After explaining the situation to Eiwin and Goulth, Hector instructed Red on how he should proceed with cultivation. The elder was still mad that the boy had created this kind of predicament in his Spiritual Vein, but it was an easily solvable problem.

"You should consume one of your pills as soon as possible." The old man explained. "Although some of the medicinal power might be wasted, it's best to solve this kind of imbalance as soon as possible”

Red agreed with his solution, and after Hector was done lecturing Eiwin and Goulth, he exited the hall. It was already night, and the moon was high in the star-filled sky.

"I'm gonna go back, kid." The giant laughed. "I told you there was nothing to worry about with Hector."

The youth felt like Goulth's actions suggested otherwise, but he didn't comment on it. As the man walked off, only Eiwin and Red remained in the courtyard.

"I didn't expect Master Hector to change his attitude this quickly." The woman smiled. "It seems even I underestimated you."

"Isn't it dangerous to trust me like this?" Red asked. "He's barely known me for a few days."

"Why? Do you intend on escaping?" She asked jokingly.

The boy shook his head.

"Master Hector has always been a good judge of character." Eiwin explained. "Besides, even if you did run away tonight, your contributions to the Sect are still there. You earned yourself a reward, and I bet the pills weren't the only thing the elder promised you."

She was right. Hector had promised to sponsor his future growth if Red kept contributing to the Sect. The boy knew this was a lure for him to remain in the Sect and contribute to their efforts - but he didn't mind it. As long as Red could maintain a fast cultivation speed for the near future, he felt this was a fair trade.

"Can't Allen and you use the pills?" The boy asked something that had been bothering him.

"It would be of minimal help to me." Eiwin shook her head. "The power in these pills wouldn't bring me much closer to opening my next acupoint, and Allen has no need for them with his training speed."

"But you helped me." Red frowned. "Isn't it unfair if only I get rewarded?"

The boy had always been on the receiving end of unfairness in the past. Now that he was rewarded while the others were punished, he didn't quite know what to think.

"We also started a fight in broad daylight. In the end, I'd say our rewards and punishments cancel each other." The woman smiled. "You can ask Allen about it if you'd like. He will say the same thing."

"Alright..." Although Red still felt confused, he decided to let the subject drop. "Are you going to teach me how to read?"

"Right, I did say that, didn't I?" She remembered. "Although it's better to study during the day, just a short session shouldn't hurt... Let's go to the library."

...

The youth followed her into the building with the white lantern lighting the way. It looked just as disorganized as last time, but Eiwin had made good on her promise and cleaned out the table. She told Red to wait there while she went about searching for something in the bookshelves.

A few minutes later, she returned while carrying a handful of books.

"I forgot to ask you." She spoke up after sitting across from Red. "How much do you know about reading or writing?"

"Nothing at all." Red admitted.

"Really?" Eiwin looked surprised. "Do you at least know a few letters?"

The youth was about to deny it again, but he suddenly hesitated. There was indeed a symbol he recalled drawing at the spider's nest, but he wasn't sure if asking what it meant was a good idea. What if it gave something away about his background?

"Do you remember something?" The woman asked, noticing his hesitation.

"...I do." Red nodded at last.

In the end, he guessed that he might be overthinking it.Back then, he had just picked out a small, random symbol out of a hundred others. The youth couldn't see a situation where his background would be exposed just from that.

"Great." Eiwin smiled. "Do you know what it means?"

Red shook his head.

"Really?" She looked confused. "Do you at least know how to write it?"

This time, the boy nodded. At his confirmation, the woman got up and went to look through the bookshelves again. When she returned, she had brought back some paper, a quill, and a small ink bowl.

"Here." She put the items on the table. "I'll show you how to use them."

She provided a demonstration by submerging the quill into the ink and drawing a strange symbol on the paper.

"Now you try it." The woman handed Red the quill and the paper.

Red hadn't held such a delicate tool before, but the process itself was pretty simple. He tried to recall all the details of the symbol and drew it onto the paper. Due to this being his first time writing, though, it went a bit more poorly than he would have expected.

The youth looked down at the symbol and frowned. What the woman wrote was far more crisp and intelligible.

"It's fine. I can still read it." Eiwin tried to comfort him before spinning the paper around.

When she looked down, though, an awkward expression formed on her face. All of a sudden, Red thought back to his earlier concerns about revealing the symbol.

"Is there a problem?" The boy asked.

"No, not really." Eiwin shook her head with an embarrassed smile. "I can still read it, but... Are you sure this is all you remember with this word?"

"More or less." Red nodded.

Memorizing what was written on Viran's papers was hardly a priority of his back then.

"Well, you see, there's nothing wrong with what you wrote." She explained. "But it looks incomplete, like it's just a part of a bigger word."

"What does it say?" He asked.

"...It just says 'Mo.'"

Red frowned. Didn't he write this in the spider lair? Was his last inspirational message just a bunch of gibberish?

