Chapter 2: University of Lamifa

Chapter 2: University of Lamifa

In an antique bookstore that was dim, dilapidated, and covered in dust, a middle-aged man with a beard sat lazily behind the counter, wearing a slightly worn suit and glasses, engrossed in a book with yellowed pages.

The wind chime hanging at the entrance rang, signaling the arrival of a customer. However, the middle-aged man did not look up or get up; he simply said, "Feel free to browse. If you need anything, just let me know."

Then, he continued to bury himself in his book.

Celes entered the bookstore and looked around.

This was a small bookstore. According to the sign above the door, it was called "Grenfell's Antique Bookstore." Inside, there were two rows of bookshelves and a few tables cluttered with many books, none of which were new but rather had an old, musty smell.

There was no memory of this bookstore in his original self’s recollection.

Celes placed his black umbrella by the door and, as the owner had suggested, began looking for the books he needed. He didn't understand why he had heard the sound of dice in his mind earlier.

He tried to communicate with the dice in his mind, searching for its presence, but found nothing. Finally, he decided to enter this bookstore.

He first noticed the age of the books. Age did not necessarily mean antiquity, but it certainly indicated that the bookstore owner was someone of considerable standing. According to the knowledge in his mind, people only started using printing technology about three hundred years ago, after entering the Age of Fog.

The Age of Fog was the current era, and before that was the Age of Silence. The literature of the Age of Silence was Celes's area of expertise.

He scanned the books in the store somewhat critically, finding that most were from the current era.

He hadn’t really expected to find ancient texts from the Age of Silence here, but out of curiosity, he asked the silent owner, "Do you have any books related to the Age of Silence?"

The middle-aged man immediately looked up, eyeing Celes with a peculiar expression. Then he said, "Yes, I do." He casually lifted the book in his hand. "This one."

Celes walked to the counter, glanced at the gray stains and dust on it, and asked, "May I take a look?"

The middle-aged man's expression became even more peculiar. He muttered something under his breath, then looked at the calm, dark-haired, dark-eyed young man in front of him, hesitated, and placed the book in front of Celes.

"What's your name?" Celes asked, looking down at the book.

"Grenfell. You can call me Gren," Grenfell said casually. "May I ask why you're interested in books from the Age of Silence?"

"I study the literature of the Age of Silence," Celes replied.

He already understood what the book was. It wasn't an original text from the Age of Silence but a contemporary scholar's work, introducing several famous works from that era, akin to a guidebook.

For Celes, this was basic material, but for students taking his course, it seemed like a good introductory read. He mentally considered adding it to the reading list for his students.

Then he realized Grenfell had been silent for too long.

He looked up at Grenfell.

The middle-aged man was looking at him with an inscrutable gaze.

Celes was slightly taken aback and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Is there something wrong with studying the literature of the Age of Silence?

Grenfell stroked his brown beard and muttered almost to himself, "Age of Silence... literature... hmm... no, no, this won't do..."

Celes glanced at him, then looked down and flipped through the book, noting its title, _Three Blasphemous Novels of the Age of Silence and Their Ideological Implications_. He memorized the title.

At this point, Grenfell had made a decision. He pulled open a drawer, took out a business card, and handed it to Celes. "Here."

Celes took it and looked down.

"Lamifa Historical Society. Vice President, Joseph Morton."

Grenfell said, "What you're looking for, I don't have, but this card might help." His tone hinted at something, "It's a semi-official organization."

Celes narrowed his eyes as the sound of dice turning echoed in his mind again.

"You need to make a knowledge check."

"Knowledge: 45/80, failure."

"You failed to glean any information from this ordinary business card. You feel you should find the person mentioned on the card."

Another check triggered? What exactly is this check mechanism?

In role-playing games, players usually request checks from the game master; sometimes, the game master initiates checks. But in Celes's case, both checks were automatically triggered, like a rigid computer program.

What kind of script is he in? Who is giving him these checks?

Should he be getting any information from this card? But it's just a historical society official—what could he offer Celes? Ancient books from the Age of Silence? Documents?

While pondering, Celes thanked Grenfell.

Feeling confused and wary, he noticed the dice in his pocket remained quiet, as if nothing had happened. In the end, Celes left the bookstore with the title of a book and a business card.

By now, it was nearly nine o'clock, and Celes still hadn't had breakfast. While waiting for a carriage at the public station in Logan Market, he bought a small piece of bread from a nearby bakery and swallowed it with some difficulty.

He wondered how he would spend the remaining week in West City, despite leaving in a week.

His original self was an outstanding student who received scholarships every year, and his mother sent living expenses each semester. However, during the period after graduation while job hunting, his savings had been depleted by rent and living costs.

