Chapter 1137
New
Malcolm Tent
Monkey with a typewriter.
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I stuck close to Sorwen as we headed into the city. I didn't know her, but I knew everyone else even LESS. Of the few dozen people I could see, only she was a member of the forces I'd already observed up to this point. The others were most likely selected from among the nine thousand plus applicants who had been frozen in the rooms of the tower we'd observed from outside, though I admit none of them looked especially strange or alien to me.
"So, what was your trick?" I asked her as we walked. "Or what is your ability? Whatever gave you the opportunity to enter this major?"
Based on my experience, I assumed you needed some kind of time related power. It was strange, because I had created mine easily enough, so it was curious more people didn't do the same. Then again, techniques had always come easy to me, so maybe time powers were too difficult for most people. My ability to create the Great Book Heavenly Library alone outstripped the technique abilities shown by most people I'd met.
She raised an eyebrow at me suspiciously, but eventually shrugged. "I have kind of a precognition power. I can predict attacks before they happen. Plus I got to intermediate. That was a pain."
"Me too," I said with a chuckle. "It's possible that having a time related ability might not be enough. Maybe you have to reach at least intermediate to qualify. Still, it doesn't seem like many people made the cut. There were, based on the windows outside, nearly ten thousand applicants, and I only see maybe thirty people nearby."
She nodded. "Yeah, seems slim. A third of a percent isn't much. Although clearly we're not the only group. These are all B-rankers."
"Yeah, the majors are subdivided," I confirmed. "At least as far as I saw. But I'm not sure there'll be as many C-rankers if you need to hit intermediate to qualify. I can't imagine many people that rank being able to take on ten thousand robots."
Even if the robots themselves were C-rank, it was unlikely. Most C-rankers didn't have a Domain like I did. Without Gehenna's particular brand of bullshit, I was doubting I would be capable of taking on an army that size. Then again, that was the combat assessment. Who knew what the support assessment would be like. Not to mention I had no idea if the supporters even had the same majors as us. Were there twelve others? Were six of the twelve support? Three? Honestly I was blown away by the scale of this whole place.
Which wasn't helped by arriving at a massive amphitheater that everyone seemed to be guided towards. The lighted cobblestones led us right to the door, and a quick glance at Sorwen to confirm saw us entering cautiously, ready for some kind of trap.
Of course, there was no trap. They didn't need to trap us if they wanted us dead. We were entirely at the mercy of the faculty of this place, assuming what the voice had said was true. Outside the chasm, without the suppression of the vortex, I doubted anyone here could stand up to even a fragment of a god.
When we entered the amphitheater, I was surprised to find that the intimidating show of force I had expected was nowhere to be seen. Based on the city outside and the fancy stone path, I had expected some grand opera hall or something where someone would lord their power over us. To my surprise, the inside of the theater was almost cozy. Plush red carpet, comfortable built in seating, and a relatively short stage with thick curtains around it that made it feel more confined, but in a comfortable, homey way.
Sorwen and I headed down the gently sloping aisle to grab seats near the stage and sat down to wait as everyone else filed in and found chairs. Eventually, when all the movement had stopped, the dark stage lit up. A single beam of brilliant light illuminated the form of a calm, reassuring man with salt and pepper hair sitting on a tall stool.
He smiled blandly at us. "Welcome, children of time," he boomed. His voice was deep and resonant, but also cold. That declaration should have sounded cocky or condescending, but he mostly just came off like an executioner reading off our death order. "My name is Samuel P. Gibbons. My official title outside these walls is "The Hourglass Bodach", but in Frozen Moment, we don't much hold with fancy designations. We prefer to base our internal reputations on skill and intellect. You may simply call me Dean Gibbons."
His eyes were an intense swirling silver, shot with flecks of obsidian that danced around his pupils like leaves in a storm. They scanned the amphitheater slowly as he spoke, taking in every detail of his audience. "You have all been invited to attend classes under my department, and while that is an honor, it is also a privilege. The department of temporal studies is the most select and exclusive major at Frozen Moment Academy. You can learn things studying here that you can't learn anywhere else. Each of you are elites among this group of applicants, and you have earned a place here through luck and skill…but that place is not a right.
"You can and will lose your access to this major should I believe you are not worthy of my consideration. Do not allow yourselves to fall behind, or you will be ejected from this major." His eyes narrowed coldly, the approachable demeanor being shrugged off like a cloak, showing just a flash of something darker beneath, like the shadow of a monster swimming beneath a ship on calm waters. "Should that happen, you may be allowed to select a new course of study, or you may be expelled. Circumstances will dictate. Now. I will be accepting three questions."
