Translator: CinderTL
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Weiss Academy, named for its location by Wes Lake, is the pride of Lord Paul Grayman of Alden.
Initially, Weiss Academy consisted of just a few simple buildings where Paul established a Night Literacy School to teach the illiterate commoners how to read and write.
The roofs leaked, vines crawled up the walls, and the night classes were illuminated only by oil lamps. Monastic teachers from a nearby abbey used charcoal pencils to write letters and numbers on rough wooden boards, while the commoners squeezed onto long benches, awkwardly holding crude pencils and laboriously tracing various characters on paper.
As time passed, the school expanded its curriculum to include basic arithmetic and geometry. Some bright young individuals began to display remarkable talents; they learned to calculate the area of fields and how to quickly tally various data. The seeds of knowledge finally took root in this remote corner of the kingdom, providing tremendous support for Alden's agricultural reforms and economic development.
With the flourishing economy of Alden, the investment in education in Alden Town grew significantly. Primary schools were built in various towns under the governance of the Council of Administration. After achieving literacy, the new goal became to elevate the educational standards within the territory, prompting Paul to decide to establish a more advanced educational institution in Alden Town.
Near the original simple schoolhouses, the first teaching building rose from the ground. This three-story stone structure, though modest, marked a new milestone in Alden's educational level.
The increasing prosperity of commerce and the output of numerous manufactured goods spread the once-remote name of Alden to more and more places, from the Northwest Bay to the Kingdom of Aldor, and from Aldor to other parts of the continent, accompanied by the reputation of Lord Alden's thirst for and respect for knowledge.
Affordable paper, exquisite porcelain, and various ingenious creations—most people's judgments of a civilization often begin with its material outputs. More and more scholars flocked to Alden, bringing their expertise in fields ranging from alchemy to astronomy, mathematics to engineering, philosophy to medicine… Paul organized these scholars and established different academic departments within Weiss Academy.
The scale of the academy grew larger and larger, with new buildings rising on the vacant land by the lake: libraries, laboratories, observatories… After ten years of construction, the academy had developed into a grand university, its main building standing tall, flanked by symmetrical wings connected by an arcade that ran through the courtyard. Each column of the arcade was engraved with the names of famous scholars from history and their great achievements.
A gentle breeze from the lake brushed across the square in front of the academy, where a bronze sundial stood in the center, its base inscribed with Lord Paul Grayman's aspirations for the academy: "The light of knowledge illuminates the future." The academy's library was built facing the lake, with large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the shimmering water. Students often sat at the oak long tables by the windows, studying, occasionally looking up to see water birds gliding across the lake.
Behind the academy lay an experimental garden, planted with exotic plants from around the world, and even a greenhouse built at great expense, its glass sparkling in the sunlight. A winding stone path led to the observation platform by the lake, where a massive telescope designed for stargazing was set up. At night, teachers and students often gathered there to gaze at the stars, seeking the mysteries of the universe.
At this point, Weiss Academy had become a comprehensive academic center, with its courses covering nearly all fields of contemporary scholarship.
Even in the eyes of the little princess Eileen, Weiss Academy was on par with the Scholars' Tower in Gabella, and in many areas, it even excelled. The scholars in the Scholars' Tower focused more on literature, history, and politics, as the purpose of the tower, built by the first emperor of Gabella, was to cultivate talents for governance to assist future monarchs and local lords. In contrast, Weiss Academy had separate divisions for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other subjects, which were often categorized as miscellaneous and not given much attention.
At this moment, Ingrid was strolling through Weiss Academy.
The white-haired witch, known as the Ice Witch within the Arcane Order, was searching for someone—Alvey, a former member of the Scholars' Tower.
She had been dispatched by the new emperor of Gabella, Antonio Griffin, to hunt down Alvey, who had defected from Gabella. However, she lost track of her target along the way, unaware that he had taken a detour to the Great Plains. She had arrived at Alvey's original destination—the Kingdom of Aldor—searching for traces of the old scholar. Finally, in Frand Port at the Northwest Bay, Ingrid found a clue that might be related to her target.
The Nature Science Forum, a conference hosted by the local lord, invited numerous scholars from within and outside Aldor to participate. As a scholar, Alvey would surely be interested, or perhaps his initial purpose for coming to Aldor was precisely this—Ingrid speculated.
Thus, the Ice Witch followed the information she had gathered and arrived at Weiss Academy, where scholars from all directions had gathered.
The academy was open to the public, and Ingrid pretended to be a tourist as she wandered inside.
In one corner of the square, she saw several scholars excitedly discussing.
"We've finally waited for this day!" one scholar exclaimed, waving his staff, his voice trembling with excitement. "I heard Lord Grayman is going to announce a new theory on planetary motion, which could completely change our understanding of celestial bodies!"
"Yeah, it's all those damned orcs' fault!" another interjected angrily, his beard shaking with rage. "It delayed us for a whole year! If it weren't for their invasion, we would have unveiled these mysteries last year!"
"Don't mention those barbarians!" another scholar, dressed in a splendid robe, shook his head dismissively. "They have no understanding of the value of knowledge. However, it is truly admirable that Lord Grayman has persisted in his research amidst the chaos of war. I heard he has also discovered a new law regarding object motion, and many old theories of motion may be overturned!"
"Overturning existing theories of motion?" an elderly scholar's eyes widened, nearly dropping his quill. "This… the great sage Hade Edward once said that explanations in this area have reached perfection. If that's the case, this field will face a fierce war of words—you know, many people are staunch supporters of Edward."
"Not only that," a young scholar squeezed in, his eyes sparkling with excitement, "I also heard that the Aldorians have made significant breakthroughs in mathematics, with a new calculation method called calculus that can solve complex problems we couldn't handle before!"
"This is simply too exciting! I can't wait to attend this conference; I have a feeling it might change the entire academic world, even the face of the world itself!"
"Yes, everyone gathering together, sharing their insights—just thinking about it is exhilarating!"
Gathering together? Ingrid heard their conversation.
Alvey might just appear there.
(End of the Chapter)
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