Ruger had still misjudged his reading speed. It took him twice as long as he had expected to thoroughly conquer this dim Library. Every speck of dust here had picked up his scent. Fortunately, he no longer shed fur. Had he come here as an Apprentice, he was certain his fur would have found its way into the cracks between every stone slab.
The recliner creaked.
Ruger lay comfortably on it. He had moved to another Library.
This Library was larger and more eclectic, possibly full of surprises. By eclectic, he naturally did not mean the arrangement of the books. They were all neatly ordered and well cared for. There had been another, smaller Library he could visit, much smaller even than the previous one. That was also the one Family Head Phyllis had chiefly intended to open to him, but he had chosen this one.
In a certain sense, smaller also meant more precious.
Yet he had still chosen this eclectic place.
"A fine choice," Immanuel said, sitting beside him with his head lowered over a book. "For a Wizard, many things cannot be ranked as superior or inferior. Many things can prove helpful when you least expect them to. But their approach is perfectly understandable, too. They are a Wizard Family, a Wizard faction. From a faction's perspective, things naturally have to be assigned different values. Only then can the organization function."
"Your choice of this place shows that you are already a Wizard of great wisdom."
Immanuel spoke without even looking up, then fell silent and focused on the task in his hands.
The unexpected praise made Ruger scratch his head in embarrassment.
He really had not thought that deeply about it.
He had simply thought this place would be more interesting. This Library contained quite a