The guards, upon noticing the injured man carried by Adam, approached to inquire:

—Do you need help?

—Yes— the old man on Adam's back replied —I need to go to the 3rd superior floor out of 5, hexagon 8 of 18: I'll give you two pages of characters if you carry me there. To the rest of the guards, I'll give one page to keep them from talking about the missing guard.

—Sure thing, we always welcome donations!— one of the guards said, approaching Adam, before the others could react to the offer —But just to be sure, could you show us your identification? I don't want to be killed by some creature on the way.

—A creature ate my identification...— the old man replied with a bitter smile —My name is Abel, identification number 923: pass me the book, and we'll confirm.

Hearing the number, the guard approached with skepticism and handed the book to the black-eyed old man. The old man placed his finger, and the same information he mentioned appeared in the book.

Seeing that the data matched, a broad smile appeared on the guard's face, and he said with joy:

—You're a wanderer who came back? You're Abel number 923 registered on these floors. The most recent account created with that name is around 10,000. With your age, you could surely offer more than just one page of characters to each one. Couldn't you be kind and make a more interesting donation to these poor guards?

—Don't tempt fate, kid!— the old man replied angrily —Do you think the boy carrying me wouldn't be interested in earning some extra karma?

The guard looked into Adam's eyes and quickly commented:

—The boy seems a bit tired. It's better that someone fresher helps you climb the stairs, like me! Climbing 700 steps with half a person hanging on your back is no easy task.

After saying that, the guard didn't wait for the old man's response and prepared to carry him on his back. Being lifted by the guard, the black-eyed old man said with a triumphant smile:

—I'll pay you when I'm healed. So you better hurry up, as if I die, you won't gain anything!

Upon hearing the warning, the guard began climbing the stairs. But before the old man left, Adam mentioned:

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

—You'll also need someone to carry these books. Even though I saved you, the books are yours.

—They're useless biographies, kid. Unfortunately, they're of no use to me...— the old man replied, somewhat saddened by the deceased —Anyway, thanks. The intention was good. Just throw them on the floor, and they'll disappear. Biographies aren't exactly scarce in these times.

Slightly disappointed, Adam accepted the thanks and accompanied the guard, carrying the old man up the stairs. They then bid farewell on the 3rd midfloor out of 5, where the young hero had to deliver the wooden box.

The journey was quite smooth until Adam and the kids reached the white wooden bookshelf with the spiral staircase. Adam took one of the books from the shelf, and the head of a girl with stars on her cheeks appeared on the white wooden bookshelf. As she emerged, she said:

—You've grown quite fast, crybaby! You're already as tall as the adults, just need their robes.

—Yes, I know. Are we going to discuss it here, or will you let me pass?— Adam asked, hurriedly and a bit nervously, not wanting to draw too much attention from the nearby bookshelves.

—Of course, we won't discuss it here. And who are these two curious children?— the girl asked suspiciously.

—They're coming with me— Adam replied quickly.

As he spoke those words, a passage revealed itself in the white wooden bookshelf, showing the same spiral staircase that the redhead had descended some time ago. Without wasting time, Adam began to climb the stairs along with the children.

As he ascended, Adam observed the same square room made of white wood where he had been in his childhood, but this time, it was furnished with a desk and three wooden chairs. It seemed like no one was inside the room; however, Adam entered and placed the box he had to transport on the desk, then said:

—My mission was to transport this box. I couldn't open it, so I suppose you can.

Immediately after, an old man started forming on one of the white wooden walls of the room, speaking with a serious tone:

—You've become quite the hero in these few years, kid. Let's see if you finally managed to return the favor for saving your life back then.

The old man finished forming, took a few steps, and grabbed the box. The box opened automatically when the white wooden hands of the old man touched it.

To Adam's surprise, a little book came out from inside the box: it was the black sheep! As the old man's face formed a considerably wide smile, the black sheep ignored him and stared at the two children in the room with disbelief. With a rather high-pitched voice, the black sheep asked:

—And what are you doing here without a mannequin?

—Mom allowed us to come, and we have nothing to do with you— Hermes said in a hurry.

—Yeah, you can't give us orders!— Apolo shouted, supporting Hermes's idea.

—Your mom is an idiot! At this rate, you'll both end up dead!— the black sheep said with annoyance. Then she turned around, looked at Adam, and said:

—Take them back, and come back for me in a few hours. I'll negotiate for the old man without eyes.

However, the children complained: they wanted their sweets. Adam convinced them, saying they would go to the candy store before returning. So the three of them set off toward the market, leaving the black sheep negotiating with the white wooden bookshelves.