Three months flew by, and today Aquiles decided to take his students to learn about the bookshelves to celebrate that they all reached 30 pages. Naturally, the bookshelves they were going to visit had nothing unusual; it was just an unofficial celebration.
Aquiles had also done this when they reached 20 pages, but that time he only gave each student an easy-reading book. The professor noticed that the strategy of having these unofficial celebrations was working to win the hearts of his students. Therefore, Aquiles decided to continue with these celebrations to avoid future problems with the baron.
—Well, we're almost there— Aquiles said happily. It seemed like his students were very excited this time—The bookshelves are on the 4th out of 5 floors, hexagon 2 of 18 in one of the inner hexagons. They might be a little hidden, but they catch your eye when you first see them.
—Are the rules very complicated?— Adam asked with some fear, remembering what happened with Sofia, he had never spoken to the unfamiliar bookshelves since then.
—No, you just have to fulfill a simple request or answer a question,— Aquiles said, looking at Adam to check on his state—If you do it wrong, you just have to clean the bookshelf. I used to play with them as a child, so they're quite safe.
—And do they have any magical or cursed books?— Franco asked with much excitement.
—Certainly not, but they might have some treasures hidden among their books— the professor replied, guiding the students through the aisles—The books on these shelves are mostly general knowledge, so hardly anyone visits them.
Finally, the three arrived at the bookshelves indicated by the professor. There were four white wooden shelves, placed side by side. The wood of the bookshelves seemed to shine due to their cleanliness, except for one of the four, which was covered in dust to the point where its books were indistinguishable.
Before any of the three got closer, Aquiles gave them safety instructions:
—We'll go one by one, and I'll listen to the conversation with the bookshelf. Once I make sure everything is safe, you can take a book. Do not touch the bookshelf that has dust, when I was a child it did not have it, but if it does, it must be for something. And keep writing down the comments I make about the bookshelves, the school doesn't teach this, but it should...
The three children nodded eagerly and started arguing over who would go first. In the end, Aquiles decided Bianca should be the first one.
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Bianca approached the bookshelf and asked excitedly:
—May I read a book?
The head of a very handsome woman emerged from the wood, wearing two glamorous earrings and a pearl necklace on the part of her neck that protruded from the wood. The woman looked Bianca up and down and said disdainfully:
—Not a fan of girls, kid. Go away, brat!
Bianca felt bad and almost burst into tears. Unfortunately, Aquiles had never encountered this with this bookshelf, so he couldn't warn his student. The professor stepped forward and encouraged Bianca before she could cry:
—Why don't you try the other bookshelves? If I recall correctly, there was a handsome boy in the group.
Bianca nodded, wiped away the few tears that had escaped her and tried the next one:
—May I read your books?
This time, the head of a young boy with a rose trapped in his mouth emerged. The boy had very long and glamorous hair, making him look like the classic charming prince from fantasy books. The prince looked at the girl and said with a smile:
—Of course, read whatever you like!
Bianca was delighted and extended her hand, but Aquiles coughed a few times as if trying to remind her of the rules. Bianca understood, stopped her hand, and asked:
—Shouldn't there be a rule or condition?
—Oh, yes, of course there is— the charming prince said with a smile—Princesses go ahead, knights battle, and orcs face death!
—What's an orc?— Bianca asked, posing the question whispered to her by Aquiles.
—Orcs are vile creatures who abandon themselves for a few pleasures— the charming prince responded elegantly, but with hatred.
—Alright, you can take the book— Aquiles said while looking at the other two students, signaling them to take notes—It refers to having bad karma; Some bookshelves help you because of your good deeds towards others, while other bookshelves condemn you for it.
Bianca approached and took a book. Just as the professor said, the book didn't seem very interesting, but as she was flipping through the pages, a beautiful flower sprang from the book and settled on the girl's hair.
She was thrilled to have obtained something and looked at her other two classmates to ask them how the flower looked, but they ignored her and continued noting down Aquiles's explanation.
—But didn't the bookshelf mention anything about being good or bad?— Franco asked while writing.
—Bookshelves can be quite poetic...— Aquiles replied slowly, so they could take notes. —The more general knowledge you have, the better you'll understand their riddles. Now it's your turn, Franco.
Aquiles noticed that Adam was still nervous, so he let him go last, hoping it would give him more confidence to see that nothing bad happened.
Franco approached the handsome woman and asked about her rules. The woman smiled and commented:
—While I am entertaining the cute boys, the children are fighting to see who gets my stories. The old people are sometimes stupefied by my beauty and on some rare occasions they believe that they are handsome young men who can seduce me. Fortunately, my brother protects me and attacks those orcs before they get close to my books. Meanwhile, the envious women can only watch as I have a good time with the cute boys from a distance.
—Who do I have to fight with?— Franco asked, stating the question that Aquiles whispered to him from behind.