Exploring Technology in a Wizard World-Chapter 287 - 286 Inside the Taboo Bookstore

Chapter 287: Chapter 286 Inside the Taboo Bookstore

Chapter 287: Chapter 286 Inside the Taboo Bookstore

Richard approached and browsed the book marked with the Black Spirit Empire emblem, only to find many pages damaged due to poor preservation, some even showing signs of water damage and worm infestation. In a sense, it could hardly be called a book, not even half a book.

After flipping through a few pages, Richard furrowed his brows as he glanced over the content — it seemed somewhat familiar.

“If a Male Slave makes a mistake, then you can punish him like this. Strip him naked, tie him to a wooden frame, and harshly strike his lower body with a rod until he cries out in a woman’s voice, then…”

Richard raised his eyebrows, flipped the book to the first page, and saw, not surprisingly, a line written there: My Autobiography — Moratos.

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This turned out to be a book he already possessed, a duplicate.

This…

Richard shook his head, intending to restore the book to its original place. However, due to the forceful flipping, he touched the red line which immediately connected with a small copper bell, causing it to ring with a “ding-dong” sound.

The burly Black Spirit man who had stopped people at the entrance appeared nearby and asked in a humming tone, “Did you ring the bell?”

“No,” Richard shook his head and explained, “I just accidentally touched it!”

“Accidentally?! Hey, there’s no such thing as ‘accidentally’ here!” the burly man said sternly, “In the Taboo Bookstore, if the bell rings, there are only two possibilities. Either you are preparing to buy the book, or you are planning to steal it. If it’s the former, you should obediently pay. If it’s the latter, I don’t care if you were recommended by Great Scholar Socrates, I will still kill you on the spot! Which is it?”

“…” Richard remained silent for a while, truly not wanting to have a ridiculous fight with the burly man over this, and finally asked, “How much?”

“150 Lower-grade Crystal Coins, or 2000 Gold Coins,” the burly man said.

“How much?” Richard raised an eyebrow.

It must be said that this price was indeed a bit high. At an auction he had attended, seven intact books from the Black Spirit Empire had been taken by a young man for 1000 Lower-grade Crystal Coins, which was already several times overpriced. Even so, converting that price meant less than 143 Lower-grade Crystal Coins per book. Now, the burly man was asking for 150 Lower-grade Crystal Coins directly, which was somewhat excessive.

The burly man was unapologetic: “Here, a book costs that much. I’ve told you the rules before. If you want to buy a book, prepare your money in advance. There’s no bargaining here, nor is this a place where paupers can simply wander into.”

Richard narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the burly man for a while, then reached into his arms and pulled out one top-grade crystal coin along with five medium crystal coins to hand over to the burly man.

The burly man was slightly taken aback, clearly surprised as he took the crystal coins; evidently, he hadn’t expected Richard to pay so readily. In his view, Richard was probably going to be like the others, fussing about it for quite a while.

After receiving the crystal coins, the burly man’s expression eased a bit, and he told Richard, “Wait here, I’ll get the book for you.”

After saying this, the burly man turned and walked away, and soon came back with something in his hands — a bundle of white cotton and a sharp black dagger.

Carefully stuffing the cotton into the copper bell, the burly man picked up the red thin rope and began to cut it with the sharp dagger.

It was then that Richard realized how tough the red string was. Even the burly man, a strongman handling a dagger, took quite a while to cut through the thin red rope, more difficult than cutting through wire.

After cutting the red rope, the burly man handed the book to Richard and thought for a moment before digging out two plates from his pocket — one gold, one silver.

Handing the two plates to Richard, the burly man said, “After you’ve purchased an item here, you’re considered a formal client. From now on, you can freely enter and exit this place with the gold plate without being stopped.

And the silver plate, you can give it to someone else as your recommended person, also granting them eligibility to enter the bookstore. However, it’s only a one-time opportunity, so I hope you consider it carefully.”

Richard took the plates, put them away, and then looked at the burly man, asking, “There’s an inner section of the bookstore, right?”

According to what Great Scholar Socrates had said before, the Taboo Bookstore was divided into an inner and an outer section. The outer was not too difficult to enter, a recommendation would suffice. But the inner section was not so, with stricter conditions and higher thresholds. Great Scholar Socrates hadn’t specified the details, but he had hinted that more books were available for selection in the inner section.

Hearing Richard’s question, the burly man frowned deeply and asked, “Are you interested in entering the inner bookstore?”

“There aren’t any books I want here, so I’m thinking of checking the inner part. Can I?”

“Yes, you can, but…” the burly man looked at Richard, evaluating him up and down as if assessing something, then slowly continued, “but… you need to pass our test first.”

“Hmm? Test, what test?” Richard asked.

“It’s a test of your strength, you need to demonstrate your capabilities, achieving a certain standard, only then will you be allowed into the inner section of the Taboo Bookstore,” the burly man explained, looking very serious.

“After all, this place carries forbidden items, and the inner section is even more strictly off-limits, containing more banned articles. If we just let anyone in, and if they were pressured into revealing details on the outside, wouldn’t that be a disaster?” the burly man continued, “So, if you want to enter the inner section, you must show that you have the strength to protect our secrets.”

“I see…” Richard narrowed his eyes slightly. He wasn’t so worried about demonstrating his capabilities, but he was wondering if his persistent disguise would be exposed as a result.

He had been introduced by Great Scholar Socrates, his identity was clear; if he displayed too high a power level, or even showcased his ability to cast Spells, would Great Scholar Socrates know?

With a bit of suspicion, he wondered whether Great Scholar Socrates had sent him here with the intention of subtly probing him.

Even though this possibility was not very high, he still needed to be cautious — better safe than sorry. After all, since the auction, he had been wondering whether Great Scholar Socrates’s identity was as straightforward as it seemed. What if there was a connection to the White Stone Tower Academy?

In this case…

Gently holding the two plates in his hands, Richard pondered for a while and decided it was better to be cautious, looking at the burly man and saying, “If a test is needed, then I think… I need some time to consider.”

“Up to you,” the burly man raised his hand and said, “The choice is in your hands.”

“Alright,” Richard responded, “I’ll come back once I’ve made up my mind.”

“Fine,” the burly man agreed, then made a gesture inviting Richard to leave the bookstore.

Richard didn’t pay much attention and stepped out, promptly leaving the Underground Market and returning to the laboratory.

…