LSRO: Chapter 95 - In the Loop (Patreon)

Okay! Heads up - this is a cliffy!

Just putting that out there.

Okay I had fun with this one. You might hate me. Please don't ... yet 

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Chapter 95

In the Loop

Lynx and Quinn stood in the Training Room. Quinn blinked around taking in her surroundings and noticing, quite readily, that it wasn't what she'd expected. After all, she'd been in the room with Malakai numerous times to hone her skills, practice her reflexes, and beat the ever living knowledge she'd gained into her sad little reflexes.

Now, however, it was an entirely different space.

Where there'd been copious mats on the ground and training dummies, there were now tree-like perches being grown out of the walls so the Nightowls would have comfortable spaces while they helped the Library figure out what had happened. Granted, Quinn wasn't entirely sure why the Nightowls' information wasn't simply immediate knowledge of the Library, but any time she tried to ask the question, the answer was very specifically sidestepped.

Quinn was starting to wonder just how much the Library had truly lost and how dire the peril was they were really in. So many little hints here and there, so much to consider. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration at not being able to leech any more of the information out yet.

She was still getting used to the way the entire mechanism worked. Even with the extra reach, control, and sensations she'd amassed since realizing how actually close she was to the Library... Quinn still needed time to practice. Time to get used to everything.

Lynx watched her, a frown on his face. "I don't know why you seem so astounded by the changes in here. I mean, you did ask for them. You've seen what the Library has done on a whim and a request before. Like your office, the jail sort of cell... you know it can transform at whim. It's sort of our thing..." he grinned widely at her.

Quinn sighed. "It wasn't that I wasn't expecting it, I guess, I just didn't think all this would happen." She waved her hand around as the hall continued to transform. She needed to start thinking in broader terms, in ways that were more encompassing than her human habitation on Earth had led her to believe. Things were on such a huge scale with the Library after all...

Eric flew directly in front of her face to hover there, his impish grin dripping lava into his mouth. "I won the coin toss." he said smugly.

"Coin toss?" Quinn asked, despite being fairly sure she knew what he was talking about.

"Geneva got stuck with the front desk."

"She volunteered." Lynx pointed out.

Eric flashed him an annoyed glare. "Fine. She volunteered, but I won the coin toss anyway." there was a pout to his words.

"Let me guess." Quinn asked, "Double sided coin?"

"Maybe you know me too well, Librarian." Eric quipped and darted back out of view to the other side of the Training Hall where Dottie and the Arachnia twins had gathered.

"Sometimes I'm not sure if he's on our side." Quinn mused.

Misha chose that moment to pop into view. "Excellent. I knew I would find you here." Misha blinked those pearlescent eyes rapidly, like they were accessing reams of information.

Quinn took a step back... "I don't think I like how happy you are to see me." She crossed her arms and regarded Misha suspiciously.

"I simply have several reports that only you can go over with me." Misha stated. "Your connection through the Console is no longer entirely necessary for anything other than dire circumstances. In which case you could also just link directly to the core, given your unique set of circumstances."

Quinn blinked at the sudden onslaught of words. Misha often had a lot to say, but didn't necessarily do so in a lot of words. Resigned to having to do more work while waiting to do other work, she sighed. "Fine. Show me what you need me to do."

She could have sworn Misha smiled outright.

A list began to pour out in front of Quinn's eyes. She hadn't realized how much her access had been refined before this. Sure, she'd been able to pull up her lists, but right now , this was a lot more.

Malachite shards on hand 3, 789, 043

Expected Expenditure per day rounded for the next week: 12, 761 daily - up to 89,327.

Note: As daily expenditure will increase as the Library branches open, it is recommended to reach a minimum of 10,000,000 shards in perpetual stock and not fall below this threshold.

Do you wish to set up delivery to correspond with these goals

Yes? or No?

"What's the cost?" Quinn muttered under her breath, knowing the system would answer her.

