By the time morning hit, I managed to find an excellent selection of spells from books such as “Tiny Town Tome” and “How to Protect Your Wizard Tower”. That would be enough to get me started on fixing the area we were headed to. If I needed more, I could always dive into my memobrary. Even though I had wanted to use the knowledge from “Mythical City Creators Journals”, it seemed like a little too much to start out with. I wasn’t really trying to raise my divine notoriety any more than I needed to.

I got up and did my morning stretches to get limber before the walking we would surely have to do. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea just to fly there. That would cause a commotion. With a wave of my hand, I magically completed my hair and beauty routine. The second wave put my gear and clothing on me freshly cleaned to prevent stink. I am sure they will want to shake hands even if I don’t want to. Touching people is just...

Leaving my room, I located the Valwrecks to discuss how to go about the day’s tasks with Highthorn. Hopefully, he would know a good path. We would probably need a wagon. I could conjure up a pretty comfy one, with a space to read during the ride. Admin privileges gave me the ability to locate anyone’s position in the library, allowing me to see that they were in the cafe. 

As I got there, I could smell eggs and freshly cooked meat. It made me a little hungry. I wanted to grab something as well. There was laughter from the children which stopped as I approached because their parents shushed them when I came into sight.

“Sorry for the noise, Lady Astrid,” Highthorn said, with a worried look on his face, as if he was a peasant about to be squished by a noble.

“I am glad to see you have adjusted,” I said, sitting down at the table next to them. They still had a little adjusting to do. I was glad they felt like they could laugh and play even if they weren't in my presence. The bearista brought me a basic meal of eggs and beef with a side of sugar toast and a glass of mixed berry juice after I sent a mental command. I started eating at a leisurely pace.

“Your ability to cast a spell scared me. That’s why I attacked you because we hear stories about magical oddities in the world. That was the only way you could have gotten in. With some unknown power. Sorry for that again.”

He apparently felt like he still needed to apologize to me, but it was fine if it made him feel better. I was far more interested in the magical oddities he mentioned. I was hoping there would be a book on it. That was assuming I would have the time to read. Magical oddities went on the long list of unknown things to check into.

While I scooped some beef and eggs up, I thought about the magical oddities I know of. That was a really long list. Even if there wasn’t an official book on them, sometimes fictional tales gave accurate depictions of horrific beings. “Don't worry about it. It’s in the past. You are my guard now. I don’t have to worry about you firing at me, only other people,” I said, teasing him lightly.

He looked down, still a little embarrassed. He just needed time to come to terms with his actions.

I wanted to inform him a little more about how the library worked. “When someone exits the library, they return to the exact spot they left from. You can leave with someone else but I think that is not possible for now. Mainly because there seems to be no one left that can come here.” 

“Why wouldn’t people try to get here? The food is so good,” Tara questioned as she sucked down a glass of juice. Her response was adorable. I wondered if I could make her my little sister.

“It really can be,” I replied, thinking about how there was a limited taste selection that the library could emulate. I had tasted the same tastes here over and over and over again. Since I came here with limited knowledge, I also didn’t have a massive collection either. Food was probably one of the few things lacking in the library. That reminded me I needed to try as many dishes as I could while I was out of the library.

Once I finished up my plate, I turned to Highthorn and questioned him, “So, did your wife talk to you?”

“Yes, she did. I think we should request a car from the king. He will surely give us one. It will make getting around very easy.”

That was one less thing on my to-do list to worry about and one I was excited to see. The technology of these times was very interesting. I wanted to try it all out and get a book on it. “That’s exciting! I have heard the mention of a car before, but I don’t know what that is. I would like to see one.”  

I would try to update the look of the library once I got a better feel of what is out there. It was important to keep adding features to the library to attract more patrons.

“Then we shall tell him to let us borrow one. I’m surprised you don’t know about them, though. If I may ask, how long have you been here?” 

I never really try to think about it. It is one way I had stayed sane while there for so long. Even a mega bookworm like me gets lonely sometimes. I decided to give him a nonanswer. “Since I came here the first time.”

“And that was?” He questioned me like he was interrogating me. I mean, I had given a really vague answer.

