Chapter 144: The Library Pavilion

"It is good for young people to have drive, but as a spellcaster, one should not be swayed by emotions. You must be rational and cautious."

The elderly elf saw through Bourne's impatience at a glance. Although his time interacting with Bourne had been short, the actions of the Lehman Chamber of Commerce over the past few years revealed a distinct pattern in Bourne's methodology.

In just a few short years, the wealth accumulated by the Chamber of Commerce could rival that of a centuries-old noble house.

Following that, Bourne used this immense wealth to rapidly push himself to the mid-tier of arcanists. Not only had he completed the qualitative transformation of his mana, but he had also developed the 'Mana Halo'. Right now, consolidating his foundation step by step was the wisest course of action.

Bourne possessed superior talent in both magic and alchemy. As long as he settled his mind, in the next twenty years—no, make that just ten years—there would undoubtedly be a place for him at the very pinnacle of Netheril.

Yet the old man vaguely felt as though something was constantly chasing Bourne, leaving him not a single moment of rest.

Bourne even skipped the 'meditation' that was mandatory for spellcasters every day. When he wasn't making money, he was frantically conducting magical experiments. Magic was rigorous; the greater the power of a spell, the more focus and precision it required. Bourne's behavior was beginning to deviate slightly from the tenets of a spellcaster.

"I understand, Master Hill!"

Bourne gave a wry smile. He knew he had taken strides that were a bit too large, but he had a premonition that the next 'calamity' was not far off.

As the saying went, it's not the thief you catch that you fear, but the thief who keeps his eyes on you. Even though he was currently thriving, he feared someone would secretly stab him in the back when the time came.

His grandfather was powerful, true, but he couldn't protect him forever, especially on the continent of Faerûn. There was no shortage of people with a screw loose; many were simply single-minded fanatics. They didn't care who your backer was—they would fight you to the bitter end. Even if your father was a deity, it wouldn't matter.

When he first came to Sevirun with his grandfather as a child, he had received a piece of information:

"Unity Town has been officially established as an operational base to defend against goblins!"

From this, it could be deduced that the next 'calamity' would likely be triggered by goblins. Neither the serpentine incident in Sevirun nor the recent winter raids by otherworldly beings were recorded in history, yet the goblin incursions were documented, and a frontline stronghold had even been specially established. One could only imagine the scale of the upcoming 'Goblin Calamity'.

Bourne guessed that the recent mass migration of otherworldly creatures might be due to the rampant spread of goblins in the south.

The only problem was that the source of his information was impossible to explain clearly, and if he wasn't careful, it would only land him in trouble. If he possessed the strength of the Academy Dean, even if he simply passed gas, others would think twice before reacting. Besides, the goblin calamity had not caused massive losses to Netheril yet. What he needed right now was to deploy his layout in advance and see if he could reap some benefits when the next crisis arrived.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master Hill!"

Similarly, Bourne had no way to explain it to the elf elder. However, the elder was deeply curious about this intricate, mechanized production model, and it happened to be a good opportunity to let him supervise it. With the elder acting as a master alchemist, Bourne felt quite at ease.

...

"Lord Leonard, this is bad! Bourne Eolum has arrived!"

A court mage ran over in a panic to report.

"Bourne?"

Leonard frowned. Hearing this name over the past two days gave him a headache. "What is he here for?"

"He went to the Library."

The mage said hurriedly.

"The Library? How did he get in?"

Leonard asked in astonishment and suspicion.

"I'm not entirely sure of that, but he bypassed the entrance scanner instantly. He wasn't wearing a court badge, so I suspect he might have secretly stolen or picked up one of ours."

The mage spoke with an excited expression, as if he had discovered something incredible.

"Go investigate. See whose badge is missing or if someone gave theirs away privately."

Leonard commanded.

"I've already sent people to check..."

Just as the mage spoke, rapid footsteps echoed from outside the door, and a young mage hurried in.

"Well? Is anyone's badge missing?"

The mage asked hastily.

"N—no, they're not lost. Everyone's badge is accounted for."

The young mage said, gasping for breath.

"How is that possible? Are you sure you checked them all?"

The mage grabbed the young mage by the shoulders and shook him hard.

"Ouch..." The young mage winced in pain, but still explained, "They've all been checked. Everyone was verified through 'Message'."

"That's enough."

Leonard placed a hand on the mage's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Bloom, calm down. You must remember that your identity is that of a court mage!"

