Chapter 2: Book Mimic | 2.4 The Libraries
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Eating lunch with her family, she thought. ‘But a mana core…’ The term reminded Iris of something she would be learning later at school. Enduring a very small headache, she summarized the information in her head.
Monsters that spawn don’t have a soul, so they can’t contain mana or have a level. With enough time, mana will accumulate, and a mana stone will begin to develop. Once the mana stone develops into a mana core, a monster will acquire a level and be able to grow even stronger.
Poking the small hill of corn on her plate, Iris thought about books. ‘I have my books, but… I’ll have read them all soon.’ Thinking about the novels she already fed, Iris felt something in her mind.
Shocked, she stopped playing with her lunch and focused on the space inside her mind that had suddenly appeared. It was a bookshelf with the items that she had processed with Lexi. ‘W-What is this?’ It felt like a natural part of her mind, but she didn’t think it was normal. Her mind hadn’t had this thing yesterday.
Blinking her eyes, she became thoughtful. ‘This might have something to do with Lexi.’ Summoning her status, Iris confirmed her suspicion. A new skill was added to her list: [Mind Library Lv. 1]
Looking at it, she felt like this was her first time seeing this skill because it didn’t prompt any memories. ‘Those books inside my head were the ones I read with Lexi, so… maybe, this is like a shared skill between us.’
Looking over the status page, Iris mentally edited the setup, shortening it by combining the magic affinity and trait lines. Those lines don’t usually change, so she felt it would be better to combine them.
* Status Page (Iris Neil, 10, F.)
* Magic Level: 1 (100 Mana | 95 / 100)
* Magic: Neutral Affinity | Book Mimic Trait
* Skills: [Magic Writing Lv. 1], [Familiar, Lexi Lv. 1], [Mind Library Lv. 1]
‘Much better.’ With a little smile, she refocused on her plate, deciding to quickly finish eating, so that she could return to reading in her room. However, before she could escape, her mother asked, “Iris. You’ve been reading a lot today. How about going to the library?”
Having just moved into Uncle Martin’s house, this would be her first visit to the local library. However, Iris’s mind flashed with memories. The city’s library had previously been her safe haven. With a nostalgic smile, she quickly agreed with her mother’s suggestion.
Leaving the house, they arrived after a short drive. Parking in the underground car lot, they took an elevator up to the library. It was a three-story building. The first floor was welcoming and open. It had an outside garden area with tables, so people could read.
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Walking around, Iris slowly reminisced. It was hard not to recall memories. The second floor had more specialized books and research resources. The floor was filled with rows and rows of bookshelves. It was usually quiet, and the librarians' offices were on this floor.
The third and final floor was special, and Iris couldn’t visit that floor without making an appointment beforehand. It had private and general labs. Craftsmen could book a room to practice and produce items. The alchemy and enchanting were the most restrictive labs while the physical craft room involving carpentry and smithing had looser rules.
Walking down the aisles of books on the second floor, Iris glanced at the books reading keywords in their titles. Reaching the end of the aisle, she turned the corner to go down the next row of bookshelves when something caught her eye. Stopping, she stared at a painting.
It was a portrait of a beautiful lady. Despite her unhealthily pale-looking skin, she was enchanting. Her eyes were gold. Her hair was silver. The elegant white dress she wore could have been a wedding gown. However, what captured Iris’s attention was the object in her hands, a very familiar handheld mirror.
A chill ran up her spine as she blankly stared at it. After staring for a couple of minutes, Iris’s wits returned. ‘That’s the mirror!’ Stepping close, she examined everything. ‘That's definitely my mirror, but who is this woman?’
Unfortunately, there was no plaque with information about the portrait. Releasing a sigh, she let it go. ‘There is no one to ask. Over the weekend, the librarians let the equipment and artifacts run themselves. I’ll have to come back sometime during the week…’
Just in case, she accessed the camera function on her ID bracelet and took a picture. Strolling back into the sea of books, she returned to her reminiscing and book hunt. Along the way, Iris found a few school textbooks. ‘Oh, I should grab these. Once school starts, they will become unavailable as other students try to check them out.’
Grabbing one and then another, a small stack of books grew. Looking at her hands, Iris lamented, ‘I don’t think I can take anymore.’ Children under 15 years old had a book limit A smile crossed her face as she remembered her newest skill, mind palace. ‘Let’s memorize these first and get more next time.’
Returning to her mother, Iris checked out five thick textbooks, much to her mother’s surprise. As they were driving home, Iris noticed that her memory headache wasn’t as bad as the usual. One might not even call it a headache because the discomfort was so minimal. Confused, she did a little test and tried to recall something a little further in the future.
While her discomfort increased, she also noticed that the information was coming from her mind library. Closing her eyes, she focused on her mental bookshelf, and there at the front, the very first entry, was her notebook. The very same notebook that Lexi had been born from.
Taking a breath, Iris concentrated on it. Opening it, the pages near the end were hazy. The book was expanding. Her attempts to organize her memory and recall future information were being solidified. The reminiscences she had at the library were all present in the notebook.
Checking her status page, the skill had even leveled. ‘W-Wow…’ She didn’t know what to think in that moment, but she knew it was an improvement. Clenching her hand, Iris closed her mind library. ‘Slowly. I need to take things slowly. Build it out slowly.’ Focusing on the present instead of the future, the pain faded.