How to be a Good Villain follows the life of William Wood who strives to be the world's worst villain, together with his equally villainous comrades he tries to defeat Alex Smith who goes by 'Anti-Villian'.

In the midst of all the technology in 2067 a scientist manages to create an incredible teleportation machine, extremely powerful able to travel among other universes 

** Disclaimer: the book cover design is not mine; if the author wants me to remove it, send an email to luniit0218563@gmail.com which I will remove. **0.

He was in disbelief. 
The head of the department laughed at his reaction. "Snap out of it, Aihara. You look like I've just fired you."
"I'm sorry, sir!" Kaoru regained his composure. "I didn't expect this. Thank you very much."
The older man sitting opposite him in the meeting room just smiled kindly. "It's a great achievement for someone at your level. Hakusen should have hired you when they could."
Kaoru stared at the mock-up of the cover of the book with his design. It was for an up and coming novelist, who wanted a cover expressing separation.
A senior designer had overseen the project and Kaoru was staffed on the team. They spent weeks trying to meet the novelist's demands, on top of other assignments.
It came to a breaking point when his senior threw in the towel.
"I give up! He's just being fucking unreasonable. What's wrong with our ideas? Screw this."
Kaoru had been helping to polish his senior's work up until then. When the team went home dejectedly that day, he stayed back and thought about what the novelist wanted.
They had been fixated on a darker, wintry look. It made sense since the novel was equally dark and tragic.
To Kaoru, separation was on a warm autumn day, when leaves fell together with the hearts that followed. The memories which kept resurfacing during the entire project. 
He sketched out an idea and showed it to his senior the next day.
His senior was going to throw it into the bin when one of the team leads of the production department passed by and noticed it.
"Hey, let me look at that."
Kaoru had seen him before during meetings. Confident, effective and with a personality which  engaged with others easily, Fujiwara Ren was one of the rising stars in the company.
His senior handed over the sketch grudgingly. Fujiwara's hazel eyes scanned it and then asked Kaoru, "Is this your work?"
"Yes," Kaoru admitted.
A warm smile crossed Fujiwara's face. "I'll ask his editor to show it to him."
Both his senior and Kaoru had been shocked. 
That was three days ago. Now, he was sitting in the office looking down at his first book cover. Kaoru couldn't believe it.
He was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. His co-workers who have heard congratulated him heartily, except for the senior designer who muttered something to the effect of him lucking out.
Kaoru didn't mind if it was luck. It gave him a tiny confidence boost. 
Even if his inspiration was…
Don't think about it at work, he told himself. When he went home, then he could try to piece his heart together, as he often did ever since that day.
He tried to look for Fujiwara to thank him but the man was out for meetings. He did manage to speak to Miss Tachibana over the phone to convey the good news to her. 
When he left the office, he finally saw Fujiwara at the lobby.
Kaoru waved to get his attention.
Fujiwara looked up from his phone and grinned. "Aihara!"
Kaoru went over quickly and bowed. "Thank you so much. For the cover."
"It's your design," Fujiwara reminded him in a friendly manner. "Thank YOU. If not, the project would have been delayed and I'm probably still in the office."
Kaoru was embarrassed. "No, I..it was just an idea which came to me."
"Don't be so modest," Fujiwara chuckled. "You're such a cute junior!"
"Who's cute?" a deeper voice asked, amused.
A taller and very good-looking man appeared beside Fujiwara. In a suit and still carrying a briefcase.
"Shin! You're on time," Fujiwara exclaimed happily. "Meet Aihara Kaoru. From the design department."
Then to Kaoru, he introduced the man easily, "This is Kurosawa Shinobu. My partner."
Kaoru was surprised. 
"Nice to meet you," he said.
"And you," the man returned and added wryly. "Ren isn't giving you trouble, is he?"
"Of course not!" Fujiwara protested with a pout. "I'm the perfect senior."
"He's very kind to me," Kaoru agreed. "I got my first book cover because of him."
"He's just being unnecessarily humble," Fujiwara countered and told his partner, "My project is back on track. He's the reason you can take me out to dinner today."
"In that case, you have my thanks too," Kurosawa told Kaoru.
They made a dangerously attractive couple. It was clear that they were in love. Kaoru could see the adoring laughter in Fujiwara's eyes and although his partner seemed to be the more reserved type, the glances he gave Fujiwara contained a certain softness.
"Not at all! Anyway, I shouldn't take up more of your time." Kaoru smiled. "Have a good evening."
"Bye! See you around in the office!" Fujiwara waved cheerfully.
He could still make out bits and pieces of their conversation as he walked away.
"Just dinner? I haven't seen you for a week."
"What else?"
"Shin, don't tease me. Unless you don't want to..."
"Fine. A quick dinner."
"Now we're talking."
It didn't take much imagination to know what they could be referring to. Kaoru found himself smiling at how comfortable they seemed with each other.
When he got into the packed train, he finally let his mind wander. 
What was Keigo doing right now? Was he still in the office or traveling for work? Did he find someone who could make him happy?
Somehow, seeing Fujiwara and his partner together made him missed Keigo so intensely. What wouldn't he give to have just one dinner, free of any consequences and repercussions?
Kaoru knew back then that it would crush his heart. 
He hadn't expected that it could possibly be irreparable. Unlike the defect from his childhood, this could not be healed by any surgery or medication.
The human heart, once scarred, was never quite the same.

"You need money. I want company. It’s a fair trade.” That was the start of the relationship between Wada Keigo and Aihara Kaoru. How far will they go?

I was waiting for Minho to arrive, feeling restless and so annoyed of myself. Like what the hell Cass, you shouldn't have let Ethan affect you. Urgghh I hate myself, how can he do that to me? I'm so easily turned on by him. Later tonight, I have to get rid of that man.
I kicked out all the stones I could find to vent my anger. I'm so mad at myself right now.
*beep beep*
I looked up and saw Minho waving at me from inside the car.
I smiled at him, feeling guilty. How can I let this guy get close to me when I'm still so unclean and sinful? 
I sighed and approached the car. "Hi."
"Hey lady. Hop in."

The ride to school was somewhat uneventful. Minho asked me about my sleep, and I couldn't tell him I'm with my ex. How perfect is that. He also told me he'll be starting to work at their construction company.
"Is Gina also in your firm?"
'Yes. Since it's a family business. Gina's father is the current CEO."
"Oh wow. So rich. So Gina is next in line?"
"Supposed to be. But Gina doesn't really like doing that job. She favors being an architect and design, design, design."
"So, a brother maybe?"
"She's the only child."
My mouth grew wide. "So you're the next?"
"Eh, I think so. No one from the family are in this field. So, I think so."
"Wow. Minho,  that's very good."
"Yeah, but that's still far. I have to start at the bottom and you have to start teaching." He pointed at the front. The school came into view. We have arrived so quickly. 
"Thanks Minho. Take care. Good luck on your first day! Ganbatte!" saying that with a fighting hand pose. 
He laughed, "Sorry, don't understand that last bit but take care. I'll see you later."
I got out of the car and blew him a flying kiss before walking to school.

