Tivian is located on the east coast of the Preet Kingdom. The Moonflow River, whose basin covers one-third of Prit's main island, enters the sea here. The inland river network shipping connected to the interior allows Tivian to gather goods from across the Kingdom for export abroad, while also ensuring a continuous flow of imported goods from foreign countries to various parts of the Kingdom.
This is the capital and most important City of the Preet Kingdom. Dense buildings are spread across the vast land, extending as far as the eye can see. Over five million people are concentrated within this City. The large port on the eastern coast is busy day and night without rest. Behind the western horizon, the chimneys of the industrial zone continuously spew thick smoke throughout the year.
At the entrance of the Tivian train station, dense crowds came and went. To one side of the tall gate, Dorothy, dragging a large suitcase, finally set foot on Tivian's land and let out a long sigh of relief.
'Phew... I finally arrived, and getting out went smoothly. I wasn't entangled by the police or reporters. This is the best outcome.'
Dorothy thought with relief. She had spent the entire morning looking for an opportunity to retrieve Edrick, and then managed to get off the train and leave unnoticed, successfully avoiding entanglement by the police and reporters.
To avoid trouble, Dorothy specifically had Edrick leave a note in her compartment, suggesting that the conductor and crew take credit for capturing the real culprit. In the eyes of someone like Dorothy, who was accustomed to staying behind the scenes, fame and trouble were equivalent.
'That conductor and a few train attendants were quite nice. They cooperated with me the whole time. I hope they like my gift.'
Standing at the Tivian station entrance, Dorothy looked out at the unfamiliar City before her. The streets were considerably wider than those in Igwinte. The road surface wasn't paved with Stone bricks but cement. More carriages traveled back and forth on them, the buildings were taller, and the crowds on the roadside were more congested and bustling.
Unlike Igwinte, a faint white mist floated in the air of Tivian. It was clearly a sunny day, but visibility was limited, and a subtle strange odor could be detected in the air.
"It seems the pollution is quite severe, at least much worse than in Igwinte. It looks like I'll need to keep some masks handy from now on."
Murmuring this, Dorothy dragged her suitcase first to the telegraph office next to the train station. Here, she sent a telegram to Grego in Igwinte to report her safe arrival. Then, she went out onto the street and hailed a carriage. After asking the driver to load her suitcase, she also sat inside the carriage compartment.
"Royal Saint Crown University, please. Thank you." Sitting in her seat, Dorothy asked the driver ahead, and the driver replied.
"Please be a bit clearer about where at Crown University, Miss. It's very large; there are seven or eight branch campuses."
"Hmm... please wait a moment."
Saying this, Dorothy took out an envelope from her coat pocket, opened it, and pulled out a letter. After glancing at it, she replied.
"Please go to the East Gate of the King's Campus at Royal Saint Crown University."
"The old campus? That's a bit far. The fare will be a bit expensive, Miss."
"It's alright, just drive. The fare isn't a problem."
"Alright then, hold on tight, Miss. We'll go a bit faster."
Saying this, the driver cracked the reins, urging the two-horse carriage forward. Dorothy took the opportunity to begin admiring the scenery of the large City along the way.
The carriage Dorothy was in turned and proceeded along the City streets, traveling for quite a long time. It was so long that Dorothy grew tired of the scenery; all she could see were hurried crowds and tall, gray buildings that looked oppressive and dull. Dorothy felt like dozing off. In Igwinte, she would never spend such a long time on inner-city transportation.
Gradually, the buildings on either side of the carriage windows began to thin out. The number of green belts and street trees increased, and the surrounding scenery began to brighten up, becoming less stiflingly dull. Dorothy judged that she seemed to be slowly moving away from the City.
Finally, after taking a carriage ride for nearly two hours, Dorothy finally reached her destination. The moment she got out, she looked at the scene of blue sky and white clouds before her and took a deep breath of relatively fresh air.
What appeared before Dorothy's eyes was an ancient, tall Stone gate. Beyond the gate was a vast green area, and in the distance stood clusters of classical buildings with numerous spires and carved Stone railings. It seemed to be due to being somewhat away from the industrial zone; the mist here was much thinner, and there was no trace of that strange odor in the air.
