Staying in the Light

Lu Yuan decided to hurry home first, because the light above his head was flickering under the strain.

By the time we got back, it was completely dark.

The streetlights became increasingly dense and numerous.

Under a streetlamp, at some point, two or three figures wrapped in tattered blankets were huddled up underneath.

One of them was using an empty wine bottle as a pillow, while the other had formed a circle around himself, staring blankly at the shadow at the edge of the light.

Lu Yuan pushed the empty bed past them.

The creaking sound attracted their attention.

The homeless men initially only glanced warily, but when one of them caught sight of the bed Lu Yuan was pushing, his expression froze for a moment before he said something.

"Still wandering around outside at this hour? Is this your first time in Port Grim, sir?"

Lu Yuan stopped, raised an eyebrow, and then nodded: "Grim Port? Oh, this is indeed my first time here. What are the rules here?"

"Don't go to the harbor at night, just stay where there's light." He pointed to the crackling light bulb above his head and gave an awkward smile.

"What if the lights go out?" Lu Yuan asked casually.

The homeless man looked at Lu Yuan with the eyes of someone looking at a fool, and pointed to a dark alley not far away:

"Then let's pray that the magistrate in charge of this town will send someone to fix it as soon as possible."

An old man huddled in a tattered blanket nearby muttered under his breath, "Why bother talking to him like that? Do you expect this young man to toss you a few copper coins to buy you some wine?"

"Shut up, Faye! This is none of your business, you drunkard!" The homeless man gave a big smile and then said, "Sir, I know it's dangerous for a homeless man to talk to you at night."

"But I'm giving you this advice out of respect for Dr. Leisen. I suppose you're a friend of Dr. Leisen?"

"That's right? He asked me to look after his clinic in Grim Harbor for a while." Lu Yuan showed a hint of surprise and continued along with the homeless man's words.

"Who are you?"

The man waved his hand and continued, "Dr. Lyson saved my life; he pushed me around in that bed."

"Grimport isn't like the inner city; the conditions here aren't as good. So, sir, you must stay in a well-lit place at night!"

"Don't be like those lords from outside who lose their lives in a muddle. Go back home quickly."

After saying that, the man ignored Lu Yuan and just buried his head, looking like he wanted to get lost and not disturb his sleep.

"I'll remember what you said." Seeing this, Lu Yuan turned to leave, but then added after a moment's thought, "My name is Lu Yuan. You can come to the clinic if you need anything."

After saying that, Lu Yuan pushed the small bed away without looking back.

Only the homeless man remained, head bowed, muttering to himself, "Lu Yuan? An Eastern name?"

Back at the clinic, Lu Yuan locked the door and only after wiping down the smelly little bed three times did the lingering chill on his body begin to subside.

After tidying up briefly in the bathroom, he lit the fireplace, sat cross-legged on the sofa, picked up a new notebook, and began making plans for the future.

The first thing is the 'experience bar'.

Lu Yuan thought to himself, and prepared to do the most basic test first.

He picked up a book titled "Basic Medicinal Herbs" from the second-floor bookshelf and began to read it.

This book on medicinal herbs contains very basic information, recording the identification and effects of hundreds of medicinal herbs, and even the preparation methods of several commonly used medicines.

Even though Lu Yuan's knowledge in this area was quite limited, he was still able to understand the book.

However, the experience bar did not appear in Lu Yuan's sight.

Lu Yuan wasn't in a hurry; he just kept flipping through the book until he memorized the effects of one of the medicinal herbs.

[Basic Herbalism: +0.5.../20]

[Imperial Language - Reading: +1.../1000]

A grayish-white experience bar appeared in Lu Yuan's field of vision, and as Lu Yuan continued to read it, it began to pulsate slightly.

Lu Yuan barely stopped reading during this time. The more he read, the clearer his mind became, and the unfamiliar names and detailed effects of the medicinal herbs began to automatically arrange themselves in his mind.

Lu Yuan continued studying, oblivious to the passage of time.

It wasn't until Lu Yuan's neck ached unbearably that he loosened his grip, folded the corner of the book, and closed it.

At this moment, Lu Yuan had already read more than half of the "Basic Medicinal Herbs" in his hands.

[Basic Medicinal Herbs: 7/20]

[Imperial Language - Reading: 5/1000]

"It actually entered a deep learning state?" Lu Yuan put down the book, stood up, and turned his neck slightly, suddenly realizing what was going on.

"It seems that the experience bar is not just about visualizing progress."

"In that case, disguising oneself as a doctor might actually be feasible later on."

"And..." Lu Yuan looked out the window at the outside world illuminated by lights, a flicker of excitement crossing his heart, "This world seems to hold many unknown secrets."

However, there is still one thing Lu Yuan doesn't understand: what exactly are the effects of increasing the experience bar level?

Currently, we only know that sanity enhancement can improve one's mental resistance. What about the other attributes?

Just as Lu Yuan was thinking, the grayish-white experience bar reappeared.

【理智Ⅱ：1/50（经验）】【基础药材学：7/20】【帝国语-阅读：5/1000】【禁忌学-窥探者：5/10】

Apart from the line of explanation provided by the rationale section, none of these entries offer any further explanation.

So it's clear that the experience bar only provides information about upgraded attributes.

Therefore, neither the Imperial Language nor the Taboo Studies provides any specific information.

We can leave the Imperial language aside for now, since it has translation capabilities, and whether or not we learn it in a short time won't have much of an impact.

However, if one could see the introduction to taboo studies, their understanding of this world might be deepened.

There wasn't much hesitation.

Because Lu Yuan was preparing to conduct some small tests tonight, trying to turn knowledge into tangible products.

Thinking this, Lu Yuan rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the pile of bottles and jars.

After all, Lu Yuan was currently facing a problem: he was hungry.

Despite inheriting the small building, the "unlucky fellow" left behind very little money, only a few silver shields and a few dozen bronze shields.

Although it's unclear how much purchasing power the Imperial Shield has, it probably isn't very high.

The few Imperial Shields in the drawer will most likely only be enough to survive for a short time if you live frugally.

As for further research into new medicinal materials, don't even think about it.