"How many more?" Margret asked in a tired voice.
"About… three… probably?" Zeke replied.
The two had just stepped out of another library. They had spent all afternoon going from place to place. Zeke had grossly underestimated the amount of knowledge Tradespire provided to the public.
In the last few hours, he had ingested more knowledge than during his entire life in the empire. Tradespire wasn't called the cultural capital of the world for nothing. While the Arkanheim empire had been hyper-focused on war, the Merchant Union employed Magic for a wide variety of applications.
Zeke marveled at all the creative uses he was now confronted with. He frequently interrupted his tour to inquire about this or that. One of the most baffling new discoveries was that Fire Mages had a prestigious role in Tradespire as well. However, compared to the empire, their expertise was not used for destruction.
All of the best restaurants in town employed Fire Mages as chefs. Zeke and his guard detail had enjoyed their lunch in one such establishment. Drool leaked from the side of his mouth at the mere memory of the heavenly taste. No wonder all the top merchant companies and noble houses were fighting each other for the privilege of employing such talent.
Zeke swore that he would also employ such a chef as soon as he had properly settled down. It wouldn't be cheap, but after having tasted true perfection, his stomach would not settle for anything less anymore. The mere thought of his beloved monster meat prepared by one of them nearly drove him insane with hunger.
He was rudely awakened from his daydreaming by the annoyed voice of the leader of his personal guard.
"Why are we even doing this?" Margret questioned. "You are just walking around. You don't even look at any of the books. Is this really an essential part of your plan?"
Zeke paused his steps and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. He turned toward Margret and looked straight into her eyes. His face was dead serious. "Margret, do you trust me?"
"I do," the woman replied.
"Then please just go along with me," Zeke said. "I don't want to lie to you, but there are things I can't tell you just yet. You'll have to trust that I have a plan and that I am doing things for a good reason. Can you do that?"
"Fine. That will have to do, for now…" Margret replied in an equally serious tone.
"Good," Zeke said with a nod. "Because I can't do this without you, without all of you. I need you in my corner. Otherwise, we won't have a chance to weather the storms that are sure to arrive soon."
"Understood," Margret replied. "You can count on me."
Zeke looked deeply into her eyes. There was no hesitation or doubt in the woman's gaze. Her eyes were brimming with resolve. Ever since they had learned of Gretchen's death, Margret had been extra zealous. Zeke hoped it was not because she felt responsible for what had happened.
"I know," Zeke said with a smile.
He gave the signal for their group to continue on their route. They soon found their way to the next library and Zeke started pacing the corridors again. Not once did he touch a single book. He merely wandered around, seemingly without any clear goal in mind. The same pattern repeated itself at the other two locations before they were finally done.
Back at the estate, Zeke immediately made his way to the study. He slumped into the chair that had been placed in the newly decorated room. His body felt heavy. It had been a long day. From his arrival in the city to the surprise visit of Gilderoy and the messengers, a lot had happened.
Even so, there was a content smile on his face. Despite the strenuous start, the day had been productive. Not only did he have a plan, he had already taken the first step. Zeke licked his lips before diving into his Mind's library. The place had been completely transformed from his first visit.
Zeke had discovered that he could change how he perceived this imaginary world with a mere thought. In his first attempt, he had created it in the image of the grand library. Each section was sorted by affinity. There had been a section for Fire Magic, Earth Magic, and so on. However, he learned that this concept would not be sufficient for his purposes soon after.
In his next attempt, he created libraries for each of the elements. The sections were now sorted by application. For example, there would be a section for cooking, in the Fire Magic library. Or a section for smithing, in the Metal Magic library. Not too long ago, he had believed this to be an ingenious design.
Today, however, he realized how lacking his system truly was. If he wanted to learn about engineering, for example, he had to search all his libraries for related knowledge. The engineers in Tradespire were mostly Mind and Metal Mages, but there were countless others. Some specialized artisans used a myriad of different affinities in their craft. Zeke would miss out on a lot of valuable knowledge if he just ignored all others and only focused on those two schools instead.
With a sigh, he began the task of implementing a new system. Zeke had a rough idea of how he was going to design the new version of his Minds library. However, this would be a monumental effort. It would take him months or even years to complete. Even so, if he didn't start at some point, he would never finish.
Hours passed in silence as he worked. The sun was already setting when Zeke finally finished the first step of his undertaking. He paused for a moment and marveled at his creation. There were no grand buildings anywhere, no long corridors, and no books on display either. Instead, his Mind's library had been reduced to a single desk and chair.
Zeke approached the ensemble. The two pieces of furniture were the only thing that could be found in this world now. All that surrounded him was a completely barren white space stretching out to eternity. He took a seat on the plush chair he had conjured up and looked down at the solitary book that was placed on the simple wooden desk.
'Akasha — The Book of All', the cover read. Zeke had learned the name in some obscure old text and found it oddly fitting. It had been linked to the legend of a tome that contained all knowledge of the past, present, and future. He had immediately taken a liking to that idea.
With his fingertips, he gently brushed over the leather cover binding the book. Even though nothing in this space was technically real, the feeling of the sturdy tome in his hands was indistinguishable from anything he had experienced in the real world. This was probably a result of his [Perfect Sensory Recall] constantly collecting data.
He flipped open the book and looked at the first page.
