Chapter 139: Literary Concerns (2/2)
He followed that with a basic compendium of alchemical recipes, which included a rather lengthy discussion of the various kinds of equipment used in the practice. This would give him a good idea what to base his shopping list on.
With his first two selections decided, Mike had a hard time figuring out the third. There were three works that had caught his eye. First was an introductory martial arts manual for an unarmed combat style, which seemed useful considering his long streak of broken weapons. Next, there was a volume covering the basics of Scrivening, the practice of charging written works with magic that could be discharged at a later time. Finally, there was a tome which dealt with the proper wear and fitting of leather based armors.
He had been looking at this last one out of curiosity, since he was a little confused why something like that would be included in the restricted section. However, that changed when he read through the introduction, which called the book 'a tool to guide future warriors through the process of mastering their armor skills.'
[Wait…there are skills for that?]
Mike had largely given up on wearing armor, since every enemy he'd fought up to this point had been able to punch through it without any issue. He'd had a vague notion that he must be doing something wrong, but finally decided that focusing on dodging would be a more effective method of avoiding damage. Besides, anything he couldn't avoid or resist with his natural endurance, would be taken care of by his regeneration. However, if there was a skill based method of improving the utility of armor, it may be worth considering.
Thus, he engaged in a deep internal debate.
Finally, Mike decided to go with the book on Scrivening, which would hopefully give him some insight into the Artifice skill he needed to make storage items. Additionally, having the ability to store spells in a consumable object would go a long way to helping with his mana problems.
Besides, it wasn't like the war was going to kick off this week. He should have more than enough time to get the benefit of the book and exchange it for one of a more martial leaning.
Before leaving, he took some time to look for information on Wyrms, hoping to get some idea of what to expect with his familiar. Unfortunately, there were only a few generalized mentions of them, which either lacked details or gave horrible inaccurate ones. He figured that he would have to explore the higher level restricted sections for better information.
While he was checking out, he waved to Rusilka, who was busy dealing with a rude customer. She returned the gesture half-heartedly with a resigned expression on her face. It looked like there were some definite downsides to her job.
The dwarf mouthed, 'Kill me,' before focusing once more on the long list of complaints the middle aged woman was leveling at her. He caught a few pieces of it from where he was standing, and it seemed like she was whining about not having access to the restricted section.
Rusilka broke in long enough to mention something in a forcibly calm voice, which only caused the annoying woman to complain louder.
[Looks like customer service is a pain in every world.] He thought while walking over.
”Excuse me ma'am, what seems to be the problem here?” He asked in a confident voice.
The woman started, momentarily blushing as his Charisma took over, before launching her diatribe. ”Like I was telling this rude receptionist, I was prevented from accessing the restricted section for some reason. As the wife of the heir to the Westwood Barony, I should be well within my rights to access any book I please.”
Mike glanced over at Rusilka, and took note of the disgusted shaking of her head. Obviously, the future baroness had an unreasonable impression of her own power, and would not listen to reason when it was presented to her.
Luckily, Mike had seen this type of person before, and he knew just how to deal with them. ”I'm sorry to hear that ma'am, I'm sure this is all some kind of mistake. If you happen to have your copy of the Form 382-B, I'll see about getting this worked out.”
”Form what?” The woman asked, suddenly out of her depth.
”Form 382-B, the Request for Expanded Access form. You should have received it after checking in at the Administration building.” He explained quickly. ”If you have your copy on hand, we can get this straightened out quickly.”
”Why, I never got any copies of any forms! Is this going to be a problem?”
”Not at all ma'am, I'm sure there was some mistake during your check in process. There is a relatively simple procedure to correct this issue. You simply need to bring a copy of Form 783-D to the Archives in the basement of the Administration building, and they will be able to provide you a copy of your 382-B.”
”Oh good heavens, where should I go about finding that one?” She asked, starting to get exasperated.
”That one is easy. You just need to report to the guard post in front of the University at six bells precisely. They close quickly, so don't be late. It's a relatively simple process, assuming you bring along three different types of identification, proof of nobility, and-”
”Forget it!” The woman yelled, cutting him off, before storming out while grumbling about 'overly complicated bureaucracy.'
”Thanks for that.” Rusilka said with a laugh. ”But you know she's going to be right back here in a few days complaining about the same thing.”
”Are you working then?” He replied with a mischievous smile.
She just laughed again. ”Good point.”
”Anyway, I've got important things to do today, so I better be off.” He said with a wave as he started walking away.
Returning the gesture again, she called after him, ”By the way, impersonating a staff member can lead to a lifetime ban from the library. Just for your information.”
Stumbling slightly, he quickly resumed walking, not willing to give the satisfaction of looking back to see if she was kidding.