The mist before his eyes faded away layer by layer, like a space collapsing.
Ian suddenly opened his eyes.
On the crowded small bed, Ian moved uncomfortably, the bright moonlight outside the window draped the room in a layer of silver mist.
A clock hung on the wall.
The hands pointed to the time, 12:07, the seconds hand kept ticking, continuously rotating.
Entering such a real and yet illusory dream, it turned out only seven minutes had passed in reality.
"Whew.."
Ian took a deep breath and wiped away the non-existent sweat from his forehead.
He just felt a bit dazed, it was mental.
He thought about the things that happened in the Misty Illusion Realm, instinctively looked at the back of his hand, and saw a faint white mark.
The small room, relying only on the moonlight, was still somewhat dim.
Ian sat up, went to the desk, opened the drawer, picked out a small flashlight from various handmade tools, and turned on the light to illuminate his arm, observing carefully.
"What is this?"
Ian curiously observed the gift from his friend.
The faint mark, with a flash of light, completely sank into the skin.
Entering the dream, he could bring things from reality into the dream, and also bring things out from the dream, just like the chocolate he gave to Ariana.
But what function does this mark have?
Ian didn't know.
He attempted to check his skills panel.
Name: Ian Prince
Profession: Bloodline Mage
Magic Power: Level 4
Skills: Language Mastery (Level 3): 23/400
Biological Anatomy (Level 4): 796/800
Free Fighting (Level 3): 85/400
Psychology (Level 6): 42/3200
[Extraordinary Trait of Psychology: Thought Perception.]
He held expectations in his heart.
Yet.
There was no indication of the mark on the panel.
Thinking about it, this gift from a friend obviously wouldn't be a skill. Just like Ian's ability to enter the Misty Illusion Realm, which can't be found on the panel.
Perhaps he needs to search in the Hogwarts library to see if there are similar cases? That place is said to have the most comprehensive knowledge reserve in the whole Magic Realm - Ian thought to himself, touched his arm on the desk, and soon, sleepiness attacked, he returned to bed and drifted into dreams.
Time flies.
Next morning.
When the sun rose, Ian was already at the desk, reading language books for quite a while.
[Successfully read French words, language proficiency +1]
[Successfully read Latin, language proficiency +1]
[Successfully read Latin, language proficiency +1]
"Whew.."
Ian exhaled, rubbed his eyes and brows.
Learning a language wasn't simple; every word required pronunciation through phonetic annotations, and importantly, he needed to firmly memorize each word's meaning through memory.
Of course.
Efforts in learning always bring some gains.
Language Mastery (Level 3): 35/400 (+12)
A morning's practice.
Already improved by 12 proficiency points.
The day when this skill reaches level 5 and unlocks its extraordinary traits isn't too far away. With no available magic spells to learn, practical skills to choose remain limited.
He just wonders what the extraordinary trait of language would be?
Harboring expectations for the future.
Ian started the day.
After lunch.
He dragged a small cart again, reached a familiar place, and began the routine of fortune telling.. Saying it's swindling might be a bit harsh, but this money-making method ultimately relies on assessing people.
Ian seemed to be fiddling with the divination tools on the table, Tarot Cards. In reality, he relied entirely on self-taught psychology, and psychology traits to guess what the other person was thinking.
To be honest.
Even if genuinely capable of divination, from a money-making perspective, it might not be as effective as his approach — people aren't always keen to hear the truth.
With Ian's loud cries.
Soon.
Another woman was attracted by Ian, curiously trying it out. As a result, Ian observed her attire, the pauses in her speech, and her expressions while talking.
Knowing it in his heart.
He spoke out as if seeing the woman's inner thoughts.
"Madam, you've been feeling a lot of pressure lately."
The woman's calm nod acknowledged the charlatan-like words.
It wasn't a difficult guess.
Ian smiled slightly: "Is it about schooling?"
The woman was somewhat surprised: "Oh, you're right."
Ian nodded: "Hmm, your mentor has caused some trouble for you, you're about to graduate, but at this rate, your mentor obviously won't let you graduate smoothly."
The woman opened her mouth widely, shocked for a while before coming back to her senses.
Afterwards, her voice was trembling with respect towards Ian's tone: "Little Divination Master, yes, you're right, so what should I do?!"
[Successfully observed psychology, psychology proficiency +1]
The attribute panel improved.
Ian wasn't flustered; at this moment, the customer in front of him was already entirely within his "hunting" scope..
With the ability of Mind Reading, he was able to completely control the girl psychologically.
However, Ian was a man of principle.
"Miss, you may need to spend some money to ask the principal to smooth the relationships... However, this is difficult, if you have a Protective Talisman, you will definitely be favored by the Goddess of Fortune.."
The woman was already very trusting of Ian. Looking at the various dazzling Protective Talismans he recommended, she asked.
"How much for each? Can I buy them all?"
Looks rich, but I didn't expect so much wealth. A fat sheep indeed.
