Time: 1: 05 PM
Location: Individual Study Room, The Library, The Octagon Academy
Railan's POV:
So, finally, the morning session of classes was over around 12 PM, not going to lie, the history of whatever world you are in is boring, it has some interesting points, no doubt, but it's boring. Even the presence of Miss Aurora cannot make it bearable every day. However, her clumsiness often makes it interesting, she fell, almost 8 times while teaching on her first session today, and her papers would fly to every corner of the room.
I am in an individual study room in the library, I purchased a few enchanted notebooks from the bookstore nearby and headed to the library straight, I wasn't hungry much as I had a big breakfast in the morning.
Presently, I am writing in these notebooks, about my overall knowledge of this world as well as you know the "unexplored lands" that will be discovered in the future.
I purchased 4 enchanted notebooks and an entire map of the octagon as well as the surrounding area.
1. To write about the General Geography of Eldoria and about different Kingdoms and their customs, traditions, etc. I named it Book 1: Code-name: geography.
2. The second one is all about the different characters of this world, the good, and the bad, their powers and abilities, and all I remember about them(Including the crest they hold). I named it Book 2: Code-name: Characters.
3. It is the general stuff like places to visit here, flora and fauna of this world(including magical beasts known, etc) as well as info about the undiscovered caves that I remember. I named it Book 3: Code-name: Exploration.
4. This one is related to the events I remember from my previous life as an engineer, also including the progression of the story as I remember. I named it Book 4: Code-name: Events.
The enchanted notebooks have several functionalities:
1. The Lock Spell: One can give, a code name, numeric, etc to the notebook, and it will not open until that code is repeated by the owner. One can also add the people who can view this notebook or also make it public by deactivating the spell.
2. The Auto-write spell, assists in completing my work and I don't have to write it physically, it's just a spell, and it writes what I think only.
3. The Hide spell, no one can read whatever is written in these notebooks, without my permission. ya, there are people in this world with powers to break through the Lock spell, but then this one automatically alerts the user and just burns itself.
4. The Auto-recover spell, so in this case, the owner of the notebook, receives one small piece of paper along with the notebook, and then in case of losing the notebook by whichever means, he can 1-time recover the notebook, by burning that piece of paper.
5. The Spatial spell: Essentially I don't need to carry them around, I can just store them in any place I want, like in the pendant one may wear or any place he desires, and when called upon, it automatically falls on your hand. The amount of Mana consumed in this spell depends on your distance from the location stored.
One can also add their own custom spells to their notebook, however then first all the spells with be removed and they have like do everything from scratch. It's not that hard, however, why to go through a hurdle? Just ask the shopkeeper to make a custom notebook with all the spells you need.
{A.N: Kalkin had always been budget-minded, slowly entering the realm of being thrifty and frugal as he grew up. So, when he started earning a good sum, he develop this habit to "explain himself why he required this stuff" to justify the spending in his mind.}
The first 2 functionalities are available to everyone, however starting from the 3rd as you add on more and more, the price starts to get added here too. So, I used my money to add all the spells above. Actually, I went into the store without knowing whether I had money or not, I thought Aria would come to my help, but there I was informed that all my expenses are catered by the Kingdom of Avaloria, I think it's partially due to the fact that my father died while on the mission and partially 'cause I have Aria by my side. This also explains why, despite no earnings, I still had a mansion and was able to pay the salary of the people who work under me.
Generally, all the stationary and normal college stuff required by the students is available free of cost in the Octagon, and paid fully, by the Kingdoms including the essentials required for living by the students. However, all the other exotic or other additional stuff, needed by the students, must be procured by the students themselves. They can either take monetary grants from the College or work part-time, like normal college stuff to pay for whatever additional expenses they acquire. Additionally, if they have money they can spend it. One more thing, there are several cafeterias here, however, the college cafeteria offers students food free of cost, so as you understand many commoners go there whereas people with connections or Nobles eat in the other hotels or cafeterias. I mean, it is not just to portray their status, for some it's true, but Nobles all essentially grew up with a certain level of comfort and environment, so it's not easy for them to actually integrate initially. However, as they gain experience and become habitual to the environment, many realize that it's not all "merry-go-lucky" in the world outside and some actually realize the necessity of a college cafeteria.
As I explained before, I am currently writing what I remember.
I have already finished writing about the different characters and am presently focusing on the general geography to keep in mind the traditions and culture of the people here. If I had to write down everything myself, it was have taken a day completely, but the auto-write spell is fantastic, I just needed to imagine the character and It automatically wrote down the entire information I had about it the moment I just imagined it. I divide the info into sections, including general info, their nature, and how to approach them to write about the powers I remembered about them to the identification fo their crests.
