Matthew walked up the stone steps. A magnificent building slowly came into view. The entire structure was built from grayish-white monoliths, standing five stories tall.
He noticed dozens of stone pillars supporting the main hall. Above the main entrance, an ancient inscription was carved: “Knowledge Illuminates Truth.” Matthew looked up, a trace of interest flickering in his eyes.
Judging by the scale of the building alone, this place was larger than all the academies in the county seat combined. It was no wonder people called it the largest Public Library in the entire kingdom.
...
The interior of the hall was incredibly spacious. Rows of bookshelves stretched into the distance, seemingly without end. In the center of the hall, many scholars were quietly leafing through various texts.
Behind the counter, an old administrator wearing gold-rimmed glasses looked up. “Is this your first time?” Matthew nodded. “I’d like to apply for a library card.”
The old man skillfully produced a registration form. “Name, occupation, and address.” Once the registration was complete, the old man handed over a wooden plaque.
“This grants ordinary borrowing privileges. You can freely enter the first and second floors. For the third floor and above, you will need a recommendation from a scholar.”
Matthew took the wooden plaque without asking further questions. The rules were reasonable. Truly precious knowledge would naturally not be made public to everyone.
...
Just as the two were about to head inside, a slight commotion broke out on the other side of the hall. Several administrators stood up and proactively cleared a path. Matthew instinctively turned to look.
His gaze froze for a moment. Walking into the hall was the same young woman he had seen in the black carriage last night. She wasn't wearing a black gown today, but had changed into a simple white scholar's robe.
She held several thick ancient tomes in her arms. There were no knights behind her, only the old butler following silently. As she walked, all the administrators bowed respectfully.
Some addressed her as “Miss Violet.” The woman merely nodded slightly and headed straight for the third floor. From beginning to end, she didn't spare Matthew a single glance.
It was as if the brief moment of eye contact on the street last night had never happened. Matthew didn't linger either. He withdrew his gaze and walked toward the bookshelves on the first floor.
He knew very well that meeting once was a coincidence, and meeting twice was also a coincidence. But if he proactively approached her a third time, he would be looking for trouble.
...
The first floor of the library mostly housed public texts: 《General History of the Kingdom》, 《Continental Geography》, 《Noble Genealogy》, 《Illustrated Guide to Magical Beasts》, and 《History of the Development of the Class Holders Guild》. There were tens of thousands of volumes.
Aidan was dazzled by the selection. He couldn't help but ask in a low voice, “Brother Matthew, there are so many books. Where do we start?”
Matthew didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked slowly along the shelves. His goal was clear. It wasn't cultivation or general history; it was the Royal Capital.
Soon, a heavy tome caught his eye: 《Annals of the Royal Capital》. Matthew pulled it out and flipped to the first page. The earliest records dated back over seven hundred years.
He didn't start from the beginning. Instead, he flipped directly to the sections covering the last few decades. Herbert had once told him that when searching for information, one shouldn't start from the very beginning.
One should first determine the timeframe and then look for specific events. This was the most efficient way. Twenty years ago... nothing. Twenty-one years ago... nothing.
Twenty-two years ago... still nothing. Just as Matthew was about to continue flipping pages, a line of text suddenly caught his attention.
“Kingdom Year 473: A severe fire occurred in the West District. A total of over 1,300 houses were destroyed. Casualty statistics pending.” Below that, there were only two short lines and no further descriptions.
Matthew frowned slightly. It was too little information. A fire of such magnitude should have been recorded over several pages anywhere else. But here, there was only a single sentence.
It looked as if someone had deliberately edited it down. He continued to flip forward. Sure enough, the records for the West District became increasingly sparse over the following years.
In many places, there were even blank spaces. It was as if a segment of history had simply vanished. This was by no means normal.
Matthew slowly closed the book. He had already reached a conclusion. Someone had altered the public historical records. Or rather, the true records had been moved to the third floor or higher.
Those were the areas that ordinary people could not access.
...
