Grenfell remained lazily reading behind the counter. He wore a thick beard, an old suit, and pince-nez glasses. A faint dust seemed to hang in the air.
But Cyrus did not dare to underestimate him.
If the space behind the door of the History Society was set up by the vice president himself, then who set up this bookstore, which can also only be discovered by the Revelation?
"Good morning, Mr. Glenn," Cyrus said. "I went to the Historical Society yesterday. It was about…"
"Revelation, is that what you mean?" Grenfell yawned. "Who is your guide?"
"...Mr. Carole Hausman".
"Oh, it's little Carol. He's a warm-hearted person, but sometimes a little too warm," Grenfell commented. "Anyway, he'll always be there to help you."
Those eyes gazed lazily at Ciles: "And why have you come looking for me?"
Ciles paused for a moment, then said, "I would like to thank you for giving me that business card."
Grenfell casually placed the book he was reading on the counter, then ran his hand through his hair. The disheveled man said, "Now you know, the power of the Revelation also means danger. Perhaps I gave you this business card with ill intentions?"
"The more dangerous a force is, the more we should look for ways to control it."
Grenfell looked at Cyles with a slightly surprised and somewhat complicated expression. After a moment, he asked, "Is that what you think?" Without waiting for Cyles to speak again, he said, "You are a young man who is even more arrogant than my teacher."
Ciles blinked slowly, somewhat confused.
After a fleeting moment of complex emotion, Grenfell returned to his languid expression and said, "You know my teacher—at least you know his name. Joseph Morton."
Ciles nodded.
Grenfell continued, "I had some disagreements with him, so I left the Historical Society and opened this bookstore… Of course, don't expect me to give you any guidance. Beginners are better off following the Historical Society's approach."
Sirius hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "Mr. Glenn..."
"Glenn".
"...Okay. Glenn, I'd like to ask, is there no hierarchy in the power of the Revelation?"
This was the first question that came to Ciels' mind after hearing Carol's initial explanation. Perhaps because he was used to the leveling-up novels on Earth, he always felt that extraordinary powers should also have a set of orderly levels, and should also have a distinction between strong and weak.
However, Carol's statement seemed somewhat strange. It seemed that with potions, timelines, and the ritual of reenactment, one could borrow the power of the past, no matter how powerful that power might be.
Does borrowing the power of the past come without paying a price? Are there no distinctions of strength or weakness among those who offer revelation?
Sirius's question earned him a complicated look from Grenfell. He said, "Beginners shouldn't aim too high. Why not just listen to little Carol's explanation? Asking me such a stupid question."
He rolled his eyes almost imperceptibly.
Ciles paused, then instinctively said, "I'm sorry..."
"No. You don't have to say that." Grenfell seemed to remember something else. "When I first started studying with my teacher, I was the same way, asking whatever came to mind. Now that I think about it, almost twenty years have passed."
Ciles remained silent, refraining from asking Grenfell what exactly was the disagreement between him and the vice president of the historical society.
Grenfell's sigh lasted only a moment, and then he said, "Potions, timelines, rituals. You should be very clear about these three elements. Potions possess purity, timelines possess completeness, and rituals possess compatibility."
"The three elements and three dimensions are the obstacles you will need to overcome and traverse on your path to enlightenment."
"…I understand," Cyrus replied, then added, "And what about the Revelation Himself?"
Potions, timelines, rituals—aside from rituals requiring the revealer's personal demonstration and reproduction, the former two are essentially external possessions. Does the revealer themselves not possess anything of...high or low rank?
Grenfell gave him a strange look: "Normal enlighteners are already captivated by the magical potions and complex timelines when they first begin their journey. Why are you the only one here agonizing over the nature of power?"
The essence of power...? Ciles suddenly realized.
Indeed, Earth's way of thinking allowed him to pierce through the fog of mystery. What he wanted to know was: Why does the power of the Reveler exist? Why can the Reveler draw power from past history? Are there differences in the magnitude of the power wielded by different Revelers?
"You are very perceptive, a promising scholar... Wait, you said earlier that you studied the literature of the Silent Age?"
After a moment of silence, Ciles finally admitted frankly, "I teach at Ramifa University."
"Teaching… wait, you're a professor at Ramifa University?!" Grenfell looked like he was about to jump out of his chair. "You really are…"
As intellectuals, university professors were highly respected in this era, especially those from the top universities in the Duchy of Constance. Glenfield's stunned expression made Sirius realize for the first time that he had perhaps underestimated his own status as a professor.
However, Grenfell's surprise was short-lived. He earnestly advised, "Since you are studying past literature, you will inevitably come into contact with original manuscripts, first editions, handwritten notes, and the like. You must be extremely careful not to be easily swayed by the power of the revelers."
"I will, thank you for reminding me."
Grenfell added, "As for your question… the Revelation itself. Heh." He gave a slightly sarcastic smile. "You'll understand once you've been in the Historical Society long enough; there's even discussion about this within the Historical Society now."
"The focus, of course, is on the soul of the revealer. Some believe that the soul of the revealer possesses special powers, attributes... or rather, labels. This affects the outcome of their rituals."
"...The initial source of this research was a question that arose among people."
Ciles asked at the opportune moment, "What is your doubt?"
"If we can borrow the power of the past, then why can't we borrow the power of the gods of the past?"
