Today would be the day that I found out more about the tower. The avatar said that now that I had access, the second floor should be available to me. I head to the area where the staircase should be. When I stand there and think about the staircase, I get a new prompt.

Athenaeum access granted! Do you wish to ascend the stairs Y/N?

I select yes and star up the stairs. It is immediately evident to me that I am climbing much longer than just to the second floor of the cottage. When I reach the second floor, I reach a wide hall with two doors. From my position, I can see that the hall is way longer than it should be.

Welcome to the first floor of the Athenaeum. This floor contains the tower's workshop and laboratories. The tower currently provides Alchemy Lab and General Work Room. The general workroom will add +15 to Leatherworking, Tailoring, Wood Crafting, and +5 to Metalworking. The Alchemy Lab provides +25 to alchemy. These boosts will increase as the tower levels!

I look into the Alchemy Lab first. The lab looks like a toned-down version of my high school science lab. It had the basics even though I was not sure of the material beakers, cylinders, flasks, burners, tubes, and glass tubes were all present. There was also a cabinet of well-preserved materials. While I wasn’t sure of the amount, I could be sure it was enough to allow me to at least practice.

The room next store resembled a workman’s shop. There was a large table in the center with various stations surrounding the room. I could see a small setup in the corner with a small coal forge, with some poor-quality bellows. One of the tables had some tools made of unidentified materials. I could tell they were chisels. A different table had what could only be deemed poor-quality leatherworking tools. I could identify bone needles and a poorly crafted hole punch. I took my leatherworking set out of storage when I had decided to start leatherworking, I had splurged and spent seventy bucks on a kit from the Zon. The kit had been over three hundred pieces and had tools made from midgrade tool steel. When I opened the kit a pack of wood chisels fell out. The set was nothing special just a thirteen-piece set with carbon steel chisels and a wood carving knife.

I put the set on their respective tables and prepared to exit the room. When I crossed over the threshold, I received a new message.

Upgraded tools detected! Do you wish to deposit the tools in the workroom Y/N? Depositing the tools in the workroom will make the tools a permanent part of the tower and the workroom. Depositing the tools will increase the level of the workroom and the tower accordingly. The increase of the workroom will be in relation to the tools deposited and will increase all of the tools in the workroom to the standard of the deposited tools.

The way I understood the message was that all of the tools available in the workroom would become like the tools I had just left there. If that was the case it might be worth it. I had a moment of hesitation, I did not just want to give up my tools they were one of my last pieces of home. The thought was fleeting, as I selected yes. If I understood it, I would not be losing the tools they would be integrated into the tower. The tower was bound to me now, I had seen the tower shrink down to the size of a small stone. There was now even a section of my inventory labeled “tower”. I was losing nothing and making the workroom better. When I was fully over the threshold of the door it started a count down as the tower had before.

I had wanted to do some small projects once the workroom was done, then I would be able to do so. The timer on the door now showed a thirty-hour timer. So sometime tomorrow it would be ready.

The end of the hallway led to another set of steps. With another set of too-long stairs. The room at the top of the steps was a disappointment. It was like a small foyer. There were only two sets of bookshelves and a recently upgraded chair with a small table. In the center of the room was a pedestal, with what appeared to be a crystal ball atop it. When I touch the crystal, a screen comes up. This one is different since it is external to my interface.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Full Athenaeum access unlocked. This Athenaeum was one of the seven great traveling Athenaeums. The previous several users have not had full access. The Athenaeum is a mobile store of knowledge created to avoid the loss of knowledge. The Athenaeum’s purpose is to save knowledge whenever it can and impart that knowledge to qualified parties. You have been deemed worthy due to your advanced knowledge in multiple fields. This floor will select one of the great libraries randomly and recreate all of the knowledge contained on its first floor. As the Athenaeum levels, it will add floors and this process will happen again. To enable this function requires 3000 mana and two beast cores, plus 500 mana daily. Do you wish to enable this function Y/N?

So, from what I understand I have to do this to be able to access the true functions of this library. Which is from what I read to copy and keep any library it has ever entered. I could see how this could be useful. It would be like having a low-tech version of the internet. I select yes and a new screen comes up.

Recreating King’s Library of Saurault! Error due to extra available power and library size. Recreating entire available library.

So, from what I can tell it has the same timer as the door downstairs, but the time was twice that of the workroom. It said there was extra power available, maybe it was due to the tools. I had not inspected them before setting them in the workshop. At that point, I did not think it would matter. Now that I think about that was probably the case. Not that I can investigate it now.

I decide to have a seat on the chair. I look over and on the table is an envelope. The envelope is a simple affair and there is no writing on the outside of the envelope. When I pick up the envelope, I can see the wax seal. I break the seal and pull the letter out of the envelope.

Hello Young Human,

I know not your name. Do not be surprised that I know that the next owner of the tower will be a human. I have always had some of the sights, and as I get older and my other powers wane this one is becoming stronger. My sight has shown me that the next owner of the tower will be a young human. I find it ironic that the next owner to possess what has been counted as an Alvair treasure will be a human. We who seeked to weaken your people out of jealousy are weakened again by our actions.

If I am right, you will change this artifact for the better. In truth, this artifact was never solely Alvairian even though we claimed it as our own. In truth, this device was created by the old ones the ancients who walked this realm before. The Alvair found this artifact not knowing what it was or how it worked. I studied the artifact for centuries before I had gleaned its purpose and function. When I discovered its purpose, the artifact bonded to me.

My discovery while momentous was met with derision and scorn. Because as intelligent as I was, I was not from a noble Alvair house. Numbers of other scholars tried unsuccessfully to take it from me. Almost killing me in the attempt. I was forced to flee into the wilds. I did not return to my people until I was strong enough to deter any further attempts on my life. By this time, I had made myself one of the strongest mages.

Be that at as it may. I am not bitter about the fact that you are human. I see this as a small recompense for what we took part in against your kind. On the wall on the two shelves, you will find my personal notes on the tower. You will also find my notes taken from various tomes on how to gain power in different ways. You will find that some of these speak to you in different ways. You will also find that any books you place on the shelves will remain safe and will not become part of the various libraries you may visit. That is a warning my young friend any books you take into or leave in the libraries you visit can be claimed by that library. With luck, you may as I have find a new way to power. I wish that for you if only to forestall any bad karma I might have garnered.

I will say this make a friend of the guardian his grove is resolute. If you have need of a protected space, he will provide one. No one ventures into the forest for the dangers anymore.

Be well in power.

Rogul the magnificent

Insight check passed! User intelligence 291 score check met user understands information passed in letter.