Chapter 64: The Challenge Book
Lilith was in her room, sitting on a chair at a desk with small stacks of books. With one hand propped under her chin, the other was enveloped in her black energy.
She moved her hand close to the desk's surface. A creature slowly formed.
This tiny being, only the size of a fist, had white fur with a few black spots on its tail. Suddenly, it spoke in a child-like voice:
"What do you want to do, Lilith?"
Lilith, chin in hand, let her eyes follow the movements of the tiny creature as it wandered around the table and looked at her.
"I feel bored, Pu."
Pu tilted its head in confusion.
"Bored?"
"Shouldn't you have avoided letting them in here?"
Lilith answered quietly:
"Well, I am bored; I've been here too long. I don't even know how much time has passed anymore. Having people come suddenly is also fun."
Suddenly, Pu walked to the edge of the table, and a light flared up.
Pu transformed into a little girl with the body of a ten-year-old child. Wearing a somewhat colorful dress, her white hair reached slightly past her shoulders, interspersed with black strands for accent; on top of her head were two small white ears. Her legs dangled under the table.
"I know that, but is it okay that you hid the stone in the library?"
Lilith immediately reached out, lifted Pu up, and placed her in her lap, one hand stroking Pu's head.
"It's fine, let them stay here a bit longer for fun."
Pu immediately turned her head, her gaze a bit worried.
"But what if they get curious and go upstairs? The Master's body is there."
Lilith's voice was gentle as she reassured Pu:
"Don't worry, they won't go up."
Pu puffed her cheeks, intending to reproach.
"Who knows? If something happens to the Master's body, how will he return?"
Lilith raised both hands and grabbed Pu's cheeks, kneading them like soft dough.
"Don't worry, the Master is strong. He's probably living with the Mistress now."
"Besides... there are 44 bodies, why worry?"
Pu shook her head to escape Lilith's hands that were kneading her cheeks.
"You being inside here, you don't know the truth. Four bodies have already been discovered."
Lilith was slightly surprised.
"Is that so? I wonder where the other body guardians are. Why did they let them be found so easily?"
Pu: "How should I know? Maybe the Master also spoke to the others like he did to you. And they waited too long, so they decided to leave."
Lilith, with a quiet gaze:
"Oh, I see."
Pu immediately jumped off Lilith's lap and ran to the bookshelf, reaching for a book high up. The girl opened it, but instead of reading, her eyes turned toward Lilith.
"Go back to the point, the library issue."
"The library is very dangerous."
Lilith smiled as if she didn't care.
"Don't worry, they are stuck in here. I'll just warn them that the library is dangerous with a few books. They still have to risk it; they need to get out."
Pu immediately jumped onto Lilith's bed with its blue blankets and mattress, then opened the book.
"But what if they get stuck in there? They might attack us."
Lilith still kept the smile on her lips.
"Why worry? They are no match for me."
Pu: "Actually, I'm also quite curious how that group of different races is traveling together. There are even Angels and Demons."
Lilith stood up from her chair and walked toward the bed.
As she walked, she said:
"Who knows? Maybe after being in here so long, the outside has changed?"
Having said that, Lilith jumped onto the bed and hugged Pu, who was reading.
Pu: "But I'm still outside. The outside remains the same no matter how much time passes."
Lilith raised her head, her tone a bit reproachful.
"Speaking of time, you never reminded me. You made me not even know how many years have passed."
Pu lowered the book, turned toward Lilith, and smiled.
"You didn't ask, so I didn't remember either."
Lilith smiled and raised her hand, flicking Pu's forehead.
"Urgh."
Pu clutched her head, feeling a bit of pain, but didn't blame Lilith.
After a period of rest for the group, though it was unclear how long.
All six people, looking sleepy, walked down the stairs with light "clop, clop" sounds. Their mouths were still yawning, hands rubbing their eyes.
Stepping down, Lilith was already standing there waiting. She bowed to the group.
"Greetings, was your sleep wonderful?"
Takeshi nodded and smiled.
"It was great."
Kazuka stepped forward, his sleepy expression instantly turning serious. His voice was stern.
"Tell us what we need to do to find the stone, Lilith."
Lilith was calm; she smiled.
"If you are ready. Then follow me."
They went back up the stairs, but this time they ascended to the upper floor.
The group was slightly surprised by the large door in front of them.
Lilith turned back and smiled.
"I once used that stone, then I lost it. I used a treasure to ask where the stone's location was. And the stone's location is right here, everyone."
"A book is holding that stone, and surely it is the book that stole my stone."
