Chapter 160 - 155: An Unexpected Invitation
The following morning arrived quietly over Valenor.
Golden sunlight spilled across the rooftops, reflecting from countless windows and turning the white stone streets into rivers of warm light.
Inside the Silver Stag, the aroma of freshly baked bread and roasted coffee beans drifted through the halls.
John slowly opened his eyes.
Unlike the previous morning, his mind was already awake.
He knew exactly where he wanted to go.
The library.
His thoughts returned once again to the damaged manuscript.
*"Guardians appointed during the world’s earliest age..."*
The sentence echoed in his mind.
There had to be more.
There had to be another record somewhere within those endless shelves.
John climbed out of bed and stretched before opening the window.
A cool breeze entered the room.
Below, the streets were already beginning to fill with merchants preparing their shops for another day.
The city never truly seemed to sleep.
It simply slowed down.
---
After washing and changing into clean clothes, John headed downstairs.
He wasn’t the first one awake.
Aerion was already seated near the window with his usual cup of tea.
Several books rested beside him.
John smiled.
"You’ve already started reading?"
Aerion looked up from his book.
"I never really stopped."
John laughed.
"I should’ve known."
The elf closed the book.
"You seem eager."
"I am."
"You’ve been thinking about yesterday."
John nodded honestly.
"I kept replaying that passage in my head."
Aerion regarded him thoughtfully.
"It is natural."
"When someone spends months searching for answers..."
"Even a small clue becomes valuable."
John sat opposite him.
"I just wish the pages weren’t damaged."
"History is rarely complete."
Aerion replied calmly.
"We often build our understanding from fragments."
John quietly considered those words.
Fragments.
Perhaps that was exactly what he had been doing since arriving in this world.
One encounter.
One lesson.
One mystery at a time.
---
Lythriel appeared a few minutes later, yawning loudly.
She looked only half awake.
"Morning..."
John smiled.
"Didn’t sleep well?"
"I slept fine."
She dropped into her chair dramatically.
"I just don’t like mornings."
Roland, who had been arranging freshly baked bread behind the counter, overheard her.
"You say that every morning."
"Because every morning proves my point."
The innkeeper chuckled as he carried breakfast to their table.
Fresh bread.
Scrambled eggs.
Grilled vegetables.
And another small jar of local honey.
Lythriel immediately reached for it.
John caught the movement.
"Again?"
She looked at him with complete seriousness.
"The honey did nothing wrong."
Sylvara, arriving just in time to hear that, couldn’t stop herself from laughing.
"I think she’s right."
John shook his head with a smile.
"I’ve officially been outvoted."
---
Breakfast passed peacefully.
The inn gradually filled with familiar faces.
The pair of merchants from yesterday discussed shipping schedules once again.
The elderly scholar sat by the fireplace, carefully making notes in a leather journal.
Even the bard who had performed the previous evening was quietly tuning his lute before leaving for the day.
It felt...
Comfortable.
Almost as if they had already become part of the Silver Stag’s daily rhythm.
---
Just as John finished his tea...
The front door opened.
A young woman wearing the blue robes of the Royal Library stepped inside.
John immediately recognized her.
"Elena?"
The librarian smiled upon seeing the group.
"Good morning."
Roland greeted her warmly.
"You’re here earlier than usual."
"I’ve come on library business."
Her eyes settled on John.
"I was hoping to find you."
John looked surprised.
"Me?"
She nodded.
"If you have a moment."
The common room grew noticeably quieter.
Even Lythriel looked curious.
John stood.
"Of course."
Elena walked a few steps closer before speaking.
"Master Aldric has requested your presence at the Royal Library."
John blinked.
"...Master Aldric?"
"He serves as the Chief Archivist."
"He oversees the preservation of our oldest historical records."
Aerion’s calm expression changed ever so slightly.
It was a subtle reaction, but John noticed.
"You know him?"
Aerion nodded.
"By reputation."
"He rarely meets visitors."
Lythriel leaned forward.
"How rare?"
Aerion thought for a moment.
"I’ve visited Valenor many times over the last century."
"I’ve met him only once."
Silence settled over the table.
John looked back at Elena.
"Why does he want to see me?"
She smiled apologetically.
"He didn’t say."
"He simply asked me to invite a traveler named John."
John exchanged glances with his companions.
"I wasn’t expecting that."
---
Roland crossed his arms.
"Well."
"Whatever the reason..."
"I doubt the Chief Archivist sends invitations without good cause."
John nodded slowly.
"I suppose you’re right."
Still...
Questions filled his mind.
Had someone told the old scholar about his interest in dragons?
Had Elena mentioned the damaged manuscript?
Or...
Had Master Aldric somehow been observing the visitors?
He pushed the thought aside.
Speculating wouldn’t give him answers.
Meeting the man would.
---
Lythriel stood.
"We’re coming too."
Elena smiled politely.
"I’m afraid..."
"The invitation was specifically addressed to John."
"Oh."
Lythriel looked disappointed.
"No exceptions?"
"I’m sorry."
"The archives follow rather strict customs."
Aerion spoke before anyone else could.
"Go."
John looked at him.
"If the Chief Archivist wishes to speak with you privately..."
"There is likely a reason."
Sylvara smiled encouragingly.
"We’ll be waiting here."
John hesitated only briefly before nodding.
"...Alright."
---
Less than thirty minutes later...
John and Elena walked through the familiar streets of the Scholar’s District.
Unlike yesterday, they weren’t heading toward the main entrance.
Instead, Elena led him around the eastern side of the library.
"This way?"
John asked.
"The Chief Archivist’s office isn’t connected to the public reading halls."
She explained.
"He spends most of his time preserving historical documents."
They followed a narrow stone path lined with carefully maintained gardens.
Ancient oak trees cast cool shadows across the walkway.
The noise of the city gradually disappeared.
Even the library itself seemed quieter from this side.
Eventually...
They stopped before a modest wooden door built into a smaller wing of the enormous library.
There were no grand carvings.
No decorative statues.
Only a simple bronze plaque.
**Office of the Chief Archivist**
Elena turned toward John.
"He’s expecting you."
John took a slow breath.
For reasons he couldn’t explain...
His heartbeat had become noticeably faster.
He had faced monsters far stronger than himself.
Explored forgotten ruins.
Survived battles that should have killed him.
Yet standing before this ordinary wooden door...
He felt strangely nervous.
Elena noticed.
"You’ll be fine."
John smiled sheepishly.
"I know."
She raised her hand and knocked gently.
Three measured knocks echoed through the room beyond.
A calm elderly voice answered almost immediately.
"Come in."
Elena opened the door.
"Master Aldric."
"John has arrived."
The old scholar looked up from the ancient parchment spread across his desk.
His long white beard rested neatly against deep blue robes embroidered with silver thread.
Despite his age, his sharp gray eyes were clear and full of quiet intelligence.
He studied John for several long moments.
Then...
A gentle smile appeared.
"So."
He said warmly.
"You finally found your way here."
John frowned ever so slightly.
Finally?
It sounded...
Almost as though the old man had been expecting him long before yesterday.
The Chief Archivist gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.
"Please."
"Sit."
"I believe..."
He carefully closed the weathered manuscript before him.
"...we have much to discuss."
---
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