"Your wish is my duty, O Honored One! Let us browse this ocean of knowledge together!"
Why do I feel like I've made a mistake? Dragged along, Laemno could only awkwardly smile and try to find a suitable seat.
His silvery gaze darted across the spiraling room of labyrinth-like shelves, noticing the glittering ornaments, the delicate statues erected in the corners, and the beautiful, sidereal paintings covering the walls and ceiling. The ever-present floor-to-ceiling windows were made with stained glass, depicting a young man with a shining sun shrouding his face—the Nameless Saint.
Depicting the face of the Nameless Saint seems to be taboo in this world. I wonder why.
Laemno was looking contemplative, holding his head with his elbow against the table, when a pile of books suddenly fell to his side, making him jump. Father Agathon beamed over him with a big smile while blindly collecting tomes from the nearby shelves as if he knew where they were all located.
"I remember we've left off at the beginning of the Fifth Era!" Agathon juggled one book after the other, quickly eyeing their titles before putting them next to Laemno. "Perhaps we could delve into earlier history with the Heroic Epoch of the Fourth Era! Or maybe something more recent? The War of the Veiled Sea? The Conflicts of the Austral Continent? I've even got a rare tome about the Earthly Commandments of Lichtenhimmel. Alright, you choose, my boy!"
The rain of obscure titles merged into intelligible noise in Laemno's mind, giving him a headache. He paused for a few seconds, faking a moment of contemplation before saying, "I'd like to refresh my bases first. Studying more complex subjects with shaky fundamentals will be a waste of effort."
"Well said!" Agathon slapped the table with a mid-sized book. "Introduction to the Three Continents should suit you just fine then. I'll go look for complementary volumes in the other sections. You better finish that pile! It's only the beginning!"
Laemno gulped as he glanced at the towering pile of books, wondering if he even would be able to finish them before the Sacrificial Ceremony.
Back on Earth, he could be considered an excellent student with decent grades and a deep love for learning. Unfortunately, he was good but not outstanding. Merely being above average wouldn't secure one of the few available scholarships in his country, so he had to quit school and find ways to help his ill mother and feed his sister.
Feeling surprisingly wistful, he opened the Introduction to the Three Continents, hoping for it to stimulate his memory and accelerate his rate of gathering information. He didn't hold much hope for it, though. Judging from Father Agathon's reaction, the real Laemno was far from the scholarly type and probably didn't retain anything substantial from what he had learned.
Interesting. It's very different from what I expected. Laemno's thoughts raced after reading through a few pages, stopping at a good-sized horizontal map.
The known world was slightly smaller than Earth, but not by much.
The Three Continents and the surrounding archipelagos were seemingly imprisoned inside a massive, circular body of water named The Mallacht. Sailing past it was said to be impossible, as strange phenomena, localized catastrophes, and unknown horrors often emerged from its depths, making any attempt end in complete failure.
Starting from the northern hemisphere, close to the northernmost edge of The Mallacht, there was the Boreal Continent. Its most notable characteristic was a vast mountain range called the Nameless Sierra that crossed through three-quarters of its length, cutting the land into four unequal parts:
The Nation of Ever-Conquest, Sethia, was the biggest, holding the entire territory east and southeast of the Nameless Sierra along with its coasts.
The Land of Resilience, Valsgarde, came next, sprawling its wild tundra on the north and northeast sides of the mountain chain.
The Kingdom of Stars and Astrologers, Hierapetra, spanned the continent's southwest. It was where Laemno was currently located.
Finally, the Profane Lands occupied the western and northwestern edges. They were inhabited by independent groups that refused any affiliation, cooperation, or trade with the Hallowed Sovereigns and their seven nations. Little was known about them aside from their hostility, and they earned their nickname due to their blasphemous worship of unorthodox deities.
To the south, beyond the Flickering Sea, the eastern half of the Central Continent was occupied by the Numinous Haven, Lichtenhimmel.
The western half belonged to the freed steppes of the Profane Lands, connected to its Boreal counterpart by a narrow canal dubbed the Drowned Hopes.
Further south, on the other side of the Zurvan Sea, one-third of the Austral Continent was covered by the gray sands of the Tranquil Desert. Between the silvery dunes of its eastern edges nestled the Cradle of Silence, Ctesiphon.
A little to the northeast lay the marshlands of the Heavenly Bridge, Yura Ni.
East of the three continents could be found the spurned Hollow Sea, where a quiet string of mysterious islands floated aimlessly, seldom staying in the same place for more than a few days.
The Veiled Sea extended west of the three continents, where scattered and wild archipelagos curved akin to devilish horns towards the extreme western edge.
They pointed to a single, gigantic island—Qeharmenod, the Shroud of The Mallacht, where the land was said to merge with the dreaded waters.
Sethia, Valsgarde, Hierapetra, Lichtenhimmel, Ctesiphon, Yura Ni, and Qeharmenod. These are the seven nations, each governed by their Hallowed Sovereign. In my situation, it's not very realistic to sail through the Flickering Sea or the Zurvan Sea, so the Central and Austral Continents are out of the question.
Laemno, who had found a writing set lying nearby, jotted down his thoughts on a piece of papyrus.
The mysterious islands of the Hollow Sea seem scary... I don't wish to go near them. Ideally, I'd head for a wild island of the Veiled Sea and blend in there, but it still requires me to spend a few days in a boat. I'm not confident in hiding myself that long within a confined space, and I need to remember that I'm physically eleven years old. The sea is dangerous for adults and even more so for children.
