The guard waved at some other guards, who nodded, and he followed Skymender to the top floor. Here, all of the books were being carefully packed. Unlike on the other floors, there was no useless information here.
Usually, only nobles or rich commoners would even be allowed up here.
Skymender walked around and looked at some of the books.
The guard following him spoke.
"We found some interesting rooms up here. Since most of the nobles and officials have already boarded the boat, along with all of the library's workers, we can explore places we never would have been able to. In other words, we can bend the rules like never before."
He walked up to an area where the bookcase had been destroyed. "After removing all of the books, we destroyed the bookshelf and found a secret room. Look inside."
Skymender walked up to the hole in the wall and looked at it. There, he found a large map. It depicted the entire Continent of Wu, as well as some islands in the ocean off to the right.
"That big one is where we are retreating to. Once we fully open this wall, we will take this. It won't be long before the once famous library is burnt to the ground, though it seems that will be the case for all of the Royal Capital." The guard sighed.
Skymender quickly memorized all of the information available and stopped looking. A lucky break indeed. He now had everything he would need.
Skymender toured around the rest of the top floor briefly before thanking the guard and leaving.
He ventured around the city. Now, all he had to do was figure out how to leave a message. Eventually, he ventured towards the city wall.
Even if they wanted to, it would be impossible to burn down the walls. They were specifically fire resistant and made of stone. If they could be burned down easily, they wouldn't be city walls.
Therefore, this was the best place to leave a message.
The master of disguise that had brought him said that if something arose and he had to leave a message that couldn't be found, he should do it on a northern portion of the walls, preferably one that was close to the ocean. He was also taught a special code language to ensure it wouldn't be read.
There was already some writing on the walls, most of them declaring their hate for the Faceless Empire.
Skymender had brought a spear he had found on the ground in order to write on the walls.
He wrote, "Once my home, now overtaken by filth."
Under that, he wrote his fake name, and a few symbols. These symbols were of the code language, and would not attract any attention. A few people who were nearby gave him thumbs up.
"Well done brother! Even if we are running away, we should at least throw out some insults." Skymender thanked him for his support and moved on.
That was all he could do for now, but in order to ensure absolute success, he would take this journey with the people of the Light Ocean Kingdom.
Besides, he was interested in seeing what this so-called island had to offer. Perhaps he could even find evidence of another continent, just as rumored.
He had not been able to gather much information, but the information he had gathered would surely lead the Faceless Empire towards the island. At the very least, they would not be able to run anywhere else.
Skymender lived out the next few days among the people of the Light Ocean Kingdom, gaining a greater understanding of their culture.
Eventually, it was time to depart. Long lines formed as thousands poured into the boats. There were even more already on board than those that were just entering. Many gave last looks towards the Royal City, including guards, nobles, and the Royal Family.
Skymender was able to board a smaller boat, which was actually a more luxurious option than a bigger boat. The bigger boats were crowded to the brim, and though so were some of the smaller boats, this one in particular belonged to a noble of the kingdom. They had heard of Skymender, a survivor of war, and had invited him on board. Skymender was quickly able to tell why.
This was a noble family with a long history of warriors and soldiers. The founder had received his noble title through his efforts in war, and his descendants had pushed their name to greater heights. It was no wonder that they had invited Skymender, a soldier of the war, on board.
An old man sat at a table with some other family members. Others were elsewhere on the boat. Skymender took a seat and played card games with them as they spoke.
"Many of our sons, and even some of our daughters participated in the war. Unfortunately, none of them came back." The old man sighed.
Although the Light Ocean Kingdom seemed to be in high spirits due to escaping, they had lost much. They had lost their Empire, their children and husbands, and now even their home.
Sadness was visible on the faces of many, though some seemed to put hope into their new life ahead.
Skymender fit in quite well. Just about every one of the old people at the table were retired soldiers, and they shared many stories. Skymender also shared a few, which were mostly true with a few lies and deceptions.
They sailed on the sea for days, then weeks, then months. The ships were loosely tied together with ropes, forming a large formation along the sea.
At the very front was the largest ship. It alone accounted for 20% of the population. It was also where the command station was.
In the third month since leaving the city, they finally spotted the island in the distance. There had been no lack of large waves, storms, and even occasional shark attacks. Luckily, none of the ships had sunken.
Everyone was filled with relief at the sight of land once again.