Once inside the academy itself, everyone was amazed at how lavished and well-decorated everything was. Extravagant lamps, lights, rugs, and tapestries hung about, with aesthetically painted walls as well as polished wood as the base materials.
Even moreso, as one could expect, the walls were made of a unique mixture of Mind and Power Stone, overlaying the effects of them in ways that baffled those in the know among the group, for such a thing should be impossible.
Which artificer did they get to perfectly combine two materials like this with conflicting properties?
Principal Elijah led them to a small lobby where there were 50 seats directly before a short podium, with more off to the side capable of housing the same number.
He walked up to the podium and turned to face the crowd.
"Congratulations, this will be the only orientation in which guardians like yourselves will be allowed to enter Safemoon Academy. After today, only those wearing the badge of our academy denoting them as students or staff will be allowed past those doors. Feel free to boast about this as much as you want."
Sprouting a satisfied grin, he folded his arms behind his back. "I'll keep things as short as possible. The agenda for this orientation concerns the following five points; 'Admission', 'Tuition', 'Activities', 'Graduation' and 'Rules'."
"I have already covered 'Admission' outside, so no need to repeat it. For the 'Tuition', as you know, the fees are set for Common Class and Elite Class students, but Master Class will be fully sponsored by our Safemoon Academy."
"The fees will have to be paid once a year before the first day of the new semester. It is the same for Common Class and Elite Class students at 1,000 Supreme Coins per year."
"This is non-negotiable, however, don't worry, we don't expect you guardians to cover this sum each and every time, nor will we expel any student in higher years, if they are unable to gather that much."
Elijah smiled thinly, a smile which made the various wards feel a chill. "We will make them work off their fees alongside their studies… hehe."
"Just do whatever you have to in order to earn that amount within a year. If anything, feel free to jump into the local dungeon on behalf of your wards and spend 24 hours there fighting monsters nonstop, ahaha!" Elijah joked, which no one was able to laugh at due to how intimidated they were.
They suddenly felt like this Principal… was maybe not a very nice guy.
"Classes will start at 6 am and tardiness for any reason will be judged by Martin based on your circumstances. If you're a lass and you're menstruating, we won't be so insensitive as to make things hard on you. Feel free to do what is necessary before you come over."
"Your courses for the next five years are fixed, you don't get to chose anything. After all, you are all a clueless bunch who know nothing about the true nature of magic, so it is up to our esteemed establishment to show you the way."
Many cursed under their breaths due to this fellow's shamelessness. How could you be so bold and arrogant to proclaim such a thing with a straight face?
"Finally, your teachers will be digital, assigned to you by the Martin AI. As you have established a mental link with him, you will be granted some restricted access to our school's database based on what year you are in, what class you are in, your stage, as well as your talents."
"Confer with Martin and he will handle your education and training, as well as all your other details while in the school." Elijah concluded with a smile.
Before he could continue, he was interrupted by a noble who stood up immediately.
"What nonsense is this? Do you mean to say we will have to pay such an atrocious sum for our wards to get self-taught?!" He roared with anger, many others standing up with him to show their displeasure.
As for the wards, while many appreciated the gesture since they also thought this academy was going overboard, they nevertheless wished their parents would stop making noise, afraid that it might ruin their chances at entry.
Elijah displayed a bored expression and blew a hot breath on his fingernails before wiping them against his robe.
"Mr. Tubster Jones, let me ask you this, what method do you think is superior? Listening to lecturers for long periods of time, as well as having to read up on many books to understand the contents of the previous lectures... or to have that same information directly transferred into your mind, only leaving you to digest it at your leisure before it becomes unforgettable?"
The noble in question, who was quite round at the waist, but not overly so, was left speechless at being called Tubster Jones, but paid more attention to the content on Elijah's words.
He had a pleasantly surprised expression on his face as he parsed what Elijah meant. "Ah, I see. Sorry for the interruption then."
He might not be aware of technology like this, but he had a general gist of how it worked. Mind transmissions weren't even rare on Fallon, as Adepts and above with Mind Power could do it.
It was just that it cost effort and was harmful to those who did not have Mind Powers, so teachers could not bring up their students that way. However, hadn't they - the adults themselves - been receiving such transmission from Martin right to their minds since they wore the HoloBrace?
Many of them were either Ability Users/Sparked Warriors or just common Unsparked and Unawakened, yet regardless of who or what, they had been able to get the information cleanly without experiencing any side effects.
Understanding this, rather than anger, the adults were excited. After all, one of the biggest flaws with education was the method of transmission of information. Not everyone could digest information the same way, which created gaps between many students due to different conditions, intellects, etc.
However, no matter what, if the information was downloaded in its raw state to your mind, it basically came down to how smart you were - or in Supreme System terms, how high your Intellect was - that would decide how quickly you could turn this 'data' into 'information' after processing it.
