Chapter 101: 101~The Archives

As soon as she accepted the quest Dylan spun around in happiness, punching the air with enthusiasm. The joy on his face was contagious and Yvlena soon caught herself smiling too.

“Thank you!” Dylan said.

Yvlena nodded again, noticing that an affinity bar did not come up with this particular character. She wondered why but reasoned she didn’t make the game and was only there to play it.

“I just need to pay a visit to the library.” Yvlena said.

“No problem, I’m going to tell Mom that we’ll be setting out to see the Outpost,” Dylan said nervously, Yvlena guessed Olivia wouldn’t be too happy allowing her son to go towards the same area where she had lost her husband.

“If I’m not at the town gates by the time you’re ready, head to the library.” Yvlena said.

[You’ve given an NPC an objective]

[Click for more information]

“Huh?” Yvlena looked at the floating notification as Dylan ran off to find his mother. He sped through the Floral District leaving Yvlena alone to examine the game mechanic’s explanation.

She clicked and once again the Moon Valley Mascot fluttered around as an animation window popped up to illustrate what she would need to learn.

“Need a close NPC to do something for you? Simply give them an objective and wait for them to carry it out,” the fairy said.

“NPCs can accept quests just as players can, but only if you have a relationship with them, the relationship meter will not always show in relation to a particular NPC but rest assured dear player you are more liked than you know,”

“Well, that explains some things.” Yvlena said.

“Once an NPC has accepted the objective, Moon Points will be deducted in completion of the objective to compensate the NPC, they need it just as much as you do,”

The animation window closed out leaving Yvlena with a few thoughts. The NPCs were basically just people living in a town, she had seen them buying things and speaking to each other and assumed they were just programmed to do that.

Yet again the game surprised her with its ability to create a world seemingly out of nowhere, Yvlena was once again impressed.

“Huh,” Yvlena shrugged and continued on her way toward the library. She followed the path to the Artisan District and soon came upon the Library’s entrance, with the pillars that bore the carvings of the patron Gods of Moon Valley.

The building was old enough that she could not make out the individual faces of the carvings but she did not doubt that if they were, it would be her mother’s face.

A burst of longing swelled in Yvlena, this game was the closest she would get to knowing her mother as an adult, was it wrong to hope she met the goddess soon?

----------

“Ah, Yvlena, a welcome sight. I assume you’re here over the house of Flores,” Laurent said. The blonde man stood at his usual spot, speaking without even looking up at her.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

But how had he known that she was the one standing before him?

“Yes, how did you know I was coming?”

Laurent looked up at her and shrugged in the elegant way only a nobleman could.

“I just knew.” He said.

A blush crawled unto Yvlena’s face, she stared down at her feet, holding back the silly giggle that almost escaped her. Laurent could be smooth when he wanted to be, a far cry from the first time they’d met.

“Okay, let me know the shelf and row,” Yvlena said after a moment of sobering up.

“Basement level, 10th shelf, F for Flores. Second Level, 13th shelf, L for Lilian. There wasn’t a lot, most of these things will be found in the Rose Manor but I assume some of the Manor is currently inaccessible,”

“Understatement, I’ll need a lot of wood to repair the stairs and furniture, but I’m determined to restore it to its original glory,” Yvlena said.

[Laurent is impressed by your resolve]

[Affinity with Laurent Increased +5]

The library’s basement doubled as an archive for old documents pertaining to the town. Yvlena wouldn’t have guessed anything of note would be down here if she hadn’t inquired before she stepped in.

The archives were dusty, forcing Yvlena to tread carefully as she began searching the tomes and files containing the town’s history.

“Let’s see, 10th shelf,” She whispered running her fingers over the plaques bearing the numbers of the shelves.

“Can I help you?” A droll voice sounded from behind Yvlena, the elf jumped, spinning around to find a tall, cronish woman standing in the shadows of the dusty archives.

The woman was tall and thin with a long nose that housed the tiny spectacles she wore. Her skin was pale in the sparse light and accentuated by the burgundy dress she wore. The dress was a gray, ankle length piece with a deep red fanned collar that rose above the woman’s head like a snake.

“O-Oh, hi, I was just looking for some information, Laurent directed me to the archives. I won’t be long,” Yvlena explained nervously.

“Laurent sent you did he?” The woman asked seemingly in amusement. Her thin lips quirked in a smirk. “Carry on.” She slunk away, leaving Yvlena with a nervous feeling.

“Okay, that was a weird one.” She said.

She located the 10th shelf a moment later, scanning through the archives until she found the letter F and pulled out a long family tree detailing the ancestry of the house of Flores.

Yvlena read through, finding Lilian and her Husband but noticing her family was apart from the main tree.

“That’s because she was disowned right?” Yvlena said.

[Story of the Harvest Guardian 17.5%]

[Beatrice’s Daughter 9.4%]

“Bingo, but does she have any siblings?” Yvlena asked tracing and tracing until she stopped on a name.

“Daphne Flores, but she’s long deceased. Beatrice and Twyla are the only members of the Flores family left. Says here that their assets were sold off so they really were left destitute. Man, that sucks!”

Indignation grew within Yvlena on behalf of the NPC that reminded her so much of her Grandmother. How could they cast a whole family out over a little magic?

“The Rose Manor isn’t under Lilian’s name but that makes sense it transfers over to the newest Harvest Guardian so it would be under my...name,” Yvlena said slowly. She lifted her head and thought.

“Do I have family history in Moon Valley?!” She gasped. Putting the thought aside for now, she placed the files back into the empty space. The files didn’t tell anything she didn’t already know about Lilian, she was a dark summoner, a fact she had learned from Bavga, but what else?

What did she do as the Harvest Guardian?

Yvlena exited the basement, avoiding the strange woman who dwelt there by sneaking up the steps. Once again she found herself on the first floor, the light nearly blinding her after the brief time spent scouring the basement.

“Second Level, that’s the same spot Rael’s information was,” Yvlena realized as she ran up the steps to the next set of shelves she would be searching.

She found the shelf she needed quickly and was soon brushing her finger over the spine of the book she needed.

“Here we go,” Yvlena said picking out a thin tome, she opened it propping it on her elbows as she began reading.