***
"So what was that kiss now? Huh? Huh?"
"Ash, shut up. You know, I never imagined you being like this. I thought you were a serious guy because of your voice. But naah, expectation vs. reality."
"Haha well. Don't judge me by my cover."
"I think that should be the book, not you."
"I don't like being compared to a book. But, let's get back to the subject at hand. Are you and Minho..?" Ash is wagging his brows up and down. 
I sighed. "We're friends. You know, getting to know and stuff?"
"And stuff? What is that?"
I facepalmed. How could this guy be a teacher. "You should teach now look, the kids are getting restless. Go on, go on. I'll be distributing their quiz scores."

The day went smoothly without Ash pestering me since he's being pestered by the kids.
After the class and when all the kids were fetched, Ash sat beside me on the teacher's nook, draping his body all over the chair. 
"Cass! Why didn't you help me? I'm so tired."
"Why should I? The kids want it to be you."
"I hate you."
"Well, thank you."
"Let's go home. I want my Gina."
"...."
"What? Bitter? Come on, move on from your ex. Minho's the best you know."
We walked outside and locked the room when I answered, "But when you love someone, he or she will probably be the best in your heart."
"Oh wow Cass, so romantic. But I can't deny that. Well, I hope for the best for you. Oh look there's your best."
I followed his line of sight. Minho's car is approaching us.
"Well Cass, I'd better go and see my Gina. Goodbye!" and then he rode his car. 
I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Lovebirds."
I boarded the car and met Minho's tired eyes. "Oh wow, first day and you're this tired?"
"Yeah, sorry. I was assigned as a team leader immediately and with a huge project at that. I have to go back and finish the plans."
"Then why did you even come for me? You should have told me that you'd be busy so you won't get dis-"
"Cass, I missed you already."
"Uh.. "
He chuckled. How fast. 
"Uh, Minho we were just together this morning."
"I know Cass. But, I guess I was just so tired and down in the drain that I want to see my sunshine."
His sunshine? Me? Whaaaaat? My cheeks reddened. "Minho, that is soooo, arrggh I can't even put it into words. But, I guess I'm happy that someone's still longing for my presence."
He didn't answer for a couple of minutes, but a grin is plastered on his face. 
"Cass, I'm sorry I can't treat you to dinner. But I'll make it up to you next time."
"Minho, really it's okay. You don't have to worry. Focus now on your work, so that your dream house would be finally realized."
"Yes. Our house in the future."
"What?"
He chuckled. "Nothing. Here you go, I'll see you tomorrow. And sorry for no dinner."
"Minho, don't make me repeat myself. It is really okay. And for tomorrow, just contact me if you can't make it. I will understand."
As I got down, I heard his car door open. He stood close then hugged me, "Thank you Cassidy."
"Silly. What are you thanking me for?"
"For being here with me. I hope it will stay like this."
My heart ached hearing Minho say that. What is wrong with me? Am I feeling guilty?
I sighed. "Minho, thank you. And take care!"
He kissed me on my cheek, and went away on his car.

As I pushed open my door, I saw Ethan leaning on the kitchen counter, looking pissed. Why do I feel like I'm going boating on two rivers?

He gave up.. 

We broke up.. 

We moved on and made our lives worthwile.. 

But then he calls.. I answer..  And we shared everything about ourselves. 

I was like his secretary. He was like my secretary. We know everything about each other. 

Are we now back as a couple? Or just that, friends? 

Are we doing this right? Or should I watch out?

This beautiful line was probably done by Miss Margaret. It seemed the note was never sent out, so this Augustin did not know that Margaret loved him too. The unspoken love was buried here forever, never to see light again.
An image appeared in Angor's mind. Two lovers, who adored each other, could not express their love for some reason. In the end, a disaster came and separated them forever, leaving no fruit, but a wilted and priceless sentiment behind.
These notes told the brief but romantic story of two secret lovers. Unfortunately, the story did not have a happy ending.
Angor commented "how destinies fool people around" and put the notes back.
Angor was an outsider. The Nether City[1] was discovered tens of thousands of years ago, so the lovers' story had to come from that age as well, if not earlier. There was no point minding the grand finale of such an old story.
Nothing else worth noting in these letters. He needed to search the other places.
Angor checked around Margaret's room again. He did not find anything, but he had a question about some details in the room.
Ever since he walked the stairs and explored the rooms, most objects rotted away or decayed over time, apart from some special items.
However, he did not find anything like that in this room. The surface of the desk was bright and clean like new, and the silk blanket on the bed was smooth and comforting to the touch, which still released a mild fragrance. Even the more fragile items like clothing and make-up powders were in good condition as if Margaret was caring for herself just a moment ago.
Did time show mercy here? Or did the Nightmare Realm "projected" the place like this? He would never figure these out now.
Angor left Margaret's room and entered the other bedroom. Telling from the decorations, this belonged to the original owner of the "house".
Angor searched the room for quite a while without finding anything. Being someone who lived in a noble family for many years, he believed the bedroom of a big family should have somewhere to hide things. His deceased father had such a secret section in his bedroom to place valuables.
This was why Angor did not stop looking despite not finding anything in his first attempt.
In the end, he did find a secret passage.
It was located under the bed, hidden under a square cover. A deep and dark tunnel.
Angor crouched into the tunnel and reached a concealed place soon. It was narrow, about three or four square meters. There were a bookshelf and some unknown items inside.
This had to be a "hidden stash" of the owner. With a bit of excitement, Angor went to the bookshelf first.
There were three levels on the bookshelf, full of books. Angor picked up a random one called Comments on How to Extract Valuable Materials (1).
"An alchemy book… Teacher didn't have this one," Angor thought to himself and read several pages. There was deep alchemy knowledge in the book, intended for experienced wizards.
Angor took out some more books, which were all alchemy ones. Most of them were valuable, unique copies which could not be found in Sunders' collection.
He was filled with joy. Now, this was an unexpected treasure!
After recording all of the books, Angor realized they were more valuable than he thought. Some of the alchemy theories were only applicable to legendary wizards or someone in higher ranks. He was sure these books were beyond priceless. Whoever could have collected these?
After finishing the books, Angor walked to the other items with a happy mood. He did not know what these were before, but after seeing some of the alchemy information in the books, he recognized that these things were mostly related to alchemy applications. High-quality ones.
It was a pity that he could not take them away. For one, they might just disappear like all the other previous items. Besides, they were pretty large, he could not possibly carry them with him.
So he had to give up in the end. He was still happy about acquiring valuable books.
Leaving the bedroom, Angor stepped into the last room on the second floor.
The room was to the left. Angor knew that nobles tended to regard "left" as "important", so he was most interested in this room.
The first thing that came into his view in the room was a large bookcase.
Angor's eyes shined. The last room was a study!
The design was simple. One bookcase, one desk, several oil paintings on the wall. Angor rushed to the bookcase and opened its cover doors. However, he was disappointed after checking some of the books.
There were a lot of books. But… most of them were official files about the Nether City, such as construction approval documents, gardening files, books about the arrangement of main traffic roads, and city defense structures. These occupied the entire bookcase.
Angor sighed and returned the books. At least he now knew that this place was called the "Nether City", not the Garden of Labyrinth. At least that was something.
As for the owner of this place, Angor had an idea that he was a high officer of some sort since he took care of such important files. He might even be a core manager of Nether City.
These were unimportant though. Nether City was a bunch of ruins now.
Angor closed the glass doors of the bookcase and slowly moved to the desk. He saw an opened book and a quill placed in an ink bottle when he entered the room. Seemed like someone was writing on the desk.
Angor sat on the chair and read the book.
It was a notebook. The current page was half-finished. Its owner had probably left it here for some reason.
Angor flipped to the first page to check what was written.
The first line on the front page of the book surprised Angor for good.
Singularity Dispersive Meditation.
This was a meditation book?! And the first of its kind Angor ever saw in the Nightmare Realm. This was the center of the underground maze, so could it be the special channeling method book Sunders mentioned?
Angor became excited. If so, he would begin his path of wizardry with the help of this book!
He wanted to read on. However, his teacher's words reminded him that even if he memorized the book down to every single word in the Nightmare Realm, he would forget everything upon returning to the wizarding world.
Angor calmed down, and carefully photographed every page of the book with his hologram tablet. Once this was done, he finally sat down to read it.
[1] The author mentioned the name of this place for the first time here. Maybe he thought he already did in previous chapters?


