Chapter 22: Bling Hathaway

"You're stunning," he remarked 

"Why, thank you. I'm aware," i replied with a hint of pride. However, before I could fully bask in the compliment, the alleged professor encroached upon my personal space, scrutinizing me from head to toe as if I were a specimen on a dissection table.

With the agility of Spiderman, the elderly man traced his fingers across my skin, inspecting every detail with precision. He then proceeded to pry open my eyelids and peer underneath, all while I stood there, dumbfounded, unable to react for the first few moments.

"It's quite remarkable. You're unlike anyone I've ever encountered before... Physically, you bear a striking resemblance to those creatures. But I can't be certain until I take some tissue samples and conduct a thorough examination of your internal biology."

"Excuse me?" I exclaimed, quickly stepping back, putting considerable distance between us as my eyes narrowed and sharpened warily. 

"Oh! Those eyes!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with unrestrained awe. "Indeed, you are not a typical human. That much was clear from my initial assessment. You possess 'Mana'..." With a fascinated expression, he leaned in closer, fixating on the area over my left chest where a translucent red glow emanated faintly.

"...and a Core, yet you are not a Knight of the Walls. Externally, you bear similarities to them, but you are not an Outsider either. Moreover, despite your outward appearance as a human, you are something more, something beyond an Elder God..." He paused abruptly, leaning back, then added with an amusing curiosity, "...at least not entirely. So, what exactly are you? Who are you?" He rephrased the question, drawing closer as I instinctively took two steps back for every step he advanced towards me.

"Firstly, shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking about someone else?" I maintained my guard, eyeing the creepy old man warily.

"Ah, yes. Please excuse my manners," he coughed and leaned back before introducing himself.

"I am Professor Bling Hathaway, and you can call me Professor Hathaway or just Professor, whichever suits your taste." He observed me closely, a small smile playing on his lips as if anticipating my reaction.

Taking a closer look at Professor Hathaway, I noted that he was a middle-aged man in his mid-forties, with full grey hair and shimmering green eyes behind a pair of glasses. His fair skin showed only faint traces of wrinkles under his eyes and smile lines, yet his demeanor exuded almost child-like enthusiasm while he continued to subtly scrutinize me. 

Professor Hathaway stood straight, wearing a white lab coat. After a moment, he coughed and continued, "Once again, I apologize for my initial conduct. I was fascinated by your presence. Pardon me, but I have a few questions..."

"No, I won't let you cut me open," I flatly rejected.

Flabbergasted, Professor Hathaway choked on a round of coughs and stammered, "No... as fascinating and intriguing as your makeup is, I would never desecrate you like some specimen," he exclaimed. 

I narrowed my eyes, clearly not buying his response. "Even if I gave you permission?" I inquired suspiciously. 

Professor Hathaway choked and coughed again. "Well, now... that would be a different—"

"Ah, so you would cut me open and study my insides? Shameless much, Prof?" I grinned wolfishly.

Professor Hathaway's amiable smile, which had remained throughout our conversation, twitched from a corner. 

"A-ahem. In any case, you have yet to introduce yourself as well," Professor Hathaway reminded me.

"I'm Huey Blade," I responded.

Professor Hathaway blinked emptily for a few seconds. "Blade?"

"Professor, it is time," a third voice chimed in. At the entrance stood Iroq and two other young men, whom I assumed were the Professor's escorts.

"Time? Time for what?" I asked, sparing an indifferent glance at the glares of the men. 

"We heard Chief Warrior Barack returned to the settlement with a Beyonder, and now we have a meeting with the Tribe Chief and Elders," Professor Hathaway responded on their behalf.

"I thought all I had to do was meet with this Professor guy they kept talking about," I inquired.

Professor Hathaway smiled and responded accordingly. 

"Perhaps. But you have to understand, a surface dweller was brought to the settlement, supposedly on neutral terms, but it will all only depend on the Head or the Elders. Now come, we can talk on the way to the Chamber." I hadn't failed to take note of all the terms the Natives referred to those of the Walls.

I limited myself to simply following next to the Professor, with the three escorts behind us. We exited the lab and continued down a long tunnel passage. In the silence, I felt compelled to probe the old man to satisfy some of my curiosities and doubts I've had since the waiting room.

"Professor Hathaway, you're a Magic Knight, aren't you?" I calmly said. A quick surprise flashed across the Professor's expression for only a moment before he smiled wider.

"Was it the lab coat or the lack of revealing clothes that gave it away?" He joked, but I remained neutral. 

The professor emanated an incredible flow of "Mana" radiation in his body, leading me to believe he was either a Knight or akin to the Outsiders. However, I was more inclined to believe the former rather than the latter, as the "Mana" inside the Professor had subtle differences from that of the Natives I had encountered so far. Additionally, his attire also hinted at his origins from the Walls.

"I thought the Outsiders harbored a deep-rooted grudge and animosity towards those from the Domes. How is it that someone like you is allowed to live here? And from what I've observed, you seem to hold some level of prestige among the Natives," I remarked. Not once had I heard any of the Natives refer to the Professor as Wall scum or Devil.

Even the way the escorts and Iroq spoke about him differed significantly from their usual menacing tone towards me.

Professor Hathaway nodded. "Yes, indeed. I had heard from Barack, and since you asked this question, and also your lack of reactions to my name, it seems you really aren't from the Walls. Either that or you've been sleeping under a rock long before the first invasion," he laughed lightly.

Finding it in me to not take offense from the latter statement, I glanced at him and inquired with a raised eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He sure didn't resemble a idol to me. 

Professor Hathaway smiled amiably and nodded. "Yes. We Hathaways are the inventors of technology behind ManaTech and Mana Cores, also pioneers of the first-ever Magic Knight to walk the earth since the invasion." Bling's casual declaration caught me off guard.

'The old man really was a big shot! '

 "Oh yes, we also invented the Domes. Or at least, my Grandfather and Father did."