Chapter 345: An Absurd World

The crowd gradually dispersed, and the dining hall returned to its previous calm, as if the “duel” fought over an axe had been nothing more than a routine interlude.

Jie Ming lowered his head and carefully weighed the “battle axe” in his hands.

Heavy in the grip, the blade razor-sharp and gleaming with cold light, the wooden handle polished smooth and perfectly balanced.

No matter how he looked at it, this was a finely crafted, solidly made cold-steel axe.

In his previous life, it might have qualified as a collector’s piece or a high-quality outdoor tool.

And that was all.

He repeatedly ran his fingertips along the edge, feeling the material of the haft, even quietly scratching an inconspicuous spot with his nail.

Even with his transcendent power sealed, Jie Ming’s mastery as an Alchemy Technique grandmaster allowed him to quickly determine that this axe carried no energy reaction, no hidden runes, no special construction.

It was nothing more than a purely physical, exceptionally well-made axe.

Yet the lingering students who hadn’t fully left kept throwing glances filled with undisguised envy and awe.

As if what he held wasn’t just iron and wood, but some sacred relic imbued with mysterious power.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jie Ming turned to the still-excited Amy beside him and adjusted his tone to just the right level of excitement. “This axe… it really does look impressive, doesn’t it?”

As expected, Amy’s eyes instantly sparkled. She explained in an almost reverent singsong: “Of course! The destructive power of this axe is way stronger than those iron pipes we fought over in high school! Whoever holds it basically has superhuman combat strength!”

Her tone was utterly sincere, as if this were common knowledge.

Victor pushed up his glasses and calmly added data to back her up: “Based on the average adult male’s physical capabilities, wielding an axe in a conflict situation theoretically raises the odds of winning one-against-three to over ninety percent. It is indeed a very significant boost.”

Jie Ming: “…”

He nearly failed to maintain his blank expression.

So the “power” and “specialness” of this axe came down to… “it increases combat strength”?

That’s obvious!

Any able-bodied adult holding a sharp axe would already have a massive advantage over two or three unarmed ordinary people!

What does that have to do with the worshipful looks you’re all giving it?!

Also, why were you all fighting over iron pipes in high school?!

Is the so-called school bully really just the strongest academic overlord?!

He subtly probed a little more and confirmed that, in Amy and Victor’s understanding, this axe possessed no supernatural properties whatsoever, only that it was “extremely sturdy and sharp,” “a symbol of strength,” and “greatly enhances the holder’s combat power.”

“So… it really is just a slightly better-made axe?” Jie Ming felt his worldview take another hit.

Rubbing the spot between his brows in resignation, he could only accept the setting. Carrying the heavy axe, he walked toward the afternoon classroom under a gauntlet of envious stares.

The scene was undeniably bizarre: a young man dressed in modern university attire, openly carrying a clearly out-of-place, razor-sharp hand axe through sleek, high-tech corridors.

Yet every student and even faculty member who saw the axe would first freeze for a split second, then reveal looks not of fear or shock, but of reverence mixed with… appreciation?

The most ridiculous moment came from the young lecturer that afternoon.

When he spotted the axe placed beside Jie Ming’s desk, his voice actually faltered mid-sentence.

He walked straight over, crouched down to examine it closely for a few seconds, then clapped Jie Ming on the shoulder with an expression of profound gratification.

“Good, very good axe! Smooth lines, stable center of gravity, excellent tempering on the edge. Student, treasure it well. This is the weight of knowledge!”

Jie Ming: “???!!!”

Teacher, what exactly are you so proud of?!

And what the hell does “the weight of knowledge” even mean?!

Was this axe forged from melted textbooks or something?!

He roared internally, feeling that if this kept up, he would eventually betray himself just from failing to control his facial expressions.

Yet this absurd “axe incident” also made him acutely aware of another problem.

Information asymmetry.

