Athens Book City lay in the southwest corner of the city. To the east, it bordered the golden tower of the Athens Commercial Center; to the south, the bustling port.
The city thrived thanks to the fame of the Athena Library. It was the distribution hub for Western books. Yet, Adam's expectations of size were quickly humbled.
The city was just a circular street. At the center, a massive building resembled a Roman arena. Surrounding it were ordinary houses.
Shops lined both sides of the street—no more than two hundred. Most had simple awnings, making the street feel narrow. Inside, books were stacked like garbage…
At night, most stalls were still open, but pedestrians were sparse. Only the shopkeepers and their assistants sat at the doorways, chatting, cooling off. The street looked more like a chaotic wholesale market than a book city.
Here, merchants clearly outnumbered customers. Adam frowned. He felt disappointed.
Books, before widespread education, were a privilege of the nobility. In many cities, there were no bookstores or publishing houses.
Most books available were hand-copied—especially specialized histories, geography, and scholarly works. Widely printed books were usually government texts, men's poetry, or novels meant to make noble ladies cry.
Could he find books on vampire secret arts here? Adam doubted it. Still, they had come this far; might as well try.
"Which shop has the most books?" Adam asked Rat.
"I think you asked the wrong person," Yu Jia teased.
Rat shrugged. Of course a thief wouldn't know about books. In this era, thieves had no exposure to written texts.
"Who cares if it's complete! Let's just pick the biggest store and go in!" Yinling suggested.
And so, the four of them set off, a small army in search of books.
Three hours later, aside from Yinling buying a few novels and poetry volumes, they had nothing to show for it.
The city's books were comprehensive: strategy, martial arts, politics, geography, climate, astronomy, history… Adam even found Eastern classics: The Art of War and Li Sao.
Well. Another fact confirmed: the Great Flood happened after these works were written. But when exactly? Adam couldn't remember—high school had been too long ago. He didn't even know which came first.
Just as they were about to leave, Adam suddenly asked:
"That building… what is it?"
He pointed to the massive structure in the center of the Book City, the one resembling a Roman arena.
Rat glanced up. "Part of the city too. But not a bookstore. The real big stores are outside. At night, it's mostly empty. You'd have to come during the day to explore."
"Then why is there light inside?" The group noticed faint illumination from a few windows.
"Maybe someone's organizing books," Yu Jia said. "Books are heavy. Nighttime's probably quiet enough to sort them."
"Hmm… since we're here, might as well check it out." Adam strode toward the building's entrance.
Organizing books? Very unlikely. They had seen how the street's merchants treated books: piles tossed together like trash. Most were hand-copied, fragile, and bound without consistency. Narrow aisles, constant traffic—who had time to organize?
Merchants didn't bother. Any sale could cover the cost of ten or even dozens of copies. Customers were on their own to find what they wanted.
The building was made entirely of stone. The entrance was three meters tall and six meters wide. No door. An old man chatted with a neighboring shopkeeper at the threshold.
Though normally guarded at night, Adam simply said he wanted to buy books. The old man didn't object. In fact, he even handed over a candle and holder. Adam raised an eyebrow in surprise.
With the candle in hand, the four climbed the steps.
Outside, the building looked like a Roman arena. Inside, it was different. Wide indoor streets, stores all locked, resembling a department store from Adam's previous life. Stalls filled every corner.
They climbed rough stairs to the third floor, where the lights glowed. After wandering for a while, Adam found the source at the end of a small alley—a peculiar shop.
Unlike other shops, this one resembled a residence. A small door hung slightly ajar. A wooden sign read: "Welcome. Open for business."
The scene was unsettling. Everyone tensed—except Adam.
"Hello… is anyone here?" Adam called into the inner room.
"Wait a moment," an old voice replied. Yinling's brow furrowed.
Adam had expected this. He could hear the scratching of quills. Someone was writing inside.
The inner door opened. Out came an old man.
White hair, deep wrinkles, waist-length beard. A black robe hung from his thin frame. His frail hands held a spread scroll.
"What book do you seek?" The old man glanced at Adam, speaking habitually.
"Uncle Kumu!" Yinling exclaimed in surprise.
The shop's owner? A close friend of the Baron of Smoke. One of the few vampire nobles who hadn't followed the order of the Sub-Zeus to attack Adam at the estate—the ninth-generation vampire.
Kumu.