"Bit intimidating, isn't it?" Walking into a library always comes with that gentle reminder that there's not really enough time in the world to read everything. Not even enough time to read just 'the good stuff'. Give him a few more lifetimes and maybe he'd be able to put a dent in it, so long as people stopped writing and printing and binding books entirely.

He reaches up and pulls down a book at random. The author and title are both unfamiliar; flipping in to read the dust jacket summary just heightens the sense of alienation. Right kind of story - the protagonist sounds like something familiar enough -, entirely wrong sort of details. It's like reading a fantasy book abstract without the publisher giving any context. "I keep meaning to look up some history accounts between my time and this - get my bearings a bit, but honestly..." He shrugs, noncommittal. Part of him doesn't really care to know what exactly happened - especially since the missions they get sent on seem to be doing all they can to change anything he might possibly pick up.