One of the seated students raised a hand, Dean Gibbons gestured to him calmly. "Yes, hello, Dellos Veck, I was wondering if you'll be teaching any of the classes personally? I heard there were instructors that did most of the hands on stuff."
"A good question," the Dean nodded. "No, I will not be personally instructing you for the majority of your courses. There are some advanced classes and lectures I conduct myself, but those cost credit points rather than awarding them. Similarly, you can spend credit points directly to arrange a sit down meeting with me. This is a one time opportunity granted to new arrivals, and will only be available for the first month. It will cost one hundred credit points, and will last one hour. I make no promises about the effectiveness or contents of these meetings, I only offer them as they are. Whether to avail yourself of this service is your own decision."
Another hand went up and he gestured to a smaller girl with hair that looked like actual seaweed. "Alverra Delnock," she said, announcing her name like the last one had. "Can credit points be traded directly between students? Is there some kind of marketplace where we can sell things for credits? Can students post missions like the ones mentioned in the assessment, or is it only teachers who have that ability?"
Dean Gibbons narrowed his eyes and her mouth snapped shut instantly. Sighing, he leaned back. "That was more than one question, but they were thematically similar, so I shall allow it just this once. Don't do it again. Credit points are awarded for completing courses, winning competitions, attending lectures, or accomplishing tasks set by the faculty. Tasks CAN be set by students, but credit points will be required to post them, and task payments must be covered by the poster in addition to payment for the service.
"Credit points can be SPENT on advanced courses and lectures, material goods, special events and competitions, and the entry to special environments and beneficial locations that can aid in comprehension and advancement." his expression softened back to the approachable mentor. "So no, I'm afraid there's no direct trading of credits, though you CAN use the task postings as a point of sale if you can get enough credits in exchange for whatever you're selling to offset the service fee. One more question, and then we move on. You." He pointed at Sorwen, who had raised her hand without me noticing.
"Sorwen Ard," she said cheerfully. "Will our residences cost credit points?"
He grinned at her. "There was an implied secondary question in there, but since you didn't technically break my rule I'll answer both. No, they will not. You will be given residences as befits your status as intermediate students. There are three residence halls. Once for B-rankers, one for C-rankers, and one for A-rankers. Due to the academy's focus on mythcrafting, those who have completed their Chronicle and reached S-rank need not apply."
I frowned at that term, wanting to raise my hand to ask what mythcrafting was. It clearly had something to do with authoring pages, but it wasn't a term I'd heard before from any of my family. The idea that I might be learning something GODS didn't know was somewhat intoxicating, so I could only wait for someone to explain it to me.
"Now, with that out of the way, we can move onto the information you'll need to make best use of your time here," he gestured out the door. "This is Moment City. It is the residence hall allocated to B-rankers of this major. Moment City is NOT unoccupied, and should you anger the residents, we will not be responsible for what happens to you. Learn more about this place on your own time.
"Should you wish to associated with other majors, you can purchase transportation to Common City, a shared space accessible to all majors." his voice was casual as he filled us in. "As intermediate students, you are only eligible for two days of common time per week, regardless of credit points. Beginner students have one day. Outer students and below measure their common time in HOURS."
He looked around the room. "At any time, any student may apply for the advancement trial to advanced student. Should you succeed, you will be granted an audience with me directly, free of charge. The one hour limitation will still apply.
"That should be almost everything you need. Your identification numbers can be used to look up your residence in the city in the book behind me on the stage." he gestured behind him into the dark. "There will be an introductory course offered as a one time benefit for newcomers later tonight in this amphitheater. It rewards no credits. I highly suggest you attend. Welcome to the department of temporal studies. Good luck." The light went out, thensmaller lamps illuminated the whole theater, revealing Dean Gibbons was gone.
"Well, that was dramatic," Sorwen said brightly. "I have to admit, this place isn't what I thought it would be. I was expecting challenges and death battles, not classes and worksheets."
I snorted. "This is an ascendant academy. There will be challenges and death battles. I'm more interested in what he said about mythcrafting. I've never heard that term before. Do you know what it is? I take it that's something to do with authoring a chronicle."
Sorwen raised an eyebrow at me. "I knew your plane was underdeveloped in some respects, but that's just absurd. Yes. Mythcrafting has to do with-" she stopped, looking around warily. "Look, let's go find out where our residences are and we can talk while we walk. Maybe they'll be close together, and if not we can find a park or something, this won't be a quick conversation."
