One-Eyed Monster

Stim’s theory was remarkably novel; in the long river of Scholar history, no one had ever taken quotations out of context in quite this way.

Pulling out several paragraphs from several books and stitching them together into a new passage—this might truly be a first in the history of Scholars.

Dean Hoffman stroked his beard, looked at Stim, and then asked with curiosity, ”How confident are you about this?”

Stim rubbed the book in his hands and said firmly, ”I’m eighty‑nine percent sure.”

”Good, then let’s see whether that remaining eleven percent can happen!” Dean Hoffman said with a broad smile, as if very much looking forward to what would come next. ”Everyone, come with me to my library.”

Dean Hoffman’s private library was located in the deepest part of Yonder Travel Academy. Because it contained a large number of Spirit Books, this library was not placed together with the Academy’s main library. Spirit Books were not all like the one in Igor’s hands that only launched verbal attacks; many Spirit Books could unleash attacks more powerful than those of some Adventurers with Class, so Dean Hoffman hadn’t dared to make these books publicly accessible.

Some books could only be touched once one’s strength had reached a certain level; otherwise, it was very likely you’d be accidentally harmed by them.

A bookworm like Stim naturally understood all this. He was one of the few people specially authorized by Dean Hoffman to enter the private library. From this, it was evident that there was indeed something special about Stim.

The group set out for Dean Hoffman’s private library just as night fell.

The library was behind the Academy, not too far from the back kitchen.

On the way, Igor even swung by the kitchen to grab some food. He hadn’t been idle along the way; though it wasn’t far, Igor kept questioning his own Spirit Book. He found it odd that the things Stim had discovered had never once been mentioned by the Spirit Book before—and furthermore, why hadn’t the Spirit Book said a single word up to now? That was not normal at all!

The road to Dean Hoffman’s private library wasn’t long, but the atmosphere along the way was strange; each person was lost in their own thoughts.

Most of them hoped that what Stim had discovered would prove useful. After all, the missing pieces of their puzzle were just far too many.

It could be said the information Tobin Sol had brought back was explosive. Originally, Luona and the Alchemy Workshop had reached a cooperation agreement, and things seemed to be developing in a good direction. Although the Alchemy Workshop’s intentions were somewhat obscure, their joining still made the Academy’s original system for training the next generation more complete. This was also Governor Rostov’s greatest wish—to have Yonder Travel Academy continuously provide talent for Luona and the entire Empire.

As a Politician, Governor Rostov naturally understood how complex the current situation was. The Three Great Empires had long been locked in constant strife. The Kayne Realm, wedged in between, had been continuously carved up by the other two Empires. Their Luona lay on the border and had to be fully prepared to defend against foreign enemies. And now Sol had brought back a new situation, one that plunged everyone into an unknown terror. At this point it was no longer about true or false; the real question was when these unknown enemies would appear here, and what preparations they must make in order to effectively resist them once they did. Governor Rostov kept knocking on his own head, hoping his Sound Sensing Skill could be of use at a time like this, but no matter how he tried to comprehend the Spirit Power, no sound reached his ears.

Dean Hoffman was of course also shocked by the news Sol had brought back, but he was a Scholar—a Scholar who ceaselessly sought Absolute Truth. In his past studies he had long since prepared himself mentally for many things. Scholars knew this world was not what it appeared to be on the surface; there were many hidden things waiting to be explored. Unfortunately, most of the powers‑that‑be in this world were obsessed with quick gains. The development of Adventurers with Class had become skewed toward warriors; many professions were left neglected, and Adventurers—the ones most closely linked with Scholars—had been cast to the back of everyone’s mind early on. Dean Hoffman hoped that this time the news Sol brought back could wake people up: when facing the unknown, even if you possess great martial power, you may still find it hard to act, because you don’t even know who your opponent is…

The news Sol brought back made the reunion between the Sol Brothers seem very subdued. Even though they hadn’t seen each other for many years, Stan Sol and Tobin Sol hadn’t had time for much conversation. They only gave each other a simple hug, and all the feelings in their hearts were released in that brief embrace. Because at this moment Tobin Sol understood what responsibility meant; brothers are like the palm and back of one hand, and Stan Sol fully supported his elder brother.

The sense of responsibility shown by the Sol Brothers moved Perkins deeply. He and Tobin Sol had always been good friends. This time he had originally come back to have Sol help solve his own problems, but now he felt his issues could be completely set aside. He too needed to shoulder responsibility, just like the Sol Brothers…

On this short walk to the Dean’s private library, their thoughts churned. No one spoke to break the tacit silence; each person, carrying their own worries, waited for Stim’s new discovery.

Before long, they arrived at Dean Hoffman’s private library.

The library wasn’t large, just a small house, but there were two people standing guard at the door.

”Dean!” The two guards were Dean Hoffman’s trusted assistants, and also students of Yonder Travel Academy. They had just graduated and chosen to stay on at the Academy, helping the Dean manage this library.

”You’ve worked hard, Jiggs and Skol. Spending all day with these Spirit Books must be exhausting. I’ll have Stim come and rotate with you sometime!”

Dean Hoffman’s words made Stim so excited he could hardly contain himself. This meant he would formally be promoted to librarian, which was a tremendous honor for him.

”All right, it’s about time Stim got some training. Among the newer students, he’s the one who runs here the most frequently!” said the Scholar named Jiggs. He wore a white cloak, looking like an elf in the dark of night.

”Hurry up and thank the Dean. From now on you can come and go as you please—you won’t have to beg us anymore,” said Skol, who was also wrapped in a white cloak. His figure was on the plump side, short and round like a winter melon.

”Thank you, Dean, thank you, Dean!” Stim was so happy he started dancing with joy.

”You earned this yourself. Whether or not you manage to uncover the connections in the Travelogue series, your understanding of books is already good enough for the post of librarian here.”