text: > Go down
  You make your way down.
  
  The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy. You can now see an inscription on the wall. Several "paths" through the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study, and west to the Great Hall.
  
  > go north
  You make your way north. As you do, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. You find yourself in...
  
  You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in ancient Athens. There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north, and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east. A road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies south.
  
  > go to the north
  Temple of Number, Southern End
  You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number. The temple is made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns. There is an inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and the exit to the Lyceum is south.
  
  > Go north
  Temple of Number, Northern End
  You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number. The temple is made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns. Instead of the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large statue of Pythagoras. Behind the statue is a small passageway heading north.
  
  An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
  
  You can also see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
  
  The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
  
  > Go north
  The acolyte stops you. She shakes her head silently.
  
  The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
  
  > Go south
  As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
  
  The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy. You can now see an inscription on the wall. Several "paths" through the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study, and west to the Great Hall.
  
  > go east
  You make your way east. As you do, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. You find yourself in...
  
  You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in what appears to be someone's private study. The walls are covered in intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of the room. A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House of Wisdom is to the west.
  
  With your increased knowledge of geometry, the designs on the walls make more sense to you now.
  
  On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
  
  > examine the designs
  These designs consist of intricate combinations of squares, circles, and other geometric figures. The overall structure of the patterns is now clear to you, and you can make out several buttons hidden in the designs.
  
  > go to the south
  This is a small, plain room just south of the study.
  
  The room is dominated by three large double-pan balance scales: a bronze one, a silver one, and a gold one.
  
  > put the root on the square
  (the square root)
  I'm not sure even a master topologist could pull that off.
  
  > examine the root
  This is an unusual object. It appears to be made of some tough vegetable matter - perhaps the root of a tree. It's also in the shape of a perfect square. The word "EXTRACT" is written on it.
  
  > Go west
  As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
  
  The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy. You can now see an inscription on the wall. Several "paths" through the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study, and west to the Great Hall.
  
  > go to the north
  Temple of Number, Northern End
  You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number. The temple is made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns. Instead of the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large statue of Pythagoras. Behind the statue is a small passageway heading north.
  
  An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
  
  You can also see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
  
  The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
  
  > give the root to the woman
  The acolyte is focused on her cleaning, and she ignores you.
  
  The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
  
  > examine statue
  This large statue of Pythagoras dominates the north end of the temple. A small passageway is behind the statue, leading north.
  
  The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
  
  > put the root on the statue
  Putting things on the statue of Pythagoras would achieve nothing.
  
  The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
  
  > put the root on the gem
  Putting things on the sapphire gem would achieve nothing.
  
  The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
  
  > look through the gem
  You find nothing of interest.
  
  The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
  
  > drop the gem
  Dropped.
  
  > examine the line
  This flat white line begins here and runs as far as you can see to the east.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  > Exits
  I didn't recognize that command. (There is a list of recognized commands in the HELP menus.)
  
  > turn ring
  Nothing obvious happens.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You are carrying:
  a sapphire gem
  a square root
  a white ring
  Elements
  a scribbled scroll
  your math book
  
  > look at it
  It's just a pair of curly braces. You could probably put things into it.