# Chapter 3: A Large Number of Technological Mechanical Ancient Texts
This was what Bubu Wang needed.
Aside from that, he also took all the books related to technique abilities within the library. These books and notes were no longer of much significance to Su Xiao, but he never allowed himself to become arrogant, believing he had already reached the peak of technique. These books and notes might contain insights he had yet to comprehend, or could bring him inspiration. On the path to pursuing the peak, while one must press forward fearlessly, one cannot be blindly arrogant.
Arrogance is the greatest risk on the journey forward, and complacency is the beginning of stagnation in the climb.
Su Xiao took out [Book Library Badge], and for the first time activated it in reverse. Silver energy surged from within the badge, forming a teleportation array on the ground ahead. After a few minutes, the teleportation array was activated, and a familiar figure appeared—it was the Second Prince of the Elf Clan, the Elf Supervisor of the Soul Library, Little Elf Popoli.
When the Soul Elder was asleep, Popoli also served as the acting supervisor of the library's top floor. This time, he was on a business trip.
"Bai Ye, are you trying to get me to switch jobs? I have no such intention, even though this Golden Library is indeed impressive."
Little Elf Popoli said half-jokingly.
"..."
Su Xiao tossed over the Golden Key. Little Elf Popoli immediately leaped backward, and the key, about as tall as he was, landed on the table with a clang.
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
Little Elf Popoli examined the Golden Key, then looked up at Su Xiao.
"You're...?"
"Appraise it."
"Oh? Oh!! You want to sell this library to the Great Soul Library?"
"Yes."
"Alright, alright, I'll help you appraise it."
Little Elf Popoli's mouth nearly split into a grin. The reason was that he was now the Elf Supervisor of the library, which, to put it bluntly, was the captain of the cleaning crew at the Great Soul Library. The positions within the Soul Library could be divided into four levels.
First, the top tier:
Library Owner: The Ancient One.
Library Top Floor Guardian: The Soul Elder.
Next, the second tier:
Library Main Gate Guardian: The Administrator (appearing as a translucent octopus-headed elder).
Library Overseer: Spider Lady (who had already fled the Great Soul Library).
Then, the third tier:
Elf Supervisor: Little Elf Popoli.
Acquisition Merchant: The Big Pouch Profiteer.
Book Administrator: Little Elf Mrs. Olis.
Logistics Chief: Little Elf Babadar.
Below that, the fourth tier consisted of the little elves responsible for cleaning and organizing the library. There were about 5,000 of them, with 10 to 12 per team led by an Elf Captain, and above them were Battalion Commanders, General Commanders, and so on.
Although the hierarchy existed, within the Great Soul Library, it hardly mattered. When the little elves sought help from top-tier powerhouses like the Soul Elder, as long as it didn't violate their principles or the library's rules, the Soul Elder would gently comfort the little elf and then have a Soul Servant handle the matter.
To put it more intuitively, the higher one's status in the Soul Library, the more they were like an elder, receiving respect that was generally heartfelt. If the little elves were bullied, the powerhouses of the Soul Library would indeed step in. However, this was based on the fact that the little elf race was universally kind to an absurd degree.
Before the little elves attached themselves to the Soul Library, across the Star Realm, bullying the kind and impoverished little elves was widely considered a disgraceful act.
Someone like Little Elf Popoli, who had clear likes and dislikes and was even a bit sly, was extremely rare among little elves.
Popoli began appraising the Golden Library, his mood absolutely delightful. If he did this well, with his achievements, and given that Spider Lady had fled the Great Soul Library, leaving the second-tier position of Library Overseer vacant, wouldn't he be in line for a promotion?
Suddenly, Popoli froze, because he remembered that this position was probably, seemingly, about to be filled by someone else—that newly arrived Ancient Dragon descendant.
Thinking of this, Popoli was furious. While counting the books, he complained to his old friend beside him:
"Bai Ye, you don't know, I was so close to being promoted to Library Overseer."
"Mm."
"That's the Library Overseer!"
"So?"
