Chapter 10: Book Classification and Indexing

One year later, it was the middle of July. The scorching sun was beating down, and Peter was standing under the shade of a tree in the front courtyard giving a lecture. A group of disciples, standing or sitting, were listening intently.

“In ancient times, humans ate raw meat and drank blood. Legend says that Medira, the Goddess of Hope, stole the heavenly fire and passed it on to humans, allowing us to escape from ignorance. But fire alone was not enough to resist the Monsters rampaging across the entire continent. Humans could only huddle in a corner of the continent, barely surviving. It was the Deities who left behind their bloodline, giving birth to Heroes, who led our ancestors to drive out the Monsters and established countless city-states.”

Peter spoke under the tree with rhythm and emphasis.

“Only Nobles can have a surname, using a god’s name to crown themselves. The surname is an outward display of their bloodline, which slowly evolved into the unique coats of arms of the Nobles. Now, let’s explore the secrets of surnames and coats of arms together…”

Ace was listening to Peter’s lecture below, but his mind drifted elsewhere. In this one year, he had basically finished reading Peter’s collection of books, extensively covering subjects such as law, theology, arithmetic, oration, medicine, art, folklore, strange tales, Monster Compendiums, and Hero Guides. His knowledge had greatly increased.

Combining this with conversations with his senior fellow students, and confirming that city-state lacked tool books like a book index or a dictionary, he planned to compile a book index and a dictionary himself to serve as a stepping stone.

Fame must be achieved early. Cultural fame could give him the best cover and help him gain prestige among the city-state’s upper-middle class.

He took out a thread-bound parchment book that Marina had sewn. On it was written: Classification & Indexing of Books by Ace.

Based on the existing subject categories in the city-state and combined with the classification and indexing methods of his past life, he compiled this tool book, which provided guidance on book classification, storage, and library management methods.

This book was of little use to most people, but it was very useful to Peter and would greatly benefit the management of the city-state’s public library and the Royal Library. This was his knocking-stone to leave a deep impression on Peter.

The next day, after Ace inquired with Joan and confirmed Peter was home, he respectfully knocked on the door on the third floor.

“It’s young Ace. Do you still not understand something about the heraldry we studied yesterday? Come in, and we can discuss it slowly,” Peter opened the door and said kindly to Ace.

In his impression, Ace was a very studious and questioning student, polite and serious. Even more rarely, Ace was not only intelligent but also humble, which suited him well.

Ace followed Peter into the study and bowed slightly. “Teacher, I have read all the books in your library this past year and have greatly improved. I found that when there are too many books, they become difficult to find and manage. Therefore, I compiled a book on how to classify and index books, and I ask for your criticism and correction.”

“Our young Ace is indeed a thoughtful person. Let me take a look.” Peter casually took the book from Ace’s hand, looking at the neatly written Bird Script on the cover that read: Classification & Indexing of Books by Ace.

The handwriting is good, about one-third of my skill. The book looks decent too. Peter thought this as he began to flip through the pages.

As he read, Peter’s expression slowly became serious. Ace raised many practical problems regarding book management on the title page. This was nothing; in the past year, he had earned the nickname “Questioning Ace” among his classmates, famous for loving to raise questions.

Peter had considered many of the problems Ace raised but had no good solutions. Unexpectedly, Ace provided detailed solutions in the book and even specifically proposed library management methods at the end, standardizing the management of the library meticulously.

These methods had not yet been implemented, but many of them instantly impressed Peter.

“The ideas in your book are excellent, but you only know if a path is flat or muddy by walking it. Now, you will manage my private library for one month and put your proposed methods into practice. If the results are good, I will give you a good reward and recommend your methods and book to the Royal Library and the city-state’s public library.”

“I am willing to serve you, Teacher Peter.” Ace was waiting for this exact response. Managing the books well would demonstrate the uniqueness of a man of culture and help him gain initial prestige among the Citizens, laying a foundation for the next step of compiling a dictionary.

Ace got to work immediately. After taking over the library, he divided the existing collection into three major categories: Theology, Society, and General. Each category had several subcategories, which were sequentially arranged using the 32 letters and number combinations.

Different bookshelves and different shelf levels were labeled with corresponding classification notes attached with small parchment cards. All books in the collection were registered and cataloged by classification, recording information such as the book’s edition, category, shelf location, and so on.

Once the organization was complete, Peter and his disciples marveled at the well-organized library. Books could be found quickly, management was standardized, checkout and registration were consistent, and records were kept at all times—it was rigorous and efficient. The advanced library management method quickly won over Peter and his disciples.

One month passed quickly. Inside Peter’s library, Peter was inspecting the managed library with Morton.

“I considered my collection to be rich, but I didn’t expect that with your classification, many categories still have blanks. For example, I have no books on fighting techniques. Your method has given me great inspiration, and you have performed exceptionally well this month. Here are 10 Gold Thales. This is encouragement for your genius idea and rigorous method.”

Peter said with emotion, handing a bag of Gold Thales to Ace. According to the city-state’s prices, 1 Gold Thales was roughly enough for a family of three for one year, so 10 Gold Thales was indeed a huge sum for Ace.

Ace did not refuse. Peter had always taught them that knowledge has value and should be exchanged equally, which aligned perfectly with Peter’s philosophy.

“Tomorrow, I will meet with the Chief Educator Officer, advising that the Royal Library and the city-state’s public library also adopt your book management method. Let’s call it the Ace Library Management System.”

Peter turned and left. Morton followed closely. As he walked out the door, he looked back and gave Ace a big smile.

The library returned to the rotation system. After Ace helped train a few senior students on how to use the new management system, he was completely free. He began to concentrate his energy on compiling the Universal Language Dictionary.

He had already gained some understanding of the city-state’s system. Any act contributing to the city-state could be converted into equivalent military merit, so striving for Citizenship did not necessarily require literally beheading 10 enemies.

Time flew by as he proofread the meanings of words and organized the common characters. After the two major libraries adopted the Ace Library Management System, book management indeed greatly improved, and rewards soon arrived.

Carter, wearing a black robe cinched at the waist, came to Peter’s villa carrying a bag of Gold Thales. Last month, Carter had just acquired Citizenship and was able to serve in a relatively higher public office. Unfortunately, his desired post as assistant judge was not vacant, so he had to start working in the Ministry of Culture and Education first.

“Ace, congratulations. I didn’t expect my first task in my new public office to be giving you a reward. Your Ace Library Management System received a high evaluation from the Chief Educator Officer. Here are 20 Gold Thales and a bronze city-state contribution badge. This badge is equivalent to the military merit of beheading 3 enemies. You are one step closer to Citizenship.”

“Congratulations to you too, Senior Carter. The new uniform suits you very well.”

“Because of your method, the Ministry of Culture and Education discovered that the libraries had many deficiencies in their collection. They plan to start selecting and collecting valuable rare manuscripts next month to enrich the two major libraries. We would like to hire you to be responsible for the book selection and classification. Are you interested?”

Carter spoke in a hearty voice, clearly in a good mood.

“It would be my honor. I am very happy to accept.”

Ace bowed slightly in response.

(End of this chapter)