"Knowing how to read is still something of an accomplishment in a lot of places in Exandria," Vax pointed out. "Some people go their whole lives without seeing the inside of a library or a real school."

Which was true, but... He winced at himself, a bit, hearing how preachy it sounded. There was nothing like speaking to people half his age to make him feel like an old curmudgeon.

"Not to say libraries can't be unspeakably boring," he hastened to add. "Just because it's written down doesn't mean it's interesting or even useful."