"Look, when a letter is by itself, it might mean nothing." Eiwin picked up the quill and started to write. "But when you put it together with something else, it can form a word."

She turned the paper towards the boy. Red could see a few new symbols had been added next to the one he had just written.

"What does it say now?" The boy asked.

"It says 'Moon.'" The woman explained.

The youth felt enlightened. Was this the entire word that had been written on Viran's paper? He didn't remember, but he felt compelled to go back to the spot he had left his items and check it right now.

"This is just an example." Eiwin continued. "The first thing we'll do is learn the words and how to write them. It might be a bit hard at first, but it'll get easier with practice."

Red nodded, and the two of them began their lesson.

...

The youth was made to copy the entire basic alphabet multiple times, with Eiwin correcting his mistakes along the way. Although the task was repetitive, the boy found himself enjoying it.

How the quill felt in his hand, how random lines and shapes would come together to form a letter. It was like Red was experiencing an entirely new world of creation, and even after an hour into his task, he was completely absorbed into the exercises.

Although the boy still struggled a bit, it didn't take him long to memorize the majority of the letters and how they were pronounced.

"That's enough for today." Eiwin announced.

Red lifted up the quill, looking down at his penwork. A mess of papers was spread around the table, and it was possible to trace the youth's progress through them.

"I can still do more." The boy said.

"There's no need." The woman shook her head with a smile. "I think... You're already done with the basics."

"Already?" Red frowned.

"Yes." Eiwin nodded. "If I didn't have proof of your progress here, I would have thought you were lying about being illiterate."

She picked up the papers and showed them to Red. At first, his writing was barely recognizable scribbles. However, as she sifted through the other writings, they became more intelligible.

"Most people take weeks to show this kind of improvement." She explained. "They have to become accustomed to the quill and how to coordinate their hand movement. But you were using the quill as if you had years of experience with it already."

The boy didn't respond. The pen felt natural in his hand, and Red saw little difficulty in copying the letters from the book.

"My assessment of you was not wrong." Eiwin smiled. "It'll take far less time than usual to teach you how to read and write. I'm sure Master Goulth will be pleased."

"So we are done for today?" The youth asked.

"With learning how to read and write? Yes." She nodded. "But I can also answer some of your questions about other subjects if you so desire."

Red had been waiting to hear these words. There was still a lot he wanted to know, but one important matter in particular stood out by far among the rest of the concerns in his mind.

"Who's Gustav?" He asked.

"Gustav?" Eiwin looked taken aback by the question. "He's the most powerful merchant of the city. He has a lot of people working under him, and we have had many problems dealing with him."

"What kind of problems?"

"Well, Gustav is a very dishonest individual." The woman explained. "He has extorted townsfolk in the past and sells a lot of illegal merchandise in the town."

"Illegal?" Red was confused.

"Yes. There are certain businesses the Baron prohibits from operating in his town. Like selling harmful drugs and other... questionable practices."

"If they know Gustav is doing it, why don't they arrest him?" The boy asked.

"I wish it was as simple as that." Eiwin shook her head in resignation. "But Gustav is too smart. He makes sure none of these crimes can be traced back to him, and even if the guards find any clues, it's rarely anything substantial."

"It can't be that simple." Red commented, remembering his conversation with Hector. "He has to be very powerful for the guards to ignore his involvement, right?"

"You're right..." The woman looked surprised that the boy was able to figure this out. "Not only does he have money and powerful subordinates, but he's also part of a strong faction of merchants from the capital. Trying to move against him is bound to get a lot of powerful people involved."

Hector's cynical words from earlier were starting to resonate more and more with Red.

"Is there a reason our Sect is fighting with him?" The youth followed up with another question.

"Gustav manages an adventurer's guild in this town, and he sees us as competition." Eiwin explained. "We often end up working on the same contracts, and our Sect is far more capable than these common mercenaries, so we complete the requests first. Not to mention, we have also put a stop to some of his shady practices in the past."

Red had expected a deeper reason for their conflict, but it was simply a matter of resources.

"Did you ever fight each other?" He asked.

"Sometimes, like earlier." The woman looked embarrassed. "But we try to avoid making things bloody in the town. Outside, though... That's another matter."

Eiwin didn't elaborate any further.

"Isn't Gustav afraid of Hector?" Red frowned.

"He is." She nodded. "Which is why he doesn't act against us in town. However, Master Hector is not the only person in town who has opened his Spiritual Sea. In fact, Gustav has two subordinates under him who are also at that level."

Red had neglected to consider this possibility, and the revelation came as a surprise to him.

"If he has two Spiritual Sea cultivators on his side, why is he afraid?" The boy asked. "Doesn't that make him stronger?"

"It's not that simple, Red." The woman shook her head. "There is also a difference in strength between people who have opened their Spiritual Sea. In fact, opening your Spiritual Sea is merely the first step in one's cultivation journey."

Red was abruptly shocked into silence.