23: Chapter 23 [Exploring Dimensions]

Reading in the morning made his mind exceptionally clear.

That [Deep Understanding] combined with the newly acquired Affinity Field made his studies feel a bit different.

It wasn't about grinding through knowledge anymore; it felt more like chatting with those formulas and theorems.

Mathematical equations explained their own logic, and physical laws laid out the underlying principles for him to see.

Before eleven o'clock, today's science tasks were already cleared.

The system panel displayed "Excellent," and his Learning Dimension shot up by 32 points.

While taking a break, he picked up his pencil to practice Hand-drawing.

Today, he was drawing a "Dougong," that most complex structure in ancient architecture.

Relying on memory, he first drew the base, then layered the dou (blocks) and gong (brackets) one by one.

The lines went from stiff to fluid, and the frame from rickety to steady.

After finishing one, the system panel prompted:

[Hand-drawing skill improved, Skill Dimension (Hand-drawing) experience +25, current progress: 40/100]

The progress was quite fast.

He put down his pencil and looked at the complex overlapping on the paper.

Every small component fit perfectly, supporting the weight above.

Lunch was simple; he reheated last night's leftovers and added a tomato and egg soup.

His mother didn't say much while eating; her thoughts were clearly drifting toward the interview in the afternoon.

His father sent a message saying the training was going well and tomorrow was the final day of assessment.

"Your dad says once he passes the exam, he can officially start working."

"Dad will definitely pass."

"Mm." Mother nodded. "Your dad is solid when it comes to learning things."

After eating, Mother started tidying herself up.

She changed into clean clothes, combed her hair neatly, and even applied a little lipstick.

Her complexion looked much better instantly.

"Mom, you look good like this." Chen Zhen said.

Mother was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Stop talking nonsense."

[Sincere Praise, Social Dimension experience +3]

[Affinity Field effect triggered, Mother's mood improved]

Chen Zhen saw his mother to the bus stop. When the bus arrived, she turned back before boarding: "Go back, keep an eye on the house."

"Good luck with the interview."

"Okay."

The bus drove away.

Chen Zhen stood by the platform until the shadow of the bus turned the corner, then turned and headed to the Bookstore.

Two o'clock in the afternoon, Bookstore.

Old Wu was organizing a pile of old postcards today, spreading them out all over the counter in a colorful mess.

Seeing Chen Zhen, he tilted his chin: "You're here."

"Mm."

"Same old routine, organize the books." Old Wu pointed inside, "There are a few more stacks over there. Also..."

He walked behind the counter and pulled out a thick album: "Sort this one out."

Chen Zhen took it.

It was a stamp album, very old, with colorful stamps from various countries tucked inside.

"Sort by country?"

"By year."

"From earliest to latest. Tell me when you're done."

"Okay."

Chen Zhen started working.

Sorting stamps was more patience-testing than sorting books.

The stamps were small and fragile, making them more tedious to categorize.

But he had the patience to look at them one by one and place them one by one.

Halfway through, an old grandpa entered the shop, leaning on a cane, walking very slowly.

He wandered around the bookshelves, finally stopping at the corner where the ancient books were kept, bending down to look closely.

Chen Zhen walked over: "Grandpa, what book are you looking for? I can help you."

The old grandpa looked up:

"I want to find... an old edition of the 'Compendium of Materia Medica.' Not the ones printed nowadays, I want an old-fashioned one with hand-drawn illustrations."

Chen Zhen thought for a moment: "The shop might have it, let me look for it."

He walked to the pile of unsorted ancient books and flipped through them one by one.

After flipping through a dozen, he pulled out a thick one.

The cover was badly damaged, but the hand-drawn illustrations inside were still there.

"Is this the one you're looking for?"

The old grandpa took it and put on his reading glasses to look carefully.

After looking for a while, he nodded: "Yes, this is it. How much?"

Chen Zhen looked toward the counter.

Old Wu looked up: "That one is in poor condition, eighty."

The old grandpa took out an old wallet from his chest, counted out eight ten-yuan bills: "Thank you both."

He took the book and slowly paced out.

Old Wu walked over: "How did you know it was there?"

"I caught a glimpse of it when sorting books yesterday, remembered there was a thick one with illustrations."

Old Wu glanced at him: "Not a bad memory."

[Helped customer find what they needed, Social Dimension experience +4]

[Affinity Field effect triggered, Customer satisfaction improved]

[Old Wu's favorability slightly increased]

Chen Zhen continued sorting the stamps.

Past three o'clock, his mother called.

Chen Zhen walked outside the shop to answer: "Mom, how did it go?"

"Passed." Mother's voice carried a smile, "They want me to start tomorrow, two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon. Thirty a day, weekends off."

"That's great." A stone in Chen Zhen's heart landed, "Is the work tiring?"

"Not tiring, just sorting books and registering them. Pretty much the same as what you do."

"Then take it easy, don't overwork yourself."

"I know."

Afternoon work continued.

After the stamps were sorted, he started tackling the last few stacks of books.

One stack was all foreign language books.

English, French, Japanese, all mixed together.

He couldn't read them, so he could only categorize them by the text on the covers.

When he was sorting a very thick English book, a piece of paper slid out and drifted to the floor.

Chen Zhen picked it up.

It was a hand-drawn map, the paper was yellowed, and the ink had bled a bit.

It depicted a mountainous area, with mountains, water, and forests, plus some strange markings.

