—There was no path upward, no way to trade knowledge for wages and social status?
Hearing this, Ian was slightly taken aback. He had considered similar questions before, but there had simply been too much to think about, so he had never pondered them deeply... But now that he thought about it, that was indeed the case.
The reason studying had been seen as a way to change one's fate in his previous life was because it could change one's fate. It could earn others' respect, secure relevant job opportunities, and bring in a salary.
Forget all that talk about how studying could elevate oneself. If studying could not bring tangible improvements in social standing and corresponding rewards, then what elevation of the self could there be?
People had to live, after all.
And on Terra... perhaps that path had not been severed.
But its upper limit had been suppressed by the Ascenders.
The nobles controlled all technical knowledge and knowledge concerning Ascenders. Even if ordinary people acquired relevant technical expertise, unless they became Ascenders, they had no way to advance further in their professional fields...
The Magic Potions, inheritances, formulas, assistance from alchemists, compatibility tests for one's body and bloodline that Ascenders required... these were obstacles a single generation could scarcely overcome.
Of course, the path upward was not completely closed off.
If someone was a true genius, they could become an Ascender within a single generation, then gradually accumulate wealth and knowledge. After a few more generations, perhaps they could become nobles.
And traditional nobles would not reject such newly risen nobles. On the contrary, if they could absorb such geniuses into their own power structure, it would be even more beneficial to them—the positions had not yet filled up, and the world was still vast. They simply