So, now, let's begin writing about The Octagon Academy itself:
So as evident from the map I bought, the Octagon Academy occupies a large chunk of the area inside the octagon formed by the kingdoms themselves. Inside the Octagon Academy, there are several areas, some are residential like student dorms, staff quarters, faculty residential areas or housing, some guest housing areas, and even some areas for the general public that neither work nor study in the Octagon Academy but live their day to day lives. Then there are embassies for each Kingdom where each student is affiliated with one while teachers are considered Global Citizens or residents of the Academy. The general public living has even started calling Octagon, a new kingdom itself. Then there are cafeterias and restaurants inside the Academy. Then obviously there are libraries, essentially 5 scattered throughout the Academy, one close to dorms, another close to the main building of the Academy, one near staff quarters, open near faculty housing, and finally one developed more of a "general library" near where the normal public resides. The Main Building of the Academy includes all the classrooms, the Student Council, the Staff Offices, the Principal's office, labs, research centers, and the Teacher's offices as well as all the departments related to student activities. The teacher's departments are further divided by the subject they teach or research on. Connected to the Main building via a bridge, is the 2nd Main building, which hosts all the other departments and meeting halls that concern the Kingdoms and not the students directly like State Affairs department, and the Currency exchange center, amongst others. Then there are training areas, and a Gymnasium for physical exercise, sports, and athletic activities as well as a complete building for club activities that consists of all the clubs currently present and running in the Academy.
Then the area outside of the academy walls, there are few hotels and inns to stay, some general public also migrated to the area and have established a living there, whereas as you go further away from the Academy in either direction one can see the influence of the Kingdoms again becoming strong and in between there are several unexplored caves and dungeons that neither Kingdom can send their adventurers to explore until approved by the Academy's State Affairs department as long as a part of them falls within the Octagon. However, adventurers affiliated with the academy are allowed to explore and report them to the Academy, and upon the Principal's final approval, the information is disclosed to all the kingdoms in the round table where each kingdom can either form a joint or individual team to explore the areas. This is always a heated topic of discussion, where the Principal, not only acts as the informant but also the mediator, so that's why becoming the principal of the Octagon Academy is akin to standing on the same stature as the Kings or Heads of the Kingdoms.
Finally, within the academy, there are Gates or Portals for each Kingdom, that are used by students who commute from their own Kingdoms, while there are also special gates where the royalty and their adventurers and/or diplomats travel through.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Before the Octagon Academy came into existence, there was no concept of "currency" in this world, however, the very first Principal known as Sage Agastya, appointed by the Kings of that time, introduced and coined the term called "Tallara" to establish the conversion rate, that is still followed today. So, essentially up until this point, the exchange between kingdoms mostly consisted of gold, silver, rubies, etc based on just the weight, uniqueness, and availability of the material. However, he essentially established a complete conversion system that took various things into account, including the difficulty in procuring that metal/resource used for a transaction, its weight, its durability, malleability, and resistance to corrosion, as well as many other things and created the system.
Initially, kingdoms like Ironhelm were against this, as the widely found mineral iron in their kingdom was very low in the ranking, however, it was Sage Agastya who made them understand that while it is low in terms of currency exchange, it can be used for several other tasks and bring forth a new age of revolution for the Kingdom. Thus, despite Agastya being born in the Kingdom of Sylvanara, his statues are established in every important commercial building in the Ironhelm.
The modern "Tallara" system is not exactly the same as the one established by the Sage Agastya, it is refined over the years, with modifications as new minerals or resources were found, amongst a few other things, however, the core of the system, still remains very much the same and Now all the kingdoms follow the "Tallara" system itself to discuss matters related to exchange.
So, the staff and the teachers have the option to choose in which form, they want to receive their salaries, and based on the "Tallara" system, they can receive the appropriate compensation. Over the years, Kingdoms, have founded their own preference of metal to choose as currency, and based on the Tallara system they do the exchange.
However, just a few years after the death of Sage Agastya and before the appointment of the 2nd Principal, the Kingdoms went into a state of war, as one felt that before the establishment of the system, they were wronged by the other kingdom because the resources the kingdom used for exchange ranked lower than the one used by the first kingdom. That's when the daughter of Sage Agastya, as well as the 2nd principal(in the future) of the Academy, Manaswini Agastya, rose and established the Tallara coins, essentially a blueprint consisting of the dimension, weight, and symbol for all the kingdoms to follow, and also introduced dominations and laid the foundation for the current currency system.
To this day, the exact dimensions are followed by the kingdoms, and each kingdom, unanimously agreed to the round-disc style of currency with an octagonal punched space in the center, with one side representing the kingdom and the flip side, the octagon academy. The dominations included differences in weight and for lower ones even, different metals.
The above information, was a topic of today's discussion in the class, basically the history of The Octagon Academy.
When I think about it this way, I just feel admiration towards Mr.Kian H. like how systematically he layered all this information in his novel, and a sense of excitement that I first felt when started reading the octagon rushed in me.
Suddenly, I was startled by the "beep" sound I heard from my Academy Identification Emblem, and then a message was displayed in front of me, demanding that I immediately report to the Principal's office. Man, it hasn't even been a day and I am already in the principal's office. That's when I remembered, it's definitely related to the incident with the Student Council President Celestia Starborne.
The only question in my mind was, why was I called into the Principal's office and not the Student Council?