Cyrus was stunned.
Grenfell said meaningfully, "Those fallen gods left behind many timelines. Some revealers tried to reconstruct them, and the final result..." He hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "They either died or went mad."
Is it really that difficult to borrow divine power with human strength? Perhaps many who have received revelation have felt such despair and resentment, so they have finally turned to studying their own power and foundation.
Finally, they seemed to realize that the soul of the Revelation possessed some wondrous properties.
"This research is still ongoing. Once you finish Carole's introductory course, you can try to join the researchers. However, this research remains highly controversial."
Grenfell showed signs of fatigue and frustration.
They were all silent for a moment.
Finally, Grenfell said, "Alright! Don't aim too high, focus on getting started first." He added, "If you have any questions, you can come over and chat with me."
Cyrus thanked him for his kindness.
In his interactions with the two revelers, Carol and Grenfell, Ciles realized that the extraordinary forces in this world, at least those revelers from the History Society, seemed to indeed be of the Lawful Alignment.
They do not abuse their power, and even restrain themselves to some extent, remaining vigilant against power that could get out of control at any time.
Grenfell waved at him and went back to reading. Cyrus glanced at the book in his hands and realized that it was not an old, heavy book, but a brand new one, as if it had just been published.
"Curious?" Grenfell noticed his gaze. "This is the latest work by Antonia Cumming, the city's famous novelist! It's an incredibly thrilling detective novel!"
Detective novel?
Ciles paused for a moment, somewhat interested in the novels of this era, but what interested him even more was whether he could sell words as he had in his previous life.
Soon after, Cyrus left the antique bookstore with an old book by Antonia Cumming, a gift from Grenfell.
Grenfell watched him leave, recalling their two conversations from yesterday and today. After a moment, he sighed cryptically, "You see, teacher, young people today are far more radical and ambitious than we imagine."
"They will not cling to the old ways, nor will they be content to repeat the same paths we have already explored. They will surely enter the realm of the gods, they will surely find their own path, they will surely—"
Grenfell paused for a moment, then muttered to himself, "'The more dangerous a force is, the more we should seek ways to control it.'"
He laughed, but the meaning behind it was unclear.
After a while, he once again buried himself in Antonia Cumming's detective novel, occasionally exclaiming in amazement at the brilliant plots and mysteries.
...This world. For a fleeting, unintentional moment, Grenfell thought this. This world, like Antonia Cumming's novel. It is a fog, a world shrouded in the shadows of history.
After leaving Glenfield Antique Bookstore, Sirles quickly returned to 13 Milford Street.
He confirmed that Mrs. Fein was not using the kitchen at that time, so he went upstairs, put the book that Grenfell had given him aside, and then took the ingredients to the kitchen on the first floor.
He cautiously tasted the sauce he had bought and confirmed that it didn't have any strange smell; at most, it was just a little bland.
Then he boiled water in a pot, made a pot of hot soup, added the base ingredients, salt, vegetables and meat, and simmered it for a long time. When it was finally served, the hot soup with a slightly reddish sheen looked quite good.
He poured the hot soup into his own bowl and placed it in the second-floor room, then tidied up the kitchen. It was almost noon when Mrs. Finn happened to walk into the kitchen to cook.
She noticed that the kitchen was very clean and tidy, so she complimented Ciles, which was unusual for her. Then her expression changed, she hesitated for a moment, and then asked Ciles to wait while she turned around and took a basket of cherries from the side.
Even in this world, cherries are not cheap.
Sirles was taken aback, not understanding why Mrs. Finn was suddenly being so friendly. Mrs. Finn seemed to want to say something, but in the end she just said dryly, "Please take it and eat it, Mr. Noel."
The middle-aged woman's slightly haggard eyes betrayed unease and tension, and she remained hesitant to speak.
Sirius realized that Mrs. Finn seemed to need something from him. She had looked troubled by something for the past two days, and now that trouble seemed to be deepening. That was why she was behaving this ingratiatingly.
But what exactly was the trouble she encountered?
Mrs. Finn ultimately remained silent, so Sirius didn't press the matter. He thanked Mrs. Finn for her kindness, but instead of taking it all, he cautiously grabbed a small handful and put it in his pocket.
He then carried his hot soup upstairs, ate his bread and hot pot, and hastily finished his lunch.
The stomach felt a sense of comfort and pleasure after finally getting a hot meal, and the sweet and sour taste of cherries made this probably the most wonderful meal Ciles had had since coming to this world.
Ciles stood up, glanced out the window—it was drizzling again—and sighed. He washed the dishes and then took a few walks around the room, considering it a stroll.
As he walked, he pondered his lesson plan. That afternoon, he became so engrossed in preparing his lesson that he completely lost track of time.
When he came to his senses, he found that apart from the wall lamp still being lit, the room was already dim.
He quickly turned on the overhead light and stood up to stretch his limbs. He found that he was quite efficient; combining his previous notes with some ideas, he had already completed more than half of the lesson plan for the course "Appreciation of Silent Era Literature".
Of course, that is still different from the actual course, but he was pressed for time and had to finalize the first few lessons first.
Siles was exhausted from being engrossed in his work for so long. He didn't want to go out, so he lay down on the sofa for a while.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the book that Grenfell had given him, so he picked it up and started reading it.