Chapter 20: Ancient’s Era
Adam’s POV
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"Everyone, let's give a warm welcome to Adam," announced our class teacher, Mr. Edwin, as I stood beside him. The classroom we were in was massive, like something out of a college lecture hall, complete with a towering whiteboard and rows upon rows of desks that seemed to ascend like a staircase.
The semester system here was straightforward: six months per semester, and four semesters until graduation. Nishra had mentioned I was joining about a month late, but I was ready to dive in, no sweat.
Mr. Edwin, our go-to guy for any classroom drama or questions, was a sharp, bespectacled blonde. He looked like he could whip out a calculus equation faster than you could say "square root."
"Adam here is joining us under some unique circumstances," Mr. Edwin continued, giving me the floor. "Would you like to say a few words, Adam?"
Straightening up, I cleared my throat, ready to make my grand entrance. Sure, everyone in the room was a kid, but I figured it couldn't hurt to lay down some groundwork. You never know whose parents might bigshots behind the scenes, right?
"As Mr. Edwin mentioned, I'm Adam Vagner. I ended up here due to some rather unique circumstances—I suffer from amnesia. So, besides my name, I'm a bit of a blank slate. But hey, I'm here to learn and make some new friends, so let's make the most of it together." With a slight bow, I wrapped up my spiel, hoping to strike the right chord with my new classmates.
Ah, the delicate dance of first impressions—where every word, every gesture, can make or break your social standing for the foreseeable future. As the kids around me whispered and shot curious glances my way, I knew this was my moment to shine. Or, you know, totally botch it because I don’t know what kids like or not.
But fear not, for Mr. Edwin swooped in to save the day like a caped crusader of classroom protocol.
"I'm sure you all have a million burning questions, but we need to start the class soon. Olivia," Mr. Edwin called out to a girl who eagerly popped up from her seat before Mr. Edwin looked at me, "She’s the class representative. If you can’t find me, you can ask her for help."
Olivia, with her dark blue locks and nerdy-chic glasses. She looked a bit mature compared to the other kids here but If I wanted any shot at fitting in, I had to cozy up to her.
"Adam, Go sit next to Olivia? She'll help you out if you get confused," Mr. Edwin suggested, sealing my fate with a nod.
So, I plopped down beside Olivia, who greeted me with a whispered "Nice to meet you," hand extended in friendly solidarity.
"Likewise," I replied, shaking her hand with a smile. Meanwhile, the rest of the class was busy prepping their notebooks for battle. I fished mine out too just for looks, even though Nove had my back in the note-taking department. Seriously, having an A.I has its perks.
Speaking of Nove, she'd been surprisingly quiet lately. It's like she went from chatterbox to silent ninja in the blink of an eye. Not that I was complaining—But I hope she isn’t mad because I don’t I have listened to any single advice of her these following days.
“Now, I hope everyone is ready before we proceed.” Mr. Edwin surveyed the class, ensuring we were all tuned in before pivoting to the whiteboard with all the gravitas of a professor about to drop some serious knowledge. With a flourish, he scrawled 'History and Geography' in bold, black letters—a beacon of academic adventure.
Ohhh, can’t believe I get to listen to one of the few things I wanted to know much about this world beside Metalweaving, that being Basic history and geography. It can be surprisingly useful of you have no current source of information.
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“Now, since we have a new student with us, Let’s do a bit of revision on the history and geography of Alchamara, so that we’re all on the same page.” Edwin declared, punctuating his statement with a flourish as he scribbled the word 'Eras' on the board.
“As you all know, the History of Alchamera is divided upon different eras. The current era is called the 7th Era, The Modern Era. While there’s a total of 7 Eras that everyone considers to be correct, some historical researchers may argue and say that there are a total of 8 eras. Regardless, of there being 7 or 8 eras, what’s truth is that they all happened. So, most of you know about the first era but let me talk about it again to refresh everyone’s memory…”
He started explaining each era, and since the explanation is too long, let me summarize it all.
