The library had quickly become his favorite place to visit. It was a hall of a decent size with rows of bookshelves that lined up the walls. The smell of wood and old books filled the air and the silence of the room infused him with a sense of peace.
There was a line of windows on the far wall with colored glasses. It transformed the sunlight entering the library and bathed it in an ethereal glow.
Almost nobody visited the library during the day. Only the maids came once in the morning and in the evening to dust off the shelves and polish the furniture that had accumulated dirt. Overall, he liked the cleanliness of the place.
Yesterday, he spotted a bearded old man with a book propped open on the reading table but quickly departed before he could notice him. The man resembled a tutor. Well, at least, he exuded that vibe. For now, Alaric wanted to avoid contact with tutors. After all, they loved asking questions to gauge the knowledge of children. And, Alaric didn’t want to engage in that battle without some preparation.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to evade his half-brothers since they never once came into the hall of knowledge.
Alaric approached a bookshelf to the far right. The adjacent sections were filled with storybooks, books on knitting, manuals of different weapons, cooking, politics, and more miscellaneous subjects that he had no idea about. On his first day, he skimped through a few books that taught the alphabet of the new world.
It was then he realized that he could actually read the language of the new world. Well, one of them at least.
A major section of the bookshelf contained texts written in a language that he couldn’t recognize. However, there were quite a few books that were written in the same language, with the exact same vocabulary, pronunciation, and rules of grammar as his homeworld. Another coincidence? Alaric shook his head.
No, he believed that the system had something to do with it. Probably.
He couldn’t be certain because the system wasn't even functioning properly. In a book titled, ‘The Basics of System Knowledge’, he learned that the kids of this world gained access to mana and the system at the age of twelve. It was a major event in everybody’s life and was a cause for celebration.
A simple thought such as ‘status screen’ or merely the intention would open something called a ‘stat sheet’ that relayed the personal information of the user. This status screen was private and nobody could view it unless you willed it.
He was still confused about the whole concept of a ‘system’ that monitored the progress of a cultivator and performed many other magical functions. Frankly, it was a little confusing to him, and he decided to learn more about it when he gained access to it. Full access to it.
Alaric mentally thought, ‘status screen’ and a translucent screen popped up in his vision. It felt a little disorienting at first, focusing his eyes in mid-air without paying attention to his surroundings. However, he quickly got used to it. The status screen followed his eye movement and was always at an optimal distance that didn’t strain his eyes.
However, with some experimentation, he figured out that he could view the status screen with his eyes closed too. The overall feel of the experience felt similar to when he was observing his rewards options in that black void. Only this time, the screen hovered outside his body but still felt inside his mind, if that somehow made sense.
Name - Alaric De Vermond.
Age - 7
Stats: Access denied
Titles - Ally of the System.
Unused experience points - 713
Note - System functionality is compromised.
Detecting cause…
System functionality will be restored once the user reaches the appropriate age.
Alaric released a sigh. His status screen was still the same. His name, age, and title were in black letters. They appeared fine. However, every other option was greyed out. He felt like he should do something with the unused experience points. However, at the thought of that, he heard two beeps that instinctively felt like an ‘error’ sound.
No matter, I just have to wait for 5 more years before I can access this whole ‘system’ thing. Plenty of things to accomplish before that.
The system, at least, confirmed that he was currently 7 years old. Alaric chuckled. How amusing.
He dismissed the status screen and pulled a book title, ‘Geography of the Continent’ and sat down on a bench facing the reading table. He couldn’t quite believe that he had access to so much information at first. Knowledge was power, and here he had access to a vast reservoir of knowledge about his new world.
Sure, it was a lot to digest at once, and he still felt like his mind was not quite as it used to be.
He could read fast and remember a lot. But it was nothing compared to the quality of mind he was used to as a ‘Supreme Cultivator’ back in his homeworld. Oftentimes, he caught his mind wandering on unnecessary thoughts such as what he should eat for dinner. It was absurd. Still, he was grateful for being able to read quickly and retain so much information.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The book, ‘Geography of the Continent’, was a thick, leather-bound book. He flipped its pages, taking in the colorful maps of different nations, islands, cities, districts, and provinces. It featured an extensive section on ‘The Aurion Empire’, being the major landmass and authority on the continent.
In fact, the book presented different types of maps of the Empire — some depicting a collection of rivers, territorial features, and resources, while others illustrated a network of roads, railway lines, and important cities.
The maps of the capital cities were drawn down in fine detail, and it was evident that the cartographer had poured significant effort into them. The Imperial Capital — Solandis — was the most impressive, which was a massive city divided into 12 districts, each controlled by a different faction.
The Emperor or Supreme Monarch was the Supreme Ruler of the ‘Aurion Empire’. His authority spanned many nations — large and small — which were ruled by respective kings and high kings of those nations. Only a small portion of the continent remained autonomous and ruled by independent kings.
