Aware of the disparity in information between the library in the middle districts and the upper districts, Alex didn’t bother heading to the middle districts as he knew Arwen wouldn’t waste her time going there.
So, he got a private carriage to take him to the library in the upper districts.
Upon his arrival, he got down and paid his fare, after which he made his way to the entrance.
Just as they’d done for Arwen, the officers on guard duty did not hesitate to ask for proof of identity after which they asked for their palms to be greased.
Perhaps the only difference was that the one who had his palms greased the last time wasn’t the one to collect the money, but rather the second guard who had remained silent.
It seemed the duo worked on a basis of, you take this one while I take the next one.
Alex didn’t bother arguing with them as he was in a hurry and so promptly paid the ten skols requested for after which he made his way into the library.
Soon, he arrived at the mysticism section only to find Kaeria waiting at the entrance with her face buried in a book.
With a smile, Alex approached her, aware of her misguided feelings towards him.
"Miss Kaeria." He greeted in a friendly tone, with the librarian looking up from her book with a brilliant smile etched on her lips.
"Sir Smith, it’s you?"
"Your assistant made it quite clear that you were busy, so for you to be here... mayhaps you came to see me?"
"Not at all." Alex swiftly said, shooting down any foolish notion seeking to arise. "I just had some free time, so I thought I would see if my assistant had made any progress in the task I assigned to her."
"May I?" Alex asked while gesturing at the entrance to the mysticism section.
"Of course," Kaeria replied.
With that, Alex made to enter only for Kaeria to call out to him.
"Would you be free by any chance this evening?... Actually, there’s a play taking place at the theater and I thought you’d be interested."
"Ah, an interesting offer but one I’d have to decline due to more pressing matters. Perhaps some other time."
"If that’s all, I’d be on my way."
And so, Alex swiftly made his way into the mysticism section while Kaeria let out a sigh.
All her attempts to spend some time with Sir Smith had been shot down without hesitation.
All things considered, it seemed it was time to put in more effort if she wished to win his heart!
Meanwhile, unaware of Kaeria’s intentions, Alex walked around the mysticism section of the library until he found Arwen buried under a pile of books.
Books were stacked all around her, ranging from editions of the Neque Adnales to Encyclopedias on Mutants.
Based on the expression she had, Alex could guess that she was quite exhausted.
Taking a few steps forward, he came to sit in front of her.
Despite that, she didn’t seem to register his presence, perhaps due to being neck deep in her research.
Letting out a sigh, he reached into his jacket and produced a steamed bun, the smell of which immediately drew her attention.
"Where did you get that?" Arwen asked, a suspicious look plastered on her visage.
"Madam Harpalyke stops making steamed buns at noon. It has been that way since she opened up. And to my knowledge, this is way past high noon."
"Correct." Alex nodded.
"You are her favorite customer. For you, she is willing to break her preestablished rules."
Though still skeptical, a familiar rumble from her stomach informed just how hungry she was and so, she quickly took the bun and with relish, bit into it.
Her eyes immediately watered up.
Amused, Alex picked up an encyclopedia and leafed through it.
Shaking her head as she swallowed, Arwen replied. "None yet."
"I’m inclined to believe that the entity behind the music is the 2nd-Class Otherworldly, the Sound that Should not Be, otherwise known as the Lady of Cacophony, but I don’t have enough proof."
"Any mutant suspect?"
"A few stand out but that’s about it."
"Also, though I initially suspected Banshee involvement, it’s not possible considering their music isn’t designed to cause forgetfulness."
"Makes sense." Alex nodded, seeing reason with Arwen’s deductions.
As she swallowed after taking yet another bite out of her bun, Arwen inquired. "What about you?... Any leads?"
"Not yet," Alex replied. "But there’s been some new developments."
"Hermione is missing and Dolope doesn’t remember anything. Just like Niobe."
"That... wait what?" Arwen nearly choked.
"Leokhares as well. All three are missing and no one remembers their existence."
"There’s no way." Arwen breathed out in a disbelieving tone.
Letting out a sigh, Alex remarked. "If you are right and our opponent is a 2nd-Class Otherworldly, what are we looking at?"
Taking a moment to finish her bun, Arwen rubbed her hands on her dress before picking up the tenth edition copy of the Neque Adnales.
"Well according to this, the Lady of Cacophony is a monstrous creature that holds Authority over Distorted Sound. It’s never been seen on Eventide, and its worshippers, as well as Mystics that serve it, are not easily encountered. Safe to say, it is not very active."
"So there’s no known way to defeat it?"
"None. But if I make use of my knowledge of the Domain of Sound, as long as you cover your ears and hold significant sway over air currents, you should be able to deal with the worst of it."
"Which means Compatibility is against us if it turns out to be the Lady," Alex remarked with a grim look.
"Unfortunately so." Arwen nodded in agreement. "But then again, it’s not a hundred percent certain."
Letting out a sigh, Alex dropped the book he was holding and got to his feet.