RNP Chapter 157 A Constant Flow of Visitors
Chapter 157 A Constant Flow of Visitors
Chapter 157 A Constant Flow of Visitors
It has been some time since Harriet studied the copy of "Life Never Ends".
However, the record on page eight of the "Banned Books Borrowing Record" remains unchanged.
The "Level of Mastery" and even the "Borrowing Time" columns still say "Not Borrowed".
Kendrick obtained the forbidden book later than Harriet, but he was already slowly improving his cultivation progress.
The result is already clear: allowing the right person to directly access the forbidden books is a necessary condition for mastering their power.
The experiment has concluded that Aaron had no need to have Harriet continue studying the forbidden manuscripts.
They immediately retrieved the copy and gave the original to Harriet.
And the contents of Harriet's page changed instantly:
[Borrower, Serial Number VII]
Name: Harriet Lavillenie
[Suitable for use with the banned book: "Life Never Ends"]
[Level of Mastery: 0%]
[Borrowing date: January 2, 1587 (French calendar)]
[Book Return Date: Not Returned]
Harriet looked visibly confused when she received the new book, probably wondering why Aaron had given her two identical copies.
However, she didn't ask any further questions and obediently accepted the books.
Cathy said that she laughed with joy when Harriet's former master was assassinated.
She's essentially working for Aaron now, but Aaron hasn't sensed any hostility from her, which is quite surprising to him.
Could it be that she sensed Aaron's lack of malice, or was it because of Cathy?
Aaron felt that he possessed both qualities, after all, he was their protector, not their ruler.
However, when it came to learning "Life Goes On," Cathy was more interested than Harriet.
After Harriet finishes reading a passage, Cathy will always preview the next one.
If there were words he didn't recognize or sentences he couldn't understand, he would avoid Harriet and secretly ask Aaron for help. Then, the next day, he would pretend nothing had happened and read those passages fluently to Harriet.
Aaron understands that he wants to show Harriet his reliable side.
But Aaron actually thinks it's quite interesting to watch Cathy eat sometimes.
Although Harriet couldn't possibly discuss this topic with Aaron, he guessed that Harriet probably thought the same thing.
Regardless, Harriet's start to study did inspire Cathy.
He's also much more focused on reading than before, probably because he doesn't want to fall too far behind Harriet.
It was these small, everyday changes that made Aaron grow to like Cathy more and more.
Sometimes Aaron couldn't help but wonder where that blockhead got such good luck, not only was his wife beautiful, but his son was also so lovable.
However, now that Cathy is in the library, even if that kid is stubborn, he should come back after a while, right?
Kathy is already fourteen years old. Is she really planning to stay away from home for twenty years?
Aaron decided that when he saw Henry, he would definitely give him a good kick in the butt.
And before that, let him get hemorrhoids.
Cathy asked several times whether Henry had managed to save Natalie.
Aaron had no way of knowing, but judging from Henry's use of "Star Wave," as long as it was on Henry's own battlefield,
I'm afraid there are very few people in the world who can defeat Henry alone.
Therefore, he would always advise Casey to trust Henry.
Aaron suddenly noticed the "borrowing time": April 2nd.
It's been a year since Anne left the library.
Anne cared more about Aaron than Lola.
A letter arrived in Aaron's hands every month without fail, and between the words on the flat paper, Aaron felt Annie's growing longing for him, which had already risen like a mountain.
Therefore, Aaron would always write back to comfort Annie, knowing that she probably wouldn't have time to come back to see him until she graduated from the Herald Academy and was recommended to become a Herald Master.
Speaking of which, Anne's next letter should arrive in the next couple of days, right?
Just as I was thinking this, someone pushed open the library door.
Aaron turned his gaze toward the door. The person who came in was an elderly man with a gray beard and dark skin, probably from sun exposure. Aaron guessed that this man was probably a farmer.
He walked shakily into the library and glanced at the three people in the hall.
Presumably thinking that Aaron was more like the owner of the place, he walked straight towards Aaron:
"Excuse me, are you the consultant?"
Aaron has had many names.
Most people called him Aaron, Mr. Mosley, or Mr. Curator, while Henry would call him the Curator, and someone once called him "Seventy-Three".
But Aaron only recently heard the title "Mr. Advisor".
Aaron immediately guessed why the man had come, so he politely bowed and replied, "Yes, sir, please come in."
Aaron invited the old man to sit down, and then introduced himself.
Then the old man took out two pieces of paper and handed them to Aaron.
One of the cards above has the Chinese character “勇” written on it, while the other card has the stroke “、”, which is the first stroke of the character “方”.
