radicalducati Chapter 289 Alternative Collections
Chapter 289 Alternative Collections
Chapter 289 Alternative Collections
Sofia rested her chin on her left hand, while idly flipping through the pages of the book with her right.
This book, "Rolling Techniques," is rather dry.
Although Sophia forced herself to continue reading, she was constantly distracted.
Therefore, after several months, she still hadn't finished reading the second chapter.
If it weren't for the man named Aaron telling her that he hoped she would finish reading the book, she probably would have thrown it into the sea long ago.
For Sofia, Aaron was not an important person.
However, Aaron's attitude towards Sophia was different from that of any other man Sophia had ever been with.
Back in the village, all the young men in the neighborhood would flock around her all day.
Sofia's life gradually became quiet after they had each learned a trade and had to work for their master.
It was during that period that Sofia realized she might actually be quite good-looking.
She tried to act coquettishly towards the men around her, and they would always blush, or even become speechless.
Sofia found these people's reactions very interesting, so she learned to actively guide them, and everything went as she wished.
At that time, Sofia felt that she was practically omnipotent.
It wasn't until her father betrothed her that she realized she was, after all, just a woman.
This is a man's world, and women can never sexually defy men.
Sofia felt helpless, which also sparked her rebellion.
Are women destined to be manipulated? No! Sofia thought to herself, "I'll make men do what I want!"
Even if the price is destroying myself!
So on her wedding day, Sofia gave her virginity to her husband's younger brother.
When her husband caught them, and she saw the complex expression on his face—a mixture of anger, frustration, and utterly helpless despair—Sofia smiled.
Look! This is at least my own choice!
Sofia also understands that she can no longer go back to the past and has completely said goodbye to the possibility of becoming a good wife and mother.
She went down another extreme path, and there was no turning back.
Sofia, a bad woman, was born, or rather, she became a "bitch".
In fact, Sofia had heard many people call her that before.
However, Sofia didn't care; that was the truth anyway.
Since then, Sofia has embarked on a completely different life.
She used her looks as a weapon to try to control men.
Sofia did not intend to gain wealth or power from the other party; she merely regarded it as an achievement.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a mission; she felt that she might have been born for this purpose.
Sofia has relationships with all sorts of men, and before taking the final step, she must play tricks on them, which she considers her badge of honor.
She had heard that there were all sorts of collectors in the world, and that their collections were incredibly diverse.
She felt she was one of them, and she collected men's favors.
Soon, Sofia became adept at seducing men.
If she is interested in a man, she can almost always make him fall head over heels for her with just a little effort.
Most people probably think Sofia is a promiscuous woman, but she doesn't think so herself.
She only gave her body to those she chose, treating them as treasures.
But the other party's item was a collectible she didn't want, and Sofia would never let the other party have their way.
No matter what they offer Sofia, or even if they threaten her, she will not yield.
But her winning streak ended with that librarian.
Actually, Sofia didn't have high expectations for Aaron at first.
Although I saw Aaron with my own eyes, and it was indeed so.
Aaron was indeed handsome, but Sophia had seen plenty of good-looking men before.
Judging from her aesthetic sense, she has collected several of the more attractive pieces by Biaron.
However, after just a few words, Sophia sensed that Aaron was different.
The librarian seemed completely unaffected by her beautiful face and charming tone, maintaining a polite but emotionless smile throughout.
Sofia has met many people who pretend to be calm and virtuous, but in reality, they are full of lust.
It's estimated that from the moment they started talking to Sofia, those men began fantasizing about sleeping with her.
So Sofia only needed to tug at the air a few times to expose the other party's disguise.
Aaron neither refused nor accepted, and no matter how hard Sophia tried, she couldn't make his eyebrows twitch even slightly.
Sophia couldn't help but wonder if she had absolutely no charm in this person's eyes.
It wasn't until their second meeting, when Aaron handed her the book "Roller Craftsmanship," that she realized she had lost completely this time.
Not only that, but they were also manipulated by the other party.
At that moment, Sofia felt incredibly ridiculous.
She thought she was moving a stone, but little did she know it was part of the entire mountain range.
Sofia was confused, though, as she was already twenty-six.
But the other person is only around twenty years old, so why is he so composed?
Therefore, Aaron is special to Sovia.
That was her only possession, the one she longed for but could never have.
