Built from cyan-gray stone bricks, the wide and tall building allowed sunlight of various colors to stream in through the stained-glass windows into the hall-like interior. The classical style exuded tranquility, and the uniform tones, bustling student crowds, the aroma of food in the air, and the students' banter created a relaxed atmosphere that made the Abrahams feel as if they had been in a daze for a very long time.
This place was completely unlike the world they knew.
The students were modest and friendly, the professors approachable and knowledgeable. Their faces lacked the fear and numbness of those at the bottom, and there was no confusion or uncertainty about the future. They had ideals and aspired to goals, the drive to constantly strive for them. Everywhere, people could be seen discussing things they had never heard of. They were like living beings, their enthusiasm brimming with the unique brilliance of life, making everyone involuntarily blend into this atmosphere.
But Olson and the other Abrahams were also told definitively.
"That's right, they are all marionettes."
All marionettes...
It was hard to say whether surprise or understanding predominated. This place, rather than being inside some Sealed Artifact that could kill at any moment, felt more like an ideal land created and forgotten by the gods in a corner.
Enthusiasm, hope, friendliness... emotions were contagious. Under the impact of so many positive emotions, even the highly experienced Abraham elder, Elder Holloway, couldn't help but feel a little disappointed upon learning that it was all just a puppet show, a dream of a moment.
After all, it was too beautiful, as beautiful as a sweet dream bestowed by the Goddess of the Night, but in the end, She was still the Queen of Calamity and Fear.
It truly felt like a small joke played by a deity.
No one could imagine such a place. People couldn't imagine things they hadn't seen. Only by seeing them firsthand could they personally experience things they had never considered or felt before.
Using marionettes to perform such a vivid and detailed picture was shocking enough, and could be seen as flexing their muscles... but it could also indirectly allow them to glean the mentality, emotions, and experience of the manipulator behind the marionettes from the details.
Elder Holloway let out a long breath in his heart, also lowering most of his vigilance towards the person in front of him.
But the necessary caution remained. He couldn't be sure if what the other party was showing was just a temporary illusion to deceive them.
Their first entry here was filled with caution, prudence, wariness, and fear that this was a trap targeting the Abrahams. Now, they were overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions: a sense of otherworldliness, shock, and disappointment. They were used to being cautious. Since the War of the Four Emperors, the Abrahams had continuously suffered from the terrifying whispers of the full moon. High-sequence Extraordinary individuals in the family had gone mad and died one by one. Next to be affected by the full moon's whispers were Sequence Five and Sequence Six...
Every day, they lived under the mental pressure of 'When will I die? When will I lose control?' If the Sequence of Mental Analyst didn't exist to alleviate this terrible mental pressure, they might lose control and go completely mad one day, even if not because of the full moon's whispers.
Anxiety and fear found a little peace in this place that seemed completely immersed in a peculiar atmosphere (after all, there was the influence of the Night pathway's power)... If such a university truly existed, it could probably be called one of the greatest miracles of the current epoch.
Olson had experienced the Never-Ending Theater, so he naturally knew that this current state was very likely derived from that terrifying Sealed Artifact.
"Lord Ramd," Elder Holloway coughed, his white hair accentuating the wrinkles on his face, "What price do you want the Abrahams to pay?"
But from the change in address, it was enough to judge that in the heart of this Abraham, Tang's weight was constantly increasing.
Being able to wield such a "0"-level Sealed Artifact, and the high-sequence Extraordinary individual behind him that Olson Abraham had revealed, made this Abraham elder cautious and unwilling to offend.
As an 'Astrologer,' in his view, the abnormality of the 'sky' here, the huge curtain covering the sky, and the countless 'stars' dotted on that curtain hid unparalleled power, isolating contamination and the spirit world (deliberately revealed by the theater).
The Abrahams could no longer afford any more problems.
For this, paying some price was worthwhile, even if that price was some of the Abrahams' secrets or certain Sealed Artifacts they wielded.
Tang was equally direct, "The Abrahams' problem, as you see, I can solve. At the same time, I hope the Abrahams can cooperate with me."
"As for the content of the cooperation," he smiled, "what do you think of this place?"
Elder Holloway fell silent.
The Apprentice pathway and the Seer pathway were adjacent pathways. Some secrets of the Seer pathway and the Thief pathway should also be recorded within the Abrahams, who wielded the Apprentice pathway.
As an angel family, obtaining the support of the Abraham family would be of great help to him, even if this angel family was gradually declining.
But a lean camel was still bigger than a horse!
Giving charcoal in the snow was much more meaningful than adding flowers to brocade.
"This place is very good," Elder Holloway pondered for a moment, then affirmed, "Very good."
He sensed what Tang was about to say.
"I hope that such a place, such a school, can truly appear before people."
A true cradle of academics, a driving force for scientific advancement, the center of world culture, a happy old home for Extraordinary individuals and investigators.
"Ordinary people, Extraordinary individuals, this is a place where everyone can join, following the tide of the times, exploring ancient secrets, excavating ancient civilizations, creating one miracle after another that is enough to change the world..."
"Not just Tingen, Backlund, Conston, but even Intis, Ruen, and Feysac, will one day, when mentioning the changes of the times, think of this place. Every change, every decision, every alteration in the world will be associated with this place."
Well, the pie, within a reasonable range, should of course be drawn as big as possible.
'Host, this pie of yours... so full, gulp gulp, let me drink some water...'
"Scram."
Elder Holloway was ultimately an Extraordinary individual with sufficient experience. His expression didn't change, and the other older Abrahams also looked at each other without speaking. Only the few young people on the side looked a bit flushed—imagining in their minds, then getting excited.
Youth was good. A terracotta warrior of his age wouldn't be so easily moved by emotions.
This big pie would choke him to death if he ate it, but it was just right for these young Abrahams.
Tang looked at the expressions of all the Abrahams, finally turning to Elder Holloway, who could decide this matter.
Olson was somewhat moved, but in the end, he pursed his lips and said nothing.
He trusted his friend, but he couldn't make this decision for the family.
Elder Holloway didn't answer immediately. He looked at the bustling crowd... of marionettes, then at the younger generation of his family, and finally at Olson.
"Olson, what do you think?"
(End of this chapter)