Clearly, the person in front of us is the first official commissioner since the establishment of the Block Alliance.
The character "勇" (yong) was a Chinese character acquired by Ajax. He was active on the Blois peninsula, which was the closest place to the library among the group's usual residences.
Therefore, the first to be entertained were the clients whom Ajax had preliminarily vetted, which was something Aaron had expected.
Afterwards, the old man confided in Aaron about the matter he wanted to entrust to him.
The elderly man was bullied and had nowhere to turn for help, so he tried to seek justice from the Block Alliance.
After hearing this, Aaron thought it was just an ordinary assassination request.
But for the Block Alliance, it was a memorable opening.
This commission met all the conditions for the Block Alliance to accept the assassination mission, and Aaron felt it was necessary to complete it flawlessly.
After some consideration, I discussed the price with the elderly person.
In the end, the old man agreed to spend three gold coins to hire the Block Alliance to fulfill his inner desires.
With a trembling right hand, the old man placed the money on the table. Aaron guessed that this was probably his savings for his funeral.
But he also bought a coffin, though it belonged to someone else.
Aaron accepted the money and gave the old man two slips of paper and an address.
A piece of paper had an underscore written on it, which was the first stroke of the Chinese character "块" (kuài).
The other note read "righteousness," a character held by Draco.
The address given to the elderly man was also Draco's contact number.
Draco is, after all, the leader of the alliance, and Aaron believes that entrusting this groundbreaking first mission to Draco is undoubtedly the most appropriate course of action.
Moreover, based on Aaron's observation, he felt that Draco was more tactful in his actions, so the probability of him making a mistake was lower.
Since it was his first mission, Aaron felt that the success rate was very important.
After receiving the note, the elderly man immediately left the library.
Aaron sat back down on the stool, and couldn't help but think about the future development of the league.
Draco seemed to include Lola in the organization, but Aaron knew that Lola was definitely not one of these guys.
Therefore, the actual members are still the same five.
Apart from Kendrick, the other four returned to the western part of the kingdom.
The addresses the four of them provided to Aaron formed a rhombus, located in the west, southeast, and northwest directions respectively.
To the west is Draco, to the south is Ajax, Barton is in the east, and Winn's school is in the far north.
The four-person formation effectively covers the entire western region.
But if they truly intend to develop the Block Alliance into an organization comparable to the Unswearing Knights, then they must not limit themselves to a local area.
Therefore, they must be able to cover the entire kingdom, or even the whole world.
But with just a few people, it seems inevitable that they would have to be stretched thin if they wanted to cover a wide area.
In this way, will the Block Alliance have to recruit new members?
However, it seems a bit too early to consider this now.
The organization's top priority now is undoubtedly to proceed steadily and make a name for itself first.
When the time comes, Draco and the others should be able to realize the problem themselves, and Aaron probably won't need to worry about it. Just before noon, Harriet brought the food she had prepared for the three of them into the library.
Her cooking skills are not bad, but the dishes are rather plain. Neither the selection of ingredients nor the preparation methods are anything special.
While the taste wasn't much different from Lady Aurée's cooking, it lacked a certain individuality.
Mrs. Aurélien's cooking occasionally brought Aaron surprises, and he still remembers it vividly.
Aaron couldn't find fault with it; it was better than what he made himself.
Moreover, this is also related to Harriet and Aurelia's family background. Perspective determines one's level of understanding. Harriet, a girl from a commoner family who lost her mother at a young age, naturally could not compare to Aurelia in terms of knowledge and experience.
But Cathy seemed to enjoy her meal, and that's enough.
After lunch, Aaron would, as usual, take a nap behind the registration counter.
Meanwhile, Cathy and Harriet would use this time to go somewhere where Aaron couldn't see them and be alone.
Young people need private space, and Aaron never intended to disrupt that time for them.
Therefore, even when he was very energetic, Aaron would pretend to rest and wait for them to leave before sitting up again.
But today he was forced to pull himself together, as more people entered the library.
Aaron looked up and saw that the person who had come was Kendrick.
Kendrick bowed to Aaron: "Mr. Mosley."
"Mr. Bates," Aaron's face instantly broke into a smile, "It's been a few days. How have things been lately?"
"I've made a little money, enough to cover my daily expenses," Kendrick nodded, "but sir, I need to speak with you today."
Aaron had already anticipated that Kendrick would come looking for him in the next couple of days.
And the purpose wasn't to discuss how to destroy the library with him, but rather to talk about "Crimson Lust".
Based on Kendrick's extensive knowledge of banned books as shown in "The Record of Forbidden Books," Aaron had already anticipated that Kendrick would soon encounter difficulties.
