Verna stared at the "One Mana Crystal" sign for a long, silent minute. To a scout who lived off the land and occasional high-risk contracts, a mana crystal represented months of dangerous labor.
"A crystal just to walk through that light?" she asked, her voice tight. "You're either the most arrogant man in Sovereign City or the most powerful. And you don't look like an Archmage."
Xavier didn't blink. "I'm just the Librarian, Verna. The price is set by the collection, not my ego. The knowledge of the Great Weeping Forest isn't just a map; it's the truth of the forest. Every shifting path, every predator's hunting ground, andevery pocket of ancient mana that could boil a scout's blood."
Verna's hand tightened around the silver arrowhead on the counter. She looked at the glass door, then back at the shimmering nebula of the Nexus Gate. Finally, she reached into a hidden pocket in her leather bracer and pulled out a small, jagged fragment of a mana crystal. It was a "cloudy" grade—not quite as pure as the ones Sir Kaelen had tossed around, but it pulsed with the requisite energy.
"This is my emergency fund," she muttered, sliding it across the marble. "If your 'truth' is just a standard guild map, I'm coming back for your head."
Xavier caught the crystal. "No refunds. But I doubt you'll want one."
BEEP.
[Transaction Complete. Patron No. 004: Verna (Tier 3 Scout) registered.]
[Main Task Progress: Register 10 Patrons — 4 / 10.]
[Knowledge Integration Initiated...]
"Step through," Xavier said, gesturing to the Gate. "Focus on the destination. The Library will do the rest."
Verna didn't hesitate this time. She moved with a predator's grace, disappearing into the veil of starlight without a sound.
Inside the Nexus, Verna didn't find a room. She found herself standing on a precarious ledge overlooking a vast, emerald sea of fog. This was the Great Weeping Forest, rendered in perfect, terrifying detail.
[Initializing Reading Chamber: The Path of the Unseen.] [Target Knowledge: The Isolde Traversal.]
The fog below her began to glow with silver veins. These weren't roads; they were the "breathing" patterns of the forest's sentient flora. The Library wasn't showing her where to walk; it was showing her when the trees would move and where the forest's eyes were blind.
She watched as the silver veins pulsed, revealing a route that bypassed the legendary "Ghost Treants" entirely. It was a path that utilized the forest's own mana-shadows to hide a traveler.
Verna's eyes widened. She had spent a decade scouting, but she realized in an instant that her understanding of nature was like a child's drawing compared to this. This was the Truth of the Wild.
Back at the counter, Xavier watched his interface update.
[Patron Verna has achieved: "Minor Epiphany – Nature's Blindspot."]
[Processing reward bonus for Library Owner: +3 Knowledge Points.]
[Current KP: 11]
"Eleven points," Xavier whispered. "Now we're talking."
He didn't wait for Verna to return. He needed to capitalize on this momentum. He opened the Research & Acquisition tab.
"System," he thought, "I need a Tier 3 Elemental Key to unlock the Silent Nexus for the Compass mission. Search the current collection for a way to craft or acquire one."
The system whirred, deducting 1 KP for the search.
[Query: Tier 3 Elemental Key Acquisition]
[Optimal Path Identified: Alchemical Synthesis.]
[Required Recipe: "The Key of Aetheric Resonance" (Tier 3).]
[Prerequisite: Unlock "Advanced Alchemical Formulas" wing (Requires 10 Patrons or 20 KP).]
[Alternative Path: Barter with high-tier patrons.]
Xavier frowned. He was stuck behind the patron count again. But then his eyes landed on the Silver Arrowhead Verna had left on the counter.
"Wait," he muttered. "System, analyze the arrowhead."
[Item: Tier 3 Anti-Magic Silver Arrowhead.]
[Material: High-Grade Refined Moon Silver.]
[Note: This material is a primary component for the "Key of Aetheric Resonance".]
[Current Status: Sufficient for 40% of the Key's material requirements.]
A slow smile spread across Xavier's face. He didn't need to wait for the advanced wing to open. He could collect the materials now through bartering. He just needed the recipe.
The glass door rippled, and Verna stepped out. She looked dazed, her usual sharp focus replaced by a look of profound humility. She walked to the counter, but she didn't pick up her silver arrowhead.
"That path..." she started, her voice shaking. "It's not just a route. I could see the forest breathing. I could see where the mana flows like a heartbeat."
She looked at Xavier with newfound respect. "Keep the arrowhead, Librarian. The knowledge was worth ten of them. If I make it to Isolde and back, I'm bringing my guild leader here. He's been trying to map the Western Wastes for years."
Xavier's ears perked up. "The Western Wastes? Does he have a specific interest in the Silent Nexus ruins?"
Verna paused, her hand on the door handle. "Everyone in the scouting business knows the Nexus. They say it's a graveyard for mages. Why? You looking for something in the dust?"
"Just expanding the collection," Xavier replied smoothly.
Verna nodded, pushed open the door, and vanished into the night.
Xavier looked at the silver arrowhead and the three crystals on his counter. The path to the Compass of Fate was becoming clearer, but he was missing one crucial thing: a protector. He was a web designer in a cardigan, not a dungeoneer.
He needed a Patron who could fight. Or, he needed to use those Knowledge Points to find a way to protect himself.
"System," Xavier said, his voice cold and determined. "Spend 5 KP. Search for 'Self-Defense Protocols for the Keeper: Tier 1 Integration'."
The screen flared with a fierce, gold light.
[Search Initiated...] [WARNING: Keeper combat integration is highly taxing. Proceed?]
"Proceed," Xavier said. "I'm tired of being the only one in here without a weapon."
The Library began to hum, and for the first time, the books on the shelves started to glow.
Xavier is now taking his first steps into personal power, using the Knowledge Points to close the gap between a "shopkeeper" and a true "Keeper."