"This time, no one should bother me!"

On the morning of his second day in Nikos, Ronald got up from his hotel bedroom, feeling both relaxed and refreshed being alone.

He slipped on his jacket casually, picked up the leftover drink from last night from the table to wet his throat, and then walked over to the window to draw the curtains.

Swoosh—

Through the gap he gently pulled open, Ronald saw a few carriages parked in front of the hotel opposite. A group of obviously official Casters were going in and out, evidently searching for something.

"Heh heh."

"I knew it."

Seeing this scene, a victorious expression appeared on Ronald's face.

Everything was within his expectations.

The hotel across the way was where he and Luna had checked in yesterday. He had deliberately chosen a room with a good window position to confirm his prediction.

As expected.

Once Luna was rescued, it only took half a night for them to follow the trail to this spot.

Ronald understood they probably intended to give him some reward.

But honestly, rather than some practical benefits, what he wanted more was this week of rest, so last night he simply used a spell to change his appearance and then booked a room in the neighboring hotel.

So this morning,

there was Ronald, leisurely standing by the window, watching the scene below.

...

Silently observing the scene downstairs.

After about fifteen minutes, the Casters of Nikos withdrew, and only then did Ronald turn back to order breakfast.

Although the breakfast at this hotel wasn't free like the one across the street,

after buying a portion at a reasonable price, Ronald found the taste quite good. The food on this side of Nikos was mostly heavily seasoned, which suited his taste.

After breakfast, Ronald pulled out his book and opened it.

He hadn't planned to go out anyway, and now with the troubles on him completely cleared, he could finally continue reading.

And it must be mentioned,

the book he borrowed from the Carpen Library happened to contain information about the magical city of Lachmont. Recalling the intelligence Luna told him last night, Ronald found the reading even more interesting.

In fact, Ronald was quite curious about this city that mysteriously disappeared and seems to be reappearing in the world.

However, his time was indeed limited.

If he really wanted to investigate it—considering the Gred fleet would only be in Nikos for a week, he might not even find the correct direction just by searching the vast seas.

Considering the level of importance locals attached to it…

After much thought, Ronald decided that honestly reading books himself was the most reliable and quickest way to gain knowledge.

...

Ronald was completely absorbed while reading the book.

The entire morning passed, and then the time came to the afternoon. Apart from a brief interruption for lunch, he stayed inside until around four in the afternoon before closing the book and standing to stretch.

"Ha—"

With a slightly lazy yawn, he glanced at the street outside, and an idea formed in Ronald's mind.

Although hiding here and reading for seven days wasn't an issue,

having only two books with him seemed a bit less than perfect for an entire week. He hardly wanted to find another time to specifically leave behind books on the steamship to switch out more!

"..."

"Speaking of Niklan, isn't it the capital of Nikos?"

As he gazed out the window, Ronald quickly came up with a new idea.

The city he was standing in was the capital of the Nikos Empire, so correspondingly, the library in this city…

shouldn't disappoint, right?

As soon as the thought emerged, Ronald's slightly languid eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

He tidied his clothes, and without another word, headed downstairs to the hotel's lobby.

It was a quiet afternoon with not many guests, and the hotel's receptionist was also lazily leaning against the counter, yawning.

Even when Ronald came down from upstairs, she didn't react.

Ronald approached her proactively to start a conversation:

"Ma'am, do you know where the library of Niklan is? I'd like to take a look."

"Library?"

The receptionist was startled awake by Ronald, taking a few seconds to realize he was a guest.

"The library of Niklan, as I recall, is inside His Majesty's castle, and ordinary people can't enter."

The flame of desire that had just sparked in Ronald was instantly extinguished by these words.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Then I apologize for the disturbance…"

Seeing Ronald's expression turn grim as he prepared to leave, the receptionist suddenly snapped out of her half-asleep state.

Realizing that her answer might have displeased the young and handsome guest before her, possibly leaving a negative impression, she quickly decided to keep Ronald there:

"Sir, please wait a moment!"

"Hm?" Ronald stopped in his tracks, turning to look at her, "Is there something else?"

The receptionist, seeing Ronald stop, didn't hesitate to offer another suggestion:

"Sir, I just remembered another place."

"In our Niklan, the National University has a sizable library. Compared to His Highness's castle, ordinary people have the opportunity to go in and look around."

To Ronald, this really was a piece of pleasant news.

Without hesitation, he continued to ask:

"In that case, could you tell me where this National University is?"

"I just arrived in this city yesterday, and I'm not familiar with many things."

Ronald's enthusiastic conversation encouraged the receptionist to become more lively.

She even stepped out from behind the counter and led Ronald to the hotel's entrance to give him directions:

"Start from our street here, go left, pass two intersections, and turn right at the third intersection, then keep going forward, you'll see a very striking bank…"

The receptionist carefully explained the route to Ronald.

Although Niklan did have rental carriages, due to the cost, most people wouldn't consider them unless they were in a great hurry.

So getting around the city was almost entirely reliant on walking and one's memory of the city's layout.

Ronald carefully noted down the address the receptionist gave him.

Grateful, he handed her a tip:

"Thank you for your guidance."

"It's my duty."

The receptionist accepted the tip graciously.

However, when she looked up again, she found that Ronald was already quickly walking away, becoming distant in just a few seconds.

Seeing the young and handsome guest leave so decisively, the receptionist stood stunned at the door, only reacting after a long while, her gaze falling on herself with a doubtful expression:

"Hm?"

"Just like that? Is he really just going to the library?"