"You've arrived at the King's Campus, Miss."
"Thank you, that was quite a long journey," Dorothy replied, then handed over the agreed-upon fare. The driver took the fare and said with a smile.
"Actually, if you want to be fast, you can take the City railway and the subway. Those coal-burning ones are much faster than these horses."
"There's a subway and rail transport here too?"
"Yes, but because there are few trains, you have to wait a long time, and there are many people riding. It's very crowded, a mixed bag of people, and it's dangerous for a wealthy young Miss like Captain to ride alone. Who knows what could happen.
This is the oldest campus of Royal Saint Crown University, and also where Crown University first began. The core of Crown University is also here. Quite a few people come to visit every year. I hope Captain enjoys Captain's visit, Miss."
Saying this, the driver waved and drove the carriage into the distance, while Dorothy thought silently on the spot.
'I'm not here for tourism, I'm here for school.'
Thinking this, Dorothy looked towards the campus in the distance. That would be her new school.
Back then, Aldrich told Grego that he would recommend Dorothy to a better middle school so she could get into university later. In reality, Aldrich went straight to the point and recommended Dorothy to attend university directly.
"Alright... now it's time to take care of the 'enrollment procedures'."
Murmuring this, Dorothy started off, dragging her luggage. But her destination wasn't the university campus, but a residential area resembling a small town opposite the East Gate.
Dorothy walked along the streets of the small town, looking around. She found that most of the houses in this town were made of wood, with simple but elegant decorations. Bushes and flower baskets were a must for every household, decorating the surroundings to be fresh and bright. There were many open stalls on both sides of the street, mostly selling various snacks and food. Many young men and women around 20 years old were strolling and shopping, while others were reading at tables under the shade of trees.
'It seems this is a commercial town specifically serving students. The contact Aldrich told me to find lives inside here...'
Taking out the letter Aldrich had prepared for her beforehand, Dorothy wandered around the town while reading it. Before leaving Igwinte, Aldrich gave her this letter, telling Dorothy to come here to Tivian to find a contact person, and this contact person would help arrange things for Dorothy afterward.
After looking at the address on the letter and searching for a while, Dorothy finally arrived at her destination, a seemingly very ordinary, even somewhat old, Stone-built house.
"Royal Saint Crown University, Green Shade Town outside the East Gate, No. 37. This should be the place."
After confirming the house number, Dorothy walked up and knocked on the door, following the pattern mentioned in the letter, knocking once.
After a few seconds, a slightly cold, mechanical voice came from behind the door.
"Why have you come?"
"An acquaintance introduced me," Dorothy replied. This was the answer taught in the letter, and the other party quickly responded.
"Proof."
Without thinking further, Dorothy inserted the letter in her hand through the mail slot by the door. After waiting for a while, the door before her automatically opened.
Dragging her luggage into the room, Dorothy looked around and found it was a very ordinary living room with a sofa, fireplace, coffee table, and bookshelf – nothing particularly different. Just as she was about to go deeper into the house, that strange voice from before sounded.
"Please stand still."
Hearing this voice, Dorothy was slightly taken aback. After some hesitation, she still chose to stand where she was.
Then, the door behind her suddenly closed automatically, followed by a series of clicking sounds all around. The floor beneath Dorothy's feet began to vibrate with this sound, then the entire and complete floor split open and sank down. Dorothy looked up in surprise and saw the gears clicking and operating beneath the floor, along with a series of mechanical structures driven by them.
'There are mechanisms under this floor? The mechanisms activated and made the floor sink?'
Thinking this, Dorothy was then carried down into the underground by the sinking floor. In some places, the floor would also move horizontally left and right. Dorothy was transported like cargo by the floor to an unknown place, with countless mechanical gears clicking and operating around her.
'Damn, is it like this under this whole house?'
Amidst fear and trepidation, Dorothy's journey finally reached its destination. After a trapdoor was opened, Dorothy was delivered into a spacious area.
Chain gears and various mechanical structures were placed everywhere. Unknown disassembled equipment was scattered around. Orange-yellow Lights illuminated the enclosed environment. A huge mechanical clock stood on the wall, ticking.