Chapter 89: Deep Within the Library

“I want to borrow a book.”

“If you want to borrow one, go in and check the index and descriptions. What’re you looking at me for? Think you’ll see a ghost on my face or something?”

Well then, this young man’s temper wasn’t much different from that elderly librarian’s.

“I’m looking for some books about soul fragments, but I’m not sure where to find them.”

“Then go in and look through the shelves, one row at a time.” The young man curled his lips in a cryptic smile.

“But the books about souls are deeper inside. I’m afraid I might get lost in there.”

“Then don’t go looking.” The youth crossed his arms and looked down on Saul. “A First Rank apprentice, and you want to study souls?”

Of course Saul wasn’t going to give up so easily.

Seeing that the young man had no intention of helping, Saul walked to the side of the library.

“If you don’t know, then I’ll just wait for the other administrator. I imagine he’s more familiar with the place.”

The young man sneered. “Idiot. Can’t you tell? I’m the administrator.”

Saul’s mouth twitched. This guy really had a rotten attitude, but Saul held it in. “You’re the administrator too? I just wanted to ask the middle-aged one. He seemed more experienced.”

As soon as the young man heard that, his face darkened. He flung his arms down, and in the blink of an eye, his body slid smoothly right up to Saul’s face.

His expression was deathly pale, lips purple, and his eyeballs bulging as if they might pop from their sockets.

Saul was startled and instinctively took half a step back, raising his hands in front of his chest, eyes wary.

“Bullshit! Whatever he knows, I know too! That coward’s scared of everything all day long—what’s the use of experience?”

The more the young man ranted, the more frightening his appearance became.

Saul swallowed hard but tried to stand his ground. “But… you didn’t know just now…”

“The hell I didn’t! You mean soul fragments?” The youth’s mouth stretched open wide, revealing nothing but a deep red void—no teeth, no tongue in sight.

That’s when Saul realized the man’s voice wasn’t even coming from his mouth.

But where it was coming from, he couldn’t tell.

“Soul fragments. Soul-type stuff. Spiritual-body-type stuff. It’s all on Shelf 14, Column 4!”

“Like spirits? Go down! Like wraiths? Go up! Want to discipline a soul? Go behind!”

The young man jerked his chin. “If it’s in this library, there’s nothing I don’t know.”

“Amazing!” Saul gave him a thumbs-up, then turned and walked toward the back of the library.

The rows of shelves stood tall, shrouded in a dense white mist.

After just a few steps, the main entrance was completely out of view.

To keep track of how far he’d gone, Saul counted the rows aloud as he walked.

“One, two… thirteen, fourteen! This is the one.” He continued rightward until he reached the fourth column and stopped.

Turning his head to the left, he saw rows of books—some thick, some thin, some new, others ancient.

Unlike the more organized front rows, the books here were disordered and clearly lacking upkeep.

It seemed few people ever came this deep to borrow books.

“Spirits below, wraiths above. No normal souls?”

Saul began browsing the middle of the shelf. Of the books with legible spines, over half were in Noah Script or other unknown languages, with only a few in Common.

And all the Common ones were labeled as storybooks. The ones in Noah Script were mostly definitions, observation notes, and the like.

Saul carefully scanned the central row, then lowered his head slightly to look at the one below…

“What the %#&* is…”

Something at the edge of his vision—what was that at his feet?! The bottom row of the shelf didn’t seem to be holding books— There was a person lying there!!!

An arm, the corner of a shoe—they stuck out from under the bottom shelf.

Saul hadn’t felt this weak in the knees in a long time.

It felt like every hair on his body was standing on end!

“Don’t think. Don’t look,” he told himself silently, forcing his eyes to scan only the middle rows, locking his neck at a fixed angle.

At the same time, he quietly chanted a necromancy-repelling incantation under his breath, ready to fire it the moment anything went wrong.

Step by trembling step, Saul edged his way to the end of the bookshelf.

The “person” lying there still hadn’t moved a muscle.

He turned around to check behind the shelf. After a quick sweep with his eyes, he saw it was thankfully filled with books.

Still, he didn’t dare let his guard down. Just imagining what might be hiding behind the tomes was enough to keep him from crouching—what if he made eye contact with something?

Fortunately, in the section about disciplining souls, he finally found a book that seemed to be about preserving soul fragments.

“How a Madman Teaches You to Raise a Soul Servant”

Saul pulled the book out and skimmed the first few pages. He instantly decided: this was the one.

He hurried back toward the entrance.

But halfway through, he suddenly turned and walked in the opposite direction.

He went on for dozens of meters until he finally broke free of the mist, spotting the main entrance of the library and a couple of First Rank apprentices loitering around the front shelves.

“Whew…”

Saul was pale as a sheet. Once he was out of the white fog, he couldn’t help grabbing onto the nearest bookshelf for support.

Just as he’d left the fourteenth row, he’d inexplicably felt like the way deeper into the library was the way out.

If he hadn’t noticed how the shelves were getting more and more chaotic, he wouldn’t even have realized that he’d been going in the wrong direction!

He hadn’t thought about it, hadn’t analyzed it—he’d just turned and left on instinct.

His journal hadn’t given him a warning, which meant his life hadn’t been in danger yet.

But if he’d gone any deeper, who knew what might’ve happened?

Saul’s drained expression caught the attention of a few apprentices near the entrance.

When they realized it was him, they exchanged glances and walked over.

“Saul… are you okay?” one of them asked with mild concern.

“I’m fine, thanks.” Saul looked at their vaguely familiar faces, then added after a moment, “The tenth row and beyond in the library is dangerous. I wouldn’t recommend going past it unless you’re at least Second Rank.”

“Huh?” The two of them hadn’t expected their kind gesture to earn them a warning.

They turned and glanced toward the misty depths, eyes filled with unease.

Meanwhile, Saul seized the chance to slip past them and approach the entrance.

The arrogant young man was gone. In his place was the always-terrified middle-aged man, curled up on a bench with his head buried deep between his knees.

Since becoming an apprentice, Saul had borrowed books a few times and knew the process well.

He walked to about two meters from the middle-aged man and spoke softly. “Hello, I’d like to borrow this book.”

The man slowly lifted his head, revealing a face ghostly pale.

“Fifty magic crystals, plus two credit points. Ten days.”

That expensive? And it even cost credit points?

Saul stared at the book he’d risked his life for and asked tentatively, “Can I borrow it for five days?”

The man gave a jerky, painfully slow shake of the head.

There was even a minimum borrowing period!

Saul gritted his teeth and paid up.

Once the procedure was complete, he carefully stored the book in his backpack—then hugged the pack to his chest.

The middle-aged man cast a fearful glance around before retreating back into his usual fetal position.

Saul glanced once more into the library, the white mist already shrouding everything inside. The two apprentices were still lingering near the first row.

He turned to leave.

But after taking just two steps, Saul was forced to stop again.

Two people were standing at the library’s entrance.

Lokai had his hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his face as he curiously sized Saul up.

Beside him, Doze stood silently, head slightly bowed.

(End of Chapter)

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