[You began to immerse yourself in research, paying no mind to worldly affairs.]
[For you, the Kremlin library, storing thousands upon thousands of books, is a huge treasure trove waiting to be discovered. As the saying goes, 'within books, one can find houses of gold and beauties of jade'.]
[But you are not in a hurry. You know that countless sages in history have served as librarians, such as Laozi in ancient China's Spring and Autumn period, Aristotle in ancient Greece, and in modern China... you understand that a true dragon rises from humble beginnings.]
[And with your years of magical research experience and as a genuine theological master, you also know that haste makes waste. Therefore, you spend your days in the library, but not reading twenty-four hours a day. You receive the visiting Nicholas II and offer him guidance. You never personally examine Alexei, but directly give Nicholas II the method to completely cure him. Nicholas II is exceptionally grateful to you. You also chat with other visiting court members, resolving their doubts.]
[You started keeping a diary.]
[In your diary, you wrote—]
['Nicholas II is a flamboyant yet devoutly contradictory person. He loves grandiosity, is extravagant and wasteful. Every time he travels, he brings columns of well-trained soldiers, with flowers, red carpets, and golden decorations to express his respect for God.']
['In comparison, the Tsarina who often accompanies him is an undeniable beauty. She is also a devout believer. She has long, beautiful silver-white hair and often wears off-the-shoulder Victorian dresses. The fluffy skirt accentuates her round hips and long legs, making her exceptionally charming. Besides arriving with Nicholas II, she also occasionally comes alone in the middle of the night, praying to God for guidance.']
['We had an in-depth exchange—limited to a verbal one.']
['Although comforting believers is a common practice for the Church in this era, and although the Tsarina was willing, I am not Rasputin, after all. And it is not yet the time.']
['I must endure.']
['My surname is not Cao, nor am I a Chancellor.' You ended the diary entry with this sentence. Your ambitions lie elsewhere.]
[The Tsarina's admiration for you grew even deeper. 'One always yearns for what one cannot have,' you thought.]
[...]
[Fifty-one days after arriving at the Kremlin library, you heard that a wave of revolutionary thought was emerging in the Tsarist empire.]
[At this time, you completed the collection, organization, and backup of your mystic knowledge.]
[Just as you were about to place the completed book in the center of the library, you heard a girl's crisp cry of 'Ouch!' from behind a towering bookshelf.]
[At the same time, you saw hair as beautiful and crystalline as snow.]
...
The Kremlin Library.
This place, with its hundreds of thousands of books, was towering and vast, a world-class collection rare for its time. Windows high on the walls opened to the clear sky. Bright sunlight pierced through the light gauze, falling in beams, as if a god's golden ink was smudging the room filled with the scent of paper and ink.
Rows of bookshelves, over ten meters high and arranged in an arc, carved from mahogany, were painted in layers of gold by the light. The bookshelves were golden, the book covers were golden. In this golden world, Lu Kang's vision reflected a patch of silver-white.
"Ouch." The crisp voice was soft and sweet.
Lu Kang, holding the newly compiled catalog of mystic knowledge in one hand, pushed up the glasses he had been wearing since entering the library with the other. They were a Mystic Code, inscribed with mystery to aid in knowledge organization. Through the glass lenses, he saw the person who had made the sound. Besides the silver-white, smooth hair, he also saw a pretty and cute face and a graceful body wrapped in a snow-white, angelic goose-down dress. He also saw the ladder toppled to one side and the scattered books around it. Clearly, she had fallen from the ladder.
"If you're looking for romance novels, you're in the wrong place," Lu Kang said, glancing at the book covers. "This is the religion section."
"Ooh..." the silver-haired girl didn't respond immediately. She just sat on the floor, rubbing her ankle. Silver-white hair fell, contrasting with her fair skin and blue-green eyes, and lightly brushed against the soft white mounds on her chest. She looked young but had a remarkably full figure. The tight-laced curve of her chest was prominent, and her slightly exposed shoulders outlined a bright and clean profile. Her waist was as slender as a willow. The part that should have been hidden by the fluffy skirt was pressed flat from her sitting position, revealing a rounded curve and a deep triangle.
Yet, despite her full figure, the expression on her face was clean and pure. "Wh-What religion section?" she stammered in response.
Lu Kang pointed to the sign on a nearby bookshelf, which clearly had the word 'Religion' written in standard Russian. Classifying and sectioning the books was something he had been doing these past few days.
The girl was stunned. "Was this sign here before?"
"Wait!" she realized she was being led astray. "Who said I was looking for romance novels?"
"Weren't you? You couldn't have been looking for books on military strategy, could you?" Lu Kang feigned confusion.
"N-No, that's right! It was military strategy," the girl's face flushed red again, but she held her ground, pretending to be calm despite her obvious shyness around strangers. She rubbed her ankle and tried to sit up straight. Unfortunately, this action did nothing to give her an air of confidence and only made the curves of her chest sway, dazzling the eyes. "I am destined to become a female general of the Tsarist empire!"
"Then may I ask which book on military strategy you are looking for? I can help you find it," Lu Kang said, pushing up his glasses again.
The girl was instantly speechless. She secretly glanced at the vast sea of books and immediately felt dizzy. How would she know anything about military strategy? How could she possibly name a specific book?
Seeing the girl stammer for a long time without being able to say a word, Lu Kang couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you."
The girl was instantly furious. So this guy was just messing with me? She was about to say something.
But Lu Kang continued, "Grand Duchess Anastasia, may I ask what business brings you here?"
So this guy knows who I am? The girl, who thought she had hidden her identity well, was stunned.
Lu Kang, pushing up his glasses, smiled as if he had expected it. Of course, he recognized the girl before him—he had known from the first glance. Her silver-white hair, almost identical to the Tsarina's, and her figure and features, which bore a strong resemblance... as someone who had had many 'in-depth exchanges' with the Tsarina, how could he not recognize her?
Moreover, compared to the other members of the royal family, Anastasia was clearly special. In the near future, when Nicholas II's rule was overthrown, she would not yet have truly grown up. But her execution along with her family was lamented by many, who considered her one of two who should not have died—the other being her younger brother, the sickly Alexei. He thought that her arrival was not surprising at all. Or rather, with his current status, it was perfectly normal for any member of the court to appear before him. And building a good relationship with every member of the court was something he would naturally do.
Even though he still really wanted to say... was this Grand Duchess 'inflated'? If he remembered correctly, Anastasia was the youngest daughter of Nicholas II, born around 1900. In the present year of 1912, she should be at most thirteen or fourteen years old.
Lu Kang glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye. You call this fourteen?
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