Creation Myth

Black Wolf Castle, library.

After pushing open the heavy Oak Door, Xian was greeted by towering rows of bookshelves stretching to the ceiling, as if they were about to flood the entire space.

The air was filled with the faint scent of books and raw wood. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows onto the floor, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow that made one... sleepy.

"I just woke up and already want to sleep again. In a sense, libraries really are a blessing for insomniacs."

The corner of Xian's mouth twitched.

He had not forgotten why he had come here. He needed to quickly acquire the "common sense" of this world's nobles so that he could clearly understand his current circumstances, identity, and what he needed to do.

"There are far more books here than I imagined."

Xian moved through the layers upon layers of bookshelves. Looking at the dizzying piles of books, he could not help sighing in admiration.

One could imagine that over the past century, generation after generation of Hughes Family heads had likely spared no effort in collecting books to amass so many in a world with a setting resembling the Middle Ages.

"But with so many books, how am I supposed to find the ones I need?"

Xian rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.

The bookshelves in this library did not seem to be categorized. If he searched one book at a time, he might not find what he wanted before nightfall.

If only there were a librarian. As he thought of a solution, Xian unconsciously paced back and forth between the shelves.

"Wait, what's that?"

He stopped and looked toward a gap between the bookshelves.

Through the gap, he saw an exquisite hammock. Someone seemed to be lying in it.

"Did Viscount Hughes really arrange for a librarian here?"

With that thought in mind, Xian went around the bookshelves and walked toward the hammock.

Only after getting closer did he clearly see the person lying in it.

She was a girl who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen. Her silver-white hair cascaded over the edge of the vine-woven hammock like a waterfall, its strands gleaming faintly under the sunlight by the window.

Her face was barely larger than an adult's palm. Her lightly pursed lips were as tender as newly blooming cherry blossoms, faint blue veins showed beneath her porcelain-white skin, and her long silver-white eyelashes trembled slightly.

She was curled up in the hammock, her pale pink satin nightgown slipping down to the bend of her knees, revealing calves as white as fresh snow and finely proportioned bare feet.

What a cute girl!

Xian could not help exclaiming inwardly.

Although Anlìyà was also beautiful, hers was a gentle, soft, intellectual sort of beauty that made people fall for her without realizing it, yet did not stir excessively profane desires.

But the girl before him was different. Her silver-white hair and petite, flawless figure were practically a devastatingly effective weapon against a certain group on Blue Star. She possessed a charm that tempted the soul like... a devil.

Xian had no doubt that if this girl had been born on Blue Star, merely posting a candid photo on TikTok would have countless two-dimensional game companies crying and begging her to become their spokesperson.

"Still, it looks like she isn't the librarian."

Xian glanced at the white text above her head and sighed softly.

"Noble."

If nothing unexpected happened, this girl should be a member of Viscount Hughes's family, perhaps his daughter or younger sister.

"I'll keep looking through the shelves."

Just as Xian was about to leave, the sleeping girl's eyelashes fluttered. She let out several kitten-like whimpers, then slowly sat up and stretched.

She slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of slightly dazed heterochromatic eyes.

Her left eye was scarlet like blood, while her right was pale like ash. The two utterly different colors formed a breathtaking beauty upon her delicate, palm-sized face.

The girl lightly propped herself up, and one strap of her nightgown slipped slightly from her shoulder, revealing a patch of snowy-white skin.

Perhaps because she had only just woken up and her mind had not caught up yet, she stared blankly at Xian before her, as adorable as a cat.

"What beautiful eyes." x2 Xian and the girl said in unison.

"Huh?"

Both froze, a flicker of surprise crossing their faces.

"Y-You!"

The girl was about to ask a question when she suddenly noticed the words above Xian's head—"Heir to a Kingdom of 1.4 Billion Citizens."

Her pupils suddenly contracted, and the "you" that had nearly slipped out instantly became an honorific.

Then, with a nimble flip, she leaped down from the hammock and respectfully bowed before Xian.

"Greetings, esteemed Your Highness."

The girl spoke softly. Her voice was somewhat soft and syrupy, making one want to hug her.

"Who are you?" Xian first asked about her identity.

"I am Ilith Hughes, Viscount Hughes's daughter," Ilith replied.

"May I ask why someone as noble as you has appeared here?" Ilith looked around and, only after confirming that this was her family's library, carefully asked.

"If you do not wish to answer, that is fine as well. Someone as esteemed as you should be asking me questions, not the other way around," Ilith added.

While speaking, she secretly glanced several times at the Status Blessing above Xian's head. Then she put her right hand behind her back and fiercely pinched her waist to feel the pain, only then confirming that she was not in the Dreamscape.

But if this was not a Dreamscape, why did the young man before her, with eyes as beautiful as obsidian, possess such an unimaginably noble Status Blessing? 1.4 Billion... Even the combined populations of the three great human kingdoms of Sossia, Milan, and Rhine would absolutely not reach such a terrifying number.

And for such an important figure to appear in her family's library was simply too bizarre.

"I am Mingyu Xia. At your father Viscount Hughes's invitation, I will be staying at Black Wolf Castle for a while," Xian said calmly.

"I see. This is the Hughes Family's utmost honor. I hope you have a pleasant stay."

Ilith instinctively wanted to lift her skirt in salute, but after reaching out her hand, she realized she was currently wearing a nightgown. Her snowy-white face immediately flushed faintly red.

Her hand hung awkwardly in midair, unable to lift it and unable to lower it.

If she bowed, she would expose too much skin. But if she did not bow, and this esteemed prince took it as disrespect, then she would suffer a complete "social death" within noble circles.

"There is no need to bow. Can you help me with something?" Xian seemed to notice her embarrassment and spoke lightly.

"It would be my honor, Your Highness," Ilith hurriedly replied.

"I want to find books about mythology. Do you know which bookshelf they are on in this library?" Xian asked.

"Books about mythology are generally on the third shelf of the seventh row," Ilith thought for a moment before answering.

"Thank you."

Xian's eyes lit up, and he quickly headed toward the seventh row of bookshelves.

In a world where gods truly existed and looked down upon all living beings, what could be more fascinating than mythology?