Mage Manual
Chapter 304 - Chapter 304 Chapter 260 Legendary Library

Chapter 304: Chapter 260: Legendary Library Chapter 304: Chapter 260: Legendary Library Even without the Sword Maiden Wise Star, the two Mages quickly found out how to use this library, after all, the first bookshelf they came across had a book that was emitting a brilliant green light, as if it were saying, “Look at me, look at me.”

The Legendary Library Guide

“Congratulations to every Mage who steps into this library, your luck is unparalleled, your story will be sung by thousands, you are the light, you are the electricity, you are the future legend!”

“This library was built by the ‘Drama Poet’… Remember this name, because… is the narrator of fate, holding the authority over contradictions, directing countless joys and sorrows, and witnessing the world’s separations.”

“Not even millions of Mages from the Void Realm can compare to… half as much!”

“But… is a generous Mage, and thus especially constructed the Legendary Library, spreading their own glory to any lucky one!”

“The following reading rules must be adhered to in this library–”

“1 Apart from this guide, each person is only allowed to read one book. Rarity is the essence, after all.”

“2 The path traveled must not be returned to. There’s no turning back in life, after all.”

“3 This library has four floors, the quality of books on a higher floor is always better than that of the lower one. It’s about reaching higher levels, after all.”

“4 Books may deceive you. It’s better to trust nothing than to trust everything, after all.”

“5 As the price for acquiring knowledge, every Mage must leave behind their memories, you may specify which memories to leave behind. It’s a fair exchange, after all.”

“While reading any book, you have the chance to obtain various rewards from it, including but not limited to Technique Spirits, Miracles, treasures, special abilities, etc. For instance, if the book you read mentions a Divine Being, then it’s not impossible for you to obtain a Divine Being!”

“Although there are no specific requirements for the memories left behind, this library has been through thousands of Golden Years, even if you leave behind your most important memories, it could be tens of thousands of years before any succeeding Mage has the fortune to uncover your sealed secrets. So please try to leave your most exciting memories behind, because if everyone were selfish, you would also likely only encounter boring memories.”

“Method to leave memories: simply press any empty space on the bookshelf.”

“Method to departure: Once you finish reading a book and have left your memory, you will automatically be transported to the entrance.”

Legendary Library!

Never heard of it.

However, this guide has already explained the usage of the library in detail, simply put, you pick a book to read, and after reading it, you may obtain any of the things mentioned inside it, then leave behind your memories, and the transaction with the Legendary Library would be complete.

“Why has the Builder’s name turned into dots? Could it be that their name is ‘…’?” Diya said in surprise.

“Either the Builder didn’t feel it was proper to leave their name in the guide, so they erased it at the end; or the Builder didn’t erase their name, but someone else did it for the sake of their dignity–the ‘Drama Poet’s True Name has been completely eliminated, so even the name in the guide has disappeared.”

“The power to erase a name…” Diya murmured, “Has someone offended a Divine Lord?”

“Perhaps they’ve offended all of them.” Ash looked at the phrase “Not even millions of Mages from the Void Realm can compare to… half as much,” feeling that although the Drama Poet may not deserve death, they certainly seemed to have courted it.

So arrogant, if I were a Divine Lord, I’d be troubled by your refusal to tip your hat.

But the plight of the Builder clearly wasn’t a concern for the two junior Mages, who cast their gazes toward the bookshelves before making eye contact.

“Together?”

“Let’s go!”

When the moment for exploration began, Ash and Diya were both brimming with enthusiasm. A structure in the Void Realm, such as this one that they had never encountered before but bore no danger, held an irresistible appeal for Mages, like manure to a fly–utterly inescapable.

Walking through the labyrinth, it didn’t take long for them to understand what the guide meant by “books might deceive you”–every book on the shelves emitted various auras of ‘unknowingly impressive.’ That scroll radiated with runic spiritual light, that parchment exuded an air of history, even the USB flash drive suspected of being a data storage device shone with electronic circuit patterns, each artifact firmly grasping its unique character.

As for the bound books, they were even more impressive: this one appeared to be the notebook of the Death Monarch, that one seemed to be the Magic Book of the Space-Time Dominator, and there was even one with a cover featuring a beauty portrait–daring to tempt me without even a hint of black silk, utterly underestimating me!

However, because the guide mentioned that the quality of books would improve with every level ascended, they weren’t fooled by the first-floor collection and quickly passed through the first level of the maze, arriving at the second.

The variety of books on the second floor increased: Crystal Balls, hangings, Cards, human skin books… nearly everything capable of recording information was collected as a book by the Legendary Library. Now, Ash and Diya found their progress even more difficult, not just because the books’ temptations grew stronger, but because their auras were subtly twisting reality!

For instance, the human skin book that seemed to belong to Meiwa (judged by the hair) emitted a pink alluring fragrance. Merely catching a whiff of its faintly enchanting scent caused many strange thoughts to surface in their minds, so they dared not walk straight through its midst.

On the other side, there was a crystal skull emitting a glowing green light, with a stench of decay hitting them squarely in the face. Walking directly past it felt akin to bathing in the Flowing Gold River–a premature experience of retired life.

Since retreating was not an option in the library, they carefully sought a safe path to the third floor, but as they made their way, Diya noticed that Ash had stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

“I found the book I want to read,” said Ash. “You go on up to the third floor.”

“But we’re only on the second floor!” Diya was puzzled. “The best books are on the fourth!”

“But I want to read this book.” Ash reached out and pulled a book from the nearby shelf, expressing his resolve through action. Diya, at first intending to persuade him further, could only abandon the effort and step alone onto the stairs to the third floor.

Ash leaned against the bookshelf, thumbing through the book in his hands. He hadn’t chosen one of those grand books that appeared to recount a tale of thunderous destruction or the rise and fall of worlds; instead, he had picked a seemingly mundane one, for one simple reason–he heard the sound of metalworking emanating from within.

It was as familiar as the noise that rang out punctually at 7:30 every Saturday morning from his father’s workshop.

Ash wasn’t a sentimental person, or at least he thought he wasn’t.

It had been nearly a month since he crossed over to this new world, but the past felt as distant as a previous life–it was, indeed, his previous life.

He never allowed himself to contemplate what his ‘transmigration’ might mean to his family back home, as that was a mire one couldn’t escape from once stepped into, a struggle that would only end with being suffocated by sorrow, drowning in a sea of illusory misery.

Yet upon hearing the clashing of steel, Ash couldn’t help but feel a warmth rise within him, a sense of longing. Just for that glimpse of homesickness that arose in a foreign land, he found it worthwhile to read this book as a way to honor that emotion.

What’s more, Ash didn’t really care which book he read because, according to the guide, the rewards Mages received after reading were completely random–good luck might grant a rare Technique Spirit, bad luck could yield nothing more than a nail clipper mentioned in the story, and if the author was the type to write trifles, anything was possible.

And Ash had always been pessimistic about his own luck.