Book 6. Chapter 32 |
Brin had a little time for reading when he got home, and a lot to catch up on. Each of his classes had assigned at least one textbook, but several teachers had mentioned supplemental materials as well, and Brin planned to read all of them. The priority would have to be the book Martin had suggested and the history of Tenerer that Tim had told him to read.
Obtaining all of the books hadn't been a hassle at all. He'd just given Tonin a list of the ones he'd needed, and they'd been waiting for him when he got home from the Tower. As much as the egalitarian in Brin wanted to say that he didn't need servants, he had to admit that he wasn't hating the experience.
His first step would be to figure out the exact balance of Split Minds and conscious threads that would lead to best performance. His most difficult reading was for Enchanting, and he found that if he split his mind at all the text was impossible to understand. Even with his full mind, he wasn't sure if he was completely understanding everything. This was the time where he really missed [Directed Meditation], because the text was so dense and obtuse that he found it difficult to force himself to give it all the concentration it was due.
He decided to just let a directed thread copy the whole thing down to his memory. He'd come back to it whenever he had a free moment over the next few days. He figured for something like this, he'd have to engage with it slowly, over time, with plenty of breaks to ponder it line by line.
The book for the Language also needed his full attention. It wasn't actually a textbook, just a list of publicly available words and their meanings. He was instructed to memorize them all.
Most of his other texts were much simpler and he could read them pretty well with his mind split into three. That said, he wasn't sure it was the best use of his powers. The things he learned with a limited brain weren't as complete as if he'd learned it with his whole mind.
Eventually he landed on using [Multithreading] alone for his reading time. The efficiency gains he'd gained with his extremely high Mental Control meant that he got some time back for each thread. He created five conscious threads, and had them spend two hours of relative time reading each. When they were all done, only five real-time hours had passed. He'd made a good head start in all of his subjects, and none of his minds felt overly bored or burdened.
Split Mind was good for battle when speed mattered the most, but for regular study, [Multithreading] was king. Both were a huge advantage. Seriously, though, how did anyone finish school without being able to split their mind?
Martin's Instruments of Consciousness was interesting enough. Martin spent a laughable amount of time talking about the elements. In a forward, he admitted that elemental theory had been debunked and insisted that his use of element words was for metaphorical purposes only, but then the entire rest of the book shamelessly attributed nearly every mental condition with an imbalance of elements. How water-aligned anger was different from fire-aligned anger. How earth-aligned depression was nigh incurable while water-aligned sadness was temporary and healthy.
Maybe Brin had been in this world too long, but some of this sounded like it would kind of work?
Brin started Tenerer's book from the end, since that's what he had the most questions about, and immediately found his preconceptions turned on their head.
He'd known that Tenerer ascended at the same time as two others, Iustus I and Aharan. What he hadn't known, or perhaps just not realized, was that Tenerer was the only one to become a godling. There was a note that said that they didn't have to re-carve any reliefs or add his name to any texts--he appeared as if he had always been there. But only him. No one knew where or how Iustus I or Aharan were spending their eternity.
He got a good six hours of sleep, which should've been more than enough, but he still woke feeling slightly groggy. Would he miss this feeling when he got his whole Vitality back and he'd feel perfectly refreshed on 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night? No, he would not.
Hogg had news for him over breakfast. "You left last night before she could mention it, but Lumina is ready to teach a study group or two. She made you take [Meditation] again and keep a General Skill slot free, and now it's time for her to make good."
"That's great! I got [Meditation] pretty high in the monastery. Not much else to do. But I didn't evolve it yet."
"It'll probably start next week. You should start thinking about who you'd like to invite. I think she'll want to teach Element Theory, so it should be useful for anyone, but especially people who have a General Skill they want to evolve," said Hogg.
"I can think of a couple people in my class who could use it."
"Brin."
"What?"
"Brin," Hogg repeated, more exasperated this time.
"What?"
Hogg sighed. "This is the chance for direct tutelage from an [Archmage]. Don't think about people who need it. Think about people who have favors you'd like to trade for," said Hogg.
"Oh."
"Now hurry up and get out of here. You'll need to get there early to get Marksi situated."
Brin shoved a piece of toast into his mouth and then dashed out the door. Marksi beat him there, and Tonin was right behind him, carrying his briefcase.
The ride over was quick, without too much traffic on the road since they were leaving before their usual time. It felt a lot longer with the way Marksi jumped around in the small cab, literally bouncing off the walls.
Marksi had all sorts of ideas for how his first day at the Tower was going to go. First, he would allow all of Brin's friends to pay him their respects, then he would hunt for any interesting creatures. The magical rats in the sewers Brin had told him about would make a fine snack as long as he didn't have to enter the sewers to find them. Better yet would be the magical cats that fed on the rats. He could only imagine the types of abilities and powers mutated stray cats would have.