A young traveler who receives enlightenment from another civilization is on a mission to save his beloved mentor. In his journey to seek the ultimate truth, he travels extensively and along the way, he experiences some unpredictable encounters. Will he be able to save his mentor or will his path be derailed?

When Hue was about to carry the girl, Uoron calmly and leisurely came out of the bushes.

Being reminded that there was somebody else in their midst he took a deep breath and exhaled trying to calm himself. Finally suppressing his earlier feelings, he turned to looked at Uoron.

"Uoron, please carry her things and helped me bring it back. Our house is just below this hill."

He started walking towards the other direction of the red leafed tree even before Uoron could reply. He was carrying the fainted girl in his arms in a princess style. 

Honestly speaking, he didn't care if the stuff was brought back now or not as he can just retrieve it later but remembering that wild animals like foxes sometimes appear here that could destroy her things he asked Uoron instead as his hands were full in carrying Reen alone.

He didn't even he turn back once to see if Uoron was following him or not and just continued walking.

Uoron stared at his retreating back not minding being bossed around. It was a good thing he found out the man's identity before doing anything that he would greatly regret in the end. If it was any other person, he would be battered black and blue [1] by now.

It was not that he was afraid of Hue but he didn't want to risk the relationship that they could form in the future. As he was also trying to relieve his boredom he thus picked up her things such as her glasses, recorder, water bottle and book deciding to just go with the flow for now.

While thinking this way, his eye caught the attractive design on the book. The book was covered in a red sheet with a single puzzle piece symbol in the middle of its cover. There was nothing written on the spine of the book. The book seems to have a lock mechanism upon his assessment but currently it seems to be unlocked. 

"This design... hmmm... " he whispered

He was sure of this description since the sky completely cleared up and the moon was surprisingly bright that night. It was as though the earlier rain specifically showered the scenario.

He wanted to return her things before they truly get out of his site however curiosity ruled over logic, he sat down on the tree root she was previously sitting. He flips the cover and started reading. Only one paragraph was written with a beautiful handwriting.

"For curious seekers reading this book
Turn the next page and take a look
However, a warning I must give
Be cautious and prepare to receive 
The secrets that lies within each word
That will now be unfurled.

- Crimson Puzzle

Mindful of the warning, Uoron still decided and turned the page…


Author's Notes:

[1] A person being covered in bruises

After experience a broken heart and a series of unfortunate events, Reen had remembered everything.  While all this were happening, he came into her life.  Should she forgive and forget everything and live the life she always wanted or should she stay and fulfill her need to be free from her past’s dark constraints? 

Need or want which should she choose...?

"How do you do, Senior and Young Master? Ah... I recognise you, you must be Kuro-san, our one and only Blacksmith in town... Come and take a seat... What can we do for you, Gentlemen, on this fine evening?"

"Ah... Head of Treasurer... How kind of you. We had made a proposal for our Kuro-san here and he told me of his dilemma and situation right now. If it is other matters at heart, we would have brought him to somewhere else and cheer him up."

"However, he had a small financial dilemma and I am sure this would work out both ways. So far is the STM instalment scheme that has been in progress?"

"Ah... It has been very good since you had exercised the 12, 24 and 36 months scheme and we had made better margins and our Treasury seems to be more flourishing."

"That's good to hear that, here is the case that I want to present to you. Since this was an impromptu meeting, I do hope you could look into the matter and discuss and approve on it."

"That's not a problem, anything good for you would also good for me and this Treasury, Young Master! What have you got in store for me?"

"May I borrow your reed pen and a piece of paper? Let me draft the proposal and you may get it approved and it can be made proper afterwards."

The Head Treasurer eyed me with full enthusiasm because whatever proposal I have would benefit him most. Since I was sitting on the leftmost chair and Kuro-san was at the other end, only Hiko-sama saw what I was writing and proposing.

I quickly wrote on the piece of paper titled Micro Financing for Business and below I write Treasury Building, Kitakata Village. Below it, I wrote an amount of 20,000 gold coins. Then I made a calculation based on 24 months which amounts to 833 gold coins 4 silvers per month. I add 20% to it and became a 1,000 gold coins.

Then I divide it into 30 days and it amounts to 33 golds and 4 silvers. I round off the interest and the profit the bank earns and it was 4,000 coins.

15,000 deposit to Fasuto Japan KabushikiGaisha and 5,000 gold coins for us. 

After doing so, I passed the drafted proposal for the Head Treasurer and at the same time, I placed our corporate account book on the table.

He looked at it for some time and saw a hefty profit at the end of the paper and he smacked his lips. He was thinking of this young man recommends anyone to take up a micro-financing loan as what he wrote here at the top, every 10 business that takes a loan of 20,000 would earn the Treasury 4,000 and that would total to 40,000 on interests alone! This kid got the brains!

"Kuro-san has agreed for a proposed amount of 36 gold and 4 silvers to be paid to this Treasury. Furthermore, its a profit of at least  5 gold coins per day, am I right?"

The Head Treasure flipped out his Docomo mobile phone and keyed in the calculations and a smile slowly crept up his face! A daily interest of 5 gold coins! Even his salary of 1 year won't be able to cover the monthly profit for the Treasury! Damn! He's got a mobile smartphone man!
 
"Do you agree on the daily repayment of 33 gold and 4 silvers, Kuro-san? If you do, I would take this draft and be undersigned by you and be notarized by me. We could end this business dealing in just a few minutes time."

"Yes, I agree with the proposed and have the financial capacity to settle it daily. Here, let me undersigned this agreement."

Kuro-san took the paper and made sure everything is in order before he wrote his full name, local name and date and undersigned the top portion above his name. He passed the paper back at Head Treasurer and he notarised it by melting the red sticky thingy and stamped it using the Treasury logo.

"How do you want it, Young Master?"

"5,000 in gold coins for me and the rest goes into the corporate account. Thank you so much for accommodating us, Head Treasurer."

"No problem... No problem... It had always been a pleasure if doing business with you." the Head Treasurer called his assistant to prepare 5,000 gold coins for me while he took the account book and made an entry of 15,000 and he added the interest after that.

