Chapter 50

The upper floors of the Abasia Kingdom Library had a grand, ancient feel that reflected the age and importance of the institution. But once you got down into the area underground where all the books were stored, it became as bland, featureless, and cramped as a warehouse. Each low-ceilinged room contained row on row of shelves crammed with ancient books.

The air was the cool and bitter smell. Under normal circumstances, books decomposed over time. But here the highly filtered air contained chemicals that suppressed the molds, bacteria, and insects that would otherwise eventually eat and destroy the old paper. In this environment, books could theoretically last forever.

Even the light was kept intentionally dim, only coming on when people entered a room so that the rays wouldn't degrade the paper or the bindings of the books. In rooms where especially valuable books were stored, the light was a creepy red color, the lower wavelengths being less damaging to paper.

Jacquard had come