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{While Railan was busy writing his notebooks ..}
Location: Principal's Office
{ In a grand chamber, a man in his prime sat upon a majestic chair, reminiscent of the thrones of kings of old. The chair, a symbol of authority and power, elevated him above all others in the room. Before him, a vast desk stretched out, its surface laden with scrolls, and piles of documents, that commanded his attention. Overall, the man in the chair, bespectacled and wise-eyed, possessed an aura of intellectual and scholarly brilliance along with the might that rivaled the Kings of old.
With a commanding stature and a focused gaze, he stands in quiet reflection with hands clasped and his elbows resting upon the desk, obscuring his countenance. His gaze, sharp and discerning, surveyed the room with an air of authority and wisdom. The shelves that lined the walls were a testament to his knowledge and vast experiences, adorned with countless volumes and ancient tomes, their spines are worn from the passage of time.
Opposite him, reclined upon a plush sofa in the designated meeting area, a man of equal stature, exuding a sense of ease and confidence. With a cup of tea delicately held in hand, he sipped casually, his presence mirroring the strength and significance of the room. Their meeting was a convergence of minds, where decisions of consequence would be made, and alliances forged. }
Finally, the man on that chair adjusted his specs and decided to speak, "So you want to meet, the first-year student Railan Braveheart, Lucius!"
The other man, Lucius, placed the cup on the glass table in front of him and looked at the man on the chair straight in the eye: "You are right, Adolas"
"And may I know the reason for the same?"
"One that not concerns the principal,"
"Lucius StarBorne of Avaloria, I think you have forgotten an essential rule of the Academy, any matter that is even remotely related to my students, is my primary concern", said Adolas his face displaying calmness with his eyes closed while his voice resonated authority and strength.
"Adolas Frostguard of Frostholm, aren't you always into everybody's matters"
"Only when it concerns my academy and students". They both went into a staring contest with none willing to back out.
"Principal Adolas, Father both of you Calm down, Father, I told you this doesn't concerns you, I am the student council Presdient and have already decided on his punishment, you didn't even need to come here!" said Celestia who was fed up of the antics of both his father and the Principal.
"Weren't you guys, Friends back in the Academy, why are you both so anti to each other."
"We were rivals, my precious daughter," said Lucius, his demeanor totally changed from just a moment ago.
"Hmm, rivals are those who are equal, I won against him in the academic studies, look at him do you think this muscle-head was even close to me?" said Principal Adolas mocking Lucius.
"And In Hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship, he lost not just once, but all 4 years, in the academy" jibed back Lucius.
"twice in hand-to-hand combat and just once in swordsmanship, the final duel ended in a draw" shouted Adolas back.
"Ya, 3-0 or 4-0 still, you are 0," said Lucius with a sarcastic smile.
"25 research papers to 6 books on hand-to-hand combat theory" replied back Adolas, with an evil laugh.
"Oh, you wanna go once again and decide the winner," said Lucius, ready to attack.
"Just what is expected of someone who thinks with swords rather than brains, but I suppose I should once in a while exercise, ready when you are" snapped back Adolas as he stood out from his chair and moved forward.
"JUST STOP THE TWO OF YOU,!!!" shouted Celestia.
"You both, no one in this whole f**king world, would expect that these two, the Principal of Octagon and the Sword of Avaloria to act as such, kindly let's go back to the matter at hand."
"My daughter, she has grown up, she uses such foul words, I don't know what to do," said Lucius trying to hold her daughter.
{A.N: In this world, people have longer lifespans than the ones in which we live, so Lucius and Adolas both are in their Prime meaning ~50 years of age, considering that her daughter is still a child to him, even the legal age to be eligible for marriage in this world can be roughly around ~25 to 30}
"My first ever student, I think I failed as a teacher," said Adolas.
"Both of you just calm down and listen to me!" ordered Celestia.
Both the men settled down on the sofa and Celestia stood before them.
"Railan, there is something mysterious about him, no not the "Curse of Doom" but from what we know about him from the Kingdom of Avaloria, he is totally different from that behavior and so I want to watch him and keep an eye over him, so I have decided to bring him into the Student Council, but as he is a first-year it will be difficult as seniors won't take this lightly, so I want you Professor Adolas to officially write a letter to include him in the council as your order to the council so that no student can have a say here.
And father, why did you come here?"
"Something happened with my daughter, how can I stay still," said Lucius as if it was the most normal thing to say. Even Principal Adolas nodded in response.
"Well, it's a good thing you came in here, Lucius, before directly going for him, it seems now you have learned some manners as a diplomat from Avaloria" replied back Adolas.
Lucius just nodded.
"Father, just go back now, ok," said Celestia
"As you say my child, but I will not leave until I meet this Railan Braveheart, Sir Simon was such a great man and his child is so infamous, I just cannot believe. If I found him to be different than the rumors I will not harm him but if he is the same, then it might be a different story altogether," said Lucius in a manner that showed he won't budge.
"Fine, ok, I'll call him to this room, but you won't harm him within the Academy's premises," said Adolas with an authoritative tone.
Celestia could only sigh, she knew those two won't budge now, but she somehow knew that nothing will happen as Railan is not the same as the rumors about him.
The Principal rang a bell, and ordered, "Christina call Railan Braveheart to my office immediately."
"Ok, master" replied back Christina.
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To be continued