Chapter 11 : Other Kinds of Talent?

“How about telling me something I don’t already know?”

Ron, clearly growing impatient, looked at Li Pei.

Li Pei took a deep breath.

“You’ve heard of the Sage of Strength, Marcus, haven’t you?”

Ron searched through his memories upon hearing that name.

Indeed, he had heard of this so-called Sage of Strength.

Someone with zero magical affinity but extraordinary physical power.

He rose to prominence in this world of magic using nothing but his overwhelming brute strength, earning titles like Sage of Strength and Magic-less Berserker.

“So you’re saying…”

“My magic was converted into physical strength?”

Ron voiced the other party’s assumption before he could respond.

But before Li Pei could say anything, Ron leaned back in his seat, adopting a laid-back pose.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but your guess is wrong.”

“My physical abilities are nothing special.”

“In fact, I’m actually a bit weaker than the average person.”

“If I didn’t work out regularly, I’d probably be a total invalid by now.”

Hearing Ron’s explanation, Li Pei let out a small “huh.”

“Then… do you have any other unusual traits?”

“Like… being smarter than most people?”

“Or something else out of the ordinary…”

Ron frowned in confusion at the question.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Li Pei picked up a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“In Xuzu, there’s a theory — unproven, of course.”

“It goes like this: people who have no magic in their bodies have had their magic converted into other talents.”

“Take Marcus, the Sage of Strength, for example.”

“Or the Great Sage of our Xuzu Kingdom. He had no magic either, but his mind was brilliant, and he wrote countless treatises on magical theory.”

At that, Ron’s eyes lit up.

He had finally heard something completely new from this man’s mouth!

“You’re saying…”

“The magic I was supposed to have was transformed into something else?”

Li Pei nodded in affirmation.

“Yes, exactly.”

“Though there’s no documented proof backing this theory…”

“At least from anecdotal evidence, it seems that those with outstanding talents often happen to be magicless.”

“Which is why I asked you, young master — do you possess any unusual talents?”

As he listened, a flicker of excitement rose in Ron’s heart.

The long-lost cheat skill he had been waiting for might finally be revealing itself.

How could that not thrill someone caught in such a dangerous position?

But that excitement lasted only a moment…

Ron fell into silence once again.

The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a troubled look as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Something out of the ordinary?

Did he… really have anything that made him special?

After carefully thinking it over, Ron’s brows gradually furrowed.

He really didn’t seem to have any particular strengths.

Physically weak, and while his intelligence was decent, it wasn’t enough to call him a genius.

The only thing that might be considered out of the ordinary was… his appearance.

To call Ron handsome was no exaggeration.

But that was just genetics, wasn’t it?

His mother was a stunning beauty. 

His father, though Ron barely remembered him before his untimely death, had also been quite the looker in his memory.

Besides, a good-looking woman might barely qualify that as a “talent.”

But a good-looking man? 

Could that really count as some kind of extraordinary gift?

After racking his brain and still coming up with nothing, Ron slumped.

“I don’t think… I have anything that could be called a talent.”

“Master Li, can you help me confirm? Has my magic really been transformed into some kind of ability?”

Hearing that, Li Pei let out a slightly awkward cough.

“That… I don’t actually know.”

“After all, this is just a theory…”

Hearing this, Ron suddenly jumped to his feet.

“You don’t know?!”

He had a whole bellyful of frustration ready to explode—

But seeing Li Pei’s innocent expression, Ron sighed and sat back down with a helpless look, pressing his fingers to his forehead.

What a load of nonsense.

At the end of the day, it was all just Li Pei’s speculation.

He had even said it himself — it was just a theory.

And yet Ron had gotten all excited over it for nothing.

“Desperate men really will grasp at anything,” he thought bitterly.

Ron rubbed his temples and shook his head.

“Doctor Li, maybe it’s better not to say things that aren’t certain.”

Li Pei also stood up with an apologetic look on his face.

“I apologize. This is my own lack of knowledge. I couldn’t help you solve your problem…”

“But Young Master Ron, please don’t be too discouraged.”

“In Xuzu, we have a saying: Everyone is born with a purpose.”

“Maybe in a field you haven’t considered yet, you possess a special talent you’ve yet to discover.”

Listening to Li Pei’s words of comfort, Ron gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“Alright, alright.”

“Even though your visit didn’t help me at all—”

“I’ll give you credit for at least being honest.”

“Better that than some quack feeding me useless medicine while pretending to be profound.”

“I’d rather you just admit you’re not up to the task.”

“Here, take fifty gold coins.”

As Ron spoke, he gave Perica a glance.

Li Pei was utterly shocked when he heard this — with a thud, he dropped to his knees!

“I can’t accept this! I absolutely can’t!”

“I wasn’t able to help you at all. My skills are lacking — how could I possibly accept your reward, young master?!”

To understand his reaction, one had to consider:

An average family of five, living in the expensive capital, would only spend seven or eight gold coins a year at most.

Yet Ron had just offered him fifty gold coins — nearly half the initial commission deposit — for doing essentially nothing.

Li Pei was overwhelmed with guilt and panic.

Facing his gratitude-stricken expression, Perica stepped up beside him and said calmly:

“No need to be so polite.”

“Since the young master is rewarding you, just accept it.”

“If nothing else, you earned it for not pretending to know what you don’t.”

“Now get up.”

“Come with me to the steward to collect your reward.”

Under Perica’s persuasion, Li Pei finally got to his feet, still flustered, and followed her out of the room.

But just before leaving—

For some reason, a faint look of guilt flashed across Li Pei’s face.

A few minutes later—

Perica returned with news that left Ron genuinely stunned.

Li Pei had refused to take the reward — and had left immediately!

Hearing Perica’s report, Ron, still feeling a bit down moments before, was now bewildered.

“He turned down money?”

“There are really people like that in this world?”

Though suspicion stirred in Ron’s heart, he didn’t dwell on it too much.

He simply assumed that Li Pei was just an honest, humble man who didn’t want to accept undeserved reward.

What Ron didn’t know was this:

The moment Li Pei stepped out of the Castrellero estate, he returned to his lodgings with an excited look on his face!

Inside the guest room—

When his companions saw him return, their expressions were filled with shock.

“You’re back already?”

“Weren’t you supposed to be there for months?”

As they spoke, their expressions changed.

“Don’t tell us… you got found out?”

Faced with their teasing suspicion, Li Pei, still visibly emotional, said:

“He’s not just an ordinary zero-magic-affinity case!”