As a vagabond that didn’t often have a place to call his own, Vin had probably spent more time in public libraries than most people back on Earth. They were amazing resources and safe places where he was able to access the internet or simply relax and read a bit when he wanted a break in a nice air-conditioned building. He’d always done his best to make sure he was clean and wearing a relatively fresh change of clothes whenever he stopped in one, as he had the utmost respect for librarians and didn’t want to make their lives any harder than they already were.

  That said…

  Comparing the public libraries back on Earth to this library was like comparing a beat down old trailer to a state of the art mansion.

  Vin stared at the treasure trove of books lining the walls of the library, each shelf stretching up at least four or five stories. There were ring-like walkways lining the outer shelves with ladders on every level, dividing the central building into a few different floors while still maintaining a large empty column in the center. A quick glance to the side showed hallways leading off into what he could only presume would be the adjoining towers the librarian had suggested they check out.

  While Vin was busy admiring the central room and wondering just how many tens of thousands of books this portion of the library had to hold on its own, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye.

  A person seemingly made from the same white marble as the library itself calmly walked over to him, its every motion graceful and controlled as though it were a trained dancer. The golem reminded him of a mannequin more than anything. Not distinctly male or female, the body was constructed in such a way that the joints appeared to be made from some sort of smooth, ball bearings that no doubt helped with its effortless motions. The golem had two small balls of glowing blue energy sitting in its sockets, and its ‘eyes’ glowed brighter for a moment as it looked at him.

  “Hello, Vinnie,” it said, oddly enough with a bit more emotion than the librarian herself. If Vin had to guess, it sounded almost like they’d been programmed to speak in an upbeat tone. “I am your assigned golem. Please direct any questions you may have to me, and I will do my best to assist you.”

  “Please… Please call me Vin,” Vin started, his face already buried in his hands in shame. He hadn’t even considered the fact that if someone was able to read his interface, that meant they were able to see his real name as well.

  “Of course, Vin,” the golem said, its voice seeming to just emanate from the space around its head somehow. Despite having a sculpted nose, mouth, and ears, none of the golem’s facial features besides its glowing eyes actually seemed capable of movement.

  “Thank you,” Vin said, glancing around quickly to ensure his companions weren’t within earshot. He’d never hear the end of it if any of them found out his darkest secret. Thankfully, it seemed as if they’d already split off from the main entrance, which meant Vin was safe.

  For now.

  “Why don’t we start with the fourth floor of the sixth tower?” Vin suggested, recalling what the librarian had said. It had given that suggestion to both him and Shia, which he could only hope meant it was a floor dedicated to either Runecraft or magic in general.

  “Of course. Please follow me.”

  Vin followed his designated golem as it led him across the main hall and through one of the many adjacent corridors. He felt like his head was on a swivel as he looked from one thing to the next, trying to take it all in.

  Other than the incredible number of books, there were a lot of other things going on in the library. Here and there were other golems identical to the one showing him around, each taking care of their own tasks with dedicated precision. They were shelving books, carrying books around, and even examining books and gingerly pulling ones that appeared to be deteriorating off the shelves, no doubt planning to bring them somewhere to be repaired. Somehow the librarian had managed to build an entire functioning staff out of golems, and the sheer efficiency with which they worked was astonishing.

  “How many golems are inside the library?” Vin muttered without thinking, surprised when his guide actually responded.

  “There are currently four hundred and eighty-three golems within the library,” it said without hesitation, not even bothering to look around.

  “Will you answer any question I have?” Vin asked, his mind already ablaze with possibility.

  “I will answer any question I am capable of answering,” it said matter of factly.

  Well, that’s better than nothing I suppose.

  As they walked over to the librarian’s recommended section, Vin spent the next few minutes quizzing the golem. Unfortunately, he quickly learned that the golem didn’t actually have much useful information for him. Other than the rules of the library and some general information about itself and the library as a whole, the vast majority of his questions were answered with ‘I am unable to answer that question.’ At the very least the golem was able to confirm that there weren't any spell books lying around that he could learn from, which was more than a little disheartening.

  Still, that didn’t mean Vin's efforts were entirely wasted.

  “Hold on, eight? There are currently eight living beings within the library?”

  “Yes, there are currently eight class holders within the library,” the golem repeated, having answered a question Vin thought to ask on a whim.

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  “Can you tell me where they are?” He asked, his heart racing at the thought of meeting so many other potential travelers at once. The golem had specified class holders, so it wasn’t counting Reginald. That meant other than Vin’s group and the librarian herself, there were four strangers currently roaming somewhere inside the library from who knows what fragment.

  “I cannot give you specific information on other library patrons,” it replied as it began climbing a ladder. Carefully following behind the golem, Vin climbed up four stories, hopping off on one of the many walkways located within what had to be the sixth tower. Climbing a ladder with only one hand wasn’t exactly easy, but he still had enough of his left arm to work with to make it doable.