He recalled his last moments on Earth, with the human traffickers taking hold of the smuggling sailboat, killing the adults, and kidnapping the children. He doubted that similar situations would be any less cruel in this world. Slavery still existed here, after all.
If I'm to stay on the Boreal Continent, this leaves me with three choices; the eastern neighbor, Sethia; the northern neighbor, Valsgarde; or the western neighbors, the Profane Lands. Let's start by abandoning the third choice. Although a land that rejects the Hallowed Sovereigns, and by extension, the tradition of Sacrificial Ceremonies, is attractive on the surface, I need to take into account their hostility toward outsiders.
Considering that I'm a holy symbol of their religious oppressors, they probably won't treat me kindly. Furthermore, with their reclusive nature, I doubt they've developed at the same level as the seven nations. Staying near established civilizations is more favorable to my survival overall, which leaves me with either Sethia or Valsgarde. I need more than a preface to choose between them...
Laemno sighed before browsing through the pile of books next to him, searching for a tome that delved deeper into the neighboring nations' political, cultural, and economic situations. The flipping of pages continued for quite some time, breaking the library's solemn silence and even attracting Father Agathon's attention.
This is too complicated. Laemno stroked his temples, feeling another headache.
Most of this is gibberish to me. I wish I had given more importance to these subjects back on Earth. I have all the information at hand but can't seem to connect the dots. Damn it!
The elder ascetic noticed Laemno's frustration and approached with cautious steps, glancing at the tomes he was reading.
"Blooming of Humanity: A New Sethian Empire... That's a little too complicated for you, my boy. Why are you focusing so much on this one?"
Laemno faked a smile as he locked eyes with the bald-headed, grey-bearded scholar. "When meeting with the other nations' Celestial Offerings in the Gods Beyond's realm, I don't wish to appear unworldly. I thought to start with our closest neighbor, but I'm already stuck on the basics... How shameful."
Agathon slightly frowned. "Reaching the realm of the Gods Beyond is an honor, not a competition with the other Celestial Offerings, Laemno. Don't forget this."
"I know, but... Can you blame me if I'm a little anxious about it? I'm about to experience the greatest honor humankind can hope for, yet I suddenly find myself lacking. It's very disheartening, Father..." Laemno lied through his teeth.
Agathon's expression softened as he took a seat beside his former student. "Alright, I understand. We're all humans in the end, even if you bear the exalted responsibility of the Nameless Saint. A boy will and should act as a boy; that's how nature is. That's your purest state... when you haven't been tempered by life and its hurdles yet."
He swept his gaze towards the books, failing to notice Laemno's hidden notes underneath them.
"The Sethian Empire is a rather unique case amongst the seven nations. Ever since their last Sacrificial Ceremony, roughly 900 years ago, their Hallowed Sovereign completely retreated out of mortal affairs. His absence brought instability and chaos, bred violence, and a series of civil wars naturally ensued."
Laemno listened intently, keeping himself from revealing the piece of papyrus and taking notes.
"Humans are fallible. That's why we need the divine—the Hallowed Sovereigns, to guide us into the path carved by the Gods Beyond. This has persisted for two thousand years, bringing us peace and stability yet also making us overly reliant on them. Without our sacred rulers, we would undoubtedly crumble. The Sethian Empire has challenged this notion somewhat."
Father Agathon's tone turned soft, faint reminiscence glittering in his eyes. "Of course, they suffered greatly when their Hallowed Sovereign abandoned them, but it also made them stronger. The blood effused by their civil wars quenched their thirst for needless violence and strengthened their bond... There's a popular saying there; 'The weak lives, but the strong thrives.'"
Laemno creased his eyebrows, but Agathon gently nodded, gesturing for him to continue listening.
"I know, it isn't that great of a saying when taken at face value. Some might say it's barbaric, but I believe it hides a hint of depth that most would dismiss simply due to bias. I believe scholars ought to be objective, so let me help you understand—in Sethia, there's no discrimination linked to ancestry, economic, or social status. The single, absolute, and most important factor in determining your worth is Strength."
Agathon's gaze focused on the horizon beyond the stained glass. It was as if he was looking directly at the Nation of Ever-Conquest, longing to feel its presence.
"And I don't mean strength in its basic definition. No, it's Strength with every quality that allowed mankind to thrive. Intelligence, wisdom, brute force, sensibility, endurance, and cunning—all of these traits coalesce into the Sethian understanding of Strength and allow them to further their existence without relying on a Hallowed Sovereign. So long as you excel in something that would naturally give you the edge against another, something that would enhance the Empire, you already fit their interpretation of Strong. When that happens, you'll be accepted, whoever you are, no matter where you come from."
That's what they call a utopic meritocracy, right? Laemno inwardly added, taking mental notes as he saw Father Agathon stand up.
"Alright, I believe I've provided you with enough books for a few days at least. Let's hope you can finish them before the Sacrificial Ceremony." His normally energetic bearing became weak, filled with the exhaustion of old age.
"Wait, Father Agathon. What about Valsgarde? Is it the same as Sethia? I read that they believe in the inherent duality of nature, accepting both its cruel and nurturing sides."
Agathon paused for a moment before saying, "I believe that was the case in the past, but the Land of Resilience completely cut contact with the remaining six nations ten years ago. We don't know exactly what happened, and none of our informants ever return once they go past the borders."
Laemno briefly stayed silent before nodding. "I see. Thank you for your help, Father Agathon."
"You're welcome, Honored One. Now, if you'll excuse me."
With a stiff bow, completely unlike his earlier self, he retreated back to his quarters outside the library.