SB: Chapter 233 – The College Still Stands

Traveling by myself through on dirt roads had been the correct decision to avoid unnecessary complications. It had taken a while to get this far, but the important thing was that I had made it without getting dragged into pointless combat.

I looked out at the college, sitting on top of a small mountain. I had no doubt that the volcano had been dealt with. It would be too risky to let an active volcano remain underneath the College.

There were no smoking vents and while there were no farms on the slope of the mountain itself, the rest of the land had been turned into farmland. The College had taken control of all the land on this peninsula, which it had fallen on.

Originally the plan had been to take over an island from what I had heard while attending. Unfortunately Xanatos had interrupted everything. Even with the unexpected landing, the College controlled everything including the nearby city.

With war taking over the continent, the College had set clear boundaries, more than enough to supply them with food and the civilians under their rule. With the legends that had stayed at the College no one had the strength to dispute their claims.

The only reason the College hadn’t done this before was precedent with the dwarves. With The Mathemancer gone and the College having moved to a new location, it was able to become a regional power in its own right, which made sense politically.

If the College had to buy food like before, or became dependent on any one nation, then there would be issues with how it could be controlled. Also the amount of land wasn’t that much compared to the size of the previous human nations.

Based on the land taken, I estimated they could grow about five to eight times the needed food to support the College and everyone else in the territory they controlled. I could easily see other schools of learning moving here and the College expanding.

The Duchy of Burnstock had a dedicated farming school for example and there were other such schools out there. With all the fighting, people would see this area by the College as a safe place to resettle and I had met many refugees heading in this direction.

As a top graduate, I had an easy time passing by the outposts and soldiers the College had employed to manage its territory. Dean Beacon Smith clearly knew what he was doing and had smart people advising him.

Looking up the mountain the College rested on, the road cut back and forth as a series of switchbacks. The mountain itself had become terraced and I noted more valuable plants were being grown in greenhouses.

Reaching the main gate, I pulled out the metal plate indicating that I was a top graduate and let the staff member on guard inspect it. “Welcome back, Justin. How long do you plan on staying?”

“A while. I have several things to sell the College as well as several commissions,” I answered the staff member.

“Justin, it is good to see you again,” a woman said. I looked over and it was Melody. She had been my staff advisor during my time at the College.

“Melody. The pleasure is mine. How have you been?” I asked.

“Busy. I was about to pass on a message to some of the Gardeners handling the plants outside the College,” she said.

“A promotion?” I asked, since I thought she would normally handle new arrivals.

“I am in charge of handling class scheduling, including the classes happening outside the main wall. A sizable promotion thanks to your success,” she said.

“I am glad to see you are doing well,” I said.

“What brings you back?” she asked as we moved to the side while the soldiers guarding the gate didn’t follow us.

“I am looking to sell some valuable information historical items. In addition to a commission or two,” I said.

“What kind of information?” she asked.

“Information about the beastkin continent, demons, various items and knowledge from the beastkin, and most valuable of all I have a book written by a demon,” I said. I had taken to recording down my insights while I had time during my travels to reach the College.

“That would be insanely valuable,” she replied with a nod. “Are you looking to sell that book through an auction or directly to the College?” she asked.

“Directly. I have a list of everything,” I said and reached into my remaining spatial pouch, pulling out the list of what I had for sale and what I wanted. Melody took it and looked through the lists.

“Well, you certainly don’t like to do things my half measures. Can I keep this and reach out to the Dean?” she asked me.

“Of course, but this would go to the Dean?” I asked.

“Because of the book written by a demon. A unique item like that, that kind of item isn’t cheap and will require the Dean’s authorization to spend that much money. I notice you haven’t listed any prices down,” she said.

“I have some guesses, but I am interested to see what the College comes back with,” I replied and she nodded.

“If you can wait for an hour after I finish my current tasks, I can get you settled in at the College and handle this list,” she said.

“I don’t mind waiting,” I replied. Trying to find someone else would be a hassle and I knew Melody. She was competent and capable, but most importantly we got along.

An hour later she was back and escorted me to a guest room. “As the top graduate for your year, you are always welcome to stay at the College for free. It is also the same for Legends,” she said.

“What is the cost normally?” I asked.

“Depends on the accommodation, but normally the cost would be measure in gold. We don’t want people accumulating here and doing nothing,” she replied.

