Chapter 1691: Hesse Library
Darmstadt, Inner City. Outside the Hesse Library, a swarm of black flies gathered out of nowhere, forming a mass from which a black-clad figure emerged.
“I didn’t expect this. Just a few days after leaving, I’m back again,” Karina said, pulling down her hood. She looked at the palace, still brightly lit. The Princess should be asleep by now, and it was impossible for us to seek her out at such a tense juncture.
“So this is the Hesse Library? I remember next to it, there’s the Hesse National Academy and the Tower of Radiance,” I said, looking at the sumptuously decorated academy on my left and the soaring magic tower on my right.
When we were still staying in the Darmstadt Palace, Giselle and I had visited this place before. It was considered a significantly important area in the Hesse Duchy.
On the left was the public academy, which only the noble children of the Duchy and the nation’s top talents could attend. Here, knowledge of various subjects was taught, including Magic, Martial Arts, political science, and Theology.
The academy also served as a social circle. These individuals, who would later enter the highest echelons of society, were now classmates, establishing connections for the future talents of the Duchy in advance.
The academy was equipped with extensive facilities: playing fields, swimming pools, training grounds, shooting ranges, forging rooms, alchemy rooms, and of course, a separate building for Magic instruction.
The mages from the adjacent Tower of Radiance were naturally responsible for teaching Magic. This was the residence of the Chief Archmage of Darmstadt – yes, that Archmage lived here.
It was said that this Magic Tower was a gift built for the Archmage when the Grand Duke three generations ago invited him to be a consultant. At the time, it cost Hesse Duchy three years’ worth of taxes.
Later, it was expanded multiple times, with several buildings erected around the Magic Tower, including dormitories for magic apprentices to live and research, and an independent observatory for stargazing.
In between all this, the Hesse Library, which was not originally located here but inside the Palace, was relocated. After planning, a more specialized library was rebuilt here, and all the Duke’s family’s collection of books was moved here for mages and students to consult.
In fact, there was a series of supporting facilities around it, demonstrating how much effort the past Grand Dukes of the Hesse Duchy had put into nurturing talent and seeking wise individuals. These were abilities that people like the Baron of Cando City could never reach.
Just looking at this library alone, a magnificent Baroque-style building with statues of past sages and wise men carved between the tall columns on its exterior walls, protected by powerful magic.
Previously, I dared not venture deep inside because of the magic barrier here, and even Giselle admitted she wasn’t confident in sneaking in.
“Let’s go in. Actually, I’ve been in a few times before,” Karina said, pulling up her hood again and walking towards the main entrance of the library.
I attached myself to her, looking at the fully armed guards at the entrance, feeling a bit worried. “Is it okay for me? If I’m discovered attached to you.”
“It’s fine. Even if we’re discovered, I’ll just say you’re my Guardian Deity. The library doesn’t have any rules against bringing Guardian Deities inside, does it?” Karina said, rubbing her hands together.
“Even if entry is strictly prohibited, at worst, we can come out and find other methods to sneak in. At the very least, escaping will be no problem. If necessary, I can force my way in. We’ll snatch the books you want and run.”
“No, we don’t need to do that. The information I need to find shouldn’t be gathered quickly,” I said with a wry smile, surprised by her recklessness.
I knew Karina was telling the truth. Even within the Palace, she dared to confront the Seven Gods Priest and the Archmage alone to seize the National Stabilizing Artifact. What’s more, it was just a library.
The problem was, we had just agreed not to interfere with each other, and to immediately resort to violence seemed a bit inappropriate, especially with the Princess caught in the middle.
“Alright, let’s try according to the rules first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll find other methods,” Karina said, already ascending the steps and approaching the entrance.
It was late at night, but the library was open all night. Guards sat at the entrance, and a few students in apprentice robes came and went. It seemed there were quite a few studious people.
Karina approached the guard and presented a library card, which the Princess had gotten for her when she wanted to read the previous time. The guard glanced at it casually and let her in.
After all, many students and celebrities entered and exited the library every day, and few would want to do anything to harm the library. Therefore, the guards weren’t too diligent, as long as they confirmed the library card was genuine.
When we entered the library, I was utterly shocked. Although I had been amazed by its grandeur from the outside, upon entering, I felt that the exterior wasn’t enough to describe its magnificence.
The library had four floors, each with layers upon layers of bookshelves, resembling a maze. The shelves reached the ceiling, requiring moving ladders to reach books on the upper levels.
A central atrium extended from the first to the fourth floor. The ceiling was made of a single piece of glass, allowing us to see the starry sky now that it was night. A massive metal armillary sphere hung in the atrium.
In the center was a long table. Apart from that, there was a long table between every two bookshelves. The tables were equipped with octagon crystal lamps containing luminescent stones to provide light for readers.
The tables were also supplied with draft paper, magnifying glasses, compasses, and various other auxiliary tools for their use. All the equipment was readily available. I could even see some tools used for researching magic.
Even in the dead of night, there were still a handful of people poring over books or searching for them among the shelves. One could imagine how crowded it would be during peak hours. Perhaps to maintain a quiet atmosphere, entry might be limited, requiring books to be borrowed and taken home.
It was estimated that these students staying up late chose this time to visit the library precisely because there were fewer people at night. However, I was different; I just happened to arrive at this time.
What was also unexpected was the students’ uniforms. They were very fashionable, resembling the dark blue uniforms with ties I often saw in my previous life. For female students, they wore skirts, giving off a very youthful vibe.
“What do you want to look at, Saintess?” Karina asked. Although she had a general idea on the way that I was looking for knowledge about religious history, she didn’t know the specifics.
“About, uh, the Sun God. The changes in Sun God worship throughout the ages, and so on,” I said after some thought.
“The Sun God. He’s quite opposed to us in a way. Does the Saintess want to understand the enemy’s situation?” Karina asked, looking at the library’s directory. There were too many sections, so we had to look at the book classification first.
“In a sense, I do want to understand the enemy,” I replied with a dry laugh. However, they were Older Brother Jayad’s enemies, not the Church of Gluttony’s enemies.
