Chapter 7 The Levels of Power
A sad expression came over Daneel seeing his father walk out with a drooped figure. He longed for the day when he could lift all the burdens and sorrows from his father's shoulders.
He leaned on the wall, looking down.
As he did so, he noticed a small paper parchment under the dining table.
Bending and going under the table, he picked it up. It seemed to be a map of some kind.
[*Ding*
New Mission Available: Find the thieves' hideout
Mission Description: During the scuffle, a piece of parchment fell out of the first thief's chest when he was knocked out. The host has found this map. Following it will potentially lead to the hideout where the thieves may have stashed their earnings.
Mission Reward: 20 Exp Points. 5% Level Progression.
Host is advised to proceed with caution. Mission parameters will be updated when information is obtained about the hideout.]
It was a treasure map! He had heard Uncle Benny say that the thieves had made a very high profile robbery. Now, it was his chance to obtain these items. Daneel resolved to investigate the location marked on the map as soon as he got a chance. It seemed to be somewhere near the east wall.
But first, he needed to understand the world he was in. It was time to finally go to the town library
Robert soon came back with a bag full of jingling coins. Each Lan, regardless of whether it is bronze, silver or gold was of the same size. The only thing that changed was the material.
His father carefully counted out 10 silver Lans before placing them in a small cloth pouch and handing them over to Daneel. He proceeded to pat his head and give him a wide smile before going out to take care of some chores.
Wanting to finish the mission as soon as possible, Daneel changed his clothes and hurried to the library. He had seen that all of the people who were entering or leaving the library were all well-dressed, so he also chose to take out his best clothes. 'Best' here was relative though-Daneel only wore the clothes which were the least torn and faded.
A clerk was sitting near the door collecting the entrance fee. Daneel walked up to him and paid the amount while feeling a small pain in his heart. He would definitely not let his father's trust in him be in vain.
The clerk eyed him up and down before depositing the Lans in a box.
"Touch the token and keep it with you at all times inside the library. It will vibrate when the library is closing-this means that you will have to come out."
Saying so with a flat voice, the clerk handed out the flat silver coin which was unmarked. As Daneel touched it, it seemed to glow with a faint light. He put it in his pocket before hurrying to enter the library.
This was definitely a simple magical trinket! Daneel was excited to find out about the magic which existed in this world. Like all youths, he had dreamed of picking up objects without touching them or conjuring the elements with his hands. Now, all that was possible in this world.
A wide open space greeted him. Numerous tables and chairs seated more than 500 people who maintained pin-drop silence.
Daneel was expecting towering bookcases but was shocked to see what looked like podiums situated around the hall. As he stared, people seemed to be walking up to the podium, grasping it at its sides with both arms as if they were going to give a speech then returning to their seats with a book in hand.
After watching more than 10 people do the same, he also walked to an empty podium and mimicked the other people, grasping it with his hands.
"Welcome to the town library. Please select the topic of the book you would like to read."
Daneel jumped back in shock as a floating list appeared in thin air in front of him while a voice seemed to speak in his ear. Unlike the system which spoke to him from inside his mind, this voice came more from the outside.
Both the screen and the voice vanished as soon as he lost physical contact with the podium. This was an interface that seemed to be truly magical.
A few people walking near him chuckled seeing him jump back. This did not seem to be a very rare occurrence as they went back to their work right after looking for a bit.
Blushing, Daneel touched the podium again. This time though, a different voice sounded:
[*Ding*
Data interface found. System function: Data interface module unlocked. 10 Exp Points awarded.
Would you like to use the system to communicate with the interface?]
Free exp points just for touching a podium? Sweet, he thought.
"Yes. Select the best book about power levels in the Kingdom."
[Affirmative. Sorting through booklist. 2343 options found. Filtering using the number of readers as the parameter. 432 books found. Filtering for fame of author. 178 books found. Filtering for relevance to host. 67 books found. List made. First book selected.]
A thick green tome with the label "What is power? by Exalted Human-level Scholar Valix Mantess." appeared on the podium out of thin air. It seemed to contain at least a 1000 pages. Lifting it off the podium, Daneel almost fell to his knees. Struggling to raise it up, he slowly walked towards a nearby table.
He needed to read 67 books like these? Impossible. Even this book would not be finished in the time he had till the library closed.
Having no choice but still looking forward to the information, Daneel excitedly flipped open the book.
[*Ding*
Mission in progress.
System congratulates host on progressing in the mission "Provide information regarding the world". As hidden parameters have been achieved, the function "Information Scanning" has been unlocked. Please finish the mission to obtain the Exp Points.]
[*Ding*
Book scanned and relevant information extracted. Please proceed to obtain the next book in the list. Mission Progress: 1.49%]
He hadn't even read a word in the book but the reading was done! For the first time, instead of cursing the creator of the system, Daneel blessed him. If this function hadn't unlocked now, he had no idea how many months it would have taken to accumulate enough money and return again and again to the library.
Quickly, Daneel brought book after book to the table.
At around the 20th book, the system said:
[Host is advised to not tire himself by carrying the book again and again to the table. Just accessing the book at the podium and touching it will suffice.]
A look of indignation came over Daneel's face as he heard this. He was already bone tired from having to carry book after heavy book to the table. And the system chose to advise him now?!
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE?!", he screamed in his mind. Now that he thought about it, he should have realized it himself after seeing the system scan the book in less than a second. Due to his extreme excitement though, he had hurried to carry each book to the table without thinking about it. Now, in his fury, he unconsciously chose to ignore this.
[By default, the suggestion level of the system is set to 3/5. This is to ensure that the system lets the host think for himself most of the time. After reaching the 20th book, the parameter existing for detection of suggestion need was met and the suggestion was made. It is not possible to change the default setting at your level]
Hearing the response, Daneel could only shake his head and do what the system had said. Of course, he vowed to be smarter from now on.
After all the books were scanned, Daneel went back to the table and sat down.
"Tell me the power levels in this kingdom", he asked and waited with bated breath.
[*Ding*
Data analyzed
Power Levels for Body Refiners/Fighters:
Human Level 1 to 9
Warrior Level 1 to 9
Rumored Champion Level
Rumored Hero Level
Power Levels for Mages:
Human Mage Level 1 to 9
Warrior Mage Level 1 to 9
6 Mage Specializations found.]
Daneel's personal path towards power finally began with this explanation.