Rayah and Joseph spent most of the day in the library.
Ornan tried to bargain more, asking if he could keep a copy of the papers for himself. Joseph rejected the request, fabricating excuses about how there was a chance that the meaning might have been tied to the original paper itself and that copying could corrupt whatever hidden messages Lord Mao had embedded in the physical medium.
It was complete nonsense, but Ornan seemed to have bought it.
Joseph buried himself in grammar books while Rayah educated herself on the Island of the Emperor—its history, political structure, trade routes, cultural practices. She was an unusually hard worker. Joseph wouldn't have expected this from the same girl he'd met in that prison.
The sun had begun to set, painting the library windows in deeper amber and crimson.
Saying goodbye to Ornan, they soon left.
It was finally time to find a place to stay.
