—Rough day at school, kid?— someone asked from behind Adam.
Adam turned around and saw the person who spoke to him. The person was wearing a black robe and was quite skinny, with black hair and black eyes. Seeing the red book on the person's waist, Adam assumed it was a guard who was changing shifts.
The boy didn't know how to respond to the guard, or rather, his mouth was opening and closing constantly as he tried to come up with some excuse so that the guard wouldn't arrest him for having his white robe covered in blood. But no matter how much Adam thought, he couldn't find the right answer to this riddle.
On the other hand, after Adam turned around, the guard recognized the boy. There weren't many, and this red-haired kid always stood at the stairwell studying and stayed there for a couple of shifts. When he saw Adam's robes covered in blood, the guard knew what had happened and said with great sorrow:
—Everything's fine now, kid. Unfortunately, the bookshelves can be cruel to us.
Upon hearing the guard's words, Adam understood. The answer to the riddle was to have patience and let the guard's mind come up with a good excuse for him.
Seeing that the boy seemed to be coming to his senses, the guard put his hand on Adam's shoulder and added:
—But listen, kid, that's why we can't be afraid of the bookshelves. Many before us were scared, but now those of us who are still alive must be brave for the blood that stains each of the secrets in this library.
Adam felt quite motivated by the words of encouragement and followed the guard as he accompanied him to the exit of the stairwell on the middle first floor. In fact, it was fortunate that Adam ran into the guard on the stairs and decided to go with him since the guards on the middle first floor were the strictest of all.
These guards wouldn't let him pass as easily as the others, but luckily for Adam, the guard who accompanied him took the trouble to talk to the guards on the first floor on the boy's behalf and managed to get Adam through without asking too many questions.
When the guard saw that the boy was leaving normally, he went back up the stairs. It seemed that the guard took the trouble to go a few steps further down to help Adam.
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Feeling a bit calmer, Adam headed to the shelf of the eyeless old man, but before he could get there, the eyeless old man came out joyfully and shouted loudly, echoing through the hallway:
—But look who's here! The red-haired hero! The famous adventurer of the library who defeats evil wherever he goes!
Adam didn't know where to hide. He wasn't supposed to draw the attention of the bookshelves, but the eyeless old man was ruining everything. In a hurry, he ran to the bookshelf and said in a low voice:
—Why are you shouting? The whole hexagon will hear us!
A smile appeared on the old man's mouth, and with pride, he said:
—Why don't you check my shelves to find out?
Adam looked at the old man's shelves and was surprised: the black book was magical! However, the book looked very normal for the boy to realize. But Adam was too nervous to celebrate. The old man noticed the problem and let the boy in.
Once inside, Adam calmed down. The first thing he did was tell his godfather everything and ask for his opinion. Meanwhile, the eyeless old man commented:
—Adam, my boy, you never cease to amaze me. Two magical books, you're the first hero who brings me so much joy in such a short time! I knew a lunatic like you, desperate to survive, would be a good investment, but this is truly a pleasant surprise.
Adam ignored the old man's delusions and read his godfather's response carefully:
'Like it or not, you're already in the war, kid. Now you can only make the most of the war or die trying. Try to make the eyeless old man see you as something valuable, or things could get complicated.'
The last sentence appeared only a few seconds before disappearing, so only Adam could read it.
The eyeless old man noticed that Adam was still talking to his godfather, so he went outside to admire the new book on his shelf, figuring out which position the book would attract the most attention from the librarians. After a while, the eyeless old man reappeared in the cave and with a very concerned voice, he said to Adam:
—Unfortunately, the book is written in the language of the interstitial spaces or, as you call it, the language of creatures. Not many librarians can read this language on these safe floors, but it's the first book in this language that I've obtained, so it could be useful to attract wanderers or missionaries.
Adam listened attentively and opened the book; indeed, he didn't understand anything. This was another language, and he would have to master it if he wanted to read the book. Annoyed, Adam asked:
—Do you know what I can do to learn this language or translate it?
—Yes, go down, way down!— the eyeless old man replied with unprecedented enthusiasm —Until you find a series of infected floors without librarians. The bookshelves in that area will pamper you so that you can learn the new language. Believe me, the poor souls living in that area are desperate for librarians!
Adam got even more annoyed; he wasn't quite sure what an infected floor was, but the name sounded horrible.