blades against the stronger foe!"
"That's what a true Calamity Bringer should be like!"