After taking his notes and safely storing them in his Void Glove, he continued to read through the library’s first floor.

Once done, Sokram decided to go up instead of down, figuring that the books underground should contain more advanced knowledge, but he didn’t want to put the cart ahead of his horses.

Stepping onto the second floor, there was a subtle ringing in his ears as the very air seemed to twist and stretch.

It wasn’t a violent change, but an instant, liquid warp, as if he were a drop falling into a pond of water; the familiar lines of the bookshelves rippled and bent before settling into their new, impossibly tall configuration.

Now, instead of five, the entire floor was 7 meters tall. And each bookshelf contained many more books.

Curious if this would repeat on every floor, Sokram went up to the third and confirmed the space distortion kept expanding every floor.

Sokram’s pace quickened, and a deep curiosity mixed with a slight admiration filled his thoughts.

He climbed to the third floor, where the familiar pull on his senses was even stronger, the air thickening as the space contorted again.

The bookshelves, already taller, now seemed to loom over him, their shadows deepening as the astounded grin on his face widened.

If he had to guess, time was also altered by the same magnitude, and the number of books on this floor also doubled compared to the first.

Sokram had spent seventy days of in-library time reading through the entire first floor.

But outside the library, that would amount to ten days.

If the time distortion also increased on every odd floor, he would have enough time to read through it all even before he came of age.

While Sokram mused about it, on the first floor, someone started leafing through the same almanac he had taken notes from, but no matter how she read through it, she couldn’t figure out what he was aiming for.

When she heard his steps coming down from the third floor, Camile went back to hide herself using one of her curses.

The reason she hadn’t pried over Sokram’s shoulders to peek at his notes was that she was sure he would be able to sense her.

Then, to her surprise, Camile heard him calling for her, so she rushed toward the second floor.

Arriving there, Sokram was in his usual position, seated on the floor, leaning back on the base of a bookshelf, and surrounded by books that almost hid him from her eyes.

His eyes, which had been fixed on the books, flickered as a ripple in the air coalesced into Camile’s form.

He didn’t jump or show surprise; a slow, knowing smile spread across his face as their eyes met.

“Auntie, I finished reading through the first floor. But once I came up here, I noticed that the spacetime distorted again. Is this a pattern until the last floor? Does it happen on the underground floors, as well?”

Camile grinned at him.

She was amazed his senses were so sharp, and explained, “Each floor up, you gain 1 hour of extra time. Meaning, 8 hours here on the second floor equals 1 hour outside the library. In the underground floors, though, I must advise you not to stay too long down there, or you might get insane like my mother and grandpa. Because on each floor, you go lower, the time distortion doubles exponentially, so on the first underground floor, instead of eight, it becomes sixteen, on the second, thirty-two, and so on…”

“Wow, amazing spell!” Sokram's eyes widened slightly, looking at her with more fondness. But then he frowned inquisitively, “Why do you say they are insane?”

“Side effects from being under the influence of my curses for too long. You see, this place doesn’t truly distort time; doing so would cost an exorbitant amount of mana. Instead, we only wrap the space with an enchantment similar to that of spatial rings but without the time freezing.”

Camile began explaining while making mental notes of the books Sokram had chosen to start his reading journey on the second floor.

Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the titles. ‘Alchemy. Potions. Transmutation. Not a trace of elemental magic. Curious…’

“But the more space you have, the more time you need, right? So, instead of casting an enchantment that would cost three Exalted-level dragons constantly condensing mana for us every day, why not alter the mental perception of time through a curse? Mental curses are more powerful and less costly than most illusions, but not without consequences for those without the mental power to keep up with them…”

Sokram, understanding where she was going, interrupted her with a question, “Has any of them lifted their Mind Locks?”

“Oh, you know about that, too, hm? Yes, each of them lifted 2 Mind Locks, and because of it, they can’t spend too much time outside the top or lowest floor, at most a year before they start spiraling.”

As Camile explained, it became clear to Sokram that they didn’t lift their Mind Locks the same way he did, though he believed that spending so much time in the library might have helped them achieve it.

So he offered her something in return for that help, “I know of a way to heal their minds. Do you think they would be interested?”

“Is it a potion or something like that?” Camile teased him, looking at the alchemy books he was reading.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“No, an exercise for the mind,” Sokram fished a copy of the Mana-Manipulation Technique Scroll and handed it to her.

“The more advanced levels of that technique are good for both synapse development and mental fortification; someone above the level of an Exalted Existence could even be able to control mana to the atomic level after practicing it for two years.”

“By the Infinium Library! That is quite an expensive gift, Sokram…” Camile was so amazed that she didn’t even realize that she had revealed herself as a follower of Mentyr by calling out for the name of Mentyr’s realm in the Nether.

“Are you one of Mentyr’s followers?” Sokram raised his brows, pretending to be shocked.

Camile’s eyes widened in unison with his, the realization of her slip flashing across her face.

“I… Yes, I’m a Keeper of Knowledge.”

“A full-fledged Keeper? Wow, I always thought you folks would live on the outskirts of…” But knowing Eversnow was a small city far on the outskirts of Norwinter, so far that it was the border’s last line of defense, Sokram realized it made sense.

“Some biased information about us is true. The outskirts of most territories are often the best places to hide the biggest treasure of existence, knowledge.”

Camile flashed him a sincere smile, and the hunger in her eyes seemed to disappear as she looked around.

“But sometimes hiding in plain sight is also good, right? Like in the biggest tower in the city.” Sokram joked, feeling at ease in her presence for the first time.

This relaxed expression didn’t escape her eyes, “Strange, you always seemed a bit jumpy around me before, but now, you’re more at ease after figuring out who I am.”