For the first time, he really comprehended the scale of power the Empire wielded over this continent. He could now see why it was considered the ‘Heart of Civilization’.
Another thing that impressed him was the Authority of the Church of the Radiant Flame. It seemed like the Church was a Semi-Autonomous power, practically a state within a state. It was one of the largest nations in the empire. Essentially, it was a theocratic nation under the supreme authority of The Pontifex, a.k.a ‘The Voice of the Flame’.
However, it was also a part of the Empire since the Emperor himself was a member of the church.
As a result of this, the Church commanded a strong influence throughout the empire and across the mainlands as well. Every city or village in the empire had a local church, chapel, or place of worship that practiced the orthodox religion of the Radiant Flame. Alaric scrunched his brows. He didn’t trust powerful religious orders with so much influence.
Unless you followed their religion, you’d be labeled as a heretic. I’d have to be wary of the church.
All of that was impressive, but what really surprised him was that even this vast continent was just a small part of ‘Gaia’, his new homeworld. There were many other major continents on this new planet. In fact, only the fractured empire — Zephraxis — was considered a continent in these books.
The other five starting locations he knew about were considered more like independent countries. The other major continents and powerhouses of the world were briefly mentioned towards the end of the book, but there was not much information about these locations to form a clear picture in his mind.
Well, I’ll have the opportunity to learn in the future.
Alaric got lost in tracing the different maps and analyzing the various resources. For some inexplicable reason, flipping through pages of colorful map drawings gripped the attention and focus of his childlike mind like a magnet. However, he quickly found himself grappling with information overload as his head began to throb slightly. He massaged his temples a bit and returned the book back to its original spot.
Phew, that was a lot of interesting information. A good workout for the mind.
When Alaric turned to leave, he saw a flicker of silhouette dart out of his vision. Hmm…what was that? He stealthily approached the door and peeked outside. Two maids were chatting with one another on a far corner. He looked around and spotted no other person. He scrunched his bows.
There was somebody else, keeping an eye on me. No matter. Alaric shrugged and left the library to have his lunch. His stomach growled. Yep, lunchtime it is.
***
It’s been over a week since Alaric had recovered. He couldn’t wait to finally go outside the mansion and venture to the training grounds to start his physical exercise training.
During his brief period of rest, his routine was simple - wake up, eat breakfast, do some light exercise in his bedroom, observe the guards practice, delve into the books in the library, consume lunch, rest in the afternoon, meditate, eat dinner, sneak around the mansion to investigate, return to his bedroom, and retire for the night.
It was not exactly boring - the library alone was enough to keep him engaged for hours. However, he was really itching to visit the grounds and engage in some vigorous activity. During his evening escapades, where he sneaked around the mansion doing his best to hide from the maids and servants while mapping the layout of the house, he learned something interesting.
Apparently, his half-brothers Edwin and Lucien were instructed by some combat instructor on the art of sword fighting and dueling. He spied on them sparring with wooden swords a few times but he was not impressed. The combat instructor took it easy on them, focusing more on teaching proper form and stances than on genuine combat techniques, and emphasizing the rules of dueling etiquette.
He also spotted the same bearded old man instructing them in reading, writing, mathematics, and religion. It was to be expected since they were older than him — Lucien being 8 and Edwin being 10.
He had no idea whether he would also be presented with the opportunity to learn from a tutor or train under a combat instructor, but he refused to wait around for that.
He would train independently and perhaps, ask any of the guards to teach him the basics of swordsmanship. His interpretation of swordsmanship — the principles and etiquette — would differ from the knowledge he’d acquired. After all, the sects were the dominant powerhouses in his homeworld, with nobles being the minority. And, the library was sufficient to answer his questions - for now.
However, he suspected that he would also be permitted to study under a tutor when he grew a little older.
Alaric chewed the last morsels of his breakfast and gazed towards the window overlooking the brilliant blue sky. A sunny day. Perfect for my first step into the training grounds. He could hear the guard captain shouting like a drill sergeant and his subordinates responding in sync.
During his morning observation routine of the guards, he detected the guard captain looking at him more than once.
Sometimes, he pretended not to notice Alaric, and other times, he gazed at him directly. It was intriguing, being the focus of a formidable soldier. Truth be told, Alaric was interested in meeting the man, eventually, when he felt more prepared. One thing that unnerved him though was that he felt somebody shadowing his movements.
Almost all the time. The count probably tasked somebody to keep an eye on me and report to him about my activity and behavior. He instinctively knew that whoever it was posed no danger to his life. But it certainly irritated him intensely being under the supervision of some unknown observer.
Alaric shook his head. I will unmask them in time. For now, it’s time to visit the training grounds. With that thought in mind, he exited his bedroom.