Chapter 435 435-More Information on the Naga
John, holding the inscription given to him by a Storm City guard, entered the Great Library.
The first floor of the Great Library was the most crowded, where the majority of lower-level players came to study basic spells and magic.
Apart from NPCs teaching low-level magic, the first floor of the Great Library housed numerous bookshelves filled with a vast array of books.
Most of these books were about the history, customs, and geography of the Northern Myst Empire, with only a small portion being useful for adventurers.
John wandered around the first floor of the Great Library without a specific goal, just checking for any abnormalities.
Reaching the central area of the first floor, where books related to marine life were stored, he thought of the Naga tribe.
Although he had decided to visit the Naga tribe after completing the "Secret of Storm City" hidden quest, gathering some information about the Naga tribe in advance seemed like a good idea.
Inside the bookshelf area, under the guidance of an NPC librarian, John began searching for books related to the Naga.
"Legend of the Deep Sea" by the renowned traveler Andrew Kard caught John's attention.
The book, detailing the Naga tribes, was written by Kard, a name John remembered from his early days in the game.
He had heard NPCs mention this famed explorer in passing, in an easily overlooked spot within the game.
Andrew Kard, celebrated as one of the greatest travelers, had explored almost every corner of the Godslayer Game's vast world.
His remarkable journey began at Karen Port, located within the Northern Myst Empire.
Over five years, Kard circumnavigated the known world, finally concluding his epic voyage near Storm City, at Galaxy Port.
During those five years, Andrew Kard wrote numerous travelogues in his spare time.
These travelogues have become some of the best-selling books in the Northern Myst Empire.
Andrew Kard wasn't an extraordinarily powerful NPC, nor was he one of the 'Unique Ones.'
Even during his world journey, he remained an ordinary person.
Andrew Kard meticulously recorded everything he encountered during his travels, and the last book in his series of travelogues was "Legend of Deep Sea."
The book is divided into five parts.
The first part, which John wasn't particularly interested in, detailed how Andrew Kard found the Naga tribe.
John was already familiar with this aspect, as the method Kard used to find the Naga tribe was the same as the one Blue Sea had told John about.
During his travels at Weeping Shore, Andrew Kard picked up and blew into a conch shell, despite his fear of the Tethys whale.
As a traveler, he ultimately chose to be carried by the Tethys whale to the entrance of the Naga tribe.
The second part of the book described Andrew Kard's observations in the deep sea.
Although Kard was taken to the entrance of the Naga tribe, he couldn't enter the tribe as a mere mortal.
Instead, he carefully observed the marine life around the entrance to the Naga tribe.
This part caught John's attention the most, as he hadn't paid much attention to the marine life around the entrance of the Naga tribe before.
The third and fourth parts of the book detailed the Naga tribe.
While Andrew Kard's descriptions were detailed, this information was something John was already aware of.
Kard particularly elaborated on the grandeur of the Naga Queen's palace, but he could only describe its exterior, as he was never granted entry into the Queen's residence.
The fifth and final part of the book recounted an incident that Kard found peculiar:
[Her Majesty the Queen ultimately did not summon me, which was not beyond my expectations, as I am merely a mortal who arrived at the Naga tribe by chance.
Since I couldn't meet with Her Majesty, I didn't plan to stay in the Naga tribe for long.
I had been away for too long and was eager to return to Storm City.
On the day I was about to leave the Naga tribe, I thought I saw a cloud of black mist entering the tribe.
This mist wasn't stopped by any Naga guards and went straight into the Queen's palace.
To this day, I cannot be sure whether what I saw was real or an illusion.
Perhaps it was a hallucination, or maybe I was conflating previous events with my experiences in the Naga tribe.
This is the last part of my story.
To my readers who wish to visit the Naga tribe after reading my travelogue, be cautious.
The Nagas there are not always friendly.]
If Andrew Kard's observation was correct, it suggested that the forces of Mystery might have been collaborating with the Naga tribe for over a hundred years.
Confronted with the possibility that the Naga tribe might have betrayed the Sea God, John was deep in thought.
The implications of such an alliance with the forces of Mystery were profound, and he wondered about the motives and benefits for the Nagas in doing so.
As he pondered these questions, returning Andrew Kard's travelogue to its shelf, a voice emerged from behind him.
"You are the hero who saved Storm City, aren't you? What kind of book are you looking for? You can tell me, and I can help you find it."
Turning around, John saw a very young NPC librarian from the Great Library looking at him with curious eyes, seemingly eager to assist.
Upon hearing John's request for books about the Naga, the young NPC librarian from the Great Library nodded with a smile.
"We do have many books related to the Naga. However, most of them are fictional works based on the imagination of novelists.
Books that provide verified information about the actual Nagas are quite rare. nOve.lb-1n
The travelogue by Andrew Kard that you've seen contains the most information among them.
Of course, I can also help you look for travelogues written by other explorers.
But such books aren't easily accessible on the first floor of the Great Library.
As you might be aware, books written by powerful individuals are stored in the upper levels of the Great Library.
If you want to see those books, please follow me to the upper levels.
Alternatively, if you wish to look for other types of books, feel free to browse around the lower levels of the Great Library."
John decided not to stay on the first floor of the Great Library any longer, feeling that he had already explored it thoroughly and it was unlikely to yield any unusual information.
"No problem, take me to the upper levels of the Great Library now. I would like you to find all the books related to the Naga. Even if I can't take those books away, it's fine. I can read them all here in the Great Library. I believe my memory is good enough to retain all the information."
The NPC from the Great Library, smiling, led John to the upper levels.
The NPC walked ahead, with John following behind. John's smile had faded; he was acutely aware that the NPC who suddenly appeared and offered to take him to the upper levels of the Great Library might have hostile intentions.
Going with the NPC could potentially lead him into a trap. However, John was not overly concerned about this possible danger.
His goal in visiting the Great Library was to investigate any anomalies and gather information.
If the NPC indeed had hostile intentions, John considered that he might glean secrets related to Storm City during the confrontation.
They quickly reached the elevator of the Great Library.
The NPC, still smiling, looked at John and said, "If you have any regrets, you can still turn back now."
John shook his head in response, "Let's proceed. Take me to those books related to the Naga."