"Well then... Halldora wanted to go, and Colt seems prepared. I think it will be allright if you go with Jorund, Nerea."The Princess turned to Altmorin.
"Can you take us to the Archives?" "Of course. Prince Asoth had a Scholar's Permit hastily written for you." Altmorin handed a small parchment to confused Eleonore.
"Scholar's Permit?" "Yes. If you're not of nobility or attendee of a magical university, you cannot enter the Archives to read books." Eleonore took a moment to draw a conclusion.
"...You mean most of people in the Empire are illiterate? But--" "Emperor Revus the Second once said, 'Literate peasantry is dangerous peasantry'. Even today we still adhere to his strict rules on literacy and book-keeping." Altmorin moved down the street and Eleonore followed, waving at her companions to follow. She then rubbed her forehead a little.
"Oh, the things I'm hearing... Eternal Guardian, give me strength to bear with this madness." Altmorin coughed and Eleonore didn't say a word more.
---
The walk took a few minutes and few turns around the corner and the group stopped in front of rather large building with ornate roof that had at least five, if not more, little towers.
"The archives of this city. You might not find book on every subject of your interest, but the collection is quite large, for sure. If anything, you can always consult with the bookkeepers. I understand that only few of you are going to read books - where should I take the rest?" "Yes. The rest is to find supplies and get new weapons and accessories. Could you take them to few shops?" Eleonore then opened the door leading inside the building and beckoned to Colt and Halldora to follow.
@Outside peoples:Altmorin watched them go and then turned toward the rest.
"Where do you want to go first?"@Colt&Halldora:Eleonore sneezed a little as heavy cloud of library dust attacked her nostrils. This woke up a pudgy, short, elderly man with lengthy white beard sitting behind a counter.
"Can I help you?" Eleonore quickly turned to Halldora and Colt.
"I'm going to look at the local maps and learn about the Empire. Halldora, please take a look into history books... I remember Asoth saying something about Eferia being three hundred years in the past? So please concentrate on these dates. Colt, I would like you to check books on magical artifacts. See if there's any mention of the current location of Jewel of Wishing."