On his way out, he met the same receptionist from yesterday still on duty, still wearing that same disgusting amount of makeup that made her look like a painted doll. She also saw him approaching, which then led to her giving him that same seductive smile she'd tried yesterday. In other people's eyes, the smile might have looked good, even inviting. But in Eldris's eyes, the smile looked like the one the Joker forced on people in those old Earth comics - unnatural, grotesque, and more than a little unsettling. To cut the story short, he was thoroughly disgusted by it.
He just chose to ignore the smile and keep walking, even though he could still feel her gaze boring into his back as he pushed through the front doors and out into the morning sunlight. The street was already bustling with activity, merchants setting up their stalls and workers hurrying to their jobs.
After reaching outside and taking a deep breath of fresh air to clear the smell of the receptionist's overpowering perfume from his nose, he said to his alliance ring in a clear voice, "Show me the path to reach the public library."
Almost instantly, a glowing hologram image appeared over the ring, showing him his current location as a pulsing blue dot and the library's location as a glowing red marker several blocks away. It helpfully showed the most efficient path for him to take, complete with floating arrows that adjusted as he moved.
Following the projected path through the winding streets, he soon reached his destination. There, standing imposingly between two smaller buildings, was a massive library structure with the words "Think Big" written in bold letters above the entrance and beneath it, an official-looking label reading 'The Public Library of Alexia of the Fifth Kingdom'.
The library looked very big and ancient, its stone facade weathered by time but still standing strong. The architecture reminded him somewhat of Gothic cathedrals from Earth, with pointed arches and intricate carvings depicting what he assumed were important scenes from this world's history.
He then went towards the library's heavy wooden doors, pushing them open to reveal an interior that took his breath away. As he entered the library, all he could see in every direction was books and more books, shelves stretching up to the high ceiling in seemingly endless rows. The receptionist at the hunters association had not been wrong when she said they combined all the libraries into one - this place was a veritable ocean of knowledge.
At one corner of the cavernous main hall, he could see a lone librarian sitting behind a massive oak desk, completely engrossed in reading a thick tome while wearing a large, outdated-looking headset on his head that covered both ears completely.
The thought that maybe Theseus was not that different from Earth after all briefly went through his mind, but he quickly shot it down. Although there were a lot of similarities, Theseus was clearly technologically advanced compared to Earth in many ways, and the one argument nobody could dispute was the existence of strange magic here, not to mention the fact that everybody seemed to have some kind of power.
He then walked towards the librarian, his footsteps echoing slightly in the quiet hall. As he was about to alert the librarian to his presence, the man suddenly looked up from his book as if sensing Eldris's approach, removing the headset with one pale hand.
Looking at the librarian properly now, Eldris could see that one of his eyes was pure white, clouded over like a blind man's, while the other was a striking greenish color that seemed to glow faintly in the dim library light. He had long, straight black hair that artfully covered the white eye, making the greenish eye the only one clearly visible unless you were really looking closely.
His skin looked unnaturally pale, like the skin of a vampire from Earth legends, almost translucent in places. His entire mutation really made Eldris curious about what kind of beast he might be linked to in this strange world.
"What do you want?" the librarian asked bluntly, his voice carrying an odd echoey quality that didn't quite match his appearance.
"I am here for some books," Eldris replied, keeping his tone polite despite the librarian's brusque manner.
The librarian's lips twisted into a sarcastic smirk. "Wow, you're here for some books, how could that be," he said in a mocking tone. "Wait, it's not like the place you're in has anything else except books." He finished his sarcastic reply with an exaggerated roll of his good eye.
Then, somewhat surprisingly, his tone shifted to something more professional as he asked again, "What book are you looking for?"
Eldris decided to ignore the earlier rudeness and get straight to the point. "I am looking for books on the world history, the world powers, the gods and their chosen. Do you have those books here?"
The librarian's expression became suddenly guarded. "I'm afraid that the world history section is no longer with us," he said cryptically. "But for the rest, you can find them here." Then his tone dropped to something more conspiratorial. "Although I am curious as to why you're asking for those exact books. How suspicious of you." He leaned forward slightly. "You could pay me some money to keep quiet about this little inquiry of yours."
Eldris's face screwed up in displeasure. Money was something he didn't have much of left, and he wouldn't be able to make more until he got his permanent ID card. And here this opportunistic thief was, asking for a bribe right to his face.
"Don't fight it," Gia suddenly chimed in, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Enter the warm embrace of Lady Poverty."
Eldris felt even more hurt from the jab Gia threw at him. It was like adding salt to an open wound. He didn't know why the god hadn't given him a more respectable AI assistant. Maybe the god hadn't really been interested in giving him an AI at all, but because Gia was faulty, the G.O.S had used the opportunity to dump her on him as a form of punishment for trying to commit suicide even when already dead.
Swallowing all his bitter thoughts on the matter, Eldris just paid the man, handing over 30 copper Lim coins and watching with dismay as his remaining one thousand Lim coins dwindled to nine hundred and seventy. The coins disappeared into the librarian's pale fingers with practiced ease.
He didn't know if he was hearing things or if it was just the wind, but he could have sworn he heard a faint, mocking voice call out to him: "Yes, come to me, come to my sweet warm embrace."
He chose to ignore whatever he'd heard, attributing it to stress and lack of proper sleep.
"The books you want are on Aisle 9 in the 3rd corridor," the librarian said, suddenly all business again. "You'll find the ones about world powers on the 7th shelf. The other one about the gods' chosen is on the 6th shelf." He paused, then added with a sly smile, "You can choose to borrow the books, but we'll need your permanent ID card for that. Or you can choose to read them here, and the fee is 30 copper Lim coins per hour." He leaned back in his chair. "So, what will you do?"
Eldris knew that he didn't have a permanent ID card yet, and wouldn't for several more days. So with great reluctance, he chose to read the books there in the library, paying for five hours of reading time upfront. The librarian pocketed the coins with a satisfied smirk, waving vaguely in the direction of the shelves before returning to his own book.
...................................................................pls read and vote for my book.