Simon quickly made his way into a designated plane meant for people travelling between cities under the Gamer’s Truth Corporation.

Even economy tickets in these planes cost as much as first class tickets in regular planes, which certainly caused a dent in Simon’s wallet.

Even so, the treatment that one would receive with these “economy” class tickets were on par with first class treatment on other planes. After all, anyone who dared to visit a city under Gamer’s Truth had to have some measure of affluence.

He only decided to visit as he would be accepted into the Research School. As a result, all of his costs of living would be covered by the organization. It was akin to receiving a scholarship - except it was a standard practice for all who were accepted.

Plus, once the first player hits island level 10 in Island Ascension Online, the trading system would activate! Following its activation, money would definitely flow ceaselessly into the game, which would easily allow Simon to make a fortune. As a result, such expenditures did not bother him in the slightest; he merely saw them as investments towards the future.

Simon sat down on a seat in the plane and closed his eyes, pondering upon his future plans… Before long the plane took off.

In this day and age, technology was considerably advanced. As a result, the plane was only airborne for an hour before reaching the faraway city.

...

When the plane came within viewing distance of the city, the sight of it inevitably caused Simon to sigh in awe.

‘Wow…’

A towering complex of edifices, ranging from skyscrapers to compounds could be seen, spread in an utterly splendid manner. There were sky rails, shining lights all over the place, and countless figures spread throughout this city like ants.

The city itself was considerably large, and split up into three main sections.

Along the outskirts of the city resided the outer zone, which was surrounded by an all encompassing glowing barrier that covered the entire city! However, these buildings - though extremely impressive in their own right - were easily the least magnificent throughout the entire city.

Closer to the middle of the city, there was yet another glowing barrier that separated a section of the settlement which lined the inside of the outer zone - which was of course, the inner zone of the city. Naturally, the buildings here were noticeably larger and more imposing than the ones bordering them.

Lastly, there was a final section of the city separated by yet another glowing barrier, residing at the very core of this city. This section was rather small, but all of the buildings in this area were towering and magnificent! Even the most inexpensive of these buildings was surely worth more than Kenny’s net worth several times over...

Seeing this city, Simon’s eyes lit up. ‘What an advanced metropolis! I would imagine that just these defences are comparable to the capitals of kingdoms in my old world. As for the comparison of quality of life? Forget it, they can’t be compared!’

He was certainly impressed. The results of such a high level of technology was actually comparable to the effects of magic of the eighth or ninth tier, after all.

Soon, a portion of the barrier of energy parted to allow the plane through, and they promptly landed on the roof of a large terminal, which also served as a landing site.

After leaving the airport, Simon checked out a digital map of the city from his phone.

‘Mm, the only building under Veracity school in the outer zone is actually a reception building… As expected of the top research team!’

As it turned out, the research team was so lofty as to not even bother to leave a branch of the school in the outer zone... Most likely, only by entering the inner zone would one gain access to even seeing the school in person.

Still, it made sense. Even joining a research school gave one an exceedingly high measure of influence.

...

Simon quickly made his way through the crowded streets and to the reception building which was fairly close to him. This particular structure was spiral shaped, with cylinders connecting the spirals. In other words, it was a double helix.

After entering, Simon was met with a large hall containing a series of reception desks. None of these desks were without activity; clearly, many wished to interact with the Veracity team.

He then decided upon the line with the least amount of people and stood at the back of it.

Meanwhile, ahead of him was a middle to late aged man with graying hair, currently engaged in a heated conversation with the reception lady.

“Are you kidding me?! I have a degree in seven separate subjects and my son is the CEO of the Huewater corporation. And I don’t even qualify for a retake?” he exclaimed with a dark expression.

The reception lady shook her head and spoke out in a sharp, cold tone. “Rules are rules. The Veracity team won’t bend them for a measly Huewater corporation. If we were to take in fools who are affiliated with every little organization, how would the team have such an illustrious reputation? Scram!”

The man made a few half-hearted rebuttals but was quickly shut down by the receptionist.

Eventually, he was forced to leave. After all, this was a building under the jurisdiction of the Veracity team; he didn’t dare to make trouble here.

Soon, it was Simon’s turn and he promptly walked up to the receptionist.

“How may I help you?” A graceful receptionist with thick glasses looked towards Simon from behind the desk.

“I have come to join the Veracity Research school. I was told to mention that I would be joining the Divinity program.” Simon simply replied.

The lady raised a brow at this, and her gaze towards him now contained a hint of surprise. After all, very few people knew of the Divinity program, and those who did would likely not play around.

“Very well, I’ll report this to a superior. Please wait.” she said while typing in a few keys on a hidden display beneath the desk.

Just a few moments later, she looked up with a slightly complicated expression, saying, “A higher up has directly given you D tier permissions, which will easily allow you to enter the research school. Do you wish for someone to escort you into the inner zone?“

The likes of the receptionist may have been lofty compared to regular people, but to the members of the Divinity program, she was nothing but an ant. Naturally, Simon, who was soon to be a member of the Divinity program and someone who had D tier permissions was way above her in terms of power and influence.

Simon paused for a short moment before replying, “I am actually rather inexperienced with all of this research team and city business. I just happen to be talented in the ways of research. Could you send for someone who could also inform me of the basics to lead the way?”

The receptionist nodded, saying, “Of course! In fact, I can personally escort you to the research school if you so wish. As for the information?”

She lightly chuckled. “That’s a minor matter for a member of the Divinity team.”

“Sure then.” Simon nodded. “Are you ready?”

“Yes. I’ve already sent for a replacement”

And soon, they were on the way to the inner zone of the city, just like that.

…

Soon, they entered a vehicle and she began explaining the inner workings of the Veracity School and Veracity City as a whole.

“In the research school, there are generally two types of people. One type is the hardworking, earnest type. They are the ones who were born from ordinary households and managed to gain their achievements from talent and hard work. They are generally the more pleasant ones to deal with.”

“The other type… are the ones who are born with a golden spoon. And though a talentless researcher will not be able to get accepted into the school solely because of their background, the requirements for them will surely be less stringent.”

But then she sighed frustratedly. “Alas, most of them merely join the research team for the clout. Most of the time, they don’t even care for actual research! What a waste of resources.”

As she explained, she also vented somewhat on the injustices that less lucky people like her faced. After all, she could tell that Simon was not the arrogant rich type; his demeanor and his quality of clothes were clear indicators of that.

“Hm, mind telling me about this Divinity team? I truly know nothing of it.” Simon said, as he calmly gazed outwards towards the changing scenery of the city.

She sent a sidelong glance towards Simon. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know a lot about the Divinity team either. All I know is that any member of the team has influence comparable to the most influential research school members - which is to say, just a level below actual research team members.”

“Oh, that much?” Simon muttered with a thoughtful expression on his face.

In his opinion, the Divinity team must have had something to do with magic. After all, magic was the only thing that he was known to be good at by Twila. Naturally, matters pertaining to magic were bound to be important. If that were the case, the status of Divinity team members would make perfect sense.

…

By the time that the conversation ended, they had already arrived at the front of the research school. And witnessing the scene of the school itself, Simon had to admit that he was rather dazzled.