"Let me remind you of a few things to note."
"This is quite a vast library. Inside are many different types of books. And specifically, there are a few very dangerous ones."
"If you accidentally touch them, it could lead to death or being trapped inside the book forever. Although it partly depends on what kind of book it is, generally, it is very dangerous."
The whole group widened their eyes, a bit bewildered.
Kazuka frowned, feeling something was not right, and spoke up to ask:
"Then why did you know the stone was in here but didn't look for it? Also, why didn't you clear out those dangerous books?"
Lilith kept that smile on her lips.
"I didn't want to look for it because I don't need to go out."
"As for why I didn't rearrange them. It's because the arrangement inside is my master's. He liked it that way and didn't want me to rearrange it. Because his own arrangement makes more sense to him."
Lilith turned around and stepped toward the door. She reached out and pushed the large door hard. The sound of two large metal masses moving clanged out.
The door opened, revealing a vast space with bookshelves rising straight to the ceiling. Ladders were already placed there to make it easier to reach books high up.
Lilith turned back and bowed.
"Please, if you need anything, you can tell me. I shall take my leave and not disturb you."
The group was both surprised and bewildered as they stepped inside. Rows of bookshelves stretched far into the distance.
Airi: "This library is even bigger than the library of the entire Vampire race. Just how many books did the person who built this place collect?"
Takeshi looked around, his mouth forcing a smile.
"No wonder she didn't want to search."
Ayaka also chuckled.
"You're right, so where do we start looking now?"
Aoto glanced to the right; there was a large desk there. He stepped closer and hopped inside.
"I wonder if there's anything here? Is there a list or something?"
Aoto began rummaging through items, opening cabinet doors to search. But there was nothing inside. Aoto stood up, a bit dejected.
"She probably tucked everything away; after all, there could be secrets."
Elyssia observed the surroundings.
"How about we split up, one person per row? Currently, we can't think of any other way."
Airi nodded.
"It should probably be like that."
Kazuka widened his eyes as he looked at a long row of bookshelves stretching far away.
"Are you sure? I think searching one row would take the whole group several days."
Elyssia: "Splitting up is still better, plus a thorough search would definitely take a long time, so I think we should just read a book quickly. Just skim through."
"And look in the nooks and crannies too."
Kazuka ran to the left toward a bookshelf against the wall. He turned back and shouted:
"Then let's start from this side!"
Takeshi had a question:
"Eh? Why not two shelves per person? That could still work."
Airi shook her head.
"One shelf already takes a long time; instead of completing such a long stretch, we'll complete a short stretch. That way we won't get discouraged."
Takeshi pouted.
"I guess so, huh?"
Takeshi forced a smile at the row of books ahead.
"Surely one row won't be discouraging, hahaha."
So they decided to split up.
Kazuka the first row, Aoto the second, Takeshi the third, Airi the fourth, Ayaka the fifth, and Elyssia the sixth.
Aoto walked while thinking. He looked through the gaps in the books and saw Kazuka opening each book and peering into the crevices to search. Turning back, Takeshi was doing the same.
"Isn't there a way to help find this more easily?"
He looked down to the end, far at the edge of his vision. Then he raised his head, looking up toward the towering height.
"Searching each book like this isn't good at all."
"But I can't think of any way. Might as well search manually."
Lilith stepped back into the room, a small black whirlwind appeared. It was Pu sitting on Lilith's head.
Pu: "If they run into trouble, will you save them?"
Lilith opened the door and sat down on the bed.
"Save them for what? Let them find it themselves."
Pu jumped onto the bed and curled up.
"But I see they haven't done anything; if you let something happen to them, I just feel pity."
Lilith smiled.
"Really pity?"
Pu: "So how long do you plan to keep them here?"
Lilith raised a finger to her chin, her face pensive. Then she smiled again.
"I think if they can't find it, then probably about a year."
Pu felt some compassion for Kazuka's group.
"What, that long? And we stay here without knowing the time, so how can you say about a year?"
Lilith: "I still have an hourglass kept in the storage; it's still working."
Pu narrowed her eyes.
"But who can remember to flip the hourglass every once in a while?"
Lilith smiled; she stood up and pulled a neatly folded, quite simple outfit from the cabinet.
"Then just estimate. Generally, I won't keep them long."
"As long as they are in the library and nothing happens and no one is lost, it's fine. I kept them just because I haven't talked to anyone in a long time."
As Lilith spoke, she changed from her maid outfit into a simple white one. It seemed to be her sleepwear.
