A Foundational Friend

This is the place. Where is he?

Aldo. Thank you for coming.

I appreciate your patience. Calling you here and then being late was inconsiderate.

Not at all. I just got here myself.

How've you been? You're teaching at IDA School these days, right?

I was invited as a guest instructor, yes. I've been conducting a lecture course. As it happens, there's something I'd like your assistance with.

I gotta say you had me nervous. Leaving a letter? It's not something I really expect in Elzion.

Given you don't own a communications terminal, my options were limited.

I was in a hurry. Leaving correspondence at places you frequent seemed the most efficient approach.

That solves that mystery... I got three copies of the same letter.

So what did you need? If it's teaching, you probably want to ask someone else.

So, what's with the outfit?

Right. That brings me to the reason for my letter. As it happens, I'm currently teaching here at IDA School.

You teach here?!

It's a temporary position, but yes.

IDA holds a series of special lectures each year during its extended vacation term.

Guest lecturers are chosen from alumni who've gone on to be active in their fields. I was among those invited this year.

But I can't imagine all alumni get invited back, that's pretty cool they reached out to you, Krervo.

What does your teaching have to do with me, though?

I would like you to join my class for our upcoming field workshop.

Special lectures are in principle classroom- based, but my research focus is our natural environment. Its theories can't truly be grasped without hands-on experience, so I'd like to take the students into the field.

There are, however, hazards outside. I would like you to accompany us to ensure their safety.

Need a guard? Sure, I'd be happy to.

Wonderful. I knew you'd agree.

Let's be off. The students should already be gathered at the entrance.

You meant now?!

Man. Sure are a lot of people here today...

THERE you are! How long were you proposing to make us wait?!

Nonold. Roll call was finished?

Yes...A CENTURY ago.

No demerits for tardiness, except to you. Certainly you're aware this is HIGHLY unprofessional.

Ah, if it isn't Aldo. What brings you here?

Sorry, and...you are? I sincerely hope you're not a student. If so, you've missed far too many classes.

Krervo asked me to provide security for your trip today.

My name's Aldo. Krervo asked me to provide security for your trip today.

A private guard? He's done something useful for once. Do stick close by me, yes? The future of science rests in your hands, after all.

Hee hee hee!

Uh... I thought it was students I was supposed to be looking after.

Introduction is in order. This is my associate, Aldo. He'll be keeping you safe during our expedition today.

No field work is without its dangers. Should an unexpected situation arise, you are to notify him straight away.

Hey everyone. I can't help too much with your actual class, but I'm pretty good in combat. Leave any fighting to me!

First on our agenda will be examination of our own lifestyles as they contrast with the society in Laula Dome.

Class is now in session.

Growing wheat, you see... It's more than just tossing seeds around. Want 'em to grow? You gotta set 'em up for success.

And it all begins with the soil. A crop's only as healthy as the ground it grows in. On that note, soil health...

Our community here is focused on living more like our ancestors, closer to nature.

Rather than rely on devices, we try our best to make things by hand...

This is not what I envisioned when you said "field work". You brought them all the way here for more lectures?

After a few more talks, we'll be doing a wheat harvesting workshop.

Regardless, hearing directly from the residents is an invaluable experience. There's no substitute for a primary source. Most of the participating students live in the dormitory and have never set foot outside Elzion.

Their lives are governed by convenience. I want them to get a glimpse of what the world around them is really like.

Krervo, Nonold!

Finished? Thank you again for your time.

I left the practical demonstrations to the old-timers. They might take a while.

Things must be going well for you here, if you've time to spare on workshops for children.

Right back at you! You two're taking teaching positions? Taking a break from research?

Hardly! I had intended to refuse. When I heard Krervo had accepted HIS invitation, however...I couldn't ignore the challenge.

That was your reasoning? I feel sorry for your students...

I'm conducting my course flawlessly. They worship at my feet!

Hahaha... Good to see you boys haven't changed.

You all know each other?