The Duchy of Const, where Lamifa City is located, uses a currency called "Ducat," a lightweight coin made from precious metals. Compared to Earth's currency, Celes estimated that one Ducat was roughly equivalent to 100 dollars.

There were also Marquis coins worth ten dollars and Earl coins worth one dollar.

Most currency conversions in this world use a decimal system: 1 Ducat = 10 Marquis coins = 100 Earl coins. This was convenient for He Jiayin, a relief for him.

There were also banknotes, but they had larger denominations. Commonly used were the Hundred Ducat note and the Ten Ducat note.

Celes still had three ten-coin bills, four ducat coins, and some marquis and earl coins in his possession. Adding everything up, he had roughly forty ducat coins.

In the simplest and most straightforward terms, forty ducat coins could sustain him for forty days in Lamifa City. But that was under stable living conditions.

He was about to start his job and needed to purchase textbooks, professorial attire, and daily necessities. He also needed to prepare for academic writing after starting work. Even though some expenses could be reimbursed by the school, forty ducat coins were not enough.

After all, his salary would only be issued at the end of the month, and his monthly wage was fifty ducat coins.

Celes sighed softly inwardly and swallowed the last bite of bread worth an earl coin. At that moment, the public carriage arrived, pulling two carriages along its designated track.

Celes checked his pocket watch and saw that it was exactly nine o'clock. He boarded the carriage with a few other passengers. There were no seats available, so he stood.

The carriage moved along its fixed route at a slow pace, stopping frequently to pick up and drop off passengers. The carriage swayed violently, and unpleasant odors often wafted through, but every passenger was accustomed to this poor riding experience.

After about two hours, Celes finally arrived at his destination—Lamifa University.

Lamifa University was located in the northeast corner of Lamifa City, very close to the outskirts. Its main building resembled a large castle.

It was said that this place had indeed been a noble's castle, but when Lamifa City was established and plans were made to build a university, the noble donated the building.

Surrounding the main castle were other buildings, including greenhouses, sports fields, and a library. The dormitory where Celes was about to move into was situated in a cluster of low-rise buildings west of the main castle.

Entering the campus, a lively and vibrant atmosphere different from the old city emerged.

Some students who had returned early wore Lamifa University's uniform robes, laughing and joking as they walked past Celes, assuming he was also a student and greeting him.

Celes smiled slightly, nodded at them, and did not bother to clarify the misunderstanding.

His original self had been a student at Lamifa University for four years, the first two as a regular literature student and the next two as a research scholar. Celes realized that many of his former juniors might be in his classes.

A moment later, he crossed the large lawn in front of the main castle and entered through the main entrance hall. This ancient building, dating back to the Age of Silence, exuded a heavy, solemn aura that instantly calmed Celes.

The office of the Professor of Literary History was on the fourth floor, a small, independent room.

In this world and era, although there were universities, there were no "science majors" like in Celes' hometown. Most of the majors in the university were humanities, history, philosophy, language, politics, and geography.

The education system in the university was divided into two parts: basic education and advanced education, totaling four years, similar to undergraduate and graduate studies on Earth. However, the latter still followed the old apprenticeship system.

Students in advanced education were called "apprentices" within the school and "research scholars" outside, akin to graduate students on Earth, combining master's and doctoral levels, still needing to study under a mentor.

Celes, being a new professor, also needed to take on apprentices, with limited choice. After the semester began, he would know which students he would be mentoring.

...He hoped they would be easy to get along with.

Besides apprentices, Celes also needed to teach two general elective courses and two specialized electives within the School of Humanities and History. Due to his hasty appointment, he only had a rough understanding of his future responsibilities after his interview yesterday afternoon.

...Honestly, it made his becoming a professor even more unbelievable. How urgent must the previous professor's departure have been to require a newly graduated apprentice to become a professor within a week?

With these thoughts, Celes used the key to open the office previously used by the previous professor.

As soon as he opened the door, he smelled the scent of old books. Stale air mixed with dust rushed into his nostrils, making Celes involuntarily wrinkle his nose.

He looked at the chaotic scene in the office and sighed softly after a moment.

Books and papers were scattered haphazardly throughout the ten-square-meter room. Ink had spilled, and quill pens were broken. Desks and chairs were overturned, and items from the bookshelves lay scattered on the ground.

The sofa was covered with crumpled paper balls and scraps, showing a mess.

How hurried and anxious must the previous owner have been when leaving?

Celes hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

"Celes, ah ha! I knew you'd come today!" A hoarse but strong voice echoed from the stairs at the far end of the fourth-floor corridor.

Celes turned his head and smiled. "Professor Bright."