69novels Chapter 97 Two Forbidden Books
Chapter 97 Two Forbidden Books
Chapter 97 Two Forbidden Books
The carriage was very shaky, and the seats were too hard.
Even with all her clothes underneath her, Anne still felt numb and sore.
"Traveling in a car is so tiring," Annie couldn't help but complain.
"Hmm," Laura, who was sitting next to her, responded.
"Lola, thank you for coming to see me off. And I'm sorry you had to go through all this trouble too," Anne said, taking Lola's hand.
"Yes," Lola replied again.
"I would have been so bored on this journey without you, but we're finally almost there," Annie said with a forced smile. "The driver said yesterday that we would arrive today, and I hope there won't be any delays due to unforeseen circumstances."
"Yes," Laura said.
Anne was already used to Lola's cold attitude.
Lola simply doesn't like to talk; she's not just being polite to Anne.
On the contrary, Anne even felt that Lola was being a little too clingy; otherwise, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to follow the carriage and insist on taking Anne to school.
But Anne also knew that she was quite dependent on Lola as well.
For example, sometimes when she really wants to talk about her innermost thoughts, or wants to do something she wouldn't dare to do alone, she will go to Lola.
And Lola always agreed; in Anne's memory, Lola had never refused her.
So Anne really liked her new sister who had suddenly appeared, even though at first she hated Lola for suddenly barging into her and Aaron's lives.
Although they are not related by blood, they are like real sisters, after all, they are both Booker now.
Anne lay down on her side, resting her head on Lola's lap.
"Hey, Lola, do you think it was the right thing for me to come to school? I heard that school takes many years, and then I won't be able to see Aaron again. And after graduation, I might be sent to some place I've never even heard of before, based on the school's recommendation. Then I won't have any time to go back to the library..."
"Lola?"
After another moment of silence, Lola finally managed to squeeze out a few words from her perpetually loosened vocal cords:
"have no idea."
"call-.
Anne let out a deep breath; in truth, she hadn't expected Lola to say anything.
And she also knew that no matter how anxious she was, how reluctant she was to leave Aaron, the library, and of course Lola, she was now sitting in a carriage far away.
Although she was inevitably uneasy, deep down she did yearn to go out and see the world.
The ideal solution would be for Aaron and Laura to accompany me wherever I go.
But Aaron doesn't seem to like going out, and Laura should also pursue her own goals.
"Lola, if I want you to stay by my side forever, would you?"
"Yes," Laura said coldly.
Anne turned to look at Lola and smiled:
"You shouldn't always hesitate when you're about to disagree with me, but act without thinking when you're about to agree. You need to learn to think for yourself. I won't be by your side anymore, and there won't be anyone to make decisions for you."
"..."
"Aaron won't work either. If you ask him, he'll definitely ask you what you think. If you can't say anything, he won't make a decision for you. Lola, you should think more about your own things."
"Yes," Lola nodded gently.
Anne adjusted her posture and lay back on the chair.
From this perspective, she could see every detail of Lola's face.
Lola has a slender neck, a pointed chin, and a small nose; she is a refreshing-looking girl.
Anne could also see the green eyes beneath Lola's colored eyes.
Lola is a green-eyed person; that is an indisputable fact.
Although Annie and Aaron doted on Laura, the rest of the continent seemed to harbor extreme hatred and discrimination against the green-eyed people.
Therefore, Anne was very worried about Lola:
"Lola, I mean it, you really need to take care of yourself. It's warm in the library, but I think the outside world is full of ice and storms—especially for you—"
...
,
Lola remained silent for a long time, but finally nodded.
Anne thought for a moment and asked:
"Lola, do you hate me?"
"I don't dislike it!"
Lola's voice was unexpectedly loud, and she shook her head frantically.
"What about Aaron?"
Lola continued to shake her head.
"The person who sent you to the library, wasn't his name Henry? Do you dislike him?"
This time, Lola neither shook her head nor nodded.
Anne asked one last question: "What about the rest of the world?"
Lola nodded resolutely without any hesitation.
"Hmm—."
Anne sighed; sure enough, Lola harbored hatred.
