Chapter 3 Books Worth Reading Chapter 2

"Have you met Prince Alberes?" asked Cadderly, Headmaster Avery Shear, as soon as he entered the office of Headmaster Thobex.The burly Dean wiped his scarred face with a handkerchief, panting almost constantly, trying to pump oxygen into his swollen frame.Even before the Chaos Curse, Avery was already fat.Now, after going through the binge-eating session with several priests who are super-eating in the Mengzhi Library, he is even more obese.In the chaos caused by the curse of chaos, several of these priests were literally fed up to death. "You have to walk more every morning," suggested Priestess Pertelope.She was a well-groomed woman with graying hair and the kind of eyes that still shone with curiosity, the kind you usually see in younger people.Cadderly studied the woman standing relaxed next to Avery carefully.Pertelope was the young scholar's favorite teacher, a wise and often unconventional woman more interested in common sense than rigid rules.He noticed that she was wearing an ankle-length, long-sleeved gown that was tightly gathered at the neck, and the gloves that Cadderly had worn every time he saw her since the Chaos Curse.Pertelope had never been so dignified—if she really wanted to be dignified, she wrapped herself up so tightly.Yet she had been reluctant to talk much, whether to Cadderly or anyone else.She didn't want to talk about what happened when the Chaos Curse took effect.Cadderly wasn't particularly offended by this, because even in her new look, Pertelope still looked as mischievous as ever.Even in Cadderly's presence, she picked up a handful of Avery's fat and shook it playfully.Avery stared at her in disbelief, as did Dean Thobix, the scrawny, wrinkled leader of the library.

A burst of laughter escaped Cadderly's mouth so quickly that he had no time to swallow it back.The stares of the two masters turned to Cadderly's direction and became serious, but Pertelope gave him a mischievous wink to comfort him. During the whole process, Prince Aberes' tall body stood upright, his hair was jet black, and his eyes were as silver as the moonlight falling on the rushing river, but he showed no emotion at all.He stood like a statue beside Headmaster Thobex's oak table, gazing firmly into Cadderly's eyes with a very penetrating gaze. Cadderly was so on edge that he didn't even notice the passage of time.

"How?" Avery demanded. Cadderly didn't understand what he was asking at first, so Avery gestured in the direction of the elven prince. "No," Cadderly replied hastily, "I haven't had the honor of being formally introduced to the prince, although I've heard a lot about Prince Abereth in the three days since he arrived. He broke into a childish smile, and the corners of his gray eyes rolled up in the smile.He brushed the disheveled sandy brown hair from his face, approached Prince Abereth, and held out a hand. "Very happy to see you!" Aberes looked at the hand that was outstretched towards him for a moment before reaching out to shake his own.He nodded gravely, embarrassing Cadderly even more, and disturbed by the easy smile on his face.Cadderly, however, just once again encountered something beyond his abilities and experience.Albereth had come here with a message of hidden catastrophe, and Cadderly, who had lived under protection all his life, just didn't know how to respond to the situation.

"This is the scholar I told you about," Avery explained to the elf. "Cadry of Carradon, a very distinguished young man." For such a slender elf, Abereth's handshake was surprisingly strong.And when the elf suddenly turned Cadderly's hand over, Cadderly could only resist slightly. Abereth examined Cadderly's palm, rubbing his thumb over the base of Cadderly's fingers. "These are not warrior's hands," said the elf, unimpressed. "I didn't say I was a fighter," Cadderly snapped back before Avery or Thobex could explain.Both the Headmaster and the Dean cast accusing glances at Cadderly, but this time, even the talkative Pertelope did not side with him.

Again, time passes. Dean Avery cleared his throat loudly to break the tension. "Cadderly is indeed a warrior," the burly Dean explained, "he's the one who defeated the evil Priest Barjin and that horrible undead soldier. There was even a mummy that got up on the kid and was brought down instantly .” These words did not make Cadderly proud, and the mere mention of the dead priest's name made Bajin reappear before Cadderly's eyes: in the makeshift room in the tomb, collapsed against the wall, with a The hole exploded, and the eyes stared accusingly at his killer.

