The first book I selected from the vast collection was titled in flowing Arthia script, *'The Gods of the South'*. I had been genuinely surprised to discover an impressive collection of books written in Arthia here—hundreds of volumes compared to the meager collection of fewer than twenty Arthia texts back in Draga's royal library. There was also quite a substantial collection of books written in my native mother tongue Relina, all organized and stacked neatly on one dedicated shelf. The people here in Gorei spoke both languages interchangeably with remarkable fluency—the languages often blurred together naturally in conversation. Most of the time, residents knew both languages thoroughly because the region's diversity and mixed population absolutely required it for daily commerce and communication. Even young Yasmine, the cheerful maid, knew both languages fluently despite having spent only five years here in Gorei after migrating from the deep south. I felt utterly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available to absorb from these countless books lining every wall—suddenly three months felt like far too little time, woefully inadequate. *It's fine*, I had to firmly assure myself, trying to quell my anxiety. *I'll read as much as humanly possible during our stay—then ask Arvid for access to another library back in Arap when we arrive there.* Yes, that seemed entirely possible and reasonable.
So I settled in and started reading with focused intensity. Katherine dutifully served my breakfast directly at the library table, and she sternly demanded that I put the book away temporarily to eat properly and mindfully. So I complied immediately—she could be genuinely scary when provoked to anger, her normally kind face transforming. She remained nearby, positioning herself at the same table and reading her own book written in Relina. She had been taught Arthia during her noble education too, but that particular language skill had turned rough and rusty from years of disuse, she explained apologetically. When I generously offered to teach her and refresh her knowledge, she politely declined.
"There's far more for you to learn about this foreign culture," she said reasonably. "I can't justify taking your precious time to help me learn about the place where you may end up spending the rest of your life. Your education is more important."
So we sat there together in comfortable companionship, each drawn deeply into our respective books in complete, peaceful silence. The gentle rustling of turning pages was the only sound that I heard in that vast space, creating a meditative **(meditative: involving or absorbed in deep thought)** atmosphere.
The book I had chosen proved to be a really fascinating, intellectually stimulating one. It discussed in detail the southern people's complex religious beliefs and how they fundamentally understood and approached religion differently than northerners. According to the author's thorough explanation, there existed countless gods scattered throughout the world—an almost infinite number. There was supposedly a god inhabiting every tree you passed, and even each flower you saw was believed to be a home to some minor deity. Every mountain peak, every flowing river, every still lake was considered a sacred home to a god or spirit. But interestingly, people could freely choose whether to worship these gods or not—it didn't really matter to the gods themselves, who existed independently. But there were certain major gods that were worshipped far more frequently by the population.
The Sun God was one of the most prominent. As the southern people conceptualized it, the Sun represented the single most important source of energy in the entire world. They believed it could dramatically change climates with its favor or disfavor, could transform lush vegetation into barren desert with its intensity—a tremendously powerful being worthy of respect. His elaborate temples were mostly situated near the vast desert we were supposed to cross during our journey. I finally learned its proper name from this text: the Grand Sand Desert.
And there was a Goddess of Rain, who was revered extremely highly throughout the South. Her temples were strategically located near rivers and lakes where water gathered. She functioned more broadly as a goddess of all water, because water was something genuinely precious and sometimes scarce in the hot South. The people tried desperately to store rainwater as extensively as possible to survive the long and harsh dry seasons that could last months. Most previous emperors had commissioned the construction of massive dams to collect and preserve water. As agriculture formed the main foundation of living and the economy, rain and water played an absolutely huge part in everyone's daily lives and survival.
Then there was the God of the Sea, whose impressive temples were obviously situated along the extensive sea shores and scattered across the countless islands located in the far southern regions. Sailors and fishermen worshipped the God of the Sea fervently to protect them from dangerous turbulence and storms at sea, and to grant them good, bountiful fish harvests. This was considered an extremely important deity since the majority of Selon's considerable national riches and trade came directly through maritime commerce.
But the book carefully stated, even though these gods existed and held power, there was absolutely no requirement or obligation for anyone to worship them. You wouldn't be punished by the gods for ignoring them. The text emphasized philosophically that everything we do or think essentially becomes our personal god—our guiding principle. Which meant that how we chose to live our lives mattered infinitely more than placating any external, distant gods. If we thought we could accomplish something, we genuinely could—if we thought we couldn't, we wouldn't even try. It was the most basic principle of existence and human potential, the book argued persuasively.
"You are your own God or demon, whichever you consciously want to be, so choose carefully and wisely," Tarhan Gunasera, the book's author, concluded in his final passage. I closed the substantial book with a satisfied sigh and glanced to my left. The text had been written with considerably more difficult and sophisticated vocabulary than I was accustomed to encountering. So I had requested ink and brush along with some blank papers to jot down any particularly difficult words I came across during my reading. I carefully wrote down each word I didn't fully understand along with the surrounding phrase for context, leaving space to fill in definitions after asking about meanings from someone who knew Arthia better.
And someone who knew the language exceptionally well came my way unexpectedly.
Around the afternoon, when I had finally put the book down to rest my eyes, the heavy library door opened with a creak. I naturally expected it to be Arvid returning to check on me, but it wasn't him at all. Instead, it was young Sagar, the serious second son of the Duke of Gorei. His small hands struggled to hold a heavy, thick book, while a patient servant following behind him carried more books stacked high and some papers along with ink and brush supplies. The child's eyes widened visibly, clearly not expecting anyone else to be occupying the library. Then he quickly bowed in a very proper, well-mannered way that would make any etiquette teacher proud.
"Good afternoon, Sister-in-law," he said formally, though his voice carried obvious delight at seeing me.
I smiled warmly at the adorable child, who seemed so mature beyond his mere ten years.
"Good afternoon to you too, Sagar," I replied, smiling encouragingly.
"Is it acceptable if I sit at the table in front of you, sister?" he asked politely, approaching the study table where I sat. "I have studying to complete."
"By all means, please go ahead," I told him graciously. He was almost too polite for a child. He settled his heavy book carefully on the table in front of him with obvious relief.
*'Advanced Account Settlements - Book 05'* the spine read in gold lettering. Another substantial heap of books was settled methodically next to him by his attentive servant. They were arranged in a way that allowed me to easily read the books' spines, so naturally I read them with curiosity.
*'Geography of Selon - Advanced Edition'*
*'Advanced Account Settlements - Book 06, The Final Volume'*
*'Advanced Theology by Tarhan Gunasera'*
*'Relina Language - Advanced Edition'*
*'Culture of Draga - Beginner Edition'*
That represented quite an overwhelming amount of study material for someone his young age. He had already efficiently flipped to his marked page in his first book, *Advanced Account Settlements - Book 05*, and was getting his brush and papers ready with practiced movements. I watched in genuine awe. Imagine witnessing a child genius in action.
"You're studying all of those subjects?" I asked when curiosity finally got the absolute best of me, unable to contain my amazement.
He nodded matter-of-factly and looked directly at me with twinkling, intelligent eyes.
"As the future Main Advisor to the next Duke of Gorei, even this extensive curriculum is not nearly enough preparation," he said with unmistakable enthusiasm and purpose. His young voice carried a sense of great destiny and responsibility.
"Main Advisor? Not the next Duke yourself?" I asked him, genuinely curious about this distinction since he was the Duke's son.
The little one paused his preparation and thought carefully for a moment, considering his words. Then he said with complete, disarming honesty:
"I would make a terrible Duke, I think." His tone carried no self-pity, just realistic self-assessment. "I'm not suited for that role."