Chapter 31: Trip to the library
Tristan was extremely big, extending for mile and miles. From the inner sanctum, the trio took a palace carriage to the third city, where the school was located. In Lady Ellen's mind, she was extremely curious about what was so special about this particular school to warrant a special visit.
It didn't take long to get there, but when they did, the 2 newcomers had their mouths wide. If the builder intended to display the splendor of the building, then they had achieved that in leaps and bounds.
Standing at 10 floors high, the grand structure was not that tall. What it lacked in height, it more than made up for it in splendor and beauty. Looking at the beautifully designed and sculptured walls, one would think that it was overdone.
Every aspect of the stone wall had a beautiful ornament or decoration in place. The white-themed walls were barely visible underneath all this decoration. Of course, all this was Barda's deduction. To Lady Ellen, the building was simply exquisite.
Entering inside, the trio was greeted by gold-paved walls and marble floors. Looking up, the chandeliers and the jewelry on the ceiling of the reception was no joke. What was surprising was that every inch of this place was just as beautiful.
"This can't be just a forging school, can it?" Lady Ellen was taken by it. In her mind, this was more luxurious than a castle or even a palace. She found it difficult to relate all this to just simple smithing.
"You don't know the story, then let me tell it as we get there?" Lady Maara was taken aback. She thought everyone knew about the history of the institution and the people living in it.
"According to legend," the princess began. "There were three major associations on the Eastern Continent. One was for mercenaries, the other was for craftsmen and the last was an institute of magic.
Humanity had always been drawn to the great unknown, the mystics that had no reasonable explanation. Due to this, the Magician Association got so much recognition that they began ruling over the other organizations, and indeed the whole continent with their power and reach..."
"I know that part, get to the school part!" Lady Ellen exclaimed.
"Okay, getting there, hold on. In Tristan, each of these organizations had a firm hold in what was then seen as the headquarters of the entire continent. By that time, each of these organizations had their branches in the city. The one in front of them was the Crafts Association's main headquarters."
Looking at the building with this fresh perspective, Barda noticed that the wares included almost every craft. Moreover, it seemed as though each craft was out to outdo the other. Looking at the building, it was hard not to be impressed by the skills and wares produced by the association in its prime.
"What happened?" Barda asked.
"Even that you don't know?" Lady Maara was shocked, but so was Lady Ellen.
"I wouldn't be asking if I knew, would I?" Barda retorted.
"Alright, I'll tell you," Lady Ellen said. "The other 2 organizations banded together to destroy the Magicians' Association."
Barda looked to the princess and whispered out loud, "You are most certainly the better story-teller." An action that elicited a mock attack from Lady Ellen.
With that light moment, they finally arrived at the school. They did finish narrating the story to Barda. The 2 associations received a lot of help from the Magicians' Association's enemies, many who were seeking to grab the power that would undoubtedly be left if such a power was ousted.
Much later, after so much destruction and fighting, the Adventurers' Association was formed, encompassing all three Associations. It was a union of the three associations after they had whittled each other down to their last breath. If they continued fighting, the associations would have been lost forever.
Back then, the Adventurers' Association did not have power, so many city-states grabbed their property and assets and made them their own. For instance, the Gazan institute was now under Tristan City.
Only after crawling for centuries did the Adventurers' Association grow to become what it is now. Unfortunately, due to the nature of their business, they no longer have a united power as they once did, making the Association just a registry.
As Barda walked in the hall, it was not lost on him how tight the security was, and that, if he hadn't been walking next to the princess, he wouldn't have gotten within peeping distance of the place. There were soldiers all over, and many seemed to be hired.
The walls within the building were immaculate, but so were the people. No one entered through the gates without an appropriate status. Barda didn't know what the lowest acceptable status was, but he guessed not even Lady Ellen would meet the status. Some things were left only for the privileged.
The trio walked to an office. There was a reception desk in place, but these were the perks of walking with a princess. After a brief wait, a short bald man who looked like he had swallowed a village before coming in walked in the room.
Looking at him, Barda wondered which of the man's attributes made him so want to punch him in the face. Could be it wasn't any of his physical features, but the air of arrogance and superiority that came from a lifetime of talking down at people.
The man was respective, but he was shocked when he learned the group's destination. A frown appeared, and his air of superiority came back until he remembered who he was talking to. He would later concede to allowing them a tour across the great library.
However, there was one condition he was insistent on, one he wouldn't budge no matter what. That condition was simple, they were not to touch any of the books or scrolls in the library. They were only there to admire, like a guided tour.
The Library itself, which was the grandest part of the building, and also the quietest, spanned from the 4th floor to the 9th floor. Every inch of it was luxurious with proper reading tables and platforms as well as noise reduction practice areas on every floor.
The shelves were full of many collections of books, scrolls, and other reading materials. They were neatly arranged by those he assumed must have been the students who came to learn here.
Starting from the 4th floor, they walked all they to the 9th floor. It should be known that not many knew that the library extended to the 9th floor. The common misconception was that the library was only 4 floor high, from the 4th to the 8th.
This had been done intentionally. The 9th floor contained some information that many did not to be released, so its existence was kept under wraps. Due to the princess being there, the group was able to go in and admire the books. Just admire. The baldie had tagged along to ensure they touched nothing.
On the 10th floor, the princess was given a reception befitting of her title. Barda and Lady ellen were pleased to tag along to all these niceties, but they had to leave. The princess had given her word to the prince of Reuze, after all.
After a long day and a lot of experiences later, the 2 finally got back to their Adventurer team's residence. It was quite far from the city center. All adventurer teams' residences were located on the outskirts of the city, inside the outermost wall. The logic was simple, the adventurers had come to war, so this is where war was at.
Crossing the various walls, Barda couldn't help but gasp at the rifts of change caused by every wall he passed. In the city center, many didn't even seem to notice there was a war going on, business continuing as usual. Out here on the fringes, there were multiple casualties and many who had lost everything in the skirmishes.
However, even out here, Barda's achievement had been heard and celebrated. Even cold Phoenix was happy to hear of the tales, and how exalted their Adventurer Team name was being praised.
One last thing before we close this chapter. As per Lady Ellen's thought, she gathered the group together for a meeting while they were having their evening meal.
Barda was pleasantly surprised when he was named the new Vice Commander: Logistics, Dark Flames Adventurer Team. Everyone agreed that he deserved it. Between his bow, arrows, and performance, there was hardly any competition for the roles. The current Vice Commanders breathed easy, at least, they didn't have to give up their seats for the new arrival.
Barda was well able to fit into the new role he had received even as he was, but late in the night, he received a notification that made him almost jump out of bed:
[Data processing complete.]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone