—What?!— Exclaimed the young hero immediately upon hearing Elias' explanation.
—Probably, today is the infamous purge day, you should escape to the upper floors— Elias suggested, while calmly sipping his coffee. He didn't seem very concerned and trusted that the old wizard would take care of everything for him.
—Many people gave me the date of the purge, and they all got it wrong...— Adam commented, somewhat incredulous with what they were telling him. But this time, he was quite nervous: first, because he didn't know these two librarians, and second, the wizard's mask and missing limbs made it quite possible that he was indeed a wizard capable of predicting the correct date.
Elias looked somewhat concerned about Adam's lack of trust and tried to convince him:
—You may see us as hysterical, but I assure you, the date of the infamous purge is today. While it's normal not to trust strangers, you should heed our advice. It won't cost you anything to go up to the upper floors and spend a day there. If nothing happens, then we lied, and you'll only lose a few hours of your life. But if the purge does happen today, we'll save your life!
—He's a wizard, he can probably escape on his own, Elias...— added the old wizard, calmly sipping his coffee —Don't worry too much about him. If he doesn't want to believe us, let him figure out how to survive the attack on his own.
—But we could take him with us through the employee stairs...— Elias murmured with resignation, though he didn't lose his composure and continued drinking his coffee nonchalantly.
—Yes, we could take him to the upper floors, but that's not what will happen...— the wizard commented confidently, as if he knew the events that would unfold in the future.
—Why are the upper floors safe and not the middle ones?— asked Adam, trying to gather more information about the situation.
In Adam's opinion, Elias's idea wasn't bad. It wouldn't cost the young hero anything to go up and spend a day on the upper floors. It might be a bit challenging to get his father to those floors, but he could bribe the guards or keep going until he found a secure floor for the day. Besides, Adam's original plan was to explore the upper floors, so he was willing to accept Elias's idea. He still had to buy supplies and pack for the long journey, but he could easily wait a day on the upper floors before preparing everything for the trip.
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The old wizard took a sip of coffee and calmly replied:
—We will be attacked by a particular group of librarians called "The Eternals", and their goal is to occupy and maintain the magical citadel located in the golden and silver floors. The Eternals are an ancient brotherhood of wizards, so rather than a war for control of the floors, it will be a massacre. That's why I started spreading rumors long ago that a purge was approaching, not a war. Unfortunately, people tend to underestimate the danger to live more comfortably, and probably not many will escape in time...
Adam raised the cup on the table and tried to control his trembling hands from nervousness. He took a sip of coffee, pretending to exude the calmness of the two strangers, and responded rationally:
—Even if the war lasts a day and it's a massacre, I still don't understand: Why wouldn't The Eternals seek more floors? If they are so powerful, they could easily occupy the upper floors and a few more near the citadel.
For now, Adam refrained from using his ability to gather more information. He couldn't use the cave lake to heal anymore and had to be cautious not to infect his ear with moles. Besides, the young hero planned to use his ability when asking his father about the truth of his past, so he already had a mole almost guaranteed.
—Because those floors are not useful for the citadel...— the old wizard replied as he enjoyed some desserts —They will only occupy the slave breeding grounds, what you know as the wooden floors. And the quarry, who is located a little further down from the citadel, so go to the upper floors.
Adam became even more nervous. The old man even knew about the former slaves living on those floors, and what he said seemed to make sense with how a wizard would act in his mind. Adam's hands trembled as he held the cup, causing some coffee to spill and stain his robe. Gathering some courage, Adam asked:
—What do I have to do with the purge? Why do so many people warn me about it? How does all this tragedy that will happen to these floors relate to me?
—Don't get paranoid, the purge has nothing to do with you...— the old man replied calmly, sipping his coffee —You're just my alarm signal. It could have been any other librarian, but it seems you'll be my last customer. Consider yourself lucky, young wizard.
Having learned from past mistakes, Adam stopped attributing things to luck. With great distrust, the young man looked at the wooden chin prosthetic the old man was wearing. After gazing at the prosthetic, a mole formed on Adam's ear, and he shouted in a high-pitched voice:
—He's worried about Elias' safety, but he pretends not to be to avoid making him nervous!
Adam cursed in his mind; this information wasn't what he was looking to find out. Meanwhile, seeing Adam remain silent, the old man calmly said while drinking his coffee,
—We still have some time: do you want us to make that hood and symbols for you, Adam?
—Yes...— Adam commented almost mechanically. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, thinking about the number of people warning him about this purge and how they were all related to each other.