Once Valentino was gone, I continued with the shopping that I had been doing before the assassins interfered. I got two more sets of almost the same outfit that I was already wearing, a more casual set of clothes, a large cloak, and a simple green dress. I didn’t have money for anything too fancy, but the dress was clean, and comfortable, and would serve me adequately in the event that I needed to look nicer. I also got a few more masks. The one that I was wearing had been cut slightly when the assassin slit my throat, so I needed a replacement, and I got a green one to match my dress.
As I purchased my clothes and tried to fold them and fit them in my bag, I realized that it would be impractical to continue carrying all my clothes on me like this. Eventually, I would be able to store them all in [Inventory], but for now, I would need a better solution. If I had a room at an inn, I could leave my clothes there, but I didn’t, and it would be a waste to purchase an entire room just to store a few outfits.
I went back to the Adventurer’s guild to see if they had any solutions, and fortunately, they did. Apparently, adventurers would frequently go on multi-day excursions, and needed somewhere cheap to store their things, so the guild had storage rooms in the basement that could be rented for a low price. I rented one out for a month, and stored all my new clothes in it, except for my cloak, which I put in [Inventory].
With that, I had finished all the shopping I needed to do, and I was down to two gold and 8 silver. It was not that low an amount, especially since I wouldn’t need to spend any on food or lodgings, but it was still much less than I would have liked. Eventually, I would need better weapons and equipment and clothes, so I would need to make money. The best way to do that while also getting strong enough to survive the game of the gods was to become a successful adventurer, but to do that, I would need to first tackle the issue of my lack of combat skills.
Based on what little experience I had, I would be able to gain combat skills without taking a combat class, but I wasn’t sure exactly how. Especially with magic related skills. No doubt I could get a few other skills in reading or writing or math or something similar by doing those things, but I had no idea how I would gain any skills relating to magic or aura. I needed a library, but from what I had seen of the world so far, public libraries would not exist, so a bookstore would be my best bet.
I considered asking the guild for directions, but it was the middle of the day, and the line to the front desk was long, and I vaguely remembered passing a bookstore or two during my earlier shopping, so I went out to look for one on my own. My memory did not deceive me, and it was not long before I found exactly what I was looking for. However, its location and appearance made me a bit nervous.
It was small, but not plain. The front, much like many of the other shops, had large windows and displayed its wares for passerby to see, but the glass was of noticeably higher quality than the shops I had been in earlier. The sign above had ‘Ivanov Books’ hand-painted in flowing, gold letters that shined in a way that I suspected it might have actually been gold filigree. Additionally, it was nested in between a high-class tailor that displayed dresses that looked like they had been taken directly from Victorian era England, and a patisserie that featured sweets fancier than any I had seen back on Earth. There was a good chance that I wouldn’t be able to afford anything from that bookstore.
I went in anyway, walking with confidence that would hopefully offset my somewhat shabby appearance. It was fairly cramped inside, with shelves and tables full of books scattered all around with only a few feet of space in between them. I would not be able to sit and read anything inside the story. There was no one else inside, other than the man who I assumed was the shopkeeper sitting behind a desk at the back of the store.
The reason that I assumed that they were a shopkeeper was that he was an elf. Not a half elf, like Valentino or Alyona, but a full elf, with pointed ears that went back almost to the back of his head, and a slender frame with regal facial features. The moment I walked in, he looked up at me, and I saw that his eyes were golden– not yellow, like Valentino’s had been, but a metallic gold that almost seemed to glow.
Rather than looking away, or welcoming me in, however, he continued to stare at me, first with an expression of confusion, followed by one of realization, before going back to an expression of confusion. His gaze made me uncomfortable, but I continued walking straight towards him, since I needed to ask him where I could find the books I needed. It was a small shop, but there were still probably thousands of books, and it would take a long time to look through all of them to find the one I needed.
I reached the desk and opened my mouth to ask him about books on magic, but before I could get any words out, he spoke first.
“It has been many years since I had a vampire in my shop,” he said. “I thought you had gone extinct.”
My eyes widened in horror as I realized that [Imitate Life] was still inactive. However, I managed to remain calm. The elf was calm, and showed an expression of interest, with no hostility. [Detection] hadn’t alerted me about anything either, so I guessed that as long as I didn’t resort to violence, the situation might not be as bad as it seemed.
“Though you appear to be quite young. Tell me, is there a group of vampires still living in secret somewhere?”
“No,” I said cautiously as I reactivated [Imitate Life]. “I am the last one.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” he said, sounding genuinely sorry. “That is an interesting skill you have there. If you had been using that when you walked in, I would not have identified you as a vampire.”
“Yes, that’s the point. It’s a skill I created to prevent people like you who have excellent hearing from being able to tell that I am not human.”
“I see. But why must you hide? When vampires were still common, they were generally socially accepted. There were a few bad ones, and they are the source of the stories, but there are bad ones in every race. You should not have to hide your identity.”
The fact that vampires were socially accepted before they went extinct, and for a moment, I wondered if I should bother to continue my human facade.