Ian immediately said, "Sure, of course, each Protective Talisman is just 5 pounds."
Ian took out 20 Protective Talismans, laying them on the table for the lady to choose from.
"I want them all! Twenty times the luck!"
Watching the lady in front buy all 20 Protective Talismans and pay a whole 100 pounds.
This was indeed a big profit.
Those 20 handmade Protective Talismans were actually just foreign Talismans...
On yellow paper, with scribbles of English drawn in the shape of the word "luck," and that's all.
However, Ian still pretended as he spoke to the lady, "Goddess of Fortune bless you."
"Thank you!" The woman pressed her hands together, looking very sincere.
Soon after, watching the customer leave.
Ian finally showed a smile.
"Looks like my luck has turned too, finishing the task in one go... maybe I should head home early today!"
One hundred pounds, that's like a large bill, its purchasing power quite strong, equivalent to about 1,000 RMB, and still, that's 1990's RMB.
Such purchasing power was almost equal to Ian's two months living expenses.
"I should close up shop early today..."
After putting away the money, Ian tidied up the fortune-telling stall and pushed his little cart, stopping by a restaurant to buy several hot pots.
And so, pushing the little cart, he returned to the orphanage.
"Wow, Ian, what's this?"
As soon as he returned to the orphanage, the children saw him bringing back so much food, and after seeing Ian's small cart, their mouths watered.
Not just the little ones, even the slightly older kids couldn't help but run over.
"Hey, Ian!"
They greeted him, eyes fixed on the hot pots, restraining their longing to eat, just staring.
Ian laughed immediately, lifting a hot pot and placing it on the table, speaking to the kids.
"Okay, everyone, go get some utensils, and wipe off your drool while you're at it!"
Upon hearing Ian's words, everyone burst into laughter.
Soon, following Ian's instructions, they found utensils and the group of children devoured the food ravenously.
As they ate, someone said.
"Ian, I really envy you, you're going to a noble school soon. I heard Lady Yelena say the school principal personally invited you!"
"Wow, I wish I could go too."
"Tom, stop dreaming. Even in the orphanage, Ian reads all sorts of books every day! Do you study?"
"The nobles fancy Ian because of his wisdom!"
Listening to everyone's discussion.
Ian was initially a bit puzzled, what noble school? But soon he realized, it was the power of the Confundus Charm.
So, he listened with a smile, occasionally responding.
Just then, a female voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"Ian, I know you're not going to a noble school, you're going to Hogwarts. That white-bearded old man said it's the school of Mages who can turn things into candies."
Ian was bewildered by this sudden voice, his thoughts disrupted.
He turned and looked at the blond little girl in front of him.
The little girl's face was conflicted, and while everyone wasn't paying attention, she used a pleading tone to speak to Ian.
Looking at the girl's eager eyes.
Ian suddenly felt like he triggered some skill, only hearing a ringing in his ears, and in that ringing, he seemed to hear the girl's urgent shout.
"I want to go to Hogwarts, I want to learn magic that can produce candy from thin air! Then I'll surely be the Candy Princess!"
Ian shook his head.
The sudden voice vanished.
This was the ability of [Thought Perception], at times, he could directly hear the most urgent thoughts in others' minds.
At this moment.
Everyone was happily playing and eating the hot pot, while the little girl in front of him still looked at him with longing eyes.
Ian looked at the little girl and quickly realized that this girl might have magical talent; the Confundus Charm had no effect on her.
This had to be the reason, otherwise, Dumbledore's magic wouldn't make a mistake that allowed Muggles to hear it.
"Is it possible? Ian?"
Looking at the little girl's eager expression.
Ian finally snapped out of his surprise, responding calmly with a smile, "Of course, Catherine, but you need to be obedient and keep this secret for now..."
"Hogwarts only admits well-behaved children."
The blond little girl named Catherine was delighted and wanted to celebrate.
Ian quickly stopped her, "Catherine, remember, this has to be kept secret."
Catherine immediately covered her mouth, "I'm a good kid, I won't tell! Even if the nanny breaks my legs, I won't say!"
Ian: "..."
In the evening.
In the orphanage kitchen.
Ian was wielding a blade, slaughtering chickens, ducks, and other livestock.
Two chefs nearby kept praising Ian, "We have to thank you for your help every time, Ian, with you here, we save so much time."
The kids needed more nutrients, so they had to eat some meat.
And every night, Ian would come help in the kitchen.
It was also due to this reason.
[Successfully slaughtered a chicken, Biological Anatomy skill level +1]
[Successfully slaughtered a duck, Biological Anatomy skill level +1]
[Successfully slaughtered a duck, Biological Anatomy skill level +1]
He gained the trait of Biological Anatomy.
But tonight.
[Ding! Congratulations, Biological Anatomy skill level complete, successfully upgraded.]
[Biological Anatomy (Level 5): 1/1600]
[Congratulations, skill breakthrough to Level 5, gained Extraordinary Traits..].