Among all the outer disciples of the academy, there was only one person Mei truly respected: the librarian who had guided her studies since her early years. Tomo, while not gifted enough to ascend to the rank of elder, possessed a unique skill set that made him invaluable in his role as the custodian of ancient tomes and delicate scrolls within the hallowed halls of the academy.
Tomo was a man in his mid-thirties, his unkempt brown hair slightly tousled as if he had just emerged from a deep study session. Small reading glasses perpetually slid down his nose, a testament to his endless hours poring over dusty tomes and fragile scrolls. Whenever Mei encountered him, she often found half of his face buried in a book, utterly absorbed in the world of knowledge contained within its pages.
As he lifted his gaze from the tome he was engrossed in, a warm smile spread across Tomo's face upon seeing Mei approach with purpose. While he was not particularly handsome, neither was he unattractive; he possessed an earnest charm that Mei found comforting. It always puzzled her that he had never married—after all, as a cultivator, he could easily have won the affection of any commoner who sought a life companion.
“Why hel—no! Nonono!” he exclaimed, his voice a mix of surprise and amusement at the fierce determination shining in Mei's eyes. Though her petite frame made her significantly shorter than Tomo, there was a resolute intensity about her that somehow managed to mildly intimidate him, despite the fact that he was clearly stronger in physical prowess.
Mei halted directly in front of him, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest as she fixed him with a stern gaze. “Tomo, I need access to the second floor.”
The words tumbled from her lips with unwavering confidence. Tomo sat in stunned silence for a moment, then erupted into laughter. “Bahaha! Mei, I thought we had already covered this! I genuinely like you. Out of all the kids who pass through this place, you put in more effort than any of them. But I cannot, in good conscience, grant you access to the second floor of the library.”
“Listen, Tomo, I absolutely need to get up there to research more deities. How can I possibly discover one that truly resonates with me if I’m stuck wasting time on the lesser deities we cover on the first floor of the academy library?” Mei pouted.
“You just need to trust your instincts, just like all the other students do,” Tomo reassured her, attempting to soothe her eagerness with a gentle smile.
Mei arched an eyebrow, her expression shifting to one of incredulity. “You can’t be this naive! Do you really think the wealthy kids from even minor clans don’t have their parents procuring resources or information for them? They’re free to leave the academy while commoner kids like me are stuck here. Yet when I ask for just one small advantage, it’s suddenly too much to ask?”
Tomo rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully, contemplating her words for a moment before finally conceding. “Alright, follow me,” he instructed, a reluctant smile forming on his lips. He couldn’t deny her words were true to some degree.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
A radiant smile illuminated Mei’s face as she eagerly followed Tomo up the winding spiral staircase leading to the second floor. Just before they reached the landing, Tomo halted and turned to her, a playful glint in his eyes. “You won’t enter the second floor, but I can’t prevent you from accidentally glimpsing a tome that I might drop from there.” Leaning down to meet her gaze, he whispered conspiratorially, “You have five minutes to read the tome I bring down. Do we have an understanding?”
Mei nodded as she waited for him to return as the door slid shut behind him.
After five long minutes had passed, the door creaked open just enough for Tomo to slip back through. “Listen, Mei,” he began, his voice serious, “the blessing ceremony isn’t meant to be about you selecting the deities you think are best. It’s about them choosing you.”
“Ehh, Tomo, you worry too much!” Mei retorted playfully, dismissing his concerns with a wave of her hand. “All I’m doing is compiling a list of major and minor gods that I believe would be great fits for me. I’ll prioritize them to visit—that’s all!”
“Ahh you may come to regret this Mei” he sighed admitting defeat to her sheer determination, besides it was better for him to do it then have her trying to sneak up there and doing it herself.
Handing the tome to Mei who quickly ripped it from his grasp and opened it up. The old leather binding had splits and cracks forming on it from age, but the pages were broadly intact. As her finger glided over the names she read out the ones that stuck out to her. “Bishamonten goddess of war, Philalar god of light, Yiseri forest goddess of the Northern forest” she spoke each name quietly to herself, committing those who she felt attached to.
“Femir.” She whispered her voice dripped with hatefulness. Shaking her head she moved past the name flipping through the tome rapidly until she found a page it naturally opened to. Why choose a god that doesn’t even protect those who honored him the most?
Tomo stood over her leaning up against the wall waiting for her to finish. So far she ahd found six that sounded decent to her; they all had numerous disciples and based on the tome descriptions were extremely popular. Finally she got to her last pick, but who would she choose? Mei’s eyes darted left to right, up and down the pages trying to find any popular deity that sounded up her alley.
“Time is up Mei” Tomo spoke through his teeth as he keep his eyes on the stairway anticipating someone coming any second.
“Aww Tomo just one more?” she begged.
“Mei…” Tomo said a vein ready to pop out of his forehead “Just pick one you have three seconds” Tomo growled at her.
“Fine” looking down she decided to look at the last page in the tome. The page was detached from the rest of the tome and had no small amount of water damage so she couldn’t make out the description, but the name was Vasu-Jin god of— just as she was about to read out the last word Tomo snatched the tome back and fled back into the second floor.
“Tomo! Wait, I almost finished reading it!” It was too late. Tomo was already deep into the second floor behind the doorway.
Mei stood slightly disappointed that she couldn’t make out the last name was any good for her.
“Oh well, I found some decent picks for myself if I do say so!” she was quite proud of herself for bullying Tomo into submission.
After several minutes Tomo came back and escorted Mei back out who proceeded to give him a hug and a small peck on the cheek. “Thank you Tomo! You are the best'' she whispered to him before turning away and running out of the library.
Tomo smiled as she ran off. That girl is sure a funny little thing he thought laughing to himself.