After leaving the "Hat and Dagger" club, Colt led Thilan and Annelie through the campus. Under the sunlight, the shadows of branches and flowers brushed over their bodies, casting dappled patterns on the ground. The lingering summer cicadas chirped intermittently, weaving into their conversation.
"Although there are many clubs on campus, the members are quite scattered. The 'Hat and Dagger' club has 62 members, which is already quite large. There are only two clubs with more members than that," Colt explained.
"See that birdcage-like building over there? That's the activity building for the 'Indigo Cornflower' club."
"The whole building?" Thilan looked at the distant structure. Its exterior was made of transparent blue glass, through which various flowers and plants could be seen inside. The building had five floors, each with a ring of plants and flowers, while the center was the activity area. The overall design was elegant and fairy-tale-like, with exquisite decorations that exuded a noble atmosphere.
"Yes, the 'Indigo Cornflower' club has about 120 members, all female. They don't accept male members. It's a gathering place for the academy's socialites and young ladies."
"What do they usually do?" Although Thilan wasn't surprised by the idea of a gathering of socialites, she was still curious about their activities.
"Their activities aren't particularly unusual. They mainly drink tea, tend to flowers, raise small animals, discuss fashion, hold parties, and go out for fun together," Colt explained, his tone suggesting he didn't hold these young ladies in high regard.
"These young ladies may seem harmless, but when they cause trouble, they're particularly difficult to manage. They're also very united internally. Once the club president sets a rule, everyone must follow it."
"In the past, there have been instances where they played pranks out of boredom. For example, members who lost a bet within the club had to confess their love to a poor male student on campus and date him for a month without revealing the truth."
"During that time, other members would secretly observe and record the interactions. This fake relationship would then become a long-standing joke for the members within the club."
"What happened after the month was over?" Annelie suddenly became interested.
"Of course, they would dump the boy, often in a humiliating way, to cleanse their reputation and show that they were 'above it all,' 'just playing around,' or 'teasing him.' If they actually admitted to liking the boy, they would likely be mercilessly mocked within the club," Colt adjusted his glasses, his voice cold.
"Did something like this happen to you, Colt?" Thilan sensed something.
"It didn't happen to me, but a friend of mine experienced something similar, which led to him dropping out later."
"This..." Annelie didn't dare to ask further.
The three entered the birdcage-like blue building. Inside, it was much cooler and more comfortable than outside. The first floor was quiet, likely used for receiving outsiders. There were no members here, only a few stationary autonomous units.
"Please show your identification. Non-members of the 'Indigo Cornflower' club are not allowed upstairs." A waist-high autonomous unit rolled over on its base.
"I'm Colt, a member of the student council. I would like to go upstairs to meet your president." Colt extended his left hand, and the chip in his wrist was scanned by the autonomous unit. His identity photo and basic information appeared on the screen.
"Received. Please wait, connecting..." The autonomous unit paused.
Soon after, the unit's front screen lit up green, and it moved aside to make way.
"Request approved. The president has allowed you to go upstairs. Please follow me." It led the three to the elevator and entered with them.
The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and the autonomous unit led them out, continuing forward.
Along the way, they could see many small spaces divided by grids, each with a round table and chairs, surrounded by potted plants. Occasionally, they saw small groups of members chatting, drinking tea, playing card games, or tending to flowers.
These young ladies were fashionably dressed and well-groomed. When they saw the three passing by, they turned their curious gazes toward them, but no one came out to speak.
Leading the three deeper into the garden-like grid, they saw a woman dressed in a layered, cream-colored gown with a large spiral of golden hair sitting at a table. She had a voluptuous figure, with blue teardrop earrings and gemstones adorning her dress, exuding a luxurious and extravagant style.
In this grid, beside her, there was also a girl dressed as a butler standing behind her. Her deep green hair was tied into a small bun at the back, giving her a very efficient appearance.
"Long time no see, Colt." Seeing the three arrive, she put down the teacup she had been sipping from and looked up.
"Good afternoon, President Sesaron." Colt bowed with perfect etiquette, then straightened up and introduced the two beside him.
"This is Thilan and Annelie. Thilan will be a new member of the student council and will be responsible for related matters in the future." He gave a brief introduction.
"Oh, so you're Thilan?"
Sesaron rested her head on her hand, her fingers lightly curled, and looked at the new black-haired, bespectacled member. She had remained seated since Colt entered and didn't seem inclined to offer him a seat.
"I've heard your name. Recently, Jinzerk joined your club, didn't he?" She then picked up her teacup, blew on it gently, and took a sip, her demeanor calm.
"A new member of the student council, I see. Is there anything else, Colt?" Putting down her cup, she continued to look at Colt.