Did I neglect to mention? We were schoolmates. He was an upperclassman at IDA.

No no, we were classmates! Unlike these brainiacs, I had to repeat a year. You're no researcher, are you? I didn't expect those two to be out making friends.

Aldo is hardly what I would call a "friend".

Really? They're such good guys, though. They've really been there for me.

I find that hard to imagine. Nonold is his own special case. But Krervo? That guy was a piece of work.

You were a solitary guy. Really didn't seem interested in anything but research. Folks felt bad for just approaching you!

I had little to do with my peers, it's true. But I assure you it wasn't intentional.

You, as I recall, made a habit of ignoring any such boundaries.

I'll say! Do you have any idea how terribly you delayed my research?

Bwahaha! I was a pain in the neck, I know.

One thing's for sure, all those years in school, Krervo here never once asked me for a single thing. It's nice to hear he's learned to ask for help.

Yoo-hoo! I could use another hand over here!

Welp, duty calls. Why don't you boys join us? Might as well make yourselves useful and pick a few bushels.

I thought he had hosted us out of altruism. Here we are, providing free labor!

Utility aside, they would not have accepted if they didn't see the value in bringing the youth in contact with nature. He's right, let's have a go.

I expected something a lot more controlled from a class, but you've got me wanting to get in there and try it, too.

The goal of this session is to encourage curiosity about the natural environment. I find that a less academic approach makes engaging with the topic more accessible and enjoyable for the students.

I don't want their perspectives to remain limited, either. Engaging with those outside the academic community can show us new ways of looking at our research problems.

One need only look at Nonold to see the value of non-conventional experiences.

If nothing else, his ability to think outside the box is remarkable.

Eehee-hee!

So you DO recognize my superiority! Perhaps there's hope for you yet, Krervo.

Genius, however, is an inborn quality... By all means mime my methods, you will only get so far with your inferior intellect. HEE-HEE-HEE!

So, how did you all find today's experience? The steps to come, drying, threshing, and all the other processes... These demand expertise and human labor, making bread from natural wheat typically more expensive and less widely available.

Though the remaining processes are beyond our discipline, more to the family and consumer sciences.

For our next lesson we'll head to Last Island, where we'll be engaging with the marine ecosystems. It's a more dangerous locale than here, so I expect you to stick with the group and remain alert.

As you'll recall from our course materials, water temperature and salinity on Last Island's coasts have changed considerably.

Today we'll be looking at how those changes have affected the marine ecosystems.

Of particular interest are organisms previously unsuited to the locale, now thriving due to the shift in temperature...

You have no doubt noticed these curious holes along the water's edge. Observe, when salt is poured inside...

Whoa! Something came out!

It's a variety of shellfish. They burrow in the sand, and the holes you observe contain their hungry mouths.

Hey. The class looks like it's going well.

Not all students are as independent. They can be left to think and work without handholding, which helps considerably. I'm thankful for such an inquisitive group.

That's good. I was wondering, though...

Your research is focused on plant life, right? Why come here? There's not exactly a lot of green around.

It's true that I focus primarily on plants, but my field is the broad study of our natural environment. The ocean has a unique ecosystem utterly different from land, and offers just as much to explore and appreciate.

And my own preferences aside, many students enroll in my courses out of an interest in the sea and marine life. I'm sure they'd find it rather dull if I limited the scope of the course.

Well, everyone's clearly enjoying it. You did a great job, Krervo.

I certainly hope so.

Opportunities to visit this plate are scarce. Even more so than Laula Dome. I want them to enjoy it to the fullest.

You know, people might think you're all about your own research, but that's not what I've seen. You've made an incredible effort reaching out to people and planning experiences for your students they'd never get otherwise...

You're really thinking about what's best for them. I think you'd do great as a proper teacher, not just a one-off lecturer.

...You're overanalyzing. In any case, I only took this position in order to benefit my own ongoing research.

How does teaching this class help your work?

The end goal of my research is to restore green life to our polluted land.