She stood and headed up to the stage and I followed after her. I didn't mind her taking the lead, she clearly knew more about what was going on than me. Still, I reached out through the bond to check on Callie as I walked, happy to receive a warm pulse of reassurance from my wife. Knowing she was ok and presumably hadn't seen any evidence of the others having trouble, I sped up my walk towards the book. I had a feeling this conversation would be an important one.
"So, what was your trick?" I asked her as we walked. "Or what is your ability? Whatever gave you the opportunity to enter this major?"
Based on my experience, I assumed you needed some kind of time related power. It was strange, because I had created mine easily enough, so it was curious more people didn't do the same. Then again, techniques had always come easy to me, so maybe time powers were too difficult for most people. My ability to create the Great Book Heavenly Library alone outstripped the technique abilities shown by most people I'd met.
She raised an eyebrow at me suspiciously, but eventually shrugged. "I have kind of a precognition power. I can predict attacks before they happen. Plus I got to intermediate. That was a pain."
"Me too," I said with a chuckle. "It's possible that having a time related ability might not be enough. Maybe you have to reach at least intermediate to qualify. Still, it doesn't seem like many people made the cut. There were, based on the windows outside, nearly ten thousand applicants, and I only see maybe thirty people nearby."
She nodded. "Yeah, seems slim. A third of a percent isn't much. Although clearly we're not the only group. These are all B-rankers."
"Yeah, the majors are subdivided," I confirmed. "At least as far as I saw. But I'm not sure there'll be as many C-rankers if you need to hit intermediate to qualify. I can't imagine many people that rank being able to take on ten thousand robots."
Even if the robots themselves were C-rank, it was unlikely. Most C-rankers didn't have a Domain like I did. Without Gehenna's particular brand of bullshit, I was doubting I would be capable of taking on an army that size. Then again, that was the combat assessment. Who knew what the support assessment would be like. Not to mention I had no idea if the supporters even had the same majors as us. Were there twelve others? Were six of the twelve support? Three? Honestly I was blown away by the scale of this whole place.
Which wasn't helped by arriving at a massive amphitheater that everyone seemed to be guided towards. The lighted cobblestones led us right to the door, and a quick glance at Sorwen to confirm saw us entering cautiously, ready for some kind of trap.
Of course, there was no trap. They didn't need to trap us if they wanted us dead. We were entirely at the mercy of the faculty of this place, assuming what the voice had said was true. Outside the chasm, without the suppression of the vortex, I doubted anyone here could stand up to even a fragment of a god.
When we entered the amphitheater, I was surprised to find that the intimidating show of force I had expected was nowhere to be seen. Based on the city outside and the fancy stone path, I had expected some grand opera hall or something where someone would lord their power over us. To my surprise, the inside of the theater was almost cozy. Plush red carpet, comfortable built in seating, and a relatively short stage with thick curtains around it that made it feel more confined, but in a comfortable, homey way.
Sorwen and I headed down the gently sloping aisle to grab seats near the stage and sat down to wait as everyone else filed in and found chairs. Eventually, when all the movement had stopped, the dark stage lit up. A single beam of brilliant light illuminated the form of a calm, reassuring man with salt and pepper hair sitting on a tall stool.
He smiled blandly at us. "Welcome, children of time," he boomed. His voice was deep and resonant, but also cold. That declaration should have sounded cocky or condescending, but he mostly just came off like an executioner reading off our death order. "My name is Samuel P. Gibbons. My official title outside these walls is "The Hourglass Bodach", but in Frozen Moment, we don't much hold with fancy designations. We prefer to base our internal reputations on skill and intellect. You may simply call me Dean Gibbons."
His eyes were an intense swirling silver, shot with flecks of obsidian that danced around his pupils like leaves in a storm. They scanned the amphitheater slowly as he spoke, taking in every detail of his audience. "You have all been invited to attend classes under my department, and while that is an honor, it is also a privilege. The department of temporal studies is the most select and exclusive major at Frozen Moment Academy. You can learn things studying here that you can't learn anywhere else. Each of you are elites among this group of applicants, and you have earned a place here through luck and skill…but that place is not a right.
"You can and will lose your access to this major should I believe you are not worthy of my consideration. Do not allow yourselves to fall behind, or you will be ejected from this major." His eyes narrowed coldly, the approachable demeanor being shrugged off like a cloak, showing just a flash of something darker beneath, like the shadow of a monster swimming beneath a ship on calm waters. "Should that happen, you may be allowed to select a new course of study, or you may be expelled. Circumstances will dictate. Now. I will be accepting three questions."
One of the seated students raised a hand, Dean Gibbons gestured to him calmly. "Yes, hello, Dellos Veck, I was wondering if you'll be teaching any of the classes personally? I heard there were instructors that did most of the hands on stuff."
