Chapter 210

Meanwhile, Eugene took a separate leaf from the book and illuminated it from below. A powerful source of light, created in the vampire's hands, shone through the page. Inside it was a metallic wire arranged in an intricate pattern. Each page of the book contained a similar element, with only the pattern changing.

— A wire of moon silver running through the entire book, filling it with magic, — Leonid whispered. — It can't be. Such books don't sit on library shelves! They are venerated.

Indeed, such books were never cataloged in libraries but occupied central places in temples and shrines of the mountain folk. People hadn't seen them for a very long time, and only descriptions of such books were preserved in the archives of archmages. For before the vampires lay, not just any book, but the Book of Dwarves. Or the Tome of Mountains. A mere trifle, available in several copies within every dwarf clan. Except that without this trifle, there could be no clan.

The Tome of Mountains contained the basic spells of the clan, which any dwarf could use. The book was an artifact and also a great holy relic, as the clan existed only as long as it had the Book of Dwarves. If for some reason the book was lost or destroyed, the clan was also destroyed. Similarly, new clans appeared when someone from the mountain folk's mages created a new Tome or copied an existing one.

— If this is the Book of Dwarves, then we can use these spells, — Olga snatched the book from her husband's hands.

— Only after reading it. Out loud and with blood, — the triumvir chuckled mockingly.

To use the spells contained in the book, one didn't need to be a mage, but one had to go through a certain ritual for the book to consider you its own. Then each spell had to be infused with your blood while speaking it aloud. Naturally, if one believed the notes kept in the Royal Library of Orod. How things really were, no one knew. After all, even reading the book was beyond the vampires' capability.

But his wife didn't react to her husband's remark. She was completely absorbed in the book, which she examined with admiration.

— Apparently, it was hidden among other books in the library when the city was attacked, — she said enchantingly.

— Quite possibly, and now let's go to sleep, — Leonid clapped his hands to attract attention. — Everyone, to sleep!

They obeyed, and the camp slept peacefully for a couple of hours. Then the archaeological digs continued. Well, not so much digging… they uncovered a few more stone slabs covering rooms. More like pillaging than digging. Although there was nothing to pillage. Until, in another room, they discovered more books.

The situation repeated almost entirely. The vampires took turns peering into the punched hole and examining the interior. In this room, some books on the shelves were intact and even glowed with magic once cast upon them.

Eleven books. Quite ordinary. Surviving only thanks to a preservation spell cast on them long ago. Refreshing the spell, the vampires carefully packed the books into their backpacks and finally left the city of dwarves. There was still the journey upwards ahead. And they could return to pry open the remaining intact panels in the future.

— The main drug dealers of the north don't live in Zalone, but in Rostki! — This news was what Konstantin shared with Alexander instead of a greeting as soon as the shuttle docked near the bridge.

— And I'm also glad to see you all, — the knight said with a smirk, shaking hands with the smiling Sergey. — It seems you've accumulated more luggage.

The shuttle was indeed packed to the brim. Untying one of the bags, Alexander found some bulbs inside.

— The root of the winter fern! — explained Gennady. — We gathered about twenty kilograms on the way.

— And the rest? — Seeing the embarrassment on his companions' faces, he added, — What's in there?

— Pine nut kernels, — Konstantin whispered. — Don't scold us, we'll explain everything!

Half an hour later, when everyone gathered in the main tower, it was already known that the expedition to the sea had brought back twenty-three kilograms of valuable root and nearly a hundred kilograms of even more valuable nuts in some circles. Alexander tapped his fingers on the table, waiting for an explanation.

— So, on the way back, we secretly visited Rostki. To have a little taste of the miners' blood, we had to find out why the Cursed Forest was so dangerous, since we've been living on its outskirts for a year without a clue.

— Get to the point, — the knight urged Konstantin.

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