Chapter 8
"Amidst the biting cold and the howling winds, the true strength of a knight is revealed not by the sharpness of their blade, but by the purity of their heart and the steadfastness of their spirit." -Imperial Knight Motto.
...
Capital of the Everwinter Kingdom:
Imperial Knight Institute Headquarters
The Next Day
Deon and his friends are in the training ground, lifting some weights as they do in their morning training.
“So, where are we going first?” Caleb asked the group
“I asked the receptionist if we could have a map of the city, and they said there is a map in the library, and if we want a proper map, we can go to the scribe guild for a copy for ten bronze coins,” Lucien said
“Ten bronze coins for a map? That’s expensive,” Caleb said. “We should just copy the map in the library rather than spend ten bronze coins.”
“I agree. We don’t really need a map, and just need a few directions,” Lucien replied
“Okay, let’s do that then. Let’s visit the Library first and form our plan there,” Deon said. “Did you ask where the library is?”
“No, but we can ask the receptionist later when we go out,” Lucien said, and deon nodded.
The four youths of grade 9 apprentice knights continued their training for one more hour before getting ready to tour the Capital.
After their morning training, the four youths went to the capital library with the help of the directions that the receptionist gave them.
Walking towards the Library, they encountered many street vendors selling miscellaneous stuff that tempted the four youths, but they realized they were too poor to buy any good item they liked.
The institute allotted a monthly allowance to apprentice knights, allowing them complete freedom to spend it on whatever they pleased.
Deon has been saving his allowance over the years, but even then, his allowance wasn’t enough to buy anything he wanted from the street vendors.
‘Why are stuff here so expensive? I know that it’s the Capital and everything, but still, this is ridiculous,’ Deon thought, somewhat bitter that the allowance he had saved over the years wasn’t enough.
Deon wanted to buy some trinkets and souvenirs that he could give to the children back home, but with such expensive prices, he could only buy one or two things, and he didn’t want to exclude some children and only gift two children.
‘Should I just buy some candies? Hmm. I’ll visit a candy shop later. Maybe they have something unique that can only be found here.’
Lucien led the group to the Library, with deon and the rest following him.
“Here we are,” Lucien said
Deon and the rest looked at the building in front of them
“Is that the National Library?” Caleb asked
“It should be,” Lucien replied
The most prominent feature of the building is the large, triangular-shaped façade that rises from the ground, almost like a sail catching the wind. This iconic design feature is made of steel and glass, providing a dramatic and striking contrast to the surrounding buildings. The façade is a true masterpiece of engineering and design, and it is a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of the architects.
Another notable feature of the National Library exterior is the use of natural materials. The building is constructed from a combination of concrete, marble, and granite, which gives it a solid and enduring appearance. Using these materials also highlights the Library's connection to the land and the environment.
The Library's exterior also features a series of terraces and courtyards, providing visitors with various outdoor spaces to enjoy. These areas are carefully landscaped and planted with native flora, further emphasizing the institution's connection to the country and its natural heritage.
Overall, the National Library’s exterior architecture design is a stunning and unique representation of Everwinter’s cultural and intellectual heritage. It is a building that inspires awe and admiration and is a testament to the creativity and vision of the architects who designed it.
“Woah, That’s a big library,” Caleb said, amazed by how big the Library is, compared to the Library in the institute.
Deon was also amazed by the Library’s beautiful exterior, which seemed to represent the institution’s commitment to the knowledge and culture of the kingdom.
As the group came closer, they got more amazed by how beautiful the Library was, with the courtyard full of people reading and enjoying the beautiful outdoors at the same time, making the atmosphere around the Library serene and full of wisdom.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
The group enters the Library and becomes more amazed at the interior of the Library.
The building's interior is designed to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing, creating an environment that is both conducive to learning and research and enjoyable to experience.
One of the most striking features of the interior architecture is the use of natural light. The large triangular skylights on the roof of the building allow daylight to flood into the main reading room, creating a bright and inviting space. The use of light also serves to highlight the Library's collection, emphasizing the importance of the books, documents, and artifacts that are housed within.
The interior spaces are arranged around a central atrium, which serves as the heart of the building. The atrium is a soaring, multi-level space that is flooded with natural light, and it provides a sense of openness and transparency. Using glass and steel gives the atrium a modern, industrial feel, while marble and granite provide a sense of solidity and permanence.
The Library's main reading room is another standout feature of the interior architecture design. This large, open space is filled with natural light and lined with bookshelves that stretch to the ceiling. The room is designed to be both functional and comfortable, with plenty of seating and workstations for visitors to use.
“Wow,” Deon exclaimed when he saw the interior design of the Library.
Deon has copied the Library of the imperial knight institute into his dreamscape, and because of that, he has gained a great appreciation for libraries but looking at the Library in front of him, the imperial knight institute’s Library seems like a poor and old Library.