Current market pricing has risen due to increased demand that wasn't present for the last 465 years. This brings current market pricing to a total of 1 generic Library coin, to be configured into the local relevant currency per shard purchased. Bulk purchases are recommended to curtail costs.

Do you wish to proceed?

Yes? or No?

Quinn glanced at Misha out of the corner of her eye, and saw the supervisory golem just nod their head. She chose yes. Several pages of information flashed before her eyes so fast that she couldn't tell what was on a single one of them.

Purchase orders initiated. Delivery estimates will reach reserve levels within ten days.

Quinn blinked. This put bureaucracy back on Earth to shame. Maybe they all just needed systems to run everything for efficiency levels.

I'm a Library. It doesn't work like that.

Quinn cringed at the offense in those words. Sorry

The Library didn't reply, but Quinn got the feeling it wasn't holding a grudge. Maybe. Hopefully...

Golem Components

Phosphorus Clay Required as an upgrade component: 32, 985

Insidious Clay Required as an upgrade component: 18, 958

Quinn stopped reading the list to look up at Misha. "Are you just having me approve a heap of spending for purchase orders?"

Misha looked away, and didn't make eye contact. "It is one of the duties of the Librarian that you must oversee the finances and supply runs for the entire Library..."

"There's no way for me to delegate this?" Quinn said, finding that very difficult to believe. "Not to mention that I thought we were short on funds."

Misha turned back, momentarily having forgotten they were trying to avoid looking at Quinn. "We have never been short on money. Only on power levels."

Quinn didn't quite get it. "But isn't money how you..." She shook her head. Money didn't necessarily buy power here. It was knowledge and access to it. The things that the Library gave freely that others wanted to stop. She got it. "Anyway. Can't I just okay this within a certain budget?"

For the first time ever, it looked like Misha was going to pout. "Of course you could, but don't you want to know all the details and how to go about outfitting and supplying the Library?" There was a certain note of incredulousness to the golem's voice that made Misha seem almost volatile for a moment.

"I'm granting you permission to make the purchases you deem necessary as long as they don't exceed... What's a reasonable amount?" She turned to Lynx.

He shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? I've never taken care of that. I'm a Library manifestation."

"Who's perfectly aware of the content of what I'm sure are thousands of books about economics at some point?"

"Well..." Lynx sighed. "Fine. I'd say not surpassing ten million of local currency in Library equivalent."

"Per purchase?" Quinn asked, still trying to get her footing on how the money worked.

"Of course per purchase. Misha wouldn't even be able to get the Clay required with that as the sole budget."

Quinn digested that and activated the relevant setting in the interface. Then she looked up at Misha and was slightly shocked to see the supervisory golem appeared to be a bit melancholy. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just thought that would take more time." Misha looked out over the progress of the training area. "It is a good thing to be kept in the loop about all of the goings on of a magical Library. Especially as the Librarian of such an establishment."

Misha gave Quinn a very pointed look as they uttered those words, so much that a shiver went down her spine. "Got it. In the loop is good."

Misha nodded and then it seemed some of the tension drained out of them as they spoke. "But, it does appear we are close to being able to start on the memory data. I will get to organizing this and see to the rest of the supplies after we are done with today's session."

Quinn put out a hand to stop the golem from leaving. "Do you think it'll take more than just a session?"

"Of course it will. These memories will likely have to go back over years, and months. Any owl who thinks they might have something has been gathered by Aradie." Misha gestured up to one of the perches. There were at least two dozen owls on it.

Quinn gulped. She hadn't really counted on it taking up more than one day. But the more she thought about it, the sillier than seemed for her to have done. They were going to have to go over years, decades maybe. Time where all the books were supposed to be there. Time when other books might have been there. And figure out where the missing pieces of time had been removed from the recollection of the Library. Especially those books Milaro mentioned.

"Got it." Quinn said, and cast around a glance for the Elven King. He wasn't there yet, but his grandson was. She waved Malakai over. He rolled his eyes but trotted to her from where he'd been chatting with Dottie and Eric.

"What?" He said, crossing his arms.

