Ambrose noticed Elias’s unsettled expression, realizing that his calculating gaze had likely unsettled the young prodigy. Quickly straightening his posture, he cleared his throat to dispel the awkward atmosphere.
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"Ahem, I’m new here," Ambrose offered with a disarming smile. "Can you recommend some books?"
This approach seemed wiser than immediate recruitment. Building rapport first would serve his purposes better—they were both junior students, after all, which provided common ground. If they shared intellectual interests, perhaps Elias would lower his guard and see their potential compatibility as collaborators.
Elias hesitated momentarily, suspicion still evident in his posture, but the request appealed directly to his scholarly pride. Few things pleased a genius more than the opportunity to demonstrate expertise in their domain.
"Well," he began, warming to the task despite himself, "that depends on what you’re looking for. The restricted archives are organized by discipline rather than alphabetically."
The boy led Ambrose through towering shelves, his earlier wariness gradually replaced by genuine enthusiasm as he pointed out notable texts. His diminutive stature seemed forgotten as he adopted the authoritative manner of a seasoned archivist.
"This section contains theoretical works on mana manipulation," Elias explained, gesturing toward shelves of leather-bound tomes with faintly glowing spines. "That volume there—Principles of Ethereal Condensation by Archmage Vortimer—revolutionized our understanding of mana crystallization techniques. Most modern enchantment methods derive from his work."
They moved deeper into the labyrinthine stacks, Elias growing increasingly animated with each recommendation.
"Here we have Spatial Dynamics and Their Applications by Victoria Rothschild herself," he noted, pointing to an elegant black tome embossed with silver constellations. "Your mother’s work on pocket dimensions remains unparalleled, even decades later. The mathematics alone would challenge most third-years."
Ambrose nodded appreciatively, filing away the location of his mother’s research for later examination. Although he already had the scriptures she had sampled for him, they were just a few basic spells and didn’t give him much understanding of space.
Their tour continued through sections devoted to combat magic, healing arts, and historical treatises. Elias seemed to possess encyclopedic knowledge of the archives’ contents, offering concise assessments of each work’s significance with remarkable precision.
"The Art of Combat by Celestia Lancaster—the War Goddess herself," Elias indicated a weathered manuscript bound in what appeared to be dragonhide. "Not merely tactical theory, but a philosophical examination of conflict resolution through both magical and physical means. Quite rare, as she only produced fifty copies before..." He trailed off, perhaps remembering he was speaking to Celestia’s grandson.
They passed shelves containing works on alchemy, beast taming, divination, and countless other magical disciplines. Elias identified key texts in each area with practiced ease: Elemental Equilibrium by Sage Riverspell, Mindcraft: Advanced Techniques in Telepathic Communication by Lord Whisperbane, Transmutation’s Fundamental Paradoxes by Master Alloy.
After nearly an hour of scholarly exploration, Ambrose had compiled a substantial selection of texts spanning various disciplines. Elias, seemingly satisfied with his guidance, returned to his duties after offering a final recommendation:
"If you have questions about anything else, I’ll be cataloging new acquisitions near the eastern alcove. The academy recently obtained several intriguing manuscripts from the imperial borderlands—potentially containing previously undocumented casting techniques."
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With that, the young librarian departed, considerably more relaxed than when they’d first encountered each other. Ambrose had successfully established a foundation for future interaction—planting seeds of connection that might later bloom into collaboration.
Selecting an isolated table in a quiet corner, Ambrose arranged his chosen volumes in methodical stacks. Rather than reading traditionally, he activated his [Spatial Awareness] skill, confining it to an extremely limited range that encompassed only the book before him. Through this technique, he became instantly aware of every word, diagram, and notation contained within its pages.
His extraordinary mental calculation speed transformed this awareness into comprehension, mapping each book’s contents directly into his mind’s library with remarkable efficiency. Though this method consumed mental power at a significant rate, the trade-off in speed proved worthwhile. Within a single hour, he had absorbed the contents of over a hundred scholarly works.
As he closed the hundredth volume, shimmering notifications materialized before him:
[Your persistent pursuit of knowledge has expanded your mental capabilities]
[Intelligence increased by 1]
[Intelligence increased by 1]
[Intelligence increased by 1] * 3
[Congratulations! You have successfully read and comprehended 100 unique scholarly works! Your dedication to the pursuit of knowledge has been recognized.]
[Title Acquired: Scholar I]
[Effects: +5 Intelligence, +10% Comprehension Speed when reading academic texts]
Ambrose observed the notifications with measured satisfaction. He had gained five raw intelligence points from the reading itself, plus an additional five from the newly acquired title—ten points total, bringing his intelligence to 135. Based on previous patterns, he suspected a significant change might occur at 150 or perhaps 200 intelligence. Such an advancement would require continued dedication to his studies.
Renewed determination fueled his efforts as he returned to his methodical consumption of knowledge. Hours passed as he absorbed another two hundred books, but no further notifications appeared. Ambrose sighed, realizing the system wouldn’t allow such straightforward stat farming—he should have anticipated that the rewards would diminish with repetition.
His attention shifted to the "Scholar I" title. Perhaps it would evolve to Scholar II after reading a thousand books, potentially granting additional stat points. But following that logic, subsequent advancements might require exponentially more reading—ten thousand books or more for further evolution. A worthwhile pursuit for the future, but not his immediate priority.
He reminded himself of his original purpose in visiting the restricted archives—finding a book containing an inheritance or hidden knowledge that might accelerate his development. The standardized academic texts, while valuable, weren’t his primary target.
Without further delay, Ambrose expanded his [Spatial Awareness] dramatically, extending its reach throughout the entire library. The mental strain increased substantially as his consciousness mapped thousands of volumes simultaneously, searching for anything unusual—texts with concealed enchantments, books radiating unusual mana signatures, or manuscripts with hidden compartments.
And then, amid the overwhelming flood of information, something extraordinary caught his attention. "That’s..." his eyes widened as his mind registered what he had just come across.