A total of fifteen people arrived on the island. Besides the ten professional archaeologists, the remaining five were members of the Italian national gendarmerie, primarily responsible for security during this operation. Because everything had been arranged in advance, the handover process was very simple. In just ten minutes, the team took over the ruins and the first floor of the castle where previously excavated artifacts were stored.
"Alright, good luck to you all." After signing the final document, Liang En shook hands with the leading professor from the University of Turin, and then the three ladies headed to the tower.
The tower had two bedrooms, which, although smaller than those in the main castle, were more than adequate for the four of them.
"What did you gain this time?" After bidding farewell to Elizabeth and Marie, Liang En and Joan of Arc entered their bedroom. As soon as they entered, Joan asked about Liang En's haul this time.
"Let me see." Reminded by Joan, Liang En focused on his gains. Perhaps because this discovery was linked to extraordinary legends and well-known history, he obtained ten cards this time.
"Three cards of [Power of Legend (N)], two cards of [Appraisal (N)], one card of [Repair (N)], one card of [Detection (N)], and one card of [Detection (R)]." Liang En first categorized the consumable cards and then analyzed them.
"There are more N cards this time, probably because, although the ruins are famous, they haven't surpassed a certain threshold. However, [Power of Legend (N)], though an N card, is as valuable as an R card."
From previous experiences, the value of a card generally corresponded to its level, but not strictly on a one-to-one basis.
After all, some cards, despite being low-level, far exceeded their level in value. For instance, the [Power of Legend (N)], which enhances the blue bar, is much stronger than a typical R card.
"This time's haul is quite good." Joan nodded. "At least compared to the discovery itself, it's not bad. What about the skill cards? I'm most curious about the new abilities you've gained."
"Two interesting abilities: one unexpected and the other somewhat disappointing." After carefully reviewing his new skills, Liang En said. "Honestly, one of the abilities requires quite a bit of mental gymnastics."
[Thought Guidance (R): Human thought has an independent side and a conforming side, reflecting human duality. However, most humans are easily influenced by others.
This influence comes from two aspects. One is information asymmetry, where truth can be portrayed as false and vice versa, keeping vital information hidden.
The other is thought asymmetry, where good can be misinterpreted as bad and vice versa, creating significant misconceptions.
Thanks to modern times, information asymmetry is less severe, but thought asymmetry still affects humanity.
For instance, why are some well-educated and seemingly smart individuals easily swindled out of large sums by fraudsters? Because those fraudsters create a thought asymmetry environment.
Such an environment can be deliberately created, and those who can do this effectively can become master salesmen or speakers, while the malicious ones can become cult leaders or fraudsters.
However, whether one takes the positive or negative path depends not on this thought guidance method, which is merely a tool, but on each person's inner self.
Skill Card (Permanent): This skill grants the user the ability to guide others' thoughts, making it easier to grasp and influence the target's mindset.
Of course, this guidance is only a tool, and its success depends on various factors, such as the target's thoughts, the user's intent, the user's language skills, and many other related aspects.]
"So this ability gives you a positive buff, right?" After listening to Liang En's detailed description of the first skill, Joan pondered for a moment and said.
"It means the core of this power is still based on your inherent abilities. If you lack those abilities, this power isn't very useful."
"Yes, that's exactly the case." Liang En nodded seriously. "For example, even though I've been strengthened in this area before, my level only allows me to guide ordinary people."
"Compared to ordinary people, it's indeed impressive, but considering my previous enhancement, reaching this level only shows I lack natural talent in this area."
From a certain perspective, this skill is very valuable because it doesn't just add a fixed amount of points but increases by percentage, which is very useful for high-level skills.
It's similar to many online games: in the early stages, players prefer items that add fixed points, but as levels increase, percentage-based items become the focus.
Because at that stage, except for a few items that add large fixed amounts, even a 1% increase item is more valuable than low-level fixed point items.
"Though I hate to admit it, talent is crucial sometimes." Joan said with a sly smile after a few seconds of silence.
"For instance, I've never given a speech before, but I gained most of the audience's approval in my first speech."
"So I'm saying I'm not talented in this area, but you are joking!" Liang En widened his eyes at Joan. "I've never seen you so lively before."
"That's because I figured it out while filming the documentary." Joan looked at Liang En seriously. "No matter what happened before, I've let it go. Now I'm just Jeanne."
"It's good to think that way, considering the times have changed." Seeing the seriousness in Joan's eyes, Liang En nodded slightly. "So enjoy your life, a life different from before."
"Of course, I will." Joan laughed again, which was a stark contrast to before: she used to be stern most of the time, but now she laughed more and appeared much livelier.
After ending their conversation, Liang En and Joan checked the other SR card. Interestingly, although labeled as SR, this card might not be much worse than some SSR cards.
"This is not surprising, considering this place is a key site for the Hermetic Order, so finding such a card is normal." After glancing at the card, Liang En said. "But its effect seems stronger than I expected."
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