‘I wonder if I can copy this library and “Upgrade” my dreamscape library,’ Deon thought while looking around the Library with amazement.
‘But if I want to copy this Library, it would take a lot of time, and I don’t know if I have enough time. Hmm. Maybe I could do it later when I finish my awakening ceremony, but then again, I don’t know what will happen to me once I finish my awakening ceremony.’
Suppose deon wants to copy the National Library into his dreamscape. In that case, he needs to explore everything in the National Library, or else he will only get an incomplete structure of the Library.
For example, if deon doesn’t know or see the Library’s backyard, then his ‘copied version’ wouldn’t have a backyard.
Of course, Deon could also choose not to copy the backyard and just the important stuff in the Library, but he doesn’t want an incomplete ‘National Library’ in his dreamscape.
“Let’s go there. That seems like the reception desk,” Lucien said while pointing to a receptionist's desk.
“All right, you guys go on. I want to have a look around,” Deon said and walked away.
Deon wanted to have a look at what kind of books the national Library has since if the books are the same as the ones in the institute, then he might not “Upgrade” his dreamscape library.
After a few minutes of looking around, deon ended up in a secluded part of the Library with no one else around, but deon didn’t care and continued browsing the books around him.
Just as deon was about to move to another section, he noticed another person in the corner of his eye, making deon unconsciously look toward that person.
Deon sees a girl peacefully reading in the corner of the Library. She has a slender build and striking appearance with her fiery red hair and bright blue eyes. Her face has symmetrical features, including high cheekbones and full lips.
The girl notices deon’s glance and looks toward deon, making deon wake up from his stupor.
Deon politely nodded at the girl as apologies and walked away. He didn’t want to disturb someone who was clearly reading and didn’t want to be rude.
It was the first deon had seen such a beautiful girl that made him daze for a moment, and he couldn’t help but think of her again as he walked away.
Deon shook his head, trying to dismiss the girl in his head. ‘Don’t get carried away deon, She looks like a noble, and your just a peasant, An orphaned peasant’ Deon insulted himself to get rid of any fantasy that might appear in his mind.
‘Let’s focus on the task at hand,’ Deon thought as he returned to browsing the books around him.
“There you are,” Caleb said, interrupting deon in his thoughts
“What? What’s wrong?” Deon asked
“Don’t ‘What’s wrong’ me. We have been looking for you for ages. What? Did you forget our plan?” Caleb replied, quite annoyed at deon
“Ohh. Right. Let’s go,” Deon said as he hastily went toward the entrance of the Library but couldn’t help but glance in another direction as he walked away.
“Hmph,” Caleb groaned as he grudgingly followed deon
…
After the group finished their ‘Tour’ planning in the Library, they continued sightseeing in the Capital.
The group plan to visit every popular landmark in the outer city today since they might not get a chance in the future with the awakening ceremony starting tomorrow
The capital city is divided into two parts; The inner city and the outer city.
The inner city was the old city before the kingdom decided to expand the capitol, but now it’s mostly where the nobles and the rich stay, while the outer city is the newer part of the capitol where the majority of the common people stay.
Many popular landmarks are in the outer city, but there are also many historical landmarks in the inner city.
The group went to the National Museum and saw countless dinosaur fossils that shocked them, especially about how big the fossils are.
After the museum, the group ate at a street vendor selling street foods since they couldn’t afford to eat at a restaurant and their expensive foods.
After eating, they continued their tour to the Coliseum, Art Gallery, Auction House, and Winter Market.
The group couldn’t enter the Coliseum and the Art Gallery since they couldn’t afford the entrance fee and had no choice but to only look at them outside.
As for the Auction House, they weren’t allowed to enter, not because of their lack of funds but because they were too young and needed to be 20+ years old to enter.
The group also wanted to visit some popular gambling houses but decided not to since they might not get in with their age.
After constant disappointment, they decided to visit the Winter Market, the main marketplace in the Capital. They were visibly surprised by how many people and shops there were.
The group visited countless shops and saw many things, from unique candies that could only be found in the Capital to magical artifacts that mana users use.
The group also saw some traders from the other kingdoms and saw the exotic items they had for sale.
Their visit to the marketplace expanded their worldview with how many items and cultures they saw, and they didn’t even pick the marketplace for their “Tour” and only came to the marketplace because they were rejected from other places.
The group stayed in the marketplace until dark, but even then, they couldn’t fully explore the marketplace and could only explore half of it. Mainly because they stayed too long in a magical items shop, and
If it weren’t for the shop owner kicking them out, they would stay there until nighttime.
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Thought for Thoughts
* Who is the Red-haired Girl?
* The Capital is divided into two parts: Inner City and Outer City.