The entrance to the Grand Archive required payment. A bored-looking clerk sat behind a marble desk, barely glancing up as they approached. His fingers drummed against the surface in a rhythm that suggested he'd rather be anywhere else.

Reading the sign, Leon proceeded.

"Three-day passes," Leon said, placing silver coins on the counter.

The clerk's movements were mechanical as he counted the coins, then reached beneath his desk. He produced three thin metal plates etched with intricate symbols that seemed to shift slightly in the light. "First floor is general knowledge. Higher floors require additional clearance. Don't damage the books."

They stepped through the threshold and stopped.

This is...

Leon's thoughts trailed off as he took in the sight. Towering bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, each one carved from dark wood that gleamed with age and careful maintenance. They arranged themselves in perfect rows that seemed to go on forever, creating corridors of knowledge that beckoned and intimidated in equal measure.

A circular staircase spiraled upward through the center of the building, its iron railings twisted into decorative patterns that resembled climbing vines. All eight floors are connected through this architectural masterpiece, each level visible from below, creating a dizzying sense of vertical space.

Soft light filtered through stained glass windows set high in the walls, casting jeweled patterns across thousands of leather-bound spines. The air itself felt heavy with the weight of accumulated knowledge, carrying the distinctive scent of old paper and binding glue.

It's a work of art.

Scholars moved through the space with practiced quiet, their footsteps muffled by thick carpets. Some carried armloads of books, others scribbled notes while walking, and a few simply stood between shelves, lost in whatever worlds their chosen texts revealed.

Seraphine examined her pass, turning it over to study both sides. Small inscriptions ran along its edges in neat script. "There's a guide here. Different sections for different subjects."

The shelves bore carved nameplates in multiple languages—History, Geography, Politics, Races, Magic Theory, Trade Relations, Military Strategy. Each floor apparently specialized in broader categories, with subdivisions marked by smaller signs hanging from chains.

"We should split up," Leon suggested, his mind already calculating the sheer volume of information before them. The first floor alone contained more books than most villages saw in a lifetime. "Cover more ground that way. Meet back here in two hours."

Loriel nodded eagerly, her exhaustion from the previous night seemingly forgotten in the face of so much potential knowledge. She already moved toward a section labeled Cultural Studies, her fingers trailing along the spines as she walked.

Seraphine headed for Military History without a word, her stride purposeful. She'd always been practical about information gathering—learn your enemies' tactics first, everything else second.

Leon made his way to the Geography section first, selecting a thick tome titled "Territories of the Middle Domain—Comprehensive Eighth Edition." The book's weight surprised him, easily ten pounds of dense information. He settled into a nearby reading alcove, one of dozens built into the walls between shelves, and began.

My intelligence stats are finally paying off.

The words flowed into his mind like water into a vessel. Pages that would have taken others minutes to comprehend, he absorbed in seconds. His enhanced memory retained every detail—every city name, every border, every trade route. The political boundaries have been drawn and redrawn through centuries of conflict. Mountain ranges that served as natural barriers. Rivers that enabled commerce.

He moved through books with mechanical efficiency. "The Rise of the Dominion Union—An Authorized History." "Races and Relations—Understanding the Middle Domain's Diversity." "A Complete History of the Middle Kingdoms, Volume One through Three."

Twenty books in two hours. My old self would have needed weeks.

The Middle Domain revealed itself through text and maps. It consisted of various territories—seven major kingdoms, dozens of city-states, and vast wild lands that no nation claimed. The races included humans, goblins, orcs, undead, demi-humans, and regular beasts. Each maintained its own cultures and territories, though boundaries shifted constantly through war, politics, and the occasional monster incursion.

Humans held the western regions primarily, and their cities were built around trade and agriculture. Orcs dominated the northern mountains, their society built on strength and honor codes, which Leon found surprisingly complex. Goblins controlled eastern forests with cunning and numbers. The undead... the books grew vague about them, mentioning only the "Bleached Territories" in the south where living beings rarely ventured.

Demi-humans integrated everywhere, neither fully beast nor fully human, accepted and discriminated against in equal measure depending on location and local politics.

The Adventure Guild operated across all territories, providing mercenary services, monster hunting, and neutral ground for meetings between hostile races. Their halls served as safe zones where blood feuds were suspended temporarily. The Alchemy Guild controlled potion trade and magical research, their monopoly on healing supplies making them untouchable.

But above everything stood the Dominion Union.

They're not just powerful. They're the power.

Every book mentioned them with careful respect. The Union held authority over kingdoms and empires alike. Their word was law. Their displeasure meant destruction. Even mighty orc warlords and ancient goblin shamans bowed to Union representatives.

The books spoke of them with reverence bordering on fear, yet provided frustratingly few concrete details. Leaders from various races comprised their council, though the exact number remained mysteriously unrecorded. Some sources suggested seven, others nine, and one particularly old text hinted at thirteen.

Intentional obscurity. They want people guessing.

Leon memorized individual maps of major cities—street layouts, guard positions, and important buildings. Trade routes with their seasonal variations. Political boundaries are both official and practical. The entire geography of the Middle Domain burned itself into his memory with perfect clarity.

This brain of mine... It's almost unfair.

One book mentioned something that made him pause. "The Solaris Heresy—Myths of the Lost Kingdom." He skimmed it quickly, finding mostly speculation and legend. A place that might have existed before the current age, when different powers ruled. The kind of story scholars debated and everyone else dismissed.

Perfect.

He found Seraphine and Loriel waiting at the entrance, both looking slightly overwhelmed by information overload. Loriel clutched notes she'd taken, her handwriting growing progressively messier as she'd tried to capture everything. Seraphine simply looked thoughtful, having internalized whatever military knowledge she'd sought.

"Let me summarize what's important," Leon said quietly, leading them outside into midday sunshine that felt harsh after the library's gentle illumination.

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