“There’s never been an incident here?” Leylin nodded. This meant that on top of the basic effects of repelling dust, moisture and flames, the gigantic spell formation also possessed an exceedingly more powerful defensive ability.
“Yes! Rumour has it that the defensive spell formation of the Great Library can even confine a Morning Star…” She was apprehensive while she spoke, peeking at Leylin while afraid he would grow angry. However, Leylin remained calm, and Yuro could not tell if he was happy or annoyed.
“Not bad! My expectation on the information here has risen further now!”
With the spirit genie managing the area, every single corner of the library was probably being monitored. With the ability to suppress even Morning Stars and the Magi of Sky City being ready to provide support very quickly if anything were to happen, there seemed to be an impenetrable defence. There was obviously a vast amount of information.
There was a large bright hall past the entrance that could hold over a thousand people without becoming crowded. At the middle were hundreds of tables, and what looked like terminals.
“The Great Library is separated into seven levels. The first three are open to all Magi, and you can browse through once you pay a certain number of magic crystals. The information and documents at the fourth level and above are kept very confidential, and one can only browse through them using information points.”
Leylin stood aside, watching a Magus operating the system. After inserting pure magic crystals into the terminal and using spiritual force to interface with it, he took out a blank crystal ball at the opening of another device. Large amounts of information was transmitted, instantly filling the crystal ball up with information.
“Transmission of data, as well as a backup!” Leylin shouted in surprise. Thankfully, the terminal could not directly send information to the Magus’ memory, or Leylin would be worried that something like the A.I. Chip existed in this world.
“Yes! As long as it’s information that the spirit genie has a backup of, it can be duplicated using the terminal. Of course, there is a required fee.”
Some information was stored in certain special materials, and it could only be presented in that specific format. For example, there were some books that the spirit genie was unable to make a duplicate of, and required that one read using the physical copy.
Leylin now had so many magic crystals that he cared little for them. He asked Yuro, “How do I obtain information points?”
“There are two methods. One is to complete missions by the Sage Committee. The second is to furnish the spirit genie’s inner library with information it still does not possess. One will be awarded information points based on the value of the added information.”
Yuro laughed wryly, “But I don’t recommend the second method. This could have been possible in the early days, but with the addition by generations of Magi, there’s very little information that the Great Library has yet to obtain…”
After hearing how the library operated, Leylin was quiet for a long while and took a deep breath. “How bold!” he exclaimed. Even the first three levels being made public showed how bold they were.
The system of information points conversion also allowed the library to become more abundant in information, and by this point, it had accumulated a vast trove of knowledge.
Such a huge amassment of information had allowed Sky City to withstand the test of time. Considering it one of the strongest organisations in the central continent was not even a stretch.
Yuro brought Leylin to a terminal. After paying the magic crystals, she passed a white crystal card to Leylin. “This is a blank crystal card. Every newcomer here will obtain one!
“You may choose to seal it with your spiritual force, or you can leave it open. However, you will then need to keep your crystal card properly, or else anyone can choose to use it!”
With a sweep of Leylin’s soul force, the library card began to emit a black luster. He placed the card in a small depression, and the terminal’s screen instantly brightened.
A few lines in a familiar script appeared on it and gave him a few choices.
Leylin did not try to skim through the table of contents, but instead chose to obtain information points through providing data.
Though Yuro mentioned that the database was already quite complete, Leylin was confident. His A.I. Chip had a lot of information regarding the Lava World! The Great Library couldn’t have information from foreign worlds, could it?
WMW Chapter 592
Shocking Accumulation
[Beep! Spiritual force data connection detected, proceed with transmission?] The A.I. Chip intoned.
Although Leylin had placed a crystal ball on the transmission port of the terminal, he was actually mobilizing his A.I. Chip for it instead.
“Try this first!” Leylin selected a piece of information regarding the one-horned clan of the Lava World and uploaded it.
“Serial number ZXC678 has chosen to contribute information. Processing…” A progress bar suddenly appeared on the terminal screen.
As the progress bar reached completion, it was replaced with new content.
“Helix Tree composite image: 89% complete! Initial inventory: 40% complete! Effectiveness: 51%! Initializing fusion of data… Helix Tree composite image: 91% complete! Your contribution has been evaluated and you will be awarded 26 information points!”
*Whoosh!* A golden light flashed, and the number 26 appeared in a new row on Leylin’s library card.
He drew a sharp breath. ‘It even contains knowledge from such a remote place as the Lava World, even if it’s flawed…’
After a moment of thought, though, he came to a realisation, “The ancient Magus World was in control of a great number of other worlds. Sky City obtained a portion of the ancient world’s database, so it’s no strange matter that it contains some pieces of flawed content!”
After that one attempt, Leylin had to restrain his excitement. “I’ll be living here from now, so don’t disturb me unnecessarily,” he instructed Yuro. Soon after, he left the dumbfounded maid alone and buried his head into the sea of knowledge.
