Secret Of The World

Chapter 2.1

Afterwards, he delved into deep thought. All sorts of negative thoughts flooded his mind due to the words of that person. As he pondered over who this person was and what they meant by their threat, he was pulled out of the whirlpool of his thoughts by another sound. He heard the ringtone of his mobile phone. He glanced at the phone and then answered.

"Hello. Safwan Shakir speaking."

A man from the other end of the phone answered, his tone indicating urgency.

"Hello Safwan, where are you? I'm currently in London."

It was clear to Safwan from the speaker's voice that it was Jollan. Safwan smiled a relieved smile; he felt a great sense of comfort upon hearing the voice of his friend whom he hadn't seen in several years. Despite the impact of the other person's words on Safwan, Jolan's voice was the best thing he could have hoped for.

Safwan responded, turning around with a random glance, thinking his friend had entered through the café's door.

"Hello, where are you now?"

"I'm in a taxi. Where should I tell him to take me?"

"Tell him to take you to Drury Lane. When you reach the street, you'll find a café there. I think it's the only café on that street. If you arrive and can't find it, call me, and I'll guide you to my location."

"Alright. See you later."

Safwan leaned back on the table and got up from his seat, sitting in the spot where the other person had been just moments ago. The door was directly in front of him.

He began to reminisce about the days he and Jollan had spent together, recalling their first meeting seven years ago in Italy when Jollan was still studying.

He was in Italy to search for some old books he needed for his research.

One day, while wandering the streets of Venice in search of a wandering bookseller, Jollan followed the advice of a friend who studied with him. His friend once said, "If you're looking for old and useful books, search in secluded places. That's where you'll find the books you're looking for. Usually, the seller is an old man. Jollan took his friend's advice and began to roam the ancient streets of Venice. Luckily, he noticed an elderly man laying books on the ground, placing them atop a worn-out cover. Most of the books there were old, and the place where the old man sold them was sparsely populated. The area was so inactive that Jollan wondered why he was there in the first place. When Jollan saw this sight, he thought he might be hallucinating because it looked exactly as his friend had described the book vendors in the historic places. Jollan approached him. The old man, around seventy years old, had a frail, short stature, with a slightly hunched back. When you looked at his face, you could see wisdom embodied within. Despite no one being there to buy, the old man stood, staring at his books as if the person in front of him didn't exist. Most of the books there were old novels, manuscripts, and letters from ancient times. When Jollan saw those books and manuscripts, he couldn't believe his eyes. That small bookstore was a treasure trove for him. He searched through the books, and his joy increased every time he saw an old book. He found valuable old books, including Herodotus' Histories, written in Greek. Although he was still studying Greek, he chose it because he found an extremely old copy there (that was what fascinated him most about books). He also found an Assyrian manuscript, something he didn't expect to find. It was a small clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform script, something he wouldn't expect to find except in museums.

His gaze fell once again on the old man after being captivated by the displayed books, saying...

"Hello, sir," Jollan greeted.

He remained silent for a moment, awaiting the old man's response, but the latter stayed silent, as if oblivious to his presence. Then, with a gesture of greeting, Jollan continued, "Hello, sir."