Pu flashed with light and turned into a human. She pouted at Lilith.
"So you're bored of talking with everyone and me?"
Lilith immediately smiled and stroked Pu's head.
"I didn't mean that, just that I haven't seen anyone else for a long time."
Pu: "So have you told the others yet?"
Lilith nodded.
"I told them; they won't harm those people. Unless they bump into those dangerous books, then they'll just have to deal with it."
Pu puffed her cheeks.
"Then how is that different from praying for luck?"
At this time. Each member of the group was sitting in a corner, some lying on the floor, others leaning their backs against these giant bookshelves. Everyone had dejected and tired faces.
It could be seen that they had traveled a fairly long stretch of the rows they were searching. But it was negligible.
Estimated to have traveled about 10 meters.
Takeshi shouted out in exhaustion:
"Has anyone found it yet?"
Airi's weak voice replied:
"If I had found it, I would have shouted; I wouldn't wait for you to ask."
Takeshi: "I'm so tired."
Suddenly, on Kazuka's side, a strange sound was heard, a scraping sound echoed.
Kazuka, who was lying on the ground, immediately bolted up.
From far away, something was approaching very close, slowly.
Kazuka stood in a defensive stance, bewilderedly watching the creature slowly arrive.
It was a stone statue. There was a creature with a body entirely of stone, motionless, placed on a large block of stone and moving in an inexplicable way. With no impact, it was still able to move.
A creature with legs like a horse, its thin body revealing ribs. A fierce face with sharp teeth bared. Pointed ears stood upright toward the sky. Behind its back were wings made only of bone, without membrane or feathers.
Seeing it approach, but it did not attack at all. Kazuka lowered his guard and stood flat against the bookshelf to let the stone statue move past. He was a bit bewildered but didn't understand what was happening.
Kazuka immediately shouted toward everyone:
"Everyone, there's a moving stone statue, it doesn't seem to attack. Just stand flat to one side and it will pass."
The stone statue circled around to Aoto's side; he was a bit bewildered but also stood flat to one side according to Kazuka's words. His eyes still watched it move slowly.
"What is it? Its energy is human, but its form is like a Yokai. How was it created?"
"Is it just passing through to observe?"
After it passed all six people, they were all a bit bewildered. But then they went back to searching for the stone as usual.
Aoto took a book from the shelf with the title: "The Forest at Night" and flipped through it haphazardly and looked back at the spot where the book had been. Nothing was there.
He took an adjacent book with the title: "The Path Never Stepped Upon."
Aoto flipped it continuously, but then, the lines of text suddenly vanished. Aoto widened his eyes in bewilderment.
"Huh? Where did the words go?"
Then Aoto had an irresistible feeling of sleepiness; his eyes slowly closed. But he didn't allow it and opened his eyes again.
"Something is not right."
But the sleepiness immediately plunged Aoto into sleep; he fell to the floor and lay face down.
At the same time. Kazuka had just climbed to the top of this giant bookshelf. One arm was hooked around the ladder, the other reaching for the book with the title: "Judgment by Oneself."
His right hand opened the book and placed it at the standing spot of the ladder; he just looked in. Immediately sleepiness surged over him. Kazuka, along with the book, fell straight down from above.
THUD!!!
The whole group heard the noise and ran toward Kazuka's side. Four people had just arrived to see Kazuka lying unconscious on the floor along with a book.
Elyssia, running behind, noticed Aoto's side. He was also lying unconscious on the floor with an open book.
Takeshi and Airi ran to Kazuka's spot with panic and shook him. But Kazuka did not wake up at all, eyes still closed.
Takeshi urgently called out:
"Hey, what's wrong? Wake up, Kazuka!"
On the other side, Elyssia and Ayaka panic-ran to where Aoto was lying unconscious. Both girls shook Aoto and called out:
"Aoto..."
"Aoto..."
Ayaka immediately ran over to where Kazuka was unconscious, her voice urgent:
"You two... over here Aoto is also unconscious."
Airi and Takeshi turned back in bewilderment.
Takeshi: "Unconscious?"
Ayaka nodded.
"Yes."
Takeshi immediately hoisted Kazuka up and carried him out to the area outside the bookshelves. He placed Kazuka in front of the door.
Then Takeshi ran back toward Aoto, where Ayaka and Elyssia were. Takeshi hoisted Aoto up and placed him next to Kazuka.
Airi immediately shouted: "Ayaka, go call Lilith!"
Ayaka nodded and ran off.
