“All of it? They really have to learn all of it?” Asked one of the three boys, a frown plastered on his face. He never had been good at studying and always required help from others. He could not imagine how these kids younger than him to learn so much stuff.
“Of course they do. They have to know at least this much at their age otherwise it would disrupt the whole process and we would fail to reach the many different deadlines and quotes that need to be fulfilled. Only when they know this much will they have to ability to select their future paths,” Fria-al replied to the kid who was still staring at the holographic book.
“Why are you so engrossed in it?” Fria-al asked.
He grabbed at the holographic page, moving it, feeling a smooth texture that reminded him of real paper, and then there was also the smell. A smell that reminded him of the smell of the library he spent reading, hoping his efforts would allow him to catch up to others.
“It feels so real.”
“It does, right? The one who made it was fixated on creating physical books but you saw from the visit to outside the settlement right, there is only ice and metal. So the one who created it spent an unnecessarily long time and huge resources to create this thing,” Fria-al told him, picking up a plate and releasing a small wisp of Qi into it.
The plate acted as a foundation and after a flash, a book was formed, made out of highly advanced illusion formations. It was a marvel that most could not truly appreciate.
“Why do these language books have to be so big?” asked another kid, in his hand's multiple book spines, each containing a book related to the common language.
“Have you three been to any other settlement?”
“A few but we could not go outside.”
“Master said they were all under the sea and it was dangerous for us to go outside.” Another kid added.
“Your master was right. Now, you used the Teleportation Stations to other settlements right?” Seeing the two nod she continued, “But did you know that only a minuscule amount of people ever go to another settlement? And I am talking about the settlements under the same Great family. Each settlement is an isolated mini-kingdom. That is why these children need to learn the language, especially the common language. If they don’t then eventually the language will mutate to such a degree that they will become completely different. You have heard of the other language people use right? Just here is Rozcast you will find many different variations of the common language, some light some very different.”
“But why do all of them need to learn them when most of them won’t even go to the other settlement? I don’t understand big sis.”
“There is a very important reason for that, Rusarn.”
“Okay but how do they remember it all? I am older than them but I couldn’t even learn most of what master taught me.”
“They can. All of us can. I don’t remember anyone having any problem remembering or understanding them. Did not even hear about it from anyone either. This is just the basic stuff, something that prepares them for the actual academic challenges.” Fria-al replied, her eyebrows furrowed as she searched through her memory about any kid who may have had a problem with the curriculum. But she could not. Meaning she never came across it. In the past, she never could have thought that any child would have a problem with the basic curriculum. It was basic for a reason.
“But how? It is difficult for me to make sense of master’s teaching but I don’t think I am that stupid.” Rusarn once again asked while he flipped through multiple books, each page seemingly real. The way it felt against his fingers, the way it moved he he turned it over, the way it reacted when he pinched it, all of it made it seem even more real. He had tried reading many books in the library back on their home planet and at the very least he would understand a little portions of them. These though, these holographic books that he was flipping through, made his brain hurt. Even the books on the common language, despite having learned the language with the help of his master, did not make it much easier to under the book on the common language.
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“Why would I joke? If you can’t understand such simple things then you are a lost cause,” Fria-al told Rusarn with a serious face.
Hearing her words, the way Rusarn’s mood plummeted and he found it hard to control it from showing it on his face.
“Don’t make such faces Rusarn. I don’t think even Argent can understand them.”
“Really?” He turned his head to look towards Argent who was still fixated on the same book, so engrossed that he had never taken part in the conversation until now. Seeing him so concentrated, he became doubtful but still asked, “Argent, big sis said that you can’t understand that book. Is it true?”
“You really believe that Rusarn? Don’t be so gullible. Did you forget who always helps you with the assignments master gives?”
It really was the truth. Argent always helped him. It made it allowed him to complete them much faster even if he had to bear his attitude,
“Big did you tell a lie?” Rusarn asked with a serious face unbefitting a child and then continued, “It is very bad to tell a lie. Master told me that God curses the liars. I don’t want you to be cursed.”
What he got inside of a reply was pain as a pair of cold hands started stretching his cheeks and though he tried to protest, it had no effect.
“Sorry, but you seemed very similar to someone I knew.” ruffling his hair, Fria-al suddenly asked Argent a question.
“What was that?” He asked in return.
“It should be written on 239 that you just turned over after staring at it for quite a while. What I asked was related to the theory described there.”
Argent frowned and did not answer, turned the page over looked at it for a while, and then said, “Okay, I don’t understand.”
"You lied."
“Did not. Don’t I always help you with them? You just understood if for something that I never said.”
“I am not that stupid okay. You said that to make it seem like you could, meaning you lied.”
“Agg. Think whatever you like.”
“Now now, keep your voice low. We cannot disturb the children studying.”
“Big sis, tell me. How can you understand this stuff? Master always said I was intelligent but seeing this I feel very stupid.” This time, it was Argent who asked.
“Do you know why all of us are on this cold, lifeless, unchanging, uninhabitable, dangerous piece of rock?”
Suddenly all three of the kids looked at her simultaneously. Desptie arriving on this planet for quite some time, they still had not been able to find anything about the assignment their master had given them. They had tired everything, from talking to local who neither knew nor seemed to care about it, to searching through the few libraries they had gotten access to with the help of Fria-al. But they had not found anything related to that.
“Think of this planet as a massive bomb. A bomb that is moving through space and moving much much faster compared to regular celestial body. A bomb that does not explode rather massively disrupts space. But we also cannot destroy it because that would be a very complicated process.”
“Is it powerful enough to disrupt the special stabilization field of the IPSSTR towers?” Argent suddenly asked, getting a nod from Fria-al in reply.
“Does the Central Tower in the settlements also help in that regard?” Once again Argent asked.
“Yes, that is one of its many taks.”
“Are y– Is the Empire planning to create a planetary formation?”
“Excellent. You have not been wasting your time, I can see. Continue.”
With a bit more confidence, Argent continued, “But if such a massive task is to unfold, it will required that much massive labour so the settlements are the place where it is trained?”
“Somewhat hit the mark.”
“Can you tell me what is wrong?”
“Unfortunatly no, your master told be about the assignment he gave you and told me not to tell help you too much otherwise it would become too easy for you kids.”