OBS Chapter 3917 Blue Ink Library
Chapter 3917 Blue Ink Library
Chapter 3917 Blue Ink Library
"The air quality in the upper and lower districts is so good because the pollution was left to the outer districts."
Xia De sighed inwardly. Although he had visited many cities, at this moment he was still amazed by the scenery before him.
"However, it's really impressive that this city was built like this."
In Shad's view, Arcadia City definitely has the potential to be built into a fortified city. The upper and lower city districts are located on the mountainside, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as logistical supplies are guaranteed and steam cannons are set up, conquering such a city would be more difficult than getting Mia to agree to tie a ribbon.
Normally, Shad wouldn't think about such things, but this is, after all, a time of war.
"This library is located in an area between the working class and the aristocratic class."
As he pondered this, he returned to the library entrance. Compared to the size of the library, its door was quite small, almost the same size as the door of number six St. Teresa's Square.
The library door was indeed securely locked from the outside with chains, but fortunately, a rusty metal plaque above the door indicated the name of the place—[Blue Ink Library].
Now that it has a name, Xia De will have plenty of time tomorrow to find out why the library is the way it is. If the opportunity arises later, he wouldn't mind buying the library, since it's best to keep the entrance and exit of the [Space Labyrinth] under his control.
"I wonder if Arcadia City has any good food, I hope it's not like the golden grilled fish on Fatummester Island."
With these thoughts in mind, Xia De glanced once more at the city's night view from above before returning home.
Luvia was pleased that Shad hadn't explored the city under the cover of night, so when Shad returned home, she gave him a warm hug and then gestured for him to have a late-night snack with her before taking a shower.
What happened next goes without saying. Girls staying at home would never go to the guest room to sleep, otherwise there would be no need for them to come here.
It wasn't until Shad opened his eyes on Wednesday that he realized he hadn't used the time key the day before. Since heading to St. Byrons, a series of events had kept him completely occupied.
"So you're going to Arcadia City today, right?"
As Shad sat up in bed, Luvia, who was sleeping next to him, asked sleepily.
Shad reached out and stroked her brown hair:
"I'll go to the snow mountain first and leave the letter for Margaret in the tower. Margaret is helping to investigate the 'Grey Gloves' stronghold in the City of Scholars, and I'll go familiarize myself with that city today."
Luvia clearly had no intention of getting up now, and seeing that it was still early, Shad didn't immediately get out of bed to wash up either.
"Regarding the scholar's city 'Arcadia,' Luvia, do you have any other information?"
"Of course there is. The Prophet's Association of the City of Scholars is the third largest in the southern part of the Old Continent, after the headquarters and the branch in Velendale."
When Dr. Schneider was in school, he spent half a year at the medical school in that city. He once told us how magnificent the 'Candlecastle Library' at the top of the city was, and that there were many neutral ring warlock organizations in the city.
For example, the Apuna Library, which we've worked with before, is headquartered in the city of scholars.
Luvia gently nuzzled against Shad's hand, which was resting beside the pillow, just like Mia had done. Meanwhile, the real Mia was still asleep in her cat bed on the desk; it was only six o'clock.
“The city of Arcadia is much larger than the city of Time Wheel. If Velendale is the political center of the Southern Kingdom, then Arcadia can be considered a cultural center.”
The steam industry there was also very developed; many inventors lived in that city, and the prototypes of many modern steam-powered machines were made in Arcadia. Oh, I remember part of the Royal Academy of Carsenrick was also in Arcadia.”
Shade then asked:
"So, what's so special about Arcadia in terms of mysticism? Is it the center of the earth, the most vulnerable place in space, or something like that?"
Luvia lay on her pillow and shook her head:
"No, at least I haven't heard of that. But the Church that created the Church has been located next to that city since the Fourth Age, so I think there must be a reason for that."
She kept her eyes closed while speaking:
"We don't know anyone in the area, so it won't be easy for you to access the local black market for ring sorcerers and gather information."