I couldn’t really think of a reference point off the top of my head, but I guessed that the best reference point would probably be when people stopped coming to the library. “A long time before the apocalypse and human curse. Without a trip down memory lane, I can’t give you an exact year.” My memory lane was inside of my memobrary. It was right next to my boulevard of broken dreams, where I would walk alone. Going down my memory lane would take an extremely long time because of how much is in there it was nearly unending. My only reprieve about it was I kept it one long aisle way, so I just had to go straight back. I just had to add figuring out the exact date to my ever-growing to do list.

The parents’ eyes widened as the Highthorn replied to me, “You really don’t know what is going on in this world anymore?”

“No, I don’t, and that is why I need you for questions. Don’t worry about protecting me. I can handle myself.”

“Ya, I saw that personally,” Highthorn said in agreement, causing me to smile a little.

Liz must have taken that as her cue because she sent the kids off toward their rooms. They took off running and I could hear her telling them not to run in the hallways.

Highthorn proudly grinned while seeing his family safely off. He turned to me and said, “Are you ready, Lady Astrid?”

“Yes, let’s go,” I said before we left for the entrance of the library. 

After going through the portal, I could see all the books on their shelves. Lives were at stake, so I couldn’t bring myself to stop and read them. I wasn’t so selfish as to risk other people’s lives for reading time.

Though I could make the argument that if I read the books, I could have a better grasp on what to do.

No, no, that is just an excuse.

“The king should be in his office around this time. I will show you to it.”

Highthorn led me directly to the king’s office. There were a few maids that looked at us along the way, but none of them tried to stop us once they made eye contact with me. He knocked and loudly said, “Lady Astrid requests a car to go outside the dome.” 

I could hear hurried scrambles through the door. The door opened quickly, revealing a disheveled Don. He worriedly spoke, “Is Lady Astrid sure about going outside of the dome?”

He seemed more miffed about where I was going, but I ignored that. “Yes, I am. Please arrange for this car thing to take me out of the dome,” I said, excited to see what this car was.

“All right, though I must warn you, things are not as nice as they are here. Will you need anyone else with you? One guard isn’t a lot,” the king said, trying to monitor me. Even if it wasn’t intentional, his people would have to report back to him.

This would be a good chance to bait Donna out. I really wanted to speak to her in order to smooth things over. “No, I don’t really need a guard unless Donna wants to come.”

“She is still not well. I will go arrange for the car now. The car will be out front shortly,” the king said, leaving down the hallway.

I really wanted to see Donna, but I should probably just give up on that for now. “Well, that was easy. I thought he’d put up more of an argument.”

“It’s good that he knows his place. Royalty has no power anymore. Most everyone relies on the corporations and the church. He is probably worried about your power or what the church might do if you get hurt,” Highthorn said, taking the lead.

“I had my suspicions, but I still don’t really understand why they were so nice to me. You think they want to use me?” People were likely to use those with power and I had a lot of it when compared to everyone else in this world so far.

“You not only appeared through the dome, but you got through the barrier around the mansion and you stopped weapons that normally incinerate intruders. Then you could speak our language. You also look like someone famous. They probably thought they could use you as a puppet to regain power. “

“That’s what I was thinking. It seems like they’re just scared of me now.” I knew I had gone too far when I cut loose because of the mana pressure from the library. It didn't help that I couldn't control my anxiety.

“Yes, they are because of the power you have shown. Also, if the church recognizes you as the goddess and it comes out that you were unsatisfied with the treatment, there would be penalties.” 

“What penalties?” I asked, wondering what level of influence my supposed church had.

“Well, lots of things. For starters, fines. If they didn’t pay up, then they could have the church's followers turned against them. This happened in another dome, from what I heard. Apparently it was thought that there was heresy going on and the royals’ and nobles’ houses were burned down. You could also lose access to the church’s books.”

“Books? How many books do they have? I want books. Wait a moment, the church has that much influence? It’s kind of scary. I really have no clue what I’m going to do about that.” So it seems my church can be militant. Though I kinda wondered what my paladins are like. Did they have book shaped shields?

“Well, my kind aren’t allowed inside, but from what I hear, they have many books. Much larger than the king’s selection.”

The separation of the animal cursed really needed to be dealt with. Everyone should be able to access books. “Oh, we will have to go see that at some point! Why do they hold that much power?”

