But she let those thoughts go for now Instead she cleared her throat “Alright we all know why we are here After his discussion with Miss Collins the Ghosthound made it clear that we would need nine Keystones for Kharon Academy We currently have six that fit the criteria that he set Miss Collins if youÆd bring everyone up to speed “
Gertrude Collins nodded smartly “As per the Ghosthound’s instructions the Keystones are to be ideological issues or outcomes that the student will spend their study at Kharon Academy learning to address These will be more general than majors at a university Although I communicated how focusing so much on the negative might not be a good thing ” Gertrude paused so Mrs Jane next to her could press her lips together ” he remained firm
Honestly I never understood a teacherÆs need to frame everything positively Tatiana dragged her fingers across the wooden table We donÆt live in a positive world But luckily Randidly gets to take the heat for this decision hehe and Mrs Jane is the type to hold a grudge
“So these are the six Keystones we now have Indulgence Ignorance Weakness Tragedy Helplessness and Emptiness These are the issues that our students will address “
“There is quite a bit of overlap between them ” Brethren Zod commented while his two front legs bobbed against the edge of the table “Should we not seek to make all of the different Keystones distinct “
Tatiana nodded “Ideally yes But I don’t think it’s an issue as long as we keep it as minor a crossover as possible After all the same methods can be used to solve many of our worldÆs problems But since their study will be informed by the whole of methods to address each issue the Keystones should still shape distinct followings But the fact is that we still need three more options So if anyone has an idea “
“There’s another issue ” Gertrude added She made a small note on a pink post it and very purposefully stuck it to her pad before she continued to speak “ItÆs the creation of the Keystones Randidly excuse me the Ghosthound said that he wouldn’t help with the details of their creation So we will need nine individuals to help source the Engravings Neveah will be making for the Keystones So “
“So if you feel strongly about one flaw in our world please feel free to take responsibility for a related Keystone ” Tatiana finished Then she drummed her fingers against the table as she considered the issue Her gaze touched on all of the people around the table “Don’t force yourself there are plenty of powerful image users on Kharon now We can get outside assistance if we need it But also the people here are the ones who understand the spirit of Kharon Academy the best We are the ones who can give the most insight into its shape “
Then as she considered the thoughtful expressions of the surrounding people Tatiana noticed that Gertrude Collins was making several notes on a blue post it She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes “Also considering the fact that we need three more Keystones anyone who has an idea should share We can hopefully generate one or two more in preparation for the meeting with the Ghosthound at the end of the week “
Commissioner Arrietti rubbed his chin Tatiana made a mental note to gently press him later to see if he had a concrete idea And after toying with the post it note in front of her Gertrude looked up with a determined expression “Well actually I did have an idea I just I don’t know what word to use to sum it up But if I had to pick one I guess truth “
Everyone looked at her The ogre scribe shifted slightly and spoke in a soft voice “Did you say truth “
“Ah yes But like I said that’s just a stand in ” Gertrude to speak more rapidly “What I’m really talking about is something like destiny We have helplessness already but a sense of helplessness toward your life Loss of control and agency Or maybe something like avoiding a destiny that you don’t want That Path doesn’t have to be true for you “
Mrs Jane nodded very slowly “I think I see it And I think the word you are searching for is Certainty You want to combat certainty It’s a good option “
They were standing about fifty meters away but the sound of that ponderous volume of water crashing into the pool below had almost become ubiquitous at this distance The crashing notes of water impacting water would have echoed outward to fill a larger space if not for the fact that it was a constant production line of vibration So the sound didn’t echo it just continued constantly pushing against the eardrums of the listener The noise pooled contentedly above like the water did below
Randidly scratched his cheek suddenly understanding what Tatiana must constantly go through with his wild and high minded ideas “You think this would be a good spot to take for the Kharon Academy “
Tim Moss nodded seriously and pointed up toward the mouth of the waterfall “It’s flat up there right That can be where most of the school buildings are Or over there along the ridge Tim waved his hand vaguely not having any actually viable options to point at in particular Then a town and houses and stuff can be down here at the bottom well maybe a bit farther away so they didn’t hear the waterfall all the time But like it’s really cool right Waterfalls are cool “
“Oh yea ” Randidly said hollowly His senses were spreading out to cover the surrounding area and getting a gauge for how large the piece of land he would need to take in order to maintain a working waterfall In addition he was quickly able to determine how rocky the surrounding area was Engraving could substitute for quite a lot but still ” It’s very cool “
Encouraged Tim’s expression immediately brightened “Plus I’ve seen the Niagara Falls before this is nowhere as big as that So probably people won’t mind if we take it away or something “
RandidlyÆs mouth twitched This area is flooded with monsters that I donÆt know if anyone would even notice that it was missing People who live nearby might even thank us for ripping their neighborhood monster den out But as Randidly glanced around he did see a few crumpled and vine covered signs that human habitation used to be present here Likely before the System rearranged their world there appeared to have been a large building at the base of the low hill on which they were standing
The people who lived or worked in that building had undoubtedly developed a tolerance for the constant thrum of low thunder that echoed out from the waterfall RandidlyÆs mouth twitched Lucky pre System Perception bastards
But that was Randidly simply projecting the sardonic amusement he felt as he considered the viability of using this area of land as the base of Kharon Academy and son developed a headache It wasnÆt the noise of the waterfall that stifled RandidlyÆs enthusiasm despite the fact that he had earlier promised Tim that he could help pick the spot to draw him out of his shyness The genuine reasons that he hesitated were two fold
First space to build the Academy
Randidly glanced upward at the waterfall in question For about thirty meters above the ground the water fell freely from a thin ridge where it geysered horizontally out into the air But despite its height the waterfall possessed immense power due to sheer volume of water that squeezed out through the cracked stone and into the air
The smallish mountain in front of them was just one of a hundred in the surrounding area None of the surrounding mountains were particularly large but they pressed so tightly together that Randidly guessed that the source of the waterfall was snowmelt from the more massive Mountains only a short distance away It probably flowed through the high valleys in the main portion of the mountain range finally arrived here to crash gleefully down toward sea level
But the area around the source of the waterfall was rocky and cracked Most of the ground in the surroundings was sharply inclined It was possible that they could level the ground to make a firm foundation but how much space was available for the various classrooms and the auction hall that Randidly wanted to be present in Kharon Academy They would need to take some of the surrounding mountains as well and have some of the construction be on the surrounding peaks