The Last Gentleman

Chapter 29

“Each letter represents a career. Once I choose, it will define my future growth path, determine my status and quality of life in Zion City, and even set the boundaries of my exploration of the world. To some extent, it will also dictate my maximum survival time in this world.

I can't rush this decision. I need to take my time, think carefully, and decide.

Neither Chamberlain nor any of the clergy at the mansion mentioned a ‘time limit,’ so staying here as long as I need shouldn't be a problem.”

Yi Chen attempted to summon Little Grape, hoping it might offer some guidance.

Unfortunately, he found that only his consciousness had entered this place alone.

Calming his mind, he recalled the focused state he used to achieve when conducting scientific research.

First, he looked at the blue envelope.

“Ivy vines wrapped around branches resembling human forms… This clearly relates to the 'Pathogenic Characteristic' within me, likely indicating a plant-based growth path.

Choosing this would allow further development within the plant system.

And Mr. Wilbert did mention that the pathogenic crystal I ingested was of top quality in terms of both clarity and shape.

During the Green Lake Town assessment, I deeply experienced the convenience of plant abilities.

But let's look at the others first.”

His gaze shifted to the black envelope.

As Yi Chen closely observed the skeleton on the boat illustrated on the envelope, a faint black mist began to emanate from the leather material, seeping into Yi Chen's nostrils.

In an instant, his thoughts drifted to a black sea, where a lone skeleton drifted in a wooden boat across the waters.

When the skeleton turned its head, half of its face remained decayed… looking just like Yi Chen's.

This sudden shock snapped him back to reality.

“A black sea… I saw a similar scene before when I took in the skin of the First Gentleman. There’s an inexplicable familiarity, almost as if I’ve been there before, as if it’s somehow related to death.

When I first arrived in Zion, I encountered a doctor on an arched bridge, who also mentioned that death flows within me.

Could this be due to the transmigration?

Is the black envelope connected to my experience of death and crossing worlds?”

Recalling Chamberlain’s explanation about the black envelope, it represents the Nightmare profession. Once chosen, he would receive special training from the organization, becoming an executioner.

Yi Chen didn’t particularly mind such a title.

His instincts told him that the growth path offered by the black envelope would provide him with formidable power.

“No rush… let’s check the purple one.”

Compared to the other two, the purple envelope made of white card stock was thicker and more refined.

Embellished with a book insignia on the surface, it resembled a purple gentleman perusing books in a library.

“The book insignia on the envelope seems to contain tiny inscriptions… in the real world, you’d need an extremely high-precision engraving machine to imprint such fine text.

Without Little Grape’s visual enhancement, it’s impossible to make out clearly.

Wait—if this place is only accessible by the conscious mind, could it be that this ‘Old Hall’ is also a kind of mental space, like a dream?

If so, then perhaps my subjective thoughts might influence the objective reality?”

With this thought, Yi Chen widened his eyes as much as possible, almost pressing his round eyeballs against the purple envelope.

Amazingly, prolonged staring indeed magnified his vision, and the previously illegible text gradually became clear.

Once he could read it entirely, Yi Chen was so startled that he took several steps back.

To verify it wasn’t a hallucination, Yi Chen returned to the stone table and repeated the process, looking even longer and more carefully this time.

“Why… why is my thesis printed on it?”

In the book emblem on the purple envelope, the tiny inscriptions were the very same thesis Yi Chen had painstakingly written before his death.

The text on the left side of the book corresponded to the thesis cover, including the title and names of Yi Chen and his advisor.

On the right side of the book was the thesis abstract.

These familiar words instantly pulled Yi Chen back into painful memories, making him nearly abandon the purple letter.

After a while, Yi Chen calmed down and resumed his comprehensive analysis.

"The blue letter corresponds to the 'pathogenic characteristic' I just acquired here, the black letter seems to be related to [transmigration], which corresponds to a death attribute, and the purple letter relates to my experiences before I died.

Just as Mr. Chamberlain said, these letters are closely connected to me.

Generally speaking, the first two are preferable, but… plants represent vitality, while black represents death.

If I choose one as my growth path, the balance within me will be disrupted, and the chosen path will restrict the development of the other, possibly even eliminating it altogether.

If I want to combine both, the purple letter is the only option.

Should I take this risk?"

Yi Chen looked again at the purple letter, his gaze focused on the book emblem on the envelope. For a moment, he recalled fragments of his past, whether it was in the hopeless orphanage or attending the local school after escaping. Yi Chen never missed a chance to study.

It was the lines of text in those books that motivated him to survive in his previous world, shaping his values and giving him the opportunity to truly "become human." On the relatively fair path of education, he fought hard, winning scholarships each year and eventually reaching the graduate level.

Books were the light in his past life.

"Purple represents a unique [profession]... Books and reading were the most important and the thing I was best at in my past life."

As Yi Chen gradually made up his mind, a sense of certainty formed. Without hesitation, he picked up the purple envelope from the stone table and opened it!

The words recorded in the letter transformed into a bright, intense beam that shot into his eyes and pierced his mind.

He could even faintly smell the scent of something burning in his brain.

Buzz!

When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the ceremonial hall.

Huff, huff! Yi Chen knelt on one knee, gasping heavily, his head emitting plumes of white smoke.

The other participants had also completed their "letter selection." A "emblem" of the chosen letter appeared on a part of their bodies, such as their palms, neck, or chest.

On the right side of blonde Edmond’s neck was a smoking mark of intertwined guns and swords, as if it had just been branded.

Dagobert, the burly man, had a mark on his right upper arm showing a flexed bicep, clearly related to a [strength profession].

Juliana’s mark, branded on her lower abdomen, was a dagger through a skull, perhaps connected to assassination.

The overseer of this assessment, George Chamberlain, scanned everyone’s emblems with an owl-like gaze and showed a satisfied expression.

"This batch of newcomers is quite impressive. The proportion of rare professions is high, and the integration process was smooth. A few of these newcomers may even be worth prioritizing for special training… Hmm?"

When Chamberlain’s gaze finally settled on Yi Chen, he couldn't find any "emblem" on him from any angle.

"Failed!?"

Yi Chen was his most promising newcomer, and he had even gained the favor of the First Gentleman. Chamberlain immediately stepped into the formation to prepare for a thorough examination of the smoke-emitting Yi Chen.