After that, the four parted ways and Alex followed Ashoka.

At night, the corridors of the palace were even more maze-like, and the part that Alex was only a small portion of the palace.

As they were walking through the dimly lit corridors, a particularly bright passage attracted Alex's attention.

When he looked through, he saw...

'Shelves upon shelves, all filled with...books?!' Alex thought that the productivity of his typewriter was quite good, but it would take years of work to fill up all of the shelves in this library with his own printed books.

"Ashoka, how do you have so many books?" Alex had wide eyes.

"Well, every single merchant that passes through here has to provide a copy of any literary text they have with them, and of course, we take the original and give them the copy."

He continued, "Throughout the years, we have accumulated hundreds of thousands of scrolls and books."

"You take the original and...give them the copy....?" Alex burst out into loud laughter.

Ashoka also laughed and said, "Otherwise, they provide us with faulty documents..."

"That library is expansive, though, I'd know someone who would adore this place..." Alex thought of both Crista and Athena, who shared a passion for reading and studying.

'I HAVE to somehow get Athena some documents from here, otherwise, she's never going to speak to me again...' Alex bemused to himself.

"Well, if you wish, I can guide you to your room and you could peruse at your own freedom while Sir Hermes comes back.."

"I could? Great, thanks!"

'Hermes isn't back yet? I'm almost getting worried....' Alex was worried that Hermes was scammed of his possessions over some cheap tea...

Following their hearty and cheerful conversation, Ashoka showed him around the room where he would spend the night.

It was very opulent, almost too big for Alex, but he thanked the emperor nonetheless and they bid each a good night.

Of course, Alex snuck out and went back to the library.

"Perhaps they'd have some of that forging knowledge I want..."

Alex looked around some of the shelves and found that they seemed to be rigorously organized, which pleased him.

There were books on various genres, non-fiction, and fiction, and he even perceived some books that were probably not for children...

There was a shelf with liturgical and religious texts, so Alex skimmed through that.

Fortunately, he found a shelf for lifestyle and practical skills, and one book, in particular, attracted him.

'The Art of Tool-Building. - A disciple of the artisan god, Tvastar.

Alex had a small linguistic problem since he wasn't sure if 'Tool-Building' was exactly the same as the blacksmithing of Koine Greek, but he took out the book from the shelf anyway and started reading.

The first chapter of the book was quite monotonous, comprising the history of craftsmanship in the region, but Athena's Essence made him curious so he decided to give that part a read.

'The first craftsman used not iron or bronze, but stone to build their weapons, their hammers and their tools for farming.'

'The rise of the concept of the empire spawned a new demand for weaponry to expand military strength and territory, causing the rise of the tool-building profession, until tool-builders became members of even imperial courts, a high status not enjoyed by many.'

It was not very long, and Alex finished the first chapter soon enough.

Fortunately, the second chapter spoke of his desired subject - blacksmithing and forging.

'To make the best weapon out of scrap iron, fold the metal upon itself at temperatures higher than those of melting the metal and compress it so the end product is not thick, this produces a sharp blade reminiscent of the luxurious alloy metals that only emperors can afford.'

Alex contemplated on this part.

'Folding metal upon itself? If the blacksmith has enough skill, wouldn't that serve of use for even precious metals?'

'That explains the grain of the iron on Aadityapal's sword...'

His brain stormed with possibilities to improve his crafts, especially in the metallurgy department, and he lost grasp of the surroundings.

'If I can make steel in small quantities and use that, the weapons formed would be...incredible...'

"A forging document? Strange, you radiate the demeanor of a wise scholar more than that of a fire wielder..." A feminine voice woke Alex up from his trance.

Alex turned around, stunned.

'Why is she glowing too?' Alex's eyes hurt when he laid his eyes on the woman.

She had darker skin, clear black eyes, and a round face. Her hair was braided and reached down to her waist while her clothing was a loose and shiny red silk robe.

'She has..four arms?!' The woman in question had four arms.

"Forgive me if I have scared you, I am Saraswati, may I make your acquaintance?" The woman introduced herself.

"It's...alright, I'm Alex, God of Humanity." Alex recognized that the woman was a goddess and didn't bother to hide his own status.

"God of Humanity? No wonder you have such a wise aura, are you a scholar?" Saraswati had a comforting voice.

Alex recovered his composure and replied, "Hmm, not really, my mother is kind of a scholar though."

Alex didn't notice that he became more comfortable referring to Athena as his mother, indicating that she became a maternal figure for him.

"I'd love to make a friend of a woman who can bear such a wise son, may I meet her?"

"Hmmm, she's....not here, but..would you have two pieces of paper?"

Saraswati nodded and took out two pieces of pristine white paper.

Alex took them and placed his Faith Energy on them.

He blessed the two papers with Link, which would make whatever text was written on one piece appear on the other.

He gave one of such blessed papers back to Saraswati and told her, "When I go back home, I'll ask Mother to get into contact with you."

"Thank you, wise Alex."

Suddenly, the sound of a horse galloping resounded throughout the library.

A large, muscular winged horse galloped to their spot. On top of the horse was a woman.

She also glowed and she similarly had many arms. In each of her arms, a weapon could be distinguished.

Bows, arrows, swords, spears, staffs, each of her arms held a different weapon.

The woman looked similar to Saraswati, but her eyebrows were fierce, and she was wearing light armor over her body.

When she was near them, she exclaimed, "Lady Saraswati, I have searched far and wide for you!"

"Durga, dear, I have but visited the library and met this wise young man here." She pointed at him and smiled.

Durga looked at Alex for a second and then went back to the other goddess.

"But, Lady Saraswati, you truly wander too far from the palace, you do know how many demons can appear at night!"