I happened to wake up in the morning for what was the first time in a long while.
Excluding the morning in the Illusory World, that is.
Anyway, it was so early, in fact, that I could hear my housemates moving about the house in preparation for the day's business. Instead of greeting them, I went straight to the Library.
Surprisingly, I felt refreshed, and though everything from the past few days still felt like a hazy dream, I found myself waking up more confident to tackle the challenge that lay ahead of me―That is, figuring out what I wanted to do in regards to this enigmatic Library.
I wasn't sure where this feeling of self-assurance originated from, and I couldn't deny that it felt peculiar, but regardless, it was welcome.
"Is it possible to open the Storage when I'm in the middle of a Contract?"
"Certainly, that's correct! I recommend using that to your fullest! Although, I suppose the reason for you to ask in the first place is due to such a plan? As expected of my colleague!"
Twirling around and waving her robe-draped arms in the air atop her height-compensatory stool, the Librarian performed the dance of such a ghost―the Ghost of the Illusory Library?
'No, that'd be the Spirit, wouldn't it?'
The top, rounded surface of the stool was only small, so I was concerned she might fall off or topple the thing with her unrestrained movements, but seeing as there was no sign of that happening, I eventually let it go.
"Well, yeah. What about the rest of the Assistance Menu; can I use the Shop inside a Contract?"
"Mmm, I'm afraid it's likely not possible! Because the Assistance Menu is stored within the Library itself, it will take exponentially more mana the further you are away, and well, as you might expect, Illusory Worlds are quite far...!"
Yet again, something felt a little peculiar about what she said, but perhaps because I had only just woken up, I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Disregarding that faint sensation of my brain being tickled for now, I nodded.
'It shouldn't matter if I just buy everything I need when I'm here, anyway...'
Pausing, I belatedly realised something.
"Wait, what's the difference between the Storage and the Shop? Aren't they both accessed through the same Assistance Menu?"
There seemed to be an inconsistency here. What was that about?
Slowing her artiste movements, the Librarian faced me with an awkward smile as she waved her arms slowly.
"Erm, so, not exactly... It is true that, whilst you are in the Illusory Library or on Earth, the Assistance Menu will be the primary interface to accessing all of the Service's available facilities, but not the Menu itself nor the Library is where those facilities are stored."
Humming briefly, she continued.
"For example, the foundational structure that supports the Shop exists within the Library, and therefore will not be accessible when your location strays too far from here. On the other hand, the Storage is located within the Mark on your body, meaning you will be able to access it with the energy of the Library stored within no matter where you are!"
It was a bit of an explanation, but the Librarian translated how it worked clearly enough that I was able to understand without too much complication.
'Basically, the Shop is in the Library and the Storage is in my hand... I don't know about the question mark one, but I'm sure I'll figure it out when I unlock it... No, hold on, how is the Storage located in my hand?' The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the noᴠelfire.net
To that question, she had but one thing to say, grinning wide as she did so.
"...Right. What about the Status? Where is that located?"
The Status screen didn't seem like something that would matter much whether I was able to use it in the middle of a Contract or not, but it was worth asking still.
"Certainly! The Status is also located in the Mark! The reason the Shop is not located there is because it consumes a significantly higher amount of energy to use, as it requires the materialisation of materials not currently in existence, so... Ahem, anyway, that's how it works!"
I tilted my head at her words. Materialisation...? What, was she suggesting that everything in the Shop wasn't actually real?
Regardless, it was an odd system, but it made enough logical sense to me. And, if it all took a certain amount of energy to use, of which we only possessed a limited amount...
"I see. Does that also mean that, when I'm on a Contract, I'll only be able to use the Storage and Status a limited number of times? Because the mana or whatever in the Mark isn't infinite, right?"
That was possibly the most important aspect of it all.
The Librarian had mentioned that the Storage and Status were accessed through the Mark using the "Library's energy stored within". That energy must be the same energy used to transport me back to Earth, and therefore, the same energy we gathered previously by converting the World Stability acquired through the death of the Hero.
If there was a limited amount of that energy, there would mean a limited amount of uses for the Storage and Status, as well as ammunition for the Black Wisp whenever I was able to purchase it in the future.
Rather, in the first place, I'm sure the Mark could only hold a fraction of that energy, right? Even if we had a lot of energy, I would still be limited.
Faced with my concern, the Librarian, whose jubilant movements had for the most part stopped, faintly nodded.
"Certainly, that is correct. However, although you will only have a finite amount of mana stored within the Mark, there shall nevertheless be enough to utilise the Storage and Status facilities without concern; it is in only extraordinary cases where taking heed to not deplete the whole source of mana would be necessary. So, fret not, I suppose!"
I nodded, satisfied with the clarification.
Running out of enough mana even to use the Storage sounds like it would be the worst case scenario, so I would definitely have to keep it in mind.
Well, from the way she said it, it also didn't seem like something I really needed to worry about. I was generally good about rationing that sort of stuff, too, so I doubt I'd have that kind of issue any time soon.
In any case, having dealt with everything else that needed dealing with, I ended up replying to the attendance email with a request to schedule a talk about possible options, as per Librarian's assistance.
From her perspective, it seems she'd like for me to drop out completely―That way I'd have more time to spend taking and completing Contracts for the Service. Honestly, on my end, it's not like I particularly enjoyed my current situation, so I wasn't too opposed to the idea myself. Either way, I should be receiving a response to my request either today or tomorrow.
In the meantime, having rested surprisingly well after the exhausting events of the past days, I decided to take a quick break to eat.
Subsequently, I asked the Librarian to show me some more Contracts, giving her certain criteria so that she could find me one I could clear without much trouble.
This included factors such as the Protagonist's sociability, accessibility, strength, as well as some other things.
"Based on your requests, I have curated a list of possible Contract options, narrowing it down to just three! Mm, I thought you should be the one to make the final choice, so peruse what's available at your leisure! Ah, but fret not! If you have any specific requests, tell me and I will be sure to help to the best of my ability!"
Ah, I also asked her to find Contracts that shouldn't take too much time, which is probably what she meant by 'narrowing it down'.
"Thanks. Alright, let's see 'em."
Beaming as per usual, Librarian proceeded to unfurl three identical white scrolls produced from the air, and as she did, three separate screens appeared in front of me, presenting the details of that many unique Contracts.
And as she did, my eyes widened.
"Oh! So there was something ..."