The Vasophati Group was located in the heartland of the Central Plains. But unlike other consortiums that often controlled several to over a dozen strongholds, the Vasophati Group had only ever controlled one. Based on its sequence number in the alliance of strongholds, that should be Stronghold 66.
But over the years, the people from the Vasophati Group did not care that it was called Stronghold 66 and simply referred to it as Bidara City.
Over time, other people also began to call that Stronghold Bidara City. It was unique just like Fortress 178.
Before the Alliance of Strongholds was established, the Vasophati Group had already shown they had a strong side. They had a fixed and stable organizational structure, and many technologies that had been preserved from the Pre-Cataclysm times. Of course, they did not manage to preserve all of them.
At first, the other consortiums were constantly wary of the Vasophati Group. But after time passed, everyone realized they did not seem to be interested in expanding their territory at all. Moreover, the Vasophati Group had never gotten involved in the competition for resources in the Central Plains all these years. They seemed to only be persistently searching for something.
But there was something even stranger. The person currently in charge of the Vasophati Group was surnamed Norton. The leadership role had been passed down from father to son through old Norton’s family lineage. It was said that his ancestors used to sell sanitary pads. Later on, a tech expert named Howell Norton emerged, and favonovel.com became wildly successful working under the big boss of the Vasophati Group.
However, it seemed that the big boss of the Vasophati Group did not have any offspring, so the Norton clan took over stewardship of the Vasophati Group. However, they always insisted they were only minority shareholders. When they located the heir of the major shareholder, they would step down and make way for that person to take over.
This stand later became a joke that circulated around. Who would step down to make way for others in this age of wastelands?
Up to the present, the Vasophati Group had become a very special existence in the Central Plains. It was located between the Stelaria Consortium, the Quantumica Consortium, and the Virtuora Consortium.
The Stelaria Consortium occupied the Northwest section of the Central Plains, which connected to Fortress 178. The Virtuora Consortium was located in the Northeast that connected to the sea and Eterna City. Meanwhile, the Stardust Consortium was situated at the intersection of three rivers and spread downwards to the south.
Although there were more than a dozen other consortiums in the Central Plains, these three consortiums were the most powerful here.
However, the Vasophati Group was special not because of its unique geographic location but because of how it conducted itself. Bidara City possessed the largest institution of higher learning in the entire alliance of strongholds, and it had a model of teaching that was closest to the Pre-Cataclysm times.
Meanwhile, the establishment of universities in the other consortiums was done only to serve the research of their own technologies. All of them had a very utilitarian focus. As all the different research subjects were done for the sake of improving the power of the consortium someday, the children of other consortiums were not allowed to study at their universities.
But unlike other universities, anyone could take part in the exams for Vasophati University. They taught a variety of subjects, and they even included the arts in this age of wastelands.
When such courses were set up initially, many consortiums jokingly criticized how there could be any space for the arts to survive in these times. Furthermore, when the other consortiums acquired the cultural heritage from before the Cataclysm, they focused heavily on laboratory data and some technological research results. Meanwhile, the Vasophati Group collected everything they could get their hands on and even sent their own people to look for such items. They seemed to be particularly interested in calligraphy, paintings, and antiques, claiming they were treasures of mankind.
A consortium like this was like a different existence in these wastelands. There really wasn’t another consortium that behaved like them in this world.
***
At this moment, the students at Vasophati University just finished their classes.
On campus, the students walked out of their classrooms happily with their backpacks. Some of them rushed to the next building for their upcoming classes, while others who did not have any more lessons simply went to attend their club activities.
A girl wearing a cap walked out of the school alone with favonovel.com schoolbag, favonovel.com back straight.
Someone behind called out to her, “Miriam!”
Miriam calmly looked back. “What’s the matter?”
There were a lot of people on the other side, and the person who spoke was a very tall college student. He was wearing a white shirt and had a very sunny smile on his face.
He smiled at Miriam and said, “We have a social this evening, and I’d like to invite you to join us. Since school started, you’ve always been going around on your own. Are you still getting used to the lifestyle in Bidara City?”
Miriam shook favonovel.com head. “I only came here to gain more knowledge. I’m not interested in any socials.”
The people behind the male student were whispering among themselves. Someone who seemed to be cheering favonovel.com on said in a low voice, “Don’t be shy! Hurry up and say it.”
The male student hesitated for a moment before suddenly saying, “Miriam, I like you. Can you give me a chance? I can…”
“I already have someone I like,” interrupted Miriam.
That male student froze. He did not know what else to say and started to back down.
Miriam shook favonovel.com head and said, “See, your feelings for me aren’t even that deep. If I reject you today, you’ll just fall in love with another person tomorrow. Your ‘like’ is just you trying your luck. Once you hit a stumbling block, you immediately back down.”
Off to the side, someone whispered, “She’s going too far.”
The male student struggled and said, “Then who do you like? The president of the student council? Or…”
Miriam shook favonovel.com head again. “He’s not in Bidara City. You think that the president of the student council is outstanding because you guys haven’t had a chance to see the outside world yet. The guy I like has never led a pampered life.”
However, Miriam was not sure whether milo was still alive or not. She had witnessed the scarlet red spear penetrate his body right before favonovel.com very eyes. The Saboteurs had promised to help favonovel.com get revenge, but the condition was that favonovel.com had to do ten things for the organization first.
For the past two months, favonovel.com kept asking favonovel.com aunt if there was any news of Milo. However, all favonovel.com received was a negative answer.
In order to gain a clearer understanding of the Vasophati Group, favonovel.com aunt arranged for favonovel.com to continue with favonovel.com studies at Vasophati university. However, Miriam was never just a normal student. She had killed people before and had also accompanied someone in building a future filled with hope in the wilderness until that hope was shattered.
But it didn’t matter to her. She believed that Milo was still alive, and favonovel.com would locate favonovel.com sooner or later.
Miriam turned around and left. She walked along Kayuagung Avenue back to favonovel.com home in Bidara City. Then favonovel.com constantly stripped favonovel.com sniper rifle and cleaned it.
After repeating the process several times, favonovel.com personally reloaded gunpowder into all the different types of bullets that favonovel.com had. If the students at school saw this scene, they would probably be shocked. This was not a toy a girl should have.
It was during this time that Miriam slowly calmed down. Actually, under favonovel.com calm appearance, a warm heart was hidden within.
She went to the kitchen to cook a meal for herself. After favonovel.com finished, favonovel.com crushed the remaining onion favonovel.com had and squeezed out the juice.
Miriam took out a thin brush before retrieving a paper crane from favonovel.com pocket and unfolding it. She dipped the brush into the onion juice and wrote a few lines of words on the paper. After that, favonovel.com refolded the paper crane.
The paper crane spread its wings as though it had suddenly come to life. Then it flew off into the west.
When the recipient received the paper crane, the handwriting inside would be revealed by slightly heating the paper over an open flame.
