Chapter 102: The Library

In the Commoner district of Karada’s Outer City, there were many unremarkable alleys like the one George found himself in. Beneath his feet was a cobblestone path worn smooth by the soles of pedestrians, and on both sides stood walls whitewashed with lime, looking pale and bleak. Only the mottled grayish-green near the foundation, like a lingering dream at dawn, hinted at the antiquity of the buildings.

The mischievous autumn wind freely weaved through the alleyways full of life. One moment, it wrestled with the peddlers carrying poles as they walked through the streets—tugging at the felt hats on their heads. The next moment, it lifted the skirts of young girls or women chatting about domestic trivia, and then it sent children’s toys scurrying in all directions. The clothes hanging on thin ropes outside flapped loudly in the wind.

Although the city arranged for regular garbage cleaning, George still had to carefully navigate the scattered “landmines” on the alley floor. After all, this was not the modern, civilized city of the industrial society he had lived in before crossing over. In terms of sanitation standards in the Commoner district, it was only marginally better than nineteenth-century metropolises like Paris or London.

As a Noble, George had come to this somewhat dirty and messy Commoner district for the Outer Temple of the Bokabu Temple located nearby. All Temples that could establish a legitimate presence in Karada had two separate buildings: the Outer Temple and the Inner Temple, serving different groups of people.

The so-called distinction between inner and outer referred to whether they were built in the Inner City or the Outer City of Karada. The main reason for this situation was the need for missionary work. For Commoners, inspections to enter the Inner City of Karada were very strict; every entry and exit required a valid reason and complete procedures.

And devout believers needed to go to the Temple frequently to pray. If Temples were built only in the Inner City, it would mean losing a large number of believers from the Commoner class. Deities needed a lot of faith, and Commoners, who made up the majority of the population, were often the easiest to guide into becoming devout believers. This was the foundation for every Temple, and it could not be lost.

To preach openly in secular society without too much interference, maintaining a good relationship with the secular rulers was also a required lesson for every Church. The famous saying from before he crossed over, “Render unto God what is God’s, and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” came to mind. Here, it was not just empty talk. And the idea that everyone is equal under the radiance of the Deities was not popular in this world either. It was under the influence of these many realistic factors that the situation of having two Temples, one in the Inner City and one in the Outer City, emerged in Karada. However, this was not an isolated case; it was quite common in the capitals of monarchical nations.

The Bokabu Temple that George was heading to was the Temple of the God of Wisdom and Knowledge in the western Continent of this world. Just as the Temple of the Lord of Justice handled bounties, justice, and legal consultations, and the Temple of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce handled banking and large trading firms, the Temple of the God of Wisdom and Knowledge was, in a sense, a combination of a Temple, an academy, and a large library.

George had to go to the Bokabu Temple to find some books about Kalatu script because Karada’s official authorities did not have their own public library. As for why he was going to the Outer Temple instead of the Inner Temple, that had to do with the structure of the library’s collection.

It has been said before that knowledge in this world was extremely precious, especially knowledge that allowed one to gain power through personal effort, which was strictly controlled. Books related to increasing power like this were basically kept in the Inner Temple. In the Outer Temple, aside from some simple basics related to power, most books were on other subjects. For example, relatively public technologies and some humanities books.

For the books on Kalatu script that George was looking for, he had first inquired at the Inner Temple of the Bokabu Temple, but there were no other types he hadn’t already borrowed. The other party said there should be one or two different books in the Outer Temple. To decipher this Martial Record in his hand as soon as possible, George did not want to miss any opportunity, so he had to set out on the road to the Outer Temple.

After passing through the difficult alleyways and turning a corner, George arrived at the Temple district near the Commoner district in the southwest of Karada. Compared to the dirty and messy Commoner district, this place appeared much cleaner and tidier. George walked all the way in, passing in front of one Temple after another, and finally reached the Bokabu Temple at the very innermost part.

