Chapter 84: New Milestones
Chapter 84: New Milestones
In the European world of today, even the libraries of some larger theological seminaries often held no more than a hundred volumes. In contrast, the Royal Library of Constantinople, as early as six hundred years ago, already boasted a collection of over one hundred thousand books.
One must remember that papermaking had not yet been introduced at that time; collections often used papyrus imported from Egypt, expensive parchment, and silk cloth.
In the world today, the only library that could compare to the Royal Library of Constantinople was the Cairo Library in the Ayyubid Kingdom. But despite all this both of them paled in comparison to the Academy of Gondishapur in Persia. as early as six centuries ago, it housed more than four hundred thousand books.
"Constantinople’s collection of books, and the system of exchanging contribution for resources and intelligence—I must admit, it is indeed very tempting." Lothar shook his head. "But I cannot possibly abandon my title and fief to run off to Constantinople with you. The identity of a sorcerer is only a small part of me."
"It doesn’t matter. We can first establish a preliminary cooperative relationship, then cultivate trust between us bit by bit. The Witches’ Association is not an organization eager for quick success and short-term gains."
Anna said with a smile, "We both know that Henry Caesar’s perverse actions will not succeed, because no witch is willing to be driven like a hawk or a hound. I know this well, so our Witches’ Association leans more towards cooperation rather than control. If you desire more advanced spellbooks, rarer casting materials, or potion recipes, the Basílissa, who is the richest person alive, will naturally spend heavily to acquire them for you. But the prerequisite is that you must exchange contribution for them. Equal exchange is our guiding principle."
Anna’s face was perfectly composed. She very much hoped Lothar would join the association, because having a male sorcerer with an outstanding appearance would be a significant asset in recruiting other witches.
’Clippity-clop—’ The sound of a patrol’s hooves drew nearer.
Anna smiled, lifted the hem of her skirt, and performed a lady’s curtsy.
"This conversation has been quite smooth. A little later, I will pay another visit. Hopefully, by then, our meeting will be accompanied by sweet wine and roast meat, not like now, standing on the main street enduring the sun’s glare. Oh, right. I must tell you beforehand, do not place any Magic-Resistant Gold nearby. I can smell that stuff. If I feel threatened, this meeting will have to be declared over."