Chương 38: The Curation of Knowledge

Lira finally sat down and designed the new and improved book divination spell. She had been building toward this moment for a couple of days, refining her understanding through reading, practice, and slowly mapping out how each concept interacted with the others. Now that she had enough knowledge, after a moment of consideration, she settled on a structure that felt both familiar and refined. Ladar. Linasara. Oshkan. Cognar. Turat. Divination. Book. Location. Knowledge. Future.

The foundation of the spell was straightforward, as it followed the same structure as her previous book-finding spell, only replacing mind with divination to transform it from a guided perception tool into a true divination spell. However, she knew that stopping there would only result in another cantrip with the same flaws as before, forcing her to manually sort through results with barely any improvement in relevance.

The addition of Cognar and Turat changed that entirely, as the spell would no longer simply locate books tied to a concept but instead filter them through her own future understanding. By anchoring the result to what she would learn and find useful, the spell effectively curated its own output, eliminating most of the irrelevant results before they even reached her awareness. She closed her eyes and carefully meditated on the structure, aligning each concept with her understanding of divination.

The interaction between knowledge and future felt particularly important, as it shaped how the spell evaluated its results rather than how it located them. After a dozen minutes of meditation, everything fit together more cleanly than she expected, and the spell formed without resistance. Click. Lira opened her eyes and allowed herself a small, satisfied smile before moving on to the part she had been looking forward to the most.

"Ladar. Linasara. Oshkan. Cognar. Turat." The initial response was overwhelming, as every book in the library registered at once within her awareness. The sheer volume of signals made it impossible to focus, but she quickly adjusted, narrowing the intent of the spell to only magical primers. The effect was immediate, as the noise collapsed into a handful of clear signals that stood out sharply from the rest.

Three signals appeared within her alcove, which made sense, as those were the primers she had already studied. But to her surprise, two more came from the main floor. She had thought that she had explored the whole space. Finally, seven more were upstairs. For a moment, Lira simply stood there, processing the result before the realization fully settled in. There were nine more magical primers in the library; who knew how many new spells they could provide?

Excitement pushed her into motion, and within ten minutes she had gathered all of them into a single stack in front of her. As she examined the books more closely, the reason she had overlooked some of them became obvious. One of the primers on the main floor had been hidden behind a false cover, its true nature disguised beneath something ordinary. The other looked so plain that it had blended in with the surrounding books.

Only when she touched it did she feel a faint, almost imperceptible tingle, which immediately made her think that she wasn't the one to shelve it. Maren had helped with that task, too, and she probably didn't know anything about magic. As for the books upstairs, four of them were damaged to the point of being unreadable, with torn pages and faded ink that barely held together. This story has been stolen from Royal Road.

If you read it on Amazon, please report it Lira set those aside carefully, already aware that creating a book restoration spell had just become a higher priority. She would not be able to ignore it for long, especially if more valuable texts were in similar condition. Her attention lingered on the remaining primers for a moment, and she felt the familiar pull of curiosity urging her to pick one up and begin reading immediately. However, she forced herself to stop, recognizing the impulse for what it was.

She was already behind schedule, and she did not know when Celene might visit again. The situation with Dalwin had not changed, and solving that problem still came first. With that in mind, she shifted her focus back to the task at hand and decided to gather more targeted information. Using her spell again, she searched for books on curating other books and absorbed one of them without hesitation. The knowledge settled quickly, giving her a clearer understanding of how value was determined.

While she already understood the value of books as a reader and a scribe, this gave her a different perspective. Nobles valued different things. Rarity, historical significance, and perceived importance all played a role, and understanding those factors would make her divination far more precise.

"Ladar. Linasara. Oshkan. Cognar. Turat." She cast the spell again, but this time she limited the search to one result at a time in order to maintain control over the process. When she focused on the singular most valuable book in the library, the spell led her upstairs to an old stone tablet that had been pushed aside and left among discarded refuse. Lira approached it carefully and lifted it with deliberate care, immediately recognizing its age and importance.

It was easily thousands of years old, but whatever value it held would require proper study, and she did not have the time for that now, so she set it aside for later, hiding it carefully in a more secure location where it would not be confused with random pieces of rubble.

"Ladar. Linasara. Oshkan. Cognar. Turat." Her next attempt focused on what Harwin might consider valuable, and the result made her pause. Just reading the title was enough to make her uneasy. A treatise on the use of magic for subtle manipulation. The implication that Harwin might not only value such knowledge but potentially use it himself sent a small chill through her, especially when she remembered the strange sensation she had felt from his coins.

She could not help but shiver despite her warm pocket spell being active. This was no longer a valid option. Harwin had become someone she no longer wanted to involve herself with more than necessary. She set the book aside to read later, just in case.

"Ladar. Linasara. Oshkan. Cognar. Turat." Shifting her attention to nobles she had interacted with already, she focused on Aric, the second prince. The spell responded with a travel log detailing an expedition to the lost city of Almara, a place filled with ruins and legendary treasures. Lira knew a little about the place from what she had read, the city had completely disappeared from the face of the planet, though sometimes a portal leading to it would randomly appear.

Either way, the book was valuable to any adventurer worth their salt, and a second prince wanting to prove himself would be the prime target audience for such readings.

"Ladar. Linasara. Oshkan. Cognar. Turat." The result for Sir Deren, the prince's companion and training partner, was a damaged combat manual that bore all the signs of having been written by a sword saint. Even in its current state, she could see detailed drawings of sword forms that made its value obvious, though it would need to be restored to its prime before it could be presented to anyone.

"Ladar. Linasara. Oshkan. Cognar. Turat." Finally, she considered Dalwin himself. The spell led her back to the hollowed book with the golden dagger hidden within it, which only confirmed what she already suspected. Dalwin had no interest in books, and anything involving him would have to rely on a different kind of leverage. Lira took a moment to consider her options, weighing the risks and potential outcomes.

Approaching the prince felt excessive; he was far above her station, while Sir Deren, being a baron's son, represented a more manageable option, someone important enough to matter to Dalwin but not so far removed that contact would be impossible. Dalwin remained a fallback plan, though one she would prefer not to rely on unless necessary, and Harwin was no longer under consideration at all. Her gaze returned to the damaged sword manual, and the conclusion came naturally.

She could not present it in its current state, which meant that creating a proper restoration spell was no longer optional. It had moved from a future consideration to an immediate necessity, as it would directly impact her ability to act on the opportunity in front of her. She considered using the book-finding spell to find the second-best option, but Lira was not the kind of girl who settled for second best, not when she had other options in hand.

With that in mind, Lira closed her eyes briefly, reorganizing her thoughts. Two steps forward, one step back. Nonetheless, the path forward was clear.