Chapter 199 : Blind Girl Fanny
Chapter 199: Blind Girl Fanny
Heavy Loitering Missile
It was neither particularly “heavy” nor truly “loitering”~ in fact, calling it a heavy rocket was more appropriate.
However, it did indeed possess some functions of a cruise missile, making it essentially one of the Alliance’s attempts at cruise missiles—or rather, missiles.
For now, precise guidance was still difficult for the Alliance to achieve. Remote control wasn’t very effective either, and electronic flight control systems were still nonexistent. But what they lacked in technology, they made up for with unconventional ingenuity.
Like this time—the navigation method could only be described as crude.
They made use of Holy Crystals, the pure crystallizations formed from believers’ prayers during worship at the Church of Holy Light.
Then, by relying on the aura of Mitia herself, they induced the Holy Crystals to actively move toward the medium—the Goddess’s Altar—thus completing a form of forced “guidance” that could hardly be considered navigation at all. It was, frankly, quite absurd.
But absurd as it was, it still accomplished what precise guidance was meant to achieve—and that was enough.
This approach could absolutely be researched further in depth. Once technology advanced to the point of enabling pressure-sensitive control, the accuracy of guidance could be raised to an entirely new level.
By then, it might not even be necessary to purify the Holy Crystals into energy forms—simply applying force within a region would be sufficient to complete guidance~
— —
“Our system is a child born from the union of practical science and ideals. Science tells us what we are currently capable of doing, and what we are not.”
“Ideals tell us what we cannot yet achieve—but also that as long as we continue moving forward, one day we will.”
“But what cannot be denied is that in many cases, it cannot change what people subjectively wish to change right now. For example, we want to create a world of equal distribution—but at present, that is impossible.”
“Science represents the objective laws of all things. These laws are rational—and cruel. Humans, however, are fragile, and emotions cannot accept cruel reality.”
“For instance, when a loved one suffers from an incurable illness, science can tell us why it cannot be cured and what obstacles remain—but we may not want to know that. We simply want our loved ones to be healthy right now.”
“But unfortunately… that is not possible. So sometimes, cold truths are not necessarily more effective. Humans possess emotional cognition, and this is where the Church plays its role—using well-intentioned lies to provide psychological comfort. Rather than faith, it is more like a compromise with one’s own emotions…”
Sitting in the bright classroom, Curtis’s eyes revealed confusion and shock. He glanced around and found that the expressions of the students around him were largely the same… oh, except for the Alliance students, who looked completely unsurprised, as if this were perfectly normal.
Ever since he came to the Seris Federation as an exchange student from the Roshek Tsarist Dynasty, Curtis had realized that the worldview he had formed growing up in the palace was constantly being shattered and reshaped by everything he saw and heard here.
Here, ordinary people did not need to kneel or bow to him. He didn’t particularly mind—after all, in his eyes, it was natural for people to kneel before him, but if they didn’t, he didn’t find it strange either.
As an unfavored Fourth Prince, he had long been accustomed to this kind of Schrödinger-like treatment. For example, the servants of his eldest brother could act arrogantly toward him, and he had little recourse.
Compared to such situations back in Roshek, he actually quite liked how, in Seris, people only bowed to elders, teachers, and scholars.
In such an environment, he had even managed to make many friends—something rare for him. No one needed to ask who his father was, nor did anyone scrutinize him with probing gazes. Everything was calm and gentle.
The food and lodging were excellent as well. He ate together with everyone in the large cafeteria, and his friends would occasionally add extra portions of his favorite dishes to his tray.
But there were also things he both loved and suffered from—like the military training during the first month of school~
By the Empress!—no, by the True God, he swore he had never experienced such hardship in his life!
He had to wake up early every day to perform all kinds of physically exhausting activities, and stand under the blazing sun for long periods, which caused him to faint in embarrassment several times.
Sometimes, he even had to get up in the middle of the night! Though… the food really was quite good…
After some time, Curtis found that his body gradually adapted, and things improved significantly. Occasionally, he could even participate in his favorite activity—shooting practice.
It was there that Curtis finally understood why some of his Alliance roommates could hold a brick in one hand while doing homework with the other—because it roughly matched the weight of a rifle!
The Alliance did not treat them differently. Whatever firearms Alliance students could access, they could as well.
By the Empress—no, by the True God! Curtis had never imagined that he would even be able to climb into a tank for simulated training, or sit in a trainer aircraft and soar through the sky.
Unfortunately, the university was not near the sea, so he hadn’t experienced boarding a warship~
What impacted Curtis the most, however, was the vast collection of books in the Alliance’s open library. Many of the ideas within struck him as outright heresy—devilish thoughts he scarcely dared to read.
Yet at times, curiosity got the better of him. He would flip through a few pages, throw the book back, pick it up again, then throw it away once more.
And today, the professor’s remarks once again shocked him.
He bore no ill intent—what he meant was: in a nation that also had a Church, also had a massive base of believers, and also held such power in the hands of the rul—
Was it really okay to say such things openly?
Why were those girls dressed as nuns not reacting at all? This was too strange!
What kind of mindset allowed them to switch so freely between rationality and blind faith?
Just as Curtis’s mind was reeling, the class bell rang. The large lecture hall of over a hundred people remained silent—no one stood up. They all sat quietly in place, waiting. Curtis did the same.
After a moment, a black-haired girl in the front row slowly stood up. Holding a cane, she walked step by step toward the classroom door. After bowing toward the room, she finally left.
Everyone could see the black cloth covering her eyes. Only after she had gone did the others stand up, gather their belongings, and follow the flow of people out.
Fanny walked quietly down the corridor, her white cane tapping rhythmically against the floor. Only after she left did the other classrooms gradually become lively again, as if her tapping had been the true bell signaling the end of class.
Within the crowd, Curtis noticed many students with missing limbs, chatting and laughing with those around them as they walked out together. Whenever he saw this, Curtis felt an indescribable sense of warmth.
It was a feeling beyond words.
The Alliance had made it so that as long as one could hear and understand, one could attend school normally. All teachers and professors were required to speak aloud whatever they wrote.
The pace of teaching could not be too rushed, and instructors had to regularly check on students’ assignments and physical condition.
Fanny was not the only blind student pursuing education—but unfortunately, before the invention of Braille, she was the only successful case.
It was precisely because of her existence—achieving outstanding exam results despite being unable to see—that debates arose among higher institutions about whether to admit such students.
This, in turn, led the Alliance to begin taking seriously a group that had long been unconsciously overlooked: people with disabilities.
And thus, it initiated reforms in education.