Orion’s initial plan to build a university wasn’t necessarily a bad idea, but after spending some time in Valderun and learning more about the various factions, he realized it would never truly become what he wanted.
A truly independent organization, where knowledge could be freely exchanged, and science pursued with all the tools that magic and the System allowed, would have posed a serious threat to those in power. While Antares becoming the High Council’s Speaker might have been enough to protect him initially, once the other faction leaders realized his true intentions, he doubted he would get anywhere if he weren’t eliminated first.
But that didn’t mean he should throw out the baby with the bathwater. His desire to bring the light of reason to Cyril was genuine, and it was also the only way he believed might bring him closer to the truth of what had happened to him and how reality actually worked.
He just had to adjust course a little bit.
“My friends, in my time here in Valderun, I’ve come to appreciate just how important interfacing with new people is—how quickly it can help you grow,” he began. He was speaking in vague terms, but the kind of thing he was asking couldn’t be said outright, lest he scare off some of the more traditional folks.
Nods abounded, as so far, he hadn’t said anything they didn’t already know. Being mentored by a master of the art was the best way to grow, but even that couldn’t match the depth of experience gained by constantly meeting new talented people.
“This kind of meeting alone was enough to generate quite a lot of interest, let me tell you,” he chuckled, rolling his eyes, and got a few amused laughs back. “Everyone knows how valuable being around others who can push you beyond your limits is, and they want to get in on it.”
Esmeralda leaned back, her crimson eyes shining with understanding.
She’s the oldest and the most politically savvy, even more than Ophelia. I suspected she might see through me first, but this is nothing scandalous. I’m sure Valderun is full of similar things, even if their end goal might not be the same.
“That value is what I want to preserve. I’m sure many of you have people who could benefit from being included in meetings like this, even just to discuss current events with their peers or to test out a few new spells against someone who offers a different perspective than their faction. But again, the value of this kind of gathering lies in its exclusivity. Limiting ourselves to only the best of the best, those we know would bring value to everyone and not just benefit themselves, would make it truly valuable.”
By now, everyone understood where he was heading, and Orion wasn't surprised to see that, although there appeared to be no opposition in principle, several people had questions. He raised a hand, signaling for them to wait until he finished.
"I'm not proposing a secret club or anything similar. You may discuss anything that happens here with your superiors if needed, but discretion would be appreciated. Think of it as a salon of sorts, a place to exchange ideas with your peers without the fear of being misunderstood.”
Interest grew, and some questions faded, but others grew more urgent, prompting Orion to launch into the final pitch. “To set this up, I would like to ask you all to find one other person during the months I’ll be gone, someone you believe will genuinely contribute to the conversation. I will strive to do the same, and also to prepare for our first real meeting, which will have a topic and structure.”
This was the conclusion he had reached. If Cyril lacked the social structure necessary for a university to exist, he needed to trace the path back. Although literary salons appeared several centuries after the first universities, they were central to what might be the most significant revolution in humanity's history: the Enlightenment.
Orion wasn't sure if he could force the start of it here, but he would definitely try. Even if he couldn’t succeed, he knew he would learn a lot, making his next attempt even better. After all, that was what a scientist did.
It doesn’t hurt that this will let me gauge everyone’s reaction to knowledge being shared. Will someone try to sabotage us? How much will others beg and offer to join once word gets out? I don’t expect the first attempt to be successful, but it will still be very useful.
“Alright, who’s first?” he finally asked, and surprisingly, the most enthusiastic of the group turned out to be Jordan.
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He eyed the others, who seemed content to let him go first, and nodded. “Go on.”
“Thank you,” the squire replied, almost vibrating with excitement. “I have many questions, but I’ll stick to a couple since I know everyone else wants to have their turn,” he said, showing surprising restraint.
Esmeralda looked especially interested, and Orion made a mental note to warn the poor guy. He doubted anything would come of her interest, especially since Esmeralda was too clever to make silly mistakes, but that wouldn’t stop her from messing around, as was a vampire’s nature.
“First, I want to say I am interested in this, but I need clarification. You are not asking us to take any vow or sign a binding contract, are you?”
Orion shook his head. “No, while that would surely make trusting each other easier, I’m aware that we all belong to either powerful factions or noble houses. Any such vow would likely be met with suspicion and be counterproductive. We would rely on a gentleman’s agreement, or a gentlelady’s, in the case of many here, to keep private events secret, but you’d be free to report back if anything concerning were to happen.”
