Chapter 399 - Scan Them All!
Leon continued to chat casually with Master Woodrow and learned about the drama revolving around Master Woodrow and his wife. He understood why it was torturous to have someone like Nora around.
No matter how Master Woodrow was, he was still a man. To take in a pretty servant but not being able to touch was indeed quite torturous, especially when the latter is willing and tries all manners of seduction to arouse Master Woodrow.
Leon shook his head. This was Master Woodrow's problem. He did not want to take a dip in these muddled waters. There was no telling whether Nora was another one of Chief Valencia's secret chess pieces for collecting intelligence or not.
Sometime later, the pretty waiter Nora brought out the premium tea and served Leon and Master Woodrow each a cup. "Your premium tea, master, Young Master Leonhardt." She said.
Master Woodrow nodded and quickly tried to dismiss her. Nora could only bow and comply with her master's wish. She left to serve other customers.
"By the way, I doubt Little Brother Leonhardt have come all this way just to see this old man. What does Little Brother Leonhardt need?" Master Woodrow brought up the main topic of Leon's visit.
"I heard you keep a collection of books for study purposes. I was wondering if I could also peruse them if it is not too much to ask?"
"Oh? Little Brother Leonhardt has an interest in perusing ancient books? I do have a collection of books, but they are mostly written in an ancient dialect. It is not a problem at all to let Little Brother Leonhardt view them, but I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to understand. Is Little Brother Leonhardt still interested in perusing them?"
"Of course."
Leon stated straightforwardly.
"Very well, I will take Little Brother Leonhardt there later. But first, why don't you taste my store's premium tea and tell me what you think?" Master Woodrow suggested.
Leon nodded. He picked up the teacup and twirled the tea in his hands before bringing it close to study the tea's aroma. After that, he finally took a sip.
The tea's warmth quickly traveled to his stomach before spreading to all parts of his body, giving him a relaxing feeling while his mind became clear.
"This tea should have undergone the same process as the standard tea. However, the taste and effects of the teas are vastly different." Leon commented as he rubbed the teacup with his thumb in thought.
"That's right, but can Little Brother Leonhardt tell why it is vastly different?" Master Woodrow further pressed Leon to elaborate.
It was the same tea leaves, same preparation, same brewing process, but the taste and effect were wholly different. This could only mean one thing.
"It's the age."
Leon shrugged.
It was just like the difference between ordinary herbs and spirit herbs; the effects between the two were heaven and earth apart.
The tea leaves used to prepare the premium tea were slightly different from commonly grown Camellia sinensis. If Leon had to guess, he would say that it had been mutated.
Thus, even if it was not a spirit plant, it will still bring out a surprising effect due to its age. Nevertheless, this type of tea was not purely beneficial as there were some toxins in them. However, this was also negligible because of the warrior's resilient bodies.
"Sure enough, someone adept in the art of healing like Little Brother Leonhardt would be very perceptive and see through the herbal properties of the tea."
Master Woodrow and Leon continued to chat until they finished the premium tea.
Leon learned that the premium tea was called the Tea of Clarity. It was very effective in rousing awake the people under the influence of the Weeping Forest's hallucinations.
"Alright, I shan't keep Little Brother Leonhardt here any longer. Let us head over to my book collection area." Master Woodrow said.
Leon smiled and said, "I was just waiting for Brother Woodrow to say these words."
They made their way to the back of Fragrant Tea Abode's third floor and stopped before an ordinary wooden shelf holding various small objects of interest such as sculptures and rare mineral oddities.
Master Woodrow pulled on a candle holder at the side of the shelf like a lever, and the bookshelf clicked opened, revealing a secret room filled with ancient scrolls and books.
"Here we are. This is the entirety of my book collection." Master Woodrow introduced.
Leon's eyes immediately flickered with interest as he gazed upon the ancient scrolls and books glittering with a rare shine of gold. These scrolls and books appeared to be more ancient and extraordinary than what he was hoping for.
He was expecting them to be a few hundred to thousands of years old, but they appeared to be far, far older than that.
"What does Little Brother Leonhardt think of it?" Asked Master Woodrow.
Leon picked up a scroll made of unknown lustrous white wood and opened it to study while asking, "These look incredibly ancient, yet at the same time, they have been preserved well and not worn by time thanks to the material they are made from. Where did Brother Woodrow get these from? These scrolls and books must be at least several millions of years old, if not older."
The texts on the white scroll were written in a pure runic language and seemed to be filled with ancient power.
Leon immediately understood why the Infertile Plains people were more advanced in the study of runes than the Human Domain. They had uncovered a more profound heritage from the ancient past.
Each runic word was still filled with energy running through their lines. They were nothing like the ones from the Nova civilization that had been dried up and devoid of power.
"Hahaha, several millions of years old is an understatement. They are possibly several hundred million to billions of years old. No one can precisely guess how old they are thanks to the runic power preserving their conditions."
Leon was slightly surprised before he nodded, "I've also noticed this, but I guess I was still too conservative with my estimation."
"O-ho? So Little Brother Leonhardt does have some knowledge in runes. You sure are multi-talented for your age." Master Woodrow smiled wryly.
All of Leonhardt's peers would have been put to shame if they were to compete with this monster. He was lucky to not be born in the same generation.
Master Woodrow shook his head bitterly at his own thoughts before proceeding to explain, "These were all unearthed in the ruins down south in the land of darkness beyond the Darkness Mountain. It was our ancestors that guesstimated them to be up to billions of years old."
"The land of demons, huh?" Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He had yet to learn much about the land of darkness and the demons that reside there. Perhaps, the Crimsonfog Tribe would know more about this topic.
"Precisely. It was not easy to procure these ancient items from there, so I do hope that Little Brother Leonhardt will handle them with care while perusing them. Also, if Little Brother Leonhardt learns something from these ancient scrolls and books, I hope you can also share your insight with this older brother."
"Naturally." Leon nodded before asking, "Is Brother Woodrow leaving?"
"Un, this older brother still needs to go back and tend to his plants." Said Master Woodrow. In fact, he was middle of it before Leon visited.
"Is Brother Woodrow not afraid I will run off with all of these scrolls and books while you are not around?" Leon said jokingly with an amused look.
Master Woodrow blanked for a moment before he waved his hand and left with a laugh, "Hahaha, not afraid!"
It was not even a question of trust. Only a foolish person would attempt such a thing, and Master Woodrow believed Leonhardt was not such a person.
Leon shook his head wryly after Master Woodrow was gone. But after a moment, he could not contain the excitement in his heart.
The ancient books and scrolls before him were most likely from the primordial era of gods and devils. There was a high chance of godly cultivation methods, techniques, and battle skills within the batch.
'Maya, quickly scan all of these and make a copy in the Archive for me!' Leon immediately urged the artifact spirit resting in the Worldspace.
"Hm?"
Maya lazily laid on top of a mountain of books with an opened book covering her face from the artificial sun in the Worldspace.
She frowned and said, "You are still too weak for me to acknowledge you as my master. You do not have the right to tell me what to do."
'Haiz, who cares about that? Didn't you want some books to read? I got a bunch of books and scrolls here. Who knows, maybe there be some novels among them?' Leon transmitted his thoughts to Maya.
After hearing this, Maya was immediately roused awake.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"