Haven Online

As the dull greyness of the early morning sky receded, it was replaced by the orange glow of the sun shining brightly in the air, which breathed life into the drab, empty town that they entered. This became more apparent the longer they stood in the center of the city.

When they had first arrived, besides a few townsfolk walking around and a couple of carts riding past them, the town hadn't seemed to be awake yet. But, since they have been stopped here, Xinya noticed that the streets started to bustle with life as time went by.

It seemed that the old man must have noticed the atmosphere change as well since he quickly pulled out a round golden object from inside his plaid shirt.

Peering at the object the old man was staring at, Xinya realized that it was an old-timey pocket watch. It was also known as the Nuremberg egg, a type of small ornamental spring-driven clock made to be worn around the neck, produced in Nuremberg in the mid-to-late 16th century.

For a second, Xinya was confused about how a farmer from a clearly eastern town got a hold of a pocket watch from a European country. But then he remembered that trading was a thing and felt silly.

'It must be because I have too many things on my mind,' Xinya thought, as he watched the old man snap the watch closed and tuck it back underneath his shirt.

When Mr. Tan saw what time it was, he knew he couldn't dilly dally here any longer. He needed to get these fruits and vegetables to his daughter fast.

"I'm sorry, boys, but I need to make haste. The time grows late, and I must be off to deliver this produce. Goodbye for now. I will see you tomorrow," Mr. Tan said, and without waiting for a reply, he snapped the reins of his donkey and was off.

~

Xinya was quite flabbergasted with how fast the old man had left. He couldn't even utter a word of goodbye. He glanced over to Melting Snow to see what the boy thought of the situation, only to receive a bewildered shrug in reply.

"I suspect he was in a rush," Xinya muttered, watching as the old man's wagon disappeared into the throng of people.

"I suspect that as well," Melting Snow laughed before turning to face Xinya. "So, where are we headed?"

"To the library, of course," Xinya teasingly stated the obvious.

Rolling his eyes at the green-haired man, Melting Snow said, "You know what I mean, which direction are we heading."

Smiling, Xinya pulled the map up on his interface. Locating the library was easy, especially with his upgraded map. 

After punching in the coordinates, a few seconds passed before the route appeared in front of him. As the blue arrows appeared on the transparent screen, pointing him in the correct direction, he saw that the old man was right; the library was in the opposite direction. 

"It's this way," Xinya said while grabbing Melting Snow's hand so he wouldn't lose him in the steadily growing crowd. 

~

The walk to the library wasn't as long as Xinya thought it would be, especially now that there were crowds of people everywhere. To his surprise, it only took about 15 minutes of sidestepping various obstacles before they arrived at the library's entrance.

Now, as someone who lives in the year 2213, he is used to incredible looking buildings, but as he stared up at the library, they suddenly didn't seem all that great.

"Wow, this place looks phenomenal!" gushed Melting Snow, staring up at the building in awe. He knew he said that he wanted to conquer the auction, but he was having other thoughts after seeing this mysterious place. 'If I want to conquer another building, would I be cheating on the auction house?' 

Xinya could only nod in agreement as he stared at the building because it truly was precisely that ... phenomenal. Compared to the one in Bellport, this library was grandiose, and even that was an understatement. 

Like most ancient Chinese architecture, the building had a symmetrical layout, with the main building standing on the north-south axis and the secondary buildings standing on both sides in east-west pairs.

The main entrance was supported by two pillars carved with a beautiful floral theme that represented health and prosperity. These same pillars also held up a balcony that, from the looks of it, didn't seem like it could be accessed.

Above the balcony, just below the roof, was a sign made of the finest gold, and carved on it (in exquisite calligraphy) was the word 'Túshū guǎn.'

Each of the buildings was two-stories high, and from what he could see, the second story had guardrails that prevented people from falling on the roof above where the red lanterns that flew with the wind, chiming the melody that assured anyone who entered that they're safe.

Xinya knew that the second story wasn't just there to look pretty. No, the second story was where the most valuable books were held, such as historical records that were meant to be hidden from the public. 

These were the books that no player would be able to see unless they had a close relationship with the higher-ups in town. Knowing that he had been staring at the building too long, he started to walk inside the court area.

As Xinya and Melting Snow walked across the stone blocks that covered the ground and would lead them to the entrance, they could see that they were etched with marks from the past.

Xinya began to wonder if it was deliberate on the DEVs part since, besides the stone's scratches, there were brownish-red stains that should have been cleaned but never were, and now they were forever stuck there.

There was probably a quest here, Xinya was certain of that, but he wouldn't try to get it. Well, not yet anyway, maybe when he had completed some of the quests he already had. 

Shaking his head at the thought of getting another quest, Xinya walked up the stone steps to the entrance. Sliding open the heavy wooden door, he went into the library with Melting Snow following behind him.