But Anne couldn't offer any advice, because Lola could and had the right to hate.
She and her people seemed to have done nothing wrong, yet they suffered all sorts of hardships for no apparent reason.
Simply because they were born on the other side of the ocean, their eyes were green—
Anne thought for a long time, and finally asked:
"Lola, have you ever thought about going back to your hometown?"
Anne noticed Lola's eye twitch slightly, and Lola then said:
"I used to think so."
"And now?"
Laura pondered for a long time before answering:
"My acquaintances from my tribe may have all been captured and brought here. My hometown no longer resembles a hometown. Going back would only mean being captured again."
Upon hearing this, Anne hugged Lola tightly:
"Lola, Aaron and I will always be your family."
"Um--..-"
Lola responded and placed her hand on Anne's head.
In the afternoon, the carriage arrived at its destination.
The two men carried their luggage to the ground, and the carriage immediately departed.
This is the renowned Herald Academy.
The Herald Academy has a high degree of autonomy and is not affiliated with any lord.
The academy and the surrounding area are collectively known as Herald City.
Herald City is located in the northeast of the kingdom, while the north is undeveloped royal territory, also known as the wasteland.
In the northeast, there is the Coolidge Canal.
Crossing the land canyon will take you to the northern part of the Holy Envoy Principality.
Lola and Anne stood in the square of the City of Heralds, where every marble tile beneath their feet was painted with a pattern of some kind of heraldry.
The surrounding area was filled with tall buildings, each of which was painted or carved with various heraldic patterns.
At the very least, they displayed heraldic banners.
The dazzling array of coats of arms makes the whole city look colorful and magnificent.
The two girls looked around for a long time, but the shock in their hearts showed no signs of fading.
They probably never imagined that such a city existed in the world!
A look of joy appeared on Anne's face, but she did not forget why she had come.
She nudged Lola with her elbow: "Lola, let's go!"
Lola nodded, and the two girls picked up their luggage and headed toward the tallest building in the city.
Finally, he came to a wall made of shields.
The materials and styles of shields vary widely, but they all have one thing in common: all shields are decorated with heraldry.
From the passersby, Anne also learned that this was the Shield Wall.
Inside the wall of shields lies Anne's destination for her studies: the Herald Academy.
They found the entrance to the Herald Academy and soon began to argue.
"Why? She's my sister!"
Anne put her hands on her hips and said loudly.
"But her name wasn't on the letter of recommendation, and the Herald Academy doesn't allow unauthorized personnel to enter."
"She's not an unrelated person!"
"Anyone without a valid certificate or special authorization is irrelevant. Young lady, it's up to you whether you go in or not, but she absolutely cannot."
Faced with the doorman's tough attitude, Anne had no choice but to ask Lola to wait at the door.
After Lola nodded, Anne immediately dragged her things into the Herald Academy.
After completing the enrollment procedures and being assigned a dormitory, Annie quickly put away her luggage, took only a small cloth bag, and hurried back to the college gate.
When she ran out breathlessly, she saw Lola sitting obediently in the corner, so she hurried over.
She reached out and helped Lola up: "I'm sorry, Lola, I kept you waiting too long."
Lola didn't speak, she just shook her head.
Two girls strolled hand in hand through the city of Herald.
They were laughing and joking around, just like they were on vacation.
After the sun went down, they ate the local specialty, herald cakes, together.
The surface of the heraldic biscuits is molded with different heraldic designs, and the filling inside the biscuits will have the unique flavor of the cuisine of the region corresponding to that herald.
After their meal, the two took a long walk together.
Unbeknownst to them, the two had arrived at a secluded corner within the city of Emblems.
The place was filled with strangely shaped stones of all kinds, and perhaps because it was too late, there was no one else around except the two of them.
They found a smooth, large rock and sat down. Anne asked:
"Lola, I have to be back at the academy before midnight, but you can't go in. What are you going to do?"
"Back to the library," Laura replied briefly.
"Not staying here for a few days?"
Lola shook her head.
Anne nodded and grasped Lola's hand tightly:
"Lola, thank you for coming with me, and—I'm sorry to have to send you back alone again."
