"Phew, it’s finally here!"
On the last day of the two-week review period after Aiven submitted his borrowing application, he finally received a reply from the library amidst a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
Although he was confident in himself, the assertion made by Derek that "no one in the academy has definitively obtained borrowing privileges" did have so impact on him.
Eagerly tearing open the envelope, a card slipped onto the table.
"Huh, that’s it?"
Inside the thin envelope in Aiven’s hand, there was nothing but a card, not even a single word.
Picking up the poker-sized, indeterminately materialized purple card that resembled a library borrowing card, Aiven muttered to himself, "What does this an? Mysterious, does this signify that my application has been approved?!"
Given the Shadow Library’s consistently aloof deanor, Aiven wasn’t particularly surprised.
Having achieved one of the primary purposes of this endeavor, he was slightly excited and had all his attention drawn to the small borrowing card.
The front of the borrowing card was blank except for Aiven’s na. On the back, an ornate silver pattern enveloped an abstract violet, with a single eye radiating golden rays from the center of the flower, and at the bottom of the pattern, there was a line of small words written in "Spiritual Text," which Aiven read out one by one:
"Vi..olet..Eye?
This na seems like a secret society."
Moreover, touching it by hand, Aiven could clearly feel a subtle witchcraft wave coming from the card. This was not just a simple library borrowing card; it was also a piece of witchcraft creation!
However, Aiven was confident that he hadn’t signed any suspicious contract when submitting his application, plus, after all, this was inside the Royal Navy Academy. The Shadow Library, which had existed for so long, couldn’t possibly be an illegal cult organization and must have so unknown connection with the academy or even the kingdom.
Not overly worried, after all, he had already secured the borrowing privilege, and countless mysterious knowledge beckoned to him, small doubts were naturally cast aside.
"Fantastic!"
All the honors he received previously couldn’t compare to the joy brought by this small borrowing card at this mont. Honors are given by others, but knowledge and power are eternally one’s own!
With prior authorization allowing him to arrange his ti freely, Aiven’s interest in the library far exceeded the academy’s training and classes. After all, with Aiven’s good study habits, he had already previewed the written materials, progressing far beyond the normal curriculum.
Later, he would catch up with Krell for notes, and the theoretical courses would be no problem.
As for practical training, after gradually understanding and absorbing the "Rose Sword Saint’s" swordsmanship, although Aiven’s physical fitness needed gradual accumulation, his swordsmanship had significantly advanced.
He’s not bragging; he could hold his own against any instructor one-on-one. Even the kingdom’s top-ranked academy couldn’t afford to employ Great Knight Level experts as instructors.
Among the formal, senior, and peak three levels, the swordsmanship instructors of this short training course were rely at the senior level, still a distance from Uncle Gel’s Peak Knight level.
Checking the schedule, he decisively skipped the course by his direct instructor Paul and, taking the notebook he had prepared in advance, eagerly headed to the library.
He followed a gravel path through a tranquil grove of trees.
The distant sounds of the campus gradually faded away, and an imposing building that exuded a strong sense of history appeared before Aiven.
Because of the woodland barrier, external noise couldn’t affect this place in the slightest, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere perfect for reading.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Passing through a colonnaded entrance ford by Ionic marble pillars, he entered the regular library using his student ID. Without lingering a mont, Aiven walked straight toward the depths of the library, navigating through rows of towering wooden shelves.
The scent of books lingered at Aiven’s nose, calming his sowhat excited mood.
Countless bookshelves made of special wood exuded a gentle aroma, refreshing and insect-proof. In an era when books were very precious, just this library alone was invaluable.
Moreover, according to the planned layout of libraries and museums of this era, there must be a secret vault in so little-known place. It stored delicate parchnt scrolls, clay tablets, tal inscriptions, and other unique tos, all treasures in the eyes of collectors.
However, ordinary collections, no matter how precious, didn’t catch Aiven’s eye.
Though they might hide profound wisdom transcending the mundane, little-known historical secrets of various nations, or the extraordinary strategies that made one a high-ranking official in the kingdom, to Aiven, nothing was as important as the most basic witchcraft knowledge.
Clear objectives.
The place Aiven sought, since called the Shadow Library, naturally had a connection with the academy’s regular library. Just more hidden, those without qualifications couldn’t find it.
Even though there were no signs in the library, relying on widely circulated campus legends and several scouting trips, Aiven had a guess. This was likely the final test of a student’s wisdom...
"Unveiling the mist bears witness to the present and the past,
You watch , I watch you,
The footless walk into the world of inverses,
The sightless find the truth."
The legend provided a simple clear guidance that would bewilder the average listener. Many Navy Academy students, and even citizens qualified to enter the library, had followed it as a clue for adventures, but without exception returned empty-handed.
Aiven knew the guidance was likely correct; they just lacked the crucial pass to trigger the final ritual.
Taking out the borrowing card from his pocket, the card bearing the "Violet Eye" pattern had begun emitting a faint purple glow visible only to Aiven from the mont he entered the library.
As Aiven approached the history section, the purple glow grew brighter.
Pausing in a narrow aisle, Aiven scanned the surrounding shelves and saw a noticeable age difference of several decades between the shelves on either side.
The naplates showed one side as modern history and the other as ancient history, distinctly divided old and new shelves.
The Navy Academy’s library had undergone several expansions since its founding, making the mixed new and old shelves normal, but it was very problematic when combined with the guiding maxim.
Especially with the full-length mirror placed on the wall at the end of the aisle, seemingly doubling the already massive library, and in the mirrored world, another Aiven was staring back at him.
"Unveiling the mist bears witness to the present and the past, you watch , I watch you." Standing here in front of the mirror in the history section, the scene perfectly matched the maxim.
"The footless walk into the world of inverses, the sightless find the truth." If not standing here, no one would ever understand what these last two lines ant, but now Aiven decided to just try it.
Stepping to the full-length mirror, Aiven raised the card, closed his eyes, and tentatively hopped forward on one leg.
Whoosh—
Instead of crashing into the mirror as expected, an instant sense of falling took over, filling Aiven with joyful surprise.
Found it!
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