Chapter 53: The Library at the Mage Society

Today I left my mansion using dark magic to make myself look like my fake-self.

With my short white hair and pale blue-grey eyes I looked absolutely nothing like myself. I also made sure to caste a spell over my dress, to make it look like a working class dress instead of a second rank nobles gown.

I transformed it into a short sleeved, modest beige dress. A style that was commonly worn by women and shop girls working in the noble sect.

I absolutely refused to let anyone accompany me, which made Agnes quite upset, but still I felt like I had to do this alone. Plus a maid accompanying a working girl looked really out of place and would probably draw some unwanted attention.

First I headed off to my guild and surprised Tierney, Ezarah and Jorah with my new look. Tierney thought it was just the coolest thing ever, that I could change my appearance. Ezarah and Jorah kept on poking me to try and figure out how I had done it.

I decided to hold off making the new six Sacred Weapons until after I came back from holiday because I only had one week now, which was really too little time to do all the research and gather all the materials I would need to make the swords. I would spend this week planning for each weapon and then execute everything in the two weeks when I came back.

So while at the guild, I showed the Kaltain's how to make the flying broomsticks, but instead of making them look like broomsticks, I wanted them to be more like flying automobiles that people could use to get around Gismead, instead of walking or taking a carriage everywhere, which was a real pain. I was thinking that this product could become really useful and make transportation much easier around Gismead. Oooh!! maybe I could set up a form of public transportation!! Like a flying train or flying bus! It came without saying that whatever it was it had to fly, or else it wouldn't be cool...

After I used inscription to bond some Algorithmic magic to a random piece of wood, so that they would be able to spell the chariots without me, I left to go to the Royal Mage society to go and find whatever I could on the six Sacred Weapons.

I didn't feel like taking a long walk to get to the palace, so I used the transportation technique that I had used during the Royal Mage tournament during my first few weeks in Gismead. I lifted the concealment magic on myself so that the guards could recognize me as a memeber of the Society and would let me in.

The library at the Royal mage Society was absolutely breathtaking. Since it was part of the Royal mage society it seemed the creators of the library felt like they had to include magic into the infastructure. The library was shaped like a giant dome, and curved bookshelves had been built onto the sides of the domed walls. In the middle of the dome were huge levitating bookshelves the size of small houses, and within those bookshelves were doors that you could unlock that would take you to more bookshelves. For example one of the levitating bookshelves was dedicated to species of birds found in Giranon, so if you opened the door on that bookshelf you entered a room inside that bookshelf filled with books on the different birds. It was the same principle as Doctor Who's tardis (bigger on the inside that the outside) thanks to a type of dark magic, called spatial magic that allowed you to manipulate space (just like inscription Spatial magic was also a lost magic form).

Though only those with enough magical power could enter the rooms. At the very top of the dome was a crystal ceiling that let light flood in and illuminated the library. From the ceiling an intricate water magic spell had been cast so that four long streams of water fell from the ceiling all the way to the bottom of the library. Strange and beautiful birds came in from the openeing in the ceiling to come and chirp and play with the water. Strangely enough the birds never took refuge deeper in the library. They stayed by the top, never wanting to venture down and nest in the uninhabited bookshelves. Wasn't that strange...

The very top of the dome was above surface but the library extended many meters (maybe even a mile) below ground. The top of the dome was accessbile to anyone who was allowed in the palace, but the below ground levels were reserved for members of the Mage Society. Moreover, your rank in the Mage society determined how deep you were allowed into the library. Since I was part of the society, won the Mage tournament, got an S grade for my exam, and was a second rank noble, I was allowed everywhere except for the mysterious Forbidden books section, which was loacted at the very bottom of the library.

Information on how the six sacred weapons were made was surprisingly far down the library. There were only two ways to travel down the library: you either had to walk down the impossibly long and winding staircase or you took the library chariot - a flying chariot that fed off the riders magic to work. I chose the chariot becasue the chances of me running out of magic were pretty slim. However it seemed that everything about this library was designed for people not to get information. Literally, levitating book cases with doors to information you could only get if you gave some of your magic. Chariots that also required that you spend your magic. Not to mention that if you were afraid of heights, this library was just impossible for you.

The library was relatively empty compared to how large it was. I would say that there were only about twenty poeple, probably researches coming to study up for their research papers. I couldn't be mad at the lack of traffic though because the longer I stayed here, the more a feeling of dread and fear was beginning to wash over me. This place was like a cold breath on my neck, very uncomfortable. Even though it was beautiful with all its gold and jewelled surfaces, and the mesmerizing waterfalls that fell down from the ceiling, even the happy birds that were chirping, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't wanted in here.

