Chapter 26 – Books in the Library
Chapter 26 - Books in the Library
Velasteros had gone on two more missions with the trio of childhood friends. She did not know if they were actually childhood friends, but that was how she decided to classify them in her mind. Both subsequent missions went alright. They got the missions done, got paid, and no one was hurt.
It seemed they liked her unconventional role as the party tank but it was also not one exactly needed for many missions. Plenty of missions were easy enough with just the trio and Velasteros was feeling that they understood that best. After the third mission in total, they left with the simple message that they would contact each other when something interesting pops up.
Interesting equalling difficulty. At least that means a bigger payday for me. I’ve paid for my room now, and so I actually have disposable income…
Velasteros’s eyes lingered over the library books. Books she was allowed to buy. It was currently a library work day, but that place was also one of devilish temptation.
So many beautiful books. Kept in good condition, all desperately wanting to be read and owned by her. That was clearly the main reason these books were here after all.
Ah. Why do I have to actually be busy today? Sigh. I guess I can’t complain. It is the job.
Today, they received a large influx of donated books from various sources. Something Madam Heart had been planning for a while, and today all those boxes arrived.
At least this is a little fun. I couldn’t imagine doing this when I was below [Intelligence: 100]. I would forget the names and ordering of everything too fast.
In the midst of her work, her ears paused at the ladder leading to the final floor.
Velasteros paused and realised she hadn’t explored the top floor of the library, and turned to her coworker. “Mrs Tonight, what is on the 4th floor?”
Mrs Tonight paused at the sudden question as the two of them were organising the donated books. “More books. Some are up there for extra storage since sometimes we can’t fit all the bulk in the basement. Though there are other books, Madam Heart doesn’t want the general public just accessing.”
“So forbidden?”
“No? Some might be I haven’t gone through the whole collection. Too worried about breaking something, but there are books she doesn’t want people skimming, reading, then putting back on the shelf. Either you buy it, or you don’t read it.”
“Hmm.” Velasteros’s intrigue and curiosity began dancing. What could possibly be up there that would be forbidden? “How does one gain access to these works of literature?”
“Don’t go sounding fancy all of the sudden. We all read here.” Mrs Tonight sighed. “Just ask Madam Heart, that’s it. She has the key, and debating what happens from there, you might gain access.”
“What do you think my chances of succeeding are?”
“Not zero? Again, I’ve only been up there a few times because I was required to be, but you haven’t been working here long…” Mrs Tonight paused to think, then gave up trying to think of a complicated way to solve the problem. “Just ask.”
I guess it won’t hurt.
Velasteros decided to take Mrs Tonight's advice and speak with Madam Heart
“Sure.”
That was easy.
Pretty much at the next available opportunity. The scorpion had gone and asked about access to the fourth floor.
Madam Heart warned. “Just read the title and subheading of every book before you read it. We keep the magic books up there.”
“Oh.” Velasteros nodded with the utmost seriousness. “Understood. I promise I won’t read any such books without permission.”
There were three types of magic books. Standard magic books were special items that could teach people magic. If successfully read, there was a chance the reader could develop a magic skill related to the book. On a successful attempt, there was a chance the magic in the book could be destroyed. That was the meaning of the warning. Then there were fundamental magic books that were meant to teach about magic that didn't require skills. This usually didn’t mean no skills were required, in most cases, a self-magic support skill was required, which was a very rare category of skills. Finally, enchanted books. These books had spells applied to them. This could be anything from the text being encrypted with magic to the book itself being cursed.
All were labelled as magic books, which could lead to many tricky situations if a person wasn’t careful.
Even after getting permission, Velasteros had a bit too much work to do before she could go up and explore, but the moment she completed her tasks, she rushed to explore the unexplored space. She used the key Madam Heart provided her and opened the hatch to the room.
“Huh… Not sure what I was expecting.”
Bookshelves that were tightly packed together. Enough room to snuggle by, but there wasn’t much space, all things considered. There were three large chests in the corner, which she’d assumed were used to carry the excess bulk that the basement couldn’t fit.
Velasteros pulled out her notebook. It was going to be impossible to read all the books, that she was allowed to read, today. So she was using this first visit as more of a scouting opportunity. Marking down what books of particular interest that she would look into later.
This should be quick.
It indeed wasn’t quick. Her first page filled up fast. She even tried using a rating system to prioritise the future reading, but the pages were filling up fast. There were a lot of magic books, but also many non-magic books. Most of the magic books were labelled as such, but Velasteros did open one book that clearly was magically encrypted while having no label.
“Hmm?” Velasteros eyes drifted over a book. Damnson’s Guide to Stats. The Greats.
She pulled it off the shelf and decided to give it a skim. The book started off by giving the basic details on the stats and Velasteros found herself reading aloud. Not something she did often.
“You will hear this a lot that [Intelligence] is the worst stat.” Velasteros already began to frown but she told herself to give the book a chance. Books were innocent after all.
The urge to read the book aloud continued. “There is truth to this statement. No matter how much some of us disagree with the fundamental idea of that. Truth can exist within lies. Lies can exist within truth. Sometimes there is no one right answer, because the answer can change by the vector. The direction. The goal. The beginning reason changes the outcome.”
Is this book enchanted? Anything one… that would be too strange. This doesn’t feel enchanted.
The prior book gave her instant feedback, but in this case, Velasteros had already been grabbed by the book.
“From a combat angle. Vitality can keep you going despite being injured, and when you are not, it gives you energy to perform above and beyond. Strength for warriors is how they defeat an enemy. Wisdom is the same for mages, it also makes you more acutely aware of your surroundings, which is ideal in hostile environments. Endurance will keep you from being hurt, but also works with Strength and Agility, as using the full extent of those abilities can harm the body, which Endurance is what makes that manageable. Agility is the beauty of speed, to dodge, regroup, or to run in or away from a disaster. Compared to all that, Intelligence can help you think faster, plan quicker, perhaps even recount an important fact that will help you in the fight.”
“It is never useless but the reasoning of it being considered the worst in combat is valid.”
Argh… I’m disliking this book… why do you hurt me so…
“Outside of combat, the world shifts. Strength is useful for labour, but you only need so much. Endurance, you shouldn’t be injured every day. Agility, there is only so much you need to do to be late for work. Wisdom can help you stay alert and sense when trouble is coming. Vitality is essential for living a long and healthy life. Intelligence allows you to learn and memorise new skills, and even utilise what you already know in different ways.”
“Does that mean intelligence is the best for an ordinary person? Possibly no. Vitality is how one lives long after all. The argument remains that you only need so much before any extra point becomes almost useless. Why not use those points to keep you healthy, or to make your work easier?”
The book reiterated the details on the various stats.
The description sounded similar to what [Voice Of Guidance] had told her before.
Then a question was asked. “So what do you think the most important stat is?”
Velasteros answered. “Intelligence.”
The book replied, and words came out of the scorpion’s mouth. “A fine choice. Continue down the path you desire. A high intelligence lowers the bounds in developing different use cases for skills. You may find changes come more easily. It is also greatly impactful in the digestion of magical knowledge.”
Velasteros turned the page, and the rest of the book turned blank. It didn’t feel gone, but the contents had nothing to show her.
She instinctively put the book back on the shelf.
…
“Wait, what…”
Velasteros learned the lesson many of her stories warned about. Be extra careful around enchanted books.