Location- Southern Region, Blossom district, Sky Blossom City, Dungeon Highway, Barren Lands, Blood Rock Cave Gate Dungeon, Inter-realm city
"82,876 books, that's a lot to choose from. Do you guys have book reviews or something to help me choose the books that would best match my requirements?" I asked looking at the rows and rows of bookshelves.
"I can share the list of book titles and their synopsis with your demon merchant codex to help you choose better but for that, you will have to get a library card," Dredre answered.
"Library card, how much will that cost me?" I asked rolling my eyes.
"With a safety deposit of 100,000 low-tier soul jades or something of equal value, you can get your very own infinity library membership card. It allows you to borrow books, the borrowed books cannot leave the premises of the library. You will need to recharge the library card with a minimum of 1000 low-tier soul jades to spend an hour in the library," Dredre clarified how to get a library card and its uses.
"Wait, am I being charged right now?" I asked Dredre in astonishment.
"No, the first hour is free, but if you extend your stay by even a minute more than an hour you will have to pay 1000 low-tier soul jades. Don't worry you will be notified when your free period is about to end," Now I understand how this library was able to afford a Pixie guide for each of its customers. If one is paying 1000 low-tier soul jades just to stay an hour in the library they will indeed expect the best customer service.
"Are there any other advantages to having a library card?" A deposit of 100,000 low-tier soul jades to get a membership in this library, it better come with some privileges.
"Yes, with a library card each demon merchant gets an hour's worth of free stay in the library, and for an hour the demon merchant can read any and as many books in this library for free. The best thing about this is that it refreshes every month," Dredre immediately responded claiming that the library card came with an hour of free stay and all books free reading period.
But let us face the facts, an hour was not enough time to even read a single book. It was a marketing tactic, in an hour a demon merchant will be at best able to read half a book, so to read the other half of the book he will have to make use of the library's insanely overpriced services. And this cycle would continue every month endlessly.
"5kgs of phantom sword wood should be enough as a safety deposit to get me a library card, right?" I said preparing to get myself an infinity library membership card.
I needed the library card to read the books in this facility and the monthly privileges they offer to their members were too good to pass on. I know that I said the monthly privileges offered by the library to its members were just a marketing tactic and it's the truth for other demon merchants but not me because I had the one and only Hive AI.
"I have shared the list of book titles and their synopsis, anything else?" after helping me register as a member of the infinity library Dredre hand me the library membership card and then shared the list of entire 82,876 book titles and their synopsis.
"I want to make use of my free reading hour," I said planning to do the obvious having gone through the list shared by Dredre as it had become clear that only 2,023 books meet my requirement and after removing the same books available in different languages and old editions of the same book that number dwindled to 508 books.
All 82,876 books listed by Dredre were indeed on the pricing of various items and ingredients across the myriad realms however most of these books were not limited to just that topic they mostly explored different issues surrounding items and ingredients across myriad realms. Which I currently did not require. So only 508 books purely meet my requirement. Creating a list of these books I shared it with Dredre, "These are the books I want to read using my free reading hour."
"Are you sure?" Dredre asked for confirmation.
"Yes, I have already decided, I want to read these 508 books. So where is the study area?" I said looking around the library and all I could find were rows and rows of bookshelves.
"Wyatt, brace yourself I will be using the library array to move us to the study area," Dredre was confused by what her customer meant when he said he will read 508 books in an hour. But she did not question him because her duty was to fulfill all the customer's requests as long it was within the laws of the infinity library.
Soon the space surrounding me warped and I appeared in front of a simple yet expensive set of tables and chairs which were surrounded by bookshelves. Pointing at bookshelves Dredre said, "Those are all the books you requested. Once you touch the book your free reading hour will start."
I looked around at the bookshelves deciding where to start, then I heard Dredre advise me, "Wyatt, we have a tranquility drink, every sip of it will calm the person's mind and increase their concentration clearing the various distracting thoughts. With this drink, you can make the most use of your free reading hour."
"Cost?" Though I felt disgusted with the Librarian's predatory business model, I was impressed by the way how he made use of every opportunity to make a profit.
"2000 low-tier soul jades per drink," Dredre replied.
"Get me four of those right away," I ordered preparing to copy 508 books in under ten minutes using my Hive AI or if possible even less time.
"Your order's here," Dredre said instantly summoning four glasses of tranquility drink on a nearby table.
"Good," I said as I split my spiritual body into four spiritual bodies, one was for my original self and the other three were for my mutated slave consciousness. Each of us picked up a tranquility drink under the astonished gaze of Dredre, then we empty our glasses and started copying the books in front of us planning to copy all 508 books by dividing the task and conquering it at the fastest pace possible.