“I met a group of paladins of the church of Order on the road the other day. They said that the Saintess had received word from Themis, and that it was possible that word would be information on the creation of a new demon king. Given the stories about vampires, and my sudden appearance, I figured it was best to lay low.”
“Interesting. I had not heard of that news yet. In that case, it would indeed be wise to keep your identity secret. When demon kings appear, the church of Order can get… draconic.”
“Yes, I thought that might be the case,” I said. Then, I realized that he had been speaking from experience. He could be a good source of information on the past demon kings, and he could help me avoid the eye of the church. “If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”
“I don’t mind as long as you don’t mind telling me your age in return,” he said, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
“I’m 22.”
“Oho, you are young. I thought you would be at least twice that. I’ve spent too much time cooped up in this shop. I am turning 4896 this year.”
“Wow,” I said. “If you’ve been around that long, you must have seen a couple demon kings. Or at least heard of them. What are they like? Are they really as dangerous as the church of Order makes them out to be.”
“Some are, some aren’t. Sometimes, they are located and defeated before their kill count can reach the double digits, and other times they wipe out entire nations before they are stopped. A few times, they weren’t found at all, actually.”
“They were never found? Then how did they know that they actually existed?”
“Themis never lies, when it comes to information relating to the balance of the world. If she says that there is a demon king, then there is a demon king, whether they are found or not.”
“I see,” I said. “Have there ever been multiple demon kings?”
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“Yes, it has happened three times while I’ve been alive. Twice, there were 3 at once, and the other time there were 4. Fortunately, they all represented different demon gods, and they fought each other to the death. The church of Order hardly had to do anything. Their battles were not without victims though. The sites at which they fought are still scarred, and one of them is an uninhabitable wasteland to this day.”
His words confirmed that this was not the first time that the demon gods had played their little “game.” It might not have been the Seven Deadly Sins, and instead was some other group of Demon Gods, but either way, gods picking subordinates to fight their battles out on another planet at the expense of its inhabitants was not an irregular event.
I talked with the elf for a little while longer, and during the conversation, the elf confirmed many of my worries. Not only would the church of Order be searching for any sign of demon kings, but so would every government and authoritative figure in the world. They may not agree with everything the church of Order said, but no one was foolish enough to let a demon king roam free. They would investigate every rumor, no matter how small, and they would err on the side of caution whenever possible. If I got reported for any reason, there was a good chance that I would be in serious danger.
“Forgive me, but I was so caught up in our conversation that I failed to introduce myself,” said the elf. “My name is Anatoly Ivanov. You may address me with either name.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Anatoly. My name is Lucille, but I go by Lucy.”
“Do you not have a family name?”
“No, not that I am aware of.”
“That is strange. Who were your parents? Did they not have a family name.”
“I do not know who my parents were. Actually, I only woke up a few days ago, and I most of my memories of this world are missing. That is why I am here, actually. I need information, so I thought that I would try to find some books. From the look of your shop though, these might be outside of my price range.”
“Oh, I see. That is very strange. And do not worry about the price. I do not actually have much need of money, and this conversation is payment enough. I never thought I would meet another vampire. Are there any subjects that you are looking for specifically? You will probably be wanting a general history book. You are well-spoken already, so I don’t think you need one on etiquette, though you may find it interesting.”
“Do you have anything on learning combat and magic skills without taking a combat or magic-focused class?”
“Of course. Follow me.”
He stood up and walked around his desk to my right, and led me towards the front of the store. When he stood up, I was surprised at how tall he was. Evidently, the chair he was sitting in was very low, because he did not look seven feet tall when he was sitting down. He stopped in front of a shelf a few feet from the door and pulled out a thin book and handed it to me.
“Here, this one should tell you what you need to know about learning skills without taking classes, and over here…” He turned and walked over to a table on the opposite side of the room and grabbed a much thicker book. “...is a general history tome. It covers from about 3000 years ago up until about 50 years ago.”
I looked at the books he handed me. The titles were simple and self explanatory. The one on gaining skills was ‘A practical guide to learning [Skills]’ and the history tome was ‘A brief history of Astraeus’. However, the name of the author on the books caught my eye.
“You wrote these?” I asked.
“Yes. In fact, I wrote most of the books that I sell here.”
“Wow. You have written a lot. Though I guess you have been around for a long time.”
“So I have. I find that writing helps to combat the boredom of immortality. You may take up the hobby yourself in a few centuries.”
“Maybe…” I lied.
As I tried to think of what I would say next, the door to the shop opened, and a new customer walked in. It was a young woman, probably similar in age to myself. She looked like a noble, wearing an elegant blue dress and a shawl lined with fur, with a hairpiece covered in gems that glittered every time she moved slightly.
“This has been a lovely conversation, Lucy,” said the shopkeep. “Thank you for stopping by. Unfortunately, I will not be able to spend much more time conversing with you today. Enjoy your books, and feel free to come back any time.”
“Thank you, Anatoly. I will definitely come back once I’ve finished these,” I said, and I meant it. He was polite, and kind, and not only was he immortal, but he was a historian, so he was an excellent source of information.
