Chapter 359 The Myriad Archives

After promising Braum that he would return to the Imperial Production Guild at a later time and ask the man regarding the specifics of the armor set the latter wanted him to craft, Valyr roamed the streets of Algerie City, realizing once more as to how large the city was when compared to other cities he had been in before, such as Clossbay City.

'Well, Algerie City is the capital city of Algerie Kingdom, so it's no surprise that they turned it into a core city.' Recalling the various settlements he had been in for a bit and how each place had its own unique charm and aesthetic that differentiated it from the other, he eventually returned his train of thought to the matter at hand, which was to head to the library located within the city.

With that, he rummaged through his treasure trove of memories to see if he could still recall the directions to the place, swiftly finding out that he actually did. Armed with the general idea of where he needed to go, Valyr slightly hastened his pace, asking a few people along the way to make sure that he was heading in the right direction.

'I should really stop thinking my memories are the answer to everything.' Though the people he asked did confirm to him that he was heading in the right direction, it was only through talking with these people was Valyr reminded of a certain fact about the library that would allow him to head to where he needed even without knowing how to head there in the first place. 'They're definitely nice to have, but they'll eventually just turn into points of reference for me to use with how things are going.'

"In any case, note to self, use more common sense." Muttering these words to himself, Valyr continued to make his way to the library, a faint bitter smile adorning his face all the while.

"When lost, remember that the library is an incredibly tall tower."

…

"Man, to think that the library was an incredibly tall tower even before the first version." After asking a couple more people along the way as to where the library was, Valyr eventually arrived at the place he wanted to be in, standing just a dozen steps away from the entrance to what seemed to be a large tower that spanned over 10 stories tall.

The exterior of the large tower seemed to be made out of bricks that were formed from roughly cut stone, forming a slight contrast to the buildings surrounding it as it gave off an archaic air around it. However, the faint undulations of mana that emanated from the walls of the tower only made that archaic air all the more prominent, giving anyone who took a look at the tower the idea that the tower had been here even before Algerie Kingdom had been established.

"The Myriad Archives." Looking at the old yet intricately carved wooden sign that hung above the entrance, Valyr muttered the words that were written on it, recalling multiple things involving the tower back when he was still a player. "If this place doesn't have the answers that I seek, then only the empire's library would have it."

From what the name of the place suggested, the Myriad Archives was a library that contained all types of documents that delved into a myriad topics, being a treasure trove of knowledge for the kingdom, as well as the various core cities and cities that surrounded the library. Multiple scholars and sages peruse the books and scrolls the Myriad Archives gave access to every day in search for greater knowledge, though holders of production and combat classes also peruse it for the same reason.

Of course, players were no exception to this, though most of them only perused the Myriad Archives and other similar libraries in order to further their understanding of the world they were in, which would allow them to uncover hidden clues or gain an edge in the quests that they had. Valyr was also one of these players, being someone who only looked through what the library offered in order to further progress in something.

Then again, when he was bored, he would check through the various storybooks the library had, or read through the books that covered various aspects of the world he did not know.

'Well, it wouldn't hurt to read up more on the world of Veldanyr, considering that I'm now one of its denizens.' As this thought popped up in his mind, Valyr let out a faint chuckle before proceeding to head through the tower's entrance.

At the very instant he stepped foot into the tower, he was swiftly greeted by the sight of a great number of tables and chairs, with around half of the chairs being occupied by people that were either jotting down notes on parchment, or were reading through books in silence, their expressions neutral.

Surrounding these tables were tall shelves filled to the brim with various books, scrolls, and the like, prompting Valyr to realize that the tower had spatial expansion magic cast on it, even though it was already over 10 stories tall.

"Welcome to the Myriad Archives." Just as he was about to head further into the tower, a teenager wearing a light gray robe greeted him, prompting him to stop in his tracks. Noticing that she had gotten his attention, the teenager put on a faint smile before asking, "Is this your first time in this place?"

"Yes." Though Valyr had gone through the books the tower had to offer many times in his past life, this visit was indeed his first time stepping into the Myriad Archives, causing him to nod at the young girl's question. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, there's nothing wrong at all." The young girl gave Valyr a slightly apologetic smile. "It's just that you should have an Archive Card made before you could proceed."

"I see." Hearing the young girl's words, Valyr raised his eyebrow in curiosity, slightly surprised that such a system was in place. After all, from what he could remember in his past life, there was no need for an Archive Card or anything of the sort to enter the Myriad Archives, with everyone being able to come and go to the library as they pleased.

'All the more reason for me to think that something big happened before the first version went public.' Deciding to not make it difficult for the young girl, Valyr cooperated with her, paying the necessary fees and going through a few simple tests. A few minutes later, he and the young girl had returned to where they previously stood, though with the former now holding a small metal card with small runes engraved on its surface.

"As a Rank 2 class holder, your Archive Card has Rank 2 authority, which gives you access to books and documents up to the 6th floor of the Archives." Listening to the teenager's words, Valyr nodded in response, asking the young girl if he was now finally free to proceed. After getting the go ahead, the young man nodded and thanked the young girl for her time, deciding to head to the second floor of the Archives as the unanswered questions gradually popped up in his mind.

"I'll leave the harder questions for later," Valyr muttered to himself.

"For now, I should find out how to extend my lifespan."