Chapter 43: Barus

The next day, I went to school about ten minutes earlier than usual.

The morning fog was hazy, and the sky was still early, but both factories and street vendors had already started their busy day.

The giant machine named Dunke City had already begun to warm up.

Walking through the school gate, I couldn't see many students around, only a few scattered figures in various directions.

But none of them were my target.

The morning light was dim, my steps were light yet firm, and my gaze searched the surroundings, looking for those discordant figures on campus.

I was looking for those workers.

Amidst the swirling mist, I saw a blurry figure, a man in work clothes.

He was struggling to push a handcart full of boxes, and the surface of the cart was covered with a cloth, as if he didn't want others to know what was being transported inside.

Seeing this, my brow furrowed slightly, and I quietly followed.

Relying on the assassination memories I had acquired in my mind, I muffled my footsteps and followed behind the man.

As I got closer, a faint smell drifted into my nostrils on the morning breeze—it was the smell of old paper.

I had smelled this scent on Veronica countless times and was thoroughly familiar with it.

“Is it really books....?”

My brow furrowed slightly as I followed him all the way to the warehouse.

I stood at a distance and watched quietly, discovering that the warehouse, which was supposed to be used for storing miscellaneous items and equipment, was now filled with several of these cloth-covered boxes.

If I wasn't mistaken, those things were all books.

But looking at the size and number of the boxes, there were far too many books.

This was not the quantity it should be for government-issued new textbooks.

I wanted to walk up and take a closer look, but just then, the warehouse manager seemed to have spotted me and walked over quickly.

“Hey, little girl, what are you doing here?”

Seeing this, I suppressed my inner panic and put on an innocent smile.

“Good morning, sir—I was just taking a walk.”

“It's time for class, you'd better go back to your classroom.”

The manager reminded, his tone normal.

But in my eyes, this manager's soul was entangled with a lot of filth.

That filth waved about like tentacles, baring fangs and brandishing claws.

“I understand.”

I nodded, pretending to be obedient, and turned to leave.

Then, as if out of curiosity, I turned my head back to look at him: “Has the government issued us new reading materials and textbooks again?”

Hearing this, the manager was slightly taken aback, then he nodded.

“Yes, there have been some adjustments to the curriculum recently, so some textbooks need to be replaced.”

“Is that so....”

Hearing the answer, I responded softly, an innocent smile still on my face.

“Then I'm really looking forward to it.”

With that, I turned and left, walking towards the school building.

The manager's gaze followed my back until I disappeared around the corner.

Inside the classroom.

Sunlight slanted through the windows onto the desks, and students had already started to arrive in the classroom.

I sat in my seat, replaying everything I had just seen in my mind.

“How could a warehouse manager possibly know about the school's teaching arrangements....”

I said softly, “And the filth on him.... he must have at least a few lives on his hands. I'm afraid that manager was replaced by the Omniscience Society long ago.”

“What was replaced?”

Just as I was mumbling to myself, Vilnia walked up behind me.

“Good morning, Mel.”

“Good morning, Vilnia.”

I was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and greeted her.

Vilnia smiled slightly, then sat down next to me, “What did you just say was replaced?”

“The warehouse manager.”

I didn't hide anything and told Vilnia about my recent experience.

“The things those workers have been transporting these past few days are all books. Oliver told me that the people from the Omniscience Society use ink mixed with spinal fluid to print books, and use these books as props for the god's descent ritual. They believe that by doing so, they can attract the gaze of (Knowledge). Combining that with what you said in the cafeteria yesterday, I think the Omniscience Society really might be planning to use the school as the ritual site.”

Hearing my description, Vilnia's expression also grew heavy.

Just then, the front door of the classroom was pushed open, and Ridel walked in with elegant steps.

He was wearing a dark suit today, impeccably neat.

“Good morning, everyone.”

Ridel's voice was gentle and magnetic, like a cup of rich black tea.

“I've received news that our school has recently acquired many famous literary works. If any of you are interested, you can go to the library to borrow them after school.”

Hearing this, Vilnia and I exchanged a glance, a hint of gravity in both our eyes.

“I know you are all very excited, but next, let's focus our attention on the upcoming lesson, shall we?”

Ridel smiled and calmed the excited students below the podium, then opened his book.

“Let's open our books, it's time for class.”

After the morning classes ended, Vilnia and I immediately set off for the library.

At this moment, neither of us had any appetite to eat; we were desperate to find out what kind of books the Omniscience Society had sent in.

If there was any inductive content inside, it would be troublesome.

When we arrived at the library, we found that there were at least twice as many students reading there as usual.

But fortunately, it was lunchtime, so even with double the number, there were still plenty of empty seats.

Vilnia and I split up, walking cautiously between the bookshelves.

There were obviously many more books on the shelves than before.

The newly arrived books were all neatly placed in conspicuous locations, and at least two-thirds of them were books I had heard of but never read.

At least from the covers, these books seemed fine.

I randomly pulled one down and held it in my hand.

The book's binding was exquisite to the point of being deliberate; each one was crafted like a work of art.

In the current trend of industrialization, this handmade texture seemed somewhat out of place.

I reached out and opened the title page.

A faint rustle came from the friction of the pages, and the paper still felt smooth.

It was just like stroking human skin.

The moment this thought appeared, it made me shudder.

I brought the book to the tip of my nose and sniffed lightly.

Sure enough, these books also had that rusty smell.

I could confirm that these books were from the same batch as the ones Veronica had brought back before.

We found a secluded spot to sit down and continued to flip through the suspicious books.

But to our disappointment, the contents of these books were all normal.

Apart from the obviously strange smell and texture, there was nothing wrong with the content at all.

“These books were clearly printed recently.”

Vilnia said.

“The ink smell on them hasn't dried yet... and there's no insignia from Saint Clement's Lyceum, they were privately printed.”

After a pause, she stood up, took a book, and went to the librarian.

“Hello, student.”

The librarian looked up with a smile.

“Would you like to check out a book?”

“No....”

Vilnia shook her head.

“I would like to know who donated these books, I want to write him a thank-you letter.”

Hearing this, the librarian showed a kind smile.

“Of course you can, student. These books were all personally donated by a Mr. Barus; his daughter also studies here.”

“Barus?”

Vilnia was stunned for a moment, then quickly thought of the person associated with this surname.

Anna Barus.

One of her flock.

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