Lola shook her head and said, "It's okay, it should be easy going back."
Anne got up and went forward to hug Lola:
"Lola, I will miss you, and I will write to you and Aaron often."
Upon hearing this, Lola pushed Anne away and then faced the stone beside her.
This rock, which looks quite like a porcini mushroom, stands alone among the pile of stones.
Lola placed her hand on the stone, and soon a magic circle that shone with a blinding white light appeared on the surface of the stone.
A moment later, the stone was covered by a glow and seemed to be slowly corroded, with some purplish-red rhomboid crystals floating out.
The radiance vanished instantly after Lola removed her hand.
Only then did Annie realize that a large opening had been cut into the side of the stone, extending into its interior.
Laura then said, "Annie, remember this stone. If you want to write to me, throw it into this stone, and only I can retrieve it."
Although Anne didn't quite understand, she nodded and remarked:
"very nice."
"Hmm?" Lola tilted her head.
Anne said, "It seems you've completely mastered this magical power, just like Henry."
"It's from that book," Laura said.
"I've read your book, 'The Knot of the Mist,' many times, but I haven't learned anything from it. I realize it's because I lack the talent in this area."
Anne said with a somewhat somber expression,
"Aaron personally chose that book for you to study, which means he saw that you have this talent. Before you came, I lived with him for ten years, and he never specifically had me study any book."
Hearing this, Lola showed some worry and spoke urgently:
"Aaron—"
"—He never showed favoritism? Ha, of course, I know that."
Anne forced a smile.
"If I had the talent, Aaron would definitely have taught me too. But, even though I understand the principles, I still envy you quite a bit—"
After hearing this, Lola frowned, bit her lip, and held Anne's hand tightly.
Seeing this, Anne shook her head again:
"It's okay, Lola, it's just envy, not jealousy. Hey, Lola, do you know my dream?"
Lola thought for a moment and said:
"Aaron said he wanted to make contact with those important figures."
"That's right, but that wasn't my initial dream. I wanted to become that kind of amazing person."
As Annie spoke, she looked up at the starry sky.
"However, Henry and you have both gained power that I cannot attain, which makes me realize that I am destined never to reach that level, so I have no choice but to compromise."
Laura didn't say anything, she just rushed forward and hugged Annie tightly.
Anne was taken aback, but her expression quickly relaxed, and she smiled as she wrapped her arms around Lola's back.
"Henry is at least infamous, Laura. You must become someone of his caliber so that when I write my stories in the future, I can put you on the first page. After all, you're the first big shot I've ever met—oh no, Aaron should be on the first page!"
"No way!" Lola retorted excitedly.
Anne seemed a little surprised, so she asked:
"Why not?"
"Aaron—he—he never goes out, he's unknown, he'll never be a big shot!"
"Ha," Anne laughed, "That's right, then, Lola, you'd better work hard!"
"I will!"
Anne suddenly realized that Lola could actually be quite affectionate.
But as the older sister, Annie thought she should let her younger sister act spoiled.
"But—" Anne suddenly pushed Lola away, "There's one thing, I'm still quite jealous of you."
"?"
"Aaron actually made you carry that book with you at all times, and every time I finished reading it, he insisted that I put it back in its original place."
Hearing this, Lola's eyes lit up with satisfaction. She quickly took out the book "The Knot of the Mist" and handed it to Anne, then said briefly but seriously:
"for you!"
"hey-hey,"
Anne couldn't help but laugh as she watched Lola hand the book to her with both hands.
What a lovely little sister—Anne thought to herself, and reached out to pat Lola on the head twice.
"Lola, take it back. I'm not jealous anymore."
But Lola still showed no intention of withdrawing her hand; instead, she took a small step forward, probably worried that Anne was deliberately trying to comfort her.
Anne shook her head helplessly and reached into the small bag slung at her side:
"Lola, look what this is!"
Despite being obscured by her glasses, Annie could still clearly see the surprise in Lola's eyes:
"This is!"
"That's right, hehe!"
Anne chuckled smugly, waving the two books in her hands. "I stole them from the library!"