In a country known as the Land of the Bamboo Curtain, a student hails from a country with seven nicknames, one of which is the Land of a Thousand Temples. The student is so talented in science and technology that while studying in his home country, he received a scholarship to the Land of the Bamboo Curtain to continue his studies there.
He has a normal appearance, with glasses that help him see clearly and fair tan skin. He walks against the dark sky, illuminated by the sidewalk and city lights. His destination is a building in front of him that says "National Library."
"Zorfi!"
A man's voice shouts the student's name from the opposite direction. He sighs as if recognizing the source of the voice calling him. He stops in his tracks, turns back with a lazy expression as the person approaches, and asks, "Zorfi, where are you going?"
"I'm going to the library to borrow some novels. There are new books that have just been added to the library," he replies in a bored tone.
"Really? I also want to go to the library to borrow some books. I think we have the same goal, so how about we go there together? There are a few things I want to talk to you about."
Reluctantly, Zorfi had to agree and walk with him to the library to avoid giving him negative thoughts.
Then, they chatted about various things, such as daily life on campus, campus gossip, assignments, and coincidentally, the fact that Zorfi and the other person would be graduating soon, so they talked more about that and how to prepare for graduation.
National Library
Upon their arrival at the library, the room looked very neat and organized, with people sitting side by side or alone reading books, adding to the serene atmosphere. The bookshelves were lined up, and there were also dividers between the rooms so visitors could easily find books they liked.
Zorfi was in the novel room, walking along the aisles filled with fantasy books.
As you might expect, Eastern fantasy novels dominate the market there, compared to Western or other Asian fantasy novels.
Zorfi picked up three currently popular Eastern fantasy books: "The Hidden Ruler," "The Mad Hermit," and "The Slave to Evil." Feeling that his goal had been fulfilled, he walked to the librarian to check out the three books he had brought, while looking around. At that moment, he stopped and his eyes narrowed at something above him.
He spotted an interesting, fairly thick novel. Curious, he picked it up. The cover was brown with a root pattern and gold accents, the font style and color blending perfectly with the background color and the text. The title was "Darkness in the Mythical World of Archipelago."
Zorfi's eyes widened in disbelief. The title of his book, "Archipelago," is a translation of his home country, meaning "Nusantara." "I can't believe the history of my country's mythology has reached here. But why isn't the author's name listed?" Zorfi muttered, flipping through the book, searching for the author's name, but ended up with nothing.
The author's name wasn't there, and the back cover didn't even mention the author or creator; it was just a blank, brown page with a root pattern. Hesitant for a moment, Zorfi was curious, so he added the book he'd like to borrow as well. Then, he walked over to the librarian.
Five minutes later, Zorfi and the man with him were outside the library door, having finished checking out the books they wanted and stowing them in their backpacks.
"Okay, it looks like we're going to have different routes home. See you on campus later, Zorfi," the man said, bidding farewell and offering a warm handshake with a sincere smile.
"Yeah, see you later," Zorfi replied, returning the handshake with a bored and indifferent tone.
The man then turned and walked towards his house. Meanwhile, Zorfi waited for a passing taxi. He glanced at his watch; it was already 10:10 PM.
He began to feel restless, looking left and right, eager to return home to relax in his private chair and read a novel. Fortunately, at that very moment, a taxi appeared, and this made Zorfi feel relieved and fortunate.
He picked up the previous novel, which intrigued him greatly, and its thickness meant he wouldn't get bored reading it.
"Alright, let's get started," he muttered to himself, slowly opening the first chapter.