Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Ancient Book
"What is it..." The sound of her voice sent a strange tingle through Zelir.
"You see, I have to organize this huge library all by myself. It’s tiring work, all that climbing... I’m just so pitiful... right?"
Bev gently shook Zelir’s arm. "You’re so capable. Won’t you please help me organize everything?"
Zelir was completely defenseless against Bev’s wheedling.
He let out a soft sigh.
"Let’s go..."
"Hee hee."
...
When the two of them arrived at the library, the librarian was already waiting.
"You’re here for the volunteer request, I take it?"
The librarian pushed up his glasses and pointed to a section in the southeast corner of the library.
"That section there is all yours. There aren’t too many books. Just put them away according to their category."
The bookshelves in that section were noticeably older than the others. Below them was a large table piled high with various unsorted books.
"I’ll climb the ladder and put away the books on the high shelves, and you can stay down here to dust and categorize them. How about it?" Bev proposed, dividing the labor.
Zelir didn’t particularly care. "Whatever you say."
Bev wheeled a wooden ladder out from a corner and started her work.
However, once she actually started, Bev discovered the job wasn’t as easy as she’d imagined.
The books for the high shelves were much heavier than she’d expected. After retrieving just a few, her arms began to ache, and tiny beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
"Nope, nope, can’t do it..."
Bev slid down the ladder, panting, her face flushed. "Let’s switch. You go up, I’ll stay down here."
Zelir shook his head in resignation and took Bev’s place.
He climbed the creaking wooden ladder step by step.
He hadn’t noticed it while organizing on the ground, but from up high, he realized just how magnificent the library’s vaulted ceiling was. It was like being in a grand palace.
"This one, *Chronicles of King Ser*! It’s a biography!"
"This one, *Dragon Ridge Mountain Range Exploration Notes*! Geography section!"
"And this one, *Continent Brief History*! History section!"
Bev called out the titles as she dusted off the books.
Sometimes, when she found a book for the top shelves, she had to stand on her tiptoes to pass the heavy volume up to Zelir.
"Catch!"
Bev tossed the book up, and Zelir snatched it out of the air with lightning reflexes.
He swayed, and the ladder let out a loud CREAK, nearly sending him tumbling down.
"Bev, be careful!" Zelir yelped, startled.
Down below, Bev just giggled.
This playful back-and-forth continued, and the two fell into a rhythm, their sorting and shelving speed increasing dramatically.
Before long, the pile of books on the table was completely cleared.
Just as Zelir placed the last of the geography books on the top shelf, an old tome tucked away in the very back caught his eye.
This book was entirely different from the others. Its cover appeared to be made from some kind of unprocessed white bark. It bore no title, only a black ink drawing of an ancient, flourishing tree.
’What book is this...’ Zelir wondered, curiously pulling it out.
It was very thin and felt nearly weightless in his hand.
"Let me see! Let me see!" Bev called from below.
Zelir climbed down the ladder and handed the book to Bev.
Bev blew the dust from the cover and opened it to the first page, and Zelir leaned in to look as well.
The text inside wasn’t the common language of the Candia Continent; Zelir couldn’t understand a single word.
The script, however, was elegant and fluid, possessing a natural and harmonious beauty.
"This is..."
Bev frowned in thought for a good while before her eyes lit up. "I remember now! This is the Elven Language!"
"The Elven Language?"
"Only Elven script looks like this. I’ve never properly studied the language, though, so I can’t read it."
Bev quickly flipped through the pages. "This book was shelved in the wrong place. Shouldn’t it go in the section for unidentified texts?"
Suddenly, a yellowed sheet of parchment slipped from between the pages and fluttered to the floor.
Bev picked it up. It too was covered in patterns drawn with black ink.
While they didn’t form a concrete image, the lines were visibly complex and twisted, even chaotic.
They intertwined with no discernible logic, and simply looking at them was enough to make one’s heart race with unease.
"Hey, there’s still a residue of Spiritual Power on this..."
Bev tried to infuse it with her Spiritual Power, but to no avail.
The internal circuitry it revealed was just as chaotic and incomprehensible.
"Here, you take a look."
Bev handed the parchment to Zelir.
The instant Zelir’s fingers touched the parchment, something happened.
A torrent of information, vast and overwhelming, instantly flooded his sea of consciousness.
VMM!
In that instant, Zelir’s mind went blank, as if it had crashed.
Everything before his eyes vanished. Even the concepts of time and space blurred, leaving only darkness.
In the boundless darkness, a light that could illuminate a thousand worlds suddenly surged forth, cleaving the universe in two and pouring into him like a divine revelation.
The undying calls of countless ages echoed in his ears as the entire world bowed in worship, offering him the highest reverence.
When Zelir came to his senses, he was still standing before the bookshelf. Nothing had changed.
However, a complex and chaotic Spell Structure was now indelibly imprinted on the depths of his sea of consciousness.
Zelir’s heart pounded wildly, his breathing growing heavy.
Because he saw that the analysis progress for his Great Creation Skill had changed...
[Great Creation Skill, Analysis Progress—1%!]
The legendary Magic said to have shaped the world had actually progressed!
Zelir took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
He was one hundred percent certain this progress hadn’t come from the simple passage of time.
In the vision from the end of "The Immortal’s Curse," it had taken him millions, even tens of millions of years, to reach the final stage through natural analysis alone.
How long had it been now? Not even a month had passed.
The analysis progress shouldn’t have changed at all.
Zelir looked down at the parchment in his hand, his mind racing.
’That chaotic Spell Structure... could it be part of the Great Creation Skill?’
’And what’s written in this book? Is it related to the Creator God?’
Suppressing his racing thoughts, Zelir turned and asked, "Can I borrow this book?"
"I guess so. None of the books out here are particularly valuable."
Bev said, "But you can’t read the Elven Language, can you?"
"I have a Half-Elf friend who might be able to read it," Zelir said. "Besides, I’m pretty interested in the Elf Race."
"Oh."
Bev nodded. "Then just set it aside. Once we’re done cleaning up, you can go register it with the librarian."
