Zane sensed a deep disgust from Valeria's expression and glanced at Tom Nguyen and Evans. Both of them looked bewildered, wondering where this hatred came from. It couldn't just be because of the goblin's past, right? Did she have a bad experience with them? Regardless of the truth, no one in this trio is socially inept enough to ask her about it.
"Are hobgoblins the original name of the race before the curse?" Zane asked.
"That's right."
"I thought their race could magically evolve."
"Technically speaking, they can," Valeria explained. "But the success rate is very low. Plus, most hobgoblins do not consider goblins of the same race, so even if they evolved, they are still discriminated against."
Zane was not surprised by racial discrimination in the magic world. The first time he met Valeria, she asked him whether he had a problem with her being a drow. From that brief confrontation, he could deduce the complexity of racial relationships even among the tower's staff.
Just as the three were about to continue their conversation, Valeria noticed someone behind them, waiting or maybe listening. "Alright, you guys are holding up the line."
"Oh, I don't mind," said a young woman dressed in a sweater.
"You may not mind, but I do," Valeria replied. Zane swiftly apologized to the young woman before leaving the counter.
"So, what do you have to say to me?" Tom Nguyen asked, his chest puffed as if he were a cock showing its dominance to its flock.
"I was wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it," Zane smiled.
Tom scoffed, "It's not fun if you just accept defeat like that."
"Now that I think about it, do you guys think the tower pays these cooks? Or do they just forcefully enslave them?" Zane suddenly asked.
Tom Nguyen frowned. "Where is this coming from?"
"Like Evans said: when giving a choice, a business will choose the cheapest option. And what can be cheaper than slavery?" Zane reiterated.
"There is no way, right?"
"With how many of these staff who seemed to believe in the concept of might is right, I wouldn't be surprised," Evans remarked.
"But that's so unethe —" Tom Nguyen stopped himself, before also physically stopping. "How about we ask them?"
"You're assuming they're going to tell the truth, and even if they did, what can you do if it's true? Protest by refusing to eat in the cafeteria? What's the point of doing that?" Zane shook his head without stopping. He had a few books he needed to rent and read.
"That's better than nothing," Tom Nguyen said, who turned around to visit Valeria once again. By the time he returned, Zane and Evans were each already holding a copy of [Spectrum of Mana Channeling] and [Demon Species Manual]. The young mathematician rushed into their table, and Zane had to give him a look to remind him that they were in a library.
Tom Nguyen looked around and sighed in relief upon realizing their location was isolated, with only three of them around. "She said they hired proper cooks and pay them a fair wage,"
Zane interrupted his reading, "That's all she said?"
"According to her, while slavery is common in many civilizations, the tower's line of work requires a positive image, so they don't use slaves unless they have to."
"Unless they have to?"
Tom Nguyen was quiet for a few seconds, "I asked her, and she said I didn't need to worry about it."
Zane nodded, not surprised in the slightest. With just the few interactions he had with the tower staff, it's not hard to understand how they operate ethically. He had never believed they were some force of good that came to Earth to save the world; everything they've done is nothing but business to them. Luckily, the tower never portrayed itself as Earth's savior.
"What's with that reaction? Don't you feel anything about such practices?" Tom Nguyen asked.
"Only people who live peaceful lives have the luxury to think about morality and ethics," Zane shook his head.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Never mind," Zane replied before starting to pack. Now that he already had the books he wanted, there was no point in staying in the library; he could read in his dorm, under the soft embrace of his clean sheets.
Evans looked at him while squinting, "Isn't he a software engineer? What has he experienced for him to have such a sentiment?" He suddenly realized he did not know his roommate as well as he thought.
"Really, what do you mean by those words? Are you insinuating something about me?"
Zane stood and asked, "Are you guys still coming with me to the Virtual Learning Lab?"
"I've been meaning to check it out," Evans nodded, swiftly packing his stuff as well.
"What about you?"
"Huh, oh, I guess I'll come, but stop ignoring my question."
