The Sphinx returned to the table, climbing onto the sacks of coins, ready to resume our interrupted conversation.
"You don't look so good yourself. Here, take a sip," the Sphinx said kindly.
From under the table, he pulled out a glass and poured me two fingers of amber-colored drink from his bottle.
"Is it alcoholic?" I asked cautiously.
I had nothing against alcohol, but I didn't know the Academy's rules regarding drinks. In my delicate situation, I didn't want to take any risks.
"Alcohol?" the Sphinx laughed. "No, boy. Only common folk who can't afford magical drinks consume spirits. Drink without fear—it has no unpleasant effects."
I downed the drink in a single gulp. It had a pleasant taste, with a faint aroma that reminded me of a mix between citrus and rum.
Suddenly, a series of visions flooded my mind, as if I had plunged into a dream. I was the great Ramses II, and people bowed before me, hailing me as pharaoh and god. I was Ramses II at the Battle of Kadesh, singlehandedly scattering my enemies and turning the initial failure into a resounding victory. Carried on a litter by slaves, I marched triumphantly before my troops, wearing the double crown of Egypt on my head. Then, still as Ramses II, I was on a luxurious boat gliding down the Nile, sipping a fragrant wine while musicians sang of my glorious deeds.
I felt every triumph and every ounce of greatness in my own body. The vision hadn't lasted more than half a minute, but I already felt much better. That brief experience in the skin of Ramses II made me more optimistic and bold.
"Wonderful drink," I said. "I noticed the Dean drinks something similar."
The Sphinx snorted dismissively, wrinkling his nose.
"The Dean can only afford cheaper drinks like Caesar or Scipio—not Ramses. I don't like wasting money either, but magical drinks are the only indulgence I allow myself."
"How is the library organized?" I asked, mostly to keep the conversation going.
"The first room," the Sphinx replied, "holds the books students need most often for study. That's where the manuals are kept, along with important works written by the Academy's great mages."
"Do mages publish often?"
"Oh, absolutely! The more you publish, the more important you become as a mage. The Dean wrote The Magic of the Higher Spheres a few years ago, but it's such a hermetic treatise that no one's managed to understand a single spell from it, let alone apply one. Naturally, don't mention that to the Dean. On the contrary, if you want to win his favor, tell him you read the book and it helped you immensely. He loves flattery."
I mentally noted the Sphinx's suggestion.
"The second room contains books that aren't useful for study but are still in demand. Young folks sometimes come asking for books with cosmetic or love spells. Cupid's Bow and Cleopatra's Skin are among the most popular."
I figured I had no need for such books, given my situation.
"And what's in the third room?"
The Sphinx's face twisted with disgust.
"The third room holds miscellaneous spell books. If I get a book that doesn't match the themes of the first two rooms, I send it to the third hall. I think tens of thousands of volumes have piled up there since I've been here."
I tried to imagine how many thousands of books had accumulated in the third room over time.
"I see... and how do you keep track of them all?"
The Sphinx's nostrils flared in indignation.
"Keep track of thousands of books no one reads? What would be the point? I'm not crazy! I'm here to make money, not to waste my time on useless tasks. Remember this, boy: happiness comes not from books, but from money."
He downed the rest of his drink and continued in a slightly irritated tone:
"I haven't set foot in the third room for centuries. If I have a book to send there, I don't even bother walking. I just cast a spell and the book flies there on its own. Where exactly it ends up—I don't care, and I don't want to know."
"But that ledger in front of you— isn't it a book catalog?" I asked naively.
"No, boy," the Sphinx laughed. "That's where I record all the debtors, with the amounts they've borrowed and the interest accrued. I assure you, I keep a very strict record, and no one's ever managed to cheat me out of even a single brass coin. Speaking of which, how is money in the Opposite World?"
It was hard for me to explain our whole monetary system, so I opted for the simplest possible answer:
"We no longer use gold much. Almost all our money is paper."
I rummaged through my pockets and handed the Sphinx a five-dollar bill.
"Paper money? Not gold or silver?" The Sphinx's face now showed a mix of horror and dread as he examined the bill. "And it still has value?"
"Well, its value does drop a lot over time," I admitted.
"That's what I thought. For all our sakes, I hope the king doesn't hear of this. Paper money would be the worst thing that could happen to our kingdom. Much worse than a few years ago, when the king decided to reduce the gold in our coins from seven parts in ten to just five. Please, don't mention your paper money to anyone else."