Just as he was starting to smoke—and rest his eyes for a bit—, Gerald heard the old man say, “Found what you were looking for?”

“Not yet,” replied Gerald with a sigh.

“I see. You should know that there are at least a thousand books in here, with most of them about cultivation skills and the others being historical records. With that said, if you really want information on that island, I’m afraid you’ll need a minimum of half a month,” said the old man while rolling off his bed.

“Is there no better way to do this…?” muttered Gerald as he watched the old man walk toward him.

“Of course, not! Though the ancient ruins have existed for over a thousand years, I’ve only been here for the past sixty of them. Even then, I’ve yet to touch a single book in here!” replied the old man as he sat beside Gerald before looking up.

Stubbing his cigarette out, Gerald then got to his feet before reaching for a book as he said, “How troublesome…”

Despite how time-consuming all this was, Gerald