“They say that where I come from, too,” Jason said. “Never really got onboard with the idea. I think I’m going to head off, Arash. All the people here are giving me the evil eye.”

“You are a fool!” Arash hissed after him.

“I can’t argue with that,” Jason said with a laugh. He started making his way across the square, but all the people who had dropped to their knees made for something of an obstacle course.

“Sorry. Pardon me. Excuse me.”

One of the people near Arash leaned over as he watched Jason wander off.

“Do you know that man?”

“Absolutely not,” Arash said.

* * *

As Jason had guessed, the Temple of Knowledge was the plain, blocky building.

“Is there actually a public library in there?” he wondered. “That would make sense.”

The double doors in front of him were pushed open from the inside as he approached, revealing a pretty young woman. It was the same acolyte who had tested his essences during his Adventure Society intake.

“Good day, Mr Asano.”

“Gabrielle, right?” Jason asked.

“That’s right,” she said. “It’s lovely to meet you again.”

“Likewise.”

Jason thought he should catch up with Humphrey, curious if the young man had made an overture since Jason gave him Gabrielle’s name. Then he remembered Humphrey was off with Rufus for the field assessment.

“Why does it feel like you were waiting for me?” Jason asked Gabrielle.

“My lady told me you were arriving and sent me to guide you.”

“Your lady?”

“The goddess. Follow me, please.”

She led Jason inside and he felt an aura wash over him. It was unlike the aura of a person, more like an undercurrent that belonged to the building itself. It wasn’t overbearing, but he could feel a vast power behind it. It also had the flavour of the fleeting aura that had accompanied the disembodied voice he heard in the square.

They were walking between row after row of books, occasionally passing someone reading at a table. Some of the shelves, instead of books, held ornate tubes.

“Scrolls,” Gabrielle explained, seeing Jason’s curious glance. “The manuscripts here in the library are all copies. The originals are preserved in the archive.”

“So, does your boss talk to you a lot?” Jason asked.

“My boss?”

“The goddess.”

“Of course,” Gabrielle said. “I may be only a junior member of the clergy, but I am a member, nonetheless. I see and hear my lady every day.”

“That must be reaffirming. It doesn’t work that way where I come from.”

“Your world must be very strange. People serving gods that do not exist. How does that work, if I might ask?”

“Not really sure,” Jason said. “They seem to lean heavily on metaphor. You know I’m from a different world?”

“The lady has imparted some knowledge. It is her nature.”

“Her nature could use a privacy disclosure agreement. Where are you guiding me to, exactly?”