Daro returned to the archive with a narrow permission order from the elders. The entrance formation recognized Muo’s token and the council seal, then traced the newly authorized shelf behind the altered registry. The guardian stood silent in its groove. A repair strip now marked the two control lines they had separated.
“This catalog does not list island ward records,” Daro said. “It says confiscated cultivation research.”
Bai looked at the label on the shelf. “Then the Registry brought it here from somewhere else.”
“Or claimed it from someone here,” Daro said. “The catalog does not say which.”
Muo rested one hand on the rail. “The originals stay where they are. We copy only the pages the council approved. The archive belongs to the island, even when the subject is cultivation.”
Yan wanted to know what the notebooks contained. He also understood why Muo had set the rule. “I’ll ask before touching anything.”
Han checked the entrance, then took a position where she could see the stone steps and the shelf aisle. Lian set a padded tray on the reading table for anything they were permitted to move. No one would remove a notebook just to get a better look.