In the Ancient Era, monsters ran amok for a solid millennium, sending everyone into hiding. This was the longest era on record, lasting a whopping 1000 years. While Metalweaving and alchemy existed, folks didn't quite master them until a spectacular meteorite shower blessed the land with caelum lapis, or "heaven's stone."
Now, caelum lapis? They were game-changers. Incorporating them into Metalweaving or alchemy cranked up item effectiveness by 2 to 10 times. Your sword? Indestructible. Your healing potion? Could grow back limbs in a flash.
Life was grand until the caelum lapis well ran dry, sparking a mad scramble among clans to hoard what remained. This scramble eventually escalated into full-blown war, fondly remembered as the forging wars, marking the close of the Ancient Era.
These magical rocks were like a lifeline, extending everyone's lifespan from a measly 20 years to a ripe old 60-plus. With sturdier gear and a longer lease on life, folks had time to get crafty with Metalweaving and alchemy.
As people basked in the caelum lapis-fueled prosperity, they banded together into groups, sharing Metalweaving and alchemy tricks like prized family recipes. These groups evolved into what we now call the major clans. Back then, there weren't any minor leagues – just clans doing their thing.
But as the caelum lapis well started to dry up after a good century of heavy use, things took a sour turn. Clans began fighting over what little was left, resorting to all sorts of shady tactics to get their hands on more. This whole mess boiled over into what we now fondly remember as the forging wars, putting an end to the Ancient Era.
To think something like that happened.
I pondered whether Nove had any insights on this, but Olivia's voice pulled me back to reality. "Are you following along?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Uh, yeah, it's wild to think this is where all the big clans started," I replied, realizing too late that I probably should've gone with a different response. Olivia seemed utterly starstruck by my words.
"That's right!" she exclaimed, a touch too loudly, prompting a glance from the teacher. He looked between Olivia and me. I don’t know why she couldn’t control her voice but we were in trouble.
"Miss Olivia, please assist our new student, but let's keep the disruptions to a minimum," he instructed. Olivia's cheeks flushed crimson as she attempted to melt into her desk.
Feeling a twinge of guilt, I jumped in to salvage the situation. "Sorry, sir, my bad. I just had a few questions about the lesson," I admitted.
Mr. Edwin eyed me with mild surprise. "What's puzzling you?"
"Well, I'm curious about Caelum Lapis. Are they still around nowadays?" I inquired.
“The simple answer is, yes. Caelum lapis still exists today, but almost all of it is handled by a single major clan, House Celestium.”
Of course it’s the major clan of Alper. Why am I not surprised?
“In your opinion, was it a good idea to leave it to them?” My question was a tad personal, but I needed some intel on my major clan. Sure, I might be in its minor league and the information might be useless to me, but as long as it can shed some light on these clans Alper is affiliated with.
Mr. Edwin grinned at my inquiry. "Now, that's a good one. In my view, it was a smart move. They've got a really good skill for staying neutral amidst the major clan drama. Nobody wants to get on their bad side because, losing access to Caelum Lapis would be a nightmare. So, they play it cool and keep everyone away just enough to not cause problems. They also spread their caelum lapis stock, but in small quantity, enough to keep everyone content but not enough to cause aggression."
I see. So they’re definitely really powerful because of a monopoly of that material.
Mr. Edwin was just about to dive deeper into the lesson when the school bell chimed, signaling the end of class.
"That's all for today, folks. Remember, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. And make sure to welcome our new classmate," he reminded us before exiting the room.
As soon as he left, I found myself surrounded by curious classmates, each firing questions at me like rapid-fire bullets.
"Do you truly have amnesia?"
"How do you speak our language if you can't remember anything else?"
"Do you ever miss your parents?"
It felt like an interrogation. After enduring about ten minutes of questioning, I was relieved when the next teacher arrived to start their lesson… on math.
Ugh this is gonna be a long day. Let’s just get through this so I can learn some Metalweaving later.