Let's Go to the Royal Capital Library
The royal family's tea party, which I had been dreading, unexpectedly turned out to be enjoyable. Well, I did cause some trouble, though.
Now, I plan to have a great time in the royal capital.
First, I have come to the royal capital's library, a place I had wanted to visit.
Anyone can enter the royal capital library by paying a fee, but the checks upon entry and exit are strict.
They check to ensure that no books are being taken out. Books are expensive, with even the cheapest ones costing at least one gold coin.
Upon entry, each person must pay one gold coin and one silver coin. However, upon exit, the gold coin is refunded. Essentially, this system acts as insurance to prevent damage to books and ensure they are not taken out of the library.
The silver coin paid is used to fund the purchase of new books and the repair of damaged ones.
If printed books became more widespread with the development of news bulletins, then the common people could read more easily.
I send back the carriage after instructing them to pick me up in the evening. Then, together with Georges, I enter the library.
I plan to have lunch at a café adjacent to the library.
Determined to spend the entire day reading, I step into the library.
On the first floor, there are seats in the center with bookshelves on both sides. This floor is divided into different sections, each dedicated to popular books, introductory books on magic, medicinal herbs, alchemy, monsters, and information about foreign countries.
There are a fair number of people present—not too crowded, but not empty either—just the right level of distribution.
The second floor is said to house more specialized books. The library is much larger than I had expected.
I selected five books that are not available at home, focusing on popular literature and information about foreign countries. Then, I took a seat on the first floor and started reading.
In about two hours, I finished all five books.
Huh? I read through them much faster than I expected.
I picked up another three books and began reading. This time, I finished them in just over an hour.
Could this be the blessing of the Sage God? Does it allow me to read library books at an accelerated speed?
I decided to test this theory after lunch.
In the afternoon, I read ten books in three hours.
At this point, it’s clear—this has to be a blessing.
I'm happy that I can read so many books, but it’s inconvenient that I can only use this ability in the royal capital library.
I don’t live in the royal capital all the time.
If only I could read the royal capital library’s books from anywhere…
(Understood. Leveling up. Initiating adaptation process.)
A digital voice echoed in my head, and I lost consciousness.
The next day, I woke up in bed and listened to Georges recount what happened after I collapsed.
Apparently, he carried me back to the estate in a panic and had a doctor examine me, but no cause could be determined, leading to a huge commotion.
However, Ripka and Bianca reassured my brothers that I was fine. My brothers still cannot communicate directly with Ripka and Bianca, but they told my parents that they had a feeling everything was okay. This helped calm the situation.
Before informing my family, I want to test something first.
Since I'm in bed, it should be fine even if I collapse again.
In a dream last night, though I couldn’t clearly see the figure, I was given a riddle:
"What is the phrase that every reincarnated person wants to say at least once?"
I figured the answer had to be this, so I said, "Status Open."
A stone tablet appeared in front of me.
I had assumed this world didn’t have such a system, but apparently, it does.
On the screen, there were two buttons: "Royal Capital Library" and "Help."
I first pressed the "Royal Capital Library" button, which displayed the categorized shelves.
They were the same shelves I had seen yesterday at the library, but only the first-floor section was available—the second floor was missing.
I tapped on the "Popular Works" shelf, which displayed the book spines. However, when I tapped on a book, nothing happened. I tried multiple books, but none reacted.
I had no choice but to exit the "Royal Capital Library" menu and press the "Help" button.
The instructions stated that I needed a blank book for this function.
The desired book would be transcribed onto the blank book, and once finished, the book would return to its blank state.
However, the content would be visible only to me, so to others, it would just look like I was reading an empty book.
Additionally, I would earn points by reading books. Accumulating points would level up my library blessing.
Currently, I was at Rank F.
Perhaps I couldn’t access the second floor of the library yet due to my low rank.
It seemed that Rank G's perk was the increased reading speed within the library.
The specifics of future rank-ups would only be revealed upon reaching them.
The system also mentioned bonus points, but there were no details provided.
Would another digital voice announcement play when I earned them, like yesterday?
I really hope I won’t lose consciousness every time…
Now that I was feeling better, I informed my family that I had figured out the details of my Sage God's blessing.
"That’s quite an unusual blessing. But it’s perfect for you, Hardt."
"So, we need to prepare a blank book and test if you can actually read transcribed books before reporting this to the royal family and the church?"
"We’ll tell them about the increased reading speed in the library and the ability to read library books anywhere, but let’s keep the point system and ranking up a secret."
"Make sure to let us know once you understand what happens when you level up." Said Brother Chris, Father, Mother, and Brother Gerald.
They didn’t seem surprised at all. Their reaction was so casual that it left me feeling deflated.
Brother Chris added, "If we got surprised at every little thing you do, we wouldn’t be able to keep up with you."
The other three nodded in agreement.
I don’t think I’ve done anything that outrageous, though…
What do you think about this chapter?