Just at the beginning of the staricase to go down into the library was a service bell. I picked up the dainty silver bell and rang it, then waited for a moment. Soon a one-person silver chariot came flying to my side. I cautiously lifted my dress and slowly stepped into the chariot. When I was comfortably seated I took hold of what kind of looked like a steering wheel. As soon as my hands were attached to the steering apparatus I felt the chariot begin to slowly nibble away at my magic, like a leech. A very uncomfortable experience. Nevertheless the chariot flew me to the 78th level (out of one hundred) to where the book I was looking for was located. I stepped off the chariot onto the platform of a levitating bookshelf that was dedicated to sacred weapons.

Each book on this bookshelf was beautifully bound in expensive stained leathers or patterned woods.

I really didn't know where to start since all of the books had similar titles :

The Six Sacred Weapons by the esteemed scholar E. Hamadryads,

Introduction to the Six Sacred Weapons by renowned scholar V. L. Tesiris,

The making of the Six Sacred Weapons by the Great High Lord Vestilies,

The Complete handbook to the wondrous Six Sacred Weapons by a Royal mage

All of the titles sounded pretty pretentious on the authors part and the contents of the books turned out to be the same. There were literally multiple chapters dedicated to the authors and all their amazing acheivements, and then very little on the actual sacred weapons. I was about to give up on finding any worthy information when a small black book on the bottom shelf caught my eye.

It was simply bound in plain black leather and there was no title on the front. I squatted down to pick it up and turned over the cover to see the title on the inside.

Girannon's Six Sacred Weapons by R. Marcellus

It was by far the most modest of all the titles, even though this author was a first ranked noble. Probably one of Alice's ancestors or something.

I opened the black leather book and was immediately happy to see that there were not five chapters dedicated to the wonders of the author. The only thing that was added by the author that was personal to him was a short line that read:

"This book is dedicated to my friend, a great but misunderstood man, Lord Tearlach Doersa Velaris."

That was one hell of a name...

A name that I would put off trying to pronounce.

Besides that, this little black book was fantastic and had everything that I needed to know in it. The first chapter started off by explaining the principle of magic cores in a sword.

Magic cores, were a type of gem infused with holy magic buried within Sacred magical creatures or sacred places. These core not only had astounding magical powers but these cores actually had soles. They were alive, in a sense too complicated for humans to understand, but R. Marcellus insisted that they had a mind of their own and were even capable of emotion. The Six Sacred swords each had their own sacred core which was what made them so powerful.

I knew that I would have to get my own magical cores to put into my new six Sacred swords as well.

The book then went into detail on what type of core was used for each sword and where each core was retrieved from. Unfortunately, the book did say that a few of the magical creatures were unwilling to hand over there cores, so the people who went to retrieve it ended up slaughtering the creatures. Something that I absolutely refused to do.

I was completely absorbed in the book soaking up all the information from the pages.

Each general of the different sect each used a different type of magic.

The head of the Long Distance Combat Unit used wind magic. The head of the Medium ranged combat unit used water magic. The head of the front lines combat unit used Earth magic. The head of the second line of combat was used Fire Magic. Head of the secret task force used Lightning magic. Lastly the head of special services unit used Dark magic. It was the same then as it is today.

The wind magic core was taken from a rare magic phenomenon called the Holy cloud, wherein left over magic from nature floats up into the sky and infuses with a cloud. As time goes on, the cloud gains enough magic to form a core. That core was retrieved and used to create the sword.

The water magic core was forcefully taken from a Lasithian fish, a unique fish that is able to control water magic just like humans. This fish was reported to be two meters long with a carnivorous appetite, so the adventurers managed to slaughter and take its core.

The fire magic core was taken from a fully-matured dying Phoenix. Since the Phoenix was already dying when they found it, the Adventurers decided not to kill it and just waited two days for the bird to dy and then take its core.

The Earth core was retrieved from a hidden dungeon under the desert on the unclaimed Eastern island of Zwethael. Apparently many people died while trying to retrieve the stone from the heart of the dungeon because the ancient dungeon was booby trapped.

The lightning core was taken by killing the Leader of an Ogre tribe that worshipped the God of lightning. The god had gifted the Ogre a core for being a devoted follower of his. So they felt the need to slay the ogre to get the core for themselves.

Lastly, the Dark magic core was found in the heart of the Nomans land, the forest neighboring Malesh that spanned the rest of the continent and was home to all the magical creatures and non-human beings. A mysterious and terrifying place for humans to venture.

By the time I had finished reading I was practically drooling with anticipation. The thought of seeing all these amazing places was literally making my left eye twitch. Sadly, the rest of the time before the Kingdom Summit was all booked, so I either had to start working on the swords after the summit (a really depressing thought) or send somebody else to go and get the cores for me so I could work on the swords when I got back.

