Master Librarian

The is a character featured in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night. He is the keeper of the library in Dracula's Castle and is loyal to both its lord, Count Dracula, as well as his rebellious dhamphir son, Alucard.
He mainly acts as a merchant that sells powerful weapons, items and spells in addition to valuable jewels.
==History==
The Master Librarian is one of Alucard's allies in his quest to find the reason for the castle's resurrection and his own awakening. For a price, he will supply him with weaponry, accessories, maps, and other useful articles. Even though he seems to fear Dracula, he's not entirely loyal to him. Perhaps since Dracula is not yet awake, he has fewer consequences to consider and is thus more willing to aid the Count's estranged son.
He is the keeper of the Long Library in Dracula's castle. He has accumulated wealth of knowledge over the centuries and some special items as well, which he will part with... for a price.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
====Buy item====
The items that the Librarian will sell depend on the version and overall progress made in the game. The original North American PSX (PSX NA) version and later ports based on it include many items not available in the Japanese versions or the version found in The Dracula X Chronicles.
The most expensive item in any version is the Duplicator, which allows the player to use any item or weapon as many times as desired without decreasing the number held. It is only available after beating the game and getting the good ending, and costs 500,000 G.
<tabber>Relics=
|-|Medicine=
|-|Projectiles=
|-|Weapons=
|-|Shields=
|-|Head Gear=
|-|Body Gear=
|-|Cloaks=
|-|Accessories=
|-|Magic Scrolls=
|-|Other=
</tabber>
====Sell gems====
The Master Librarian will not buy regular items, but will buy valuable jewels from Alucard. These are as follows:
====Tactics====
In addition to giving the statistics of an enemy, the player can purchase tactics videos on how to defeat bosses (much like this was possible via the main menu in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood). If a tactic has already been purchased, its price will become 0 gold on following watches.
Tactics-PSX.png|PlayStation
Tactics-DXC.jpg|The Dracula X Chronicles
*Dracula - 200 G
*Slogra & Gaibon - 500 G
*Doppleganger 10 - 700 G
*Hippogryph - 1,000 G
*Scylla - 1,200 G
*Minotaurus & Werewolf - 1,400 G
*Karasuman - 1,800 G
*Succubus - 1,800 G
*Cerberos - 2,200 G (PlayStation)
*Cerberus - 2,200 G (The Dracula X Chronicles)
*Olrox - 2,600 G
*Granfaloon - 2,800 G
*Richter Belmont - 3,200 G
*Darkwing Bat - 3,500 G
*Akmodan - 3,500 G
*Medusa - 3,500 G
*The Creature - 3,500 G
*Death - 4,000 G
*Doppelganger 40 - 4,500 G
*Fake Trevor, Fake Grant, Fake Sypha - 5,000 G
*Beelzebub - 6,000 G
*Galamoth - 7,000 G
*Shaft - 8,500 G
*Lord Dracula - 10,000 G (PlayStation)
*True Dracula - 10,000 G (The Dracula X Chronicles)
====Enemy list====
The Librarian is more than just a merchant. He has access to information that aids Alucard. An "Enemy List" gives the statistics for all the enemies in the game, including how much hit points they have, the amount of experience slaying them yields, types of attacks they are strong, weak, immune, or absorb, and what they drop (if the player has already earned that item from them).
Later games would incorporate this enemy information into a bestiary available in the normal pause menu, sometimes after a specific relic is found, so that they can access this information at any time.
For the complete list of enemies, please see Master Librarian Enemy List.
====Sound test====
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In the North American PSX version of the game, beating the game with 190% map completion will unlock Sound Test mode in the Librarian's menu. All songs from the game can be listened to here.
=====Japanese voice actor's free talking=====
In the original Japanese version, instead of a Sound Test mode, a special menu is available where the player can listen to the game's voice actors free talking.
