hotmtlnovel Chapter 47: The Reading Corner
Chapter 47: The Reading Corner
Chapter 47: The Reading Corner- Excerpt from
Aliandra
Malika led Ali across the bridge to the merchant district. The bridge was nothing more than a simple arched construction that spanned the tributary of the Myrin River which cut through the middle of the town. But the fact that it appeared to be a single contiguous piece of delicately speckled granite, rather than a mundane assortment of interlocking blocks or bricks, spoke to the skill of the stone crafter or earth mage who had conjured it, despite the simple and understated practicality of the architecture. Not exactly a choice Ali might have made – she had always been a little partial to some artistry or sculpture – but the decades of wear across the bridge, and the fact that it still bore heavy traffic, stood as a testament to the builder – whoever they might have been.
Ali followed Malika’s unhurried steps away from the soft, rushing flow of the river and on into the merchant district. The surprising contrast between the bustling noise of the thriving stores and the ominous silence of gutted, abandoned buildings unique to Myrin’s Keep was on full display in this district and she wondered how people even managed to stay in business on some of the more run-down streets. Why did people still put so much effort into their businesses when they might find themselves suddenly bleeding in the gutter like that poor Gnome, Morwynne Fizzlebang?
Eventually, Malika slowed and came to a stop in front of a small stone corner shop with a brightly painted sign depicting an open book with sparkling text. Lush ivy with green and red leaves had been cultivated along the walls, lending it a comforting atmosphere of stability and timelessness.
Ali gazed at the quaint and tiny building with a little flutter of excitement settling in her stomach. For sure, there was no comparison between this minute store and the Grand Library Arcana she had grown up with, and she had deliberately set her expectations accordingly, but the building exuded an intoxicating sense of possibilities and unexplored paths that she simply couldn’t ignore.
A cheerful magical chime sounded as she pushed the wooden door open and entered the store. The nostalgic scent of old books, parchment, and ink whisked her instantly into memories of long, pleasant hours wiled away with her favorite stories. There was even a hearth with a small warm fire and several comfortable reading chairs scattered about – the perfect nook for a group of beloved friends to huddle around over a cup of warm, floral Elven tea. A small board had been placed on a table, set with unadorned but well-worn crafted pieces of light and dark wood arranged in the middle of a game of Kings and Emperors. A thick, dark rug covered a warm wooden floor, and a small floating orb of soft light completed the reading area. Surrounding the reading spot were tightly packed shelves separated only by the narrowest passages, almost Fae-sized aisles, to allow access to the books stacked to the ceiling. Scattered about, and filling most of the available floor space, were many half-opened boxes filled with unsorted books and scrolls.
Ali took a deep breath, taking her fill of the atmosphere, and let out a happy sigh. She could easily spend a week on one of the comfortable reading chairs and simply not notice the outside world moving by. She grinned at Malika and entered the room intent on exploring.
“Hi, welcome to The Reading Corner!”
A tall, raven-haired young human woman wearing dark-rimmed glasses poked her head out from one of the narrow passages between two tall bookshelves. She wore a bright green dress with practical matching hairclips keeping her hair out of her ink-smudged face. In her arms, she carried several books and a clipboard.
Ali immediately liked her. The open and curious smile, the careful way she carried the books, and the gentle way her hand rested upon the bookshelves beside her told Ali all she needed to know.
“My name is Ryn. I’m the bookseller’s apprentice, how can I help you?”
A quick Identify told Ali that Ryn had yet to unlock her class. “I’d like to buy a couple of books, but I’m not sure what I can afford.” Ali gazed around the store, wondering how anyone would find anything specific in the seemingly chaotic organization.
“Oh good,” Ryn smiled. “I’m about halfway through reorganizing everything so it’s a bit chaotic right now, but I can help you find anything. Do you have something particular in mind?”
A reorganization of the entire bookstore seemed like an immense undertaking, but it explained the chaos.
“Magic books, history, and maybe a good story?” Ali didn’t want to seem too desperate, but she had been considering this very question for weeks. Now that she was so close and literally surrounded by books, she couldn’t wait to get something worth reading. She had worked hard for her gold, and if Malika was right, she could easily wipe out all her earnings in an instant.