"Is it about that book?"
"Yes,"
Kendrick nodded and placed the book on the counter in front of Aaron. "Sir, this book does indeed record extraordinary power, and it is very powerful, but it makes me uneasy."
Aaron asked, "Why?"
"Ever since I tried circulating my power according to the methods in the book, I've found that the killing desire within me has been greatly amplified."
Kendrick stared at the counter as he spoke, his eyes trembling with fear.
"Oh! Sir, perhaps I should have told you about this the next day, but I did not mean to hide it. I thought that I would only have that feeling when I used my power, and I thought that as long as I did nothing, things would return to normal."
"But it's completely different from what I imagined. Now, whenever I come into contact with someone, whenever I see them, it's as if I can glimpse the scene of their death. My desires have instantly swelled to a very high level."
"But I still endured it, clinging to the hope that it wouldn't be like this the next day. However, Mr. Mosley, it's already the third day, and nothing has changed. If this continues, I'll definitely lose control..."
Aaron patted Kendrick on the shoulder reassuringly: "Don't rush, tell me about the changes that have occurred after you studied 'Crimson Craving'."
"The biggest change is my vision. I can see clearly that I am killing the other party in various ways, and I can observe which method is the most effective."
"And that vision was so real, as deeply ingrained as a memory, as vividly real as if it were happening right now. I'm almost unable to distinguish between reality and the illusion of my vision!"
Aaron nodded. "I understand. So, you're afraid you won't be able to control your desires?"
“Yes, sir,” Kendrick said, burying his face in his hands in despair, “I lingered near this library in hopes of change, and my training has only just begun, yet I’m already being overwhelmed by desire, sir, Mr. Mosley! It seems I’m truly beyond saving!”
Aaron said, "Don't worry, Kendrick. I've told you, your goal isn't to completely suppress your desires; you definitely won't last long that way. If you reach your limit, I'll arrange for you to release the pressure."
"But," Kendrick finally raised his eyes, "this is only the beginning, and I'm already about to give up. What's the point of training then?"
"This is also part of spiritual practice. Everything is difficult at the beginning. You may only be able to endure it for a few days at first, but as your practice continues, you will be able to persevere for a longer period of time."
Aaron said,
"You just need to endure to the limit. Besides, it's because of that power that your desires are being amplified. I've also told you that the book is both a reward and a challenge for you."
Kendrick finally calmed down: "Is this really okay? I just need to continue?"
"If you're willing to believe me," Aaron said, smiling at Kendrick.
"Of course I believe you, sir. You are my benefactor, and your continued patience with me is the best proof of that!"
Kendrick eagerly expressed his feelings, then nodded repeatedly.
"I understand. Now, I will continue. But how can I stop seeing through that lifelike illusion?"
Aaron said, "This process is irreversible; you can only endure it—"
Afterwards, the two talked for a while before Kendrick left the library, still inside Zhixin.
However, Aaron could tell that Kendrick's condition and emotions were much more stable now than before.
As soon as Kendrick left, Cathy and Harriet came out from the stairwell.
The two walked briskly, and compared to the anxious Kendrick, they must have had a pleasant midday.
Before Aaron could even process what was happening, the library door was pushed open.
"What's going on today?" Aaron couldn't help but wonder. "So many visitors all of a sudden?"
Despite my thoughts, I still had to receive them.
But the person who came seemed to be just a postman. Harriet accepted the letter and the postman left.
Harriet handed the letter to Aaron, and Cathy immediately came over and asked:
"Is the news related to Henry?"
Aaron glanced at the envelope: "No, it's Annie."
A smile appeared on his face. He had been thinking that Annie's letter should be arriving soon that morning, but he didn't expect that he would already have the letter in his hand by the afternoon.
However, Cathy's mood instantly soured.
"There's no use in being anxious," Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Your old man is the kind of person who can hold back from going home for over ten years."
Although this amount of time is not long for Aaron.
"But, Casey," Aaron suddenly brought it up, "you've also met Annie."
"I've seen her before?" Cathy blinked in confusion.
Harriet, who was standing nearby, immediately perked up her ears.
"Yes, you were just born then, and Annie was not even a year old. Whenever you cried, Annie would cry too. It was so noisy that it gave me a real headache."
"I don't remember that."
"Few people have memories of their infancy—"
Aaron said no more. He eagerly opened the envelope and read the contents of the letter.
As usual, Anne expressed her longing for Aaron, and Aaron's smile grew even brighter.
But as he continued reading, his expression instantly turned serious.
Anne was asking Aaron about something:
Even Anne, Lola hadn't visited her for several months.