"Is Milaro coming?" She asked.

"I'm not his keeper..." Malakai snapped ever so slightly, but then his expression softened. "But yes, he should be here shortly."

"Good... he's the one who knows what he's looking for."

"So do you." Malakai leaned forward, a frown on his face. "Why do you seem to lack confidence all of a sudden? This was all your idea and it was a good one. Take ownership."

Quinn blinked, barely having realized that she'd been getting down on herself while she'd been acclimatizing to all of the new information, and the HUD access, and all the money the Library could practically just give away. "You're right. I let myself get sidetracked."

"Sidetracked is a bad thing." Milaro said, doing that appearing thing again.

Quinn scowled at him. "I thought you said you couldn't do the Library teleport thing."

"I can't." He laughed and waggled both his fingers and eyebrows at the same time to comical effect. "But I can do my own teleport thing."

Quinn rolled her eyes and focused on Aradie who flew to her shoulder. She frowned. "You think there's something we should see before any of the other visions?"

The owl nodded and gave a hoot.

"Okay, then how do we do this?" Quinn turned to Malakai and Lynx. "Do we like, plug an owl in..."

"Into what?" Lynx asked, curiously. "Oh, you mean placing it on the visual pedestal?"

"Sure. Let's go with that." Quinn said, doing her best not to roll her eyes. Instead, she focused around the room and saw what, for all intents and purposes, looked like a crystal ball, on a pedestal just in front of the perching tree. Yeah, she'd call the weirdly woven dead branches a perching tree.

Heading over to the ball, she realized Malakai, Milaro, and Lynx had fallen into step behind her.

All of the eyes of every single bird on that perch followed her too. Those owls and their pesky neck range. How to feel like you're always being watched 101. Now that should be a book the Library has.

Aradie sent out a series of hoots that blended together in a sad way.

Quinn watched the branches intently, trying to spy the owl that was called. Nightowls were such an array of different colors, and she'd never seen a one that was the same shade that Aradie was. Granted, Aradie was also older than like, Earth...

A tiny little one hopped to the very end of the branches and dove down to stand next to Aradie and the stone. This little owl couldn't have been more than eight inches tall. It had eyes that looked so big on it, Quinn almost thought it was a stuffed toy. And its pitiful little hoot was about two octaves higher than Aradie's melodic one.

Don't be alarmed. Came over her connection to her Nightowl. And Quinn could feel panic already pitting in the center of her stomach. Whoever said they weren't alarmed when someone told them not to be, was a liar.

After some coaxing, Aradie ushered the little owl to sit on a small divot in the crystal ball. To Quinn's surprise it pushed in ever so slightly with whatever slight weight the owl had, and suddenly the wall beyond them was a hazy trail of images. It took several moments for them to clear up, for them to sharpen.

This is an image array. Memories retrieved from parts of this owl's mind.

Quinn couldn't help but love the sound of Aradie's thoughts as they whispered in her mind.

Depending on how far back the memory is, depends on the quality of the picture and the ability to recollect. It is purely due to luck that this little owl hibernated most of the Library's shutdown.

"What do you need me to see?" Quinn asked, her voice barely even a whisper, but then she didn't need to ask anything anymore, because it was right there in front of her.

"Oh..." she breathed out. "No."

There, on the scattered image in front of her, playing like an old silent film was Lynx, and a book -- a book they hadn't even known was missing until Milaro mentioned it.

The Ashelan Mind Capitulation Device.

The image stuttered, like it wasn't fully realized. And then Lynx's eyes glowed purple, and he disappeared.

Silence fell in the room and Quinn turned to look at her side where Lynx stood, frozen to the spot, his mouth open in a large O.

"I don't remember that..." he said, his voice suddenly weak and forlorn. "But that looks like me."

~~

TADAAAAA

THE THOT PLICKENS

La la la

I bet some of you will remember some stuff and you'll piece some of this together. That's my prediction bwah hah hah

Hope you enjoyed it!

Much love

KT