  “This is the fourth floor of the sixth tower,” the golem said helpfully, once again going silent as soon as it had relayed the information. Vin knew from experience so long as he didn’t do anything wrong, the golem would remain silent until he asked it a question. Rather than do anything, it would just stand there, unmoving.

  Watching him.

  Doing his best to shake off the strange sensation of having an unblinking golem watching his every move, Vin wandered over to the shelf, scanning through some of the titles. After all, he’d been given the task of actually reading to throw the librarian off their scent. But in order to do that, first he had to find a book.

  Just as he’d hoped, this section looked like it was filled with books all about runes and the fundamentals about magic. To his surprise however, he immediately recognized the tell-tale sensation of faint magic in his eyes as they worked to translate all the different book titles. If he focused, he was even able to sense that many of the books appeared to be in entirely different languages from one another.

  Wondering exactly how this library even worked back before it had been taken to Edregon, Vin called out over his shoulder. “Hey, a lot of these books look like they’re in different languages! How are people supposed to read anything?”

  “A translation artifact can be lent to you upon request,” the golem said without pause.

  Guess that makes sense… Shrugging, Vin walked down the line of books, looking for anything that jumped out at him. He scanned the many book titles as he walked around the ring, trying not to glance down over the railing at the ground floor four stories below him. Most of the books sounded either far too advanced for him, or were more so focused on the history of magic, which while interesting, wasn’t exactly what he was looking for at the moment. Finally, after nearly completing a full loop, Vin paused, his eyes catching on one particular title.

  A Beginner’s Guide to Runic Formations.

  “Now we’re talking,” he muttered, grinning as he pulled the book from the shelf. Walking over to one of the small tables stationed every so often along the ring, Vin leaned his staff against the table and sat down, eagerly diving into the book.

  When Shia had come up with the plan for him to read while they did all the hard work, he’d been afraid he’d be too worried to actually focus on any of the texts.

  Turns out, that wasn’t a problem in the slightest.

  The book was everything Vin had hoped for and more, and he quickly found himself engrossed in the old tome as he hungrily tore through the pages. He was able to skip most of the conceptual stuff in the beginning, seeing as he already understood how to utilize his mana and how to craft formations and all that. No, it was the second half of the book that he was interested in.

  An entire glossary of the most common runes, drawn out and explained in detail.

  Vin may as well have stumbled upon a literal gold mine, and his hands shook as he devoured rune after rune, doing his best to commit them all to memory. He could practically feel his high focus attribute and Iron Mind passive coming into play, both of them working double time to help him memorize the massive amount of information in what felt like no time at all.

  Finally, feeling like he’d just finished gorging himself at an all you can eat buffet, Vin closed the book, leaning back in his chair with a groan. His head was practically throbbing with all the runic information he’d shoved into it, and he rubbed his eyes, surprised at just how tired they were.

  “How long was I reading?” He muttered, blinking a few times. He had the odd sensation of knowing he’d leveled up one of his skills a few times in quick succession, but wasn’t able to access any of his notifications while within the Divine Sanctum.

  “Three hours and twenty-four minutes,” came a voice from right behind him.

  “Gya!” Vin shouted, slamming his knee into the table as he leapt up, sending his staff rattling to the ground. Hissing in pain, Vin glared at the golem that had somehow walked up right behind him without him noticing. Before he could get too annoyed however, the golem’s words registered, and Vin blanched.

  “I’ve been sitting there… For three hours?!”

  “And twenty-four minutes,” the golem replied helpfully.

  Vin stared at the golem, trying to figure out where the time had gone. That beginner’s guide had worked better than any sort of trap ever could have; his own love of magic ensnaring him within its pages. Thankfully, reading had been his part of the plan, but he still felt a bit guilty.

  As he stood there, wondering how the plan was progressing and why the golem had chosen to walk right up to him all of a sudden, a familiar voice emanated from the golem’s head, answering both his questions.

  “Uh… Can you guys hear me?”

  Vin’s focus snapped to the golem, and he stared at the electric blue balls of energy it had for eyes. “Shia? Is that you?” He asked, trying to confirm he wasn’t crazy.

  “Oh thank the forest, my golem said we’d be able to talk to those we entered the library with but I wasn’t sure!”

  Vin could only stare at the golem radiating Shia’s voice like some sort of magical telephone. The fact that there wasn’t any sort of noticeable speaker made the situation all the stranger.

  “Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know... I’m good here, if you know what I mean,” Shia said, her voice strange. Hearing the tension in her voice, Vin let out a heavy sigh, thankful that at the very least it sounded like Shia had managed to get her hands on some mana stones.

  “Gotcha, let’s meet up and head home then,” Vin said, doing his best to smile at his golem like nothing was wrong. “Scule, you ready to head out?”

  There was silence for a few seconds, and Vin almost began panicking again before Scule’s voice came through.

  “Yeah… I think I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Vin couldn’t help but notice how strained the Rogue’s voice sounded, as though he was in deep concentration. Vin was just about to suggest they meet up when Scule continued.

  “You guys should come meet me at the fourth floor of the second tower,” he said, hesitating for a moment.

  “I made a few friends that are willing to help us get home.”

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