Ray was following Alicia towards the library, but as a mother, Diana obviously noticed that Ray looked pale and seemed to have gone through something.
And so, she decided to ask him directly in Earth language, "What has happened to you in the Iron Vault?"
Ray looked at his mother and said, "I got an awesome weapon that needs some of my blood. I'll tell you the details later after we get home."
He spoke with excitement, as if he had stars in his eyes. Diana understood and didn't say anything further. Alicia looked at them with interest, wanting to know what they were talking about. After some time, Ray went inside the library with Diana and Alicia to meet the librarian.
Upon entering the gate, Ray stared at all the books and scrolls on the shelves. He had never seen such a wonderful sight before. The library was massive, with tens of thousands of books and scrolls. He couldn't take his eyes off the magnificent view.
Seeing Ray's reaction made Alicia feel proud of their library, but in Diana's eyes, it was amusing. She knew how much Ray loved books. Back at home, the library was his second home. Once he got into books, it was very hard to get him out.
Ray looked at Alicia and said, "Your Highness, three days is too short for me to finish all this. How about 30 years? Let's make it 30 years instead of three days."
Hearing Ray, both Alicia and Diana started to giggle. Alicia then said in a teasing voice, "You rejected my offer of marrying my daughter. If you had said yes, then that would have been possible. Only royals and their spouses are allowed."
Ray shivered hearing that and looked at his mother. And, as expected, his mother was shocked and reacted right away—getting down on her knees, holding Ray's shoulders, and asking, "You did what?"
Ray continued shivering, looking sideways, and said, "I didn't reject any offer, Ma. I just said to give Alice a chance and not give her to a boy she might not like in the future. Her true love may not be me. As a woman, you should understand how unfair an arranged marriage can be. So, if Alice and I are meant to be in the future, then we are meant to be together. Let fate decide. We're only six years old, Ma."
Hearing his explanation, Diana narrowed her eyes even more, looking into her son's. Ray, still looking away and pretending his mother wasn't staring at him, knew she had caught on. She knew her son's thoughts like the back of her hand and said in Earth language, "You think I don't know what you're trying to do?"
Ray sighed and said the one sentence that always worked on his mother, "I love you, Ma; I'll work hard."
Diana chuckled and let him go, seeing the boy trying to act cute. She gave him a small knock on the head and let it slide.
At that moment, no one noticed that a man sweeping to the side asked, "So, Your Highness Alicia, what brings you to the library? I thought no one but royals and their spouses was allowed in here."
Everyone turned to look at the old man, who looked as though he had lived for a very long time. Ray, on the other hand, sensed something similar to what he had felt in the vault. It was an ancient feeling, as if the man had lived through ages.
Seeing the library caretaker, Alicia replied, "It's true that we're not allowed to bring outsiders unless the king gives them permission. Here is the pass the king gave, granting little Ray the right to read."
Alicia brought out the pass, which looked like a talisman. The caretaker looked at it and nodded. Then he looked at Ray and said, "So, boy, you have only three days. What types of books would you like to read?"
Ray immediately said, "I would like to read anything related to ancient relics or inventors. I would also like to learn different kinds of languages, from ancient to present."
Hearing Ray's answer surprised everyone—both the ladies and the caretaker. They hadn't expected this little kid's interests to be so unique.
The caretaker shook his head and said, "This pass doesn't allow you into the inventors' section. But you can read about relics and languages. That room over there has the relic and language section."
Ray was shocked to hear that there were more books inside a room. So he asked, "Are there more books inside the room? How many books are there in this library?"
The librarian looked at the shelves, as if drifting into the past, then returning to the present. After a short pause, he looked at Ray and said, "Five hundred thousand four hundred and ninety-three books."
He then said to Alicia and Diana, "Only little Ray is allowed to follow me into that section. You may come back after three days or read books like the princes and princesses in the surrounding areas. It's up to you."
Ray looked around and noticed a few royal princes and princesses scattered about. Some were not royals themselves but the spouses of royals. Then he noticed the librarian allowed Diana to read as well, so he asked Diana directly, "Why are you allowed to read, Ma?"
Alicia chuckled, and Diana blushed, but Alicia replied, "Remember I told you your mother almost half-destroyed the kingdom? Instead of giving rights to sell her formation, she took the right from the king to enter the library whenever she wants."
Ray felt proud and said, "Maybe in the future, I'll do the same."
Diana and Alicia chuckled at Ray's reaction, but Alicia reprimanded him, telling him not to do that ever. Then Ray was taken into the library's inner room by the caretaker.
Ray looked at the caretaker and asked, "How many books are there? Will I be able to finish all of them in three days, I wonder?"
The caretaker looked at Ray and said, "There are 105,976 books related to languages and 43,943 books related to relics. I can sense that you have the soul power of a 6th Wood Stage Soul Cultivator. There's a relic over there—if you can absorb it, you'll be allowed to enter our Ancient Time Formation. Inside that formation, one day equals three months. If you gain nine months' worth of time, you might barely be able to read all these books. I'll give you one extra day, making it a year for you, if you can take that relic."
Ray was shocked at first, hearing the number of books, but when he realized the caretaker could see through his soul cultivation—despite his mother's protective formation—he was beyond shocked. Ray now believed that the caretaker might be even stronger than King Daymond. But he didn't want to talk about that now.
Ray walked toward the relic, fired up by the challenge. His eyes burned with determination at the thought of getting a whole year's worth of time to read all those books. To gain knowledge is the real treasure here.