After reaching the maximum level, my "soft rice system" finally arrived.

"Even I only heard about it by chance from a historian before the cataclysm occurred."

Although the black-haired youth in front of him looked like a young refugee who didn't seem worth paying attention to at all.

However, even though he is old and frail, he was once a true legend.

However, even with his keen eyesight, he couldn't detect the slightest trace of anything amiss with Charles.

This also means that the other party—

Perhaps it is a true legend.

This is almost impossible!

Even before the Great Cataclysm, most of the legendary figures on this continent were blessed by the gods, which is why they were able to advance to the level of legendary chosen ones.

After the Great Cataclysm, those colossal churches of the true gods collapsed along with their believers, and the legends on the continent are on the verge of extinction.

The few survivors also perished in the subsequent war against the Calamity of No Light.

As for the other party being a legend who grew up after the Great Cataclysm... that's even more impossible.

After the cataclysm, the average lifespan was less than thirty years, and resources were extremely scarce.

Even in that prosperous and affluent era, legends were extremely rare, let alone today.

So, who is the other party?

Has he survived from before the Great Cataclysm to become an immortal being?

A chosen one who overcomes adversity in the face of a cataclysmic disaster to achieve legendary status?

Or perhaps, they are chosen by the gods who survived the great cataclysm.

still......

The ancient book vaguely mentions extraterrestrial visitors from another dimension.

In that instant, countless guesses flashed through the old man's mind.

However, judging from the other party's attitude, they clearly do not have any ill intentions towards me or Aurora City.

“Aurora City was once one of the kingdom’s major cities, so there is a library in the city.”

"If you wish to learn about the past of wizards, I can take you to the library to consult the records from that time."

The old man spoke slowly.

Whether this black-haired youth was an extraterrestrial visitor or a chosen one of the gods, it didn't really matter to him or to the entire Aurora City.

This city, this world—

We have persevered in the darkness for far too long, and waited for far too long.

Today it is today.

If only someone could truly save this city, this world, from this bleak future—

Whether it's a righteous god who has gone mad or an evil god who has been resurrected.

Even the most evil and cunning devils, they don't really care.

"That would be troublesome."

Charles nodded, not refusing the other party's kindness.

......

The old man, with faltering steps, led Charles step by step to the other side of the city.

This is an old building covered in dust, with cracks and signs of weathering on the walls.

Charles and the old man walked up the steps by the door, raising clouds of dust.

"This place hasn't been repaired in a long time."

"After all, in Aurora City now, people are more concerned about whether they'll have enough food and firewood for tomorrow than exploring the past in old libraries."

The old man smiled helplessly and walked into the library.

"Grandpa Aize!"

A surprised voice came from the library, followed by a girl dressed in coarse cloth.

This is a girl who looks to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. Although her simple clothes are stained with a few puddings, they are exceptionally clean.

But what's most striking is the girl's eyes—

Those eyes were bright, filled with hope and longing for the future.

His gray, withered eyes stood in stark contrast to those of the others Shire saw in Aurora City.

"Grandpa, what brings you here? You didn't even ask someone to let me know."

"Your arms and legs are old and frail, what if you fell and hurt yourself on the way here?"

The girl muttered a complaint under her breath as she walked over to the old man and helped him up.

Upon seeing the girl before him, a faint light suddenly appeared in the old man's cloudy eyes.

The girl then noticed Charles standing beside her and quickly dropped her previous complaining expression, giving him a standard noble bow.

"My name is Ana Tasia, and I am currently the Grand Librarian of Aurora City. My dream is to find the root cause of the Lightless Calamity and completely resolve it!"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot to thank you. Grandpa Aize was taken care of by you before."

............

"Anna's parents were once members of an expedition team. During a trip to collect firewood, they were caught in a twilight beast tide and both perished."

“Anna was only three years old at the time, so I adopted her... and then watched her grow up little by little from that tiny little girl to who she is today.”

"To be honest, ever since I watched the capital fall, I've been living in a daze."

He randomly chose a relatively safe city, went into hiding under an assumed name, and squandered his life under the influence of alcohol...

"When the city I'm in is about to be swallowed up by the Calamity of No Light, I'll escape beforehand... Anyway, the twilight creatures that roam the wilderness can't stop me, a near-legend."

The old man's soft voice reached Charles's ears.

“I thought I would just forget my past pride as a near-legend and drift through life aimlessly... until I met Anna.”

"Actually, the crisis that Aurora City is facing this time was foreshadowed. If I wanted to run away, according to the rumors of the wanderers, there are some cities in the western part of the continent that are relatively safe."

"However, this time I'm a little reluctant to run away again..."

The old man, Aize, looked at the bouncy Anna in front of him and said in a kind voice, "Anna, Your Majesty has come to find information about wizards and magic."

"wizard......"

"magic......?"

Anna stopped, looking troubled, and began to ponder deeply, her little face filled with confusion: "That was before the Great Cataclysm, several thousand years ago..."

"I've been researching records from before and after the Great Cataclysm, and I don't know much about the pre-Cataclysmic era..."

She rummaged through the rows of bookshelves.

"Books related to wizardry... let me think about where to put them..."

......

"I'm sorry, because of the stories I told her when she was little..."

Anna's lifelong dream was to find the truth behind the cataclysmic event of darkness, and then completely resolve it so that people could once again live in the sunlight...

"So she worked hard to pass the exam and became a librarian, spending every day in the library researching various ancient books and scholarly documents from before and after the catastrophe."

Aize shook his head slightly and transmitted his voice to Sharl with a hint of helplessness.

"Isn't that childish..."

"Back then, the entire continent gathered the efforts of countless experts and scholars, and even the few remaining legends personally took action, yet they still failed to uncover the truth behind the Calamity of No Light and the Great Cataclysm."

"Now, two hundred years have passed, and everything has long been sealed in the mists of history..."

"Her idea of ​​uncovering the secrets of a small library is simply a pipe dream and a waste of resources and time."

Even so, there was little blame in Aize's gaze toward Anna; instead, there was a deep sense of satisfaction.

And then there's that faint, lingering sense of longing.

"Do not--"

“My teacher once told me this.”

“Every dream, no matter how far away, is absolutely not naive as long as you take action for it and persevere in it.”

"The moth that flies into the flame, no matter how short its life is... its moment of brilliance surpasses that of countless hunchbacked creatures who only dare to dwell in the shadows."

Charles's words remained calm.

"So, your wish—"

“I did hear it.”

......

He looked at Aize and slowly said, "I know there is some embellishment and deliberate manipulation in your statement."