Chapter 33: It’s Hard to Go from Luxury Back to Simplicity
The Holy Library.
It stood on a small, isolated island that rose up from the ground.
The white building towered upward, even blocking and redirecting a nearby river branch.
When this “miracle” was built, the Church demanded it be unique.
They wanted to show people that divine power was above all, even a river would change its path for the gods.
At the entrance of the library, there was a stone bridge running from south to north, leading inside. Around it, many Church guards were patrolling.
Their main job was to catch thieves who tried to sneak into the Holy Library. Each of them carried a staff specially made for the Church.
Their strength was about mid-level among adventurers. On the watchtower beside the island, there were also several “Judicators” stationed.
These people were like mid-level commanders in the army, so their strength was definitely not to be underestimated.
Because of this, very few desperate people dared to come and steal from the Holy Library.
Although it was said that the gods loved all people, it didn’t mean knowledge could be given freely to everyone.
Only those blessed by the gods were allowed to enter the Holy Library.
From afar…
Lisa arrived at the southeast corner of Avalon City, looking tired after finally getting an approved entry pass.
She looked at the Holy Library in the distance and slowly walked forward.
But after only a few steps, she was stopped by the patrolling Church staff.
“Restricted area ahead. Without an invitation, entry is not allowed.”
“I… I have one.”
Lisa handed over the pass she had obtained. Only then did the entrance to the stone bridge slowly open.
However, the gap was only wide enough for one person to pass.
If someone was a bit overweight, they might even get stuck.
The Church staff nearby watched with indifferent expressions.
They seemed to enjoy seeing people struggle to squeeze through, as if it was part of a pilgrimage.
Seeing their attitude, Lisa felt a burst of anger.
“This path is so narrow, I can’t even get through!”
“Miss, we think this is your perfect body shape!”
“……”
Lisa looked down at herself. Compared to when she graduated, she really had become a bit wider.
But it wasn’t her fault!
Back then, Peiya’s cooking was just too delicious, so she couldn’t help but eat a little more.
Lisa’s face turned red. She glanced at the watchtower in the distance and knew that if she made trouble, she would probably be kicked out.
So she had no choice but to squeeze through.
Along the way, she kept thinking angrily about it.
If it wasn’t for drawing plans for Anna, would she have to suffer like this?
Since childhood, Lisa had never been treated like this. After all, her parents also had some connections with the Church.
And yet… she was mocked like this!
What was worse… she really might have gained some weight…
Lisa began to recall the times when they explored dungeons before. Back then, Peiya was usually in charge of logistics.
So cooking naturally fell to Peiya. From far away, they could already smell the delicious food.
Every time, Peiya would lift the pot lid and let the smell spread.
Sometimes Lisa would complain that it was too showy. What if it attracted other teams and they came to compete for food?
But Peiya would say they could just share some food in exchange for information.
Lisa didn’t understand why they had to share with others. They were the top guild, why would they need information from others?
Besides, there wasn’t even enough food for themselves.
Every time, Stella would act like a starving dog, picking all the meat clean!
By the time it was Lisa’s turn to eat, there would only be a few bits of meat left. The worst part was, Stella was very protective of food!
Stella might not be very hardworking in training, but when it came to grabbing food, she was always the fastest.
As for Anna, she wasn’t easygoing either. Almost every meal, she demanded a separate pot just for herself.
She absolutely refused to eat anything that others had touched.
So the usual situation was… Peiya would cook a big pot of food, and Stella would immediately pick out the best parts.
Then Lisa would follow behind, drinking some soup and picking up a few vegetable leaves.
As for Anna, she would simply sit back with her legs crossed, waiting for the next pot to be ready before eating. That was basically how they lived.
Even though Stella didn’t leave her much meat, the vegetables still tasted good.
For a period of time, Lisa ate so much vegetarian food that she couldn’t even fit into her corset anymore.
Peiya’s cooking was just too delicious.
So delicious that Lisa had almost forgotten what hunger felt like.
It was only today, after staying up all night drawing plans and exhausting herself, that she suddenly remembered… People can feel hungry.
Such a basic fact…
In the past, she rarely had the chance to feel hungry.
Whenever she started to feel it, Peiya had already finished cooking.
It was as if Peiya had some kind of special ability to know exactly when everyone would get hungry.
Lisa also remembered that during a snowy dungeon run, other guilds had no food at all, but they could sit together and eat hot pot.
Even though Stella still grabbed the meat first, when it was Lisa’s turn, there were at least still some pieces left.
Even Anna, who usually refused to eat from a shared pot, joined them for hot pot that time.
After all, being left alone and waiting for the next pot was just too hard to endure.
The snowy weather was simply too cold.
These memories had already become a bit blurry for Lisa. It was only because she was so hungry now that they suddenly came back to her.
She hadn’t realized that so much time had passed…
Lisa looked up and found that she had already reached the entrance of the Holy Library. On the notice board at the door, there was a line of small text.
‘Only those who reflect deeply on their sins and darkness may use the light of sacred knowledge to cleanse their souls and regain the grace of the Heavenly Father.’
Lisa felt a slight emotion and suddenly thought of her school days.
She pushed open the door, and the smell of books filled the air.
She couldn’t remember the last time she came here to look up information. She only felt a sudden shiver run through her body.
Her heart started beating fast.
The Holy Library was even larger than she had imagined. From above, it looked like a huge tower.
Each level had church staff. On one side of the library, there were special quiet rooms for students to discuss problems.
Because of different professions, many students often argued with people from other fields.
To put it simply, they argued endlessly, starting from discussing books to literally “using books” to fight.
At first, this only happened occasionally. But later, there were too many people doing it.
So they simply made separate rooms for them to “fight” as much as they wanted.
Lisa went to the bookshelf that stored terrain records, picked a few books, and sat down.
There was special incense nearby. Even from a distance, she could smell a fresh scent like a natural forest.
She sat there in a daze for a while, then slowly opened the book’s table of contents.
But the moment she saw it, she became even more confused.
All the knowledge she once remembered seemed to return to her teachers at that moment. The theories slipped past her mind in a tricky way.
Things that should have been familiar now made her feel troubled.
Lisa didn’t expect that after not touching textbooks for so long, she wouldn’t even know where to start.
Sweat quickly soaked her back.
She knew very well that if she couldn’t draw the map today, she would have to face Anna afterward…
So she could only force herself to continue.
Ten minutes later.
Lisa closed the book.
Not because she understood it, but because she had completely given up on finding the answer by herself.
Too hard. It was just too hard.
Those winding contour lines. What even were they? Were they really meant for people to read?
And why did some maps only show the surface, but not the underground layout?
In the end, Lisa could only admit defeat.
She looked around, hoping to find someone she knew, someone who could help her.
Because this book… she really couldn’t understand it at all!