“I don’t know, the first time I met you, Aunt Celia, Auntie Sienna, Great Uncle Sahvus, and even Amira earlier today. I always feel this eerie sensation, like when you’re about to enter a freezing river, or when you see someone hurting or in deep hunger, but you can’t help them?”

Sokram explained, simplifying the eerie feeling caused by Nether Energy.

“Really? Interesting.”

Camile smiled at him, knowing what he was talking about. She felt the same when she swore herself to Mentyr.

Then the hunger in her gaze returned tenfold after hearing that, “But many would distance themselves from us, even if Lady Mentyr is no longer lost in the eternal darkness and now works to fulfill Nhiria’s purpose, but you don’t. Why is that?”

“The truth is that since I read about them when I was a child, I’ve been aiming to become a Seeker of Knowledge.” When she heard that, Camile’s expression froze.

Seeing her expression, Sokram rushed to ask, “Did I say something wrong, Auntie?”

Suddenly, the biggest smile she ever showed anyone appeared on her face.

She bowed to Sokram politely and declared, “I, Camile di Armfrost, Third Keeper of Eversnow’s Source Library, welcome thee Seeker candidate, Sokram di Dracony vid Dracnakrid.”

“Candidate? How am I a candidate?” Sokram looked at her, genuinely confused.

Then, her words echoed in his mind.

He looked up, the ornate carvings and engravings on the walls pulsing faintly with mana.

And it clicked!

A chill danced down his spine…

“This isn’t a library… It’s a temple.”

Camile's smile receded to a normal one as she nodded, “Yes, don’t you find it strange that a Witch that could barely read through your runic formation can cast a curse of this magnitude?”

She pointed at the engravings on the wall emanating the strongest mana ripples, her expression dazed, as if she were reminiscing about the most magical moment she'd ever experienced.

“The enchantments, formations, and this mental curse were all gifted to us by Lady Mentyr. Through her guidance, our family grows stronger every day.”

She turned back to Sokram and added:

“And you, out of your own accord, without being tricked, coerced, or forced, entered through those doors that only those deemed worthy can enter, and after completing three challenges without even realizing it, declared, out of your own volition, that you want to be a Seeker. If not fate, what else could it be?”

Camile’s words made Sokram want to enter his dragon form and bite and chew on a particular golden woman’s body.

“Three challenges?” Sokram smiled wryly at her, now looking very warily, “What was it?”

“The first challenge is one of mental fortitude, which you fulfilled the moment you sensed the time dilatation curse and proved you could easily endure it for more than ten hours without pause."

She paused briefly, and her smile widened a bit, "Not only that, but you broke the last candidate’s record. Which was staying in the library for 20 hours without showing signs of mental exhaustion on the first day."

"And you did it on the first try after realizing the time distortion.”

Camile’s gaze met his, “You stayed under the influence of this curse for 49 hours straight.”

“The second challenge is designed to test the candidates’ senses, and you spotted the clock as soon as you reentered those doors, and not only that, but you also broke my curse easily.”

Camile's smile and praises were sincere, but the hunger in her eyes only grew, so much so that Sokram could see her gulping not to salivate all over him.

“And the third and most challenging, Mmm…” She failed to hold back a moan.

Camile was beside herself, almost consumed by the hunger for his secrets.

“You're amazing! You read an entire floor of this library way under the time limit, which is three months of outside time. And you did it in ten days.”

“Check for yourself. Inject mana into your token if you don’t believe me; it will be counting 70 days. This is the time you have been under the influence of the time perception curse.”

Sokram had spent at least five hours of outside time every day in the library.

Camile recomposed herself and looked apologetically at him, “You did all without even knowing you were being tested. So, yes, you’re a candidate. And I’m the first to greet you, thank you for this honor, future Seeker.”

“Wait, you said, third. Then the first is Great Uncle Sahvus, the Second is Auntie Sienna, what about Auntie Cecille?”

Sokram was curious because, unlike the other in their family, Cassandra and Cecille didn’t emanate the scent of the Nether.

“Cecille and Cassandra are also Seeker Candidates; it was Cecille’s record you broke.” Camile's smile widened when she said that.

It seemed that their sibling rivalry stemmed from Cecille being a Seeker Candidate.

“And what do I have to do to become a Seeker?”

Sokram couldn't know that, because every temple tested its candidates differently.

“To become a full-fledged Seeker, you must read through every book in this library, and with the knowledge you gain from here, give three steps forward down the Path of Evolution. These steps can be anything from spells, potions, elixirs, Magitech, or a new sword art. Anything that you can be proud of and is recognized by the First Keeper.”

“I see...” Sokram sat in dazed silence.

Camile took a deep breath and regained some of her sanity.

“Thank you for coming to us, Sokram. And for allowing me to receive you, it is a great honor for any Keeper.”

Remembering something, she added, “I know you love this city, so know this: if you become a Seeker, this library can even become a main temple, and the city will be under the protection of the Keepers of Knowledge. Any city that births a Seeker becomes one.”

Sokram nodded, still dazed, remembering that he had read about that a while back, too.

After that, Camile excused herself with a polite bow, “I’ll have to go and inform my grandpa and mother now. Excuse me, Candidate Sokram.”

The formal and polite attitude didn’t match the hunger in her eyes.

He knew that if she could, she would crack his skull open to pry every one of his secrets, so her leaving while in that state of excitement seemed ideal for Sokram.

‘I truly didn’t want to get myself entangled with Mentyr so soon. She’s dangerously wise and unpredictable. Sometimes, she can be as dangerous as Nhiria, so I’ll have two sets of eyes to keep dodging now… Sigh.’

But before his thoughts started spiraling, he took a deep breath, shrugged, and continued reading, because more than anything, he knew it was useless to dwell on spilled milk.

Sokram stayed immersed in reading until evening, when he went home to meet Savannah and ask something of Margiory.