"We heartily welcome you to Vodia station!"
A sweet female voice echoed as Oliver stepped out of the Hitech train.
Technically speaking, it was not a train.
The bullet-shaped vessel was more like a hyperloop. The only difference was it didn't need a space tube to travel.
According to the game details, the space capsule (actual name of the vessel) could leap through space from one node to the other.
The light jerk he had felt earlier had resulted from such space leaps.
! PLATFORM NO. 3!
Shining 3-D letters were floating in the air.
The station buzzed up as students pooled there, looking for their porters.
The porters were hovercraft pilots dispatched by the academy to get the students from the station.
"Come on, hurry up! We've to take the front seats," Buffon hurried him through the boisterous crowd.
"Hey! Are you blind, kiddo?"
In haste, Buffon didn't even notice the 3-D hologram of the station master and walked straight through it.
"Sorry! Mr. Miller," Buffon shouted back, grinning. Oliver rolled his eyes and followed him out of the noisy station.
Outside, a fleet of hovercrafts was waiting for them.
Buffon swept a fleeting glance over the shimmering flying cars.
"It is there!"
Buffon ran off to the black flying car. Oliver sauntered behind him, taking in the breathtaking sight around him.
The station was a geodesic dome sparkling with dreamy blue color. Around it stood electrical trees blazing like Lichtenberg dust figures.
According to Niel'd memories, these genetically modified trees could generate electricity.
*****
Villi was a little man with pointy ears. He belonged to the elf race and worked for the academy.
The elf was humming a melody when Buffon knocked on his fibreglass window.
The pointy ears glowed up as the implanted earbuds switched off. The villi looked at them through the glass. His green pupils dilated as a sweet smile crept on his smooth face. He hurriedly taped the glowing holograms on the screen before him.
The hovercraft's door whizzed open.
The interior of the flying car was just like the one you see in sci-fi movies. It was equipped with fifty comfy seats.
As a tech-savvy and a fan of sci-fi, it was a dream come true for Oliver. He couldn't help but grin as he sat in his dream vehicle. If only he could fly it! He gave the elf an envious glance.
"Here you brought my thing?" The elf asked, looking at Buffon expectantly.
"How can I forget it? But you have to wait till I get my trunk back, " Buffon replied. His eyes fixed on the dial before him.
Oliver wondered if Buffon was fooling the elf too.
"So, can I fly it now?" asked Buffon.
"Hold your horses, young man?" Villi said, beaming. The elf was one of their few friends. Buffon's dad had once helped him out in some bad situation. Though Villi never talked about it, he did treat Buffon with great kindness.
"We can't fly without the others! Wait for Alita to bring everyone," Villi said as he turned to Oliver.
"So how were your vocations, Niel? You must have had lots of fun. " He asked with a cordial smile.
"Yeah! I did have a good time. What's about you? Have you found your grandpa's memories? " Oliver replied, trying not to sound too low.
It was the worst summer of Niel's life. He had spent the entire summer working hard for a cryptozoologist. Because, unlike Buffon and Andrew, he had no wealthy parents.
Niel was grateful to Professor Grover Sanders Krantz, who had offered him, a ten-year-old, a job, giving him a chance to earn his school fees.
Hiring a minor was Illegal in Atlantis, and if someone reported him to the ministry, Pro. Grover could lose his job.
But again, what the professor was doing in Ghost City was itself unlawful. Grover had made Niel sign a devil's contract to ensure Niel never leaked his dark secrets.
Though Grover had told him he could come and work during the winter vacation, Niel never wanted to return to that cursed place.
Oliver found his memories regarding his work in Ghost city was incomplete. Maybe it was because of the devil contract he signed. There were many types of devil contracts and they were all forbidden and illegal. By looking at Niel'd messed-up memories, Grover must have used a neuralyzer on him. This piqued Oliver's curiosity about Grover. What was the baldy cooking in Ghost city?
Alita didn't take long to bring the rest of his housemates.
However, as soon as she got in, she snapped at Oliver and Buffon for not informing her or Ruby before leaving the station. They were looking for them on the platform.
"Sorry, Alita! We were afraid that Andrew and his goons would bully Niel again, so we hurried over here." Buffon winked at Oliver as he fed the two girls an utter lie.
Oliver cursed him under his breath. The two girls turned to him. Oliver tried to hide his wounded lips. He must see Lady Forber as soon as he got the academy.