Unexpectedly, at the last moment, Aaron still insisted on giving the book to Sophia and made her a vague promise.
Just like the countless men she had controlled, she felt like Aaron was manipulating her with a book.
That's why Sofia is forcing herself to read this book right now.
Sophia was puzzled as to why Aaron would make her read such a book.
This is a book about how to make scrolls.
As for what a reel is, Sofia had never even heard of it before.
After reading the book, Sophia realized that it was a magical item.
Just like alchemical potions, it possesses powerful and magical abilities.
However, it is difficult to make and expensive.
Does Aaron want me to learn how to make scrolls? Sophia was very confused, but why?
However, Sofia was quite rational.
She didn't think she could master how to make scrolls just by reading one book.
The book explains very clearly that the making of a scroll itself is a kind of extraordinary power.
Extraordinary power is highly dependent on talent; one in a thousand people might possess such a talent, which is considered a very high proportion.
Sophia didn't consider herself a chosen one. Besides, to acquire such power, one often needed excellent mentors to guide them before they could even begin to grasp the basics.
Can a single book truly help a person acquire a power sufficient to change the course of their life?
Sofia is pessimistic about this, and no one can guarantee that the contents of this book are not fabricated out of thin air.
Finally, Sofia completely lost her patience.
That's all for today.
And they decided to go find some fun.
She stood up and walked out of the room.
Upon arriving outside the hotel, Sofia walked straight in one direction.
This is the Port of Bright Day, which is not particularly prosperous compared to other ports on the Canal des Santos.
In fact, the port of call that their troupe originally planned to make did not include Mingzhou Port.
Instead, it's the entrance and exit on the east side of the canal, the umbilical port.
It's all because of that earthquake.
More than two months ago, the fleet, which was resting at the elbow angle, was suddenly hit by a major earthquake.
The earthquake not only affected the land but also made the sea turbulent.
This, in turn, forced them to slow down their voyage.
Ocean currents become unpredictable, and if ships are allowed to sail at full speed, it may be difficult to recover in the event of an accident.
Maritime accidents often mean the loss of both people and the vessel.
Therefore, they arrived in the Principality of the Holy Envoys later than expected.
Unexpectedly, the earthquake had such a wide-ranging impact.
Even the principality was affected by the earthquake.
Canals are created by artificially excavating and modifying natural waterways.
The embankments here are therefore quite fragile; when an earthquake strikes, large sections of the embankments are shattered into fragments that slide into the riverbed.
The gravel accumulated in the waterway, eventually causing the canal to become blocked and preventing ships from passing.
As a result, the ship carrying Sofia was forced to remain in Mingzhou Port.
Looking back now, that earthquake was really strange.
On the day of the earthquake, Sofia also had a nightmare.
As for the content of her nightmare, Sophia couldn't remember it at all.
Moreover, it seems that others are the same.
Is this just a coincidence?
Sofia wasn't sure, but she hoped it was just a wet dream.
In short, their troupe was trapped in Mingzhou Port.
Since they had no way to move forward, their troupe decided to perform here to supplement their funds.
After all, the entire crew on that ship needed to be paid by their theater troupe, and wasting an extra day would mean paying more for the journey.
The first few days of the performance went relatively smoothly, but soon the duchy's heretic censors came looking for them.
He arrested the entire troupe under the pretext of investigating heretics within the Qinglu sect.
Fortunately, the leader knew some noble friends in the kingdom, and after invoking their connections, the other party was willing to give him some face.
But looking back, Sofia felt a lingering fear.
What if the kingdom's connections don't work in the duchy?
In short, they were released, but the performance was stopped.
The reason given was that their performances were detrimental to moral values and customs.
Sophia thought the people of the principality were really corrupt, only focusing on those stone-carved, motionless gods.
Admittedly, her performances occasionally reveal half of her breasts, but the kingdom's audience always cheers and jeers, making Sofia even more resentful.
After being unable to perform, the troupe members became idle.
That's why Sofia is constantly surrounded by boredom.
However, yesterday the troupe leader told all members that the dredging work on the river ahead was almost complete.
In the next few days, they will continue the rest of their journey.
This unexpected event forced the team leader to change the plan.
Moreover, it seems that they do not intend to stay in the umbilical port for a few days as originally planned, but instead leave the Holy Son Canal directly and cross the Windless Sea.
