Chapter 200: The Keeper’s Request

“There is no master among intellectuals, and no losers among soldiers. I trust you understand this truth. With so many books, this place attracted my attention. As a result, after I had asked the Clairvoyant my questions, I decided to stay. I hadn’t been here a month and, eager to show my prowess, I read and commented on the collected works you see here. Around that time, I met the Bookworm, and immediately he and I launched in to an academic tirade. I was young then, and confident in my knowledge of all subjects. So our arguments continued, off and on. Before we’d known it, a month had passed.”

“We had a healthy respect for one another. We’d known each other for only a short time, but had already become good friends. In our world of academics, books and learning are the only thing we care to concern ourselves with. That short time, surrounded by books and intellectuals, was of great benefit to me. It’s plausible to surmise that, had my life been absent this exchange, it’s very unlikely I’d have reached the magnitude of success I enjoy now.”

“Around the middle...