Mercenary Wars

Chapter 253 Shackleton
After choosing "Otaltaros" as his seventh holy name, Gaucano began to plan his next move.

Now that this holy name has been chosen, summoning the Eye Demon is imperative, and some necessary preparations must be completed as soon as possible.

I also need to make the Lesser Titan Elixir, whether it's to become a bigger "man" or to make things easier when I go to the Asur Cisterns next time.

So he then went to the alchemy library and found several books about Titan Elixir.

Just as he was about to leave the library, the surroundings suddenly went dark.

Most of the magical lights went out at the same time, with only a few scattered and faint lights emitting a quiet glow in the spacious and dim space.

Gao Jiano was taken aback at first, then realized what was happening and couldn't help but slap his forehead.

It's closed!
He didn't pay attention to the time and accidentally stayed until after the museum closed.

I'm not going to have to spend the night in the library, am I?

Gaucano strode out of the library. His footsteps echoed clearly in the empty corridor.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out of the library, he saw two figures walking hurriedly in the same manner.

Both were women: a glamorous blonde girl and a burly, short-haired young woman, running out of another library carrying many books. The blonde girl wore a long blue dress embroidered with intricate patterns, the hem fluttering slightly as she ran. The short-haired young woman wore a simple brown guard uniform; she was muscular and moved with agility.

"Miss, we need to hurry!" said the burly young woman. She was carrying the most books in her arms, which looked to weigh dozens of pounds, but it did not affect her speed at all; she took wide and quick strides.

The blonde girl followed closely behind, complaining slightly, "Hey, wait for me... It's already closed anyway, no need to rush!"

Looking at the two figures, Gao Jiano quickly determined their identities.

Miss Christine of the Shackleton family and her bodyguard.

After all, there aren't many students who bring their own bodyguards to school; there are only a handful each year, so it's not hard to guess.

Moreover, due to Pierce's request, Gaucano had already paid close attention to the Shackleton family and knew about Miss Christine from the very beginning of his enrollment.

He also considered getting to know Christine and talking to her in order to obtain detailed information about the Shackleton family.

Unfortunately, the two never really crossed paths.

Their social circles were completely different; one was from Laziville, and the other from Orsini; one came from a remote town, and the other came from a wealthy family.

It has absolutely nothing to do with interests or anything like that.

According to Gaucano, Miss Christine was an opera enthusiast who was highly regarded in the opera company, often playing leading roles in performances and having a group of loyal followers and admirers. However, he had no knowledge of opera and lacked interest in it.

Undoubtedly, under such circumstances, if he chose to make a hasty approach, he would easily be regarded as a "frivolous commoner suitor" and then be driven away by the guards.

Such incidents are not uncommon. In fact, at Ax Magic Academy, a place where "rich and poor coexist," there are quite a few people who hope to turn their lives around by winning over their classmates. Similar situations naturally occur from time to time and have always been a sensitive and controversial topic at the academy.

So he has not had any communication with Christine until now.

He was even planning to forgo firsthand information, instead gathering secondhand information from various sources, organizing it, and relaying it to Pierce, figuring Pierce wouldn't have any objections.

I never expected this opportunity to suddenly appear.

When the three hurriedly arrived near the library entrance, they couldn't help but feel annoyed upon seeing the locked door. The heavy oak door was firmly shut, and the lock emitted a faint magical glow.

"The door is locked, miss, what should we do?" the female guard asked, turning her head.

Christine frowned. "As far as I know, there are people on night duty at the library, but I don't know where he is..."

She glanced at both sides as she spoke.

However, the surroundings were quiet and dark, and there were no guards nearby.

It's not easy to find them.

After all, the Orsini Library is not only enormous in size, but also a masterpiece of the architect's skill, with a rather complex structure. The passageways and staircases are intertwined and crisscrossed, and it is common to get lost if you don't visit it more than ten times.

Shouting at the top of your lungs might be a viable solution.

However, for nobles, this practice was somewhat lacking in manners.

Moreover, the library always has a tranquil atmosphere. Even after everyone has left, those inside will still unconsciously remain quiet, lowering their voices when speaking and refraining from shouting. It's as if an invisible force maintains a solemn and dignified atmosphere, making one hesitant to break the silence.

"Excuse me, do you know where the person on duty is?" Christine asked Gao Jiano politely in a low voice.

"I don't know." Gao Jiano shrugged slightly.

The female guard then said, "Let's look for it. Logically speaking, the person on duty shouldn't be too far from the gate."

Christine sighed. "Okay."

The two then began to wander around the library, walking slowly along the main corridor, their footsteps echoing softly on the marble floor.

Gao Jiano also stepped forward to accompany him.

As they walked, he asked, "Miss Christine, did you just come from the 'Literary Library'?"

"Yes."

"Shouldn't borrowing privileges for the library require professorial level access?" Although it was not surprising that a student like Christine, who came from a noble family, had any special privileges, Gao Jiano was still curious and wanted to know how she got into the library.

Christine: "My uncle is the Orsini Chair Professor, and I used his borrowing privileges."

Gaucano nodded knowingly: "Professor Bertrand Shackleton, I audited his 'Advanced Natural History' course, and it was an eye-opener."

At that moment, Christine suddenly realized something: "You seem to have come from the library as well, right?"

“Yes, the Alchemy Library.” Gaucano patted the book in his hand. Christine: “And where did you get your borrowing privileges?”

Gaucano smiled slightly: "It's my own borrowing privilege."

"So you've read five hundred books?" The female guard asked, her tone filled with obvious surprise and doubt, as this number was almost an impossible task for any student.