"But more than that," continued Avery, stepping forward to throw a heavy, sweaty arm around the young scholar's shoulders, "Cadlier was a warrior, and knowledge was his greatest weapon. We now have a The riddle, Prince Albereth, is probably the most dangerous of the riddles, and I tell you, Cadderly will be the one to solve it." Avery's words weighed heavily on Cadderly's shoulders more than the large arm he had on Cadderly's shoulders.The young scholar is not sure, but believes he prefers Avery as he was before the events of the Chaos Curse.At that time, the dean often came to trouble him.But under the influence of the curse of Chaos, Avery confessed his almost paternal love for the young scholar, and now, to Cadderly, it was obvious to Cadderly that the prelate's friendship outweighed his previous harsh behavior. trouble.

"Enough joking," said Headmaster Thobix in his trembling voice, speaking more like whimpers than normal words. "We chose Cadderly to represent us in this matter, a decision we made, and Prince Albereth will treat him accordingly." The elf turned to face the headmaster sitting in the chair, and bowed concisely and precisely. Thobex nodded. "Please tell Cadderly about the gloves and how you obtained them," he ordered. Abereth reached into the pocket of his traveling cloak, and the movement opened his garments, giving Cadderly a brief glimpse of the ornate armor worn by the elven prince, its delicate web of gold and silver chains .Then the prince took out a few gloves, each of which was clearly marked with the same pattern of a trident and a bottle as on Ba Jin's priest robe.Aberes picked one of the gloves out of the mess and handed it to Cadderly.

"Wicked animals do not often find their way into Simista," began the proud Elf, "but we are always on guard against their intrusion. A band of robbers ran into the forest, and none came out alive." Of course, none of this was news to Cadderly.Since the elf prince came to the library, all kinds of rumors have been raging.Cadderly nodded, examining the glove. "It's the same as Barjin's," he said quickly, pointing to the design of the three bottles above the trident. "But what does it signify?" asked the impatient Avery. "Imitation of the symbolism of Goddess Talona," Cadderly explained, shrugging his shoulders to let them know that he wasn't entirely sure of his deduction either.

"Those bandits carry poisonous short swords," said Aberes, "that are in keeping with the teachings of Goddess Tarona." "You know Talona?" Abereth's silver eyes flashed like a moonbeam bursting from the crest of a wave, and he gave Cadderly a mocking glance. "I have seen the birth and the end of three centuries, young man. I shall remain young when you die, even though you may outlive your kind." Cadderly swallowed his reply, knowing that he would have little support if he fought the elves. "Please don't underestimate that Miko. I, as the prince of Simista, may know her." Aberes continued haughtily, "We are not just a bunch of waste as many people choose to believe The guy whose time dances under the stars."

Cadderly really wanted to snap back again this time, but as a calming force, Pertelope stepped in front of him, picked up the glove, gave him another wink, and stomped on the young scholar secretly. toes. "Never would we think of our friends in Simista in this way," said the headmistress, "even the Library of Wisdom has at times drawn upon the wisdom of your father, the Elf-King Galandell." Abeles, obviously feeling respected, gave a quick nod. "If that is indeed a tribe of Talona, ​​what conclusions can we draw?" asked Headmaster Thobix. Cadderly shrugged helplessly. "Very little," he replied, "so much has changed since the Troubled Years. We don't know the intentions and methods of the tribes yet, but I don't think Bajin It was a coincidence that they came to us, and neither were the bandits who invaded Simista. Especially since neither bears the mark of common Talona, ​​but an imitative design. It seems to be a renegade sect, but undoubtedly uses Same attack method."

