At that moment, Lynch felt as if he were suspended in an endless universe, with billions of starlight rays flickering around him.
Within that starlight, countless gazes seemed to hide. They were cold, devoid of sorrow, joy, or anger, carrying no emotion at all, merely observing Lynch.
As he watched the infinite radiance, flashes of visions streaked before Lynch's eyes.
He felt as if he saw the primordial flash of the world, the beginning and destruction of stars, the birth and passing of life.
It was the truth of the world, the laws of all things, so complex and yet so mysterious.
It was simply too alluring. Lynch could not help but want to draw closer, like a moth to a flame; even if he were to be left covered in wounds, he felt compelled to glimpse that momentary truth.
Through the myriad illusions, Lynch seemed to see something hazy...
【Look down.】
The trance was shattered by a gentle female voice. Lynch did not hesitate for a second and immediately lowered his gaze. Because of this, he saw nothing, though in the corner of his eye, indescribable light continued to flicker.
Only then did he realize what he had just done. The more he thought about it, the more he felt a lingering fear; he had nearly taken the initiative to stare directly at an evil god.
'Thanks, neighbor. That was a rather dangerous evil god.'
【Actually, it is not dangerous to ordinary people. It possesses neither benevolence nor malice, and ordinary people cannot even perceive its existence.】
Watching the colorful radiance in the corner of his eye, Lynch's mouth twitched. He knew his high inspiration had once again done him a 'favor,' nearly sending him to his grave and forcing Lady Luna to intervene.
【Yes, your will is not yet able to accept its existence, Lynch.】
In a flash, Lynch realized the flickering radiance in his peripheral vision had stopped abruptly. The next moment, the scenery around him shifted, and he was back in the real world, his feet once again touching solid ground.
Everything that had just occurred felt like nothing more than a dream.
He was now standing with his back to the stone door he had touched upon entering, inside a long corridor.
The corridor was tall and magnificent, made of stone with thick wool carpets covering the floor. Along both sides were stone halls lined with rows of giant bookshelves that spanned from floor to ceiling, stacked with books of all sizes and emitting a faint scent of paper.
It really was a library.
"Welcome, Mr. Lynch Levive."
An elderly man with white hair and a beard, dressed in something resembling an academic gown from his previous life, walked out to greet him. He wore a wise smile and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
"You know me?" Lynch subconsciously lowered his voice as well. "And what was that just now?"
The old man pointed to the newspaper tucked under Lynch's arm, where his black and white photo looked rather foolish. "I apologize. What you experienced just now is a screening that every first-time visitor must undergo. I hope it did not cause you a bad experience."
Of course it did not; it just nearly killed him.
Lynch put on an awkward but polite smile and nodded. "Then, who are you people..."
"We are a group of collectors and disseminators of knowledge, followers of the Lord of a Billion Radiance."
"Hm? Who is that?" Lynch recalled the twelve major gods, but this name was not among them.
"A certain Great Old One. As for his name, do you truly wish to know?"
I would have to be bored out of my mind to want that.
Lynch still remembered when he had encountered Elder Bru, the ghoul in the sewers, Lady Luna had warned him that these names from ancient memories were themselves incarnations of mysterious filth. Once heard, it often meant an initial connection had been established, significantly increasing the probability of future interactions.
He immediately shook his head vigorously and changed the subject. "This is the first time I have met such a candid evil... er."
"Heh, not all Great Old Ones hold hostility toward this world. Is that not the case for the lady behind you?"
"Huh? Me?"
Lynch was stunned. Was she referring to Lady Luna? That could not be right; she was not an evil god.
"Why, is the lady who left a blessing within your soul not one?"
"Oh, you mean her." Lynch sighed in relief. He had thought just anyone could spot his neighbor, but it turned out they meant the cat god Bastet.
"Well, our group's beliefs are simply not in harmony with the masses. Although our thinking has become somewhat paranoid and abnormal due to excessive contact with Great Old Ones, we have not gone completely insane, unlike those entirely mad cultists. The ancient deities we worship have little interest in destroying the world or slaughtering human souls for sacrifice, so we get along well with most Soul Severers—with the exception of the major god churches, of course."
"I understand. So this Lord of a Billion Radiance is related to knowledge, and you obtain knowledge by worshiping him?"
"One could say he governs endless knowledge, and he is indeed generous; he grants knowledge to those who please him. However, we never obtain knowledge by pleasing him."
"Hm? Why?"
"Because the knowledge he grants is random. The truth of the world is composed of countless fragments of knowledge, but only a tiny fraction can be accepted by the human will. That twisted, eerie knowledge, which would drive one mad even just thinking about it, would only completely consume the listener's sanity, leaving them to turn to ash in the radiance of truth. No one is willing to gamble on such a low probability event."
The old man sighed and said:
"That is why we serve him only because he holds the authority over knowledge, not because he grants us knowledge. We typically collect books and documents containing knowledge from all over the world and store them here for people to read, and we also allow outsiders to consign mysterious documents."
"Anyone can read them?" Lynch remembered seeing a few people coming and going when he entered; most were ordinary people, and they came from all walks of life.
"Of course that is impossible. Obtaining knowledge is not that easy. Not everyone has the qualification. Only those we approve of can enter to read, and purchasing items requires even more stringent qualifications."
As expected, knowledge was priceless. Lynch's expression turned serious.
He was tempted. Living in this world in ignorance, having a place to look up information was more important than anything else. Although he could occasionally borrow books from the Church of the Black Night or Duke Vane by being persistent, accessing mysterious documents was difficult, and neither place was as comprehensive as a library.
"How can I earn your approval?"
"That depends on how devout your reverence for knowledge is." The old man put away his smile and said sternly, "To obtain something, one must pay an equivalent price, and that is doubly true for knowledge. To gain the qualification, you must be prepared to pay a great price. Are you... prepared?"
Lynch subconsciously swallowed, asking with trepidation, "What exactly is the price? Please, speak plainly. I can handle it."
The old man kept a straight face, looked Lynch up and down, and nodded. "The price for information is determined by the specific case. Borrowing ordinary documents costs two pennies per session. For mysterious documents, fear grade is one pound per session, destruction grade is two pounds, and disaster grade is twenty pounds. Higher levels are not open to the public. All materials must not be taken out of the library, or the consequences are yours alone. After borrowing, mysterious documents can only be read in the reading room, or the consequences are yours alone. The cost of using the reading room is one pound for ten minutes."
???
What on earth?
Was this just a fee?
Lynch felt his brain failing to process this. It took him a long time to recover, and he became instantly furious.
Paid reading was one thing, and he could treat them like some online platform, but they were charging astronomical prices! Were they robbing him? This was blatant extortion. Shouldn't they go exchange notes with the bank robber from earlier?
"Knowledge is precious. How could one possibly obtain it without paying a great price? Am I not right, Mr. Levive?" The old man stroked his beard and smiled. He no longer looked wise at all; Lynch felt certain he must have fangs hidden in that mouth. "Otherwise, how do you think we managed to buy such a large piece of land in the prosperous downtown area? It is all thanks to the generous support of people like you."
Damn it, there really are no good people among cultists.
You just wait. I am going to ask the Watchers to step in and wipe out you evil, insane cultists.
Lynch's facial muscles twitched. He felt the Lande pounds he had just put in his pocket were holding hands in a circle, bowing to him and holding a moment of silence.
Rate on N.U.