……
The huge library in Sky City could be said to have everything. Its information was not limited to that about the central continent; there was data about other worlds as well.
Further in from the data terminals and the hall was the gigantic library that resembled a palace. Some sort of technique had been employed to expand the space within. At a glimpse, one would see bookshelves as massive as mountains, all so densely packed and numerous that there seemed to be no end.
Leylin was now standing at the foot of a bookshelf that was tens of metres tall. The giant wooden ladder brought him in front of a row of little black catalogues as per his wish.
“Mm! Raphael’s Poetic Saga!” Leylin nodded, his eyes glistening.
“The many ancient myths and legends actually contain a large amount of intelligence, it’s just that those who recorded these accounts have beautified and romanticised them. Thus, we have to separate the wheat from the chaff in order to obtain the most accurate information. Raphael was a famous poet in ancient times, yet he also had a hidden identity as a Magus. Therefore, all the accounts that he recorded have high research value…” Leylin muttered to himself as his eyes glistened. He fingered through the numerous volume numbers of a series of books and stopped when he reached volume 239.
When he tried to pull out the book, the robotic voice of the spirit genie rang in his mind, “Beep! You are requesting to read Raphael’s Poetic Saga, Volume 239. Fee is 2 information points. Do you wish to proceed?”
“Yes!” With a motion of Leylin’s soul force, 2 information points were automatically deducted from his library card. The energy that had been protecting Raphael’s Poetic Saga also disappeared suddenly, allowing Leylin to remove the book easily from the shelf.
He clicked his tongue. “Although I know that library books of grade 3 and above are very expensive,
even these mere historical records have such exorbitant costs…”
Leylin shook his head. The wooden ladder, as though a living creature, automatically transported him onto the ground.
Leylin was now in the fifth storey of the library, which was much quieter than the previous levels he had been to. There was practically no one there, and beside the tens of bookshelves, there would always be a small area where Magi could peruse the books.
Leylin found a random chair and sat down as he began to flip open the jet black cover of Raphael’s Poetic Saga.
“I have come…. I can see…”
The pages of the book were a dazzling flame-like red. The words, especially, were like fire sprites, jumping around the pages.
‘A.I. Chip, record this!’ Leylin commanded inwardly.
[Assignment established, beginning scan! Beep! Raphael’s Poetic Saga, Volume 239 discovered. Supplementing Raphael’s Poetic Saga in the history folder!] The robotic voice of the A.I. Chip sounded. Seconds later, the entirety of Raphael’s Poetic Saga had been recorded.
“I’ve been searching high and low for this portion of Raphael’s Poetic Saga, and was lacking just these few volumes. Who would have thought that this huge library would actually contain the full set! Now that it has been supplemented…”
An expression of satisfaction surfaced across Leylin’s face. As a bonus, he had discovered the shortcomings of the spirit genie and the data terminal.
Through data transmission, the spirit genie could only fully engrave low grade data records into crystals. However, Magi would still have to obtain the knowledge within them through studying them, unlike the A.I. Chip which was able to directly transmit information to one’s memory.
Comparing the time consumed by the two methods, the disparity was rather frightening. This further proved that the A.I. Chip’s operational and analytical abilities were far better than that of the spirit genie.
Moreover, content that was at grade 3 and above were mostly engraved using the Magus’ own energy. The materials the books were made of were also very special. The spirit genie was unable to duplicate such information, and thus Magi had to come down personally to study the content from the physical book itself.
“Even so, this huge library is still rather overwhelming!” As compared to his previous database, the amount of information in the entire library was seemingly like a vast ocean—boundless. It was incomparably enriching. Leylin felt like a person who was nearly dying from thirst being thrown into a freshwater lake all of a sudden. He absorbed all the content as though his life depended on it, and never stepped a foot out of the place.
The same went for the A.I. Chip. As its database grew with even more detailed and complex subjects, its technical ability was supplemented unceasingly.
The copious amount of information in here formed a foundation for all disciplines of magic scholarship.
Leylin had a premonition that the numerous resources he had amassed this time would result in a relatively drastic upgrade for the A.I. Chip. After this upgrade, he would definitely reap harvests that he would not have even dreamed of before!
[Beep! Supplementation of foundational information complete. Refreshing and restarting system, estimated time: 2 hours, 34 minutes and 13 seconds!] The A.I. Chip prompted, startling Leylin.
“It actually grew to such an extent? What surprises will be the renewed database bring me?” This was a happy occasion, and Leylin’s face almost lit up with delight.
“Indeed, I made the right choice to come to Sky City. Even if not for the Endowing Scepter, I just had to make this trip.”
Although there was loads of information in the huge library, Leylin felt that content that was grade 3 and below were the most important. This was because he possessed a near unlimited amount of magic crystals, and coupled with the data terminal the convenience of information transmission was unparalleled. In just a short span of time, the foundational information that could be duplicated by the spirit genie had all been backed up into the A.I. Chip.
