When Edward and the others arrived at the Library's front door, a crowd of players had already gathered just outside. However, instead of loitering on the streets, they were organized in a line extending around the block. When Edward saw them, he immediately turned around and looked at Markus.
"Put your helmet on," He told him. Markus immediately nodded and did as commanded. Then, Edward turned to Brandon, "Go into the market and buy a mask."
"Why?" Brandon asked as he turned to Edward. From his confused expression, it seemed he didn't even think his identity being obvious was a big problem. Edward sighed and looked at Markus.
"Don't you remember what we did yesterday?" Markus asked as he looked at Brandon, his voice echoing through the helmet, "From now on, we should try our best to hide our identities to protect ourselves in the real world. Go buy a mask."
"But can't they just appraise us?" Brandon asked.
"How many Brandon Colts do you think there are in the world?" Edward asked, "Until we can get you a title, this is the best way to hide your identity. Once you get a mask, come back to the library. If you can, try to find a new outfit, too. Your dual flintlocks and sleeveless armor are both too memorable."
Brandon nodded before reluctantly turning around. Soon enough, he was out of sight. Markus turned to Edward. Without even needing to see his face, Edward knew his friend was nervous for some reason.
"Should I get a new suit of armor? I've shown my face with this one," Markus asked. Edward looked to Markus before shaking his head.
"You're wearing the basic plate armor, aren't you? Everybody else who chose a heavy Origin will be wearing the same. I haven't seen anybody else with Brandon's style, that's why I wanted him to change," Edward answered, causing Markus to sigh in relief. Edward looked back to the Library, "Alright, let's go."
As Edward approached the building, the line of players finally recognized him. A few hushed whispers immediately began to spread within their ranks— though most were too quiet for Edward to pick up on. The few he did catch, though, were spread amongst a group of players. As soon as he heard them, Ikarus woke up from his nap and turned to the source of the noise.
"Look, it's the Legion!"
"Fuck, should we run away?"
"Are you kidding? The Legion only punishes those who do him harm. We'll be fine as long as we give him space!"
Ikarus turned to one player in particular and snarled. Edward recognized that player as one of the enemies they had fought the other day— Ikarus had burned this particular one to ashes.
"Shit! The dragon looked at me!"
"How are his stats so high despite only being level four? What's his secret?"
"The man has a dragon, dude. Look, he even has a guard!"
"Anybody know who that Markus guy is? Anybody?"
Edward ignored all of them as he made his way to the door. He turned to look at the line for a moment, then ignored it. Any player that was waiting near the door immediately moved out of the way— thus giving their spot to Edward.
'I feel guilty,' Edward thought to himself as he walked into the library while followed by his 'guard'. Edward didn't say a word to anybody as he entered the library. Instead, he took a moment to inspect his surroundings. The library was among the largest buildings in the city, other than the castle and a few of the noble estates.
It was five stories tall, though with a thinner width. Thus, it appeared similar to some skyscrapers on Earth— just smaller. Because of its cylindric shape, the library's floor was shaped into a circle. To his surprise, the library didn't separate the stories, so when he looked up he saw five stories of books— most of which were contained in floating bookshelves held up by some strange magic. What few books he could reach were located on the massive curved bookshelves covering the walls.
A few players were hovering in the air near the floating bookshelves— each of them consumed in their books. Luckily, though, anybody who wore a skirt or dress was concealed by an opaque golden light the size of a small car. Luckily, a receptionist was hiding behind a circular desk in the center of the building, on the floor. Three other receptionists were sitting with her, each of them facing a different cardinal direction.
The southern receptionist was the only one of the four to notice him. She had short brown hair and a plump but attractive body. Edward walked up to her slowly and placed his hands on the desk.
"H-h-how may I help you, s-sir?" The receptionist asked. Her jaw shook with fear as she spoke, stammering her words. Edward smiled from beneath the mask, then took Ikarus and slowly handed him to Markus. The large knight had completely gotten over his fear of the dragon, so he received him like one would receive a pet.
The receptionist seemed to calm down, but only a little. By now, the other receptionists noticed Edward and Markus— though all of them were staring at Ikarus.
"It's my first time here," Edward said to the receptionist as he pointed to the floating players above, "I wanted to ask how they're doing that?"
"O-Oh," the receptionist nodded. She reached underneath her desk and pulled out two golden bracelets. Edward immediately appraised them, but he found no information worthwhile. To him, they appeared as ordinary pieces of jewelry. He did find that they were made out of a special material called Camine, "W-when these bracelets react to the magical energies above us, they t-turn everything they touch into weightless material. The guests are simply using their minds to control where they're going. The magical energies around the bookshelves pick up on that and generate wind magic to move their bodies. It is a very simple process, but it sometimes takes a moment to get used to."
"I see," Edward smiled. He looked away from the players above him and turned back to the lady, "I want to find books on dragons and my friend here wishes to learn more about titles. Could you point us in the right direction?"