====Stealing from the Librarian====
Alucard can use the Gravity Boots to lift the Librarian's chair up from the room beneath where he's sitting. For doing this once, he will drop a Life Vessel. After this, the player must repeatedly perform high jumps in order to lift the chair without hitting the Librarian against the ceiling, with the Axe Lord Armor and a Ring of Arcana being the rewards. The Dracula Tunic is also available, but will not drop until Alucard has visited the Reverse Castle at least once. The order in which the items are obtained is random, as is the chance of getting any item at all. To greatly improve these chances, the player should knock his chair up without touching the ground or making him hit the ceiling.
While surprised and perhaps a little confused as to what has happened, the librarian will not hold this against Alucard and will go on with business as usual.
====Richter and Maria====
The Master Librarian wants nothing to do with Richter or Maria, and will only help young Master Alucard due to his past relations to him. If the player encounters him with either of these characters, he will turn his back and offer none of his services. However, Hearts can still be stolen from underneath him.
===Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night===
The Librarian acts as Alucard's tutor for how to play Story Mode in Encore of the Night. He can also be unlocked in Arcade Mode as a playable character by earning the Veteran Explorer Honor.
The Librarian's shop is available in any Save Room, with a variety of items available for purchase. Additional items are available for sale as progress is made in the game. The Librarian will buy back most items for somewhat less than their purchasing price. Jewels in this game (which increase different affinities) can only be purchased from him.
The Jewel of Open can be obtained for free by retrieving it from the Librarian's main room in the Long Library.
===Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody===
The Master Librarian appeared in Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody, where he is known as the Mysterious Merchant. He is first encountered at the Library and later set up shop at the Demon Hunter Guild's Mobile Base, which was hovering above Dracula's Castle. In this game, it is revealed that he had inherited his role as a custodian of Dracula's Castle from an old friend of his. However, he found the job not to his liking and decided to just sell the goods that had come under his care as commodities. He sets up shop at the Demon Hunter Guild's Mobile Base.
Elvis approached him, hoping to purchase a key he needed in order to pursue the alchemist Thelma. After finding out he did have the key he needed, he further inquired why he would have keys to the castle. The merchant indicated that an old friend of his was the groundskeeper of the castle and that the keys were among several items he had left in his care. The merchant took over some of his responsibilities for a time, but found that he didn't care for administrative work, much preferring things that jingled and sparkled, so he treated these items as any other commodity. While the merchant wanted as many coins as he could get for the key Elvis wanted, he opted to give him a discount if he would help him get rid of a Lesser Demon and its minions, who had been causing too much noise in Library. After this was accomplished, Elvis pressed on why he would do this, to which he responded that this was just a transaction and that one would do whatever was beneficial to one's self. Elvis muttered under his breath about people without principals, to which the merchant laughed that his principals had never changed. He was tiring of living in this castle though, so he would try to find a place that was more profitable. He would later set up shop at the Demon Hunter Guild's Mobile Base, which was hovering above Dracula's Castle.
==Gallery==
Artbook-26.jpg
===Other appearances===
====Dead Cells====
The Master Librarian acts as the Merchant in Dracula's Castle in the Return to Castlevania expansion for the Dead Cells game. It is possible for him to get killed by Dracula in the true version of Dracula's Castle.
==Trivia==
*In the Japanese version, the Master Librarian, Ferryman, and Death share the same voice actor, Masaharu Satō.
*His appearance is vaguely similar to that of Leonardo da Vinci, a famous artist and scientist from the Renaissance period.
**He also bears a distinct resemblance to John Wycliffe, scholar and itinerant preacher who first translated the Bible into English in 1384.
*In Akumajō Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku, Death initially compares Hammer to the Master Librarian, since both act as traders in the castle, but upon seeing his very unique personality he decides that he must "reevaluate" him.
==See also==
*Master Librarian (Lords of Shadow)
==External links==
*Castlevania Crypt
*GameFAQs
es:Maestro Bibliotecario
pt-br:Mestre Bibliotecário
Category:Humans
Category:Male Characters
Category:Merchants
Category:NPC
Category:Real Life Based Characters
Category:Supporting Cast
Category:Dead Cells Characters
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Characters
Category:Encore of the Night Characters
Category:Encore of the Night Playable Characters
Category:Moonlight Rhapsody Characters
Category:Symphony of the Night Characters