26 25: Star Child IV

"Make your own system?!" Iris exclaimed.

"That's impossible, it takes years of study and self reflection in order to craft a system for any old farm crystal. One as rare as a star crystal would take decades!"

"She's right Chase, it would take you way to long to craft one." Jane said.

"It's not like I have a choice or much of one. I can either go without, become a slave to another country , or make my own" I said. "Besides its not like it's impossible. There have been others with star crystals before me and they had to create their own systems at one time or another or how else would we have these national treasure grade systems."

"He's right. It's not impossible" Dean Baxter said. "While you are right Ms. Philari it takes years of study and self reflection to create a system from scratch but that is a full system."

Jane, Iris, and I all froze and looked at the dean. He returned the diorama back to its original position and the secret bookshelf returned to its original position. He turned to us and smirked.

"What? Surprised that I know your real name Ms. Philari? Lady Soloman?" Dean Baxter said. They both looked to terrified to speak.

I stepped in front of then and cycled mana into my hands. It turned into flames which danced around my hands.

"It seems my suspiciously were correct. Given the way Mr. Kingston has jumped to your defense he knows about you two." Dean Baxter observed.

"He knows our names but not their significance. How do you know those names though?" Jane asked. Dean Baxter laughed.

"Did you forget where Andromeda is? Do you honestly think your father would send you without someone to watch your back M'lady?"

"I see." Jane said. Her expression turned cold and emotionless like it had yesterday before our first match. "Does that mean you will be reporting to my father that we did not keep up our end of the bargain?"

"That all depends on Mr. Kingston here." Dean's Baxter's eyes bore into me. I narrowed my eyes at him and closed my hands slightly. The flames stopped dancing around my hands as I tried to focus the mana into a ball into the palm of my hands. The flames gathered into a small fireball and I held my hand out in front of me at the dean.

"I'm not going to pretend that I have the full picture but I know that if you know their real names then that means you could be the reason they have to leave the school." I said.

"How chivalrous of you." The dean said sarcastically.

"Nothing chivalrous about it. I need them if I'm going to make it here, they need me to help keep their real names a secret." I said plainly.

"Practical…fine I won't tell your father lady Soloman." Dean Baxter visibly relaxed. I closed my hand and the flames extinguished instantly, I felt the mana that I had cycled for the attack rush back into my body. "That spell is rather impressive Mr. Kingston, only took you seven seconds to form that fireball. But no less inefficient because of your lack of a system."

"Yeah, I know." I replied. I looked back at Jane and Iris both looked like they'd just dodged a bullet.

Dean Baxter walked over to a bookshelf behind his desk and perused the books there for a few moments before he saw the one that he wanted. He plucked it off the shelf, flipped through it then scowled and placed it back. He repeated this process a four more times before he found a found the one he was looking for.

"Aha!" He exclaimed then walked over to me and handed me the book.

It was a faded red leather-bound tome. The cover looked to be several centuries old, the redness of the leather faded to just a faint hint of pink. I flipped through the book and was surprised to see that the pages were as new as the day it was printed but also blank. I flipped through every page in the tome but they were all blank.

"Is this a joke?" I asked and held open the empty tome for the dean to see.

"Not at all. Pour some mana into it." Dean Baxter said.

I looked at the girls who both just shrugged. With a sigh I did as the dean told me and cycled some mana into the book. The tome changed almost instantly. The faded leather cover that looked like it was about to fall apart slowly had the color return as of time was reversing. The pages that were once blank now had words being suddenly appearing on the pages. I gasped and looked at the girls, they looked just as dumbfounded as I did.

"How?!" I exclaimed. The dean smiled.

"Look at the first page." He said. I flipped through the pages till I got to the first and read it aloud.

"The pathway within, the complete guide to constructing the mana system of your dreams…by Deilopho Salagor?"

"DEILOPHO SALAGOR!" Jane and Iris screeched into my ears.

"Ow! Fuck!" I exclaimed then glared at the two of them. I was about to chew them out for screaming in my ear until I saw the look of pure excitement on their faces.

"Is that book really by Deilopho Salagor? The Deilopho Salagor? The nameless paragon!" Jane asked.

"The what?" I asked.

"The nameless Paragon. Deilopho was given that title for being the only splicer in history to ever refuse the title of Paragon almost a thousand years ago.. He was a true visionary and a splicing genius so much so that his works are worth in the hundreds of millions." Dean Baxter explained.

