In the northern district of Berely, at the very edge near the western city wall, lay a vast area surrounded by green shade. Several ancient, unadorned buildings stood amid green trees and red walls, exuding the weathered air of history. This was the Royal Library of the Gallic Empire, a place nearly forgotten by ninety-nine percent of Berely's people.
When the Hundred-Year Land-Island War broke out, everyone in the world had nothing but slaughter, war, violence, and conflict in their hearts. Who would come to a library to read?
After the Hundred-Year Land-Island War ended, Louis XIII vigorously developed the economy. All the Empire's citizens worked desperately to earn money, to build up their family fortunes, to claw their way upward. Who had the leisure or inclination to read?
After Louis XIII abdicated and Holy Light I ascended the throne, the Empire became even more aggressive. Its economy advanced by leaps and bounds, it expanded its military and prepared for war without cause, and the entire society sank into restlessness. The nobles busied themselves drowning in wine and dreams, the common folk devoted themselves to pleasure, and even the tough men of the streets were busy seizing turf and raking in gold coins. Fewer still were willing to come here and leaf through those old relics.
These days, the Royal Library received fewer than a hundred visitors a day. Most were old scholars from Berely University City, coming here only to consult ancient texts for their various papers and researches. As for the younger lecturers and professors, they were busy attending high-society banquets, taking part in academic salons, publishing their own books to elevate their academic standing...
These young people had no mood for reading either.
Thus, the Royal Library became exceedingly quiet—quiet as a graveyard deep in an autumn