It can’t be that hard to open a hospital in another world, right? 38

Chapter 38: Is Being a Librarian a Physical Labor?

Grett’s journey as a mage began amidst tranquility.

The usual tropes found in online novels from his previous life – rivalry, face-slapping, noble scions oppressing commoners – none of that existed. Grett had imagined countless scenarios on his way from Hartland City to the Mage Tower, but none materialized. It wasn’t that his classmates were morally upright, adhering to the twenty-four-character maxim, but rather… there was simply no one.

Gelman Lawmaster was nowhere to be found.

The Eliot Lawmaster, who had been blown out of the Mage Tower last time, was also invisible.

The silence outside the Mage Tower was so profound, Grett could hear the chirping of birds. He surmised that perhaps the experiments were going smoothly, or that the Lawmaster had moved on to a new experiment, hence the absence of explosions for the time being.

As for the other low-level mages or mage apprentices – yesterday Gelman Lawmaster had said “disciples”, implying there were more than one – they were also nowhere to be seen.

Considering that yesterday’s explosion occurred on the fourth floor, and Gelman Lawmaster had only permitted him access to the first floor’s library, Grett had reason to believe there was a library specifically for mages and mage apprentices on the upper floors. These individuals, having stepped into the magical domain, were all engaged in their pursuits on the second floor and above, and had no reason to come downstairs.

As for lessons… perhaps it was just not the day for them?

The library on the first floor of the Mage Tower was deserted, with only Grett present.

The Mage Tower’s gatekeeper had led him to the library and tossed out a sentence, “Don’t go upstairs,” before turning and leaving. Grett had wanted to inquire about the location of the lavatory, but before he could even open his mouth, the man had vanished…

Not even a jug of water.

Ah, well, the school library, the reading room, didn’t supply drinks either, so he was accustomed to it.

Grett set down his backpack and walked towards the bookshelf. Stepping into the library, his first sight was of these bookshelves – magnificent dark chestnut wood reaching from floor to ceiling. Elaborate carvings adorned the pillars and the top of the shelves, adding to the impression that the books held within were of great value.

… Just these bookshelves alone would be worth a year’s salary for me?

Grett silently mused. He quickly scanned the books on the shelves, finding only two bookshelves in the library. The books were thick and heavy, as long as his elbow to his fingertips, with a thickness that nearly matched a fist.

To accommodate such large books, the bookshelves were divided into only four levels, from top to bottom. The shelves themselves were clearly made of solid wood, over five centimeters thick, and even bent slightly under the weight of the books.

Because the books were so large, the two bookshelves combined held no more than a hundred volumes…

Grett quickly calculated in his head. Thankfully, it was comparable to the number of textbooks in their seven-year undergraduate and graduate combined program… just in terms of quantity, haha.

After all, medical textbooks were nicknamed “Blue Love of Death” by the later students, a total of 53 volumes, plus politics, general education, and some filler elective courses, adding up to nearly a hundred textbooks.

Furthermore, medical studies, in addition to textbooks, included a plethora of practice books, reference materials, clinical treatment guidelines, and other materials, all of which had to be memorized.

We’re professionals when it comes to learning. No fear.

Grett silently encouraged himself. Next, he needed to pick out the books he needed to read!

The titles Gelman Lawmaster had listed!

《Basic Spellcraft》!

《Magic Pattern Construction》!

《Elements Unveiled》!

《Potions》!

And the most fundamental of them all, magical script!

As for the other books on the shelves, they might not be unimportant, but he should start with the basic introductions!

Grett tilted his head to look at the writing on the spines, but he couldn’t make out anything. He then tilted his head to the left. Still unable to discern the characters, let alone whether they were written vertically or horizontally, leaning left or right. He had no choice but to tilt his head to the right…

After several rounds of neck exercises, Grett finally accepted the harsh reality. He couldn’t recognize any of the characters on the spines.

No choice, time to look at the inner text!

He tiptoed to the shelves and pulled out a book. As soon as he held it, his arms sank downwards, forcing him to exert extra strength to keep it steady.

… So heavy!

These days, being a librarian is a physical labor!

Grett exclaimed in amazement. He carefully placed the book on the table, straightening it, and meticulously examining the cover. The deep blue leather cover felt thick and soft, with silver curlicue letters intertwining like vines. Grett struggled to make sense of them for a moment, but in vain, so he turned to the title page.

Didn’t recognize it.

Still didn’t recognize it.

He flipped through the pages until he reached the main text, but he still had no idea what the book was about, and couldn’t recognize the characters. The only advantage was that the large book was a manuscript, the characters being ten times larger than the printed ones of later times. The content of the entire book, needless to say, was at most one-tenth.

No, not even one-tenth. The paper beneath his hands was several times thicker than in the previous life, thick and yellow, with clear fiber traces visible. With thicker paper, naturally the page count was lower, so the information recorded on it wouldn’t be much either.

Grett breathed a sigh of relief, but then his heart sank again. The papermaking technique of this era was still quite crude, so it could only record simple knowledge.

It was conceivable that in the future, when transcribing spells, the paper or parchment, even the beast hides used, would cost several times more than this paper. If the material was too inferior, magical energy wouldn’t be able to bear it, and it would most likely burn up after being written…

I’ll have to pay for the materials to transcribe spells in the future!

Paper, ink, and brushes will all have to be bought by myself!

I’ll have to check the prices later… uh, I feel so poor…

Grett sighed, closed the cover with tears in his eyes, placed the book back on the shelf, and moved on to the second book.

Second book.

Didn’t recognize it.

Third book.

Didn’t recognize it.

… Tenth book.

Didn’t recognize it…

A thin layer of sweat had already formed on his body, partly from exhaustion, partly from anxiety. He had arrived early, so his stomach hadn’t started rumbling yet, but the strain on his muscles, the depletion of his body, the turmoil within… he had experienced each of these sensations firsthand.

No wonder being a librarian is a hidden profession. This line of work, it really does produce great accomplishments!

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued moving books. The seventeenth book finally had a title written in the common language: 《The Great Mage’s Miraculous Journey》. Grett had a bad feeling about the title as soon as he saw it. He flipped it open and read two lines, confirming it was a novel…

A low-quality adventure novel at that. It wouldn’t even get signed on the starting point (a popular Chinese online literature website).

… So all the hard work I’ve done, breaking a sweat, moving all this junk, how much of it is novels?

Oh no…

Grett hammered his chest. The bad news was that he would have to grapple with these novels for an unknown period of time, but the good news was that he had less textbook material to read (memorize)…

“You’re not doing this right.”

A voice suddenly came from behind him.

Grett’s hand, which was drawing a book, froze.

Thanks to @螺丝ls for the 100 starting point coins (you should vote for this book, too, dear)

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(End of Chapter)

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