Hand-copying was ultimately limited in efficiency.
Fortunately, the improvements to his Physique brought about by activating all three "Physique" skills had begun to show over the past few days.
Deeper sleep had raised his brain's daytime performance by a level, with the most direct effect being his memory.
The memory enhancement provided by [Scholarship], combined with the improved blood flow to his brain resulting from his better physical foundation, produced a very noticeable effect.
He memorized the parts he could not finish copying, jotted down a few keywords in his notebook, and planned to reconstruct and organize them slowly once he returned to Briston.
When his wrist had grown sore from writing, he looked up at the window.
The Sun had already passed its zenith and shifted considerably westward.
It was probably a little after one in the afternoon.
He set down his pen, rubbed his wrist, and walked to the window to rest his eyes.
Outside, two old men sat on a bench playing chess, taking a long time to consider every move.
Two cups of tea sat beside the chessboard. The steam on their surfaces had long since vanished, yet neither old man reached for his cup.
When he turned back from the window, he noticed that someone new had appeared in the reading area on the first floor.
The man sat near the south window, with a porcelain cup and a plate of biscuits set before him.
The signs in the library clearly stated, "No food or drink."
The elderly librarian glanced at him from behind the counter, frowned, and said nothing.
Richard recognized the man's profile.
Phillips—the one from Harrow School who had placed fourth in the Cicero Cup.
And the one who always managed to get tea.
He was reclining deep in a soft leather