At breakfast, Arpix urges urgency for the two-day hunt ordered by Logaris. He leads Livira, Jella, Meelan, and Carlotte through unfamiliar corridors that climb within the mountain and into a vast cavern whose far wall holds a featureless white door guarded by library soldiers.

The guards verify their permission, demonstrate their compressed‑gas arrow‑sticks, and ominously remark that stronger force may be needed soon. One guard, wearing a white glove, melts the door open. Beyond lies a colossal chamber of towering shelves and labyrinthine aisles. The scale and smell of books overwhelm Livira as the task’s enormity becomes clear.

Carlotte, exhausted and anxious, fears expulsion. Livira reveals that Algar personally pressed Logaris after Serra exposed her presence, making Livira the real target. Arpix cites politics; Meelan and Jella add that prejudice against dusters drives it. The group navigates broad, rail‑less steps, keeping to the wall.

As they descend, the trainees discuss how city elites label dusters as less human, even alleging Coyoye blood, claims supported by house reading lists drawn from the same library. Livira’s rapid progress threatens that narrative, giving Algar motive to remove her. With the stakes clarified and danger hinted by the guards, they begin their search among the stacks.