A tale within a tale

Question: I supply the facts, but you supply the thoughts. I am also used to describe realistic droughts. My inhabitants are abstract as their places, And I provide details of their words & faces. I hold details in a very complex form, I may cause your mind to conjure up a storm. I hold many different views from different eyes, My facts can be hard to find; as if in disguise. I may tell of facts, but it may be theories I contain, I can inform, persuade, and can even entertain. I tell of a little girl, and of men chasing a whale, and only through me can you find the answer to this tale. What am I?

Question: What tastes better than it smells?

Question: What goes in the water black and comes out red?

Question: What asks but never answers?

Question: To many, I am life's source. I am also its most valuable resource. I create and burn my own precious element, and my destruction will be my punishment. What am I?

Question: I have 6 faces and 21 eyes, but can't see a thing. What am I?