Chapter 45

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Chapter 45: The Ten Thousand Worlds Machine

Fortunately, the attendant had initially mentioned borrowing books. Chaoyang cleared his throat and cautiously responded, “I would like to borrow a few books.”

“A deposit of one hundred seryls is required, refundable based on usage.”

So expensive! Chaoyang couldn’t help but be startled by the reply. Previously, Zhu Di had virtually spared no expense to find Dunn’s whereabouts, yet even then, she could only offer a reward of five hundred silver coins.

At these rates, how many residents could actually afford to borrow books?

“Do I have to pay upfront? What if this place doesn’t have the books I need?” Chaoyang questioned.

“If you can’t find them here, you won’t find them anywhere else in the world,” the elderly man replied with unwavering confidence.

Such bold claims?

Chaoyang wondered if he misheard. Based on his limited understanding, Glorious Fortress was not a major city—there were distinctions between new and old continents, with the latter being the core of this world. From his past experiences, libraries typically emerged as advanced facilities only after basic needs like food and shelter were met. Consequently, larger libraries were more likely to exist in wealthier central cities.

This piqued his curiosity immensely.

“Here’s one hundred.” Chaoyang counted out the equivalent amount in silver coins and placed them on the counter.

The elderly man’s smile grew even more benevolent. After accepting the coins, he produced a library key and said, “Please follow me.”

Chaoyang followed him through long corridors until they reached a spacious hall. Still, there were no bookshelves or books in sight; instead, rows of neatly arranged doors lined the surrounding walls.

Each door was marked with numbers akin to room numbers.

“Hey, this feels more like a hotel now!”

They stopped at Room 1024, where the man inserted the key into the lock. “Here we are.”

Feeling puzzled, Chaoyang stepped inside and discovered that the room was barely ten square meters large, containing only a desk and two chairs. The window opposite the entrance appeared as a solid pane of glass, seemingly unopenable yet emitting a gentle light source—its origin remained unclear.

Naturally, there wasn’t a single book within the room.

However, his attention was completely captivated by something else—a massive machine occupying nearly half the space. Its main structure resembled segments of a spine hanging from the ceiling, evoking the image of a giraffe. At the position equivalent to the giraffe’s head sat an extremely intricate metallic octahedron. Through the oil-stained exterior, he could faintly see countless interlocking gears slowly rotating inside.

“It seems to be your first visit to Greke Academy.” The elderly man clearly noticed Chaoyang’s astonishment and kindly asked, “Would you like me to explain how to use the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine?”

Chaoyang nodded involuntarily. “Please… could you tell me more?”

“If there’s a book you wish to borrow, simply speak its name to the machine. If it exists within the academy, the conveyor belt on your left will start moving. If not, it will query the main body. Two possibilities may occur: firstly, if the book is available in the main body, the typewriter on your right will automatically begin printing, and you’ll need to wait for the completion. Secondly, if the book doesn’t exist even in the main body, it will indicate a negative response by swaying side-to-side.”

Voice-activated interaction? Now, that truly stunned Chaoyang!

“However, please note that charges vary depending on the outcome,” the old man continued. “For books already present in the academy, we only charge ten silver for usage wear. If the book isn’t here, querying the main body incurs a sixty-silver service fee, and additional printing costs forty silver for materials and labor.”

Wow… surprisingly reasonable rates.

“Mister, do you have any further questions?”

Yes, quite a few! But Chaoyang, wary of arousing suspicion with too many inquiries, chose just one pressing concern, “This ‘Ten Thousand…’—”

“The Ten Thousand Worlds Machine.”

“And what is the main body of this Ten Thousand Worlds Machine?”

“Of course, it’s also another Ten Thousand Worlds Machine,” the man replied with a smile. “The machine before you, to be precise, is just a part of the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine, much like Greke Academy itself—every city with an academy has its own instance. If you wish to learn more, feel free to ask it directly.”

Ah, right! Chaoyang had nearly forgotten he was in a library. If the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine were indeed so widespread, he should be able to find relevant books by simply searching.

“If you require any additional assistance, please ring the bell on the table, and someone will promptly attend to you. Now, take your time and enjoy your reading.” The elderly gentleman gracefully bowed with a hand over his chest, then turned and exited the room.

It was time to test this out.

Facing the machine, Chaoyang spoke in an even tone. “I would like to borrow a travel guide for Glorious Fortress.”

The machine began to move.

Its spine started rhythmically expanding and contracting; Chaoyang could hear the low tremors of joints engaging and the hissing sound of steam escaping from pipes.

This contraption actually responded to his voice!

And it’s powered by steam, no less!

How exactly is this achieved theoretically?

Soon, the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine swayed left and right twice. According to the attendant’s explanation, this indicated that it couldn’t find a corresponding book.

How could that be? Chaoyang was somewhat surprised. Could it be that tourism hasn’t yet taken off in this world? Or perhaps he should rephrase his query differently?

“I want a book introducing Glorious Fortress.”

This time, the left conveyor belt swiftly began to rotate.

In no time, a old yellowed book dropped from the delivery slot. Chaoyang picked it up and noticed “The History of Glorious Fortress” written on the cover.

“This is… just incredible…” he couldn’t help but mutter.

It’s important to note that this was a vague search! Not only did the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine comprehend his query through voice recognition, but it also selected a relevant book based on the meaning and context of his request. Despite Chaoyang’s limited knowledge of artificial intelligence, he couldn’t help but marvel at the astounding technology hidden within.

Of course, since the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine can’t display lists or verbally respond to borrowers, there’s a significant efficiency gap in finding books. However, compared to its miraculous capabilities, these flaws seem rather insignificant.

“I’d like to borrow a guidebook for the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine, or any related promotional material,” Chaoyang requested again.

This time, the machine’s vibrations lasted longer than before.

After approximately two minutes, the typewriter on the right suddenly sprang to life and began producing a book.

This suggested to Chaoyang that none of the previous patrons had ever asked for such information.

Damn, aren’t they at all curious about the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine? Could my question raise suspicion with the attendant?

Fortunately, he had adopted a new appearance this time, ensuring no one could associate him with the detective. Weighing the pros and cons, Chaoyang ultimately decided to wait patiently until the book was printed.

After all, he desperately wanted to know how the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine was created.

The printing process took nearly half an hour.

As he held the freshly minted Greke Academy Chronicles (Fifth Edition), Chaoyang felt a sense of reverence welling up within him.

He opened the first page, and a familiar phrase caught his eye:

“If you have any questions seeking answers, you can find them at Greke Academy.”

“There lies the center of the world.”

Chaoyang choked uncontrollably, coughing from surprise.

Ah, so Zhu Di’s words were just the academy’s promotional tagline.