Just then, a voice suddenly came from beside him. “Young man, if you're looking for information on the West District, you won't find the answers on the first floor.”
Matthew turned his head. The speaker was a white-haired old man. He wore the most ordinary grey administrator's robe and was slowly dusting the bookshelves with a feather duster.
He looked like nothing more than a common librarian. Matthew gave a slight bow. “Why is that?” The old man smiled.
“Because many books aren't written for everyone to see.” He lightly patted the bookshelf. “History always has two versions: one for ordinary people, and one for those who truly research it.”
Aidan was completely confused. “How can history have two versions?” The old man laughed heartily. “Of course it can, child. The history written by victors and the history written by those who lived through it are often not the same thing.”
Matthew’s pupils constricted slightly. Herbert had said those exact words, almost verbatim. He asked calmly, “Then where is the true history?”
The old man used his feather duster to point lightly upward. “The third floor... or... underground.” After saying this, the old man resumed dusting the shelves as if they were just making small talk.
However, Matthew keenly noticed that when the old man said the word “underground,” his voice dropped significantly. Furthermore, his eyes instinctively flickered toward the center of the hall.
Two library monitors in white uniforms were standing there. Matthew didn't press further. Instead, he picked up a copy of 《Gazetteer of the Royal Capital》 and left that row of shelves.
Once they were far enough away, Aidan whispered, “Brother Matthew, that old gentleman seems to know a lot.” Matthew nodded slowly. “Yes. And what he said might not have been meant just for us.”
Aidan was stunned. “What do you mean?” Matthew looked back. The old man was still slowly dusting the shelves, his movements calm and unhurried.
But just a moment ago, Matthew had noticed that the skin between the old man's thumb and forefinger, as well as his index finger, was covered in thick calluses. Those weren't formed from handling books for a long time.
They were formed from gripping a sword for a long time. Why would a librarian have the sword-gripping calluses that only a professional Knight would possess? Matthew had no answer.
However, he knew that since entering the Royal Capital, every seemingly ordinary person he met might be hiding another identity. The true Royal Capital was perhaps far deeper than it appeared on the surface.
Matthew didn't linger. He took the 《Gazetteer of the Royal Capital》 to a long table by the window and sat down. Sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows, and the reading area was so quiet that only the sound of turning pages could be heard.
Aidan sat opposite him. Before long, he was engrossed in an 《Illustrated Guide to Magical Beasts》 that was filled with pictures. Matthew, meanwhile, opened the 《Gazetteer of the Royal Capital》.
Compared to the annals, this book was much more detailed. It not only included the layout of the streets but also recorded the development process of each district. Time passed slowly.
Suddenly, Matthew stopped. In a corner of one page, there was a map of the Royal Capital from two hundred years ago. He placed the map alongside the latest version he had purchased and began to compare them bit by bit.
At first, there were no differences. But when he looked at the West District, his brow slowly furrowed. “That's not right...” Aidan looked up. “What's wrong?”
Matthew didn't answer, only continuing his comparison. Finally, he found the issue. Two hundred years ago, the West District was nearly a third larger than it was now.
It wasn't that there were fewer buildings; rather, a large section was simply missing from the map. On the latest map, that area was just a blank space labeled “Kingdom Reserve Warehouse.”
Two hundred years ago, however, that area was densely packed with streets, residences, churches, taverns, and even a small plaza. In other words, that massive warehouse hadn't always been there.
It was built later. Matthew’s gaze gradually deepened. Demolishing an entire district to build such a massive storage area was not something that could be explained by a simple fire.
Something must have happened there.
...
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. The white-haired administrator walked over carrying a stack of old books. He saw the two maps on Matthew’s table and his pace faltered slightly.
He then smiled and said, “Young man, you have a good eye.” Matthew looked up. “Senior, what used to be in this place?”
The old man was silent for a few seconds as he gently placed the old books onto the shelf. “A residential area. Many people. It was very lively.” “What happened afterward?”
The old man looked out the window, his gaze somewhat dazed. “Afterward... overnight, everything was gone.” Aidan was shocked. “Overnight?”