Looking around, this Temple was almost a replica of the one in the Inner City. Its main building was a cylinder with a semi-circular dome on top, and the conference hall was pyramid-shaped. The ingenious combination of cylinders, pyramids, and domes was seamless, and the colorful geometric shapes outlined the unique charm of the library. What was amazing was that no matter from which angle one looked, the main building looked like a setting sun, symbolizing the light of culture that illuminated the world. On the outer granite cultural wall were engraved the characters, letters, and symbols of many races and civilized languages in this world, including Kalatu script, highlighting the concept and creativity of cultural heritage and atmosphere.

Below the steps of the Temple was a dark green stone wall, on which were carved the routes and layout maps of the various open areas inside the Temple. Unlike other Temples, there were no reception attendants arranged outside the Bokabu Temple. The reason was that its devout believers were mostly scholars or Mages; they felt they didn’t have enough time in their pursuit of knowledge, so how could they have time to do this kind of work? And the reason they gave was even more brilliant: ‘The Bokabu Temple welcomes all guests full of thirst for knowledge. However, if you can’t even read a map, then please ask others around you! That is also a way to acquire knowledge.’

Stepping through the main gate of the Temple, since the structure of the Inner Temple and the Outer Temple was basically the same, George found the place to borrow books quite easily. What appeared before George was a reception window similar to a bank counter from before he crossed over. In a sense, having seen so much, the sense of incongruity he felt when he first discovered these situations had long since vanished without a trace.

Sitting behind the reception window was an old man wearing glasses. Mottled among his silver strands of hair were one or two black hairs, which could be said to have no aesthetic appeal at all. His unkempt hair and beard were knotted and split, looking very messy. When George came in front of him, the little old man was looking down at a Parchment Scroll with unknown content. He was completely immersed in his own world and hadn’t noticed the young man standing in front of the counter at all.

George turned his head to look at the few windows next to him, only to find that the situation there was much the same. George sighed in his heart, ‘It looks like today isn’t my lucky day; why are they all reading?’

The Bokabu Temple was exactly the same in this regard, whether it was the Inner Temple or the Outer Temple! George, who had borrowed books from the Inner Temple many times, was already used to it. Hanging next to the window was a small Bronze bell; presumably, the higher-ups in the Temple also knew that the people under them were simply incapable of doing their jobs properly. So they had arranged this bell to facilitate matters for those who came to do business.

The lingering sound of “Dang! Dang! Dang!” affected not just the person in front of George; all the bookworms burying their heads in study had their train of thought interrupted by this trembling noise. Pairs of eyes, some angry, some annoyed, and even some resentful, almost instantly stared at George in unison.

‘No matter where the Bokabu Temple is, the library receptionists are all like this,’ George couldn’t help but complain in his heart. In this library, both the administrators and the receptionists were true scholars who loved learning. Only after passing strict examinations and paying a certain price could they read freely in the library. And the reception staff at the front desk were, of course, played by these people as well. Knowledge was precious, and not just anyone could enter a place like this where they could access it up close.

Among the knowledgeable scholars present, there were no few Noble members. If you pulled any one of them out at random, they might turn out to be a Master-level figure in some guild. Although inside the Temple, few people would behave rudely. But the behavior required towards different Clergy was also vastly different. The most important thing here was not to beat around the bush; if you had something to say, say it straight out. You had to understand that in the eyes of these old pedants, reading time was much more precious than dealing with you book borrowers. If you dilly-dallied, it would only make them feel annoyed. Of course, if you could show a love for knowledge without them feeling that you were wasting their time, you might get a friendly face!

Facing this unkempt little old man in front of him, George directly handed over his silver-white library nameplate. The library nameplate was similar in use to a library card, but being made of metal, it wasn’t easily damaged. As for the extra cost, in this world, those who could afford to read were all wealthy people who wouldn’t care about that little extra expense.

That unkempt little old man took the nameplate reluctantly and checked it on a specialized Divine Arts item. After confirming there were no errors, he said to George with some impatience: “Young man, what kind of books do you want!”

Seeing that business had started here, the staff at the other windows immediately breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their heads to continue reading the documents in their hands. This uniform movement looked just like robots. Anyone seeing this for the first time would likely be stunned into silence.

“George—” Just as George was about to speak to borrow a book, someone suddenly called his name from behind.