"My purpose in going to that city is only to find the 'Big Mouth Sparrow' for now. Although I could also check the local black market for special coins, it shouldn't be a problem as long as I don't come into contact with the Ring Sorcerers."
Shad thought for a moment:
"However, I'm quite interested in the Candlecastle Library and might go in for a look. Is there a ticket to enter that library, or is there a special requirement?"
Luvia shook her head:
"I don't know, but the doctor might."
"I don't need to travel halfway across the city to find a doctor. Let's go and inquire locally later. That library is so big, who owns it? The Anjou royal family?"
"It shouldn't be. That library has existed since the time of the Kingdom of Delinor, when the Anjou family was just an ordinary noble family. I seem to remember hearing someone say that the ownership of the Candlecastle Library is quite complicated, but the Church of Creation owns about 30% of it."
The remaining ownership is dispersed among the nobles who inherited the title from the old Kingdom of Delineor; the Anjou royal family likely also holds some, but not much.
Luvia reminded her again:
“You’ve also been in contact with the Delinor Zionists. As the most important city in the old Delinor era, anything can happen in this war-torn age. While I’m not worried about bullets or bombs hurting you, don’t get yourself involved in that kind of trouble unless absolutely necessary.”
"Yes, Luvia, I know. Get up, I can already hear Winnie opening the kitchen door and getting ready to make breakfast."
"No~ Let me sleep a little longer~"
But in the end, Luvia still appeared at the dining table with Shad. Winnie finished making breakfast today and didn't leave but ate with everyone—sometimes she stayed and sometimes she left, and Shad couldn't figure out the pattern.
When Shad mentioned that he was going to a new city, Winnie asked him if she needed to go with him, but Shad refused.
"Not for now. I'll explore the city myself first. I'll call you anytime if I need help."
After breakfast, as planned, Shad first wrote a letter to Margaret and asked Winnie to put it in Sylvia's tower.
After saying goodbye to Luvia, who was going to work at the Prophet's Association, and confirming that the cat wanted to watch the pigeons on the windowsill and didn't want to go out, Shad went to the new city alone.
Last night, a few dark clouds drifted across the sky over Arcadia. Shad thought it would rain today, but after walking out of the dusty "Blue Ink Library," he found that the sun was shining brightly.
It was already late in the planting season. Although it had been rainy in many places this spring, the temperature had risen quickly. Winter clothes had completely disappeared. When Xia De passed by the library, even the newspaper vendors no longer wore thick coats covered in patches.
It was easy to figure out the situation of the Blue Ink Library. Just like what Xia De observed last night, "Green Vine Street," where the Blue Ink Library was located, was not a main road, but it was only two streets away from the main road. The entire street was not only sloping, but also curved. At the top of the curved street was an archway. Passing through the archway led to the main road connecting the upper and lower city areas.
Qing Teng Street is a street that allows horse-drawn carriages to pass through. The buildings along the street are similar in style and are all two-story buildings. There are alleys between the buildings, but they are not connected to each other.
On either side of the library is an eyeglasses shop and a spice shop. A rope bridge extends from the roof of the spice shop to the roof of a building across the street, which also belongs to the spice shop.
Although there's an old library that's been abandoned for many years, it's clear that this street is still quite bustling. People come and go among the streets and shops, and Xia De even saw a pub sign further down Green Vine Street.
He first found the newsboy from before, and while buying a copy of the local newspaper, the Candleburg Daily, he also asked the little boy about the Blue Ink Library. The boy didn't know much, but because he had received a tip from Shad, he told him everything he knew:
"Old Larry said that the library was shut down by the city hall eight years ago. It is said that illegal things were printed here, so the bookstore owner was arrested, and no one dared to take over the place afterward."
This was pretty much what Shad had expected, since there are only so many types of criminal activities that can be carried out in a library.
"If the library was seized because of a crime, it will most likely be owned by the city hall."