Su Xiao's calm "So?" left Popoli dumbfounded. He scratched his head and thought carefully, but couldn't recall any special privileges of the "Library Overseer." He simply said:
"Anyway, it sounds awesome!"
"..."
Su Xiao said nothing. In his view, this was perhaps a characteristic of ancient organizations. Within the organization, hierarchy wasn't strictly defined. An increase in status was more like an increase in seniority, receiving more respect while also having to protect the weaker members below. Although he had never heard of any member of the Great Soul Library being bullied outside.
In fact, there was a common misconception that very few people could come into contact with the Great Soul Library.
To be precise, very few people were qualified to enter the Great Soul Library. Someone like Su Xiao, who frequently visited the Great Soul Library, was the only one in the Third Era. Others, in their entire lives, could only personally visit the Great Soul Library a few times.
Others relied on the [Book Library Badge] to summon little elves, and with the Void Tree certification of the [Book Library Badge], they could select limited books from the manifested materials and borrow them by spending Library Silver Coins.
During the borrowing period, they had to mortgage a corresponding portion of their own soul. Otherwise, why would it be called the Great Soul Library? As for those who paid silver coins and took the books away, that was clearly a unique case here.
Why did Su Xiao receive such preferential treatment? The reason was that at the Great Soul Library, Original Sin Objects were sealed. This was why he could previously enter and exit the Great Soul Library, and now could enter freely, with 60% of the books open to him for free. The reason was that he alone had sealed more Daddy-level Original Sin Objects than the entire Great Soul Library.
"Bai Ye, be the judge for me. Recently, a White Dragon Lady came to the Great Soul Library. Why does she get to replace Spider Lady as the Library Overseer?
Ah! It's infuriating me! Tomorrow, I won't eat anything, so the Soul Elder will feel sorry for me. Hmm~, no, the Elder is asleep again. Every time he sleeps, it's at least a few years, even decades. I'll starve to death. When the Elder wakes up next time, I'll have a good cry."
After saying this, Popoli looked at Su Xiao with a questioning gaze, as if asking, "Bai Ye, isn't my plan thorough?"
It could only be said that Popoli was, after all, a little elf. Even when angry, his method of "revenge" was somewhat childish.
"Bai Ye, that White Dragon Lady must have pulled some strings. If I find out who's backing her, I'll punch him all the way to the sky."
Saying this, Popoli chuckled with satisfaction and waved his little fist. But then, thinking of something, he asked:
"Bai Ye, when I contacted you before, why were you outside the communication range of the communicator? We were separated by more than half the Star Realm's dimensions."
"Something happened in the Ancient Dragon Kingdom of Eberus."
"Oh~, that place seems very dangerous. But with your strength and handsomeness, you must have..."
Popoli suddenly sensed something was wrong. He was kind-hearted but not stupid, so he immediately fell silent.
After holding it in for a long time, Popoli burst into tears. His few good friends had sent a competitor to the library.
"Next time, I'll discuss with the Ancient One about adding another Library Overseer position."
"Really?!"
Popoli immediately stopped crying. He knew that this good friend's standing with the Ancient One was no less than the Soul Elder's.
"Ahaha, I knew it."
Popoli became happy again. After a while, as he counted the ancient texts, he said:
"But the White Dragon Lady is also very strong. She held out alone in the Confinement Tower of the Ancient Dragon Kingdom for a long time. If it were me, I'd probably be scared and cry. Although she's very kind to the little elves, I won't forgive her for taking my position. I'll ignore her for a few years, hmm~ no, a few months. Hmph~"
"Mm."
"Haha, Bai Ye, you're the one who believes in me the most."
Popoli put away the last batch of ancient texts and said: "Over 90% of the books here have already been collected by the Great Library, so I can only give you 10% of the Library Silver Coin price for those. The rest can be calculated at 100% base value, plus 45% discovery value, plus 35% uncollected rate value. Let me see, the total is..."
