novelonline Chapter 3918 The Lost Manuscript
Chapter 3918 The Lost Manuscript
Chapter 3918 The Lost Manuscript
Mr. Leber was quite surprised:
"Of course not, why would you think that?"
Here's the thing: my family has been running the Blue Ink Library since my grandfather's time. It should have been the fourth generation, passed down to my good-for-nothing son. Unfortunately, we're now banned from operating a library in this city. I accept this punishment, since my son did indeed do something wrong. But while we were in jail, several important books were lost from the library, and I want to get them back.”
Worried that Xia De might misunderstand, he explained further:
“When I was in prison, thieves broke into the library and a number of books were lost; later, when the local police were keeping my collection of precious books, several more were borrowed and lost; in addition, before I was released from prison, my old friends donated some valuable original books to help me, so those important family heirlooms and manuscripts were lost from me.”
"I see, that makes sense. They're all genuine, not fakes, right?"
"of course."
Shad felt he understood:
"So, you want me to help you get those books back?"
The withered old man nodded heavily:
"Yes, but I know that a complete recovery is impossible. However, three copies are unique copies left by my ancestors, and I cannot let them slip through my fingers. I only need those three copies. The people who came here before wanting to buy the library also received this request from me:"
Please help me retrieve the original design manuscript of the Mark I steam engine, the 1688 edition of "Illustrations of Rare Plants of the Southern Continent," and the original manuscript of Newcastle's "Howling Heights."
Of the three manuscripts, Shad had only heard of the last one; Dorothy had said it was a very famous popular novel from the classical era.
Although it was the first time he had heard of the design sketches, Shad knew about the "Mark I steam engine." It was the most classic steam engine in the early steam age, and although it wasn't the earliest, it was the most widely used.
The Sun 10 [Original Steam Engine Mark 9] that Shad possessed was a subsequent improved version of the "Mark I".
Looking for a book.
Xia De is currently free of immediate trouble, and the whereabouts of "Big Mouth Sparrow" will likely require further investigation, so he is willing to undertake this troublesome task, treating it merely as a way to familiarize himself with the city.
"So, do you know who has these three documents? Or do you need me to investigate myself?"
The original design manuscript of the Mark I steam engine is in the possession of Baron Ramsay, who is not only the deputy mayor of the city but also a core member of the Royal Academy of Carsenrick; the 1688 edition of the "Illustrated Catalogue of Rare Plants of the Southern Continent" is in the Candleburg Library, a large book with hand-drawn illustrations; the original manuscript of "Howling Hill" is in the possession of a very prestigious local lady, and is now part of her collection.
These three manuscripts were all purchased from merchants; their provenance is absolutely legitimate, and selling them at auction would be legal.
The old man emphasized, looking at Xia De:
"You'll need to use your connections to find a way to get those two original manuscripts. I need to explain the details of 'A Pictorial Guide to Rare Plants in Southern Mainland China' to you."
You're clearly from out of town and might not be familiar with the rules. The Candleburg Library only allows copying; original documents are not permitted, and books are neither borrowed nor sold. This book is the most difficult to obtain.
Xia De nodded slightly, but did not immediately agree. Instead, he asked:
“I know that obtaining these three books was extremely difficult, otherwise the library wouldn’t have remained unsold for eight years. So, in return, after paying such a high price to retrieve these three books, what have I gained? Merely the right to trade the Blue Ink Library with you?”
Mr. Leber had already anticipated that he would ask this question:
"I only want these three books and 300 crowns. After you get these, the land and building of the library will be yours. If you want the rest of the collection, I can sell it to you at half price."
Although Xia De didn't know the exact value of the three rare books, the offer was definitely generous; just looking at the location of Qing Teng Street, one could tell that the property prices there wouldn't be cheap.
“The conditions are indeed very good, but as you yourself said, the Candleburg Library never sells books.”
“Young man, I only want those three books. You’ll have to figure out how to get them yourself. I’ve offered such a high price because I know that the last book won’t be easy to obtain. Of course, getting the other two books won’t be easy either. In fact, other people like you who come to visit me give up immediately after hearing about the Candleburg Library.”
Xia De nodded:
"I'll give it a try first, maybe I can come up with a solution."
Since the other party was unlikely to sell the library in the short term, Shad wasn't in a hurry at all. He picked up his teacup:
"Speaking of which, which local lady owned the original manuscript of 'Howling Hill Manor'?"