Marksi would perhaps allow Brin's minions to pay him their respects, but mostly he was interested in finding the other dragons and brow-beating them into submission.
"I don't even know if the Tower has any other dragons," said Brin.
Marksi scoffed at that. A magical tower without any dragons? Impossible.
They arrived at the back entrance, and the guards hardly glanced at Marksi before waving them through. They went straight to the homeroom for the Life Track. He was confused about which of the four doors from the Atrium actually went there, because all four of them had people coming in and out, even at this early hour.
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Brin picked one at random, and then realized that they all led to the same place. The Life Track homeroom was large and looked more like a big city post office than the comfortable living space of the Fire Track. There were lines, so many lines, and people at tables filling out forms just to get back into the lines.
“What is this?” asked Brin. It had been a rhetorical question, but Tonin answered him anyway.
“The Life Track is the largest in the Tower by sheer numbers. I guess it makes sense they’d need more organization?” Tonin didn’t look like he’d expected this any more than Brin had.
Brin had sort of had in his head a big garden, maybe an indoor conservatory, with lots of hippies running around, shoeless and carefree. Instead, these people looked more formal and austere than any he’d seen in the Tower so far.
Looking at the Classes on display, he saw that only very few of them were [Mages], and there were next to no [Students of Magic], either. There were a good deal of [Farmers], and many related Classes. [Cattlemen], [Riders], [Beast Tamers], and [Growers]. He saw a few [Warriors], [Duelists], and [Martial Artists]. But only a couple [Mages]. One [Mage of Vines] manned a desk that no one seemed to be in line for, and a [Mage of Leaves] waited in line for “Finances”.
The majority of people in Frenaria were farmers of some kind, so it made sense that the Life Circle would be so large, but he didn’t actually think that’s what he was seeing here. This was more like people who had business of some kind or another with the Life Circle. Where was the real Life Track?
He walked over to the [Mage of Vines], but the man held up a hand. “Stop! I’m not the reception desk.”
“Sorry, I just need to know–”
“Stop!” He pointed at another desk, one with a line of thirty people or more.
“So what is this desk for?” asked Brin.
The [Mage of Vines] just pointed at the reception desk again. Brin sighed and got in that line, but it quickly became clear that he wouldn’t be able to get to the front before he had to start his new class.
Tonin waited as well. “You go. I’ll sort this out.”
Marksi wasn’t a fan of that at all. He didn’t love the idea of Brin leaving, and he definitely didn’t like the idea of sitting here doing nothing. All the humans nearby looked simultaneously bored and stressed out, to the degree that they barely noticed there was a dragon in their midst. But what else were they to do?
“I’ll stay to keep an eye on things. Just try to make sure no one touches me,” said Brin. He swapped out his real body for a Mirror Man, and then invisibly left to get to his first class.
Sancha met him on the way to Philosophy, and he worried a little as he wondered how this was going to go. She hadn't acted differently since the duel, but he couldn't help but worry that the other shoe would drop any day now. While it was true that he didn’t intend to get romantically involved with anyone of Sancha's age, he also wasn’t looking forward to all the awkward conversations that would bring.
But despite his fears, she just waved and said, “Lord Mistaken, I greet thee most heartily, for I have much to tell concerning the foibles of one Lord Guoncal. But first, how farest thou, and how passed thy weekend? Mine own went exceeding well until our mutual acquaintance discovered me at a jeweller’s…
They chatted easily and he had a drama free walk to class, even after a few more women entered the group. Class was fairly easy, which meant that he could keep most of his attention back at the Life room.
Tonin, Marksi, and his glass copy eventually made it to the front of the line, and a harried-looking middle-aged receptionist asked, “Well? What do you need?”
“I was hoping to talk to someone from the Circle of Life about watching over this dragonling while I’m in Class. Maybe find somewhere he can contribute…”
“Are you asking me if we have a pet daycare? We do not. Now if there isn’t anything else…”
Brin was stunned that even the word “dragon” hadn’t worked, but he didn’t have any time to grow offended; she was already waving the next person forward. “Wait! So what should I do?”
“If you don’t have a specific request, I can’t help you,” said the receptionist.
“I’d like to talk to someone from the Circle of Life. A [Mage],” said Brin.
“Again, if you don’t have a specific need, I can’t refer you to anyone.”
Brin was stumped here. How did you get people to do their jobs? Cid had always made this part look so easy. “I’d like to join the Circle of Life.”
The receptionist slapped a form down on the desk. “Fill this out.” She waved vaguely at the busy writing desks behind the line. “Over there. Come back with the form and the fee.”