Popoli was very meticulous in his work, finally arriving at a number: "A total of 198,155 Library Silver Coins. Adding what you had saved before, it's enough to go to the top floor of the library and exchange for that sealing technique."
Popoli had given his good friend the highest acquisition price within his authority and the library's rules. Even so, it was barely enough to exchange for that set of "Sealcraft."
After a while, Popoli left with all the ancient texts. Su Xiao continued to explore deeper into the "First Sanctuary." After passing the lecture hall where he had fought for life and death with Coin Morber, he went through the wooden door on the inner side and arrived at Coin Morber's personal laboratory.
This place was about a thousand square meters, with various machines he had never seen before arranged in an orderly manner. Upon arriving, he saw the Alchemical Maid Vinnia, immersed in a tall glass column filled with a pale golden solution with occasional bubbles rising. Her hair drifted slowly.
Su Xiao took out [Alchemical Maid], a ring-shaped piece of equipment, and checked its attributes. He found that Alchemical Maid Vinnia, due to the death of her owner, had entered a dormant state. To awaken her, a baptism ritual needed to be completed.
「Bounty 4: Rebirth: Complete the Rebirth Baptism in the "First Sanctuary" (Pay 10,000 ounces of Space-Time Power to activate this bounty. Completing this bounty grants 7.5 times the bounty amount).」
Su Xiao finally understood what this bounty was about. But how to perform the baptism? With his alchemical mechanics, which had developed the "Mysterious Eye" into a spinning flash grenade, he clearly couldn't figure it out.
However, Alchemical Maid Vinnia was an alchemical assistant. Perhaps she could complete this series of operations. Thinking of this, Su Xiao put on the Eternal Rank equipment [Alchemical Maid] ring and used it to issue a forced command to Alchemical Maid Vinnia, instructing her to complete the "Rebirth Baptism."
Vinnia, inside the solution, opened her eyes and looked at Su Xiao with a puzzled expression. Seeing this, he issued the same mental command again.
The glass column containing Vinnia was activated. The solution drained out, and the entire glass column rose. Vinnia, soaking wet, walked barefoot on the metal floor with her fair feet. After a moment, she stopped in front of a tall machine that resembled a giant water tank, but with a sealed top cover.
Vinnia raised her hand, her index finger pointing diagonally downward at the various control keys on the side of the machine's head. Su Xiao stepped forward to examine them. Very good, he didn't recognize a single key—they were all high-level symbols of alchemical mechanics.
Su Xiao and Vinnia locked eyes. After more than ten seconds, Vinnia raised her hand again and pressed several times on the empty metal surface in front of her.
"..."
Su Xiao followed Vinnia's pressing positions and sequence, pressing the control keys in turn. The top cover of the baptism device opened. Vinnia walked up the metal steps and lay down in the baptism pool, which resembled a water tank.
Once again, they locked eyes. After more than ten seconds, Vinnia seemed to let out a barely perceptible sigh, completely resigned to a certain Law Destroyer's alchemical mechanics. She raised her hand and pressed several times in the empty air in front of her.
Seeing this, Su Xiao pressed the keys in sequence, and the baptism device activated.
[Prompt: The Rebirth Baptism has begun.]
[You have obtained "Eternal Rank Equipment: Alchemical Maid" (This is a unique equipment).]
[Equipment Effect 3: Genderless Trait (Passive) has been triggered.]
[This alchemical life form has two states: Alchemical Butler and Alchemical Maid. Each owner can only make a selection once. Due to the creator's serious personality, even in the Alchemical Maid state, Alchemical Maid Vinnia has no reproductive ability or reproductive organs. Only her appearance has female characteristics.]
[Alchemical Butler: Possesses stronger overall combat ability and alchemical biology assistance capabilities.]
[Alchemical Maid: Possesses stronger alchemical pharmacology assistance capabilities and higher life-level abilities.]
...
No need to think twice—definitely Alchemical Maid. The combat ability of the Alchemical Butler couldn't even beat a serious Bubu Wang, let alone the fact that Su Xiao's "Alchemical Biology" was indeed not very good.
