Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Morningstar University Campus
"I believe you," Dean Faust passive-aggressively agreed with his young guest, but the array’s setting delivered it with a more neutral tone.
Based on the boy’s actions so far, Dean Faust didn’t doubt for a second that he wouldn’t make good on what he claimed. However, that didn’t mean that he would sit back and just give up. With such an attitude, there wouldn’t be top ten universities but top nine universities.
"Then lead me to the time vestige. I will personally meet Ahalya and decide if my decision was ill-informed," I said shamelessly, even though I knew that there wasn’t a possibility that Dean Faust would let me enter the time vestige for free. But I wouldn’t know for sure until I tried.
"Are you truly that ignorant, or are you mocking me, young man?" Dean Faust asked, unable to decide if the creator of the VR-universe was that ignorant or just plain shameless.
"I just want to meet my aunt’s daughter and decide if there should be a Morningstar University here to greet the next sunrise," I argued with a straight face.
"Unfortunately, that is not possible. Once a group has entered the time vestige, no one can enter it until the group returns or dies in it. You can only meet her when she returns. Until then, you are free to stay at our faculty dormitory," Dean Faust patiently explained, even though his young guest rudely and blatantly kept threatening to destroy Morningstar University on every turn, overestimating himself, but it was starting to get on his nerves.
The only reason he remained patient was that he realized his guest was purposefully provoking and baiting him. He had no idea what the latter stood to gain from doing so, but he had no plans to play along or continue this conversation as his experiment entered a critical phase in his attempts to pause it and go greet his young guest.
"I understand, but how can I be sure that you are not just saying that to buy time to silence the witness? Bring me my aunt’s daughter now or I will come fetch her," I threatened even though I knew the Morningstar University meant no harm to Ahalya and was telling the truth about her doctoral project, but it was also true that her relationship with her mother was like a pebble stuck in their boots’ sole. No matter how much they tried or wiggled their leg, they couldn’t get it out without removing the shoe. I.e. they purposefully made it troublesome for Denis Johnson to ensure about her daughter’s wellbeing and whereabouts, making her paranoid enough to reach out to me.
"Young man, quit it. Just tell us what it is that you are truly after. I am sure we can discuss something to accommodate the needs of the creator of the VR-universe," Dean Faust said, unable to spare more attention to the conversation. He was more concerned about his on-going experiment than arguing with the arrogant boy who was overestimating himself.
"How many times do I have to say I just want to confirm the wellbeing and freedom of my aunt’s daughter?" I replied, pretending to be losing patience. After all, I couldn’t come clean saying that I wanted to use this incident as a stage to announce my future plans for the VR-University and the Southern Academic city.
Honestly, I thought Morningstar University would be arrogant and domineering, but these guys surprisingly were welcoming except for the part where they lacked the basic sense of manners. I mean, who doesn’t know to introduce themselves at the first meeting? And Dean Faust apparently lived for a couple centuries.
Anyways, these guys were making it difficult to kick up a fuss and use them as a stepping stone to grandly announce my plans to the entire card world.
I mean, where are the security guards and other faculty? I have been blatantly using my celestial force to oppress the entire university campus for a while now. I was beginning to fear if I continued any further, they might use this to turn the public opinion against me.
"Like I said before, you can wait in our faculty dormitory till Pristine Princess returns from the time vestige. Beyond that, I can’t help you. Feel free to do as you please. I have an experiment that needs all the attention I can give to it," Dean Faust concluded the conversation without waiting for my response while I stood there like a fool forced to retrieve my celestial force. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⁂𝕟𝕖𝕥
Right now I felt like a bank robber who was handed the key to the bank vault by the bank itself. What do I make of it? If I go ballistic now, I will be the bad guy. Maybe even get my name added to the Card World’s most wanted list. I knew the top ten universities would like that, proving to the citizens of the five regions that they shouldn’t let the fate of the entire VR-universe be in the hands of a teenager drunk on power and money.
Not that public opinion would force me to share control over the VR-universe with others, but then what would be the point of all of this when the people I created it for didn’t feel safe in it and had a bias against me. I didn’t want to become benevolent and kind, but I also didn’t want to be a tyrant.
"Boss, what now? They seem to have no intention of refuting your words, let alone fight you on it. Not surprising from a bunch of cowards," Henricks commented as I tried to figure out how to take control of the situation.
"They are not cowards. They are just being smart. Everything on the campus, even those trees and bushes, is insured. My rampaging here would only get them a free renovation and even save some money. Not to mention they get to prove to the five regions that I am not fit to control the VR-universe. Why stop the enemy when he is ignorantly helping you?" I explained to Henricks.
Being a soldier, economics was the last thing to cross Henrick’s mind. It was no surprise that the Freedom Fighters always found themselves edging near bankruptcy under his leadership.