The crowd gradually dispersed, and the restaurant regained its previous calm as if the "duel" with the axe as a wager was just a daily interlude.

Jeming looked down, carefully weighing the "War Axe" in his hand.

The heft was substantial, the axe blade sharp and glinting coldly, the wooden handle polished to be smooth and handy.

From any angle, this was a well-crafted cold weapon axe made with solid materials.

In his past life, it might have been considered a craft collectible or a quality outdoor tool.

But that’s all it was.

He repeatedly touched the blade with his fingertips, sensed the material condition of the axe, and even secretly scratched a discreet spot with his fingernail.

Even with his Extraordinary Power sealed, Jeming could quickly determine with his Alchemy Master’s level of skill that there was no energy reaction on this axe, no hidden Runes, no special structure.

It was just a purely, physically good axe.

However, the eyes of the few students who hadn’t completely left yet still looked at him with unabashed envy and awe.

As if he wasn’t holding a piece of iron and wood, but some kind of sacred object with mysterious power.

Jeming hesitated for a moment, looked at the still excited Amy beside him and adjusted his tone, speaking with just the right amount of excitement: "This axe... it looks quite nice, doesn’t it?"

As he expected, Amy’s eyes immediately lit up, and she explained in a near-chanting tone, "Of course! The destructive power of this axe is far superior to those iron rods we fought over in high school! Holding it means you have far exceeding combat power beyond ordinary people!"

Her tone was sincere, filled with an affirmation of "this is common sense."

Beside her, Victor also pushed up his glasses and calmly added, "According to the analysis of the physical qualities of a normal adult male, holding an axe in a conflict encounter theoretically increases the one-on-three win rate to over ninety percent. It is indeed a very powerful enhancement."

Jeming: "..."

He almost couldn’t maintain his expressionless facade.

So, the "power" and "special" of this axe lie in the fact that it can "increase combat power"?

Isn’t this just stating the obvious!

Any able-bodied adult holding a sharp axe would naturally have a significantly higher win rate against two or three unarmed people!

What does this have to do with your admiration?

Besides, why was there a scramble for iron rods in high school anyway?

Could the so-called school bully really be the top student in the school?!

He indirectly probed with a couple more questions, confirming that in Amy and Victor’s cognition, besides being "very sturdy and sharp" and a "symbol of strength," this axe had no supernatural extraordinary properties.

"So... it’s really just a well-made axe?" Jeming felt his understanding challenged once again.

Helplessly rubbing his temples, he could only accept this setup, carrying the heavy axe with him, under envious gazes all the way to his afternoon class.

This scene was indeed somewhat bizarre—a young man wearing modern university attire, carrying an obviously out-of-place sharp hand axe, walking through a technologically advanced corridor.

And the students, even faculty staff encountered along the way, when seeing this axe, first showed a slight shock, and then revealed not horror or surprise, but a gaze mixed with awe and... appreciation?

Especially outrageous was the young lecturer in the afternoon class.

When he saw the axe placed at the foot of Jeming’s desk, his teaching paused for a moment.

Then he walked over to Jeming’s side, bent down to inspect it closely for a moment, then patted Jeming on the shoulder with an unusually satisfied expression on his face:

"Nice, truly a fine axe! The lines are smooth, the balance stable, and the edge tempering process is also in place. Classmate, cherish it well, this is the weight of knowledge!"

Jeming: "???!!!"

No, teacher, what exactly are you feeling satisfied about!

And what on earth is "the weight of knowledge"!

Was this axe smelted from books?!

He mentally ranted, feeling that at this rate, he might soon expose himself due to a lack of facial expression control.

However, this absurd "axe incident" also keenly made him aware of another issue.

Information discrepancy.

In his attempt to forcibly break through the false memory overlay, his methods were too brute, likely causing a lack of some "common knowledge" or "basic cognition" belonging to this world.

This explains why Amy, Victor, and even the lecturer held such esteem for the axe, which he found absurd.

Some things taken for granted in this world appeared contradictory and bizarre to him.

Moreover, after a day of observation, he further confirmed the abnormality of the campus: an extremely high teacher-student ratio.

The number of students in the entire university was pathetically small, but the lecturers, professors, and even various administrative staff seemed fully staffed, even giving the impression that there were "more faculty than students."

Additionally, there were occasional glimpses of news broadcasted on classroom screens—constantly emphasizing that the planet faced ongoing external threats and was in a state of war.

Yet, the overall atmosphere, from campus to street, was impossibly peaceful, lacking any tension expected in a wartime environment, rationing, or fortifications.

"What a troublesome world." Jeming wearily pinched his nose bridge, starting to arrange a task list in his mind, "So, I have quite a lot to do."

"The primary task is to connect with the inner space and confirm the passage of time. The mobilization of Spiritual Power mustn’t stop. The secondary task is to crazily supplement ’common knowledge,’ making up for memory gaps to avoid exposure due to cognitive differences."

"Only finally is the long-term goal: to explore the truth of the world."

For now, the first two tasks are most urgent.

Power and information are foundational for survival and breakthrough in any predicament.

Just as he sorted out his thoughts, the lecturer on the podium introduced a new theoretical model.

Jeming’s ears perked up, instantly attracted.

"This point of knowledge... another bit of knowledge I’m unfamiliar with! Sounds very valuable; logically it seems able to be self-consistent..."

The pursuit of knowledge and truth instinctively overwhelmed his urge to rant about the absurdity of the situation.

Jeming quickly reimmersed himself in the class, rapidly recording and understanding these unfamiliar yet real pieces of knowledge.

When the class bell rang, Jeming carefully stuffed the "War Axe" into his backpack.

It so happened that Amy and Victor arrived at the classroom door.

Seeing Jeming empty-handed and his seemingly bulging backpack, the visible disappointment on their faces was apparent.

Jeming: "..."

He forcibly resisted the urge to facepalm.

"It’s really just an axe! Isn’t putting it in the backpack the most normal way to handle it?! What are you guys disappointed about?!" He felt that the amount of mental ranting he had done today was more than in the past few hundred years combined.

Luckily, Amy and Victor were only disappointed and showed no confusion in their eyes.

They seemed to consider putting the axe away a personal choice, although not "quite as shimmering," still within understandable range.

This made Jeming secretly relieved—at least he wouldn’t really have to act like a lunatic, swaggering around in a modern city with an axe all day long.

At the school gate, Amy looked at her personal terminal and said, "Today my aunt is picking me up to go to the amusement park in the next district, so I’m leaving first!"

Jeming and Victor nodded and bid her farewell, then walked home side by side.

Amy watched their departing figures, just about to turn when a voice sounded from behind: "Congratulations on getting into college, Amy."

"Thank you, Aunt," Amy was taken aback, turning to see a tall woman standing behind her.

"But even in college, are you only playing with just two little buddies? It’d be nice if you could make new friends at college..."

"Aunt" smiled, brushing her silver-gray hair off her face.

Amy blinked: "But Aunt, you don’t have any friends either, do you?"

The woman waved dismissively as she preceded her, walking forward, "My situation is special, so it doesn’t matter, but you’re not like me, are you..."

"I get the feeling you really want me to make friends, Aunt? Why?" Amy questioned as she followed, "Besides, I actually have a good rapport with many people."

"Oh, you are very aware, just a good rapport, not actual friendship."

"Aunt" sighed in disappointment, "I hoped for your failure, only so you would grow stronger through Pain. I was really looking forward to seeing you fail..."

"Wow... such a vile personality..."