"You're going to Simista," Abereth said to Cadderly.The scholar thought at first that he was asking him, but after a while, he saw from Aberes' unblinking eyes and uncompromising eyes that it was an order, not a question.The young scholar looked helplessly at his dean and dean, but they all nodded together, including Pertelope. "When's the departure?" Cadderly asked Headmaster Thobix, purposefully entrapping Abereth's gaze. "Within a few days," Thobicus replied, "you will need to make a lot of preparations." "A few days may be too long for my people," Abereth said flatly, his eyes still looking straight into Cadderly. "We will set off as soon as possible," this is the best choice Thobicus can offer, "we have suffered heavy losses, prince of elves. The order of Ilmater has sent an envoy to come here, about the massacre of a group of priests in Ermatt in his chamber. He will demand a thorough investigation, and Cadderly will be needed." "Then Cadderly can leave him a personal statement," Aberes replied, "or the emissary can wait until Cadderly returns from Simista. My concern is for the living, Sobik President of Sri Lanka, not the dead." But beyond Cadderly's expectation, Thobex did not raise any objections. At the suggestion of Dean Avery, they terminated the meeting, because there was an event expected to be held in the Mengzhi Library that day, which most people wanted to witness.Cadderly also steadfastly rejected any excuse to keep him from the event. "Come with us, Prince Albereth," suggested the big headmaster, who walked beside Cadderly.Cadderly gave Avery a disappointed look, for he didn't quite want the haughty prince to accompany him. "A visiting priestess, Danika Maupostant of the Order of Simon, will demonstrate an extremely rare martial art." Aberes gave Cadderly a quick look, and it was obvious that Cadderly didn't want him with him.Then he laughed and agreed to go together.Cadderly was dismayed to find that Albereth was actually enjoying the fact that accepting Avery's invitation would upset the young scholar. They came to the great hall on the first floor of the library, a vast and richly decorated room with heavily colonnaded columns, lined with large tapestry, telling the glorious story of Denir and Oghma, the library's chief god.About a hundred priests and priestesses, from two orders, formed a large circle in the room, with a large stone in the middle, supported by sawhorses with staggered legs. Danica knelt motionless on a cushion a few feet from the stone, her almond-shaped eyes closed, her arms outstretched and folded at the wrists.She was a small woman, hardly five feet tall, and she was even smaller when she knelt before the huge solid stone.Cadderly resisted the urge to go to her, for he knew she was lost in meditation. "Is this the priestess?" Aberes asked, a little excitement in his voice.Cadderly turned his head to study the elf curiously, noticing the light in Abereth's silver eyes. "That's Danica," Avery replied. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Danica was beautiful, with a perfect, detailed body and rich golden raspberry hair dancing around her shoulders. "Don't let the beauty fool you, Elf Prince," Avery continued proudly, as if Danica were his own child, "Danika is one of the best fighters I've ever seen. She has Deadly hands, and boundless self-discipline and hard work." The admiring light in Aberes' eyes did not disappear, and these shining lights shot into Cadderly's heart like a small spear. Whether she was ready or not, Cadderly thought he should go see his Danica now.He walked through the circle of onlookers, knelt down in front of her, and gently reached out to touch her long hair. She didn't move. "Danica," Cadderly called softly, taking her soft but actually powerful hand in his own. Danica opened her eyes, sending a shiver down Cadderly's spine each time he looked into those exotic brown gemstone eyes.The wide smile on her face told Cadderly that she was not angry that her meditation had been interrupted. "I'm afraid you won't come," she whispered. "Not even a thousand ogres can stop me from coming here," he replied, "not today." Cadderly looked back at the large boulder.It seemed so huge and solid, and Danica was so detailed. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I'm ready," Danica replied firmly. "Do you doubt me?" Cadderly recalled that horrible day a few weeks ago, when he had entered Danica's room and found her unconscious on the floor as she kept banging her head against rocks similar in size to this one.Her scars are healed now, thanks to ointments and the magic of the most powerful priest in the library.But Cadderly would never forget how close Danica had been to death, or the terrible emptiness he felt when he feared he would lose her forever. "I was under the influence of the curse," Danica explained, reading his mind quickly. "The distraction of the mist has distracted me, and now that I've read the scrolls of Grandmaster Pampa Damm—" "I understand," Cadderly said reassuringly to her, stroking her delicate hand. "And I know you're ready. Forgive my fear, it's not from questioning you, your efforts, or your intelligence." The smile on his face was tight, but genuine.He moved a little closer, as if about to kiss her, but suddenly turned around and looked around. "I didn't want to spoil your concentration," he stammered a little. Danica knew that wasn't the case, she knew that Cadderly