Frowning slightly, Colt continued, "This time, I'm not just here to familiarize Thilan with the procedures. I also wanted to inform you, Sesaron, that your club members' recent behavior in the Southern District—flaunting wealth and booking entire venues—has been too ostentatious."
"Ostentatious?"
"Colt, do you know your place?"
"Neither I nor my club members need you to meddle. I've warned you before. If it weren't for President Amorth, I would have taught you a lesson long ago."
"True, I am under President Amorth's protection, which is why I can stand here and speak to you. But your club's actions—including but not limited to booking entire streets in the Southern District, ordering thousands of cakes only to waste them, hiring celebrities to perform on private stages only to humiliate them, and taking over all the advertising boards in Spiral Leaf Square to broadcast a birthday livestream for a friend—are excessive."
"These actions only show the outside world the extravagant, decadent side of Edess Academy students, leaving a terrible impression."
"Enough!" Her eyebrows shot up, and she waved her hand, signaling the butler behind her to escort them out.
"Originally, I thought you'd be more polite today, given the presence of newcomers. But it seems I was wrong, Colt. You're still that impulsive, ill-mannered monkey, just like your friend who was expelled from the academy."
"Jianyan, show them out. I don't want to see any outsiders today."
"Yes, Miss Sesaron." The efficient butler stepped forward and gestured for Colt to leave.
Taking a deep breath, Colt calmed himself and gave Thilan an apologetic look before leading the two out slowly.
On the way down in the elevator, Colt explained the conflict he had with the president.
"After my classmate dropped out, he confronted Sesaron, but she mocked him, saying he was overreacting and had poor mental resilience. I was so angry at the time that I almost got into a fight, but I was stopped by companions sent by President Amorth."
"After that, I thought I had moved on, but today, when I saw Sesaron and heard her tone, I couldn't help but lose my temper. I'm really sorry," Colt explained.
"It's fine. We can visit President Sesaron separately in the future," Thilan shook her head. She could tell that Colt was usually a calm and rational person, but his behavior just now was out of character. It seemed the incident from back then had left a shadow on him.
"The 'Indigo Cornflower' club might need you to visit on your own in the future, Miss Thilan. Next, I'll take you to the 'Black Shirt Wanderers' club. This is the largest club on campus, with about 200 members."
"I don't think I've heard much about them?" Thilan thought for a moment.
"That's because their club is quite special. You can only join starting from your second year," Colt led the way.
"Have you heard of the Aijeka Network?"
"I know a little about it."
"The Aijeka Network is an information channel built on the Aijeka Sea. It's one of the few ways to achieve faster-than-light communication. However, the amount of information between star regions is vast, so the networks between star regions are usually synchronized every three days. For example, if a celebrity in the Emerald Moon Star Region releases a new album, ordinary people would only find out about it online three days later."
"But since I mentioned 'ordinary people,' there are naturally non-ordinary ways to get information instantly. That is, by using the Aijeka Network to project your consciousness into it, instantly crossing space to browse the inter-region networks of other star regions. This method of navigating the Aijeka information network is also called immersive deep diving. It's somewhat similar to watching immersive movies, but it's much faster at acquiring information and also more prone to side effects."
"Generally, only adults over 20 years old and at Sequence 3 or above can enter this network. Moreover, the equipment for immersive deep diving is very expensive, far beyond what ordinary people can afford."
"However, for Edess Academy, this equipment is quite common. As long as a student is at Sequence 4 or above and over 17 years old, they can apply to use this equipment in advance."
"The members of the 'Black Shirt Wanderers' club are all long-term users of the Aijeka Network. They gather to exchange tips on immersive deep diving, such as how to recover quickly, how to maintain mental stability, how to mitigate side effects, how to protect their consciousness while diving, and how to fight within the Aijeka Network."
"It's worth noting that no matter how much you mitigate it, maintaining this projection and receiving high-density, high-speed information streams for long periods is a strain on the brain. Mild side effects include nausea, vomiting, and mental fatigue, while severe cases can lead to mental instability or even madness. So, the use of such immersive equipment must be cautious."
"Alright, we're here." With that, the three stopped in front of a black building. The building looked like a flattened can, somewhat squat but very large, with four floors and covering thousands of square meters.
Entering the building, the environment was very quiet. The interior was dimly lit with only some backlighting, creating a soothing atmosphere.
After verifying their identities at the autonomous unit, they went up to the second floor. The interior here was like a movie theater, completely dark, but the hall was filled with tilted immersion pods. Some pods emitted a faint blue light, illuminating their surroundings.
