136: Library

Chu Shengyuan and the other two walked over from different directions, set down the last stack of books in their arms, and then stood by Jiang Nian's side.

Jiang Nian looked at the books piled like small mountains on several desks. "That's enough for now. Let's settle the bill."

Looking at the bookshelves that were now nearly half empty, the young man's lips twitched involuntarily. Resigned to his fate, he stepped up to the piles of books to begin the tally.

"Record of a Hundred Mortal Beasts, three hundred Origin Rune Stones. Complete Library of Common Spirit Materials, five hundred Origin Rune Stones. Secret Record of Ores, two hundred and fifty Origin Rune Stones. Register of a Thousand Flowers, three hundred and fifty-five Origin Rune Stones... Encyclopedia of Uncommon Rank Source Beasts, eight hundred Origin Rune Stones. Evaluation of Source Beast Skills, six hundred Origin Rune Stones..."

Simply calculating the total price for these nearly one thousand books took half the day. After finishing, the young man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"The total comes to 453,200 Origin Rune Stones. With a ten percent discount, that's 407,880 Origin Rune Stones. I'll round it down for you, Madam—let's just say 407,800 Origin Rune Stones."

Jiang Nian nodded. Since he had already given a discount of over forty thousand, she didn't feel right haggling further. Once these books were paid for, there really wouldn't be much left of the family's funds.

This money was what they had earned from delivering the Moon Worshipping Rabbits and Medicinal Fragrance Powder-Eared Rabbits to various families in the county. She had originally intended for Chu Shengfan to take all of it with him.

However, Chu Shengfan had been shocked by such a massive sum and refused to take it all no matter what, eventually leaving half behind.

"The 4,078 Source Spirit Stone are all here. Please count them, Boss."

As Jiang Nian spoke, a large pile of thumb-sized Source Spirit Stone, glowing with a soft luster, appeared on the desk.

The young man was an Uncommon Rank Contract Master. With a light sweep of his Mental Energy over the Source Spirit Stone, he obtained an exact count.

While he was busy putting the Source Spirit Stone away, Jiang Nian and the others finished sorting the books and packed them into their respective storage devices.

After seeing Jiang Nian's group of four out, the young man sighed softly. With so many books gone, how long would it take him to transcribe them all back?

A tiny creature, no larger than a palm and as pitch-black as ink, resembling a Green Bean Worm, crawled onto his shoulder.

As if only just noticing the sudden emptiness of the book pavilion, its body went rigid. A moment later, a pair of jet-black wings sprouted from its back, carrying it to fly in front of the young man.

Inky black ink sprayed from its mouth, accurately hitting the young man's face and collar, leaving behind large black stains.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. I'm going to transcribe them right now. I'll replenish the books immediately."

Saying this, the young man first went to the pavilion entrance and bolted the door shut. Then, he scurried back to the desk and began writing furiously... Since their money was mostly spent, Jiang Nian's group did not continue browsing the Treasure Pavilion and instead headed home.

The Chu Family Residence.

Jiang Nian and the others first went to the courtyard that had been specially renovated by the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast.

This courtyard was named the "Library Courtyard." It followed a traditional four-sided courtyard layout, but it was not just a single story.

The building directly facing the gate was about six stories high, with upturned eaves and elaborately carved beams and painted rafters. It had clearly been meticulously crafted by the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast.

The two buildings on the left and right were only three stories high. One was intended for the servants and Guards who cleaned and maintained the Library Courtyard.

The other was for the important family members guarding the Library Courtyard. Although a three-story building for one person felt a bit empty, the family had few members and plenty of space, so they could afford to be so indulgent.

The entrance building facing the Library Building had only two floors. Since they hadn't decided what to use it for yet, it remained vacant for the time being.

Currently, only four pages, two Maidservants, and one Mortal Rank Upper Stage Guard were assigned to the Library Courtyard, so the entire place felt somewhat deserted.

Jiang Nian and the others entered the first floor of the six-story Library Building. The first floor was nearly five meters high. Against the walls, the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast had built stone bookshelves into the structure itself.

Besides those against the walls, there were others scattered throughout the hall. Furthermore, the center of the hall was filled with rows of stone tables and chairs for scholars to sit and read.

The group first took all the books out of their storage spaces and piled them onto the empty stone tables.

Jiang Nian looked with a smile at the three children, who had no idea what was coming. "Let's categorize these books first."

"Categorize them? How?" Chu Shengyuan stood on a stone stool, looking a bit dazed as he randomly pulled a book to check its title.

Jiang Nian took out a stack of wooden plaques and posted them on different bookshelves.

Chu Shenghan scanned them and saw labels like 'Source Beasts: Terrestrial,' 'Source Beasts: Avian,' 'Source Beasts: Aquatic,' 'Source Beasts: Botanical,' and 'Source Beasts: Others.'

After labeling several shelves, Jiang Nian returned to the group. "First, pick out all the books related to Source Beasts, and then place them into their corresponding categories."

Chu Shenghan picked up a book titled 'Record of a Hundred Mortal Beasts' and asked curiously, "What about volumes like this that contain information on many different Source Beasts?"

Jiang Nian gave a gentle smile. "Pick those out first and set them aside. That will be your future task: to transcribe the information about the Source Beasts within according to their categories and then fill the different shelves."

"Transcribe them?" Chu Shenghan's expression didn't change, but Chu Shengyuan was the first to cry out. "There are so many like this! If we have to copy them all, how long will that take?"

Jiang Nian gave the lazy boy a dissatisfied pat. "Isn't transcribing books good? Not only can you practice your handwriting, but it will also broaden your horizons. It'll save you from being ignorant when you encounter rare Materials or Source Beasts in the future."

Chu Shengyuan rubbed his head, his small face full of woe. "When will we ever finish transcribing all this!"

Standing to the side, Xu Yinyue swallowed hard and asked nervously, "Madam, may I also help with the transcribing?"

Unlike Chu Shengyuan, her eyes were full of anticipation, as if transcribing books were something wonderful.

Before Jiang Nian could answer, Chu Shengyuan agreed first. "You can, you can! Sister Yue, you're more than welcome to transcribe books."

Jiang Nian looked at the lazy boy with a helpless smile. "Of course you can. With someone to share the load, these two will probably be overjoyed."

"Thank you, Madam." Xu Yinyue gave Chu Shengyuan a grateful smile.

This made Chu Shengyuan feel a bit embarrassed... Xianyuan Prefecture.

Xianyuan Prefecture was a Prefecture City located near the northern part of the Jingyuan Dynasty. It was home to hundreds of noble families of various sizes. Seventh-grade noble families couldn't be called wealthy, and the sixth-grade noble families were in a state of mutual restraint.

Chu Shengfan and Sun Chunchen settled their travel expenses and walked out from the sprawling complex of buildings where the Treasure Pavilion was located, arriving on the crowded streets.

After a journey of over ten days, feeling the bustle of the mortal world once again, Chu Shengfan suddenly felt as if ages had passed.