He handed the account book to us and Hiko-sama checked the entry and we bowed deeply to the Head Treasurer and all 3 of us left the building. Hiko-sama was given a large wooden chest where it contained 5,000 gold coins in bundles of 20 coins. It was heavy and cumbersome and somehow when he slipped it into the sleeve if the kimono and into a secret compartment, Hiko-sama walked with ease.

We headed back to the house and I asked for the assistance of 4 delivery boys to load up 40 crates of Refined Iron and deliver it to Kuro-san. He was delighted at laying his hands on the 20,000 plates of Refined Iron plates at a discounted price. Even if he sells them at 5 gold coins, he could earn 1 gold and 5 silver per Refined Plate. Hahahahaha...!

Kuro-san bowed and left with a load of crates that our delivery boys had pushed using 4 handcarts.

Another day, another killing. The total float cash that we have is more than 9,000 gold coins and it would last a while since we only pay for food supplies. And it could even salary up to 6 months ahead.

Hiko-sama pointed to his head and gave a thumbs up and handed me the large wooden chest that appeared mysteriously from the sleeve of his kimono. I took it and bring it to the storage room where I counted the bundles of coins and it had amounted to 470 bundles. 

I separated 100 bundles each and place them at random inside the pottery pieces. There is more than 2 handful of gold coins and I threw it into the charity box that had not been used for a very long time.

I walked out and went to the 'aunties' and find out what's for supper. I told the 'aunties' to just serve us dinner, while I took a few cobs of raw corn and began to remove the kernels. After I had removed them, I used a large saucepan and a bit of animal fat. I threw in a handful of corn kernels and used another saucepan and covered it as I shook both the saucepans together.

A few short moments later, there was some popping sound emitting from both the saucepans and when it was all quiet I asked for a plate and poured the contents over and walla! We have popcorn!

(actually, popcorn comes from sun-dried kernels and I just bullshit and make it as if popcorn comes from fresh, raw corn)

The 'aunties' saw it and tasted the new snack and they liked it instantly. I requested for their assistance to fill up 3 large bowls and serve it with dinner afterwards and I headed back to the garden.

"What did you do just now? I thought I heard fireworks."

"Ah... That was popcorn... Corn that pops on the pan and pops right into your mouth."

"Wow... Another new product... Are you going to Patent it?"

"Nah... It is just a normal food snack. I'm not going to patent it. But we will patent the Peanut Butter instead and name it Skippy!"

"That name already belongs to some other corporation! Devise another name!"

That voice again that came from offscreen. If he can change the script, why can't we? Naaaahhhh...fat ugly Mr Director. And now he's chewing the popcorn! Damn....!!

"I've decided to call it 'PinattSubata' ... Damn you Mr Director... I want to use a catchy phrase also cannot. So we need 2 phases for this. When we have the new warehouses on the new plot of land, one would be used for glass blowing, while the other would be 6 huge machines to churn this into peanut butter and 2 lines for processing and another line for frying."

"Here, I draw it for you... So that you can see what I had in mind. Just imagine, every household buys 1 every 3 days... We would be supplying thousands of bottles of this."

I drew the layout on how the process would be and placed it aside as dinner was served. It was fried garlic rice, with egg and saba fish and a crispy deep-fried fritter made from chopped vegetables and flour. Nom... Nom... Nom...Nom... Nom!

When the popcorn came, everyone took some and was delighted at how soft and light the snack was. I told them we can have it like this, slight salted or even with honey flavoured. 

I saw the 'aunties' preparing some for themselves and find it quite delectable as a snack and decided to present it for the employees tomorrow for afternoon tea. This would be a change of variety for them.

I called one of the delivery boys and asked him to summon the kitchen supplier as we need to discuss with him something. He galloped to the trading district and galloped back with the supplier. As we had finished our dinner, the only thing was the 3 bowls of popcorn.

I showed to Kami the proper way of eating popcorn was throw it in the air and catch it with the mouth. Everyone tried and laughed hysterically when some popcorn entered the nostril, some hit the eye and only Hiko-sama was able to catch it with his mouth on the first try. The owner of the kitchen supplier just looked on at how childish these grown-up men were.

I drew a diagram from a side view and a top view of a large diameter and low surfaced blender or mixer with blunt fins to stir up contents inside such as flour and a spindle at the side when one full turn would make the bladed fins spin at 20 or more RPM. He said he got a smaller version about a third of the capacity and I asked what's the capacity like.

He explained the capacity is about 2 kilograms... And with interchangeable blades. If we need the huge ones, he had to bring it to another Hollywood set where they used a ray gun to make the film, "Honey! I blew up the kids!"

I told him to reserve 9 of those for future projects and asked him to blow it up to 5 times the normal proportion. I would need 4 to 6 of those in the future. He said he would work in it and let me know the prices.

He took and a handful of popcorn bowed and left while he threw one popcorn in the air and try catching it with his mouth! Hahahaha it's really vital and it's catching on pretty quick...!

After finishing our light snacks after dinner I informed the group that Hiko-sama and I would like to take a walk in the trading district for a while.

"We are going to look for a glassblower factory if it exists. If not we have to find a few people to do it. Want to join us?"

The men agreed and we walked towards the trading district to look for glassblowers. We asked for directions and found one that was quite secluded since it was a factory and there is no one that made personal trades there.

I peered in and asked for the owner and he emerged a few moments later.

"What can we do for you, Gentlemen. This is a glassblower factory and we make orders for oil lantern glass, bottle glazes like the Ramune and other stuff for trading. Come in and take a look at our humble shop."

The moment we stepped into their production area, we were hit by a wave of heat that comes from opened door furnaces. There were bare-bodied men and Willaim from BGT would normally get him excited like a cat in heat.

I was thinking of getting our own glassblower but the furnace seemed too hot for comfort and it's a fire hazard. Our warehouse is not made from masonry but rather pinewood for its panelling. Hmm... Bad idea. Bad idea.

Everyone seemed rather uncomfortable in the heated factory while Hiko-sama and I acted as normal because of the daily affairs at our Blacksmith in the Realm of Mind.

"Kind proprietor, do you make glass containers with a glass top that could be airtight? Do you have a sample to show in your showroom?"

"Coke this way, Gentlemen. I can see your colleagues are already sweating buckets!"

The owner brought us to his office where there was an array of glass pieces, that comes in all sort of shapes and sizes and uses. I saw a cylindrical glass with a cute handle and asked if he could make this that could hold 250 millilitres of content with a glass top to make it airtight.

"Yes, it's possible. You wanted the same design as well?"

"Just a slight variation. Could you make this surface flat on this side and the same cylindrical as the rest?"

"That's possible. It's not hard really."

Ah... Die Liao! He had used a magic word that I love. Its called simplicity.

"How about the imprint of a label like Ramune for example. Are you able to do that too?"

"Yes, we can... We will get the Blacksmith to create for us an iron stamp and while the surface has cooled down a bit, we would press in right into this glass to make the imprint. It's easy, even a kid can print it."

"That's great, what's the price like? I mean if there is a glass cover, all we need to make it airtight is to use onion skin paper right?"

"Ah... Yes... It is shaped like a paper doily and just place it here and use the glass cover to cover it. If you are looking at this design, slightly shorter and with a cover, it would cost you only 5 coppers. But if you at 50-100 pieces, I could give you at a price if 4 coppers 5 bronze."

