Chapter 316: Closure and Lessons (2/2)
Torix steepled his hands, ”And of course, I'm taking the necessary precautions to ensure our and the guild's safety. You can rest easy knowing that.”
I smiled down, ”Thanks. I know I can relax if you're keeping people there safe.” I peered up, ”Hm. Probably at least.”
Torix's eyes flickered, ”What? I'm not that evil-” Torix leaned forward, ”He's beginning.”
Helios began tracing outlines onto the void ice panel. White streaks flashed out from the violet ice, a pleasant contrast in both texture and color. Torix scribbled notes down using a magical pen construct. Torix gestured to Helios, and the lich whispered,
”Technically speaking, Mt. Verner is my university, and its lecturers must be approved by me as the dean. Considering it took Helios several eons to finish his lectures, I've come to assess whether the quality therein is approvable.”
I gawked at the detailed notes Helios sketched down onto his void ice board. I mouthed, ”I'll be honest, it looks like you both have the same style of teaching.”
Torix leaned over a series of semitranslucent sheets dispersed beneath him. The hovering, magical sheets carried dozens of different headings, each judging the minutia of Helios's lesson. Categories from vocal pitch to overall posture lined the paper, and Helios had already received half a dozen marks.
Torix simmered, ”Good enough for my university? We shall see, disciple. We shall see.”
I held down a laugh before helios began his lecture. The albony royal dragged his hand down his face, ”I am here now, as are all of you. Before we begin, know that most of you will be incapable of true warping magic. You're unrefined, uneducated, and but most of all, untalented. I'm blind, but even I can see that. So, you can try, but finding a different path is perhaps better than wasting your time on this one.”
Helios gestured to the lower half of Mt. Verner, ”It's far better to move towards greener pastures if you're not feeling particularly keen on the subject. Feeling disheartened? Good. You already know you're not cut out for this, then. Leave if you feel inclined to do so. And please, at least be decisive at judging your mediocrity. Being suboptimal at even admitting your average ability will only serve to cause each of you pain in the very near future.”
No one stood and walked off. Several students of Torix narrowed their eyes, each of them set on proving the albony wrong. Helios spread out his hands, ”Ah, am I sensing some defiance? Hostility? Maybe even hatred? Perfect. Wield it as your weapon during these lessons. Lean onto it and use it for fuel, or you'll be cast into a dark void where no light or air has ever touched. Or perhaps you'll end up half molded with dirt, your brain replaced by gravel.”
Helios tilted his head down at us, ”But that would be an upgrade for many of you.”
I crossed my arms, ”When are we learning about warping?”
Helios cracked his neck, ”They need to know this, but yes, let's begin.”
Torix leaned over towards me, and the lich mouthed, ”That was an excellent introduction. Perhaps I was wrong about him, hmm.”
My brow furrowed. They both had a different definition of excellent from me. Continuing on, Helios elaborated on dozens of various descriptions, meta terms, and warping variables we'd use in the class. He taught with utter concision, offering no further explanations, stories, or visualizations. It was like listening to the audio form of a textbook.
Several students fumbled to scramble down notes in time. I had two minds dedicated to the task of the lecture. One memorized while the other digested the information. Those psyches would talk to me about it later after finishing the day off. As those minds pondered the intricacies of warping, I contemplated my skill sheet.
I wanted my Sovereign skill, and so far, the best way of getting it involved taking Matter Conversion, A Manifold Mind, and an unmade mythical skill as my next legendary skill. After seeing my golems in action, putting them into my sovereign skill only made sense. They accomplished so much without me there, automating many of the difficulties involved with leadership.
I thrummed my hands on my knee, my minds racing about and brainstorming. After a few minutes, an idea popped into my head. I'd take my unique skill, Artisan of Destruction, and crank it up until it defied convention. In a way, it already did. My cipheric knowledge, ridiculous materials, and endless mana let me construct the golems to their current quality.
But this wasn't their total limit. While fighting beside the golems, I commanded them as a part of my own body and will. We synced into a single entity, similar to a hivemind. Mastering that may put me in a great position. In fact, I knew a hivemind that I could contact and get some ideas from. He'd be here soon to raid the Elysium camp.
Thrumming with ideas, I stood the moment Helios's lecture ended. Torix did the same, walking up to Helios. The lich raised a hand, ”Now, I must say Helios, that may have been the finest lecture I've yet heard given by anyone outside of myself. Just truly, you're prodigal at relaying information.”
I frowned. They were like two peas in a pod, but I had business to take care of. I walked up, butting into the conversation, ”Hey, Helios.”
The albony royal peered up at me, ”I taught quickly, as I wished not to waste either of our times. Did it go over your head, perhaps?”
I waved my hands, ”I put two minds on it, and they're handling it. Now, I need to meet with you-know-who and hash some details out.”
Helios's pale eyes widened, ”You want to meet him, hm? It never gave us a method of contacting the creature.”
Torix raised a hand to interject, but I shook my head, pulling out the spacial ring Plazia gave me. I twirled the silvery mass over a finger,
”Oh, he left us plenty.”