One of the Wonders

The book wasn't thick, only a little over fifty pages. Since Chaoyang skipped around, reading only the parts that interested him, he finished the whole thing in barely fifteen minutes.

He discovered that Glaic Academy wasn't an academy in the true sense of the word, but a powerful company.

What the company sold was knowledge.

And it could do so only because it possessed a first-class Wonder, the Myriad Machine.

The receptionist hadn't been entirely accurate. In truth, there was only one Myriad Machine, and it stood in Xingwei City on the Old Continent. It was almost as large as a building. Perhaps for reasons of confidentiality, Glaic Academy Records didn't include a photograph of it, instead using a hand-drawn sketch to convey its grandeur and wonder.

It looked nothing like the "mechanical giraffe" in the room. Rather, it resembled an enormous collection of pipe organs, with tens of thousands of metal pipes packed tightly together. The people standing beside it looked about as big as matchsticks. Chaoyang estimated conservatively that the pipes, which varied in size, were at least thirty meters tall. If it had anything in common with the machine before him, it was that the pipes all converged at last into an octahedron.

The structure beneath the "pipe organ" was just as complicated. At first glance, it looked like a collection of gigantic cabinets, but the sketch couldn't begin to show what was inside those steel boxes.

Chaoyang also noticed a detail: the entire Myriad Machine had been installed in an even larger building, with no windows visible anywhere. Given the building's astonishing dimensions, he used what little he knew about architecture to conclude that the structure housing it was probably underground.

The old man's "original" referred to this astonishing machine.

Glaic Academy Records didn't explain in detail how the Myriad Machines in other places connected to the original, or how they searched for books. After all, wireless technology didn't exist in this world, let alone long-distance directional data transmission! Chaoyang didn't know whether Glaic Academy was deliberately keeping this secret or simply considered it unworthy of explanation.

When he finished the book, he felt goose bumps rise across his arms.

The towering streams of Wish Force had already shown that this world was anything but ordinary, but it had still felt distant and unreal. Now, he realized he was standing before a supernatural power.

More importantly, this supernatural power wasn't half-hidden or barely glimpsed. Its influence on everyday life had spread to every corner of the world.

For instance, the Myriad Machine could not only search for books, but also record knowledge. Glaic Academy Records stated plainly that useful knowledge could be uploaded through regional terminals. Once the Myriad Machine accepted it, the contributor would receive a handsome payment. Anyone who later searched for that knowledge would also earn the contributor an additional reward.

This was practically a knowledge tax!

No wonder Glorious Fortress, all the way out on the New Continent, could build such a luxurious, hotel-like academy. Just think: if the books from all over the world were stored in the Myriad Machine, the wealth it made from taking a cut would be astronomical!

Besides, it had no competitors.

Because there was only one Myriad Machine in the world.

In a sense, Glaic Academy had become a monopoly on knowledge.

So the question was: how had this company acquired the Myriad Machine?

The answer was undoubtedly hidden in the peculiar term "first-class Wonder."

Chaoyang eagerly sent a new query to the Myriad Machine.

"Hello. Our records show that you made six inquiries and printed three books, for a total charge of five hundred and ten Ceriel," the receptionist at the front desk said with a smile. "After deducting your deposit, you still owe four hundred and ten Ceriel."

He'd been careless!

As he took out his money, Chaoyang wailed inwardly. His enthusiasm had gotten the better of him, and he'd forgotten how exorbitant the academy's fees were. Only when it was time to settle the bill did he realize he'd spent nearly half his savings!

He could have used his replication ability to get out of paying, but that wouldn't have been wise. A "super library" this convenient was obviously worth visiting more than once, and he didn't want to arouse suspicion in a place like this just yet.

"Thank you for your patronage!" After counting the coins, the other man smiled so broadly that his mustache curled upward. "There are fewer and fewer people these days who love knowledge and are willing to spend money on books like you." He handed Chaoyang a small card. "May I ask how I should address you?"

Chaoyang took it and had a look. It read, "Glaic Academy, Glorious Fortress District Manager, Kavri Bode."

"You're...the manager?" he asked in astonishment.

"That's right. You thought I was a receptionist, didn't you? The two jobs aren't really all that different." The old man seemed to see right through him, but didn't mind saying so. "It's my privilege to serve people who love books."

"Pleased to meet you. My name is...Chao." Chaoyang hesitated, then decided to use the same name as the Detective. "I have a question. Printed books stay at the academy afterward, right?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't that put the first person to read them at a disadvantage? After all, looking up the original and printing a copy costs a hundred silver in total, while later readers only have to pay ten silver to consult it."

"That's true." He nodded. "But that's only a loss in monetary terms. The first person to read it gains the knowledge first and is better positioned to get ahead. Someone like you, for example—"

"Me?" Chaoyang blinked.

"I can count on one hand the number of people who've spent five hundred Ceriel on their first visit to the academy, and every one of them has excelled in their field. I imagine...you won't be any different."

Uh...would he excel as a super Demon at gathering Wish Force? Why did that image seem so strange?

"As for those who come later, although they miss their chance to get ahead, they can still encounter new knowledge for a much smaller price. That, too, helps the world progress," Bode continued. "One of the academy's main principles is to keep pushing the world forward, and knowledge is essential to that process."

Chaoyang coughed twice. "In that case, why doesn't the academy just lower its prices? Or sell books outright?"

"Mr. Chao, knowledge has always had a barrier to entry. If the academy lowered its prices indiscriminately, people wouldn't flock here. Instead, they'd look down on those who paid a high price to acquire knowledge." He smiled. "Of course, we also have many policies to ensure more people can read books. For example, when Glaic Academy supplies books containing material for local school textbooks, we charge only a tenth of the usual fee, and so on. All in all, it's a very complicated matter. I'm sure headquarters has good reasons for setting these rules."

Chaoyang neither agreed nor disagreed, but he knew that no matter what he said, he couldn't change an enormous institution like the academy.

On the carriage ride back, Chaoyang saw a steam train pass through the city. It moved slowly, yet with great power. Billowing white smoke poured from its top and trailed far behind, like a five-clawed cloud dragon.

But this time, the iron machine gave him a completely different impression.

Because Chaoyang knew it was a Wonder, too.