Chapter 244 - Cranky librarians
When Scarlett and the others reached the bottom of the stairs, they stopped for a moment to take in the sight before them. The room was vast, far larger than the chamber above, with countless rows of stone shelves laden with books and other texts. Spectral entities, clad in thick, grey robes, glided gracefully between the aisles, pausing now and then to peruse or touch the spines of the books with an almost reverent delicacy.
“…Alright, now this looks more like a library,” Rosa said with a hint of laughter in her voice.
“I suspect this is the true Veiled Library,” Yamina replied, touching the rim of her glasses with a look of fascination. “The initial chamber was likely created to serve as a physical dialogue with this place. The books had to be kept somewhere, after all. Considering how expansive this space appears to be, the Zuver likely employed spatial magic to accommodate the contents, but even so, its size surpasses my expectations.”
“How extensive is the Veiled Library’s archive supposed to be?” Shin asked.
“No one knows for certain. Since the founding of the Rising Isle, we’ve catalogued over one hundred thousand unique volumes and contributed nearly as many ourselves. Among these are numerous rare and unique texts, though many are also mundane or in such a state of disrepair that they’re mostly unreadable. Judging from what we see here, I would say that the Isle has probably only uncovered half of the Library’s full scope.”
Scarlett considered Yamina’s words for a moment, then turned her gaze to the endless rows of books. She hadn’t really considered that aspect in the game, but unearthing this place might actually be more significant to the Rising Isle than the Astral Sanctum or Hall of Echoes. Although she supposed that depended on the value of whatever unread works were kept here.
Given that the chamber above seemed designed to provide what one sought or needed, it felt like the Isle should already have found most of the important works.
Her eyes fell on one of the spectral figures meandering through the aisles, seemingly indifferent to their group’s presence.
“Are those supposed to be the librarians?” Allyssa pointed towards another one that drifted by, disappearing down one of the aisles. Their faces were obscured by grey, semi-transparent hoods that emanated a dissonant aura.
“They likely serve a similar purpose,” Yamina observed. “They’re the caretakers of the library, in all probability.”
Fynn stepped forward, lowering his stance. “Are they dangerous?”
“It would surprise me if they weren’t. Whether they are inherently hostile is another matter.”