"Since the production is simple how about if I counter this at 2 coppers?"

"Owh... It is a break-even price, I think we would only make a bronze it two pieces if you counter with the price. No, Gentlemen, it won't do."

"I offer you at 2 coppers per glass max at a production of 250,000 pieces. All neatly stacked in 50s per carton. If you earn a bronze each, you would earn 250 gold coins altogether, right?" 

"It's 50 per crate and a total of 5000 crates. Write me up a receipt and we can conclude the order. My good man here will pay a partial deposit of 50 gold coins first and the rest when all the 250,000 pieces had been completely delivered."

"Its a deal, Gentlemen. So what are you going to print on it?"

I took his receipt book and drew an oval shape logo. At the top, I wrote Fasuto Japan and the bottom I wrote KabushikiGaisha. In the centre, I wrote "Pinatt Subata".

He took it and asked what is this "Pinatt Subata" and I explained to him that I am not a Japanese and I took it from Google Translate from a direct translation of "Peanut Butter".

"Ahhh... No wonder. I have heard of Fasuto Japan KabushikiGaisha and heard that someone ever stood up against the Mayor and talked him down until he left the premises." 

"By the way, it is in the past so right now, let me write you a receipt for the order. When do you need them?"

"You can make as many as you can first and once it is prepared, pack them first in the crates and store them in your warehouse and we will let our boys come and pick it up when our warehouse is ready."

"Very well, Gentlemen... We will get it ready, so I write in a deposit of 100 gold and remaining 4900 gold when it's complete, right?"

Hiko-sama took his free hand and inserted into his sleeve and magically took out 100 gold coins and passed it to the owner. He didn't believe his luck when he received such an order from the well known Fasuto Japan KabushikiGaisha where its members were all low profile personnel.

We thanked him and bowed as we left his showroom, past his open furnaces and out from the factory, ushered by the owner himself. He bowed deeply to us and we bowed back and he was thankful for the business that we had given him.

"Wow... Simply wow. I don't know how to negotiate like you but your mind really works very fast. Faster than the MRT in Tokyo! The way you negotiate really is terrifying. And your mind can calculate what these men are after... And that profit!" Toshi spoke to us when yet again we had stuck a deal at a bargain price.

I looked at Hiko-sama and said, "Easy money... Easy come, easy go." Hiko-sama nodded as he understood that we had gotten a 5,000 float cash and all go to the glass factory.

"The shape of the glass looks weird with a handle," Kami said after a while.

"Do you know why it's shaped like a drinking mug? After the contents are finished, the customer can use it as a drinking mug. And when people drink from that glass, they would remember to buy some more of the Pinatt Subata."

"Just imagine our town of 10,000 residents and 4 residents to a household. We would expect every single household to have this Pinatt Subata and at that figure, we sell about 2,500 bottles at 1 silver every 3 days. Or an equivalent of 250 gold per 3 days or 2500 gold coins per month. That's for 10,000 residents."

"How about 100,000 residents, it would be 2500 per 3 days or 25,000 per month. Or maybe 1,000,000 residents that would reap an income of 250,000 gold coins per month. That's the max for a million residents. A humble silver could rake in so much."

"True... True... True... You're so good at figures and a forecast. With the drinking  glass-shaped container, it serves 2 purposes, one is for storage and another to drink from." 

"And it's free advertising every time they raised the glass to drink they will see 'Pinatt Subata' and the company as well... You kid... Are you a Major from Business Administration or Business and Marketing or both?  Hahahahaha... "

I smiled as this chapter comes to a close at over 3k words so I would be able to move on and write another chapter and mass release it as 3 chapters per weekday and 5 or more on weekend!

My name is Sam Mulder and I am about to travel through Multiverse Transmigration as I took over the body and soul of significant people from the 19th century right to the present day.

As I transmigrated into their bodies, taking over their past recollection and memories. Reaching a set of goals would successfully made me Leap into the next and into the next, until I finally transmigrated back into my own body.

Travel with me throughout the world, and experience the Roller Coaster Ride of Emotions from being a child right to being an elderly man, as we elaborately narrate in each of these series.

As I was standing there in the white plain room, holding to the pieces of steel plates in my hands, I was a bit dumbfounded at what to do next.

"Ceres, what do you suggest I do right now?" I asked and Ceres recommended me to make some furniture inside this white room that would serve as my main room whenever I start to enter this realm.

I soon began to visualise about how great it would be to have my own two-seater throne here with comfortable and thick cushions for me to sit on and relax.

I visualise the same old two-seater bamboo throne from the elevated platform of my domain and I could see its simple designs but of sturdy materials. 

After I had visualised the two-seater bamboo throne in my mind and twirling it around a few times to get the whine design in order, I heard Ceres calling me out to open up my eyes.

Lo and behold...! The two-seater bamboo throne was right there in front of my eyes and even though the design was a bit better than the one I had, I managed to conjure up such things easily...!

"Audemars, things that you are familiar with would be easier for you to visualise and conjure up in your mind."

"If you had not encountered any new things by touch or by sight, the visualisation would fail. Right now... How about you visualising a book stand with plenty of reference books like an encyclopedia of sorts?"

Ceres suggested me to reach out and visualise a set of encyclopedias that could only mean one thing... These reference books would be able to show me what is the future all about...!

"Alright, let me give it a try. Encyclopedia... Here I come...!" inclosed my eyes and visualise a book stand, much like the one I have in my study and as for the books, I visualise the word encyclopedia and each book had a reference from A to Z.

The encyclopedia sets that I visualise would tell me what lies in the present and the future and would have all sort of machines, transportation such as horseless carriages and those standalone distillers and the burners and greenish-blue canister beside it. 

I visualise the encyclopedia to be able to tell me with in-depth information and how to construct the pieces together. It took me quite a while to visualise how large and thick the encyclopedia as it would also cover the animal kingdom on land and at sea as well. 

Complete with engineering concepts, I also visualise the everyday things that I had seen before when I was shown the images of the first 3 people that I had transmigrated in. 

I didn't know how long I was visualising it since Ceres didn't give me an indication as I tried to think back of the image and all the things that I had seen to be explained inside the encyclopedia. 

After sometime later, Ceres sounded and instructed me to open up my eyes. The moment I opened up my eyes, I saw a floating bookcase next to my two-seater bamboo throne and Ceres informed me that I had forgotten to set it down to the ground. 

"Small matter, Audemars. What I need to do is to adjust the gravitational force of the bookcase and set it beside the sofa. That's what's its called in the modern times." with that the bookcase floated and settled itself beside the sofa and I went over to inspect the sofa and the set of encyclopedia. 

Each encyclopedia was referenced from A to Z just like the annals and journals that we used to have. The thick covers of the encyclopedia and the size itself was quite large and I removed the first encyclopedia marked as A and carried it over to my sofa. 

I settled down and was about to flip the encyclopedia when Ceres sounded again inside my mind. "The encyclopedia would only be useful if you had known about certain things."

"Like for example you had taken a taken a reference termed as A. Inside it you would not find something like aeronautics or aerospace but you would find some common knowledge on automobiles, the later ones you had driven before."