He had actually thought about researching the topic of magical contracts. Law wasn’t his strong suit, as he’d never really had the time to focus on it, but he was confident he could put something together. However, he eventually decided against it. Not only would it alarm his friends’ superiors, but it would also just attract more scrutiny.
There's always time for such secrecy later, once everyone is feeling well and comfortable.
“That’s good, I didn’t want to have to say no,” Jordan muttered, earning a giggle from Esmeralda at his sincerity.
“The second question?” Orion asked.
“Ah, yes. I also want to know what you mean by “someone you believe will truly add something to the conversation”. I have many friends who could talk your ear off about any particular topic, but I’m guessing that’s not what you meant.”
Orion nodded. “That’s right. I’m mostly interested in the exceptional, because that’s what I aim to be.”
It was an arrogant statement; there was no two ways about it, but it was also the truth, and no one here could deny he’d achieved something very few people ever could.
Reaching tier two was unavoidable for those sitting near him. Esmeralda was already at tier three, though he was quite sure she was older than both of his lives combined. Naerys was called a prodigy by Antares himself, even as the others made impressive progress.
Jordan, for example, was only a few levels short. Orion couldn’t be certain because he no longer had the SDGs—and he filed this reminder away, planning to start preliminary work once he finished his basic spells—but he suspected the guy was just waiting for a proper hunt to take the leap.
Since he seemed to have satisfied Jordan’s questions, Orion turned to the others and saw that Ophelia appeared to have the most urgent one, so he nodded her way.
“You all are from a major faction, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone, but I am not, and I doubt you want me to take one of my guards with me, no matter how talented they might be.”
There wasn’t a direct question, but Orion understood the point. He nodded. “It’s not a deal breaker if you can’t find someone, but I would appreciate it. And if you truly don’t, I won’t hold it against you, but I’m sure you’ll learn a lot during the search and be able to bring those insights to the first meeting.”
Who knew that the methods he had used to ensure his students, the few times he had been persuaded to hold an actual course, wouldn’t cheat on their assignments, would be useful again.
Ophelia hummed thoughtfully. She hadn’t intended to skive off doing her part, it seemed. She simply lacks a pool of ready-made candidates, especially given the Minister's caution about letting her out.
The rest of the questions were relatively easy to answer, as they focused more on who they could bring and, more importantly, when he thought he’d be back.
“I can’t give you a specific timeline,” he explained, grimacing at the thought of what he’d have to do for the next while. “But I’m hoping to be back here in a couple of months. Worst case, half a year.”
His tone and expression clearly showed how much he didn't want to be away for that long, and Orion was struck with the realization that he truly liked it here. Valderun was a crazy, dangerous place where his life had been in danger countless times, yet he was far happier here than hiding out in the coven, where he was forced to sneak around all the time.
I will need to take steps to ensure I can return soon. This degree of freedom is very hard to relinquish once achieved.
“Does this invitation extend to me?”
Naerys' voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he saw everyone turn to look at her. The white-haired girl had attracted quite a few looks, given her appearance, but luckily, she had changed her features enough not to look exactly like his copy in female form.
It wasn’t like the others knew each other very well, but it was clear from their behavior that they were familiar with him, and while he wouldn’t say he was just an acquaintance with her, she wouldn’t be here if Antares hadn’t specifically asked her to be allowed to come.
Still, there was a reason why Orion had accepted. “Of course,” he replied with a smile. “Even beyond your personal connections, which I’m sure will be great given your position, I’ve come to know you as a skilled magician and a smart person.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she bowed her head. Orion had the strange feeling that, for once, he might not be the most socially awkward person around, and he didn’t quite know how to handle it. Luckily, he was spared from having to smooth things over when Esmeralda stepped in to introduce herself to the girl and start a conversation about the details of illusion magic.
The others quickly understood the subtext and were allowed to join in, especially Ophelia, whom Orion knew was another practitioner of the art. Zania also finally broke her silence, suggesting ideas for alchemical bases to strengthen the illusions.
Jordan and he exchanged glances and shrugged. It wasn’t a terrible topic to start their little club.
Orion knew he had to finish refining his spells, but his frustration with the absence of his SDGs was increasing each day, and he had already dedicated the morning to working on that.
“I can afford to give myself a little treat once in a while,” he muttered, as if he were talking about eating a dessert and not delving into System Mechanics.
The party went really well, so I didn’t waste the day.
Taking a seat on his bed, he began pulling out his old papers on the code he’d used to craft the original version of the glasses, and got to work.