"Welcome to the Akashic Records", he read out loud. "Please select the category you are interested in."
Zeke flipped to the next page of the book. He found a collection of categories neatly listed there. He traced the different words one by one as he slid his finger down the page: 'Magic, Technology, History, Geography, People…'
He paused his movement on that last one. Flipping to the next page, he found himself confronted with a new selection. 'Alphabetical index, Historical figures, Current Rulers, Mages by level, etc…'
Zeke mentally chose the 'Alphabetical index' option and flipped to the next page. Here he found a list of every single person he had ever met or heard of, in alphabetical order. The first entry referred to somebody named Aaron Krayer. He didn't remember who that was, but a mental nudge informed him that it was the name of a famous engineer who had developed a vessel that was capable of diving deep underwater. He was also the author of several books Zeke had scanned today.
A smile appeared on his face as he saw his idea come to fruition. He casually thumbed through the book. Despite it not appearing particularly thick, the pages were endless. One of the advantages of this imaginary space was that he was not bound by any laws. This allowed him to conceive a book that would automatically change what could be found on the next page according to the readers' wishes.
Now all that was left to do was actually read the books in his possession so that he could accurately sort the knowledge. There was a mountain of books that had no other markers than 'Grand Library / Wind section' for example. None of the spells, people, or concepts mentioned in such a book could be found in the Akashic Records for now. A sigh escaped his lips at the thought of the monumental task that was still ahead of him.
His movements paused as he spied a familiar name on the page he had just opened. His fingers traced the outline of the delicate writing. 'Maximilian Bombastus von Hohenheim', the words read. Zeke selected the name and flipped to the next page. It felt like a stake had been driven straight through his heart when he read the entry.
Maximilian Bombastus von Hohenheim
The Greatest Genius who ever lived.
Maximilian is a prominent figure in the history of magic. He is best known for his invention of what is commonly referred to as 'Explosion Magic'. His innovative work in this field has been widely recognized and remains influential to this day.
In addition to his contributions to Explosion Magic, Maximilian also dedicated himself to the study of Magic cores. He advocated for the release of a meditation technique that could have greatly advanced the understanding of how these cores function. Sadly, this research was never published due to his arrest.
However, it is worth noting that Maximilian's greatest invention is not related to his personal Magic capabilities. The Trinity Project, a remarkable synergy of Magic, remains the most innovative of its kind. This project involved the combination of three unaligned affinities, resulting in a creation that surpassed the sum of its individual parts. Ezekiel von Hohenheim, Maximilian's student and heir, lauds him as 'The Greatest Genius who ever lived' for his selfless dedication to advancing the field of magic over the course of centuries…
Before he could read any further, Zeke was awoken. Somebody was shaking him wildly, pulling him out of his Minds library. He blinked a couple of times to regain clarity, his gaze incredibly blurry.
When he could finally see, he was confronted with two blue orbs that were only a handwidth away from his own. Maya had climbed his chair and leveled a worried gaze at him.
"Are you alright, Zeke?" she asked in a soft tone.
"Of course," Zeke replied immediately as he began to stroke her head. She seemed unusually distraught for some reason.
"Then why are you crying?" the girl asked.
In his muddled state, Zeke's first instinct was to deny her claim. However, before the words left his mouth, he thought better of it. Instead, he hesitantly touched his cheek and was surprised by the wetness he could feel. He inwardly cursed, this was not a side of him that he wanted to show his sister. He was sure that she would be worried about him now.
"It's nothing," he said. "I just thought of something sad, that's all."
"Did you think of Grandpa Max?" The girl could be incredibly perceptive at times. Zeke had no reason to lie. He silently nodded.
"I miss him as well," Maya confessed in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
Zeke hugged his sister to his chest. The two of them remained like that for a long while. He was thinking of a way to cheer the girl up. He couldn't let her leave in such a depressed mood. Luckily, he had the perfect plan.
"Maya, do you want to accompany me tomorrow?"
"Really?!" she responded immediately. "Where are we going?"
"Would you like to take a look at some of the Magic academies?" Zeke questioned with a smile. "You might end up attending one of them when your core has formed."
"Yes! Please! Can I really!?" she asked excitedly.
"Of course, you can," Zeke reassured her in a pompous tone. "You are Maya von Hohenheim, sister to Ezekiel von Hohenheim, don't you ever forget that. I would pluck the very stars from heaven for you."
"Liar," the girl said with a giggle.
"Well, maybe not the stars…" Zeke admitted with a smile. "But if you want to come with me tomorrow, you need to go to bed now."
"Fiiiiiine," the girl said as she got off his chair and made her way to the door. "Good night, Zeke."
"Good night, sunshine. Sleep tight," he called after her.
When he could no longer hear her footsteps from the hall, Zeke leaned back in his chair. He went over his plans for the coming day one more time. His invitation to Maya had not been a spur-of-the-moment decision. He had planned to take her along from the beginning.
He could not have asked for a better cover story to visit the best academies in this city than a brother doting on his little sister. Tomorrow, he would visit the academy-owned libraries. The fact that he might find a good place for Maya at the same time only made him more excited for the coming day.
With a content smile on his lips, Ezekiel got back to work. He still had several hours until the sun would rise again and he didn't want to waste a single minute of it.