Those were what you refer them as horseless metal carriages."

What Ceres had said was true enough, most of the pages inside the encyclopedia reference A was almost empty and only contain certain information that I had associated with before. 

I flipped through armour and was surprised to see a lot of pictures and information dated from the Byzantine era right to modern wear. It seemed that I had once seen it being worn by an assailant that I had managed to impale him or her with a sharpened bamboo stake. 

Not only the encyclopedia has pictures and information on a certain set of armour but also in-depth knowledge on how it was done. Anything that was in the last had been shown as well as the furthest future. 

It seems that I would be spending a lot of time here in the realm and do a lot of reading. In that case, I would visualise a study desk that was being made by Frank way back before they were made of bamboo and reed and make something similar. 

I closed my eyes and visualised a study desk and a dining chair that I used to pull around to sit instead. After some time I opened up my eyes and I saw the exact study table and chair beside the sofa. 

I stood up and rearranged the study table and chair to the appropriate position so I would be able to sit back and read the book with better concentration. Next, I conjure up some paper and some quill and ink and it too appeared on the table. 

The purpose of having this paper and ink was to record down several important information from the encyclopedia and bring it back to the real world. "That's good, Audemars. You really learn fast and you knew what could be brought in and out from the realm to the real world." 

"One more thing I had to tell you is about the time consumption and duration here in the realm and the real world. One hour spent in the real world would equal to three hours here in the realm." 

"Which means you could spend more time here since the flown of time here is much slower than the real world...!" 

I was sweetly surprised to realise such existence since I only knew about the 1:1 ratio wherever one would be in the parts of the world. However here it's 1:3 and means I have more than enough time to hang around in the realm and be able to perform more things up to three times the normal rate back in the real world. 

"Ceres, do you have a timer or something that indicates how long I had been here in this realm? I would like to conjure up a mechanical clock but then the clock would need to be winded like the one in the domain and not from the future."

"There is, Audemars. The clock is ticking right at the left hand side of your information screen panel. It's the same timer that was used to record your achievements and this is counting backwards means its a countdown timer instead of behaving like a sports stopwatch."

A sports stopwatch? What in the world is that? I know what does a countdown mean and also it seems I do need to spend a lot of time in here as well. 

I looked at the countdown timer and saw that I had more than 2 hours left in this realm so I decided to do something more worthwhile regards it. 

I placed the encyclopedia back in the book stand and picked the 4 pieces of steel plates and stepped back as I pressed the directional button on the virtual information screen panel until I reached where the machines were.

During the period of 1337-1453, a terrible war broke in Medieval England and that period was called (Hundred Year's War) and a huge turmoil ensued between the England and France with the involvement of rebels as well as opportunists. 

Prince Audemars Macleod, a descendent of King Richard Macleod of Darlington had barely managed to escape with his life when the Manor he was living in was besieged by rebels in 1440, when he was just barely 18 years old.

Let us travel through time and relive the experiences of this young Prince as he was forced to 'banished' and survive with some followers they entrusted their lives with him.

Little did he realise that he was actually living in the past of his future and had no recollection of anything except when he was narrated by a Seer that had been inducted as a permanent resident of the town he founded later.

*This is a fictional world. Most plants, vegetables, fruits and certain animals didn't exist in England that time.

*Almost all novels start off with a system. This does not reveal any hint of a system until you get to almost halfway through the novel. 

* Mobsters are included in the later chapters of this novel too. 

*This is a slow grind so bear with it as the storyline develops. Thank you and happy reading...

Gun-Ho received a book from Jae-Sik Moon.
"Hmm. Finally, Professor Jien Wang's book has been published. It's thick."
Gun-Ho opened the book. On the other side of the cover page, Professor Jien Wang's profile was listed. It said that he obtained his Ph.D. from Yale University and taught at Yale. He is currently teaching at Zhejiang University in China. There was a brief profile about the translator who translated this book into Korean too. He was an instructor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
 
Gun-Ho turned the first page over. There, he could see the name of the publishing company and publisher, etc. The publishing company was GH Media, and the publisher was Jeong-Sook Shin; the chief editor was Jae-Sik Moon. The name of the design team's leader—Jeong-Sook Oh was shown there too. The price of the book was 15,000 won. Maybe given the thickness of the book, it was priced high.
"Let me see if there is any book review on this book in a newspaper."
Gun-Ho searched the Internet. The three major newspapers: Chosun, Joongang, and Donga Ilbo were making an issue of the book. Even a small newspaper in a province was talking about the book. Maybe because the author was a college professor in China, who used to teach at Yale University. Moreover, the economy prospect in China for the 21st century as the book title indicated is closely related to people in Korea.
"I hope it sells very well."
Gun-Ho opened the book while saying that. There were many charts and diagrams, it certainly looked not a fun book, unlike a novel.
 
Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.
"How many workers do we have, who is above team leader?"
"We have 62, sir."
"Then, please buy this book, 62 of them from online and hand it to all of them."
"It's Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century."
"Tell them to read it and make a book report. The one who submits the best book report will be awarded."
"Yes, sir."
The general affairs manager made a note about the name and the publisher of the book while standing in front of Gun-Ho."
"GH Media? It's one of our companies?"
The general affairs manager seemed to be delighted.
 
Gun-Ho went on a business trip to China. He was carrying the book that Professor Wang authored. He was carrying several Korean versions of the book. Once a book was published, the publisher usually sent the book to the author by mail. Gun-Ho wanted to bring it to Professor Wang himself.
Once he arrived in China, he didn't go to Suzhou City where Min-Hyeok was, but he went to Hangzhou Jien Wang was living in.
Gun-Ho was thinking of calling Jien Wang and asking him to come to the hotel where he was staying, but he decided to visit him to his workplace instead, which was his research office at Zhejiang University.
"Professor Wang? It's me, Gun-Ho Goo. I just arrived in China and I am on my way to your research office."
"What? You are coming to my office? I am in the office by myself and writing a paper. I will be here waiting for you."
 
When Gun-Ho and Jien Wang met, they hugged each other.
"It has been a while."
"Guess what? I brought you the book you wrote. It's a Korean version that has just been published in Korea. The publishing company will send it to you soon by mail, but I wanted to give it to you myself. I brought two of them."
"You could just send them by mail. It is kind of heavy to carry."
Jien Wang looked delighted, he was smiling.
"The Korean language is so beautiful. It is a phonetic language. I am envious of it."
"The Chinese language contains profound meaning."
"The Chinese characters are not easy to use on the Internet, and it is hard to write a foreign language in Chinese. If we want to write a foreign name such as Obama or Trump, we have to make it with Chinese characters. That's difficult."
"We have 24 letters in the Korean language."
"Exactly. I am so jealous. It's so easy to learn. You know what? There are three things that Chinese people will never know in their entire lives."
"What are they?"
"First, since the land of China is so big that they won't be able to visit them all before they die."
"That makes sense."
"Secondly, we have so many different cuisines in each province that they won't be able to taste them all before they die."
"Hahaha. Really?"
"Can you guess the third one?"
"I don't know."
"Chinese people die without knowing all of the Chinese characters. Even I sometimes encounter a Chinese character that I don't recognize because it is rarely used."
"Hmm. That's a bit sad."
"Well, I have my good friend here who came all the way from Korea. I will have to have a drink. I will buy you a drink today. I received a royalty from GH Media."
"That was already several months ago."
"Well, I at least want to buy you a drink, President Goo. You helped me to publish my book in Korea. Let's go and have Shaoxing wine."
 
