"Do you even need to ask?" Instead of being offended, the weird wolf started explaining in earnest to the young Demon Hunter, "As time passes, even Demons and Gods will have their memory weakened! In fact, you should be thankful that I still have most of my marbles because these are valuable treasure troves of information and experience for you to reach into and use it to improve…"
The weird wolf slipped seamlessly into another topic and Ye Qi could only respond with a facepalm—the sound in his head made reading impossible so the young Demon Hunter closed the book and returned to the librarian.
The books at the Tower of Knowledge could only be read at the spot and none of the reading materials could be brought out of the tower. However, photocopying them was entirely possible but of course, that would cost money, and quite a lot of money at that.
After paying the librarian 3 Gold Doubloons, Ye Qi silently cursed the exploitative nature of the place. Then, he walked to his group of friends. Darien, A Wa and Tatum had fallen asleep lulled by the warm sunlight. He nudged Tatum, telling him it was time for them to leave and have lunch. The photocopied book would be personally sent to the payee's room, it was a service included in the over-the-top pricing of photocopying.
"Ye, you used the photocopy service here?" Tatum probably wasn't really asleep but was watching Ye Qi. After they left the Tower of Knowledge, he shook his head and sighed, "Do you know the amount you pay in there is more than enough to support a whole week of drinking? Such a waste…"
A Wa and Darien nodded, in agreement with Tatum. Actually Ye Qi agreed with the lanky fella too, but this was something he had to do—even though his Arcane Knowledge had reached 26, he still had some difficulties reading Gorgon's Eyes. Therefore, he had to come to the Tower of Knowledge to find some reading companion. The Dark Origin of Dark Sorcerer contained some information that he could use to dissect the mystery of Gorgon's Eyes but the book was too thick and complicated for the young Demon Hunter to memorize it with first glance so he had to photocopy it.
Of course, he could bring Gorgon's Eyes to the Tower of Knowledge, since the place didn't bar its users from bringing in their own reading materials but books like Gorgon's Eyes was more suitable for private collection. It was not uncommon for Demon Hunters to collect literature on Erebus creatures but none would broadcast it for fear of their reputation being damaged or being pursued by the headquarters– after all, it's not ostentatiously acceptable for reputable Demon Hunters to dabble in the dark arts.
Therefore, no matter how expensive the photocopying fee was, it was not as valuable as his skill point. After all, money could be earned but skill point would become more valuable as his level increased! Therefore, this was a worthwhile investment.
"Knowledge is power!" Of course, Ye Qi couldn't give his friends the actual reason for his actions, he rumbled off a weak maxim before changing the subject, "Where are we going for lunch?"
Instantly, the faces of his friends dropped and they led him quietly towards the central castle…
A curious Ye Qi followed.
"Do we have to eat the nutri-meal?" Darien turned to Titan with desperation after taking a look at the blob of green stuff on his plate, "Can't we swap it out for lamb steak or beef steak?"
"Of course not!" After he served Ye Qi a plateful of the green thing, the giant repeated, "The nutri-meal is formulated using the best food type that you need. They are easily digested and easily absorbed. They will provide the energy you need for the day! They are indispensable in your training! Enjoy your meal! Just think about the benefits that it'll bring and it wouldn't be so hard down your throat anymore!"
Listening to the big bloke complain about his experience with the nutri-meal, Ye Qi scooped up the green thing and sent it into his mouth. Instantly, an assortment of tastes ranging from spicy to sweet, from rot to some curious smell permeated his mouth. He could finally understand the meaning of his three friends' drawn faces from before! This was nothing short of torture! Compared to this green blob, the black bread served in Tower of Thorns was heavenly nectar!
"The class this afternoon will be your favourite—combat exercise!" The giant announced when the room of Apostles tried to force down their "food", "Today, it'll be group training. You'll be separated into teams of three or five, the main aim is to practice your cooperation. After all, normally you wouldn't face Erebus threats alone, you'll cooperate with others on your mission. In combat, your allies, while normally an aid, can be a hindrance if cooperation is lacking, therefore this afternoon, you'll learn how to utilize your ally's power in combat…"
Tower of Knowledge, Tower of Arena and Central Castle formed the centre of the young Demon Hunter's daily scheduled life. The knowledge acquired at the Tower of Knowledge would aid in the occasional quests that triggered in Tower of Arena, even though the experience gained was little, the young Demon Hunter was steadily heading towards level 9. At night, he would gather in the Central Castle to hear rumours and information from the Apostles that had gathered from various parts of the world…
It was a life away from the usual threats to his life, if not for the constant nagging of the weird wolf and the daily torture of the nutri-meal, it was truly not a bad life for the young Demon Hunter. When Tarlin State entered summer, Ye Qi had been posted at the headquarters for almost half a year already—during St. Patrick's Day, Ye Qi reached out to John and Old Walter. From the conversation that they shared, life for his two seniors had been going swell as well.
To Ye Qi's surprise, other than John, even Old Walter had sent Ye Qi a holiday present. Even though it was a faded belt that was threatening to break apart, it was still a pleasant surprise for the young Demon Hunter. In comparison, John was much more generous—it was a silver flask with intricate patterns. In case the young Demon Hunter go anyplace cold, he could keep the flask within his clothes and it would stay warm.
The young Demon Hunter returned their generosity in kind—for John, he bought a faded brown cowboy hat that had Summer Crinkle's flair and for Old Walter, two pairs of old socks…
The young Demon Hunter thought he could pass the rest of his one year at the headquarters with similar ease but that dream was shattered by a missive he received one morning—the missive was official and short. The general meaning was, new Apostle Ye Qi has shown great improvement during his training period. As reward and for the sake of better training, new Apostle Ye Qi is given special permission to join Summer Crinkle's Calvary. Please report to Cavalry Leader Alice immediately after receiving this order.
"Cavalry?" The young Demon Hunter frowned and asked Noah who sent him the missive, "What is the meaning of this?"