Chapter 80 [Bonus ]Hightower Secret Library 3



Ragnar looked around the corner that Joseph had just set up for them. The library had shifted like a living being, following Joseph's commands to create a small and silent corner for them. There was a tea table with a tea set that had a pot full of brewed English tea, and a few chairs for sitting and enjoying tea while reading.

If it weren't for the fact that the surrounding area was no different from the mysterious labyrinth built with bookshelves upon bookshelves, he would have thought that this corner was a place in the cafe somewhere in the HQ.

"No, thank you, Joseph. We don't need anything right now," said Envy after seeing that Ragnar didn't seem to ask for more.

"Then, if you want something more or you want to get out of here before the time's up to save your contribution point, please ring that bell on the table, and I'll come to you," Joseph said, pointing at the bell on the bronze tea table.

After that, Joseph flew away and disappeared into the myriad labyrinth of books and bookshelves that were floating around without any discernible pattern.

"This place is so mysterious. I never thought that the secret library would be like this," said Ragnar, marveling at the scene in front of him, along with Greed, who was so shocked that he couldn't even utter a word.

"That was, of course, otherwise we can't fend off those shady mages who want to break into this library. You should know that for every second a person spends here, we lose mana equal to a single fireball spell. That was the upkeep we need to consider when someone wants to enter here." Envy explains.

"I see…" Ragnar nodded and turned towards the bookshelves Joseph had prepared for him. He wanted to spend as little time as possible after hearing about the expenses the Hightower was bearing.

Ragnar began to check the books on the shelves, and Greed, who was curious about the name Atlanteus, also began to search for information about him.

The time passed and Ragnar found some of the books mentioning Atlanteus name but there was no significant information about him. What he could get a glimpse of the many scattered information was that Atlanteus was the father of artifact creation arts and the best artificer the world has ever known.

Then, Ragnar found an old book written in the old Greek alphabet, but since he is a mage, the knowledge about ancient language was a compulsory subject he needed to learn and the more the mage rank advanced they needed more and more practice in ancient language.

So Ragnar could read it without any problem while Greed was stumbling on the translation as she was not as skilled as Ragnar in ancient language, so she could only wait for Ragnar to translate for her.

The ancient tome provided Ragnar with valuable information about Atlantis, revealing that the fabled continent was destroyed during a war between gods and humans in 1000 BCE. The event was so catastrophic that it completely wiped Atlantis off the face of the Earth.

The tome also mentioned the name of the last leader of Atlantis, Atlanteus, who had fought against the tyranny of the gods alongside his fellow Atlanteans.

The war had been waged against the gods' believers and many sea monsters as well, and the devastation it caused had forced many of them to the brink of extinction, including the Kraken, which had been forced into hiding by the Atlanteans.

The war ended with the gods' victory and the annihilation of Atlantis, along with all of their technology and knowledge in magic and artifacts. As a result, human civilization degraded as the Atlanteans never shared their secret arts, such as artifact creation and magic technology, with outsiders.

The gods who were enemies of Atlantis were seriously injured and needed time to recuperate, forcing them to act kindly towards remaining humans out of fear that Atlantean survivors might recruit other humans to help them overthrow the gods. The gods were forced to adapt by creating their own faith and using human faith to heal themselves.

As for the identity of the god who was at war with Atlantis, the entire page was missing, indicating that it had been torn out by someone.

Ragnar presented the ancient tome with the missing page to Envy, who nodded in acknowledgment. It was clear to Ragnar that Envy was already familiar with the information contained in the tome; otherwise, she would not have had any reaction to the name Atlanteus.

Envy confirmed, "Yes, I already knew about this. When I first saw this tome, the page was already torn out. I don't know if it was like this when the Hightower obtained it, or if someone here tore it out before I read it."

Curious, Ragnar asked, "When did you first read it?"

"Around 1850," Envy replied, then continued. "When I heard you mention this name there were two scenarios that had happened in the Hightower."

"Firstly, the people who were working on categorizing the book forgot to record that this book has a missing page when they got their hands on it."

"Secondly, someone here tore out that page," Ragnar finishes the sentence for Envy.

"Correct! The first scenario isn't too worrying, but the second one... I'm afraid there is a conspiracy brewing within the mage societies. Back then, the secret library was not as strict as it is today. Any decent mage could sneak in here and get away with just a warning if caught," Envy explains the situation and continues.

"This leads us to conclude that someone here doesn't want us to learn about this god's name. There are many reasons for this, such as knowing this god's name would increase their power like some evil god of old or they are trying to protect these gods from being exposed to the eyes of non-believers."

"Then… Aunt Envy, which one is more worrying?" Greed asks.

Envy looks at Greed's worrisome face and smiles, but her expression remains solemn as the scenarios in her head are worrying.

"Both are equally troubling. Whether there are powerful evil gods out there that even knowing their name leads to more power or the believers who believe in these old gods are undermining us and plotting something under our noses, it's all very concerning," Envy says.

Ragnar contemplated the possibility. If Daniel's teacher did indeed have the name Atlanteus, it was highly probable that he was the father of Artificer. However, the question remained: was it true? 

It was common knowledge that even the most powerful mage could not live beyond 300 years with their original body, no matter how long their lifespan was. Envy's longevity was due to the fact that witches were not categorized as humans, and they couldn't have children with humans, even if they were married.

Ragnar considered the possibility that Atlanteus may have found a way to preserve his life or soul. Perhaps he had transferred his soul to something like a golem, and this golem had taught Daniel all the knowledge he possessed. Whatever the case may be, it was clear that Atlanteus was not an ordinary mage, and his knowledge and power were of great importance to the current situation.

There is also the issue of Hermes Trismegistus. That name belonged to an Olympian god, who all mages consider to be an ancient god that should have been in slumber due to the depletion of world mana and the advancement of science.

It's common knowledge that old gods can only exist or thrive in environments with pure mana, like in ancient times.

If what Daniel said is true, then the old god must have found a way to bypass this restriction, or worse, the god could be toying with humans by pretending they can't survive in impure mana environments. Both possibilities are equally concerning.

"Lady Envy, Miss Greed, there are other matters we must consider," Ragnar calls both witches and shares his thoughts on Hermes Trismegistus, Daniel's teacher.

Both witches concur that this is a troubling development, but they can't think of a solution until they meet Daniel and locate his teachers to seek their answers.

eαglesnᴏνel Afterward, Ragnar searched the shelves for more books, hoping to shed some light on the identity of the gods that destroyed Atlantis. While tales and mythology circulating in the mundane world attribute the destruction to Poseidon, as mages, they knew Atlantis was far too powerful to be destroyed by Poseidon alone. 

He must have received help, or at the very least, the aid of the entire Olympus to achieve such a feat. But from what they knew, it was impossible for Poseidon to enlist all of Olympus. There must be something else going on behind the scenes.

Ragnar, Greed, and Envy's interest was piqued, and they began searching for clues but found nothing substantial. With ten minutes left before the time is up, they decided to leave it at that and summarize everything they had found within their brains before ringing the bell to summon Joseph to get them out of there.

After all, they still had to attend the hearing the next day and keep their wits about them to fight for Wrath's freedom and at the very least, implicate Lucien in the crimes he had committed.