Professor Jien Wang took Gun-Ho to a shabby bar at Hubin Lu.
"I come to this bar sometimes after work. I enjoy drinking by myself. My favorite menu here is a bottle of Shaoxing wine with a seasoned eggplant."
"This seasoned eggplant and water parsley taste similar to a Korean dish. I like them."
Gun-Ho ate a lot because he really liked those seasoned vegetables. They sautéed the vegetables with a little bit of oil, and they were really good. A pork dish came out.
"This pork dish is a special order for you, my friend. You eat pork, right?"
"Sure. It's good."
The port was sautéed with sliced onions.
 
Gun-Ho thought that the bar was a type of bars where a professor with not much money would come just like Jien Wang.
"I once wrote something while I was drinking at this bar. I sent it to a newspaper. The title is 'thinking of my friend.'"
Jien Wang took out a newspaper from his bag, it looked a bit dated. Jien Wang's writing was in the newspaper.
Gun-Ho started reading it. In the writing, Jien Wang talked about his Korean friend—Gun-Ho as well. It talked about how he met Gun-Ho for the first time, and how Gun-Ho was developed into a successful businessman. He also talked about how kind Gun-Ho was to him when he attended a conference in Korea along with Korean people's sense of public order and cleanliness.
"Thank you, my friend. You talked good about me."
"I really meant it."
Gun-Ho truly appreciated it.
"Let's keep our friendship forever."
"Sure. We will be friends until we die."
Gun-Ho was feeling good and enjoyed his drink with Jien Wang that night.
 
Gun-Ho headed to Suzhou City to see Min-Hyeok. Min-Hyeok seemed to gain some weight.
"You gained some weight. Maybe because Chinese food here is a bit oily."
"I think that's because I ate too many dish when I drink with customers as part of my sales activities. My fiancée already nagged me."
"What did she say?"
"She said I need to lose weight. She even gave me some kind of pills that would help me lose weight."
Min-Hyeok showed a bottle of pills to Gun-Ho, which said Jianfei.
 
The factory in China was doing great, it was vibrant. Min-Hyeok gave a brief report to Gun-Ho on the company's current loss and profit status. Gun-Ho could see how hard Min-Hyeok had been working because of the stock option.
"You have been working so hard."
"Yeah. I actually need some extra money, so I worked as much as I could. I am expecting to get some extra income from the stock option at the end of this year."
"Is it because of your wedding?"
"I will have to find a place to live with my fiancée. The rent is too high, so I am thinking to buy a home in Suzhou City. I will live with my wife right after we marry next spring."
"Do you think you would get a good dividend this year?"
"If things go well as expected, the ordinary income will be 2 billion Korean Won. My stock option is 5% of it, so I will receive an extra 100 million won. There is a condo complex in Suzhou City and it is called Cui Yuan Huayuan. It is close to our factory. I think I can buy a 25 pyung condo there with a loan. It costs 150 million won."
"The price of the condo will increase in the future?"
"I think so."
"Did your fiancée see that condo already?"
"No, she hasn't yet. Her name is Dingding. She will quit her job at school in Shanghai once we marry."
"Dingding? The teaching job in Shanghai International School is hard to get, isn't it?"
"Since she studied in the U.S., she can easily find another job here too. She was already offered a position from Suzhou International School."
"Really? That's great."
Gun-Ho thought Min-Hyeok was doing really good with his life.

This is the story of a poor young man whose poverty even shreds apart their family willing to climb his way through society and into the top. A very realistic novel that moves away from fantasy and sci-fi and focuses solely on the issues of society and life.

