Desperate Souls

The room was pitch-black. Green couldn't make out a thing. He frowned, and a ball of light flew from his hand, casting a white glow as it drifted to the center of the stone chamber.

In its light, Green could finally see inside. The chamber was cylindrical, roughly thirty square meters in area and three meters high.

Several Fluorescent Stones were set into the ceiling, but their energy had long since run out. They no longer gave off any light.

The room had almost no furnishings. Most of its interior was smooth, ash-gray stone, clearly polished. A round stone table stood in the center, surrounded by several round stools.

To the right of the table was a bed, also carved from stone.

To the left stood what caught Green's eye most: a stone bookshelf, still standing firm. Several black-covered books rested on it. Perhaps because the room had been sealed without air, time had not destroyed them.

Green's eyes lit up, and he went straight over.

He reached the shelf and was about to take out a book when he stopped.

"No, no. That could damage the books."

The books looked intact, but they might crumble at a touch like the scrolls in the Mission Zone.

Green sent out his Mental Power and scanned their contents, carefully recording everything inside. The language was unfamiliar. It differed from Continental Common Language, though the two were clearly related.

After a moment's thought, Green realized that Continental Common Language must have changed over time.

He transmitted the information to the Chip outside, which immediately began comparing and translating it.

Only then did Green carefully take the books from the shelf. Their pages seemed to be made of some kind of hide. They did not crumble as he had feared; when he gently rubbed