Circles, triangles, crosses.

On the back of the map was a line of small text, in Chinese, written crookedly: "Nineteen fifty-three, July, dense fog, saw strange light."

Chen Zhen stared at that line of text for a few seconds, then took the map to the counter.

"Grandpa Chen, this."

Old Wu took it, glanced at it, and frowned: "Where did this come from?"

"Tucked inside this book." Chen Zhen handed over the thick English book.

Old Wu opened the book to look, then looked at the map: "This book... is a travelogue written by a foreign explorer in the fifties. This map was probably drawn by him."

"What do these markings on top mean?"

"Hard to say." Old Wu shook his head, "Could be mines, could be ancient sites, or maybe..." He paused, "Just scribbles."

But Chen Zhen noticed Old Wu's gaze drift.

[Discovered abnormal item, exploration dimension experience +10]

[Unlocked hidden dimension: exploration dimension (0/100)]

The system panel popped up a prompt.

exploration dimension?

A new trick?

Chen Zhen felt a stir in his heart, but didn't show it on his face.

He handed the map back: "Should this be kept separately?"

"Just leave it here." Old Wu tucked the map back into the book and shoved it under the counter, "Go back to your work."

"Okay."

At five o'clock, the work was finished.

Old Wu took out thirty yuan: "Here."

Chen Zhen took it: "Thank you, Grandpa Chen."

"Coming back tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Walking out of the Bookstore, Chen Zhen glanced back.

Old Wu was sitting behind the counter, holding that book, staring at the map in the insert.

His gaze was very deep.

On the way home, Chen Zhen bought some groceries.

Half a chicken, a pound of mushrooms, a bunch of scallions.

Spent twenty-five.

Arrived home at five-thirty. Mother was already back, busy in the kitchen.

Seeing the groceries in his hand, she asked: "Buying stuff again?"

"To celebrate you finding a job."

Mother laughed: "Only you know how to talk."

Father returned at six.

Hearing that Mother had found work, he was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up: "Good, good."

Dinner was quite sumptuous: stewed chicken with mushrooms, stir-fried greens, and plenty of rice.

Father ate two bowls, and Mother kept putting mushrooms in his bowl.

Chen Zhen ate quietly, listening to his parents chat about household matters.

"Is the work tiring?"

"Not tiring, just sorting books. It's cool and comfortable in the Library."

"That's good."

"How about you? How was the training?"

"Assessment tomorrow, once I pass, I'll officially start."

"You'll definitely pass."

After dinner, Father volunteered to wash the dishes.

Mother sat on the sofa, looking at her phone again.

"Mom, don't you already have a job?" Chen Zhen asked.

"I'm looking to see... if there are any odd jobs I can do at night." Mother said, "Working at the Library during the day, if I can find another part-time job at night..."

"Mom." Chen Zhen walked over and sat next to her, "Don't push yourself too hard."

"Mom isn't pushing herself." Mother put down her phone and looked at him, "Mom just wants to... save a bit more. You'll be spending money like water when you go to university later."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

He knew what his mother said was the truth.

Tuition, living expenses, book fees... none of them were small amounts.

"Mom," he said, "I will study hard."

"Mom knows." Mother stroked his hair, "You've never made Mom worry."

[Family warm interaction, Social Dimension experience +5]

[Affinity Field effect triggered, Family cohesion improved]

At night, Chen Zhen returned to his room.

The reading task was still left for today.

He opened "History of Chinese Architecture" borrowed from the Library, read to the chapter on Dougong, and took out the drawing he made during the day to compare.

Watching it, he suddenly remembered that map again.

Nineteen fifty-three, dense fog, strange light.

What was it?

He shook his head and cast the distracting thoughts away.

Continued reading.

Halfway through, the system panel prompted:

[Deep Understanding of architectural structural principles]

[Skill Dimension (Hand-drawing) experience +20, current progress: 60/100]

[Obtained [Dao Fa Natural] fragment x1]

It was the sixth one.

Sixty percent accumulated.

Chen Zhen closed the book and summoned the system panel:

[Total obtained: Cultivation +8.29]

[Current total Cultivation: 40.33/100]

[Health Dimension: 55.2/200]

[Learning Dimension: 65.7/200]

[Social Dimension: 15/200]

[Skill Dimension (Cooking: 48/100, Organizing: 72/100, Hand-drawing: 60/100)]

[exploration dimension: 10/100]

[Special note: Hundred-Day Foundation Building progress Breakthrough 40%]

[Evaluation: Excellent]

Forty percent.

He lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

The Dantian Breathing Method started on its own, Qi sank down, stopped steadily at his lower abdomen, and then slowly exhaled.

The Affinity Field was like a layer of warm light, loosely wrapping around him.

The system panel finally emerged:

[Hundred-Day Foundation Building progress: 40.33% Evaluation: Excellent]

[Suggestion: Maintain rhythm, pay attention to observation]

Observe what?

The changes after learning the Breathing Method?

Or observe that map?

The System didn't say it very clearly.

Just keep it in mind for now.

When sleepiness washed over him, he had another dream.

In the dream, he was climbing a mountain, the same mountain from the dream a few days ago.

This time he climbed higher, passing through the clouds and mist, and saw that what was behind wasn't the summit.

But mountain range after mountain range, continuous, with no end in sight.

...

It was that dream again where he walked until he was exhausted.

Reality was fulfilling; there was no need for that in his dreams.