"What's the plan now?" Yu Jia asked after Rat had left.
"First, we check it out. If possible, we find a way in. If not, we return and rethink," Adam replied.
"And tomorrow's audience… what will you do?" Yinling asked.
"Of course Yu Jia goes. I'll go too, as a guard. Just for appearances. Only costs a bit more."
The combined cost for the morning? Seven hundred coins. Maybe even fourteen hundred. A serious expense. Even Yu Jia and Adam felt it sting a little. Yinling, though, had no concept of money.
The little girl hadn't spent any herself for hundreds of years. Her father or brother handled all finances. Only now, traveling with Adam, had she started to notice money's value—but compared to the other two, her sense of it was still shallow.
Soon, Rat returned. The three of them climbed into his carriage. Over an hour later, they'd practically crossed half of Athens. Finally, they arrived.
They stepped down. Adam paid the driver and dismissed him. Rat pointed to a distant mountain.
"There. Athena Library."
Through the embrace of Athens' surrounding mountains, a massive white building rose among the giant temples of the gods. Lower than the others, but still imposing.
The mountain looked almost cut in half. Its base alone occupied a massive area.
Like the other temples, it was lit brightly. The peak resembled a rectangular brazier, reflected by the rectangular temples around it, casting light into the sky.
"That's it? Why not go straight there?" Yinling asked.
They were still technically within the city limits, just at a vantage point with a clear view. Even walking to the mountain's base would still leave hundreds of meters.
"This is as far as we go. There are guards ahead. If we peek from there, they'll check us. Maybe you don't care, but I do," Rat said with a crooked smile.
From his perspective, this lavish group of three looked like Corsican nobility. Even if Athens refused to acknowledge their titles, they were respectable compared to a lowly thief like him.
These palaces were the source of Greece's power and Athens' prosperity—the so-called Olympus.
Adam scanned the massive palaces scattered across the mountain peaks using his long-distance vision and superior night sight.
After a while, he whispered in a voice humans couldn't hear: "There are sentries at the base, patrols on the mid and upper slopes. The neighboring palace… there's a deafening snoring. Giants sleeping inside. And not just one."
"You're not thinking of forcing your way in, are you?" Yu Jia whispered, face pale. Facing giants? Impossible. Especially here, the giants' stronghold. Even the First City couldn't handle this place.
Yinling tried, imitating Adam: "It's not impossible. Humans can't stop us. Giants… seem a bit slow." Of course, this was only a guess. Real strength and intelligence remained unknown. If someone like the North African King Apollo showed up, no one here could survive—not even Adam.
Adam considered for a moment. "Humans aren't a problem. Ignore them. Giants aren't a problem if they stay asleep. But… what about vampires? Last time in North Africa, we saw vampires working with giants. I heard two vampire kings are in these palaces. We still don't know where. If they're here and wake the giants, that's real trouble."
"Vampires teaming up with giants? Possible. Their relationship is… complicated," Yu Jia murmured, recalling the research files from the First City. Good thing Adam wasn't planning a full-force intrusion.
The three of them quietly analyzed the situation. To Rat, though, it looked like nothing was happening.
Their mouths moved slightly, barely enough to form words. Yet the expressions on their faces left him stunned.
"What the hell…" Rat muttered.
After a long moment, no conclusion was reached. Too many unknowns. Adam couldn't risk capture. If caught, he might not awaken for two thousand years—or ever.
"Um… can I ask?" Rat stammered finally. "You're looking for… information, right? Every year, many come long distances hoping to enter. Most fail. But there are alternatives. Athens' Book City has abundant books. If it's not something rare, you might find it there. Even if not, mercenaries and thieves wait by the central fountain twenty-four hours a day. They take any commission—if you can pay. Money probably isn't a problem for you three."
"Hmm?" The three froze.
Another good option? Excellent.
They hadn't expected entering a library to be this difficult. Adam and Yu Jia had assumed it was open to the public. Yinling didn't even have a concept of libraries.
Her family estate, a small library itself, could've sufficed. Plenty of low-level secret arts could be learned there.
"Thanks for the advice, Rat." Adam tossed another gold coin at him under Yu Jia's scolding glare. "Lead us there."
"Got it!" Rat tucked away the coin, grinning ear to ear. Tonight's earnings equaled a month of normal income.
Soon, Rat arranged a carriage again. The three climbed aboard, heading toward Athens' Book City.
Notably, this carriage was less than half the cost of the one Adam had hired earlier. Athens wasn't as open as it seemed. Exclusion and overcharging were common—partly tradition, partly arrogance.
Once again, Adam noted: without a local guide, survival in this city was extremely difficult.