A/N:
Info dumping.
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The next day, the group of students and teachers from the Academy arrived at the Tower at noon.
As they approached the entrance, the Academy staff presented the letter of introduction, and after a brief exchange with the guard, the gate was finally opened.
—Neigh!
The horse whinnied as the coachman urged it on, and the carriage slowly entered the estate.
"Whoaa!"
The students couldn't help but stare in wonder when they passed through a massive garden, filled with rare and exotic flowers and plants that they had never seen before.
The garden was a riot of colors, with vibrant blooms in shades of pink, purple, and blue.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers, and the students couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sheer beauty of it all.
As they continued on their way, they soon caught sight of the tower in the middle of the garden.
It was a towering structure, with walls made of stone and a turret that rose high into the sky.
At the top of the turret, they could see a glowing blue Mana boulder, radiating a soft, ethereal light.
"What is that?"
Péréz, who sat across from Adrian asked, his point toward the tower.
"It's a Mana Transceiver Tower."
Fun fact, the Tower wasn't actually named after the building that resembles a tower.
It was named after the Mana Transceiver Tower (MTT), which could be easily spotted from a distance.
Every Tower's estate had this MTT, and the concept of it was no different from Base Transceiver Station (BTS) Tower back in his previous world.
"It is responsible for transmitting and receiving Mana Waves from the Telesphere and other devices within its coverage area. This is why we don't have to channel our Mana to make a call."
Adrian explained further, and the others nodded as they listened to the new information.
Even though one didn't have to channel Mana, it didn't mean that it was free.
To keep their Telesphere active, one needed to pay a monthly subscription fee.
However, even if the Telesphere was deactivated, one could still use the Magical Sphere.
The only difference was that one couldn't make a call, as there would be no signal.
As the carriage came to a halt at the entrance of the castle, the student stepped out and was greeted by an elderly man dressed in a sophisticated suit.
The man's brown hair was peppered with a few strands of gray, and his light-brown eyes sparkled with a sense of wisdom and experience.
He wore glasses that perched on the bridge of his nose, giving him an intellectual air, estimated to be in his late sixties.
He engaged in a brief conversation with some teachers, exchanging pleasantries and discussing the itinerary for the tour.
After a few minutes, Joshua turned to the student and introduced himself.
"Hello, my name is Joshua, and I will be your guide for the day."
Without beating around the bush, the guards opened the castle gate, and Joshua led the way, his steps steady and confident.
As the students and the teachers entered the grand entrance hall of the castle, their eyes were immediately drawn to a massive golden statue of the Empire's founder, Chrono.
The statue towered over them, its height estimated at an impressive 15 meters.
It was situated at the entrance hall, and on either side, grand staircases led to the second floor.
Adrian couldn't help but click his tongue in annoyance.
It seemed that the Empire was obsessed with placing Chrono statues on every corner they could find.
Shortly, Joshua stopped in front of it and others followed suit.
"Please pay your respects to the founder of this Empire."
Another strange custom.
In his opinion, it looked like they were worshiping a God rather than paying respects to a historical figure.
Adrian couldn't help but wonder why the citizens of the Empire refused to believe in God, yet they treated Chrono like one.
Brushing it off, he decided to follow the lead of the others and bow thrice toward the statue.
After that, the group followed Joshua up the stairs and entered another grand hall.
As soon as they gathered inside, Joshua took out a Blink Sphere from his Magical Sphere.
In an instant, they were suddenly teleported into what appeared to be an iron dome.
Joshua walked up to the iron dome and stopped beside it.
He then turned to face the students and spoke with a benign smile.
"Welcome to the Tower's Herbalist Division: Research Department."
—Drtt!
Suddenly the iron wall slid down, revealing a breathtaking wilderness environment.
The students couldn't help but gasp in awe at the sight.
Rows upon rows of plants stretched out before them, and the air was thick with the scent of herbs and flowers.
Joshua walked ahead and the students followed him closely behind.
"As we all know, the Tower was built in SOL 107 under the orders of the Second Emperor."
The old man explained and wasting no more time the student immediately took notes, except for the white-haired boy.
"As the price of medicinal herbs continues to rise each year, one of the Elders suggested building a greenhouse."
Greenhouse?
Adrian furrowed his brow and looked up.
Above them, a vast glass ceiling stretched out as far as the eye could see.
It was then that he realized that this was not a jungle, but an enormous greenhouse.
"The greenhouse project initially started at the main tower in Agatha on SOL 210. Subsequently, with sufficient funds secured, each branch established its own greenhouse by SOL 322."
After a brief silence, Joshua continued.
"We cultivate a variety of rare herbs in this greenhouse, including those that are not native to the Empire. By doing so, we have been able to reduce our production costs by 30%."
Adrian saw numerous herbalists examining the herbs and recording their findings on paper.
"Regarding the herbs that originate from the Empire, they are typically procured from the Vottane region to support the growth of our economy."
After observing enough, they moved to the next area.
—Drrtt!
The iron dome slid down and the students were greeted by a vast white hall that stretched out before them.
Stepping out of the dome, they noticed that the walls were lined with neatly arranged rooms.
People in white robes could be seen passing by, with some of them examining something in their respective rooms.
"This is the Alchemist Division's Research Department."
Joshua's voice broke the silence.
Well, that explained the various rare mineral stones and scientific tools strewn about on their desks.
Few darted at them as they passed by but immediately got back to their activity.
It was clear that the researcher paid them no mind.
Afterward, the students proceeded to the Elementalist Division's Research Department.
To their surprise, the students found themselves transported into a vast, empty white room, unlike anything they had seen before.
Beneath their feet, the floor was constructed entirely of clear glass, offering a view of the numerous rooms below.
Adorning the floor of each room were magic circles, where Elementalists could be seen chanting, writing on paper, and performing various rituals.
The room was brimming with precious mana stones, glimmering in the dim light.
Elementalists stood in a neat line, eagerly awaiting their turn to retrieve the coveted gems.
Péréz turned to Adrian, who happened to be standing next to him and asked.
"Will they notice us?"
Adrian shook his head and responded.
"I think this is a one-way glass.
"I see."
Péréz nodded his head in understanding.
Joshua said that they couldn't be disturbed, especially when chanting a spell; they need to have great focus.
That's why the students were only allowed to observe from above.
Following their activity, they went to their final destination: the Research Department of the Engineering Division.
True to its name, they were led to a room where engineers were busy working with metals.
Not long after the first day of the Study Tour came to an end.
Nevertheless, Adrian was intrigued by the Tower.
He found it surprising and unusual that an organization with such great power and influence had not attempted to overthrow their ruler and seize the throne for themselves, as often portrayed in fantasy stories, such as an evil church and its corrupt pope.
Despite standing tall for over 400 years, there was no sign of any such treachery.
On the contrary, the Tower continued to make valuable contributions to the Empire.
Before departing, the students were given an hour to explore the Tower's amenities and without wasting any time, Adrian immediately rushed towards the Tower's library.
Since each division had at least seven departments, the tour was scheduled to last for a week.
Then that meant, Adrian had a total of 7 hours to find the answer he was looking for.
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