This is what he, an 'old guy' who's been battered by society countless times, should be doing.
Not running to buy books early in the morning.
Yu gasped for air, lifting his head to look at the long queue in the distance.
What a great marketing strategy!
To attract so many people!
Thinking this to himself, Yu just couldn't stand it any longer; his lungs felt like they were on fire as he sat down on the curb.
"Yu, your physical strength is really too poor."
"You used to be stronger than me!"
"You need to exercise more!"
Ailong said, smiling, having run a good distance without even breaking a sweat.
"You, you go line up."
"I'll take a break first."
"I'll find you later."
Struggling for breath, Yu waved his hand at his friend.
Ailong ran straight to the back of the line and joined the queue.
Yu watched his friend in line, glanced around, and thankfully leaned back against the wall.
With the solid wall's support, Yu felt much better.
But then, his curled-up legs were too uncomfortable.
He stretched out his legs.
The pleasant feeling made Yu squint his eyes.
At that moment, everything started to drift away, and he felt as if he was back in his bed at home.
Faint voices reached his ears.
Yu couldn't be bothered to open his eyes.
Then, he suddenly felt a pain in his leg.
Instinctively opening his eyes, Yu saw a man falling in front of him, still holding a bag.
The bag was a woman's and looked quite expensive.
Of course, that's not the point.
The point was, the fallen man got up and gave him a fierce look.
After saying that, the man dropped the bag and took off running.
Yu froze where he was.
Listen, let me explain!
It wasn't on purpose!
Yu shouted in his mind.
But before he could utter these words, a plump lady appeared before him, along with a bunch of reporters, who started snapping photos of him nonstop.
"Thank you for your courageous act!"
"I'm really so grateful!"
The plump lady shook Yu's hand vigorously.
Blinded by the flash, Yu was led around like a puppet by the plump lady.
At that moment, Ailong, carrying two books, ran over.
"What are you doing?"
Ailong pushed through the crowd and stood in front of Yu.
"He just helped me catch a thief."
"I want to thank him properly."
The plump lady explained.
Ailong's eyes lit up; he turned to Yu and said outright, "Sure enough, you haven't forgotten the dream we made when we were kids!"
"The dream you made when you were kids?"
One of the reporters asked.
Still in a dazed state, Yu quickly stood up, wanting to cover his friend's mouth.
But Ailong spoke even faster.
"To become heroes together!"
Ailong declared emphatically.
Instantly, the flashes went off again.
Yu covered his face and crouched down.
But Ailong kept going.
"I want to be a full-time hero."
"He said he wanted to be a 'hobbyist hero.'"
"So, we've been working hard, and today we came to buy Sir Jason's book—it can help us fulfill our dream better."
Yu was left speechless.
He felt helpless and embarrassed.
Childhood dreams, don't mention them in front of such a large crowd!
It's so embarrassing!
But no matter what Yu thought, it had already happened.
And it spread in an irreversible manner.
After all, in recent days, anything related to the "Jason Case" was the focus of public attention.
Jason, known as the 'Ship Slayer,' hid a key to entering the 'Mystical Side' in the "Jason Case", and finding this key would not only allow for smooth entry to the Mystical Side but would also provide access to certain secret techniques.
Rumors say there are many keys, with as many as 300 books hiding keys within them.
Moreover, there's another rumor that, besides the 300 "Jason Mysteries" containing keys, there are 10 extremely special "Jason Mysteries". Whoever finds these 10 "Jason Mysteries" will inherit the complete legacy of a certain organization.
At first, people thought it was just a rumor.
when someone actually found swordsmanship techniques within a "Jason Mystery", everyone in Cherry City boiled over with excitement.
The people of Cherry City hadn't forgotten that figure who leaped at the break of dawn.
That sword, as if falling from the sky.
So, everyone in Cherry City began to take action.
They all yearned for the swordsmanship that could battle ships.
And this made Jason's new books wildly popular.
The first 10,000 copies that hit the market had already been snapped up in an instant.
Now they're all reprints!
And still, it wasn't enough to keep up with the pace of sales.
Simply put, the obstacle to Jason completing the main quest was no longer a lack of people buying books, but that they couldn't be printed fast enough.
"Are these your people, too?"
In the "Bastion" parlor, Delbon, with Telly holding the evening paper, pointed at the photo of Ailong and Yu on the front-page headline, asking Bolun and Emily who had just walked in.
"I just let out a bit of news."
"Has nothing to do with me."
Bolun shrugged with a smile.
Watching Bolun, Delbon inwardly sighed.
The other party had done it.
They really had, in less than a week!
It was truly a blow to him.
Because he had never thought of using a "secret technique" to attract people.
Delbon wouldn't deny his identity as a "Mystical Side" person for overlooking this; doing so would only make him look down on himself.
After all, the "Mystical Side" was already public.
Releasing some minor techniques was not a problem at all.
He just hadn't thought of it.
His mind was nowhere near as Agile as the other's.
Though he didn't want to admit it, the fact remained.
Delbon admitted it to himself, but for some reason, looking at Bolun's calm smile, he still wanted to punch him.
However, Delbon didn't move to strike.
He had to maintain his composure!
As the dignity of an agent from the "Clock Tower" residing in the "Ground Reconnaissance Bureau".
Telly, however, had no such reservations.
The girl, seeing Bolun walk in, charged over like the wind.
"Bolun, let's cooperate!"
"With your brains and my Physical Strength."
"If we work together, we can definitely corner the entire Cherry City market!"
As she spoke, Telly raised her hand to grab Bolun's arm but was slapped away by Emily.
In the crisp sound, Emily glared angrily at Telly.
Telly was equally defiant.
He quietly made his way to the other side of the parlor.
Jason was sitting there.
And beside him was a lady who looked somewhat unfamiliar.
"Good evening, Mr. Jason," greeted Bolun politely.
"Good evening," Jason replied.
Looking at the young man before him, Jason's eyes flashed with admiration.
He had similar ideas before,
but he hadn't had the other's effortless execution in arranging everything so quickly and silently.
[Main Quest: 96,000/100,000]
Just 3,000 more books, and the main quest would be complete.
And that wasn't going to take long.
Based on recent increases, it would be done by tomorrow morning.
However, he couldn't just wait idly for the main quest to be completed.
Jason turned to Cortana, who was beside him, introducing her to everyone.
"Bolun, this is Cortana."
"She's a good friend of mine."
"She's come to invite me to the ceremony tomorrow morning when the Kylin main ship will take to the skies again."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Cortana," said Bolun with courtesy.
After nodding, Cortana turned her gaze back to Jason.
"Remember, don't be late."
The liaison officer reminded Jason and then her tone became serious—
"Chief, please bring your Mjolnir Armor and be prepared!"