“And the dungeon entrance? Completely removed?” I asked.

“Yes. The same for the volcano, so you don’t need to worry about either of them. I miss when the College was flying,” she said.

“It was an experience, but unless you went to the edge, you could hardly tell the difference,” I replied.

“Hmm, perhaps, but the air felt fresher. Perhaps it is just me,” she said.

“The environmental wards working overtime is my guess. Or the sea air,” I replied.

“I do have to ask about the rest of your team. There have been inquiries. It was assumed you all had died,” she said.

“Once we were siloed into the part of the dungeon under the beastkin continent, we broke up as a team. The beastkin killed off everyone and the war mech was destroyed. I was able to recover Harren’s equipment and body to return to his family,” I said.

“They would appreciate that. I will arrange a meeting with them. Were you able to recover anyone else?” she asked me.

“No,” I replied.

“That is understandable. You might get some requests to give an explanation,” she said.

“You are welcome to set up something through the College. I have nothing to hide about what happened,” I said. While I didn’t have to agree to speak or even others asking me questions, it was the polite thing to do after a team wipe. Especially when the individuals were well known and also top graduates.

Letting the College handle things on their end was the most appropriate. They could bring everyone together who was interested in what happened to my team and deal with it all at once. I was legally in the clear, since anything that happened in the dungeon technically stayed in the dungeon. But that would be the equivalent of slapping or insulting everyone who had invested into the team.

It was better to do it all publicly to avoid as many complications as possible. I didn’t want any legends after me or to be regarded as a team killer. That kind of reputation would be very bad. As for losing my team, it was bad but things like that happened.

“With a Dwarven Corporation and a top Elven family, the Dean will probably be involved as well,” Melody said. She had known my team members, since we had talked about what I had planned to do after graduation.

“How is the College doing?” I asked.

“Well enough. We are only getting on track after The Fall.” It was two years after my graduation.

“It took that long?” I asked.

“There was a lot of structure damage to the College, especially in the lower levels. While the buildings and main tower survived for the most part, everything underground was heavily damaged. Then all the outside land on the mountain has been changed into gardens,” she explained.

“I just thought it would happen in a year at most, with skills,” I said.

“For the most part, the damage was taken care of quickly. But there are still issues. We needed a lot more soldiers, staff members, and a focus on plants and farming. While the smartest minds might be at the College, arranging everything and fixing all of it takes time. Thankfully the number of applicants haven’t fallen off.”

“The College is doing testing in the nearby city?” I asked.

“Yes. Unfortunately, the city has been struggling with the waves of applicants each year.”

“I saw they were massively expanding their outer walls when I passed through,” I replied and Melody nodded at this.

“Only one city falls under the jurisdiction of the College, so a lot of focus has been placed there. We don’t want the College itself to become a city. It is a place of learning, first and foremost. A lot of industry, like the creation of magical carriages, has been moved to the city,” she explained. “Ozy is looking well and much bigger.”

“All the levels he has gained from fighting difficult opponents,” I replied.

“Pets are becoming a lot more popular here at the College. The market value for monster eggs has massively spiked,” she replied.

“Good to know. Any major developments in training?” I asked.

“Nothing new. Just their popularity has increased,” she replied. A shame, but most of the knowledge regarding pets had already been worked out. Everything was coming together as a trend based on my actions with Ozy. I didn’t blame the College for making money like that. I had no doubt, that even with tuition, running the College of Advancement would be a massive money pit.

I was hoping that they had enough money or resources to make a trade for the demon written book. The College had most knowledge, but a demon written book was unique. That was why I had so much hope for its value compared to everything else.

Melody’s reaction wasn’t a surprise either that she focused on such an item. With the deaths of so many Supreme Legends against a demon, a lot of adventurers were focused on such beings now. With the knowledge I had and the demon book, I knew I would be able to get a premium price.

The College would likely buy everything and then resell the information as customized packets for easy consumption by Legends or rich adventurers. That was one of their major businesses after all, the sale of information.

The beastkin continent and beastkin items were nothing that special. The College had collected such things from the beastkin who had ended up on this continent in the past. Judy’s father was a perfect example of this.

At least all the tension from traveling and the fighting outside the College was draining away. I would rest and wait to hear back from the Dean or whomever he appointed to handle everything.