"Take a hint, my friend," Zane said as he walked away. After checking out his books, he headed directly to the lab after asking for directions. This place wasn't shown during the orientation for whatever reason, most likely because the tower didn't deem it a priority. As such, Zane was quite shocked by what greeted him: an enormous room full of blue, comfortable chairs, with a white helmet lying atop them.
"It can't be, right?" Evans first spoke.
"Virtual Reality Technology," Tom Nguyen said with a smile. "I once wrote a paper about the math involved in the Sword of Damocles."
"The ancient Greek anecdote? What does it have to do with virtual reality?"
"He's talking about Ivan Sutherland's Sword of Damocles, which is considered the first virtual reality system created," Zane explained.
"That makes more sense."
"Hey, over there."
The group looked over and finally noticed a counter with someone behind it. However, their bodies immediately froze. A few minutes ago, they were talking about goblins, and a few minutes later, behold, a short creature with long ears stood directly in front of them, wearing a black magic robe with a three-star pin. The only difference from the goblins they used to know is that this one's skin was light purple instead of green.
Zane was the first to regain his bearings, so he calmly walked over. He subtly glanced at the name on the badge before saying, "Hello, Mage Ulbram — well, I apologize, but do you guys use first or last name? Is there a specific custom?"
"It depends on the dimension, but for now, last name is perfectly fine," Ulbram replied.
"That's good to hear," Zane nodded.
"Are you guys here to learn how to write a dissertation?"
"Oh, no, I'm here to take some math classes to get ready for Mana Directive Theory," Zane explained.
"Taking the initiative, huh? Good for you," Ulbram nodded. "Do you want to take Earth's classes or the tower's?"
"What's the difference?" Tom Nguyen immediately asked.
"Earth's mathematics is decent, and we've designed many of the courses to fit your system. But if you want to get far as a mage, you must learn Gremorian Mathematics."
"Gremorian Mathematics? Shouldn't math be math no matter where it's from?" Evans asked.
"The fundamentals will be the same," Tom Nguyen explained. "No matter where, I believe 2 plus 2 will equal four. However, mathematics is a language — a system created by humans. Earth has its own system, and the same will be for other civilizations; they will create their own languages or systems to explain similar fundamental concepts — hence, Gremorian Mathematics."
"I see," Evans said in a soft voice.
"Think of it like this," Zane added. "The Pythagorean Theorem is true no matter which dimension, but it won't be called as such; it may be named by some Archmage who discovered it. A simple example would be the addition sign. Here, on Earth, we use a cross to indicate addition, but in another dimension, they might use a dot. Such a simple change will form a completely new language or system of mathematics."
"I get it now," Evans nodded. All the time and effort Zane had spent to pass his Technical Writing class was not for nothing.
"Sir, what do you recommend?" Zane asked.
"Let me first check your profile," Ulbram said, retrieving the magic scanner. The three showed their soul crests, and the hobgoblin waved the thin, transparent-looking smartphone over their non-dominant hand.
"Let me see. Hmm, Tom Nguyen, you have a solid foundation. You major in Set Theory, which checks many of the courses needed to study Mana Directive. As such, I suggest two paths: either take a look at our Geometry Courses for a refresh or directly start learning the Gremorian System."
"I'll start the Gremorian System."
"As you wish," Ulbram nodded. "Zane, your knowledge is more in Applied and Computational Mathematics. While you're also considered "well-read" on other topics, the truth of the matter is you've only scratched the surface."
Zane smiled wryly. His parents couldn't bring him many books while he was in a maximum-security prison. A year before his release, he was transferred to a minimum security prison with a decent library, but the content was mixed. So, he read whatever he could get his hands on. And after his release, he spent another year catching up and absorbing as much information as possible from the New York Public Library and whatever he could find online for free.
"For you, I recommend the general course. Once you've learned enough, then you can start learning the Gremorian System."
"General Course?"
"It's a high-intensity course that combines many fields: geometry, trigonometry, fractal geometry, differential geometry, topology, combinatorics, and others. I wouldn't recommend it for most students — especially since they have other course loads, but for you, it shouldn't be an issue since you already have a foundation."
"I understand," Zane nodded.