When he had forcibly broken through the layer of false memories, his methods had been too crude, likely causing gaps in this world’s “common sense” and foundational cognition.

That explained why Amy, Victor, and even the lecturer all revered the axe in a way he couldn’t comprehend, while to him it was nothing but laughable.

Certain things that were perfectly obvious to the people of this world appeared full of contradictions and strangeness to him.

Moreover, after a full day of observation, he became even more certain of the campus’s abnormality: an absurdly high teacher-to-student ratio.

The number of students at the entire university was pitifully small, yet lecturers, professors, and all kinds of administrative staff seemed fully staffed; if anything, it felt like there were more teachers than students.

He had also glimpsed fragments of news broadcasts on classroom holoscreens, constantly emphasizing that the planet faced ongoing external threats and was in a state of war.

Yet the atmosphere of society, from campus to the streets, was inexplicably peaceful. There was none of the tension, rationing, or defensive fortifications one would expect in a wartime environment.

“What a troublesome world.” Jie Ming pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly and began organizing a mental task list. “Looks like I have a lot to do.”

“Priority one: reconnect to my inner world and confirm the flow of time. Never stop mobilizing spiritual power. Secondary priority: frantically fill in the gaps in ‘common sense’ to avoid exposure due to cognitive differences.”

“Long-term goal: uncover the truth of this world.”

For now, the first two took precedence.

Strength and information, those were the foundations for surviving and breaking free from any predicament.

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

Jie Ming’s ears pricked up; he was instantly hooked.

“This knowledge… something I don’t know again! It sounds valuable, and the logic holds together…”

The instinct to pursue knowledge and truth instantly overpowered his desire to complain about the absurdity of his situation.

Soon, Jie Ming was once again completely immersed in the lecture, furiously taking notes and absorbing this unfamiliar yet undeniably real knowledge.

When the bell rang, Jie Ming carefully stuffed the “battle axe” into his backpack.

At that exact moment, Amy and Victor appeared at the classroom door.

Seeing Jie Ming empty-handed with an obviously bulging backpack, both of them instantly wore visible looks of disappointment.

Jie Ming: “…”

He forcibly resisted the urge to facepalm.

“It’s literally just an axe! Putting it in my bag is the most normal thing to do! What exactly are you two disappointed about?!” He felt that the amount he had internally screamed today exceeded the total of the past several centuries combined.

Fortunately, Amy and Victor only looked disappointed; there was no suspicion in their eyes.

Apparently, stowing the axe away was merely a personal choice; though not “dazzling” enough, it was still within acceptable bounds.

This let Jie Ming secretly breathe a sigh of relief; at least he didn’t have to parade around a modern city all day like a lunatic swinging an axe.

At the school gate, Amy checked her personal terminal and said, “My aunt is picking me up today. She’s taking me to the amusement park in the next district, so I’ll head off first!”

Jie Ming and Victor nodded, said goodbye, and started walking home together.

Amy watched their retreating backs and was about to turn around when a voice spoke from behind her.

“Congratulations on making it to university, Amy.”

“Thank you, Auntie.” Amy jumped slightly and turned to see the tall woman who had somehow appeared behind her.

“Still, even in university, you only hang out with those same two little friends? It would be nice if you made some new ones…”

The “aunt” smiled as she stroked her silvery-gray long hair.

Amy blinked. “But Auntie, you don’t have any friends either, do you?”

The woman waved her hand and started walking ahead. “My situation is special, so it’s fine for me. But you’re different, aren’t you…”

“You’ve been really eager for me to make friends lately. Why is that?” Amy followed, puzzled. “Besides, I actually get along with a lot of people.”

“Oh, you know very well yourself; you just ‘get along,’ you don’t actually become friends.”

The “aunt” sighed in disappointment. “Honestly, I was kind of hoping you’d fail. I was looking forward to you suffering a setback so you could grow stronger from the pain…”

“Wow… that’s a really awful personality…”