Return of the Fallen Volume 4 Chapter 50
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Author: Blue_Rat
ch50
Kazuki had never been to an actual library before and didn’t know where the books he was looking for were located. He knew they were somewhere on either the second floor or above but he didn’t know which shelf specifically. This wouldn’t be too much trouble if there were only a dozen or so bookshelves but on the first floor alone, there were thousands. This building stretched onward for hundreds of feet and most of the space was taken up by bookshelves.
Kazuki looked back at the old man behind, the man had just opened a book and looked like he didn’t want to be bothered. Plus, Kazuki didn’t like the man’s attitude and was afraid if he started up another conversation with the old librarian and asked some questions, the old bastard would get pissed and have him thrown out.
Kazuki saw many people sitting around at large mostly empty desk reading or writing some things down. He didn’t wish to bother them either but he needed to narrow down his search or he’d be here forever. There were several guards walking around or guarding certain spots most of them were weak and had normal strength but surprisingly, a few had inscription tattoos.
(To think they had soldiers with enhanced strength guarding some books. I guess the information here is more valuable then I thought.)
Kazuki felt dumb right when he thought that.
(Of course the knowledge is valuable. Even I have come to take some of it. It would be strange if they had no one trying to protect it.)
Kazuki was still wondering if he should just bother someone and ask them if they knew where he could find specific information when he saw a little boy walk past him.
The child could be no more than 6 or 7. The boy had an anxious yet excited look upon his face. Kazuki grew curious and wondered where the boy’s guardian was when the child approached a large glass pane. Kazuki watched the boy for a moment and the boy reached up trying to touch the glass but he couldn’t quite manage it. Only after standing on his tippy toes did he manage to press a few fingers upon the glass.
As soon as he did, a blue light lit up within the glass and thousands of glowing words fell down and formed a drop list.
(Oh, its a screen. I thought it was just glass.)
The young child tapped near the top and began to write something out with his finger on the screen. As he did, a word automatically formed and the screen’s display changed as several words replaced the first list. Kazuki could see that the auto-filled word was actually narrowing down the boy’s search.
With the first word auto-filled, the boy began to write out the second word on the screen, and once again his word was auto-filled and the list of words became even shorter until there were only about 30 words upon the list. The boy then scrolled down with his finger until he found what he was looking for and tapped on the word.
Everything else faded from the screen before the screen opened and a small orb floated out. It then began to float in a certain direction and the boy followed after it. Kazuki wondered before he followed after the boy. Several bookshelves later, the orb led the boy to a certain shelf. The orb then floated over to a book and a small light extended from the orb to a book.
The book then slowly floated outward and the boy snatched it out of the air. As soon as he had it the boy flipped the cover open and smiled with glee. He then raced over to a large desk. Pushing a chair much bigger than himself out, the boy then climb into the chair and opened the book up before he began to read it with joy.
Kazuki witnessed the orb return to that screen and disappear inside of it with a small purple glow.
Kazuki stood in front of the screen and curiously tapped it. Once again the screen lit up with a blue glow. Kazuki began to mimic the boy and write a word.
[ Magic. ]
As soon as he wrote it down, a drop list appeared and showed every title or book that referenced the word Magic.
(So its a directory like a computer, interesting.)
Kazuki had read hundreds of books but not one ever mentioned such a useful magic tool. At the same time, his idea of useful was different to others and most likely this tool was only really useful for a library or maybe a bank, where a mass amount of information needed to be stored like this.
Kazuki narrowed his search and added [ 4th stage Mage. ]
The search narrowed drastically from 10,s of thousands to less than 100.
(Hmm, why so little?)
Kazuki wondered if the amount was so small was because the number of people who were knowledgable about the subject was few and far between.
(It makes some sense. After all how many people would know or understand anything about the 4th stage if they themselves weren’t at least a 4th stage Mage? Garn seems to be one of, if not the strongest expert on the continent and he’s yet to go further then the 5th stage. When it comes to 5th stage experts, there seems to be a little more than a handful of them in all of Feya but I can’t be 100% sure on that figure. After them comes the 4th stage Mages. Are there several hundred maybe a thousand? I doubt many of them are authors and have written down their knowledge for others. I suppose these hundred books can be counted as precious and rare than.)
Kazuki tapped on all of them and a single floating orb came out of the screen.
(Hmm, is it actually going to all of the books or just a single one?)
Kazuki followed after the orb but only after rounding a corner or two did he quickly run into trouble.
The orb floated its way up a set of stairs and continued onward but at the top of the steps, Kazuki was met with a large figure.
“Stop. Verification please.”
A large soldier wearing a set of leather armor and with broad shoulders blocked Kazuki’s path with a hand in front of him.
(Verification?)
Kazuki tilted his head slightly in confusion.
“I don’t understand, what verification, I simply wish to read a few books.”
The guard shook his head.
“Sorry but without verification I can not allow you to pass. You may not enter the second floor. Please return around and return to the first floor.”
(Ah that’s right, I remember hearing you needed to either be someone with great authority or power to enter there, that or have a high rank as an adventurer. So you get stopped right at the entrance huh?)
Kazuki could see the orb stop at a bookshelf. A small light shot from the orb to a certain book and the book floated off the shelf, however after a few moments without any interaction, the book automatically returned itself to the shelf and the orb floated past it. It then repeated its earlier action and shot light at a new book before continuing on down the bookshelf.
To see the books he needed just out of his reach was frustrating to say the least. Kazuki did his best to smile and push his annoyance to the side and politely asked.
“Sir, verification, is there a way for me to enter without it?”
The guard stared at Kazuki like he was an idiot but answered him anyway.
“Impossible, without verification, not even the King would be allowed to enter…err well maybe the King but no one else.”
The guard felt he made a mistake mentioning the king and took it back as soon as possible.
Kazuki kept his polite attitude and asked another question.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me how one can get this verification?”
The man stared at Kazuki again like he was an idiot. The guard pointed over his shoulder and said disdainfully.
“Do you know what’s behind me?”
The question was a rhetorical one as the man continued right away.
“The information in those books is dangerous and very important. Not just any punk can wander in off the streets and be allowed to touch it with their dirty hands. You have to be a trusted person of the kingdom. So only someone like a high noble or someone that’s distinguished themself or done a tremendous deed for the kingdom. You know like an adventurer that’s slain a terrible beast or something. You though, hmpf, people like you would only abuse such privileges. For you to be a noble, hehehe, forget about that right now. As for slaying a powerful Magical beast or something like that, with that small frame of yours, I doubt you can even slay a woman in the bedroom. Now hurry and go back before I make you go back.”
Kazuki’s hand balled up into a fist.
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Comment (0)