Audrey Miller glanced at him and said with a cheerful smile, “You must remember, our goal is the all-around development of morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetic appreciation, and labor skills!”

The more she spoke, the happier she became, as if she had recalled some wonderful memory or amusing incident.

I’ve already failed in morality… Logan Smith muttered silently.

He then asked, “Which kind of martial arts are we learning?”

One of the things he couldn’t understand was how Audrey Miller, who looked so delicate and frail, was actually a martial arts expert, mastering many different fighting styles, and every time she would suppress him so thoroughly he couldn’t fight back.

Audrey Miller thought seriously for a moment, leaned her body forward slightly, tilted her face up, and looked into Logan Smith’s eyes.

She then let out a mischievous laugh and said loudly, “Self-defense against perverts!”

“Huh?” Logan Smith exclaimed in surprise, “Isn’t that something girls learn?”

Audrey Miller straightened up, shook her head solemnly, and said earnestly, “Boys need to protect themselves when they’re out and about, too.

“Who says boys can’t run into perverts?”

The smile at the corner of her mouth became harder and harder to hide.

Unable to tell whether his sister was joking or really intended to do this, Logan Smith could only stay silent, took back the white towel, and walked toward the stairs.

Suddenly, his foot caught on something, and he stumbled forward abruptly.

In midair, Logan Smith quickly tightened his abdominal muscles, stretched out his arm to press against a nearby chair, then flipped himself over and managed to land somewhat steadily.

Audrey Miller withdrew her outstretched foot and clicked her tongue with a laugh, “One of the key points of fighting is to always observe your surroundings and never let your guard down.

“Did you get that, my rookie little brother?”

Just now, her right hand had already grabbed Logan Smith’s vest, but seeing that he had managed to steady himself, she let go.

“Isn’t that just trusting you too much…” Logan Smith muttered.

He thought about it carefully and realized that this kind of trust was meaningless—he’d already suffered so many similar losses in front of Audrey Miller.

Audrey Miller coughed, reining in her expression:

“How did your talk with that woman go?”

Logan Smith gave a rough account of the conversation, then said, “I plan to wait until your friends reply before considering exploring the dream.”

“A wise choice.” Audrey Miller nodded in satisfaction.

Logan Smith changed the subject:

“What’s for lunch?”

“There’s still some toast left from this morning. I’ll grill four more pieces of lamb chops for you.” Audrey Miller thought for a moment.

“What about you?” Logan Smith pressed.

Audrey Miller replied casually, “I’ll just have some truffle bamboo partridge shreds, and add a cheese onion soup. I tried it last time and found it quite…”

Before she could finish, her whole body suddenly froze.

The next second, she raised both hands, trying to cover her ears, and the muscles on her face gradually twisted.

This made her beauty look a bit ferocious.

Logan Smith watched quietly, his eyes full of concern and worry.

After a while, Audrey Miller let out a long breath and returned to normal.

Her forehead was once again covered in sweat.

“What’s wrong?” Logan Smith asked.

Audrey Miller smiled:

“The tinnitus is acting up again. It’s not like you don’t know I’ve had this old problem.”

Logan Smith didn’t press further and instead said, “Alright, I’ll make lunch. You get some rest.”

At times like this, his desire to obtain extraordinary powers became even more urgent and determined.

Chapter 9: Magazine

Night.

After dealing with the neighbor who came to borrow the oven, Logan Smith went up to the second floor and entered the room that served as a study.

—In Cordu Village, many poor families didn’t have ovens or large stoves. When they needed to bake bread or smoke meat, they could only borrow from others and use it on the spot.

On this matter, Audrey Miller was always open-minded and very tolerant. Anyone could borrow it, as long as they paid for the fuel or brought their own coal, wood, etc.

At this moment, she had already changed into her white silk nightgown and was curled up in an armchair, reading a book intently under the bright battery-powered desk lamp on the table.

Logan Smith didn’t disturb her. He casually pulled a thinner book from the shelf and sat down in a chair in the corner.

“The Veil of Secrets”… What kind of magazine is this? Logan Smith glanced at the cover full of strange symbols, feeling puzzled.

He flipped through it quickly, growing more and more shocked as he read.

This magazine talked about the forms of human souls, about all things having spirits, about communicating with different spirits through secret methods to obtain various kinds of help…

Even if one’s faith wasn’t devout at all, even if it was just going along with the crowd to the “Eternal Blazing Sun” church for some prayers and occasionally attending mass, two words still flashed uncontrollably through Logan Smith’s mind:

“Blasphemy!

“Taboo!”

Although it was normal for Audrey Miller, as a witch who would definitely be burned at the stake by the Inquisition if exposed, to have such books at home, Logan Smith clearly saw that this magazine had a government publication license!

Was something like this really allowed to be published openly?

Wasn’t the publishing review supposed to be very strict?