The three stood there observing Kazuka and Aoto lying unconscious on the ground, their three faces showing worry.
Takeshi: "What is this?"
Airi carried the two books that Kazuka and Aoto had previously viewed; she held them out.
"Look at this, do you remember what Lilith warned?"
Airi's voice immediately dropped with seriousness:
"Accidentally touching dangerous books will lead to death or being trapped."
Takeshi and Elyssia had bewilderment clearly shown on both their faces.
Takeshi immediately reached out very quickly and snatched the two books from Airi's hands. He opened the two books. Elyssia peered in.
But inside there was not a single line of text, only white space with smooth paper.
Takeshi was panicked; he flipped through them continuously, but both were just white paper.
Takeshi: "What does this mean? Why are there no words?"
Takeshi closed the books, a serious expression looking at Aoto and Kazuka lying unconscious on the ground.
"So what should we do?"
Airi shook her head.
"You should calm down, wait for Lilith to come and explain; we will understand the situation better."
Takeshi took a deep breath and exhaled to calm down.
"Yeah."
Ayaka and Lilith were running over with urgency.
When both arrived, Lilith observed Aoto and Kazuka lying on the ground unconscious.
Ayaka: "Please help us."
Lilith stepped forward and reached out.
"Give me the two books."
Takeshi gave them to Lilith.
Lilith received them; she still showed a respectful attitude as she bowed.
Lilith read the titles of the two books, her face serious. She placed the two books down at the corner of the wall and stood up.
Airi: "How is it?"
Lilith shook her head slightly.
Just one action made the others bewildered.
"With the titles of these books, I think these are two Challenge Books."
Airi: "Challenge Books?"
Lilith nodded.
"Yes, the book will present a challenge to you, and you will have to solve it. If you cannot solve it, you will be trapped in there forever."
Ayaka with worry.
"So is there a way?"
Lilith shook her head.
"No, for a Challenge Book you must solve the challenge; please forgive me but I cannot help either."
The whole group was bewildered, their gazes dropping and turning toward Aoto and Kazuka lying unconscious on the ground.
"What you need to do now is hope that both of them will complete the challenge."
Lilith bowed her head.
"If you need anything, you can let me know. I shall take my leave."
Lilith then turned away.
The group could only stand in silence; no one said a word.
In the silence, Takeshi smiled and said:
"Quickly take them back to their rooms, they can't be left here."
Everyone was surprised by Takeshi's action, but they followed along.
Takeshi: "Place them in different private rooms; we need to give them special care."
After a while, Takeshi and everyone had brought Aoto and Kazuka, one to each room, right next to the two rooms the group had taken.
Takeshi was lying in his room, looking back at the place where Aoto and Kazuka used to lie. His face was very sorrowful.
"You guys must solve that challenge, don't fail."
"I will wait for you."
The three girls were in their room, everyone with a sad face.
Elyssia sat in a chair, silently thinking:
"Though I haven't been in the group long, this scene is truly sad."
"It seems this time the group has met a great disaster. I wonder if those two can escape?"
Ayaka sat dejectedly on the bed.
"Suddenly I don't even want to look for that stone anymore."
Airi sighed.
"Earlier I went to Lilith's room, I also asked: 'Why were they affected but we weren't?' but Lilith shook her head, she said: 'The books choose randomly, there's no way to know.'"
"We still need to search, just pray that we aren't chosen."
A while later, the whole group sat at the dining table, with strange but extremely attractive dishes.
No one ate a bite; everyone was dejected.
Lilith stood there; she also knew why everyone was like that.
She smiled.
"I know you are facing a difficult situation, but challenges can be very long. If you feel bored, you can go to the fourth floor; up there is a training ground. Don't worry, this castle is designed to be very sturdy. Even a Dragon attack wouldn't do anything, so feel free to release your power."
"Sorry for not being able to help you further."
After speaking, Lilith stepped back and returned to her room. Leaving behind that quiet and mournful atmosphere.
The group was still dejected; Elyssia didn't know much about the group yet. She felt quite hungry, but since everyone wasn't eating, she didn't dare to eat either.
Airi spoke up:
"Come on everyone, eat; after eating we still have to keep searching. There is no time."
She stood up, scooping a spoonful of soup into her bowl.
On Lilith's side, she was chatting with Pu; Pu was in human form and lying on the bed.
Pu: "Do you think they can escape?"
Lilith shook her head.
"Who knows?"
Pu: "Then if they escape, will you let them go? Seeing them not eating, I feel so pity for them."
Lilith smiled.
"Alright."