Chapter 9: «Favonius Swordsmanship - Fundamentals»

"Sir knight, I'm not here to borrow books. May I ask if Miss Amber is around?"

Nolan shook his head and replied in denial.

"Oh? You are looking for Miss Amber? Could it be that you are the young man from Liyue that she brought back?" Although Porthos used a questioning tone, his tone was one of certainty.

Nolan wasn't surprised the knights caught wind of him. The relief shelter fell under their administration after all. Amber housing him there would inevitably inform relevant staff.

With just these number of knights and internal personnel, words of the Liyue youth's plight spread amongst them.

Nolan nodded and smiled graciously:

"If it wasn't for Miss Amber's helping hand, I may have still been wandering outside now."

"Haha, how could it be." Porthos similarly revealed a smile, "Regardless of who's in trouble, the Knights of Favonius will never stand by idly."

The spectacled knight Otto also walked over and said:

"That's right. Miss Amber possesses deep compassion and respectability. She should be inside headquarters currently, go on in and look for her."

"Very well."

Nolan stepped onto the entrance stairs and pushed open the heavy wooden doors. A spacious main hall entered his sight, gaze naturally falling upon the innermost stairs to the second floor.

The headquarters' second floor was quite mysterious. Never unlocked in-game, so no one knew what lied up there.

The first room on the left - Acting Grand Master Jean's office. Despite being labeled as Solitary Confinement, the next room basically transformed into Klee's bomb research lab.

Any new bombs that Klee had could have been researched while she was in solitary confinement, after all, when she wasn't in solitary confinement she was either digging for a great secret treasure or on her way to do so.

The library was on the right, also guarded by a knight. Seeing no Amber after a sweep, Nolan walked over and asked: "Sir knight, is Miss Amber around?"

The stern-faced Wyratt, posture upright as well, answered in a middle-aged man's tone:

"Miss Amber is at the Acting Grand Master's Office for work reports. Please wait for a bit."

"I see."

Since then, Nolan could only stand by waiting.

What a pity Lisa already got off work, else he could browse the library to kill time... Hmm?

That knight said Lisa leaving meant no book loans registered, but reading inside should still be allowed right? With people guarding here there shouldn't be worries of books getting taken either.

Thus Nolan tried asking: "Excuse me, Sir Knight, may I read inside the library?"

Wyratt glanced at the youth and nodded:

"Of course."

"Thank you. Also Sir Knight, could I trouble you to inform Miss Amber someone's looking for her at the library when she's done?"

Nolan thanked him and further inquired—in case he missed Amber exiting not seeing her inside.

"Uh-huh. Go ahead." Receiving the same brief answer, Nolan once again expressed his thanks and gently pushed open the wooden door of the library and walked in.

At a sweeping glance, the layout seemed identical to the game - split above and below with both levels filled by oceans of books. No wonder Lisa chose librarian work. Perhaps no workplace surpassed here for ideal scholarly environments.

Aside from killing time waiting for Amber, another intention Nolan suddenly thought of—whether combat skill learning methods could be found in here?

If he could really find it, it would be greatly convenient for Nolan to acquire different skills.

It wasn't that anyone could be as happy to instruct others in archery as Draff did. So it was important to have an avenue where he could learn skills from books.

Even though learning without instruction might be slow, Nolan wasn't relying on talents. As long as he managed to grasp the entry fundamentals from guides successfully until a skill registered on his character panel, raising efficiency via Adventure EXP remained viable.

Whether there was talent or not didn't matter.

Nolan searched through the bookshelves one by one. Each shelf was labeled with what type of book it was, so it didn't feel like a hassle.

It had to be said that it was worthy of being the largest library in Mondstadt, basically, all types of books were there. The combat skills that Nolan wanted were also found on the wooden bookshelf on the left side of the first floor against the wall.

The entire shelf contained various combat skill training methods and predecessors' summarized experiences.

Brimming with anticipation, Nolan randomly plucked out a book. Its cover prominently displayed "Favonius Swordsmanship - Fundamentals" in large font. Clean and straightforward, he instantly recognized this taught foundations of Favonius swordsmanship.

Exactly what he currently needed. Hunter's Archery from Draff only marked fledgling comprehension so far. Learning some melee skills proved necessary.

He didn't immediately grab and read it, however, temporarily replacing the book back on the shelf to check out other options first.

"Favonius Archery - Fundamentals", "Universal Combat Breathing Rhythm Compendium", "Mitigation Techniques Against Large-Type Hilichurls", "Rhinedottir Single-Handed Swordplay", "Basic Grasping of Polearms"...

Perusing the many book names, some covered weapon utilization while others detailed countering specific monsters.

Overall though, nothing stood out as particularly incredible or containing transcendent superhuman abilities.

This made Nolan a bit disappointed.

Of course, he didn't hold major expectations to begin with. In Teyvat, elemental powers were the most common supernatural forces. Humans required Vision, an external magical apparatus, to utilize them.

If there is no "Vision" that can guide the elemental power, the probability of ordinary people contacting the elements rashly will be eroded, which can lead to minor illnesses or life-threatening situations.

So even if the Knights had methods to handle elemental powers, such information wouldn't be casually placed on shelves. Fearing curiosity might cripple some commoners practicing them.

After settling his thoughts, Nolan merely took that initial «Favonius Swordsmanship - Fundamentals» to a nearby table to read.

If Librarian Lisa still worked he could've borrowed some back for simultaneous study and practice. Alas, rambunctiously swinging weapons around in the library breaks all kinds of regulations and etiquette.

Reading revealed « Favonius Swordsmanship - Fundamentals » to be foundational swordsmanship summarized and compiled by the Knights. It contained training methods for both one-handed and two-handed swords.

What all Favonius Knights learned, nothing unique. No wasted words, explained very clearly.

Some learning experiences from senior knights were also included to reduce many detours for Nolan, faster to start.

He didn't expect coming to repay Amber would discover unexpected gains at the library.

Seemed Amber really was his lucky angel. He ought to properly thank her when possible.

(End of Chapter)

To be continued...