The mage froze for a moment, then dazedly loosened his grip. "S—sorry."

"It's fine."

The young mage rubbed his aching shoulder.

"It must be a pass!"

Leonard's eyes narrowed slightly.

"A pass? Are those only held by the royalty?"

The mage asked in surprise.

"Passes are generally held only by members of the royal family, and sometimes granted to outsiders as a reward, though those are only temporary passes."

Hearing that it was only temporary, both mages breathed a collective sigh of relief. Why did they join the court mages in the first place? It was to gain access to higher-tier transcendental knowledge.

Setting aside their prejudices against Bourne, if someone could obtain the exact same rights as them simply by relying on a temporary pass, then what was the point of their twenty-year 'indentured servitude'?!

"Let's go take a look!"

With that, Leonard took the lead and strode out.

...

The royal 'Library' housed all of Netheril's transcendental knowledge accumulated over four hundred years. Aside from members of the royal family who could browse freely at will, outsiders could only enter to borrow books upon becoming a court mage.

Bourne had obtained the royal 'Library' pass some time ago, but had held onto it without using it, waiting to deploy it at a critical moment.

The pass was temporary, and coupled with the fact that his mechanical chip's memory storage was nearly full and he hadn't yet fully digested the knowledge from the academy, he hadn't come sooner.

Now, however, he believed the time was ripe. Trying to advance the new sixth-ring arcana purely through comprehending the Weave was not going to work.

Ordinary arcana could be deduced and simulated through a large number of experiments, but Bourne's new arcana was an upgraded version succeeding the fifth ring.

Magic experiments were inherently funded by burning money, and space-translocation spells were no longer just burning money—they were tossing solid gold bars. Even with Bourne's current financial foundation, he didn't dare consume resources at that rate.

The most crucial requirement for spell experiments was obtaining 'experience' and sufficient data; otherwise, relying solely on chip simulations would take until the year of the monkey.

"The Library."

Bourne looked at the sign above in mild surprise, discovering that the library wasn't called a library at all, but rather a 'Book Repository'.

Why not call it a scripture pavilion...

Bourne muttered inwardly. This naming convention was truly unique.

Since it was called a book repository, it was indeed a standalone building. It was the tallest structure in Sevirun outside of the mage towers, and two-thirds of the court mages were stationed here.

Bourne could sense a powerful magical array enveloping the topmost floor; that was the command center responsible for monitoring all of Sevirun.

Bourne held the pass in his hand and walked straight ahead. Immediately, he felt a special magical fluctuation. At that moment, the pass in his hand seemed to be activated, radiating its own unique fluctuation that subsequently coalesced into a specific spell formula. The formula was triggered, a series of mechanical gears clicked, and the heavy doors swung open.

"Beep! Magical fluctuation recording complete!"

The chip's voice sounded in Bourne's ear. Bourne's lips curled upward. Such complex fluctuations were practically impossible for a human to memorize, but the chip had no such problem.

With these fluctuations recorded, Bourne could return here at any time even without the physical pass.

Naturally, if one didn't master the 'key', one could also 'hack' their way in, though picking the lock carried the risk of discovery. With the 'key', entering through the front door grandly eliminated that problem.

There were many people inside the library, almost all wearing the attire of court mages. Bourne's distinctive clothing immediately drew the attention of quite a few individuals. Especially since he and the court mages shared a relationship akin to being 'enemies', many recognized Bourne's identity at once.

Yet Bourne could sense that not everyone harbored malice toward him. Aside from a few exceptions, the majority felt curiosity, admiration, or apathy... Most simply glanced at Bourne amidst the crowd before plunging back into the ocean of knowledge.

At that moment, Bourne understood that not all court mages held 'prejudices' against him; the vast majority entered the court ranks purely for the library's high-tier knowledge.

However, the court mages were indeed the backbone of Sevirun. Not a single spellcaster here was below the mid-tier, and there were several high-tier spellcasters, with well over half having undergone the mana transformation.

Bourne unexpectedly spotted a few youths dressed in gorgeous garments, only slightly older than him, who were actually on the verge of breaking through to the high tier. The life force radiating from one of them was faintly 'surging', clearly having just broken through to the high tier not long ago, with his life transition not yet fully concluded.

From the insignia on their bodies, Bourne could tell these individuals were members of the royal family. Naturally, they looked at Bourne with astonishment as well, but Bourne ignored them. Guided by the chip's analysis, Bourne quickly located his target.