The Adventurous Vagrant

Walter the Bookworm (1)

With the task of protecting a VIP already accomplished, I go back to the capital.

Since I don't want to get too absorbed in quests all the time, mainly to give other adventurers a shot at success, I figure I should reward myself with some more knowledge from people I personally I don't know.

Then it's off to the Grand Library of the Royal Academy I go!

It should be behind the gate that separates the academy's main building from the public access area.

Once I step into the perimeter of the five-storey, multi-winged building, I ask myself...

“How long has it been since I've last visited this place?”

Two years? Three years?

With the multitude of quests I've taken and completed, it seems I've lost count.

But here I am.

What matters most is I've returned to my alma mater.

This time, I'm not here for some intensive research on how to defeat a monster by nonviolent means or for looking up on some advanced spell-casting techniques, nuh-uh.

I'm here... for a little leisure reading.

The kingdom boasts a 97% literacy rate due to the various education programs it offers for the past fifty years. And it's not just kids that are targeted; adults are also given equal and fair treatment.

But with that high literacy rate comes a caveat.

Some people feel like they've been forced into reading textbooks, and thus they graduate hating reading altogether.

I surmise that they bring out such sentiment because they've experienced the horror of terror teachers – they who look scary, have an equally scary personality, and act like drill instructors in forcing their students to read, lest the latter get failing grades.

Thankfully, the Royal Department of Education has done something about those terror teachers in recent years and implemented stricter screening tests to prevent further occurrences of them in the classroom.

As for me, I'm lucky to not leave school loathing reading in general.

I'm fortunate that all my teachers were kind and encouraging, like they truly act the part of the second parents.

And it's mainly because my former classmate is His Highness himself.

After all, who would want to be a terror teacher in the presence of a future king?

Man, I can't wait to see what the Royal Library has to offer nowadays.

I'm now inside the library's main hall.

Truly, it is a glorious spectacle of shelves containing these paper containers of knowledge and wisdom, and people from all walks of life browsing and reading at these containers.

Before I forget, I should tell that this library implements a site-wide anti-offensive magic barrier to prevent arsonists from burning down these books, as some of those books are old and incredibly rare.

And only arsonists who are extremely insane, extremely dumb, or both, would do such a thing; since the library is generally held in high regard.

The pretty receptionist greets me.

“Good morning and welcome to the Grand Library of the Royal Academy! How may I serve you?”

“I... just need some casual reading.”

“Great. If you are an adventurer, please place your adventurer's identification badge on top of this scanning coil over there.”

The scanning coil, which scans the badge's identity storage medium for information, takes the shape of a black coil with a magic circle on top of it.

In less than a second, the coil successfully confirms the information contained in my badge.

“Alright. You can now retrieve your badge. Have a great time!”

“Sure I will.”

With the gazillions of books contained in this library, I honestly don't know where to start.

When I was here for an undetermined period of time, I was able to get the books I've wanted thanks to the librarians who are always on standby at various spots of this giant building.

But now, I'm on my own.

With no particular topic to look up in mind, I resort to casually browsing the shelves nearest me.

Ah, there's book a that interests me.

Ancient Residences of Our Pre-kingdom Days.

If the title doesn't make it obvious, this book talks about houses in the days before Lebenswasserheim was established a millennium ago.

There's an interesting passage about the houses built in the area that is presently known as Wadifil Prefecture, which is due north of the capital.

“Owing to the tropical climate in the area encompassing what is known today as Wadifil Prefecture, houses there were built to accommodate harsh weather conditions associated with such climate.

“For one, these houses were built with cut stone stakes positioned high above the ground as foundations, which served as a preventive measure for when rainy season came and floods could be knee-deep at least. The house's only entrance and exit was through a bamboo ladder that must be ascended and descended, and can be taken inside the house once it is locked down.

“For the door, walls, windows, ceiling, floor, and tiling, hardwood and bamboo were the materials of choice; and for the roofing, palm leaves were used. These three materials were also utilized to cover the stone stakes from deterioration brought about by constant exposure to water during the rainy season.

“This usage of naturally-occurring materials is noted for being ecologically sound, and variations of this type of housing can still be spotted today not just in the prefecture, but also in nearby places.”

Two years ago, I visited a town in the prefecture on a quest, and I personally saw some houses that accurately fit the description, though with modern-day updates like sparkgrid conduits and lightweight yet durable furniture.

Alright then, it's on to another book.

Entrepreneurship Is a Risk-laden Thing.

Basically, it's an essay about how people who are not averse to risk-taking have a great chance to succeed in their endeavors.

With the rise of start-ups in the kingdom, this work is more relevant than ever.

The book starts thus:

“Entrepreneurship, because of its combination of creative and technical abilities, is a risk-laden thing. Some people say that entrepreneurs are born, not made; others say otherwise. But what's important is that entrepreneurship requires qualities to lead effectively, to think deeply, and to manage efficiently. In this modern world, entrepreneurs are considered vital to the economy because they are the front-runners of innovation, which is an important component of entrepreneurship.

“The entrepreneurship process is simplified to four steps, and it's easy to see why. Do not pass on a viable opportunity that will be a potential business for you, shape up the future business, check the required resources, and then start and manage the business like a parent takes care of his/her child.

“On the subject of marketing, the difference between a strategy and a tactic is emphasized. A tactic encompasses a smaller scope, while a strategy encompasses a larger scope. For instance, in an actual war, you decide the tactics for a certain type of battle, normal or otherwise. But you decide the strategy to survive the entire war. Big difference.

“The types of marketing strategies given reflect the attitude of a certain company when it comes to thriving in the economy. Some excel in dominating the market, others in innovation, others are plain aggressive in expansion (the Lebensraum concept, wherein for a company to expand, it must conquer smaller companies, just like an organism).”

As I'm getting entertained by this book, I'm hearing something nearby that borders on the realm of the lewd.

“Ah! You're so big! It's stirring inside me!”

“Does it hurt?”

“N-Not really! In fact, it feels so good!”

I try myself to not get distracted by what seems to be... uh... a love-making scene.

And it's being played on a magical audiovisual playback device called the “sphaeramnis”, as I've encountered such a magical device before.

Obviously, as an act of (sort of) decency, only the visual part is not being displayed; and the playback volume is set to not disturb anyone else but me.

But seriously...

Shouldn't these types of devices be barred at this library's doorstep in the first place due to the unwritten “silence is golden” rule?

“Ah! Oh yes! My hips are moving on their own!”

“Oh no! I think I'm gonna...”

Aw, come on! These noises should be best left for the bedchamber!