The noblewoman eyed me as I walked past her, but didn’t say anything.
“Hello, Lady Lyon,” I heard the elf say as I left. “Have you come looking for a book, or are you here to try to recruit me again? If it’s the latter, I’m afraid I will have to decline. As I’ve said before…”
The door closed before I could hear the rest of his sentence, but I got the general idea from that little snippet. There were two guards standing outside the door, probably Lady Lyon’s bodyguards. I ignored them, and began looking for a place where I could relax and read my new books.
The patisserie next door had a few tables outside of it that might have been suitable, but I wasn’t sure that the owners would be happy with someone like me sitting outside their store for hours without even buying anything. I could try the Adventurer’s guild, but it was crowded and loud in there, and probably not the best place for reading. I considered possibly trying to climb a building and relax on a roof, but that wasn’t totally practical, and the roofs were too slanted to be comfortable.
I put my books into [Inventory], which was enough to level the skill up to 4, and started wandering around, looking for a place to sit down, and eventually settled on a small cafe a few blocks away from the bookstore towards the center of the town. It was small, and not too popular, which was good for me, because that meant it was also quiet. I ordered a tea to be polite but let it sit on the table untouched as I summoned the book on skills and began to read.
Before I could finish more than a few pages though, I was interrupted when the woman from the shop, Lady Lyon approached me with her bodyguards a few steps behind.
“Pardon me,” she said, “but you are the one who was in Mr. Ivanov’s bookstore just now, correct?”
I saw no reason to lie, and even less reason to antagonize someone as wealthy and powerful as she appeared, so I answered truthfully and politely.
“Yes, yes I am,” I said, closing my book. “My name is Lucy. How can I help you?”
“I am sorry to interrupt your reading, but you seemed fairly friendly with the shopkeeper. You may have overheard, but my family is trying to hire him as a temporary consultant on a certain matter, but I haven’t been able to get anywhere in the recruitment. He was more friendly with you than he has ever been with me, and I was hoping that you would be able to tell me how you managed to foster such a relationship.”
“Ah, actually, I’m not that close with him. I only met him today.” I quickly thought up a suitable lie. “He was only friendly to me because apparently he knew my grandparents. It’s my eyes, you see. He said they looked identical to my grandmother’s. We had a conversation about the past, and he helped me find a few books. That’s all.”
“Ah, I see. That is unfortunate,” she said, looking crestfallen. “My apologies for troubling you. Have a pleasant day.”
“You as well, my lady,” I responded. She nodded politely, then turned and walked away.
I watched her leave, feeling slightly bemused. When she approached me, I had been prepared for rudeness and arrogance, especially after what I had overheard Anatoly saying, so her politeness was surprising. I took a moment to wonder what that “certain matter” that she needed the elf’s help with was, but without knowing the state of the world, or even the position of her family, I couldn’t come up with anything realistic, so I dropped the topic and returned to my book.
Though small, it was very thorough and very informative. Because it was written by someone with nearly 5000 years of experience and practice, the writing style was very clear and easy to understand, and the information was concise and specific, and told me exactly what I needed to know.
It told me of the different types of skills that could be learned, as well as the stats that would affect the skills most, and what I would need to do to train and learn each skill without it being gifted automatically for taking a certain class. By the time I finished, I had a good idea of what skills I needed, and how to get them.
[Mana Manipulation] would be the simplest, since I already had [Mana Sense] and high [Wil] and [Int]. I predicted that I would be able to get them within a couple days. [Aura Control] would be more difficult, since it involved a lot of meditation, and trying to sense the aura within myself, which would be difficult to do while also having [Mana Sense]. There was a reason that people generally picked one or the other. It took a lot of focus and effort to be able to use both.
Skills for specific spells, or aura attacks would come naturally as I learned. According to the book, once I performed the skill once manually, the System would grant it to me, and I would be able to use it more quickly and efficiently. Many spells and aura attack skills were still difficult to use even once manually, but I had high [Wil] and [Int], which would help with spells, and high [Dex], which would help with aura. I would need more [Vit] to use stronger aura abilities, but with [Vampiric Superiority], even if I didn’t put many of my stat points into it, it would still increase at a reasonable rate.
When I finished reading, the sun was setting, and the cafe was closing, so I put the book back in [Inventory] and surreptitiously dumped my tea into a nearby potted plant before giving the cup back to the cafe owner. Then, I headed back out to the street, planning my next move.
I hadn’t been interested in getting a room at an inn before because I didn’t need to sleep, but now with a book to read, and skills to learn, I realized that a private room where no one could see what I was doing during the night was exactly what I needed. I found an inn in the poorer part of the city that let me have a room for a night for only two copper. It was a run-down place, full of dusk and cracked wood and stone, and I wouldn’t want to sleep in the bed, but it suited my needs well enough.
I started trying to read the history book, but even with my [Dark Vision], it was uncomfortable to read without sufficient light, so I put it down and instead began working on gaining some new skills, and before I knew it, it was morning again.