The original manuscripts could not be taken away, but copying them again was possible.
However, what they didn't know was that the reason Fang Hong did this was because in the past few days, he found himself completely unable to focus on reading. For a week, the news from the Royal Palace had been utterly silent, and any attempts to probe for information were like stones sinking into the sea. The King of Sand, Barbaltan, also had unknown intentions, and no news had leaked from the Grand Princess.
He wasn't concerned about the Grand Princess, but because he had been unable to contact anyone from the Seven Seas Travel Group, he was becoming increasingly anxious. Moreover, as time passed, this anxiety was becoming more severe.
He had been in Quistack for almost two weeks, but there had been no progress at all. This was something he had never encountered before.
The dimly lit library saw a sudden burst of sparks from the candle on the wooden table, causing the light to flicker.
Fang Hong put down his pen, looked up, and gazed through the flame toward the large door of the library. After a moment of pause, he couldn't help but sigh softly. He put down the quill and closed the book, thinking to himself how great it would be if Hilveld were here.
In the past, when he couldn't find any clues, this Noble Lady always had some ideas to help him.
Thinking of that gentle face, Fang Hong felt a moment of emptiness in his heart.
If not for the Big Cat People and Miss Atira, who in the group were the most stable, experienced, and could come up with solutions.
If they were unavailable, Luo Hao or his cousin would suffice. Tang Xin had played with him since childhood, and he knew well how resourceful she was. And the military man, who had joined the group not long ago, also exhibited extraordinary judgment. It wasn't that he couldn't come up with solutions on his own, but having someone else around to offer ideas could be helpful in this situation.
As he was pondering, a voice suddenly came:
"Ade."
Fang Hong looked up and spotted a silhouette near the door—it could only be Aleph.
He couldn't help but be surprised. Prince Aleph had mentioned he had matters to attend to a few days ago and hadn't been seen since. Now that he suddenly appeared, it was unclear how his affairs had gone. However, judging by Aleph's relaxed demeanor, they likely went well. Fang Hong thought about his own lack of progress and fell into silent frustration.
He glanced at Aleph, wondering if he should just straightforwardly ask him to take him into the Forbidden Palace. If push came to shove, he could make up an excuse, such as wanting to see the sights within the Royal Palace—a cliché excuse, but possibly effective?
Yet he quickly shook his head, realizing how unreasonable his idea was.
He was just desperate and clutching at straws.
As he was contemplating, Aleph had already approached, saying, "I heard from the Guard that there were still people here this late, so I guessed it must be you."
Fang Hong was slightly taken aback. He had stayed this late out of habit, hoping for any chance, an unconscious behavior, and hadn't realized how deliberate it had seemed. He felt a bit nervous, wondering if he should pay more attention to such details.
But Aleph smiled and shook his head, saying, "I've heard you always leave the latest. Master Berlede praises you for your diligence, saying there aren't many Holy Chosen as hardworking as you. But I don't think you need to rush; the sandstorm has just passed, and communication hasn't yet resumed. You can stay in Quistack a while longer."
Fang Hong awkwardly denied, "It's just that elsewhere there's nothing much to do, just a habit."
"True enough," Aleph couldn't help but laugh, "There's not much fun in Marlan's Holy Sanctuary. It's different in Lady Roman's Sanctuary; I hear there are many exciting things happening in the Commercial Goddess's Sanctuary every day."
Fang Hong thought Lady Marlan would probably beat Aleph up if she heard him describe her Sanctuary like that. But he had heard about the happenings at the Commercial Sanctuary—a lot of commercial arbitration, with Lady Roman overseeing contract divine offices, many arbitrations happened daily there.
Such mundane atmospheres hardly made for a solemn sanctuary.
He deliberately changed the topic, "How are your matters going?"
"Almost ready." As expected, Aleph answered easily.
"What is it about?"
"Remember what I told you last time?" Aleph didn't hide anything, only kept it in suspense for a bit, "It's my father's birthday celebration."
Upon hearing this, Fang Hong's actions paused involuntarily, his ears perking up.
Aleph occasionally discussed court affairs with him, but mostly about this celebration. He wasn't an Istania native and initially didn't know much about the celebration, but after over a week and through talks with the Prince, he learned some of the insider details.
He couldn't help but ask:
"Aleph, if I recall correctly, on the day of the celebration, the Royal Palace is open to the public, right?"
"Of course," Aleph was slightly surprised, "Why, are you interested in the Royal Palace? But you'll be disappointed; only the outer palace is open that day, and the library where you are now is a part of it. The Forbidden Palace, though, is off-limits to ordinary people. But if you're interested in the celebration, you can join."
Fang Hong wasn't disappointed, he just nodded slightly:
"Of course."
In his mind, he was counting the days, and it was about half a week until the celebration.
...