"Please come in."

The voice responding to Rober's knock had a gentle, clear tone. It did not carry the sound of old age, but rather, it had a youthful quality, like the soft chiming of silver bells.

Rober gently pushed open the oak door, a type of wood usually only seen in luxurious places, revealing a completely different space. The dim, mystical light of the room with the floating books had disappeared. Instead, natural light flooded the room through a large window.

This room was furnished like an ordinary office, with nothing mysterious or related to magic about it. It was airy, bright, and had a refreshing, pleasant feeling, completely free of any unpleasant odors.

At that moment, Rober saw a woman sitting at a large wooden desk, facing the window. Her back was to the door, so Rober couldn't see her face clearly.

Rober's pupils dilated slightly, naturally, a reflex of the body when focusing on observation. He was completely surprised. Because, according to the information that Jacob Yasei, the journalist from The Edoras Chronicle, had provided, Kalis Marry, the headmistress of the Royal Academy, was a 72-year-old woman who had been married.

But, the figure before Rober at this moment was completely the opposite. It was a young lady, from her facial features to her slender figure. Her emerald-green hair was long, reaching down to her waist. Her eyes, although Rober couldn't clearly see their color, were certainly large, bright, and full of vitality. Rober couldn't believe that this was the Lady Kalis Marry he had imagined.

Rober quickly made some inferences. If this woman was indeed Kalis Marry, then it could only be explained by one of two possibilities: either she knew how to maintain her youth, prolong her lifespan by some secret method, which was not impossible in a world where magic existed; or, the information that Jacob provided was incorrect.

But, it was also possible that this woman was not Kalis Marry, Rober thought further. Perhaps she was just an assistant, an employee, or a relative.

Rober decided not to jump to conclusions. He would approach this woman cautiously, and observe further. For now, he would treat her as the owner of the shop, or, more specifically in this situation, a consultant.

While Rober was still thinking, the gentle voice from before spoke again:

"You don't need to overthink. Please, sit down."

The voice, though gentle, carried a decisive tone, as if it had read the thoughts running through Rober's mind.

Rober replied politely "Yes, ma'am." He walked to the chair opposite the desk and sat down.

The woman pushed the papers on the desk to one side, creating an empty space. She turned her chair to face Rober, her eyes looking directly at him. She immediately noticed that this young man had passed the knowledge test, something not everyone could do.

"What would you like to be advised on?" The woman asked, her voice still maintaining its gentle tone, but with a touch of seriousness.

Rober, who hadn't prepared for this question, answered instinctively, but still maintained a confident demeanor: "Anything, madam."

As soon as he heard Rober's answer, the woman raised an eyebrow slightly, showing surprise, and a bit of amusement. She immediately realized that this was not an ordinary customer. A person who came to a consultation room, without a specific problem or question, could only be one of two things: either he completely didn't know what he wanted, or he was so confident in himself that he thought he didn't need any advice.

"First of all, with your permission" she said, then took a small ink pot, bright red in color, from a desk drawer. She opened the ink pot, dipped her index finger in, and then drew strange characters on the wooden surface of the desk. After that, she closed her eyes and began to mutter an incantation.

Rober immediately recognized it: the language of Lumal, an ancient language, believed to have originated from the very energy of the world, and often used in magical rituals, or to inscribe spells. He understood that the woman was using magic to check his energy state.

This is probably a mandatory procedure, Rober thought to himself. She needs to know about her client before giving any advice or consultation.

With that thought, Rober had no intention of hiding or resisting this test. On the contrary, he relaxed his body, letting his energy flow freely, as an affirmation of his confidence and purity.

Noticing Rober's proactive approach, the woman remarked "You are indeed a very relaxed person."

She also didn't forget to apologize: "I apologize for checking you without prior notice."

Rober, still maintaining his calm demeanor, asked "After the check, what advice or consultation will you give me?"

The woman replied "Actually, after checking your energy, I don't understand why you need a consultation. Could it be that you are not satisfied with the books out there, so you came to this room?"

Rober confirmed, without hiding anything: "That's correct, ma'am."

"With what you have" the woman continued "your level of knowledge and magical ability certainly cannot be satisfied with the books out there. So, you came here... just for a book?"

Rober smiled. His initial purpose was indeed to find special books, books containing knowledge that not everyone could access. But, that wasn't all. He also came here for another, more important purpose: to create encounters, relationships, that could help him achieve greater goals in the future.

He believed that encounters, whether random or intentional, could bring unexpected value. And he believed that this encounter with this woman, whether she was Kalis Marry or not, was no exception.

However, Rober would not rush to reveal all his intentions. He would tell the truth, but only a part, enough to arouse curiosity and create a connection with this woman.

"Madam" he said "I recently moved to this capital from a small, remote village. I don't have much experience living in the city, but I have a desire to learn, to experience, and to discover new things."

"I also don't know what I can do in this place with my abilities. So, I've been wandering around, looking for a job, to be able to support myself. By chance, I learned about this bookstore, and since I have some knowledge of books, having read many books in the church library in my village, I decided to come in and take a look."

He paused for a moment, then continued, with a somewhat self-deprecating tone: "To be honest, I'm just a country boy, running out of money!"

As Rober spoke, he took out an identification card, made of leather, stamped with the seal of the church in Windmere village, and placed it on the table.

"If this is really a consultation" he continued "then what I want to know is, with my abilities, what kind of jobs could I be suitable for? I'm willing to do any job, as long as it allows me to learn and develop myself."

Rober smiled, returning the smile that was blooming on the woman's face. Their eyes met, creating a silent, but meaningful moment.

Immediately, the woman stood up, walked over to Rober, extended her hand, and said:

"I am Kalis Marry, the owner of this bookstore. Do you have any knowledge of arranging, classifying, managing records, and preserving books?"

Rober stood up, returning Kalis's handshake politely: "Yes, ma'am, I do."

Then, he introduced himself: "I am Rober, Rober Naris."

He finished with a familiar phrase, as a hard-to-break habit: "And, thank you for asking."