Emperor's Tomb Village, the library.
The library was forever shrouded in dim, yellow light, yet the players inside could see everything clearly.
It was as if the entire space had been immersed in amber stillness, with time deliberately slowed to a crawl.
Towering obsidian bookshelves stood in neat rows like silent sentries, reaching all the way to the vaulted ceiling.
The books displayed on them seemed more like memory crystals storing vast amounts of information.
They contained the roars of the Ancient Battlefield, recorded the epics of lost civilizations, and preserved the whispers of ancient gods... giving players memories that spanned the river of time.
The air was filled with the distinctive scent of spiritual materials mingled with ancient books. Every so often, a bookshelf would tremble slightly, and a heavy book would fall, automatically floating over to a player who had finished searching before dropping into their hands.
Life Throat sat in the reading area at the very back of the library.
His silver hair glimmered faintly in the shadows, and a forum interface floated before him.
Displayed on it was information about the Council of the Underworld that he had organized from forum posts and compiled through his own research.
At that moment, in the guild chat channel...
"Lord of Fate, I'm almost ready to upgrade my Astral Veins. Could you ask for a little less? Unlocking my fifth Astral Vein will significantly boost my strength, and my hunting yields will rise along with it. How about I contribute a little less for now?"
"Lord of Fate, I'm not trying to offend you, but I've only just saved up enough Sacrificial Power to buy a fifth-generation Critical Hit Monster Soul. If I hand it all over to you, I'll have to start from scratch again..."
"That's right, Lord