Krafft's Anomaly Notes

Chapter 335: The Old Master Cannot See

Kraft had always thought that throwing money on the water was an exaggerated metaphor, but now he is a little unsure. The books here can be exchanged for silver coins to train everyone to become an expert in throwing money on the water.

His timely intervention prevented the remaining people from further damaging the things on the ground. The information carriers made of leather and plant fibers were deformed and shrunk due to repeated cycles of moisture and drying.

Poor preservation conditions have made most of them impossible to restore, and they have melted into mud-like substances. Insects crawl in this natural hiding place, gnawing at the melted and distorted words without knowing it.

They appear to be the remains of a hasty evacuation, as if some unexpected event had forced the original owner to abandon this huge spiritual and material wealth here.

However, a little observation will reveal that this seemingly reasonable guess still has some unexplainable aspects.

The books were not randomly piled up, but were intentionally spread out and laid out one by one in the center of the church, like straw spread out on the ridges of fields in winter waiting to rot, occupying a large area of ​​ground, leaving only a few narrow aisles, as if someone needed to walk back and forth frequently to check the contents of the pages.

Even the long rows of benches used for prayer meetings were moved aside and placed against the wall, with a large number of books piled on the seats.

"What is this for?"

Everyone was confused by the same problem. The scene in front of them was obviously not something that could be done by an individual, and the abbot of the monastery did not have the authority to call up such a large number of books without authorization. Usually, they would only be taken out of the warehouse in batches for drying and maintenance during the short dry season every year.

Unless the vast majority of upper and middle-level managers reach a consensus and are determined to implement the plan, it will be impossible to empty the library.

And it obviously makes no sense to dry books in a room with insufficient light. It looks more like...

【Looking for information? 】

Raymond had seen the monks in the library of Notre Dame Cathedral, gathered around a wooden table large enough for several people to lie down, with books spread out on the table. Their eyes searched for a specific content like a egret looking for a live fish under the water, to verify some details whose meaning was completely incomprehensible to ordinary people.

As a field worker under Green, I seldom had the opportunity to interact with those people. The last impression I had was when I was in school, and there was an old scholar whose speech was extremely difficult to understand and blocked half of the students' degree in the advanced course.

They always find some particularly tricky and ambiguous details in the dark corners of some books to study, and then find supporting evidence with extensive references and take them as the guiding principle.

Of course, the instructor of that course was changed the next year.

Every place of any size has such people, who are responsible for managing the book collection and providing the basis for debate.

As the monastery with the largest investment in the region, even if the academic talents here cannot reach the level of Dunling, they will not be much different, and may even come from the Theological Seminary of Dunling University.

Raymond once thought that they could recite the specific volume and section of the book where every sentence appeared, and if they could gather a small group of such people, there would be nothing they could not find.

While most people were still immersed in marveling at the wealth represented by the books, he quickly walked over to Kraft and together they examined the only remaining cover in those leather-protected hands.

Thanks to the widespread practice of over-decoration, the cover was made of quite thick material to facilitate the use of carving and inlaying techniques, and is in a much better state of preservation than the contents.

The pattern pigments have basically peeled off and changed color, but the gold and silver foil fillings still outline the embossed and capitalized title, and the wing-shaped metal fasteners and corner protectors show that it is an internal work of the church, rather than an individual work found somewhere.

While the professor was still stumbling over how to read the incomplete text, Raymond had already identified its identity.

"It should be a collection of admonitions." "What?" A confused look from someone who had only heard of the holy scriptures came over.

Brother Raymond resisted the urge to popularize basic knowledge: "You can regard it as a commentary on the scriptures. It is compiled from the sermons of authoritative figures. It is more obscure and profound than those given to ordinary believers. It mainly includes the interpretation of doctrines and the interpretation of specific scriptures, which are used for our internal worship and study."

"I understand. These are supplementary teaching materials." The professor nodded in sudden enlightenment. He was very familiar with them.

Raymond didn't think the other party had listened to him at all, but he had lost the desire to defend himself. He asked for a pair of gloves and carefully handled the other books at his feet.

These books have been stuck to the floor tiles, and they need to be slowly peeled off and gently "shoveled" up, otherwise a large piece will be torn off and the surface will be seriously damaged.

"Well, the Psalms, a very common hymn book. I have memorized several passages from it. Even the first psalm is the same as the one I have. It will be used in the ceremony."

"It's not required to recite now." The Knights who just graduated from the academy added, "After all, it's a secondary elective."

Raymond shook his head and lamented the poor independent learning ability of his juniors, and the value of their degrees was indeed getting lower and lower every year.

"The Lives of Saints. You must have read this. We read it as a story book. We would borrow it and read it over and over again every once in a while, especially the part where the prophet and King Pendra drew their swords. Oh, forget it."

Putting the book and the memories aside, he briefly looked at a few books that were easier to pick up, reciting the titles fluently.

"'The Proof of Existence', 'Summa Refutum Gentiles', 'Tractatus Theologica', 'Summa Theologica', 'Studies on the Reformation of Charles', 'Studies on the Theology of Scotus'. These are quite a collection of famous works. Of all the people I know, Father Green may be the only one who has read them all."

They have only read it, and when it comes to nitpicking, none of the three of them can argue with the professionals.

But they are also a group of professionals. They have set up such a big show here, looking for something in their specialized fields, or even in the church's collection of books that they have copied by hand, but it seems that they haven't found it yet?
"I don't feel right, what do you think, Professor?"

As a witness to some special events, Raymond felt that he was a little neurotic.

"That possibility is not ruled out." Kraft answered cryptically. He asked Yvonne again and got a negative answer. The girl was quite active, but it seemed that the local climate made her feel particularly comfortable. She walked around and observed, turning the mason's hammer in her hand until the original owner trembled and took it back.

"But I really didn't feel anything special." Kraft really felt that his rhinitis was activated. Not only was it itchy from the dust, but he also always felt that there was something he should smell but couldn't.

It's like seeing a pile of untidy dishes and an open refrigerator in the kitchen of a newly moved-in second-hand house. You instinctively feel that something is rotting in the dark, and there is always a vague phantom smell at the tip of your nose, but it disappears when you listen carefully.

"Damn it, the most troublesome thing is that you can't find the things you want." Especially when not only can you not find it, but you don't even know if it exists or not. It can drive people with obsessive-compulsive disorder crazy.

After a slight hesitation, Kraft gave the team an order: "Clean up the courtyard and set up camp outside tonight. This place has been empty for too long. Who knows if there will be any safety hazards? I don't want a chandelier to fall on my head in the middle of the night."

"Don't touch these books yet. We will clear the entire monastery tomorrow morning and sort them out slowly later." The books in this area, which even archaeologists have to worry about, do not seem to be dangerous at least for the time being. The most urgent task is to check the entire building.

"Be careful and avoid acting alone. If you are with more than one person, you must report to Brother Raymond. You can ask Kupp to accompany you. Keep the fire lit before sunrise tomorrow. I will keep watch with you."

"Now, let's clean up our new home."

(End of this chapter)