Renee's Memories in a Dream

The air was cold and dry, and a chill clung to Xia Lun's skin. Before he opened his eyes, he smelled cedar. Along with it came a loneliness that hung over his heart like mist.

His eyes snapped open. Hard, cool gray bricks surrounded him, with pale brown bookshelves tucked between their rough seams. Books filled the shelves, their varied pages giving off the old scent of ink steeped in years.

Is this a library? Xia Lun raised his head and quickly took stock of his surroundings.

He looked left and saw a small window. Beyond it, a huge sun was setting. Its last orange-red light outlined the clustered buildings of Longeryasi City in blood red and cast the window's shadow before him.

The shadow of the window frame on the floor reminded Xia Lun of a black cage.

"This must be a tower."

He pushed back his chair, stood, and looked right.

Unlike the empty space to his left, rows of bookshelves crowded his right. More than a dozen rows crossed one another in a maze, with a wooden door at the far end.

His gaze swept over the packed shelves and the even more tightly packed books. Xia Lun immediately understood how to acquire Erudition, the powerful perk that raised Intelligence.

There was nothing to it. He just had to read like mad!

After a moment's thought, Xia Lun decided to look outside before reading. There were too many books to finish anytime soon.

He headed for the wooden door at the end of the shelves.

A cold wind blew, making the window creak. The shelves' scent of pine wood reached his nose, and soon he arrived at the door.

He pushed it, but the door stood as firm as the toughest plate armor.

Xia Lun fell silent