“What kind of magic books are you looking for? I’m sorry I can’t Identify you yet. If you’re looking for something advanced, they’re locked away and you’ll have to wait a few weeks for the owner to return.”
“I just reached level twenty.”
“I think we can find something, let me see…” Ryn moved towards a set of shelves, running her fingers across the backs of the books stored there. “How much would you like to spend?”
“I have about five gold,” Ali answered quickly, earning a frown from Malika.
But Ryn seemed trustworthy, and Ali couldn’t imagine she would be taken advantage of, despite Malika’s obvious paranoia.
“Here we go. These are mostly introductory works and fundamentals for newer spellcasters, perhaps there is something you’d like here?” Ryn called out, inviting her to peruse a shelf with books stacked on it seemingly at random. Ali recognized the telltale soft glow and sparkle of magical ink on the spine of several of the texts, and now, with her skills, she could see the mana swirling around this section of the shelves. Authors of magical texts often used mana-infused ink to help illustrate the concepts depicted within, or to impress the reader with dramatic cover designs, or sometimes both. The magical text sections within the Grand Library Arcana had always been a spectacular riot of color and motion.
Ali’s eyes lingered excitedly on the modest collection of magical tomes. Unsurprisingly, most of the texts were for fire and ice magic. Even in her time, fire and ice were by far the most common affinities among mages. Not the most versatile magic, but certainly reliable – especially for combat classes.
While she would have loved to read a good discourse on fire magic, her personal mana was not compatible and it would satisfy her intellectual curiosity, but not much more. This wasn’t a library with free access to everything – she had limited gold and something that she could use would be the best option to help her grow.
Her hand rested on a small tome on the shelf that claimed to be a text on Plant magic. Plant magic had a substantial overlap with the broader Nature magic affinity, and she was certain she could find a few compatible spells.Mato seemed very happy to lend her his Druid magic book whenever she wanted.
“Do you have anything on Arcane magic?” Ali couldn’t immediately see anything related to arcane affinity on the shelf in front of her, but the selection was rather small, and it didn’t surprise her much. While it was worth asking, Ali wasn’t expecting anything.
“Hmm…” Ryn pursed her lips in an expression of deep thought. “I do recall something… oh yes! I know, it was in the shipment that just arrived this week. Now, where did I put that box…”
The studious bookstore apprentice hurried over to the end of the aisle and dug into a box of books with an infectious energy that Ali just had to admire. Even with her vigorous-looking
Ali immediately stepped into the center of the runic circle and sat down. A cool prickling sensation rippled across her skin, and small particles of dirt and grime floated up off her body and clothing, sparkling into tiny motes of golden mana before evaporating into the ambient mana in the air around her.
, she giggled inwardly.
As she sat enjoying the sensation of her magic circle cleansing her from dirt, her notification chime sounded again.
Sage of Learning – level 10
Your ability to learn languages, magical systems, history, and similar academic knowledge is significantly enhanced. You have enhanced memory for the content you have studied.
Mana: Channel mana and uninterrupted focus to enhance Sage of Learning while studying. Cognitive function, memory, and reading are enhanced in speed and clarity.
Arcane, Knowledge, Channeled, Perception, Intelligence
Ali sat and stared dumbfounded at the notifications.
She had only been excited about studying her new book, and a simple magical construct at that. Other than convenience, the magic construct for Cleanse would not be particularly useful – certainly not for combat, unless she planned to threaten the Goblins with unwanted cleaning? In her desire to focus, she had intuitively used Malika’s breathing exercises to calm herself down, and instead of unlocking the expected Meditation general skill, she had unlocked something substantially more useful to her.
Accepting the advancement would set the direction for future growth of her class and skill, but an intentional study trance was ideal for her. Even though she didn’t have access to many books for studying yet, it could only be a matter of time and earning enough money before she had many more. With this skill, she would be able to accelerate and enhance her learning. Maybe she might even begin to make sense of the impossibly complex runic magic in her Grimoire.
Ali accepted the advance, committing herself and her class growth to the path of her passion for magical study.