In the blink of an eye, Sofia had already walked out of the city gate.
Looking up, she saw another tall city wall appear in front of her.
A road paved with cobblestones connects the two city gates.
That was the place Sophia was heading to on this trip: the Bright Day Magic Academy.
While Mingzhou Port may not be well-known as a commercial port, the Mingzhou Magic Academy seems to be famous far and wide.
However, Sofia had previously paid little attention to these extraordinary organizations.
As for whether it is truly that famous, she has no idea.
Her goal was to find one of the male mages.
Sophia stated her purpose at the entrance of the magic academy.
After verifying that the magic master truly existed, they allowed Sophia to enter.
Sofia went straight to the dormitory area and knocked on the room she had visited many times before.
The door opened, revealing a young man who was only nineteen years old.
He has a handsome appearance and a very innocent look in his eyes.
This man's name was Theodosius Schulz, and he was a mage apprentice.
A few days ago, Sofia successfully acquired his collection.
After that, they would visit each other almost every day to discuss their chess skills.
Sofia wasn't bothered by this; Theodosius was quite handsome, and more importantly, he was the first mage Sofia had ever collected.
She inevitably harbored some bias towards Theodosius.
After all, people always have a special feeling about "the first time".
Diodosius looked at Sofia, but Sofia could read from his eyes that he seemed to lack enthusiasm today.
Sofia frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing?" Diodosius shook his head. "It's just that today is a little inconvenient."
Why?
"My tutor assigned me an assignment that has to be handed in tomorrow. He comes from the Frozen Continent and is much stricter with his students than the teachers on the Ancent Continent. I dare not slack off and have already stayed up all night. I'm exhausted—"
At this point, Theodosius's face suddenly turned red, and he dared not meet Sofia's gaze.
He was indeed innocent, but Sofia naturally wouldn't feel the slightest bit shy about it, unless she was deliberately putting on an act.
Sofia is a professional actress; she can portray any character vividly.
But today she just wanted to be an older sister: "It's okay, you go ahead with your work, I promise I won't make you do anything extra."
Ignoring the other party's attempts to stop her, Sofia walked straight into the room.
She sat down on the bed and saw Theodosius close the door, walk up to her with flushed cheeks, scratch his head awkwardly, and smile. "I told you, I wouldn't hold you up. You're busy, aren't you?"
Diodosius seemed unconvinced, but Sofia deliberately picked up a book and started flipping through it. He finally regained his composure and walked to the table in front of him to sit down.
Then, Sofia saw Diodosius and began to immerse herself in her work.
Sofia then put down her book, got up, and quietly walked behind Theodosius to observe his work.
With just one glance, Sofia could tell what homework Diodossi's tutor had assigned him.
Diodosius is making a scroll!
Sofia suddenly narrowed her eyes, thinking of an interesting way to play.
She bent down, wrapped her arms around the chair, and placed them around Theodosius's chest.
He brought his mouth close to Theodosius's ear and gently blew a breath.
Theodosius shuddered, turning his head in confusion, a glint of desire already in his eyes.
But Sofia said, "Never mind me, continue."
Theodosius nodded with some skepticism and continued making the scroll.
Sofia's hand slowly moved downwards.
Diodosius's breathing became rapid, and he occasionally hummed softly.
Sofia asked, "How much longer?"
Theodosius replied, "Soon!"
What was his answer?
Sofia couldn't guess, but she couldn't hide her smile.
Suddenly, Theodosius shouted repeatedly:
"Almost there! Almost there! Almost there—ah, it's done!"
Yes, it really worked!
Sofia couldn't suppress the smile on her face.
Just then, she suddenly noticed that golden light was flashing on the parchment.
And it slides quickly across the paper following a certain pattern.
Sofia then realized that Diodosius's earlier words "soon" and "it's done" were true!
As Sophia read the patterns of the light spots, a feeling welled up in her mind.
After a short break, she organized the information into specific details and blurted it out:
"A protective scroll?"
However, upon hearing this, Diodosius, his cheeks flushed, abruptly turned his head and stared at Sofia with a strange look in his eyes:
"How did you know? I haven't even written anything on the scroll yet!"
Huh?
Sofia realized something was wrong. She rubbed her sticky hands together, her brow furrowing slightly.
Couldn't he see the light spots and veins?