"Hundreds of millions!" I exclaimed breathlessly. "and this is one of his works?"

"Yes. One of only five the collage has in its collection." Dean Baxter replied.

"Why the fuck are you letting me hold something this expensive?" I asked then cradled the tome the same one would a precious child. Dean Baxter smiled deviously and folded his arms.

"Simple, as expensive as that book is its worth pales in comparison to that of a star farm crystal system, and a new one hasn't been created in almost four hundred years. I offer you this: you can have the book for as long as it takes for you to create your system then when you are done you document hoe to create the system and them bequeath it to the collage." Dean Baxter said.

I looked back at the girls and they were practically livid. Both Jane and Iris were shaking their heads yes, urging me to accept the deal. But it didn't sit right with me.

"No deal." I said. The dean's eyes bulged out of his head.

"WHAT!" Jane and Iris roared.

"What do you mean no deal? Do you not understand how much that book is worth? How much it could help you?" Dean Baxter asked. I smiled deviously and looked up at the dean.

"Oh fuck, there goes that smile again." Iris whispered.

"I do understand but now I also understand my worth a little more thanks to you. Your deal makes it so that mostly you benefit, I don't like that. I mean what's a few hundred million dollars compared to something that a hundred million people are willing to die to get their hands on." I said. The dean's eyes hardened as he took a few steps back and leaned against his desk.

"What is your counter offer then?" He asked. I stood and thought about if for a moment then smiled.

"I want to keep this book permanently." I said holding the tome up. "Consider it part of the down payment for my system. I also want unrestricted access to the other four books of Deilopho's the collage has, my own personal shuttle, a monthly allowance, and a laboratory that only Jane, Iris, and I can access. In return I'll add my system to the collages archives as I make advances with it."

"You honestly expect anyone to agree to those demands?" Dean Baxter asked. I took the tome and shoved it back into Dean Baxter's hands.

"I honestly don't need the book. Jane and Iris can teach me what they know about systems and from there I can craft my own, it'll be slow and tedious but I can do it. Then I won't be restricted in what I can do with it." I said. The dean scraped his chin and thought for a moment then chucked and shook his head.

"I can do everything but the allowance and the shuttle. However I can make sure that your lab is always fully stocked and any materials used are replaced by the collage. I'll even make it so that all five works can be stored in the laboratory." Dean Baxter responded.

"That'll do." I said then held out my hand. The dean chuckled and shook my hand.

"So smug and sharp as a tack. That attitude will take you far Mr. Kingston. But be careful, it can also make you some enemies as well." The dean said.

"I'll keep that in mind." I said. Dean Baxter handed me back the book then turned and walked around his desk to take a seat.

"I'll have the collage's lawyers draw up a contract and then send it to you for signing." He said.

"If any contracts are going to be signed then I'd like my lawyer to have a look at it first." Jane spoke up. She walked up next to me and I could see she had her cold emotionless expression back. "For everyone's protection."

"Of course Lady Soloman, have your lawyer contact us and ours will send over the paperwork." The dean replied. "In the mean time I will square away your laboratory and see about getting the rest of Deilopho's works available to you."

"Thanks! Pleasure doing business with you." I said as I turned and headed toward the door. Jane and Iris followed close behind as we left the dean's office. Unice was watching us carefully as we made our way down to the elevators. The girls were silent the entire time we waited for the elevator. The moment we stepped onto it and the doors closed Iris started slapping me.

"Ow, ow, ow! Stop Tri-clops!" I snapped. She slapped me two more times before her rage wad somewhat quelled.

"What the fuck was that!" Iris screamed.

"Seriously! Do you have any idea what you just did?" Jane exclaimed.

"Got me all the tools I need to start crafting my own system as well as my own space to do it." I replied.

"No! Well technically yes but no!" Jane exclaimed. "You just brokered a deal that grants you access to five books from one of the most genius splicers in history. And you get to keep one of them! Paragons would kill for this opportunity."

"Now you're just being dramatic." I said. "I'm sure a Paragon could easily find access to those books."

"I'm sure they could get access to them but not easily. Depending on what those other four books are you could easily become the envy of all paragons." Jane said.

"Right now I kinda need to focus on making a system and catching up to everyone else in the class. I can't rely on pure dumb luck and ridiculous strategies to get me through our classes. I need to change."