Elin was ecstatic that the cafeteria was able to produce such a variety of foods, and not the same stew that this world seemed to prefer over everything else. Including stuffed buns. Just the way she remembered them being from her own world.
She could also see that the others were surprised as well about what they were able to request, despite most of them being rather uncertain about what to expect out of this 'cafeteria.'
"So, aside from the 'Book of Living,' is there any other books that you might be interested in trading for?" Blot asked as they were enjoying their food.
Elwin was the first to clear his mouth. "Do you have any books on swordplay? Such as techniques that are so uncommon they're practically nonexistent?" he asked, sounding almost like a child being offered his choice of a candy.
Blot nodded. "Of course. All books about swordplay are in section 781. There are several books in there that demonstrate several techniques. Like Cat's Grace, Stalking the Celery, or even Falling Blade."
Elin wasn't sure about 'Stalking the Celery,' even though she didn't have any evidence to refute that name. After all, some things that she recalled hearing about in her own world had names that made her wonder why they'd named it that in the first place.
"By the way, before we really get into discussing the books, maybe we should discuss what to do with the venison that we got," Jonas said pulling Elin out of her thoughts about the names of swordplay techniques that Blot mentioned.
"Oh, is it uncooked?" Blot asked before anyone else could say anything. "If it is, just give it to the cafeteria as well as what you'd like done with it. They can dry it, salt it, smoke it, or even cook it if that's what you want."
"Is there any limit on what they can smoke it with?" Elwin asked, suddenly sounding more intense than Elin had seen him before.
Blot shook his head. "No, not at all. As far as I'm aware, the cafeteria can work with anything that you have in mind to have done with it."
Elwin nodded, looking rather pleased, which Elin hoped would last a while. That way it wouldn't be as difficult to deal with him as it has been at times.
"Now that we've dealt with that," Kim remarked, "what else can you tell us about the books in this library? Are there any books about the library itself?"
Blot nodded, looking almost ecstatic for some reason Elin couldn't figure out. "Of course! They're located in section 1."
Elin blinked. From the sections that had been mentioned before, she had expected a much higher number than that. Especially considering the fact that she'd have expected this library to have been more secretive about information on itself.
"Any history book? You know, about this world itself?" Kim continued, looking like she was trying to find a loophole or something in what the library offered.
"History books of any sort are located in section 2. As that was the second thing that appeared in this world after the library," Blot answered, looking pleased with himself. Though Elin wasn't sure why he added the explanation without anyone saying anything about it.
Kim nodded, as if she was following that line of thought herself. "Are there any books about how to travel from one world to another?"
Elwin's head perked up at that question and looked much more interested than he had about the swordplay books.
"Do we have something like that?" Blot asked himself quietly, mumbling for a moment something that Elin couldn't quite make out before he perked up. "Yes! It's in one of the newest sections. Section 1987."
Elin blinked. The fact that there were that many sections in this library startled her. She couldn't say which surprised her more: the fact that there were that many sections in the library or that they had a book that contained information about traveling between worlds in the first place.
"So, how far away is this section from here?" Kim asked, looking a little excited.
"Uh, before we go that far," Jonas said, interrupting Blot before he could speak, though he didn't seem bothered by it at all. "Are there any books on learning to read the language of the books in this library?"
Blot shook his head. "I'm sorry, but only the keepers of the library know the language of the books. However, once you make the trade, the book will automatically translate itself into the language that you're most familiar with. However, the only way that it won't is if the person making the trade can't read in any language."
"So, you answered that question. Now, where is the section… uh… 198… 7?" Kim asked, looking like she was having trouble remembering the section number, and Elin had to admit, she couldn't even remember it herself.
Although, she was torn between wanting the 'Prenatal Magic' book and the one to travel between worlds. On one hand, she and Kim would be able to have a child together, while on the other hand they'd be able to be together, assuming they'd be able to find each other's world.
"Yes, section 1987 is the one you asked about in regards to travelling between worlds," Blot said, nodding. "When you leave the cafeteria, you'll have to walk to the end of the aisle, which should be around section 429, then climb the stairs and then take a left and walk over to section 827, climb another set of stairs, then head straight and you should reach that section."
"Uh, how far is it to section 429?" Elin found herself asking, not sure if there was some sort of catch with the numbers thrown out there.
Blot tilted his head, looking like he might not understand what Elin was asking. "How far? Why it's 429 sections away from here."
Elin could hear Kim and Bart chuckling in response. Elin already understood that it was that many sections away, but that didn't explain to her how many sections that was in the first place. As each section could be ten feet long or they could be a lot bigger than that. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she got the feeling that Blot might not understand her question well enough to answer in a way that they all could understand and be on the same page about.
"I think she meant in distance, how far is it?" Patricia remarked. "Such as how far is a single section, distance-wise?"
Blot twiddled his tassels, looking like he wasn't sure, either how to answer or what the answer was. Finally, he stopped and looked like he was afraid as he spoke in a small voice. "The sections change how far they are depending on how many books are in each section."
Elin felt a little relieved. It wasn't that he was being deliberately unhelpful, it was that the answer likely changed so often that he couldn't know himself. Or at least that's what her assumption on the matter was. Otherwise she had to wonder if there was a section on mathematics. She thought there would be, but couldn't be sure since all this was still rather new to her and she didn't want to lose her focus on that 'Prenatal Magic' book.
She figured there might be loopholes around at least taking the information she wanted from the library, but she had a feeling that finding one might take more effort than it'd be worth. Not that she planned on letting that stop her. She planned on going fully forward with it, regardless of what else it took.
Especially if she could have a child with Kim and be able to visit her world, as well as having Kim visit hers. She wasn't sure what her father would make of Kim, but that was a concern for another time. One when that was actually possible and not just a fantasy playing through her mind again.
Elin hoped that they'd find a way to get what each of them wanted to. Even though she suspected that some of them were going to have to leave disappointed.
She at least hoped that she wouldn't be among those who were.
Elin continued eating her stuffed buns and let the others carry on their conversation with Blot. She wasn't sure if she'd get much of a chance to just relax like this once they finally got the book of living. So, she planned on enjoying this while she could.
However, someone had to bring that subject up and pull her out of her thoughts because she wanted to not be kept in the dark about this, if possible.
"So, which section do you think the Book of Living might be in?" Patrick asked casually. "You know, if it was in this library."
Blot shook his head. "I really have no idea. I'm not large like some of the creatures that enter here periodically. I don't have the magic others have where they can view things that others can't see. I don't even have a system to work with on my own," Blot answered, sounding a little depressed to Elin.
"Wait, what's that about a 'system?'" Elwin snapped, startling Elin.
"What do you know about those?" Kim asked, a note of urgency in her voice. "And how do you know about them?"