MWM Chapter 447

Money could be easily acquired by selling useless items like gold and jewels, and enchanted equipment didn’t hold much value for someone of his current strength.  

What he truly needed were those inconspicuous books, which had become his greatest desire.

Through them, he could gain a deeper understanding of this world, especially its holy spirits and Daedric princes.

However, in this medieval-style world, books were not easy to come by. The ones sold in general stores were mostly novels and biographies.

Books of real value, particularly those revealing the true origins of the world, were rare and not always available for purchase, even with money. They were often found in the hands of nobles, buried in ancient tombs, or kept as treasures by mages.

And who was the most powerful noble in Whiterun?

Naturally, it was none other than Jarl Balgruuf, standing before him.

This was why Leo requested access to Balgruuf’s collection of books.

“It seems you are a very wise adventurer. No problem. I will have a guard take you to Court Wizard Farengar. My books are kept with him, and you can read them there,” Balgruuf replied, not at all upset by the change in request. In fact, his appreciation for Leo only grew.

Only someone at his level would understand that knowledge was the most important resource. For adventurers, money and weapons could indeed enhance their strength, but without sufficient knowledge, their next adventure might be their last.

Besides, with Whiterun under lockdown and the city’s finances strained, saving some money was a welcome benefit.

Thus, led by a guard, Leo passed through the grand hall and entered a spacious room on the left side, where he met Whiterun’s court mage, Farengar.

“The Jarl sure knows how to burden me with extra work. Doesn’t he realize I’m in the middle of researching all the records on dragons?” Farengar muttered after the guard relayed Balgruuf’s command. He then gave Leo a once-over and said:

“I never thought a brutish adventurer would have the aspirations of a thinker or scholar.

“Since the Jarl has granted you permission, you may read the books in my collection. They’re on the shelves in the room behind me.

“However, I must give you a few warnings.

“First, you are not allowed to take any books out of this room. You may only read them here.

“Second, do not disturb the arrangement of my books. I’m currently researching, so put each book back exactly where you found it.

“Third, if you damage even one book, no matter how much the Jarl pleads, I will burn you to ashes with my magic and use your remains to fertilize my herbs.

“My destruction magic, wielded by the great Farengar Secret-Fire, ranks among the top in all of Skyrim’s mages!”

“No problem!” Leo smiled, unfazed by Farengar’s attitude.

This arrangement suited him just fine. Not only could he read books, but he could also observe this powerful mage and learn more about the magic of this world.

Seeing that Leo responded politely, Farengar’s attitude softened a bit. He led him into a back room lined with bookshelves.

“My collection here may not rival that of the College of Winterhold, but it’s certainly more extensive than any other city’s library. If you have the patience, these books will be of great benefit to your future adventures.”

After a brief introduction, Farengar hurried off to continue his research on dragons.

Leo began browsing the titles on the shelves:

*The First Seed*, *Sundas*, *Starry Night*, *Olaf and the Dragon*, *The Glory of Boethiah*, *A Brief History of the Empire I*, *A Brief History of the Empire II*.

There were hundreds of books spread across the shelves.

Many of them contained valuable information, allowing him to deeply understand this world.

One title caught his interest: *The Myth of Creation*.

He pulled the book from the shelf, found a chair, and started reading.

He read late into the night before finally leaving Dragonsreach and renting a room at the Bannered Mare below.

Over the next few days, Leo made daily trips between Dragonsreach and the Bannered Mare, spending his time reading and learning about the history of this world.

Thanks to his remarkable speed-reading ability and extraordinary memory, he had already finished reading more than half of Dragonsreach’s collection within just three days.

By this point, he had gained a true understanding of the world of *The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim*.

Different books, especially those written by authors from various races, often held divergent views on certain topics. Nonetheless, Leo was able to distill some consistent and reliable conclusions.

The world of *The Elder Scrolls* was not flat but, like his own, a planet—referred to as the planet of Nirn.

According to mythological records, in the Dawn Era, time was not linear but chaotic. Leo likened it to the state of the universe before the creation of the world by Pangu in Chinese mythology.

From the chaos, a being known as “The Godhead” dreamed the world into existence, and from this dream, the world split into two entities: Anu and Padomay.

They represented “Stasis” and “Change.”

The clash between Anu and Padomay resulted in the creation of Aurbis. To Leo, this seemed akin to the concept of the universe—similar to the Big Bang.

Anu represented Time and later gave rise to the Time Dragon, Akatosh.

Padomay represented Space and later split into the Serpent God, Lorkhan.

In time, more gods came into existence in this universe. These gods were collectively known as the Aedra.

For some reason, Lorkhan began persuading Akatosh and the other newly born Aedra to join him in creating the world.

Thus, the Aedra who represented “Stasis” became the Aedra, while those who embodied “Change” became the Daedra.

One particularly powerful Aedra named Magnus was appointed as the chief architect of creation, designing the material form of the world and mapping out the orbits of the planets in the universe.

However, when the world was finally created, the Aedra realized that it wasn’t as Lorkhan had promised. The new world was not static and eternal, but constantly changing, and it began to drain their power, threatening to trap them within it.

The quicker-reacting Aedra, led by Magnus, broke free and escaped to the realm of light.

The breach Magnus tore through the world became the Sun, while the other Aedra who escaped created the stars.

These breaches allow the energy from the realm of light to flow into the mortal world, and it is this energy that mages draw upon when casting spells.

However, some books on the gods introduced a different story. They claimed that magic was not a gift from the dragons but was taught to mortals by the goddess Kynareth, Lorkhan’s widow.

(End of Chapter)

Series Navigation

<- PreviousNext ->