Thinking that the information the boy had provided was only approximate, Xia De continued walking down Green Vine Street and entered the tavern. Despite it being Wednesday morning, the tavern was still bustling.
Xia De, who had the appearance of a northerner, did not attract much attention when he entered the city. Xia De discovered that although this city of scholars was a southern city, even during the war years, there were many northern faces.
After sitting down at the bar, Shad casually ordered a rye beer, but the bill he received was far more expensive than the beer itself.
"I want to know about the Blue Ink Library."
So the tall, thin middle-aged man behind the counter silently went to prepare a beer for Xia De. After placing the beer in front of him, he wiped his hands with the dirty towel that had been draped over his shoulder and said:
"This isn't information that's hard to find out, but we generally don't bring it up on our own initiative."
The Leberi family, owners of the Blue Ink Library, had been running the business on this street for three generations. But eight years ago, in the spring of 1847, the town hall cracked a case involving Drinor Zionists, and the police discovered that young Leberi had been printing leaflets and pamphlets for them in his basement using a printing press.
The bartender's face remained expressionless, and the surrounding customers paid no attention to their conversation.
"In this city, being associated with the Delin Or Zionists is a crime even more serious than assassinating the mayor. You should know the specific reasons."
After that incident, the Blue Ink Library was shut down. Old Leber's friends went to great lengths to get him released, while Old Leber himself spent his life savings to prevent the police from taking all the books from the library. The library still belongs to the old man, but he's forbidden from running it. He lives on Hissk Lane, not far from here; I don't know the exact address, but you can ask around in that lane.”
Xia De did not ask how the other party guessed his purpose:
"What about little Leber? The library owner saved his library, but does he still have the money to save his child?"
The bartender shook his head and draped the towel back over his shoulder. Shad guessed that he was wearing a black vest so that the dirty towel wouldn't affect the color of his shirt shoulders too much.
"Little Leberi and the Zionists' paper letters were discovered, and no one could save him; this wasn't something money could solve. Although he wasn't the main culprit, only responsible for printing, he was still sentenced to 18 years in prison."
That kid used to play here a lot when he was little. I can't believe he had the guts to do something like that. Apparently, he fell for one of the girls among those criminals, but she ran away while he didn't. Tsk tsk~
The bartender shook his head and didn't say anything more. Xia De nodded, picked up his glass of rye beer, took a small sip, then put down the glass, picked up the newspaper, and left.
Although Shad didn't have a map of the city, the bartender had just shown him how to find Hissk Alley. It wasn't far from Green Vine Street, and Shad wasn't afraid of getting lost thanks to his [Powerful Spatial Awareness]. Seeing that the weather was so nice, he decided to walk to his destination.
This unfamiliar city in the heart of the Old World was far more prosperous than Shad had imagined. Its prosperity differed from the ostentatious wealth of Moon Bay, but rather manifested in the thriving economy of its ordinary citizens and its refined cultural taste.
Starting from Qing Teng Street and walking down the slope, during the twenty-minute walk, Xia De saw a wide variety of shops along the street, numerous libraries and bookstores, and young people wearing different college uniforms walking on the street.
This "city of scholars" may not have the same economy as Moon Bay, the same political status as Wellendel, or the same scenery as the City of Time at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, but it inexplicably gives outsiders a sense of familiarity.
A sense of familiarity stemming from a level of civilization.
Arcadia, situated on a hilltop, is a city that existed since the time of the Kingdom of Delinor, so its architectural style is not typical of the southern kingdoms of today. However, because the culture of Kasenric today is inextricably linked to that of the Kingdom of Delinor, the architecture of Arcadia gives Shad a feeling of familiarity mixed with strangeness.
The city is built on a hillside, and many old-fashioned white stone buildings still stand, while modern buildings are also mostly constructed of stone, much like the town of Kyle Todd. Since most of the local factories are located in the outer town at the foot of the mountain, walking through the lower town and seeing the sunny cityscape, bookstores everywhere, and young people, Shad felt that this was probably the best city of this era.
