Chapter 29: Collection of Manuscripts - Part 2
Xia Zuo rose from his bed, shouldered the school-issued satchel from the wardrobe, and departed from the dormitory.
He intended to venture into the library, to delve into the entire collection of manuscripts and note down all the "Manuscript Combinations."
In the sequence from simple to complex, he aimed to reap the additional experience rewards from these combinations.
The volumes in the school library were open for students to peruse at their leisure.
The tomes unsuitable for apprentice mages were stored in the archives and the private chambers of various professors.
Xia Zuo returned to the castle hall, found the right signs, and under the amber glow, followed the path to the library.
There stood over twenty bookcases, crafted from sturdy wood, with an ancient and elegant style, spaced 3 to 5 meters apart, providing passages for students.
Above, on the ceilings reaching about ten meters high, hung enormous alchemical lamps.
Soft, golden light diffused through transparent glass shades, illuminating every corner of the library.
The walls boasted glass bay windows, extending from the entrance deep into the reading area of the library.
Outside the windows lay a tranquil view of intermingling lakes and greenery.
Walking on the deeply absorbing dark red carpet, Xia Zuo approached the nearest bookcase, tilting his head upwards.
Each bookcase here stood at a height of five to six meters, divided into ten or more rows of shelves from top to bottom.
Several rows at human height displayed books available for browsing, while higher shelves held duplicates.
Those apprentice mages with an inherent affinity could communicate directly with the elemental servants in the library to retrieve duplicates from the higher shelves, while those with acquired affinity needed to fetch them using ladders.
The ladders leaned against the walls, and most of the duplicates on the shelves appeared brand new.
Evidently, the school had prepared these for the numerous apprentices with acquired affinity.
Any freshman with a Spirit score of 10 knew the benefits of reading.
Several figures clad in pristine school uniforms were already engrossed in reading within the library.
They roamed between the bookshelves, seeking texts that piqued their interest.
Xia Zuo moved with deliberate pauses, not disrupting the flow. He started scanning the first bookcase.
His scanning ability trailed slowly over the hard-covered manuscripts.
Occasionally picking up a book, he'd flip through, feign interest with a nod, and carefully realign it next to its neighbors.
About an hour later, Xia Zuo randomly selected a duplicate of a manuscript and settled in the least crowded corner of the reading area.
Resting his left arm on the table, he supported his forehead with his left hand, concealing the bewildered gaze while checking the information through the "Golden Finger." Meanwhile, his right hand aimlessly flipped through the pages.
The school had categorized the manuscripts by subject, which significantly reduced the burden of perusing Manuscript Combinations, eliminating tedious sorting work.
Among the numerous Manuscript Combinations, those in the category of character studies yielded the most experience and were most accessible.
Manuscript Name: "Nightstar City Celebrities' Chronicle"
Manuscript Rank: Expert-level work
Memory Reward: 7 experience points, 0.05 Spirit points
Manuscript Combination 1:
Nightstar City Cultural Insights Primer, 0/2, rewards 4 experience points.
Manuscript Combination 2:
Essential Reads for Domestic and Travel Use in Nightstar City, 0/3, rewards 6 experience points.
Manuscript Combination 3:
Nightstar Province Cultural Insights Primer, 0/3, rewards 6 experience points.
Manuscript Combination 4:
Nightstar Province Celebrity Chronicles, 0/2, rewards 4 experience points.
Manuscript Combination 5:
Nightstar Kingdom Celebrity Chronicles, 0/7, rewards 15 experience points.
(Xia Zuo briefly glanced through the rest.)
Each book in the character studies category had numerous associated combinations. These combinations required memorizing a few books, and there was a high degree of overlap between combinations.
Memorizing one book could fulfill progress in several combinations simultaneously.
Quickly calculating, Xia Zuo realized that by finishing "Nightstar City Celebrities' Chronicle," he could advance progress in over a dozen Manuscript Combinations at once.
Following the list of Manuscript Combination 5, completely memorizing the Nightstar Kingdom Celebrity Chronicles would complete six Manuscript Combinations, totaling over 300 experience points.
Character study manuscripts indeed reigned as the undisputed champions in terms of cost-effectiveness.
Following were the terrain study manuscripts, ranking second in cost-effectiveness.
Lastly, the ecology study manuscripts, with vast memory requirements and the lowest efficiency in acquiring experience points.
Nodding thoughtfully, Xia Zuo made his decision.
He would start with the character study manuscripts, the most cost-effective ones.
As for the terrain and ecology study manuscripts, those would be revisited during classes where they were utilized. At that time, he'd engage in memorization.
Placing the book he had picked back onto the shelf, Xia Zuo began searching for the "Nightstar City Celebrities' Chronicle."
"Xia Zuo."
Mars's deliberately lowered voice suddenly resounded near his ear.
Startled, Xia Zuo broke away from the book, his gaze somewhat vacant. He glanced at Mars's and then turned his head to gaze outside the window, where the noon sunlight streamed in.
It had already been over two hours. Time flew swiftly while engrossed in reading. Since discovering that reading could yield experience, he had become increasingly adept at memorizing knowledge points. He would easily lose himself in the ocean of knowledge with a single lapse in attention.
Even Mars, a high-level scholar who had grown up amidst piles of books, admired this almost enraptured attitude towards reading.
Brushing a strand of hair off his forehead, Xia Zuo opened his pocket watch to show Mars the time, gesturing about having a meal.
The library prohibited clamor. The two communicated briefly in sign language, then left the library for the castle's hall.
"I knew without guessing that you'd be in the library. I've come to find you as soon as it's lunchtime," Mars said, waving his arm toward the wall, revealing a fragrant doorway.
The Nightstar Castle's dining area was half open-air and half indoors.
At the central round table lay an array of fruits, desserts, and beverages, while long seats and booths were scattered around.
Mars led Xia Zuo to a square table and skillfully ticked off several items on the menu, ringing a copper bell to summon the elemental servants.
The menu vanished, drifting in the air toward the direction of the kitchen. Beyond a glass panel in that direction, many spatulas and seasoning bottles danced...
Xia Zuo stared fixedly at the bustling scene in the kitchen. He envisioned himself controlling the elemental servants, preparing hundreds of dishes at once. If only the experience bonus for commoners hadn't been weakened, how much experience would this yield...
Unfortunately, this loophole had been plugged in advance by the Golden Finger.
A while later, two plates of iron-grilled steak with vegetable soup floated over and were placed on the table.
"Mars, who controls these elemental servants acting as chefs and servers?" Xia Zuo asked, cutting a piece of beef hind leg and
putting it into his mouth. The meat was tender, with a perfect balance of lean and fat, cooked to about 70% doneness.
Mars took a sip of the vegetable soup and wiped the water stains from the corner of his mouth with a napkin:
"No one controls them."These elemental servants are products of Elemental Embodiment Studies, operating autonomously according to preset designs during their creation.
"When you attend Elemental Embodiment classes in the future, you'll have your elemental servant too. If your talent is decent, Professor Bertley might even allocate a few extra to you."
The collection within the mage apprentices' library revealed no manuscripts on Elemental Embodiment, a subject renowned for its complexity and formidable nature.
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