Book Classification and Indexing

A year later, in the scorching heat of July, Peter stood beneath the shade of a tree in the front yard, giving a lecture. His disciples stood or sat around him, all listening attentively.

"In the earliest days, humanity lived like beasts, eating raw meat and drinking blood. Legend says that Goddess of Hope Medila stole heavenly fire and passed it on to mankind, allowing us to emerge from ignorance. Yet fire alone was not enough to resist the monsters ravaging the entire continent. Humanity could only huddle in one corner of the continent and struggle to survive. It was the gods who left behind their bloodlines, giving birth to heroes who led our ancestors in driving away the monsters and establishing countless city-states."

Peter spoke beneath the tree, his voice rising and falling with emotion.

"Only nobles may possess surnames and bear the names of gods upon themselves. A surname is the outward manifestation of their bloodline, and noble coats of arms gradually formed from this. Now, let us explore the secrets of surnames and heraldry together..."

Ace listened to Peter's lecture below, but his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere. Over the past year, he had essentially finished reading Peter's collection, broadly studying books on law, theology, arithmetic, rhetoric, medicine, art, folklore, strange tales, monster illustrations, compendiums of heroes, and more. His knowledge had expanded greatly.

After talking with his senior brothers and sisters and confirming that the city-state had no reference books such as book indexes or dictionaries, he decided to compile a book index and a dictionary himself as stepping stones for advancement.

One had to become famous early. Cultural renown could provide him with the best camouflage and earn him prestige among the city-state's upper ranks.

He took a thread-bound parchment book sewn by Marina from his robe. Written on it were the words: "Book Classification and Indexing, by Ace."

Based on the existing academic disciplines in the city-state and combined with the classification and indexing methods from his previous life, he had written this reference book to guide book classification, storage, and library management.

This book would be of little use to most people, but it would be very useful to Peter and greatly benefit the management of the City-State Public Library and Royal Library as well. It was his calling card for leaving a deep impression on Peter.

The next day, after asking Joan and confirming that Peter was home, Ace went to the third floor and respectfully knocked on the door.

"It's little Ace. Is there something you still don't understand about the heraldry we learned yesterday? Come in, and we can discuss it slowly." Peter opened the door and spoke kindly to Ace.

In his impression, Ace was an exceptionally diligent and inquisitive student—polite and serious. Even rarer, Ace was not only intelligent but humble as well, which suited Peter's temperament perfectly.

Ace followed Peter into the study and gave a slight bow. "Teacher, over the past year, I have read through the books in your collection and improved greatly. I discovered that once there are too many books, they become difficult to find and manage. Therefore, I compiled a book on how to classify and index books. I hope you will offer your criticism and guidance."

"Our little Ace truly is a man with ideas. Let me have a look." Peter casually accepted the book from Ace. On its cover, neat Flying Bird Script read: "Book Classification and Indexing, by Ace."

His handwriting is not bad. He has about one-third of my skill, and the book looks fairly presentable too. Peter thought as he flipped through it.

As he continued reading, Peter's expression gradually turned serious. On the title page, Ace had raised many practical problems that truly existed in book management. That was nothing unusual—over the past year, he had earned the nickname "Inquisitive Ace" among his classmates and was well known for loving to raise questions.

Peter had considered many of the questions Ace raised as well, but he had never found particularly good solutions. To his surprise, Ace had provided detailed solutions in the book and had even specifically proposed library management methods at the end, establishing meticulous standards for library administration.

These methods had not yet been put into practice, but many of them were eye-opening to Peter.

"The ideas in your book are excellent, but only by walking the road can one know whether it is smooth or muddy. From now on, you will manage my private collection for one month and put your methods into practice. If the results are good, I will give you a generous reward and recommend your methods and book to the Royal Library and City-State Public Library."

"I would be honored to serve you, Teacher Peter." This was exactly what Ace had been waiting to hear. Only by managing books well could he demonstrate the distinction of a cultured man, gain initial prestige among the citizens, and lay the foundation for compiling the dictionary next.

Ace immediately got to work. After taking over the collection, he divided the existing books into three major categories: theology, society, and general studies. Each category was further divided into several subcategories, arranged in sequence using combinations of thirty-two letters and numbers.

Different bookshelves and different shelf levels were marked with small vellum cards bearing their corresponding classifications. Every book in the collection was catalogued by category, with records kept of its edition, subject, shelf location, and more.

Once the work was complete, Peter and his disciples clicked their tongues in amazement as they looked at the orderly collection. Books could be found quickly, management was standardized, borrowing and use were registered, and records were preserved at all times. It was rigorous and efficient. The advanced book management methods soon won over Peter and his disciples.

A month passed quickly. In Peter's collection room, Peter and Morton inspected the library Ace had managed.

"I always considered my collection extensive, yet after your classification, many categories still have empty spaces. For example, I have not preserved any books on fighting techniques. Your methods have given me great inspiration, and your work this past month has been outstanding. Here are ten Gold Talers, as encouragement for your brilliant ideas and rigorous methods."

Peter spoke with emotion as he handed Ace a bag of Gold Talers. By the city-state's prices, one Gold Taler was roughly enough to support a family of three for a year. Ten Gold Talers were indeed an enormous sum for Ace.

Ace did not decline. Peter had always taught them that Knowledge Has Value and that there should be Equivalent Exchange. This was entirely in line with Peter's principles.

"Tomorrow, I will meet with the Grand Minister of Culture and Education and recommend that the Royal Library and City-State Public Library adopt your book management methods as well. Let us call it the Ace Book Management Method."

Peter turned and left, with Morton following close behind. Before stepping out, Morton looked back and gave Ace a broad smile.

The collection room returned to its rotation system. After Ace helped teach several senior brothers and sisters on rotation how to use the new management system, he became completely free. He began concentrating on compiling the "Common Tongue Dictionary."

He had already gained some understanding of the city-state's system. Any act that contributed to the city-state could be converted into equivalent military merit, so earning Citizenship did not necessarily require personally beheading ten enemies.

As he proofread word meanings and organized commonly used words, time flew by. After the two major libraries adopted the Ace Book Management Method, book management indeed improved dramatically, and the reward soon arrived.

Carter, dressed in a black belted robe and carrying a bag of Gold Talers, arrived at Peter's villa. Carter had obtained Citizenship just last month and was now eligible for higher-ranking public office. Unfortunately, there were no vacancies for the Assistant Judge position he wanted, so he could only work at the Ministry of Culture and Education for the time being.

"Ace, congratulations. I never expected that the first task in my new post would be delivering your reward. Your Ace Book Management Method received high praise from the Grand Minister of Culture and Education. Here are twenty Gold Talers and a Bronze City-State Contribution Badge. This badge is equivalent to the military merit of beheading three people, bringing you one step closer to Citizenship."

"Congratulations to you as well, Senior Carter. Your new uniform suits you very well."

"Because of your methods, the Ministry of Culture and Education discovered that there are still many gaps in the libraries' collections. Starting next month, we plan to select and collect valuable rare books for copying to enrich the two major libraries. We would like to hire you to oversee book selection and classification. Would you be interested?"

Carter spoke loudly in a hearty voice. It was clear that he was in an excellent mood.

"It would be my honor. I would be delighted."

Ace answered with a slight bow.