Adam opened the door with curiosity to see what lay behind a magical entrance. To his surprise, the room led to a very, very long hallway where the darkness made it impossible to see the end.

The floor was made of thick rocks and appeared quite ancient, covered in dust with patches of moss growing between them. The ceiling of the corridor was different from the cave walls; it seemed to be constructed with large stone bricks, as if someone had built it.

Shelves lined both sides of the hallway, also made of stone bricks, holding jars, mushrooms, miscellaneous objects, and very old-looking books. Since there was no source of light, the room was quite dark, and if the young man closed the door, it would be pitch-black, making it impossible to see anything.

—Is this a storage room?— Adam asked, looking at the cluttered shelves of miscellaneous items with no apparent order.

—Indeed, it's older than the cave, and I acquired it a long, long time ago— said the old man without eyes, proud of the mess accumulated on the shelves —My strategy of storing like a squirrel has paid off; you never know what will be valuable or cheap in the future!

—May I enter and take a look?— Adam inquired, curious about the shelves filled with various objects.

—Yes, but don't touch anything; I'll keep an eye on you— the eyeless old man said suspiciously —For a librarian, seeing objects accumulated for millennia must be very interesting. In fact, there are several items here that are worth a magic book, provided I find the right librarian for an exchange.

Adam raised his index finger, which illuminated like a candle, providing some light, though not ideal , better than the cave's mushrooms. He cautiously advanced, scanning the shelves on both sides, trying to find clues about interesting objects using his magical glasses.

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The objects on the shelves were quite miscellaneous; for instance, Adam spotted various things that were purchasable in the market, and general knowledge books were not in short supply on these shelves. What caught Adam's attention was that he came across no less than four books that seemed magical. With doubt, he asked:

—Shouldn't you display these books? They are quite eye-catching even if they are common. Besides, there are several things that could serve as decorations to attract librarians.

The eyeless old man emerged from one of the shelves, looking the same but now with a body formed with bricks. As he observed his shelves, he said:

—Some of these books are magical. In fact, they were on your list of selectable magical books, but there are a couple of inquisitors who want to destroy them, so I hide them. Besides, they serve as a life vest for me in case of a tragedy.

—And the objects? Most of them could serve as decorations— Adam remarked, looking at some colorful objects. If he were to dust them off, they would look brand new and were quite lovely, although he didn't understand their purpose.

The eyeless old man looked at the dusty shelves reluctantly and replied:

—Even though they look old, things in this storage last forever, but once I take them outside, their durability diminishes. The only valuable decorations for these shelves are the ones that last forever. For example, my beautiful wizard's hat.

—Do you really use the objects for trading?— Adam asked as he continued walking —I mean, in more than ten years you never invited anyone for an exchange; it seems like you just compulsively collect, old man...

—Unfortunately, lately, there haven't been many people carrying magical books through the corridors— the eyeless old man answered with sorrow —But the situation will improve after the purge, which is why I bought this beard and this monocle: One must look presentable for business, boy!

Adam kept walking for a while until he suddenly stopped and looked at the shelves. Some books were blinking. He focused on the flickering books and found several books to learn different languages; they were very colorful and stacked together. What was most curious was that the only book without dust was the red one the eyeless old man had tried to deceive him with some years ago.

—So, this is where it came from...— Adam commented, feeling somewhat uneasy about the memory.