Kino and Hermes encounter an escaped man in the desert who gives Kino a book that she can use to exchange when she arrives to the Land of Books, which gathers together all the books in the world. However, they find out that the Department of Reading and Welfare locks away books considered "harmful" inside the Castle, leaving only the "harmless" ones out on display to read in the library. The librarian recognizes Kino's book as being from her boyfriend who left the country. The librarian is part of the Publication Syndicate, a resistance group that seeks a secret passage into the Castle to rescue their comrades who have been caught by the Department of Reading and Welfare. Stumbling upon a key and a manuscript, Kino crosses paths with an author, who later leads her to the Castle, where former comrades are forced to become literature critics. After giving the key to the librarian, Kino meets Miss Minister, responsible for trying to catch the author but ended up luring Kino instead. Kino is allowed to keep the manuscript for herself, but the Castle's library full of harmful books is reported to be in flames.