The old man nodded slowly. “The next day, the city gates were closed. The entire West District was placed under martial law. Later, the officials said a massive fire had occurred. A few years after that, it became a warehouse.”
Matthew didn't rush to ask, but waited quietly. Sure enough, the old man gave a bitter smile. “Don't ask me. I was just a small clerk organizing archives back then.”
“This is all I know. The true archives were all sealed afterward.” “Who sealed them?” The old man shook his head.
“I don't know. I only remember that on that day, many important people I’d never seen before arrived. People from the Palace, people from the White Tower, and...”
The old man stopped abruptly, as if remembering something he shouldn't say. He remained silent for a long time before finally waving his hand. “Forget it. It’s all things from decades ago. There’s no benefit in knowing too much.”
With that, the old man walked away with his books and didn't look back.
...
Aidan watched the old man’s retreating figure and couldn't help but say, “Brother Matthew, why do I feel like everyone in the Royal Capital has secrets?”
Matthew smiled and folded the maps. “It’s not everyone. It’s just that those who live long enough will always know things that others don't.”
Just then, a faint bell tolled from the third floor. Ding— The sound wasn't loud, but it was very crisp. The scholars in the hall all looked up.
Then, as if nothing had happened, they went back to their books. Only the white-haired old man instinctively glanced toward the stairs, a trace of complexity flashing in his eyes.
Matthew followed the sound as well. At the entrance to the third floor, the young woman named Violet was slowly descending the stairs while holding a heavy ancient tome.
Only this time, she was accompanied by an old man wearing a deep blue robe. A silver-white badge was pinned to his chest, with a high tower engraved in its center.
The old man in the blue robe walked slowly. His pace was sluggish, yet it caused many scholars in the hall to stop what they were doing. Some rose to bow, while others nodded politely.
No one spoke, but everyone showed respect. The old man merely nodded slightly before walking toward the library exit with Violet. The two were conversing in low voices that ordinary people couldn't hear.
Matthew naturally didn't approach. He continued to flip through his book, appearing completely unconcerned. Only when the two passed near him did a very short phrase drift through the air.
“...the third batch of materials.” After that, nothing more could be heard.
The third batch? Materials? Matthew didn't react. One couldn't deduce anything from such fragmented information. Making forced guesses would only mislead him.
...
Once the two had left the library, Aidan let out a small sigh of relief. “I don't know why, but when that old man stood there, I felt like I couldn't breathe.”
Matthew gently closed his book. “Powerful experts always exert pressure.” Aidan nodded. “Is he even more powerful than that knight captain from yesterday?”
Matthew was silent for two seconds before saying slowly, “They belong to different systems. There is no way to compare them.”
In terms of physical strength alone, that old man might not be as strong as a Gold Rank Knight. But what was truly dangerous was often not the body, but the unknown.
...
In the afternoon, the two left the library and walked back toward the commercial street. Compared to the quiet Scholar District, this place was still bustling with activity.
The sounds of vendors, haggling, and carriages mixed together, full of the bustle of life. Aidan was quickly drawn to an equipment shop.
“Brother Matthew, shall we go inside and take a look?” Matthew nodded. He also wanted to get an idea of the equipment market in the Royal Capital.
...
The shop was quite large. The walls were covered with all kinds of weapons: longswords, battleaxes, lances, and even equipment made from magical beast materials.
A clerk walked up to them enthusiastically. “What can I help you two with?” Matthew picked up a longsword and gave it a few swings. The weight and balance were very average.
“Blue-quality,” the clerk said with a smile. “You have a good eye, guest. This is a work from Master Ironforge. The price is eighty-five gold coins.”
Matthew set the sword down. He had already reached a conclusion. Blue-quality equipment in the Royal Capital was significantly cheaper than in the county seat. This indicated that resources were much more concentrated here.
Just then, a sudden exclamation came from the back of the shop. “It’s a success!” Many customers turned to look.
...
Rate on N.U.