Upon closer inspection, the lit pods contained people lying inside. They wore glowing circular goggles over their eyes, their bodies secured in the pods. Occasionally, their fingers and feet would twitch, as if they were having peculiar dreams.
Soon, three young men in black hoodies approached. They wore sunglasses, their hands tucked into their hoodie pockets, and wore casual pants and sneakers.
"Hey, long time no see, Colt. Here to play today? I found some great stuff online recently. I'll send it to you later."
"Ahem." Colt's expression was serious, indicating that he had companions with him.
"Oh, who are these two beauties?" The leader of the black-shirted group stepped forward, taking off his sunglasses and looking them over.
"This is Thilan, a new member of the student council. I'm bringing her to familiarize herself with things," Colt introduced.
"Thilan, nice to meet you. I'm Tave." His skin was slightly tanned, and he reached out to shake hands with the quiet girl.
However, the girl seemed a bit uncomfortable with the sudden physical contact, and Colt quickly intervened.
"Alright, Tave, let's get to business." He steered the conversation back on track.
"We'll need a bit of your time today. Please explain immersive diving and your club's usual activities to Thilan. It's her first time here, and she needs to understand the situation. Thilan will also be an important member of the student council in the future. With her help and understanding, the restrictions on your club might ease a bit."
"Oh, that would be great. If the restrictions were slightly relaxed, our entire club would immediately support Miss Thilan as the new student council president." Although his tone was somewhat joking, there might have been some truth to it.
"Go prepare some snacks and drinks—normal ones. We need to properly entertain our guests today." Tave instructed his two companions, then led the three to a private room on the side of the hall. This room had lights and was much brighter than the dark hall.
After they sat down, Tave took off his hood and sat on the circular sofa. He swiped the projection panel on the table, and soothing jazz music began to play in the room.
"Miss Thilan, is this your first time encountering the Aijeka Network?"
"Yes, I've only heard about it before," the girl shook her head.
"Indeed, it's not easy for ordinary people outside to access this. Only some big cities have specialized internet cafes for logging in, and they're expensive and not necessarily safe." He tapped the table, thinking about where to start.
"The Aijeka Network is an information channel built on the Aijeka Sea. The countless pieces of information within it have essentially created a virtual world that transcends reality. Entering it is like stepping into another world—a bizarre, kaleidoscopic realm of infinite possibilities." He gestured with his hands, as if opening a door.
"However, projecting your consciousness into this network world is also risky. If you don't stay in safe zones, or if you don't follow the prescribed ways of browsing, or if you're tricked into entering dangerous black zones, you could be attacked."
"Your consciousness enters the network, but you can't rely on the magic or physical strength of your real body. Even a Sequence 7 powerhouse, if they encounter a skilled and ruthless hacker in the network, could easily run into trouble."
"Although I've mentioned the dangers, there are also many benefits."
"First, you can always get information earlier and faster than others. For example, cutting-edge technologies, research topics, and discoveries from various star regions, playing games not yet released in your star region, watching movies and TV shows from other star regions, and finding rare or obscure materials from your own star region."
"Second, there's interaction. In reality, inter-region travel is not only extremely expensive but also time-consuming. But in the Aijeka Network, you can easily interact with users from other star regions. This interaction isn't limited to communication; you can also enter mental spaces preset by others. If the other person is strong enough, they can even show you scenes constructed from their memories."
"There are even many dedicated idols on the network who engage in this business. They manage their own 'rooms,' attracting various visitors to watch their singing performances, casual talks, lectures on certain topics, discussions on current events, and sharing of their lives. Compared to ordinary online idols, you can experience a more immersive interaction in the Aijeka Network. For example, you can rotate and examine items they showcase in 360 degrees, feel their textures, and even smell certain scents—just like in real life."
"This experience completely surpasses today's videos and movies. Only immersive movies can compare, and even then, immersive movies are just a weakened and modified version of the Aijeka Network experience. They use safer phantom crystal mist instead of direct neural consciousness connection."
"In reality, if you can't find a certain niche skill, you can easily find a seasoned teacher online and learn from them in an immersive environment, just like in real life. Or, a skilled doctor can use the neural feedback from the Aijeka Network to perform surgery on a patient in a remote hospital in another star region. This technology can even be applied to warfare, such as controlling drones hundreds of light-years away from the comfort of your home."
"This technology is undoubtedly beneficial; otherwise, it wouldn't have developed so rapidly. However, since we're in a school, our use of related equipment is subject to many restrictions, such as daily time limits and certain behavioral restrictions on the network."
"If the restrictions were slightly relaxed, our club could bring more glory and achievements to the academy." He spread his hands, his expression devout and fervent, like a faithful believer in the network.