From what I experienced over the past week, and from the reading materials Amber gave me, it didn't seem like Badoth was in any way chaotic or disorderly. As a functioning and stable state, Badoth could have readily established neutral or friendly diplomatic relations with Kitrod. What caused these two kingdoms to go to war with each other? Why did nobody ever decide that 70 years was too long for a war?
The texts Amber gave me didn't talk much about the Demon King Badoth and the history of the kingdom he founded 70 years ago, so it was probably unlikely that I would ever find the answer to my questions unless I had the chance to talk to the king himself.
In any case, I have the demon language's alphabet drilled into my head now, so I should be able to read any text written with it. I wouldn't be able to understand what it meant, but I could always ask Amber to translate that for me.
"Are there any diviners or warlocks in town, Amber?"
"None. Why do you ask?"
"Well there aren't any herbalists or alchemists around, so the only thing I can learn here in Badoth is new magic. For that, I need someone capable of using advanced spells."
"Aren't you retired from that?"
"Just because I retired from being an adventurer doesn't mean I can't still be an archmage. I still feel an urge to learn new spells every now and then. Whether or not I can actually cast it is a different issue, though."
"So you want to learn useless knowledge."
"Hey, it's not entirely useless. Learning a new spell, regardless of whether or not it's usable, allows me to recognize when someone is about to cast that spell and properly assess how dangerous the situation is. Of course that scenario will probably never happen, but you never know what life might throw at you. Who knows, maybe someone might challenge me to a duel some day."
Amber gave a long sigh to my response.
"…You might want to try the library."
"Do they have spellbooks there?"
"I'm not sure. They might, though."
"Then please show me the way there."
*   *   *   *   *
The population of Sachiru was less than 20000, so there was only one moderate sized public library serving the entire town. It was located at the very center of town, a fifteen minute walk from the shop.
It was currently around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, so the streets of the market district were bustling with townsfolk trying to purchase the freshest food they could find for making dinner. As we left the market district, the bustling sight gradually faded away in favor of quiet residential areas. There were children playing around on the wide empty streets, occasionally stepping aside to avoid an oncoming carriage.
Looking at the children having fun on the streets, I couldn't help but reminisce a little about my childhood, when I could live every day without a single worry in the world. It was only unfortunate that those days couldn't last long…
"It's quite a relieving sight, don't you think, Blaze?"
"Hm?"
"We're so close to where the war takes place, but people are able to live on their daily lives normally."
"It's always good to have some optimism even in times of crisis, I guess…"
It's hard to ignore the atrocities of war, but if the people are still able to continue living their lives normally with optimism, the soldiers can at least etch in their minds the sight of the peace they're fighting to protect and fight on. It would have been pointless to go to battle for a group of unhappy people, after all.
We arrived at the library before long. At first glance, the library building looked no different from a stone fortress. On each side of the entrance was a statue of what looked like a goblin man sitting on a raised platform and reading a book. The fortress was minimally decorated, having only one single banner above the entrance, with a drawing of an open book painted onto it.
While a fortress shaped library building was great for asserting that "knowledge is power", I can't say I'm fond of the building design at all. With the exception of the ground floor that had none, the upper floors only had two small embrasures on each side of the building. The library's interior would no doubt have received very little natural lighting because of that.
"Is this… really a library?"
I couldn't help but wonder what I was looking at when I opened the door and went in. It was far different from what I had in mind. While there were several bookshelves in plain view, the interior gave off a wholly different vibe.
There was no natural lighting due to the lack of embrasures, and the ground floor was only dimly lit with faint red lights. Small reading desks with empty flasks on top were scattered throughout the floor, and there were numerous drapes hanging from the ceiling that one could pull to create an enclosed private space around each reading desk.
A very light flowery aroma was lingering in the air. It was hard to imagine anyone being able to read normally in this kind of environment. Better yet, how is it even possible to read anything under this dim lighting?
"Huh, they remodeled this place. It looked a lot brighter the last time I was here."
Seems like even Amber is surprised at this sight.
Out of curiosity, I moved towards the nearest bookshelf and grabbed a random book. Like with the rest of the books on the shelf, the book was unlabeled and had a solid color cover, so I had no idea what was even inside. After taking it out of the shelf, I quickly flipped through the pages to see if I could figure out what it was about. Apparently the dim lighting in this library was sufficient for reading. One would have to focus on a page to make out the details, though.
A brief glance at the contents soon made me realize the meaning behind the library's interior design, but to confirm my suspicions, I took another book out and flipped through it. As expected, this book was yet another provocative magazine full of lewd female pictures. Were it not for the red lighting here, one could probably see my face turn beet red.
In any case, this floor's ambient lighting and abundance of private space certainly was a great setting for those looking towards partially satisfying their sensual needs. I reckon the flask being there was to make sure the carpeted floor wouldn't be ruined.
"Oh, a living human? This is quite a surprise!"
Turning towards where the voice came from, I saw a curly haired short woman walking towards me. She wore very revealing tight clothes, which emphasized certain female parts of hers that already had an unnaturally large size. She had a small pair of wings on her back, and a slender long tail with a pointed tip, suggesting that she was a succubus.
"Welcome to Sachiru's one and only public library! I'm the librarian. Very curious to know what your tastes are like."
The succubus librarian had a somewhat devious smile as she said that.
"I don't think I have the time for that today…"
Succubi were a female-only race that needed to consume the bodily fluids of males to sustain themselves. Normally they would achieve this by giving men erotic dreams, so I found it quite abnormal to find a succubus stocking the library's ground floor with countless lewd magazines… Well, at least I know why there were flasks on the reading desks now.
"Is it even appropriate to arouse people here?"
"The orcs and goblins in this town keep flailing about dangerously in their sleep, so I had to find another place to do my work."
"Still, shouldn't a library be a place for learning, not for sexual pleasure?"
"The upper floors are normal!"
"Also, just curious, how long ago was the library remodeled?"
"About half a year."
If the library has been like this for half a year already, then I guess the authorities are fine with it. If anything, having a lewd collection of books here for everyone to access might even have a side effect of lowering the rate of sexual crimes in town. Not only that, the library would actually encourage more people to come in and read books… assuming the readers still had the energy and motivation to go upstairs.
"Well, since you're the librarian here, could I ask where I could find spellbooks?"
"Libraries don't usually carry those. You have to find a warlock or archmage for that. I think we have books that talk about magic, though."
"That's close enough. Could you tell me where I can find the magic books? Preferably ones written in the demon language."
"Let me check on that. Nobody ever reads books about magic in this town, so I never bothered remembering their location."
"I'll come find you in a few minutes, then. Thanks."
I kept watch of the succubus librarian as she walked away so that I would know where to find her later. Speaking of finding people, I wonder where Amber headed off to. She disappeared somewhere after commenting about how the library was remodeled earlier.
I walked around the ground floor in search of her and eventually found her sitting at one of the reading desks, looking attentively at a book with a plain blue cover and occasionally making sounds of surprise.
"So there are lewd magazines aimed at women here too, aren't there?"
"Seems like it."
"Are you enjoying that book?"
"Yes."
"Can I take a look at the types of men you're making sounds at?"
"This book doesn't have men in it."
Well, this is quite a shocker. If Amber wasn't looking at a book with lewd male pictures, then…
"Wait a minute… Does that mean you're into other women?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Amber looked up at me with a confused look on her face.
"If you're not looking at a book with male pictures, then you're looking at one with female pictures, right?"
"There are other kinds of books on this floor, you know… And for the record, I prefer men."
"Oh… I'm sorry for misunderstanding…"
I really shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly like that. It felt rather relieving that she didn't appear to be mad at me.
I walked over to Amber's side to take a look at the book she was reading. It was filled with pictures of what looked like fish.
"That isn't a book full of lewd fish pictures, is it?"
"Not everything on this floor is lewd, Blaze."
Come to think of it, that was probably a stupid question. What in the world would even count as a lewd fish picture?
"I want to see the ocean once in my life, but it's so far away, so the only way for me to learn about what it holds is through books like these."
"That's interesting. Can I read that when you're done?"
This continent was so large that most people have never been to the ocean because it would have taken an extremely long time to get to the coast. Stories of the majestic aquatic creatures that lived in the ocean occasionally got told and spread around by traveling merchants, but it was hard to take them seriously since word of mouth tends to get exaggerated after going through several people.
Nonetheless, I've never been to the ocean, so I know hardly anything about it. The fact that Amber was learning about the ocean through books piqued my interest.
"There are plenty of books like this one here. Look for a shelf with a missing book."
Before I knew it, I was taking out and flipping through the pages of random books about marine animals. I should probably borrow some of these to read at home later.
I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something, though…
As I was busy immersing myself in the illustrations of the mysterious creatures, I felt a sudden light tap on my shoulder. Standing behind me was the succubus librarian, with a slightly annoyed look on her face.
"You kept me waiting at the desk for so long!"
Right, that's what I was forgetting. I was supposed to come to her desk to know where those magic books were located.
"I'm sorry, I got too excited about all these animals I've never seen before…"
The librarian let out a soft sigh at my response.
"…Well, we only have a few books about magic since the demand for those is low. You can find all of them on the shelf labeled 'M' on the third floor."
"Thank you. And sorry for making you wait like that…"
Amber still seemed to be busy reading her book, so I think I'll just go upstairs by myself. If I find any interesting books, I could bring it downstairs for her to translate.
Contrary to my expectations and to its downstairs counterpart, the upper two floors of the library were actually very brightly lit. I don't even know how that was physically possible, since the embrasures on the wall were relatively small. Tiny windows like these shouldn't be able to let so much light through.
There were long reading desks lined up in an open space along the floor, with chalkboards placed by the end of each desk. There were scribbles and formulas written all over the boards, making these floors actually feel like a place where people would come to study or research and hold scholarly discussions with their peers. Too bad it was empty at this hour… and most other hours for that matter.
Now then, time to look for a shelf labeled "M"...

Some say that being an adventurer doing quests for a living was a wonderful job because of the freedom and exploration that comes with the job.

Unfortunately, that kind of life wasn't suited for everyone. A mage who found the life of an adventurer too difficult decides to retire and operate an alchemy store instead.

He gains a bit of fame from running one of very few alchemy stores in the world, but things don't go too smoothly for him, as he is once again forced to go on adventures...

* August 7, 2018: Novel now also published on Royal Road. Same title and author name.

* September 12, 2018: A problem occurred with Chapter 13, so I have to re-upload it and all the chapters that follow...

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