Gaucano only said, "At least I did borrow five hundred books."

Using professor-level borrowing privileges is something that's somewhat shady and naturally can't be discussed openly.

But this wasn't exactly a big secret; Christine was clearly aware of the rumors, so when she sensed Gao Jiano's implication, she immediately showed great interest and exclaimed with delight, "You can boost your borrowing numbers!"

Her eyes lit up immediately, as if she had discovered some precious treasure.

Gaucano remained noncommittal.

"How did you do that?" Christine asked immediately. "I read the latest 'Ax Magic Academy Survival Handbook.' Ever since the Dean changed the rules for borrowing books, it seems no one has been able to successfully obtain advanced borrowing privileges!"

Gaucano: "That's not necessarily true. Maybe they just haven't told the others. There are always loopholes in the rules."

Christine fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

Noticing her expression, Gao Jiano couldn't help but ask, "Miss Christine, since you can use Professor Bertrand's borrowing privileges, there's no need for you to swipe your card, is there?"

Christine sighed softly, saying with a hint of resentment, "If I keep using his borrowing privileges, he'll know which books I've borrowed, so there are some I simply don't dare borrow. Many people think my uncle is witty and humorous, but actually he's quite old-fashioned—at least he always is with me! He's always criticizing the books I read, thinking that certain 'unsuitable for a lady' books shouldn't be on my reading list!"

After a slight hesitation, she changed the subject: "Can you teach me how to increase the number of borrowed books? I can pay you, how about five hundred gold coins!"

Gao Jiano didn't take it seriously at first, and didn't think there was any need to charge money for this "skill".

But when he heard that it was five hundred gold coins, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Such generosity? The scions of wealthy families just don't seem to care about money.

At least if it were Gao Jiano, he would never have spent five hundred gold coins just to increase the number of borrowed books.

The five hundred gold coins tempted Gaucano, but after consideration, he ultimately did not accept the money.

This is not only for the long-term consideration of maintaining reputation and interpersonal relationships, but also because, after receiving money, the nature of the matter seems to be somewhat inappropriate.

Without receiving any money, his method was simply exploiting a loophole. Given the style of the Academy of Magic and Dean Randolph, they wouldn't do anything to him, and it's unlikely they would even revoke his borrowing privileges.

However, if it is "profiting by teaching cheating methods"... at least according to Gaucano's previous life's understanding, the nature and consequences of the two are completely different.

Therefore, he immediately said, "You don't need to pay, just don't tell anyone else."

Christine's eyes lit up, and she immediately swore, "No problem, I swear in the name of Mosa, I will never tell anyone else the method!"

Gaucano looked at the female guard.

The female guard was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant and said, "I swear in the name of Mosa, I will never tell anyone else the method."

Gao Jiano nodded and took out two books to demonstrate: "Actually, the method is very simple. Find two books with similar number of pages, let most of their pages overlap, and then leave them alone for a while."

Looking at the simply overlapping pages, Christine was somewhat incredulous: "Is that all?"

“Yes, that will work.” Gao Jiano nodded and then explained, “According to the new rule of magic, valid borrowing is determined by the valid reading time, and the basis for determining the valid reading time is the time when the magical connection between the two pages is interrupted.”

“There are two ways to create a partition: one is to read normally, open the book, and use space as a partition; the other is to create a partition between the pages of another book,” he added.

Upon hearing this explanation, Christine suddenly understood, and then said excitedly, "Mosa, how did you discover this? That's amazing!"

Gaucano smiled and said, "It was just a chance discovery."

"Oh, by the way, when it comes to increasing borrowing numbers, if you're aiming for the fastest speed, you might be able to finish in just one day, but I don't recommend it. An excessively fast pace is likely to attract the attention of the librarian, which could lead to unnecessary trouble." He added, "The 'Ax Magic Academy Survival Handbook' also says that you should keep a low profile when doing this. You'd better take more than a month to get five hundred books."

Christine nodded repeatedly: "Of course, I understand!"

The two chatted for a while about increasing borrowing numbers, and gradually became more familiar with each other. The atmosphere in the corridor became relaxed and pleasant, and the initial awkwardness dissipated without them even realizing it.

Christine suddenly remembered: "I still don't know your name!"

“Gaucano Laziville,” Gaucano introduced himself.

“Gaucano?” Christine blinked, thinking for a moment, and said, “I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”

Gaucano guessed it was a blessing from the elements of the land and air.

After all, this is his only source of fame at Ax Magic.

Just as he was about to explain, Christine immediately added, "I remember now! It's Eric from Liebland!"

“Prince Eric?” Gaugano was taken aback, wondering why his name was associated with Prince Eric.

Christine explained, "Prince Eric's whip-wielder seems to be named Gaucano, which is a very uncommon name. You wouldn't happen to be Eric's whip-wielder, would you?"

“No.” Gao Jiano vaguely remembered that Prince Eric’s whipping boy did indeed share the same name as him.

The female guard then said, "I remember that Prince Eric's whip-wielder was a thief, and if he was Eric's whip-wielder, he would be more likely to enter Deep Blue Academy."

“That’s hard to say, at least Eric himself doesn’t like Deep Blue… but his whip-wielding servant does seem to be a thief.” Christine thought for a moment, then looked at Gaucano’s tall figure. “It shouldn’t be you.”

She added, "But your voice does sound a bit like Eric's."

“Perhaps it’s because Prince Eric and I are both from the South—at least relative to Ax,” Gaugano shrugged slightly.

(End of this chapter)