But who could I send to get the stuff for me...? Was there somebody I could hire...? I mean a mission like this would probably require very advanced fighters as well as researchers...

I gasped as I realized that I had the perfect solution to the problem. It was so obvious that I should have thought of it right away.

"An adventurers guild!" I whisper-shouted. That was perfect!

After doing a little jig. I opened the door to the bookshelf and was pleased to find a small desk with quill and ink that I could write on. I immediately sat down and wrote a letter to the Romulus guild, detailing what I wanted done and how I wanted it done. I made sure to state in the letter that no magical creatures or any other beings were allowed to be killed while retrieving the cores, unless the killing was done in self-defense. I would also lend them the flying chariots I was having the Kaltain's make in my shop, as well as a few other trinkets. 

I then folded the letter and cast a wind magic spell to fly it off to the guild.

I then rang the silver bell on the side of the bookcase and watched as the flying chariot came to fetch me. I stepped in as I had before and took hold of the steering wheel and winced as I felt the magic being sucked out of me. Once I was safely back on the first level, I decided to take out some books on the Nomans Land as well as some books on magical cores. It would make for some good reading when I got home.

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"I QUIT!!" Screamed Lavinia as she ripped the head piece off her head and stormed out of the church. The statued halls echoing as her bejeweled shoes tapped against the marble.

"But Milady, you haven't even started yet..." came the timid voice of the poor nun who had been assigned to help Lady Lavinia Hestia settle into her life in the church. 

Lavinia had promised to go and work a the church of Magic after the humiliation she had suffered during the Mage exam, where her derrière had been exposed in broad daylight for all the participants to see. It had taken her a good month to actually go and step foot in the church, but when she saw the uniform they had ready for her.... She quit. Immediately.

She wouldn't be seen dead wearing anything that wasn't made in Sorscha street in the noble center. So she definitely wasn't going to subject herself to the nuns uniforms and head pieces.

Instead she stormed back into her carriage and ordered her driver to take her to her favorite dessert shop in the harbor side, Sophie's café.

Soon she was seated at a table, enjoying the mouth watering wanders of a hot fudge and Gocan sundae. Every spoonful was heavenly and was taking away the stress of the thought of having to wear a hideous black gown everyday.

As she took in a mouthful of iced cream and hot fudge, she snickered to herself that Riley had never eaten this. She smirked an evil smirk. If she can't beat Riley with wit or power, at least she could beat Riley by eating better food than her...

While Lavinia tucked into her ice cream, a couple of woman a few tables over spotted her.

"Lizzie, isn't that Lady Lavinia...?"

The other girl turned to look in her direction.

"Heavens it is! I can't believe she could manage to show her face or in public ever again..."

She snickered.

"Is it really true that she exposed her backside to a room full of gentleman and ladies Lizzie?" The girl asked lowering her tone so that nobody could hear her.

"Yes it's true!" Lizzie laughed. "I went to go and watch my brothers exam with the rest of my family, and she had her bum completely on display!"

The two girls broke it in laughter and tried to keep the giggles under control.

"Well... is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Was it flat?"

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"Your Majesty and your Highness. I bring a message from the envoy from Patagonia." Said the message who was kneeled before the King and Geoffrey.

"Speak." Commanded the King.

"You Majesty, the envoy had a direct audience with the King of Patagonia. The King denied any involvement with the recent attacks of demonized men on the kingdoms."

"What!" The King shouted.

"Impossible! During the Great War, he was the one wielding demonized soldiers!"

"Your Majesty, Patagonia's King admitted to the envoy that during the war he had been approached by a cloaked man who offered him a way to be safe from the fighting of the Four Great Kingdoms. The strange man offered to demonize some of his soldiers and thus make them indestructible killing machines who could protect their country."

"So someone else besides the King of Patagonia is behind all this." Geoffrey stayed, trying to think of anyone with a motive against not only Girannon, but the four Great Kingdoms.

"The king also said that as soon as Girannon marched through Patagonia to fight Astonia in battle, all the men who had been demonized died. Moreover the man who demonized them disappeared without a trace."

"Hmph!" Grumbled King Leofrick. "It all sounds a bit too convenient to me that the King of Patagonia knows nothing at all. No matter, I shall wait until the summit to have a private talk with him."

With that the King dismissed the messenger.

"Geoffrey, have you any word about Lady Riley's origin?" The king asked, picking up his ice milk tea he had ordered from Sophie's café and took a long sip.

"So smooth..." he whispered admiring the cold milky drink.

"My people were able to track down her garments in Willows town. The clothes had a foreign language written on them, so I've sent them to go and be deciphered and find out which kingdom the language originated from. I am still waiting for the conclusion."

"Good work my son."

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