9 The Library

Later that day, Zhou Fan headed downstairs to eat some dinner. The only difference was the weird looks in the other peoples eyes. Even the old lady was looking at him weirdly.

Sitting down with his tray, Zhou Fan heard the other guests whispering to each other.

"Lu Zhan, Hu Zhan, and Wu Zhan were found near death in an abandoned building earlier today."

"What?! What in the world could have done that!"

"Not what, who," said the man, subtly pointing at him.

"You mean that kid did it?"

"He was the last one seen with them. There's no other explanation," said the man, clearly suspicious if what he was saying was true.

Zhou Fan realized that the three men were the cause of all the weird looks. It seemed a rumor had spread about what had happened earlier. The looks ,however, contained more suspicion than fear. After all, it was quite unbelievable that a 10-year-old kid could hurt men of that size.

It would likely stay a rumor ,however. Even if the men woke up, it was unlikely that they would tell people a child beat them up. Quickly finishing up, Zhou Fan chose to explore the town. He planned to stay here for a while, after all.

Stepping outside, Zhou Fan felt the 5pm heat, which wasn't too bad. Choosing a random direction, Zhou Fan walked across the street while noting places that seemed important or useful. He walked past many stores and shops until one caught his eye.

It was called 'Lang Yang clothing shop', clearly named after the city itself. Heading inside, he saw a huge area entirely filled with clothes. A store attendant quickly came up to him after seeing him walk through the door.

"Hello. How can I help you?"

Despite the fact that his only clothing was some roughly carved wolf skin and he was covered in dirt, the young lady no older than 20 was still nice.

"I would like to buy some clothes," Zhou Fan said.

"Alright, what is your budget?"

Pondering for a second, Zhou Fan decided to spend a good amount on clothes.

"1 silver"

Clearly, Zhou Fan was a man of many words.

"Please follow me."

The shopping attendant facial expressions didn't change a bit after he said that. It seems that spending 1 silver on clothes here isn't something outstanding.

While following the shopkeeper, Zhou Fan asked some questions about the store itself. According to the lady, this shop was a direct asset of the mayor. Hence the name 'Lang Yang clothing shop'. In fact, all assets directly under the mayor had 'Lang Yang' in the name.

Although it wasn't exactly a shop for commoners, they still sold relatively cheap clothes. After around 30 minutes, Zhou Fan decided on 3 pairs of clothes. Zhou Fan headed to the counter to buy it. On he way, he passed by a miscealanius section and grabbed a water sack.

"Thank you for shopping at Lang Yang clothing shop. And welcome to our city."

After leaving, Zhou Fan pondered how to earn money. it was clear after a single store that his remaining 5 silver, give or take, wouldn't last him too long.

While thinking, Zhou Fan came to the biggest building in the city. It was a large tower. It was round and pointed up twice as high as the city walls. It also looked about 300 feet long. Zhou Fan was astounded after looking at it. It was huge!

Looking at the board above the entrance, Zhou Fan noticed it was the 'Lang Yang library'.

Heading inside, Zhou Fan saw the space was just as big as it looked outside. There were a lot of books here! Even with his enhanced brain, Zhou Fan still couldn't count them all. Plus, this was just the first floor!

"Hello, how can I help you?"

Hearing a familiar line, Zhou Fan turned around to see a brown haired girl.

"I'm just looking around. Can you tell me how this place works?"

"Of course! Just grab a book, bring it to the desk, and check it out under your name. If you don't have a membership card, you can buy one for 1 silver. You'll need one to check the books out if you want to take them home, or you can read it from the shelf. All it needs is your name and address."

Although the load of information was surely helpful, Zhou Fan meant the building itself.

"No, I mean the building. How can something this large stand?"

"Oh. Yes, it is quite amazing, isn't it? This library is tied for the biggest library in the entire empire. Only the imperial cities library can compare. The mayor spent hundreds of thousands of gold, and after 10 years of construction by the greatest builders and architects in the empire, the library was created."

"Wow!"

Zhou Fan was amazed at not only the fact that it was tied for biggest library in the empire, but also the fact that it cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins to build.

"Exactly how big is this city?" Zhou Fan asked.

"Within the city walls, it is 10 miles from one end to the other. It is also the 5th biggest city in the empire."

"Thank you for your help," Zhou Fan said.

This girl had given him a lot of information after all.

"Your welcome."

After saying that, the girl walked off, leaving Zhou Fan to explore on his own.

After a while of walking around, Zhou Fan saw a board on the ground.

It said, 'Library hiring. 2 available positions. The people with the most knowledge will be accepted. Pay is 3 silvers a week.'

"Incredible," Zhou Fan exclaimed.

A job that paid 3 silvers a week was surely one of the best jobs in the empire. However, it looks like the requirements are strict. It seemed like the girl from earlier wasn't just a pretty face.

According to the sign, the hiring would happen in 3 weeks. If it was anyone but Zhou Fan, they would have no hope of gaining such a large amount of knowledge in a mere 3 weeks.

However, Zhou fans' enhanced mind wasn't just for show. Along with the fact that his mind moved faster. His memory was also many times greater than before. He could memorize almost everything he saw or heard!

Deciding he wanted this job, Zhou Fan chose to spend all his time for the next 3 weeks studying. Before that ,however, he needed to buy a membership card. And take a bath.