On the other hand, the Alchemical Maid was not only an assistant for mixing potions but could also cook on the Lord's Train.
[Selection completed.]
[Alchemical Maid Vinnia's overall abilities are based on her initial strength and will also be enhanced by you. You can choose one type of alchemical knowledge and one of your own physical attributes to boost her. Once this boost is selected, it cannot be changed by any means.]
[Current default boost for her: Alchemical Mechanics and True Charm Attribute.]
Good grief. If this boost were actually applied, the top-tier cooking Alchemical Maid would end up making "Stargazy Pie" for every meal.
[Boost selected: Alchemical Pharmacology / True Intelligence Attribute.]
...
The baptism device activated. Alchemical Maid Vinnia sat up from the water. Her gaze was somewhat dazed, as if she was going through the unsolvable trio of "Who am I, where am I, what am I doing."
But after a moment, all her past memories disappeared. Reborn anew, no longer entangled by the curse of causality, Alchemical Maid Vinnia looked at Su Xiao.
Once again, they locked eyes, still in silence. This clearly inherited Su Xiao's habit of being taciturn. Alchemical Maid Vinnia wasn't much of a talker either. After getting up from the baptism device, she followed behind Su Xiao.
[Detected that your "Bounty 4: Rebirth" and "Bounty 5: Winner" have both been completed. Do you wish to submit both bounties simultaneously?]
[Both "Rebirth/Winner" bounties have been submitted simultaneously.]
[Due to the multiple bounty + bounty correction of the "Hunt List: Blood Pact," you will receive a total bounty of 150,000 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[You have obtained Space-Time Stone Fragments × 10,000 (This is an equivalent item that can be sold to Reincarnation Paradise at any time for 100,000 ounces of Space-Time Power).]
[You have obtained the Mad Laughing Ghost Mask (Unique Trait: Abyss Curio. This item is valued at 50,000 ounces of Space-Time Power in this judgment).]
...
[Mad Laughing Ghost Mask]
Origin: Bottom of the Abyss.
Quality: Abyss Rank.
Category: Parasitic Mask.
Durability: 5/5 points (When durability reaches 0, it enters a dormant state. Recovers 1 point of durability per natural day. When fully recovered, it can awaken again).
Usage Requirement: Stare at this mask for 5 seconds without emitting a mad laugh.
Equipment Effect 1: Fierce Mad Laugh (Core, Active): When using this equipment, it will parasitize a random target within 10 meters/50 meters/100 meters (if there is no initial target, the effect range will progressively increase), causing the target to uncontrollably mad laugh. During this time, the "Mad Laughing Mask" will enter a "Dark Fortification" state, with 100% of the damage it receives transferred to the parasitized unit.
When the parasitized person laughs for more than 3 seconds, they will undergo an instant death judgment. Each subsequent second of continuous laughter will trigger another instant death judgment.
Equipment Effect 2: Joyful Transmission (Passive): When a parasitized person dies from the "Mad Laughing Mask's" mad laugh soul instant death, this parasitic mask will transfer to the face of the next target, completing an instant parasitization, until there are no parasitizable targets within the surrounding range.
Equipment Effect 3: Self-Redemption (Passive): The "Mad Laughing Mask" can only be attacked by the parasitized person. However, each attack by the parasitized person can at most cause the "Mad Laughing Mask" to lose 1 point of durability. If the parasitized person dies from the "Mad Laugh," the "Mad Laughing Mask" will immediately restore full durability and temporarily double its durability.
Warning: Your compatibility with this equipment is extremely high. Do not deeply awaken this equipment!
Equipment Detriment: Invisible Deterrence (Passive): When conducting negotiation behavior with other intelligent beings, your charm judgment is reduced by 200%.
Prompt: Due to your low charm attribute, this detriment has no effect on you.
Rating: 6000+++++++ points.
Introduction: Hahahahaha!!!
Sale Price: Cannot be sold after use.
...
PS: (Tomorrow is Sunday, rest day. Please forgive me, dear readers.)