Old Mr. Leber sighed:
"It's a lady from the Astley family. Young man, I don't know if you know this, but the vast majority of the spice business in the central Old World is related to the Astley family. Although they don't have noble titles, since the unification of the Southern Territory, their family has firmly controlled the management of the Grey Rock Pass outside the Lower City. If it weren't for their past connection with the Delineor royal family, the Astleys would actually have a title long ago."
The lady I'm referring to is the current patriarch of the Astley family. This family suffers from a hereditary blood disease, and its population has never been large. Although this generation's Mrs. Astley is also plagued by the disease, she is extremely capable; she has spearheaded the family's spice business for the past decade or so.
"In my opinion, the book that Ms. Astley has in her hand is probably not easy to get back."
The old man just sighed:
"There's nothing I can do about it. After all, these are things passed down from our ancestors. I can't just lose them, can I?"
He seemed unwilling to lower his demands, so Shad didn't say much, deciding to give it a try first, even if he couldn't get it. He could always buy it from someone else once they actually acquired the library.
What he has in abundance now are pounds and crowns.
However, Shad had no clue how to obtain the three manuscripts, as he had no connections in the area. So Shad thought that he could wait until Margaret sent news of the "Grey Gloves" before inquiring about the two manuscripts in the hands of the nobles and merchants, while he could visit the "Candleburg Library" today.
Old Mr. Leberi was very impressed with Shad—a testament to his extraordinary charisma—believing that Shad might be able to help him recover his lost manuscripts, and was therefore willing to explain to him some things that were considered basic common sense by the locals.
For example, the "Candlecastle Library" located at the highest point of the city can be accessed and read in two ways: one is by holding a special "Candlecastle Silver Medal," which can only be given by those who own the library, or by donating valuable books to the library.
The second and simplest way is to pay to enter. The library charges a membership fee plus an annual fee. The membership fee is 4 euros, which is equivalent to 8 gold pounds at the current highly volatile exchange rate, and the annual fee is 1.5 euros, or 3 gold pounds.
This is quite expensive; even the libraries in Tobesco charge 20 percent less.
The high fees charged by the Candleburg Library are due to its enormous collection. Old Mr. Leber believed that the library's open-to-the-public area contained over a million books.
Considering the sheer size of the library, Shad thought the figure wasn't an exaggeration.
"In addition, while annual fees allow you to browse most books, you can only take out one copy of the library's existing manuscript each time. If you want to borrow books that don't have manuscript copies, you'll have to pay extra to make them yourself."
Old Mr. Leberley then cautioned, noting that he could tell Shad was very interested in the library, and proceeded to describe its interior in more detail. Unfortunately, the 1688 edition of *Illustrated Guide to Rare Plants of the Southern Continent* was a rare exhibit and could not be freely browsed; Old Mr. Leberley said he visited it every week.
The Candleburg Library is located at the highest point of the city, and to enter it, one must pass through the upper town. Fortunately, the city does not prohibit people from freely crossing districts. Therefore, after saying goodbye to old Mr. Leberi at ten o'clock in the morning, Shad boarded a carriage at the alley entrance and set off for the library.
The talkative coachman had clearly hosted more than one out-of-towner like Shad on his way to the library, so he told him a lot about the library and shared more information about the city.
For example, how to get from the city to the Vatican where the Church was founded, the church's worship rules, the recent explosion at the Academy of Sciences, the upcoming Industrial Exposition, local delicacies, the recent increase in troop deployments in the outer city, train schedules being adjusted due to the frontline fighting, the highly effective fertility spring in the southeast of Arcadia, and the fact that the fifty-something-year-old mayor had a baby girl, etc.
As they traveled through the upper town, Xia De chatted with the coachman while admiring the city scenery. He noted that the city's area decreased as it rose higher up the mountainside. Because the mountains were relatively steep, although the straight-line distance from the old gentleman's house to the Candleburg Library was not far, the carriage had to travel up winding mountain roads to reach the top.
This meant that what seemed like a short distance took the carriage a full half hour, even though the road conditions were excellent.
When the carriage arrived at its destination, Shad paid the driver extra to thank him for what he had said. After the driver drove away, he looked up at the majestic library before him.
Or rather, a magnificent palace.
“Isn’t this a bit exaggerated?”