"A good question," the Dean nodded. "No, I will not be personally instructing you for the majority of your courses. There are some advanced classes and lectures I conduct myself, but those cost credit points rather than awarding them. Similarly, you can spend credit points directly to arrange a sit down meeting with me. This is a one time opportunity granted to new arrivals, and will only be available for the first month. It will cost one hundred credit points, and will last one hour. I make no promises about the effectiveness or contents of these meetings, I only offer them as they are. Whether to avail yourself of this service is your own decision."
Another hand went up and he gestured to a smaller girl with hair that looked like actual seaweed. "Alverra Delnock," she said, announcing her name like the last one had. "Can credit points be traded directly between students? Is there some kind of marketplace where we can sell things for credits? Can students post missions like the ones mentioned in the assessment, or is it only teachers who have that ability?"
Dean Gibbons narrowed his eyes and her mouth snapped shut instantly. Sighing, he leaned back. "That was more than one question, but they were thematically similar, so I shall allow it just this once. Don't do it again. Credit points are awarded for completing courses, winning competitions, attending lectures, or accomplishing tasks set by the faculty. Tasks CAN be set by students, but credit points will be required to post them, and task payments must be covered by the poster in addition to payment for the service.
"Credit points can be SPENT on advanced courses and lectures, material goods, special events and competitions, and the entry to special environments and beneficial locations that can aid in comprehension and advancement." his expression softened back to the approachable mentor. "So no, I'm afraid there's no direct trading of credits, though you CAN use the task postings as a point of sale if you can get enough credits in exchange for whatever you're selling to offset the service fee. One more question, and then we move on. You." He pointed at Sorwen, who had raised her hand without me noticing.
"Sorwen Ard," she said cheerfully. "Will our residences cost credit points?"
He grinned at her. "There was an implied secondary question in there, but since you didn't technically break my rule I'll answer both. No, they will not. You will be given residences as befits your status as intermediate students. There are three residence halls. Once for B-rankers, one for C-rankers, and one for A-rankers. Due to the academy's focus on mythcrafting, those who have completed their Chronicle and reached S-rank need not apply."
I frowned at that term, wanting to raise my hand to ask what mythcrafting was. It clearly had something to do with authoring pages, but it wasn't a term I'd heard before from any of my family. The idea that I might be learning something GODS didn't know was somewhat intoxicating, so I could only wait for someone to explain it to me.
"Now, with that out of the way, we can move onto the information you'll need to make best use of your time here," he gestured out the door. "This is Moment City. It is the residence hall allocated to B-rankers of this major. Moment City is NOT unoccupied, and should you anger the residents, we will not be responsible for what happens to you. Learn more about this place on your own time.
"Should you wish to associated with other majors, you can purchase transportation to Common City, a shared space accessible to all majors." his voice was casual as he filled us in. "As intermediate students, you are only eligible for two days of common time per week, regardless of credit points. Beginner students have one day. Outer students and below measure their common time in HOURS."
He looked around the room. "At any time, any student may apply for the advancement trial to advanced student. Should you succeed, you will be granted an audience with me directly, free of charge. The one hour limitation will still apply.
"That should be almost everything you need. Your identification numbers can be used to look up your residence in the city in the book behind me on the stage." he gestured behind him into the dark. "There will be an introductory course offered as a one time benefit for newcomers later tonight in this amphitheater. It rewards no credits. I highly suggest you attend. Welcome to the department of temporal studies. Good luck." The light went out, thensmaller lamps illuminated the whole theater, revealing Dean Gibbons was gone.
"Well, that was dramatic," Sorwen said brightly. "I have to admit, this place isn't what I thought it would be. I was expecting challenges and death battles, not classes and worksheets."
I snorted. "This is an ascendant academy. There will be challenges and death battles. I'm more interested in what he said about mythcrafting. I've never heard that term before. Do you know what it is? I take it that's something to do with authoring a chronicle."
Sorwen raised an eyebrow at me. "I knew your plane was underdeveloped in some respects, but that's just absurd. Yes. Mythcrafting has to do with-" she stopped, looking around warily. "Look, let's go find out where our residences are and we can talk while we walk. Maybe they'll be close together, and if not we can find a park or something, this won't be a quick conversation."
She stood and headed up to the stage and I followed after her. I didn't mind her taking the lead, she clearly knew more about what was going on than me. Still, I reached out through the bond to check on Callie as I walked, happy to receive a warm pulse of reassurance from my wife. Knowing she was ok and presumably hadn't seen any evidence of the others having trouble, I sped up my walk towards the book. I had a feeling this conversation would be an important one.