"How long do you want to live like this? Report him to Tin-Tin or Miss Marguerite," chastised Alita for the umpteen times. Oliver dropped his neck; he couldn't argue with them anyway.
According to Niel's memories, Alita was not easy to convince, and the same was true for Ruby.
Alita was a final-year student and was doing her internship in the Living forest department that spread between Vodia and the academy.
The girl wanted to be a forest ranger - an extremely risky job. Because the forests of Ealorus were teeming with genetically evolved flora and fauna.
"He wouldn't. He thinks he can handle Andrew and his brutes alone," Before Oliver could speak, Ruby cut in, glaring at him. She was like this. Once you crossed her, she would pick your legs until you conceded.
"Sorry ladies! Please buckle up your safety belts we are flying,"
Oliver gave Villi a thankful look. The two girls left him in peace.
Soon they were flying in the starry sky with a dozen or so other hovercraft. Oliver finally had a chance to take a look at his status.
With just a thought, the bright screen appeared before his eyes. There were lots of options. Oliver decided to start with Character Bios. He focused on the icon, and details unfolded.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
<------------------CHARACTER BIOS ๐จโ๐ค------------------->
Name: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Life Path: Apprentice space janitor (2nd year)
Reputation: Poor
Legacy: None
Parents:
Father: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Adopted Parents: Robert deGrasse Tyson (Florist)
Home address:
Street: 1L Monroe Rd
City/Town: Pandoras
Region: Georgia
zip code: 0990
Country: Atlantis
space node: Too congested to teleport
Bloodline: None
Physique: Low-grade mortal
Physical strength: 35 (poor)
Mental Strength: 300 ( average)
Soul Strength: 800 ( poor)
Physical Defence: 60 (poor)
Mental Defence: 1000( Below Average. Not suitable for Mental Sports)
Element Affinity: 100 (Luminiferous Ether. Can apply for basic space courses)
Awakened Chakras: 2 and 1/2. (poor aptitude)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking at so many P's, Oliver cursed Euler for giving him such a bottom-level character. With this lousy talent, what kind of mission he could get from the thieves' guild. All his earlier excitement ebbed out as the air from a punctured balloon. Dejected, he closed the character bios. Again the ions appeared on the screen.
_______________________________________________________
1. โ Thieve's guild
2. Maps
3. Mysteries
.4. Chronicles of Ealorus
7. โExit
_______________________________________________________
Oliver's eyes stopped at the last option. Should he quit? He deliberated. There was no point in playing a game that he couldn't win.
Oliver was not a quitter, but he was also not headless. With the details he inherited from the system, he could picture his life in this cruel world where rich and powerful people dictated the fate of everyone. People like Niel and his florist father had no place in this world.
Oliver took a deep breath and decided to check the guild option, before making his mind.
As soon as he focused on the skull icon, the screen turned blood red, and a demonic laugh echoed in his mind, scaring the shit out of him. What the fuck! Olived swore.
The creepy laugh faded away.
Golden letters emerged on the bloody screen,
"Welcome To The Soul Portal Of Thief Guild!"
Please, wait while we check your status...
The red color slowly faded away. The screen again turned translucent with several statues.
_________________________________________________________
Name: Nameless ( Note: Agent must complete ten missions first to get his name)
Notoriety: -10 ( Alert: Agent must increase notoriety level within three days or his membership will be revoked)
Experience points: 0.5
Level: Rookie. ( Don't even know how to wipe his ass after shitting.)
Skill: Bragging.
$Beginner gift: Robber's hands. (Use it wisely)
Mission: Steal the thing Buffon has brought for Villi! (level zero. training mission)
Duration: 24 hours
Penalty: A false charge of stealing
Guild's headquarter: Not available! ( must complete one hundred missions to unlock it)
Booty: none.
Rewards: none
Loan: Five Devil's Coins (Membership Fees. Must be paid within a week)
____________________________________________________________
Oliver was dumbfounded after reading his mission. First, what did they mean by 'can't even wipe'? Then this skill. Since when did he become a braggart?
Oliver felt offended after reading the details. Was the system designed to insult him?
And what was this loan thing?
It was really a bad start for Oliver.
Oliver was about to check his gift when a ruckus broke out in the hovercraft. He snapped out of the system and found the students were screaming with fear.
Confused Oliver followed their horror-filled eyes. And what he saw made his hair erect.