Chương 30: The Shape of Literacy.

After the day off and the much-needed rest, Lira's mood improved, and she was finally ready to begin creating the Book Absorption spell. She had already settled on the words before working on the cantrips. Pika. Linasara. Cognar. Coopar. Nagla. Mind. Books. Knowledge. Containment. Absorption. Everything she had worked toward, from meditation to perception to recall, led naturally to this point. All that remained was to create the primer and teach herself the spell.

That, however, proved more difficult than expected. She had been reading for as long as she could remember. Books had always been part of her life, as natural to her as breathing. In fact, she had dedicated as much time to reading as she had to writing, yet defining calligraphy had come far more easily to her. When she tried to put reading into words, she found herself struggling at first. So she started rambling.

"Reading is reading," she wrote on the page.

"You can read fiction or non-fiction. You can read to learn or just for fun. When reading, you get immersed in a different world, or you get to have a conversation with someone far away, either in space or in time, or both." She paused briefly, then added the incantation to the page. Pika. Linasara. Cognar. Coopar. Nagla. Once she started writing, it became easier to continue, and the words kept flowing.

"When reading something, one must take into account the author's biases. A book may present something as an objective fact when it is, in fact, quite subjective. It is important to read between the lines and uncover those biases. Most books, either by design or by accident, contain them, and the authors who claim objectivity the most are often the most blind to their own failings." Her quill moved steadily across the page.

"The subjective nature of a book can be as much of an asset in understanding something as a true attempt at objectivity. A piece of propaganda about a king's rule may reveal more truth through its lies than the author intended. Areas of focus, as well as areas ignored, can be used in contrast with other contemporary works." She added the incantation again. Pika. Linasara. Cognar. Coopar. Nagla. Her thoughts flowed more easily now, ideas about writing forming naturally as she wrote.

Then, without warning, it happened. Click. She blinked.

"Hey! I wasn't done talking," she said out loud.

"I didn't even cast the meditation cantrip this time." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Learning this spell had barely put any strain on her mind compared to the last time she had learned a tier one spell. The warm pocket spell did a number on her, while this one was effortless. She paused, considering. Had the preparation of learning three similar cantrips made this easier, or was it because the subject was so familiar to her?

Reading was not something she had learned recently. It was something she had lived with for years. Either way, the spell needed testing. She left the alcove and walked through the library, scanning the shelves for something suitable. This time, she deliberately chose something she knew nothing about. Her eyes landed on a farming manual. As a city girl, Lira knew almost nothing about farming. She had barely read about it, let alone practiced it.

Still, she decided to go a step further and picked up a specialized book rather than general knowledge, one focused on cultivating hot peppers and achieving the perfect level of spice. It was obscure enough, making it perfect for her first test.

"Pika. Linasara. Cognar. Coopar. Nagla." She cast the spell, her hand hovering over the book. The effect was immediate. Her mind was inundated with information. Facts about farming methods, comparisons between mountain and coastal cultivation, soil composition, fertilizer types, watering schedules, seasonal changes, and temperature control all flooded her thoughts at once. It felt strange. Not overwhelming per se, just dense.

She would have been bored halfway through it, she thought, especially when the library was full of reading she was more passionate about. Still, she felt like she had retained knowledge similar to what happened after reading a book once. She did not know the text word for word, but the concepts were there, organized and accessible. She frowned slightly. She could not recall the exact details. She knew that the fourth chapter was about seeds, but she did not know what the fifth word on the seventh page was. Unless…

"Pika. Moren. Kaldris." She cast the memory spell.

"Sun… the fifth word on the seventh page was sun," she muttered, her voice hesitant. She opened the book and flipped to the page. It was correct. She stared at it for a moment.

"This is amazing," she whispered. The implications were immediate. With this combination, she could absorb the knowledge of an entire library and use the memory spell to retrieve precise details when needed. Was there a downside? Too much information, perhaps. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"Most scholars read thousands upon thousands of books," she reasoned.

"This is just reading faster." The only issue she could think of was confusing sources or conflicting information, like thinking that an author said a quote when in fact it was another. Even that could be managed with the memory spell, and her perception spell could probably help her identify biases and inconsistencies as well. She cast the spell again, this time on a different book. A royal genealogy.

Information about the royal family tree flooded her mind once more, names, relationships, timelines, and minor historical notes all settling into place. She paused. Was she fine? Yes. Two books in a row had barely affected her. On the third attempt, however, she felt it. A faint strain, just a slight pressure at the back of her mind. A mild headache, nothing more. Still manageable. She had suffered worse while reading under low light. Nonetheless, she decided to stop there for now and go back to cleaning.

After about an hour of normal activity, the discomfort faded completely. Lira nodded to herself, satisfied. Caution was still recommended when dealing with a new spell, so she decided on a limit. One book per hour would be safe. Two, only when she needed a deeper understanding of a specific subject. She would also continue reading normally, especially for fiction. There was something about experiencing a story naturally that she did not want to lose. The absorption spell should be for knowledge acquisition only.

Now that she had a way to absorb knowledge efficiently, the next step became obvious. Finding the right books. She paused mid-step, the idea forming clearly in her mind. If she could create a spell to perceive better, and another to recall, then there was no reason she could not create one to locate what she needed. A faint smile formed on her lips. Perhaps she should give divination a try.