“They have that much power because they keep track of knowledge in books. They also collect as many books as they can. The dark times following the apocalypse and subsequent human curse makes us think the gods abandon us. Everyone lost their powers; the only knowledge that survived was what the church had and it all cited you and your realm.”

That was a lot to think about. It explained a lot. I guess my fan club really did like me. They probably referenced me constantly, like a good book. A lot of them will go on about how I'd be the perfect daughter. That still didn't really explain anything, but I would find out more later.

“Would you like to get going? The car is probably ready. I will drive us through town and outside.”

“Yes, let's go. I'm glad you know how to drive it,” I said, and we walked off to the front entrance.

Along the way, I thought about what could have caused the apocalypse and the curse, but I did not know where to begin. From what I’m gathering, though, it seems society survived because of former patrons of the library which warmed me on inside.

The front doors opened, revealing a red rectangular metal box with windows that was hovering off of the ground. This was like a wagon with a hover attachment. It was such a good idea. I know people were restricted to gem magic, so it must work off of a series of wind-inscribed gems. I really needed to find a book on its construction method.

I must have stared at it for too long because Highthorn walked up, and opened a door, revealing a cushioned seat. “Please sit in here, Lady Astrid. I will get in the driver’s seat.”

As I got close, I could feel the wind traveling up my legs. There was a flowery scent as I got inside that car. The seat was soft brown leather and had a bouncy cushion. In the front, there was what looked like a wheel from a ship of the high seas. The door closed behind me and my guard went to the front seat. He waved his hand over the gem that was embedded in the center of the wheel, causing us to move forward.

“So, Lady Astrid, would you like a guided tour as we go through the city, or do you want some silence?” Highthorn said as the vehicle moved forward. His hands moved the wheel, and the car turned in the direction he moved the wheel just like a sea ship.

“Please tell me about the city. It should be very interesting,” I replied as I felt us pass through some sort of barrier as we went through the front gate. Instantly, the view changed. We were atop a small hill, but I could see houses rising out of the sides of the hill. I remembered living atop the hill with my parents. It brought safety because people didn’t want to bother to go up the hill just to check if there was someone there.

“This is the upper district of the Al’Vrantis Kingdom. There are only nobles and the ultra-wealthy that live up here where the air quality is better and free of the stench.”

The houses seemed very nice. I could also see some high-end stores down every turn-off as we went down the hill. I hadn’t noticed while inside of the mansion’s barrier, but I could now see a thin magical dome that covered a vast area. It likely covered the entire kingdom from what the king had suggested. It was fascinating magic for inscribed gems.

While going down the hill, I could see another dome off to the right. It had massive seven-story buildings in it there made from some sort of gray stone. In books I had seen wizard towers that spiked high into the sky but were never so plump and wide.

“After that, the corporation’s dome is off to your right. We are all glad that they reside in a separate dome. The toxins that the production of magical crafts creates aren’t good for people’s health. We will head through the lower district momentarily. They keep it clean enough to stop the spread of disease, but it’s not nearly as good as the upper district.”

As we reached the bottom of the hill, it seemed like the housing was towering over us, some buildings as tall as four-stories. I had only seen two-story buildings before I entered the library. There were thick, narrow passageways filled with people wandering between them. While clean, the looks on their faces were filled with sorrow. This must be the lower class and they must work inside of the factories.

People stared at us as we went by. They had a look of jealousy and anger. I could feel the heat coming from their eyes burning into me like a flaming spear. I started rolling, tapping my fingers on my leg to keep my anxiety down. This was the disparity between the rich and poor that I dealt with before I entered the library. It must be tougher here because at least we could live somewhat in peace in a rural village, away from seeing what the upper class had and we didn’t. They had it glaring at them right up the hill.

The front entrance came into view with several armed guards in front of a set of twenty-foot tall iron doors. Stone walls extruded out from the sides of the doors all the way around the magical dome. As we approached, two gate guards flagged us down.

Highthorn rolled down his window before he spoke. “I’m here on official royal business.” He showed his insignia, putting it in full view of both of the gate guards.

A guard pulled out a reddish stone and waved it in front of his insignia. It lit up, and the guard waved to us and said, “Have a safe trip.”

That was an interesting recognition spell. It didn’t seem too secure. I should look into it sometime. It may be useful for the library once I improve it.

The doors opened, and I looked out the front window. My mouth went wide open, staying agape as I processed what lay before me.