Chapter 260: The Library

Silvermoon City was vast, and since the three houses Helag had chosen to view were in different parts of the city, it was impossible to see them all in one day.

After two days of riding around in a carriage, Helag and his companions finally finished inspecting the three properties and their surrounding areas.

After considering all the factors, Helag decided to purchase the house on King’s Street.

Upon visiting the location, Helag found that the area was the quietest, with fewer residents around.

He learned that only members of Seranthiel were eligible to buy houses in this area.

Since Seranthiel didn’t have a large number of official members, and Silvermoon City was so big, the residents in this part of the city were few, making it even more peaceful.

This suited Helag perfectly, as the simpler the environment, the better.

After weighing his options, Helag decided to go ahead and buy the house on King’s Street.

As a first-time homebuyer and an official member of Seranthiel, he received a 50% discount.

The original price of 80,000 magic stones was reduced to 40,000, which Helag paid using his magic stone. After the transaction, he had 20,000 magic stones left, plus another 40,000 on hand, leaving him with a total of 60,000 magic stones.

The houses on King’s Street were all individual courtyards, spaced several dozen meters apart from each other.

There were no bustling residential areas nearby, so the place was very quiet.

Helag placed his hand on the door handle, and with a touch, the door automatically opened.

The courtyard came equipped with wizard arrays, allowing the owner to record who could enter. The array would automatically recognize authorized individuals, while those without permission couldn’t open the door.

The house had three floors and plenty of rooms.

David immediately volunteered to take a room on the first floor, while Helag and Reese chose the master bedroom on the second floor.

To celebrate moving into their new home, Helag decided to follow a tradition from his previous life and cook a meal for the three of them.

He and Reese went to the nearby market to buy ingredients and found that the prices of vegetables and fruits were outrageously high.

They spent five gold coins on a pile of groceries.

Although they bought a lot, the price was still shockingly high.

Helag didn’t mind the cost, but he realized that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to afford such luxuries. Vegetables were simply out of reach for most common folk.

Helag showed off his cooking skills, using the cookware he had previously commissioned from a craftsman to whip up a few dishes. David and Reese were stunned.

They had never expected Helag to be able to cook, and although the dishes were unfamiliar, they smelled incredibly appetizing.

At the dinner table, the three of them dug in with gusto.

After a while, Helag said, “We still have enough magic stones to last us for a while. During this time, we should focus on cultivating and improving ourselves.”

“Aren’t we going to take on tasks?” Reese asked.

“We can, but only if they’re safe. Avoid anything too dangerous. We need to use this time to get stronger,” Helag replied.

Helag’s strategy was simple: play it safe.

He planned to use their current resources to exchange for more, while taking on low-risk tasks to earn more magic stones and contribution points.

Once they were stronger, they could take on riskier tasks if needed.

“Tomorrow, we’ll head to Silvermoon City’s library and try to expand our knowledge base,” Helag said.

“Sounds good,” David and Reese agreed, deferring to Helag’s judgment.

That night, Helag checked his magic stone, but Lilian still hadn’t accepted his friend request. He wondered what she was up to.

***

Silvermoon City’s library had five floors. The first three were open to the public, though a card was required, costing 10 magic stones per month.

The price wasn’t too steep, and most people could afford it.

As an official member of Seranthiel, Helag could access the first three floors for free.

The fourth and fifth floors were more exclusive. Helag learned that accessing the fourth floor required 100 contribution points, and books there were charged per volume.

The fifth floor required 500 contribution points, and it also charged per book.

Helag browsed the tavern forum and searched for information about the library.

He found that the first three floors contained mostly basic knowledge, with no advanced or in-depth material.

The fourth and fifth floors, however, housed more advanced knowledge, and each book required a separate fee to borrow.

Some books were priced as high as tens of thousands of magic stones, and that was just for borrowing, not purchasing.

The next morning, Helag and his companions took a carriage to Silvermoon City’s library.

The library was a cylindrical building, towering over its surroundings and visible from a great distance.

“Hello, we’d like to register,” Helag said as they approached the front desk.

The receptionist was a young woman, about twenty years old, with a weak magical aura, indicating she was only a first-level wizard apprentice.

In the Land of Dawn, wizard apprentices with poor aptitude often took on ordinary jobs, only slightly better off than regular people.

Many jobs only required a small amount of magical ability, and these positions were typically filled by those with lower talent.

“Sure, please present your magic stone,” the woman said.

Helag handed over his magic stone, and the registration was quickly completed.

“Mr. Helag, as an official member of the organization, you have free access to the first three floors. However, since your contribution points are currently zero, you won’t be able to access the fourth or fifth floors,” the receptionist said respectfully as she returned his magic stone.

Helag nodded and let David and Reese handle their own registrations.

Each of them paid 10 magic stones, allowing them to access the first three floors for a month.

A month wouldn’t be enough, but they could always renew their access later.

David and Reese each had 30,000 magic stones from their families, so they didn’t need Helag to cover their expenses.

“Let’s go. You two can check the catalog and pick out the books you want to read,” Helag said.

Helag had a different plan. He intended to record all the books from the first three floors and then decide which ones to study in-depth.

Once inside the library, the three of them split up to find the books they were interested in.

Helag began rapidly recording the contents of every book he passed, flipping through each one and storing the information.

While recording books in the history section, Helag paused for a moment.

In a book titled A Brief History, he came across the words “Six-Ring Tower.”