"Thud."
Lu Yuan looked at the two books on the table covered in black mucus, his eyes twitching slightly.
Although this wasn't the first time he had seen this method of storing books, this literal sense of being "full of learning" was still a bit difficult to accept.
He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the mucus off the book covers with an expressionless face.
"Could you find a different way to store books next time?"
Lu Yuan complained casually while wiping.
Above him, Ink swayed lazily on the lamp, turning a blind eye to Lu Yuan's noise and only giving a languid roll of its eyes.
"You're lucky to have anything to read at all. Stop being so picky."
Lu Yuan ignored Ink's retort, pulled out a chair, and opened the copy of "Basic Structure of Sanity Barriers".
As the pages turned, he felt the familiar flow of knowledge wash over him once more.
【Reading "Basic Structure of Sanity Barriers"...】
【Basic Sanity Barrier: Constructing...】
Time passed in the quiet library.
Usually, after spitting out the books, Ink would find a place to sleep or pick an outdated file to eat like a biscuit.
But today, the situation was somewhat abnormal.
Lu Yuan could feel Ink's gaze lingering on him the entire time.
"Whoosh."
At some point, Ink dropped onto the bookshelf in front of Lu Yuan.
It didn't speak, but simply tilted its head, its bead-like eyes staring straight at Lu Yuan.
After a moment, it floated over to Lu Yuan's shoulder.
Like a small dog, it leaned in close and sniffed forcefully.
"What are you doing?"
Lu Yuan's hand paused as he turned a page.
"I'm busy."
Lu Yuan closed the book, turned his head, and gazed calmly at the black shadow on his shoulder.
"If you're hungry, I didn't bring any ink blocks today."
"I don't want ink blocks..."
Ink didn't fly away as usual; instead, it leaned even closer, its voice tinged with suspicion.
"A burnt smell... and the smell of rust..."
Ink extended its tiny hand and poked Lu Yuan's coat collar.
"Have you been in contact with those madmen from the 'Ascension Society'?"
"Yes, I ran into them last night,"
Lu Yuan nodded.
"Well, I'm surprised you didn't die."
Ink tilted its head, still showing no intention of leaving.
"Given what I know about you, the probability of you escaping the Ascension Society's hands is almost zero."
After saying this, its bead-like eyes suddenly narrowed into slits.
This time, its tone changed.
It carried a hint of greed, even an irrepressible excitement.
"Wait, there's another scent on you!"
"Hmm?" Lu Yuan frowned slightly.
Was this book spirit going crazy today?
What exactly had it smelled on him that made it refuse to leave?
Furthermore, Lu Yuan didn't believe for a second that Ink was just here to mock him.
"There's a very special... scent on you."
Ink drew circles in the air.
"It's an unpolluted soul. It's almost like a... living 'container'."
Ink suddenly thrust its face right up to Lu Yuan's nose, the distance between them very short.
"Where are you hiding that 'container'?"
Lu Yuan looked confused. What soul, what container? Was Ink losing its mind?
"I don't have anything like that. I suggest you speak more plainly."
Ink's pitch-black bead-like eyes narrowed, and it finally spoke:
"I mean, you have the scent of the Echo on you!!"
At this point, Lu Yuan instantly understood. It was referring to Mina.
"To think that after just a brief contact, Ink could accurately deduce Mina's existence and talent from the aura on my body?"
"That's my new patient."
Lu Yuan didn't deny it, nor did he say much else, simply replying, "Why? Are you planning to eat her?"
Although Ink seemed harmless, Lu Yuan never forgot that it was, in essence, a transcendent creature that fed on knowledge and spirituality.
"Eat? Ptooey! My diet consists only of knowledge. I don't eat people!"
Ink waved its hands repeatedly, the paper wings behind it flapping continuously.
"You don't understand. To me, that kind of talent is a walking canteen!"
It pointed at the towering bookshelves around them, its voice full of resentment:
"Do you know how long I've been here? Years! Facing these moldy scraps of paper every day, I'm about to vomit!"
"I want to go outside and play! I want to see the outside world!"
"But we book spirits can only stay in places where there is knowledge. Once I leave this library, I'll die of knowledge withering within half a day at most."
Ink became more excited as it spoke, pointing at the aura emanating from Lu Yuan's body:
"But the Echo is different! It can hear the sounds of all things. That itself is a continuous source of 'knowledge'!"
"As long as I follow her, I won't have to worry about starving! I can even leave this godforsaken place to get some fresh air!"
Ink floated back onto the tabletop, its bead-like eyes darting around with a cunning look.
"Let's make a deal, Lu Yuan."
"Take me to see that person. In exchange, I can tell you some... secrets you can't access yet, or do something for you."
Lu Yuan's hand stopped turning the pages.
He looked up at the Ink in front of him.
This was an unexpected surprise.
If he could lure this library manager away, even if only temporarily, it would be a massive help to him.
"For example?"
Lu Yuan asked impassively.
"Do you know about the Iron Whale files—the source of that Deep Blue ore?"
Lu Yuan tentatively threw out something he wanted to know.
However, the moment it heard those words,
Ink, who had been full of excitement, reacted like a cat that had its tail stepped on, its fur standing on end.
It lunged backward, covering its head with both wings, and pretended it couldn't hear.
"How could I possibly know that? And do you want to die?!"
"What? Are you afraid?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow at Ink's extreme reaction.
"This isn't fear! These are the rules! We book spirits are not allowed to reveal certain knowledge!"
"The moment I reveal even a trace to you, I will instantly collapse."
"And you..."
Ink looked at Lu Yuan with the expression of one looking at a dead man,
"As the questioner, you would be directly sucked dry by the taboo along with me on the spot."
"So don't even think about it. If you hear it, you will absolutely die."
"Doesn't that mean you could take any enemy down with you?" Lu Yuan caught the key point and asked with interest.
Hearing this, Ink couldn't help but flap its wings a few times.
"You're overthinking it. For the knowledge I impart to work, the other party must first have a desire for knowledge. Only after I speak will there be an effect."
"If I were to force out forbidden knowledge, I would drop dead the moment I opened my mouth."
"So forget about it."
Rubbing his chin, Lu Yuan finally nodded, though he lamented inwardly—what a pity.
If it were possible, capturing a few more book spirits would practically make him invincible.
Rate on N.U.