Of course there was a fee. Brin sighed and got to writing. While he worked, he sent off another group of Invisible Eyes to look through the room and see if there was some way out of this that didn’t involve Marksi being forced to stand in lines all day.
After class in his real body, he was swarmed with his admirers, and this time he really wasn’t ready for it. It wasn’t that the split mind controlling his other side was taking up too much concentration, but more to do with the fact that both sides of him were more interested in Marksi’s plight and trying to make sure he didn’t have the worst first day ever.
Sancha caught on to his mood, and with a nudge here and a cross word there, managed to disperse the crowd. “Nay, Crara, Lord Mistaken desires not to go sailing with thee today nor evermore. Prithee, Brisidia, trouble us no further until thou hast found a gown made in this present year. In faith!”
They were alone before Brin completely realized what she was doing. “That was well done. Thank you.”
“I should not have presumed. Was there one with whom thou didst truly wish to speak?”
Brin took a chance. “You don’t know if Almenesh is around, do you?”
Sancha didn’t seem offended that Brin was asking about another girl. Instead, she seemed pleased to be able to help. “This way.”
They rushed down the hallway, cut across the atrium, and then landed on Almenesh and her pale, white-haired friend right as they were about to enter the Life Track room where Brin’s glass copy still stood. He’d filled out the form, and now he was back in line again.
“Vyolante, come hither and lend me thine counsel upon this necklace. Methinks it doth not become my hair, and thou hast ever had such a wondrous way with colours.” Sancha pulled away Almenesh’s friend, leaving Brin to speak with the Pollissian girl alone.
“What is it, Lord Mistaken? I have Class in mere moments.”
“So do I. I was hoping you could help me with something. Um. A dragon, actually,” said Brin.
“What a strange joke,” she said. “I don’t have an ear for Frenarian humor, I’m afraid.”
“No joke. Come see. I’ll be quick, I promise,” said Brin.
He led her in, towards the line where Marksi stood with Tonin. As for Brin’s Mirror Man, he turned away to get lost in the crowd.
“You know, I just learned this morning that Lumina plans to put a little study group together. I’m not completely sure what it’ll be about, but I think she wants to teach us something about the elements, with a focus on meditation,” said Brin.
“How fortunate for you. My mother is also mighty. You will not cause me to envy, if that is your aim,” said Almenesh. Her mother was the Dean of the Life track, which is why Brin had sought her out.
“No, I mean, I only bring it up because she told me I can bring a few friends,” said Brin.
Almenesh nodded. “I want in. What must I give you in return?”
Brin hadn’t meant for this conversation to be quite this openly mercantile, but he liked that at least she was direct. “I want someone to look after Marksi. My dragon. And I want a sponsor in the Life track, someone to help me through the bureaucracy, and to help me get into lessons when I’m ready.”
“Done,” she said, and then actually shook his hand. “I will provide a counselor for your journey through Life. Now show me this dragon. I will tend to that matter myself.”
Marksi noticed them, and Brin gestured to him and Tonin that they could leave their spot in line. The dragonling scampered over excitedly, sensing that he was finally done with the boring part of his morning. He leapt into Brin’s arms for a hug, and then dropped down to run circles excitedly around Almenesh.
The Pollissian girl’s stern expression broke out for the first time, and she even giggled a little. “Yes, my friend, you’ll do quite nicely.”
Marksi nodded, because that went completely without saying. He didn’t even need to know what she was talking about to know that he was more than equal to it.
“This is Marksi,” Brin said.
“A fine name.” Almenesh bent down to get closer to him. “Marksi, there is a cavern below this Tower, and in the cavern, a garden. Would you like to see it?”
Marksi definitely did want to see it. Tonin wanted to as well, from the long-suffering way that he announced that he would have to go keep an eye on the dragonling. Brin wanted to see it too, but he had to get to class, so he’d have to settle for keeping watch with an Invisible Eye.
Yes, it sort of violated his rule about experiencing things through his illusions, but he wasn’t going to leave Marksi completely unsupervised here on his first day. Hopefully, they wouldn’t cross through any anti-illusion wards.
He started back to his class, and found that Sancha had been waiting nearby, but out of earshot. He thought he might know what was going on with her, but time would tell.
In the meantime, the success with Almenesh had given him some guidance on who else he should invite to Lumina’s lessons. Someone for Fire. Someone to introduce him to Earth. Maybe Mind or possibly Fate? He’d need to think about those two.
And he would find an [Illusionist] mentor. He bet they had all sorts of things he could learn from an upperclassman in the Tower. They had to know more about getting around the Eveladis. And more importantly for his immediate needs, he bet they had tips on moving spies throughout the Tower.