[Translator/Editor: otwentyfirst]
[Host: justreads.net]
[Oct. 1st, 2018]
“We have so few children with an affinity for magic. Those that do show up are inevitably spoiled. With this kind of pampering, even those with a good temperament will change and become obnoxious.” The gentle male teacher sighed. Exceptionally gifted children, especially if they came from well-to-do families, tended to be the most spoiled. Ironically this kind of pampering ended up being bad for the child’s development.
Children from normal families were in fact the ones with the strongest will and determination, their hearts flexible and adaptable.
“Huh? Look at this child. Didn’t she display the strongest most restrained power. She was the only one to pa.s.s the first test with any subtlety. Everyone else had to display overt aggression or killing intent. She’s been motionless for so long. What’s she up to?” The scene that caught their attention was of Feng Wu in the library. She had come into view several times before, each time showed her in the same pose standing in the same spot.
All three observed Feng Wu in earnest.
After three hours the old man finally opened his drowsy eyes to find a cute dark haired girl staring at him from across the desk. Her eyes were practically shining with curiosity.
He was so shocked he nearly fell out of his chair. After getting his balance he pushed his chair out and stood up. “Little girl you want to read? Do you know the cost is one silver coin per hour?” He wiped away at the stains on his cheeks then wiped his hand on his robe as he spoke, utterly destroying his image in the process.
Feng Wu saw it all but didn’t comment and instead said, “I came here for work. I heard reading is free for people who work here.”
What a direct child. The old man drew out the corners of his mouth before saying, “Yes there is such a thing, but I don’t hire just any random person.” He stopped there and critically looked at Feng Wu’s tiny body.
“Li told me about it.” Feng Wu spoke seriously as she looked at him.
“Eh? Li? His buns are delicious. I haven’t had them in a long time.” The old man commented after swallowing down some saliva that pooled in his mouth at the mention of the name. “Well out of consideration for Li I’ll let you stay and tidy up some of the books. But know that I won’t pay you for it, so you better be mentally prepared.”
Feng Wu nodded, happy to earn free library privileges. “I understand. I only want to read.”
After Feng Wu’s matter was settled the old man went right back to napping on top of his book.
As for Feng Wu, she went ahead and sorted the books by their cla.s.sification. She had gone through half the library’s inventory when the door was pushed open and a blue haired girl walked in. She looked all around in curiosity but didn’t notice Feng Wu who was hidden behind a pile of books.
After she finished surveying the room the girl walked over to the table with the sleeping old man and knocked on it a few times. Instead of waking up the old man just turned his head to the other side. She was not deterred. She likewise also moved to the other side and continued knocking near his head. Finally unable to ignore it any longer the old man woke up.
“h.e.l.lo. I’m an adventurer from the outside world. I need to check for some information. May I read the books here?” Ai Lin asked.
He looked at Ai Lin and once again had to wipe the drool off his face. “One silver coin per hour. How many hours do you need?”
“Two should be all I need. If I haven’t found what I want in that time I’ll add in more money.” She smiled and handed over two silver coins to him.
“Come and see me again when your time is up.” He ignored Ai Lin after that and went back to sleep.
Ai Lin turned to look at the library. It was pretty big and she wasn’t sure if she could find what she was looking for. She had found out about the library from the parents of a lost boy who she had helped. After reuniting them she grabbed the opportunity to ask if they knew anything about the hidden treasure maps spread throughout the city. They didn’t, but they were able to give her a hint. If she was looking for information then the library was probably best place to go. Ai Lin was overjoyed and asked for the location. In the end it had taken her over forty minutes of searching to find it.
Ai Lin knew Zi Cheng would get a treasure map after helping a group of beggars. Originally she had planned on swooping in and grabbing the treasure map before Zi Cheng, however things didn’t turn out as she had hoped. She had known the location the beggars would appear but she didn’t know when and was forced to walk in circles while waiting for them to appear. Unfortunately Zi Cheng still managed to beat her to them.
Out of grat.i.tude one of the old beggars gave her a treasure map. It was an incredibly valuable map because it led to the location of the spell book left behind by Longzi-Jiamoer. This in turn would have a domino effect resulting in Zi Cheng’s elevated status at school; in fact she was only below eight others when it came to prestige and importance.
The resolve in Ai Lin’s eyes grew firmer when she remembered them. All eight people possessed G.o.dly sacred artifacts and were remarkable in their own ways. Each and everyone of them had the ability to destroy the heavens and thus were given the heavy responsibility of protecting the land. Ultimately three of the eight would die for Zi Cheng. Of the rest two had good relations with her while the others had no interactions with her at all.
Ai Lin couldn’t believe the other girl’s luck. She shook her head to clear her mind, she had other things to think about, wasting time complaining was not one of them. She had to focus on trying to find another magical item.