Chapter 96 94: Investment from Both Sides, the Eye of Truth Transforms Again

'This Wizard is only three Spiritual Power points away from advancing to the rank of Official Wizard. His Physique is on the weaker side, though. He must be on the path of an Elemental Wizard—one of the pure energy schools—or maybe a Dream Wizard. Physical Strength is clearly not his focus,' Wang Ya thought.

"Respected Master Wizard." Wang Ya bowed slightly, showing his respect.

"There's no need for such formalities. My name is Slate Karyst. Very few Wizard Students come up to the second floor; it's usually just old acquaintances. You're a new face."

"Master Slate Wizard, I'm a Wizard from the most recent group to enter the Dark Wizard Academy."

Wang Ya was surprised. This Extreme Wizard Apprentice was unexpectedly approachable, even enthusiastic.

Generally speaking, most Wizards—like Wizard Yi Si and the Tuta Wizard—were the cold, aloof type.

After all, they had endured many hardships, completed countless difficult Wizard Tasks, and honed an incredibly strong will.

Accustomed to life and death, having even personally carried out many killings, they gradually grew numb and silent, becoming extremely purpose-driven.

The more powerful a Wizard, the more unique their qualities; otherwise, it would be impossible for them to climb step-by-step from the bottom to their current heights.

Their willpower, temperament, reasoning, and combat ability were all relatively perfect, with no major weaknesses. They were terrifying.

When facing Slate, Wang Ya's etiquette was impeccable, leaving no room for criticism.

"You must be here to borrow some books, yes? What subject are you interested in? Feel free to tell me. I'm delighted to have a new Wizard here to unearth this knowledge." As Slate spoke of knowledge, his spirits clearly lifted. He even smiled and pointed to the spiral staircase and the bookshelves. "No matter what kind of knowledge it is, it holds immense value. The value here is enough to rival half the Dark Land."

He then sighed. "Unfortunately, most Wizard Students are blinded by Extraordinary Knowledge and fail to see where the true value lies."

Slate seemed to have found a captive audience, and he began to tirelessly recount the history of the library's second floor.

He talked about the founding Wizards of the Dark Land, and how later Wizards gradually developed the second-floor library to its current scale…

Wang Ya listened with a calm expression as Slate recounted the history. He wasn't impatient; gaining a clearer understanding of the Dark Land was not a bad thing.

The things he spoke of were indeed inside stories that a Lower House Wizard Student would have difficulty learning.

He even revealed some secrets about the current chief administrators of the Dark Land—the Gloom Wizard and the Dark Wizard—such as them exploring special Wizard Ruins to recover lost historical books.

Slate smiled, looking at Wang Ya. "Young man, you're the first Wizard to listen to me ramble on for so long, and not just because you're patiently enduring it for fear of offending me. It seems you're genuinely interested in the contents of these books."

"Are you interested in co-authoring a work with me? The *Dark Bibliographic History*—its main purpose is to record information about these very books." Slate extended the invitation to Wang Ya. "If one day the books here were to disappear, the existence of the *Dark Bibliographic History* would serve as a record of their existence on the second floor of the Dark Land."

"Every book has its own soul, its own cry. If you listen, if you read it with care, you can experience its unique flavor," Slate mused, almost obsessively.

Wang Ya: "..."

In the end, Wang Ya couldn't resist asking, "Master Slate Wizard, are you one of the Ancient Ones among Wizards?"

He then added bluntly, "For now, I have no plans to co-author a book. Besides my lack of Ability, there is also the Secret Realm competition to consider. I'm afraid I cannot accept Master Slate Wizard's kind offer."

Slate said with some regret, "That's a shame. I thought you would have been a great fit."

"But the Secret Realm competition is obviously more important and cannot be delayed. After all, it's the most important event in the entire Dark Land right now." His tone shifted.

"How about this: I'll take the liberty of granting you secondary clearance for the Library. You'll be able to enter the Outer Zone of all the reference rooms. If there's anything you need to look up, you can go by yourself."

Wang Ya was clearly stunned for a moment, then he quickly replied, "Thank you for your generosity, Master Slate Wizard."

He certainly wasn't going to refuse something for free.

Accessing the books' contents required Magic Stones. Although the cost wasn't high, every stone saved was a stone earned.

Until he could find a new source of income, every Magic Stone spent was one he no longer had.

Soon, Wang Ya received a notification from his Wizard Mark.

"Lower House Wizard - Wang Ya Harak, you have been granted secondary clearance for the second-floor books of the Dark Lower House Library. You may view the contents of books in the Outer Zone of all reference rooms free of charge."

Slate said with a broad smile, "Of course, this is limited to the Outer Zone. Books in the inner zone and the Core Area still require payment."

Wang Ya returned to the corridor from which he came and selected the [Extraordinary Creatures Species Reference Room].

This was a pleasant surprise, allowing Wang Ya to save quite a few Magic Stones. He had originally planned on consulting only a small selection of books.

Extraordinary Knowledge was expensive.

And the cost of accessing even ordinary knowledge in large amounts was enough to make his eye twitch and his heart ache.