cared about the crowd and that it was his own embarrassment that had stopped him.She laughed out loud, drawn in by his innocence as ever. "Don't you find that tempting?" she said sarcastically, reassuring the nervous young man. "Yeah, I've always wanted to fall in love with a woman who can break rocks with her own head." This time, they both laughed. Then Danica noticed Aberez and stopped laughing abruptly.The elf prince looked at her with piercing eyes, as if he could see right through her.She pulled her slightly loose robe tighter, feeling as if she was naked under his gaze, but she didn't turn her eyes away. "That's Prince Alberes?" she said breathlessly. Cadderly watched her for a moment before turning to Abereth.To his crowd, he thought, and turned back and kissed Danica hard, forcing her to take her attention away from the elf. This time it was Danica blushing, not Cadderly, and Cadderly wasn't sure if her embarrassment came from the kiss itself, or if she knew she had been caught looking a little too intently at the visiting elf. "Go back and continue your meditation," Cadderly suggested, fearful of what it would do to her demonstration by adding distractions to her.He felt so childish for letting his feelings get the better of him at such an important moment.He kissed her again, a peck on the cheek, "I know you're going to make it," he said, and walked away. Danica took a few deep breaths to steady herself and clear her head.She looked first at the stone, the stumbling block on her way to becoming the chief disciple of Guru Pampa Danm.She became angry with the stone, seeing it as an enemy.She mentally made a final threat to it, then turned her attention to the large room around her where she had to get rid of these distractions. Danica focused on Abeles first.She saw the elf prince, his eyes still fixed on her, and then he disappeared, and the place where he stood turned into a black hole.Avery then disappeared, along with the others around him.Danica's eyes moved, then locked on to one of the many arches supporting the hall, and it too disappeared as part of the darkness. "Fayne Danifi Ka," Danica whispered as the other group disappeared. "These are all just images." The room was quickly replaced by darkness, leaving only the large stone, and Cadderly.Danica saved Cadderly for last.He is her greatest supporter, as powerful as her inner self-discipline. However, he also disappeared. Danica stood up and slowly approached her enemy: the large boulder. You can't resist me, she shouted to the stone in her heart, I am stronger than you. Her arms swung slowly in front of her, weaving into an intricate dance, and then she continued mentally attacking the stone, treating it as something sentient, and assuring herself that she was convincing it that it couldn't be won.This is the technique used by Pampa Damm and Pampa Damm breaks the stone. You're just a piece of parchment, and I'm better than you, she told Stone in her heart. The dance of the arms went on for several minutes, with her feet changing positions, maintaining a beautiful balance, and then she began to sing softly in a melodic and rhythmic way, looking for the moment when body and spirit were in complete harmony. Her movements were so sudden that the onlookers barely had time to catch their breath.Danica took two quick steps and fell forward, her petite, well-adjusted figure lunging forward and downward, smashing her forehead against the stone. Danica couldn't hear or see for a while, and then the room, which had been darkened by previous meditations, began to slowly return to its original shape, returning to the familiar sight of the young monk.She looked around and was surprised to see that the stone had split into two pieces that were almost the same size and had fallen to the floor. An arm was around her, and she knew it was Cadderly. "You are now the chief disciple of Grandmaster Pampa Damm!" Cadderly whispered in her ear.She could hear him clearly even as the crowd around him burst into wild applause. Danica turned and hugged Cadderly tightly, but couldn't help but look over his shoulder to see Abereth's reaction.The serious elf prince wasn't applauding, just applauding her with his graceful hands, looking at Danica with gleaming silver eyes with obvious admiration. ※※※ Priestess Pertelope heard the applause from her room above the hall and knew that Danica had successfully broken the stone.Pertelope was not surprised because she had seen this vision from a precognitive dream.She was happy for Danica's successive successes and growth in strength, and she was also happy that Danica would be by Cadderly's side in the days to come. Pertelope was terrified for the young scholar, for she was the only priest in the library who understood the personal test that Cadderly would soon face. Pertelope knew that he was the chosen one. "Is that enough?" the Priestess asked quietly, clutching to her chest the Book of Universal Harmony, the most sacred book of the Denierian order. "And my dear Cadderly, will you survive this ordeal? Like me? Or will Denir's call consume you, leaving you only a shell?" As if mocking her claim to having survived, the headmistress noticed that her own sharp skin had scratched her long-sleeved robe again. Pertelope shook her head, hugging the book even tighter against her tightly packed body.The potential for insight and knowledge is infinite, but so is the potential for disaster.