Chapter 535: Life, the Universe and Everything
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A few regular readers were quite familiar with the layout. A few moments later, they returned to the floor with the different versions of the same book, Life, the Universe and Everything, the third installment of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. There were versions in Chinese and English, as well as in other languages, the year of publication different for each version.
Zhang Zian had also read this book before, but he never knew that this book had so many versions.
They found an empty table to place the books. All of the diverse editions covered the whole table, it looked magnificent. Other readers, that had no idea what they were doing, gave them inquiring looks.
The helpers returned to their seats and started typing in English.
[Coco]: We found the book you wanted. We put every version available in the library on the table near the top of the stairs of the fifth floor. Come and get it.
Everyone, including Zhang Zian, looked at the table, waiting to see what would happen. Although Zhang Zian believed that it wouldn't be so simple, he was concerned that one of the books might suddenly disappear, which would be a supernatural incident.
As time went by, the library was so quiet that it was almost suffocating. All the readers on the floor were sitting in their seats. No one stood up.
[3.1415926]: That's not my book.
How was that possible? This was obviously the right book! How could Pi act so shamelessly?
[Coco]: How's that not the book? Are you looking for a specific version of the book? I've heard that some people are very picky.
[3.1415926]: My book has no name.
[The Hottie]: Your book has no name, but it's about life, the universe and everything?
[3.1415926]: Yes, can you find my book?
[Jackdaw]: I'm sorry, we won't help you anymore. Go find it yourself!
[Pancake]: How can you take advantage of our kindness and play pranks on us? I'm so disappointed in you.
[Coco]: Guys, don't be discouraged! Let's try again!
[Blue Flower]: I'm not familiar with science fiction, but I'd like to keep watching the fun.
Some of the messages were in Chinese, while others were in English. All of their tones were filled with annoyance and sarcasm. When their condemnation came to an end, Zhang Zian continued typing.
[The Hottie]: I forgot to ask you before. You said that you wanted to find your book. Am I right to say that this book isn't a book provided by the library, but by yourself?
[3.1415926]: Yes. It's the book that appeared with me in this world.
[The Hottie]: This book is about life, the universe and everything. Do you mean that the content of the book is very complicated?
[3.1415926]: Yes, can you find my book?
Zhang Zian understood now. The elfin was probably dependent on the book. The elfin was currently in its incomplete form, that's why it had no physical body. It must have the book so that it could transform into its complete form.
He also understood why the capture difficulty of the elfin was extremely high, his task was to find an all-encompassing book that had no name and wasn't registered in a library that contained more than two million books.
Just like finding a needle in a haystack, right? A f**king timed haystack, how ridiculous!
The other readers didn't understand the dialogue between Zhang Zian and the elfin because the library didn't allow readers to bring their own backpacks or books into the building.
The elfin was asking for help, for its own survival.
Zhang Zian once again opened the game's map. The light circle that indicated the elfin's location was very faint, it could disappear at any moment.
[The Hottie]: I'm not sure if I can find it, but I'll try my best.
[3.1415926]: Thank you.
Zhang Zian stood up. Coco rushed towards him and whispered, "You really want to look for an unknown book?"
"I have to find it," replied Zhang Zian.
He didn't have time to explain, and hiding his true intention was also a waste of time. He waved his hand and went downstairs, leaving Coco to stand there alone. Other readers kept discussing in the chatroom, wanting to see the ending of the farce.
Zhang Zian went down to the fourth floor, slowing down as he reached the landing.
Although he seemed confident, he had no idea how to find the book.
He didn't know the size, binding, layout, content, or classification of the book. Where should he start?
Suddenly, he had a thought. The book appeared in this world with the elfin, which meant that it was a book summoned from the void of Pet Hunter. Just like elfins were invisible to ordinary people, this book also couldn't be seen, but he could see the book through the game's capture interface.
The bookshelves on the fourth floor were full of newspapers and magazines, so it was easy for Zhang Zian to see if a book was placed on a shelf.
He searched the whole floor and didn't find any book. If the book could be found on the fourth floor, this task wouldn't have been considered extremely difficult.
Zhang Zian went down to the third floor. He felt that he had entered the game's hell mode.
He reluctantly looked at the bookshelves in the Hall of Books in Foreign Languages on the third floor, which meant that he had to carefully check each shelf. There were six levels in each shelf, dozens of books on each level, and the book could be hidden between two books.
To find the book, he had to aim his phone at one area of the bookshelf, observe it through the game's capture interface, and then observe it with his own eyes. He needed to find the book that was visible to the game, but not to his eyes.
This task was extremely difficult, but not impossible. All it would take was time, which Zhang Zian didn't have.
If he stood too close to a bookshelf, the camera on his phone could only capture a limited area. If he stood too far, he'd easily miss something. He tried several times and finally found the best distance between him and the bookshelf, where all the six levels could be seen on the screen of his phone, and he'd be able to scan level by level.
The bookshelf was very long. Zhang Zian switched between his eyes and the game's capture interface over a dozen times for each shelf because there were books on both sides.
To avoid missing anything, each comparison took about 20 seconds, switching between his phone and the bookshelf that was farther away.
The books on the shelves varied in color. The titles of the books were written in foreign languages. Zhang Zian's eyes burned after staring at the cursive script for so long. Even so, he told himself to keep looking.
However, when he thought of the hundreds of bookshelves on the third floor that he hadn't yet inspected, along with the bookshelves on the second floor, he knew that he wouldn't be able to locate the book in time to prevent the elfin from disappearing.
After holding his phone in the same position for a long time, his arms ached. Lucky for him, his arms had become strong after practicing Wing Chun with Old Time Tea. If he was as weak as before, his arms would've cramped up in less than a few minutes.
When he came from the fifth floor, he took the book Modern Genetics: An Analysis from Gene to the Surface with him, pretending to be an ordinary reader looking for a book. Now, the book had become a burden, and his pretense seemed meaningless.
He was about to stuff the book in a vacant spot on a shelf when someone spoke.
"Manager Zhang, are you still looking for books?"
Zhang Zian turned his head and found Meng Li standing next to him with two books in his hands.
Meng Li noticed the book in Zhang Zian's hand and believed that Zhang Zian was learning about modern genetics.
"Manager Zhang, you finished reading such a thick monograph in English?" Meng Li asked.
Zhang Zian said pretentiously, "I've only skimmed it. The content is too simple, it doesn't satisfy my needs. I want to find a book that has more insight."
Meng Li laughed. "I'm afraid you can only read the papers for more insight."
Zhang Zian didn't want to spend more time on the subject, so he asked, "Are you also looking for books?"
"I've found them. These two books are about mathematical ultrafiltration and finding the solution to the infinite element Diophantine Equation." Meng Li raised the two books in his hand.
Zhang Zian smiled, as if he understood what Meng Li was talking about.
Meng Li looked at the sky. "It's almost noon. I need to return to the school. Are you staying?"
Zhang Zian nodded. "Yes. I haven't found the book I'm looking for."
"Oh. Is the book also about modern genetics?" Meng Li asked casually.
"Well, no. It's a book about life, the universe, and everything," Zhang Zian said with a bitter smile, ready to be ridiculed.
However, Meng Li didn't laugh at him. Instead, he seemed surprised and asked, "Your hobbies are widespread. Apart from modern genetics, do you also like studying math?"