Lord of Mysteries: The Traveler

{T/N: The schedule for this TRANSLATION has been upgraded to daily uploads... Also, from today onwards, 200 Stones = 1 extra chapter...}

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After seeing off Quevedo, Florent, who was not previously familiar with the Trier National Library, decided to first familiarize himself with each floor.

Once he had a good understanding of the layout, he would then decide which books to read and formulate a more specific plan.

Library classification is a rigorous discipline. Considerable effort has been devoted by renowned scholars to ensuring that readers can easily find the books they might need, allowing them to spend more time reading rather than searching.

This principle holds true wherever books exist, wherever books are valued, and wherever libraries are established, whether on the original Earth or in the current mysticism dominated Earth.

In this world, perhaps because civilization developed on the foundation of the previous Earth's civilization, the classification of libraries is surprisingly similar between the two worlds.

The library's classification system is divided into ten categories:

- General Works

- Theology

- History

- Social Sciences

- Natural Sciences

- Technology·Engineering

- Industry

- Arts

- Language

- Literature

The Trier National Library adds an additional category called 'Livelihood', which is housed on the first floor.

The only difference between the two worlds is that philosophy has been replaced by theology. To this day, philosophy has never separated itself from the realm of theology... This is likely due to the occasional manifestation of divine power in this world.

Even the most famous philosopher in Intis, Gekai Allen, who is often compared to Lurmie of Loen has publicly stated that philosophy is an extension of theology. It is because of theology that philosophy has been able to develop.

In fact, secular philosophers are also staunch supporters of theology, at least outwardly. Lurmie is a devout follower of the 'Lord of Storms' and has been awarded the 'Disciple of Storms' medal, the highest honor for non-clergy followers of the Church of Storms.

Similarly, Gekai Allen is a devout follower of the 'Eternal Blazing Sun' and holds the 'Morning Sun' medal, the highest honor for non-clergy followers of the Church of the 'Eternal Blazing Sun'.

On Earth, there is a saying that defies common sense: "The end of science is philosophy, and the end of philosophy is theology..."

Unfortunately, in this world where gods truly exist, where divine authority completely suppresses secular authority, and where multiple gods oversee the world, this saying has become a reality.

Returning to the library's floor layout, the first floor is dedicated to 'Livelihood'. This category includes books from the remaining nine categories (excluding General Works) that are most likely to turn knowledge into wealth. However, the classification here is less rigorous, and the knowledge covered is relatively superficial.

The second floor is divided into three sections. Upon entering, Florent noticed that the area directly facing the staircase was split into three parts: left, right, and center. The left and right sections are much larger than the center, but the center section is the most important for newcomers to the library, as it houses the General Works.

The General Works section is frequently updated because the library often acquires new books, necessitating regular updates to this section. Sometimes, significant changes are required, especially in this era of rapid technological advancement.

It is worth noting that the majority of General Works are written by followers of the 'God of Steam and Machinery'. After all, compiling General Works requires extensive reading, and in Intis, the Church of Steam and Machinery which has no shortage of Erudites sees this as an excellent way to recruit new followers.

A small portion of General Works is written by followers of the 'God of Knowledge and Wisdom', as some of these works are simply too classic to be ignored.

The left section is dedicated to Theology, while the right section is dedicated to History. Historical records only date back to the beginning of the Fifth Epoch...

Books from the Fourth Epoch have either been burned or exist only as fragmented remnants with unclear meaning. After all, the Fourth Epoch is famously known as the "Epoch of The Gods", a time when gods directly manifested in the world, which might undermine the mystique and power associated with deities in the Fifth Epoch.

<...The reasons are complex, but the main one is that no god directly rules a nation anymore. Additionally, it is related to the changes in how gods acquire faith.

In the Fourth Epoch, divine figures directly manifested, and gods gained faith partly due to their immense power and partly because their ideologies resonated with people.

In the Fourth Epoch, there was no distinction between righteous gods and evil gods, or rather, true gods and evil gods were one and the same. The only distinction was between gods who directly ruled nations and those who did not manifest directly...> ~The Fourth Epoch: The Epoch of The Gods~

'The Fourth Epoch: The Epoch of The Gods' was written by Ron Louis, who lived through the end of the Fourth Epoch and witnessed the changes in how gods acquired faith in the Fifth Epoch.

He published this book in his later years. Unfortunately, shortly after his death, this once-bestselling work was banned by various churches, as it was too damaging to the new world-ruling strategies of the 'Alliance of Righteous Gods'.

What scholars today can access are only fragmented copies. Most people now believe that Ron Louis died at the very beginning of the Fifth Epoch.

The only thing that keeps him remembered is his naming of the Fourth Epoch as the 'Epoch of The Gods', along with his designation of the Third Epoch as 'The Cataclysm Epoch', the Second Epoch as 'The Dark Epoch', the First Epoch as 'The Age of Chaos', and the Fifth Epoch as 'The Iron Age'.

Florent shook his head. This knowledge was ultimately useless. People don't care whether gods have emotions as it has no bearing on their lives...

In fact, one could easily be a casual believer without issue, as no one would scrutinize another's faith... though having some form of faith is still necessary.

Continuing upward, the third floor houses two categories of books: Social Sciences and Natural Sciences. However, the definition of "science" here differs somewhat from the broader definition used on 'Earth'.

The fourth floor is also divided into two categories: Arts and Language. The Language section is relatively smaller, with most of the space dedicated to Arts.

Modern linguistics is divided into Northern Continent languages, Southern Continent languages, and a few regional languages. Although the Southern Continent has yet to be discovered, countless books attest to its existence, a dreamlike utopia.

The fifth floor is entirely dedicated to Literature, featuring works by various authors and poets. The categories are numerous, including novels, poetry, and lyrics.

The sixth floor focuses on Technology and Engineering, while the seventh floor houses books related to Industry...

Emerging disciplines are sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain. Although the sixth and seventh floors are currently less extensive compared to the other five, it is foreseeable that they will soon be filled with new books...

The seven floors of the Trier National Library, in a way, represent the existence of the Seven Gods. After all, the 'God of Steam and Machinery' who rose to prominence last must show deference to the other six gods in subtle ways.

It is also worth mentioning that the library has several expansive underground levels for storing duplicate copies of books, making it easier for borrowers to access them...

However, most books have only one duplicate, with only a few having up to five duplicates. Given the sheer volume of books in the Trier National Library, it is impossible to maintain five duplicates for every book...

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{T/N: As y'all can see, the protagonist is an irredeemable bookworm... I pity those of you who hate this kind of character...}