Of course, if you look down at the outer city area, which is completely shrouded in smog, this thought will immediately disappear.
In relatively affluent cities, there are more stray cats and dogs, and this is true in both Moon Bay and Arcadia. A beautiful black cat was strolling along the street, and following its steps, Shad easily found Hissk Lane at ten o'clock in the morning.
Like Cat's Tail Alley in Tobesco, this alley was a dedicated residential area, with apartment buildings crammed together and clotheslines stretching across the skyline. Just then, a group of boys playing marbles gathered at the alley's entrance, and Shad asked them for the address of old Mr. Leberi.
Hearing the noise, a middle-aged woman hanging clothes on her second-floor balcony facing the street glanced down to make sure Shad wasn't a child trafficker. She then continued trying to hang her dripping long-sleeved men's jacket on the high clothesline. Meanwhile, the children, having received the candy Shad had given them, excitedly ran and led him to number 8 Hissker Lane.
A gold nameplate hung on the door, but it was already somewhat rusty. The flowers in the pots on either side of the entrance steps had long since withered, suggesting that the owner of the house lacked the ability to care for it.
"That old gentleman spent his life savings to save the library, and now he lives here in cramped conditions. His financial situation must not be very good. If I ask for a high price, why didn't anyone buy the library before? Are the locals worried that it is associated with criminals?"
After saying goodbye to the enthusiastic children, Xia De knocked on the door. It took a while for the door to creak open. Then, a withered-looking old man peeked out from behind the door, sized Xia De up, and, confirming that the unfamiliar young man outside was no ordinary person, asked:
"You want to buy my library too?"
This statement proves that Shad was indeed not the first person to have his eye on the place. The location of the Blue Ink Library was excellent, and although the library was old, it could be put back into operation after a thorough cleaning.
"Yes, Mr. Leber, I am willing to offer you a price that will satisfy you."
The old man didn't say much about it:
"Come in, let's talk inside. I don't have any good tea to offer you, please forgive me. You can't expect an elderly person living alone to know how to enjoy life."
The old man was not a ring sorcerer; he looked to be around fifty years old and was wearing a brown wool vest at home.
The house was a bit messy, but the floor wasn't very dirty, and there wasn't a strong odor in the air. However, despite the bright sunshine outside, the first floor of the house felt quite gloomy because of poor lighting and most of the curtains being drawn.
The living room was small and relatively compact. The old gentleman invited Shad to sit down and then prepared tea for him. During this time, Shad noticed that there were also many books in the house; although Mr. Leberi was prohibited from continuing to run the library, he didn't seem to have given up his love for books.
After putting down the teapot, the old man sat down opposite Xia De.
“Young man, you’re not the first person to come here looking for me. If I were willing to give up the library for money, I certainly wouldn’t have waited for you to come to me.”
His tone was somewhat dejected, but although his eyes showed weariness, he hadn't truly lost hope for life.
"If you want a library, do me a favor."
Outsiders are very familiar with this situation where they can only receive a reward after accepting a commission:
"Shall we help you get your son out?"
The old man sitting on the long sofa covered with black cushions shook his head. A stack of old newspapers lay at his feet, and the wooden coffee table between the two men was made of planks placed on top of a pile of books.
“Let’s not bring up the past. He was sentenced to 18 years, but his sentence has been reduced to 15 years over the years. It’s been eight years now, and given my health, I can definitely wait until he gets out.”
The elderly gentleman with the white beard sighed and continued looking at Xia De:
"However, you didn't look troubled when this matter was mentioned. I think I wasn't blind and misjudged you after all. Young man, you must be a very capable person."
Shad blinked, revealing his usual smile:
"I forgot to introduce myself—John Watson, a travel writer, to some extent. I do have some skills; do you want me to beat you with a Rothschild card?"