NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 65: 65: Acquired Data
The next day, after clocking in, Reisen Riou found the Fifth Scribe's Office had no assigned documents. With no work, he left early to visit the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions.
The Tenryou head welcomed him warmly; the Kanjou head was cold. Still, he'd paid his respects.
Back at his Inazuma City fief, he checked feedback from his new enforcers, Amemuki Uji and Yuyame Tarou. They hadn't slacked. As his escorts, they followed him, but couldn't join his private visits, so he'd tasked them with testing the One System, Ten Thousand Divine Machines. They trained diligently all afternoon.
Satisfied, Reisen Riou nodded, planning to visit the Shogunate's library. Then he paused. "How long have you two worked in the Scribe's Office?"
"Three years, my lord," Amemuki said.
"Five," Yuyame added.
"How often are documents distributed, and by whom?" Reisen Riou asked.
"Once a month, the First Scribe's Office assigns a month's work, delivered by samurai," Amemuki said.
"We've done those deliveries," Yuyame noted.
"Alright, keep at it," Reisen Riou said, heading out.
First Scribe's Office is Tenryou's turf. No wonder… wait, why "no wonder"? He shook off the odd thought and entered the library.
In Inazuma, it was officially the Shoryou, managed by the Shogunate and guarded by Okuzume. It housed nearly all of Inazuma's public knowledge—from island-sinking curses to farming and hunting techniques. Local magistrate records and shrine festival details were archived here, too.
The Grand Narukami Shrine's library had two-thirds as many books, with little overlap except for select curses and biographies. Reisen Riou dove into another book-binge.
He became a regular, befriending the Okuzume guards. They revealed the Shoryou was one of four sites in a larger organization. The true Shoryou was the book management hub—handling acquisition, verification, repair, copying, preservation, and cataloging. The other three, including this one, were libraries for samurai and miko borrowing, with storage and lending functions.
Reisen Riou rarely borrowed books. His speed and photographic memory meant he finished books faster than borrowing took.
Years passed—handling monthly paperwork, then soaking in the Shoryou. He rarely left Narukami Island, only returning to Ritou for new data.
Little happened, save one event: Narukami's Record Attendant retired at over eighty, no youkai. A replacement was named, and Reisen Riou was shocked to learn he was third in line.
This is wild. The line was short. The new attendant was the former First Scribe. If they fell, the Second and Third Scribes were next, then him. The prior attendant had doubled as the Fourth Scribe, skipping him as fourth in line.
The promotion path was clerk → office assistant → scribe → Record Attendant. Clerks were bottom-tier; assistants managed clerks, earning a few thousand Mora more. Most stayed scribes or candidate attendants forever, as the Record Attendant role was lifelong unless dismissed by Narukami or, like the retiree, too old to work.
In the Shoryou, Reisen Riou resumed reading. The library's vast collection wasn't yet exhausted, partly because he verified local records and biographies meticulously before moving on.
An Okuzume stopped him. "Lord Fifth Scribe, we found that Khaenri'ah Alchemy Journal, Issue 72, you requested."
"Great, put it with the alchemy books. I'll finish yesterday's and head over. Send my regards to the Shoryou head," Reisen Riou said.
"Yes, sir."
--------------------
Want to read ahead? Early chapters on: patreon.com/ShadowKage