As for more advanced content that was above grade 3, Leylin had tossed out all his information to the spirit genie—as long as it was eligible for conversion and would not attract any trouble, of course. This allowed him to exchange his data for a monumental amount of information points. He then specifically searched for topics that Warlocks and the A.I. Chip lacked information on before commanding the A.I. Chip to scan and record it.
With the A.I. Chip, a large amount of academic content could be derived from just the foundational information alone. No matter how high the grade, the content could still be deduced.
After all, now that he already had a great foundation, all that was left was to perform derivations that would consume copious amounts of operational energy.
Leylin used his information points to directly access the content that the A.I. Chip did not have the ability to derive, thus completing his database.
In this manner, within the short span of a month or so, he had already recorded roughly all of the content in the huge library.
One must know that even Radiant Moons, Breaking Dawns and other Magi or scholars who grew up in Sky City wouldn’t be able to remember so much. The excessive accumulated information would have conflicting information, causing the Magus to forget some things. They would have to constantly refresh their memory.
With their standards, being able to remember all the grade 1 and 2 information would mean that one was an absolute genius. Leylin, however, had exceeded them by leaps and bounds. He’d accumulated a lifetime of information!
If others knew about his terrifying rate of progress, Leylin would definitely attract a lot of trouble. Thus, he could only be secretly satisfied with himself, not revealing anything.
“When the A.I. Chip is done refreshing, I’m afraid that I will be worthy of being called the most learned person throughout the entire central continent, and will be knowledgeable about even the research done in other worlds…”
Leylin had now thoroughly understood the meaning of the phrase “knowledge is power!”
While his further studies did not increase his strength by a single bit, the underlying effect on his foundation was truly terrifying.
“This is just right! The information points are mostly spent, so I might as well use up all of the remaining ones as well!
Leylin fished out his library card, the thin lines of golden numbers immensely glaring. They couldn’t be compared to the single long line of numbers on his card previously. The astronomical number of information points had only lasted him a month or so.
*Crash!* Opposite Leylin’s desk, a female Magus raised her head and peered over her book curiously, gazing at Leylin’s back. A pair of spectacles with thick lenses was perched on the bridge of her nose, and her hair was tied in two braids.
She had been paying attention to this strange Magus in front of her for a long time now.
He didn’t seem to lack information points, which could be seen from how he often referred to thick stacks of resources. Even if she worked all day and night for a month without rest, she wouldn’t be able to earn the amount of information points required for such information.
After selecting his resources, he didn’t read the information carefully, but instead flipped through it briefly before casually casting it aside. This made her heart ache.
Library resources that were grade 3 and above were only for private browsing in the reading room. They couldn’t be brought out of the library or exchanged with others. Under the supervision of the spirit genie, there were no loopholes.
Thus, this female Magus could only drool with envy at the mountains of resources Leylin had acquired with his information points, and couldn’t do a single thing about it.
Without the scanning abilities of the A.I. Chip, Leylin could only depend on reading the resources himself to obtain knowledge. Thus, he chose a book on how to optimise one’s vitality, and laid back in his chair as he slowly started to read.
The eterna
l light spell was adjusted by the spirit genie, gently tuning the light rays for a better reading experience. Time ticked by along with the rustling sound of the pages turning.
‘This odd Magus is finally acting normal!’ The female Magus secretly nodded, then continued to immerse herself in her books. Time was precious, and she could not afford to waste any of it.
WMW Chapter 593
Soul Profiling
[Beep! Database has been refreshed. Update completed.] After Leylin had flipped through about half of the book in his hands, the A.I. Chip which had gone silent for a while suddenly sounded out.
“Good! Let’s see if there are any differences in the upgraded A.I. Chip!” His attention immediately wandered from the book, and he focused on his A.I. Chip.
[Beep! Database on soul force is complete. Beginning collection of host’s data, recalculating.] The first prompt that the A.I. Chip gave had Leylin elated.
“So soul force has finally been enumerated…” He had been at a loss due to the A.I. Chip’s inability to enumerate soul force for a very long time. All this while, he had collected a lot of information on the soul, and performed many experiments and thought of numerous conjectures. However, all that had not been able to complete the database on the soul.
Now, the A.I. Chip had completely deduced this information.
“Show me my current stats!” Leylin immediately commanded.
[Leylin Farlier. Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form). Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 74.9, Spiritual Force: 956.8, Magic Power: 956 (magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul force: 96 (Five Star)]
The A.I. Chip intoned.
“96 soul force? What does ‘five star’ mean?” Leylin asked.
Soon after, a passage of information was shown by the A.I. Chip, [The star rating is a method that the Sky City has come up with to evaluate Morning Stars, based on organisms in the astral plane. Newly-advanced Morning Stars are at one star, while the peak is at five stars…]
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