This will take tremendous amounts of time, and even with breakthroughs is not likely to be accomplished in my lifetime. But if there are those willing to take over the research... Given enough time, we will make it a reality.

Giving this course lays the groundwork for my work's future. It plants the seeds, nurtures the generation of scientists who will take my place.

Pah! Handing off your precious work to others? How laughable!

What have you achieved, if you leave your challenges unsolved?

I do not recall stating I was giving up my own pursuit.

But measured by the scale of the earth, a human's life is short. I want the land to grow green again, whatever that takes, and be it without me.

If that result is achieved, it doesn't have to be by my hand. Furthermore, it's hardly unusual for a single study to span generations, no?

What value was there in one's dream, if it was only achieved by someone else? Genius, my dear Krervo, is a lonely path.

Curious. I had assumed...

...You of all people do not need to be told to expect no help from others.

Hey! Come on, the students might hear you.

Kyaaah!

What's going on?!

This discussion will have to wait. Can I count on your assistance? Both of you?

You got it!

I do loathe fighting... But I suppose I have no choice in the matter.

Are you hurt?

N-No, I'm fine... What about the monster? Is it...

Unconscious. So things should be all right for now.

That being said... This may be a good opportunity to move on, Krervo. There's no telling when it might wake back up.

Lunacy! We'll never have another chance like this, I HAVE to examine it!

This is incredible! I never thought I'd see one this close...

So THAT'S how that moves... The textbook diagrams really don't do it justice.

Awfully bold for people who were just about to be monster dinner...

While being able to recover from setbacks is a trait most befitting of a researcher...

...Aldo is quite correct about how dangerous this is. Let's be on to our next destination.

Where are we going?

This was all I'd planned for the excursion, but since we're ahead of schedule...

We might not get another chance. I'd like them to be able to see the World Tree. We won't be able to make it all the way to the plate, but the view from Nilva should be more than sufficient.

I've watched the World Tree from this very spot for more than 20 years now. Most of my life, but from the Tree's perspective this span is but a mere flicker. Not long enough for the landscape to change in ways we perceive, but change it does.

You may wonder why I've brought you here, in Nilva, scant life exists for study.

Instead, I'd like to tell you an old story. ...The story of what brought me to my research, and what first inspired my dream to restore green to our world.

(Come to think of it... I don't think I've heard this, either.)

When I first enrolled at IDA School and throughout my Low Grades... I did not have a single person one could call a friend.

......

I was a relentlessly curious child, always asking questions, always probing deeper. Much to adults' frustration, no doubt.

I couldn't comprehend how so many seemed to accept the world at face value, never compelled to question what lay beneath. During those years, with none around who shared my need for answers...I felt incredibly isolated.

But that same drive offered a refuge from loneliness. What answers no one could provide me, I was determined to seek myself. When absorbed in research, I could forget how alone I felt.

Ironic, then, that the deeper I pursued discovery, the further I slipped from others. It was during this time that I first encountered the World Tree.

Solitary, towering on his distant island... I recognized myself in his lone figure, felt a friendship, understood. How long had he stood there? How had it felt, to be so alone? Why was he living there in exile?

...There's nowhere else. The surface is polluted.

Precisely. I had come face-to-face with the reality of our surface for the first time.

Though I was an outcast, the World Tree had a place where he belonged, a home, friends who missed him.

I wanted to clear the pollution that kept it from returning. To restore it to its rightful place on the surface.

That simple dream was the beginning of my research. I couldn't have known the endeavor would grow into something so immense, nor that its pursuit would last a lifetime. Isn't it remarkable, how the smallest seeds of inspiration can grow into something vast?

You. You mentioned in an earlier class you were interested in restoring sea levels on the surface. Tell us more.

Oh, um... I just think fish are amazing. It'd be nice if they had more open water to swim free...

I'd love to be able to eat fruit all the time. Not just as a luxury.

But I feel like I ought to have a more lofty goal in mind than planting a few apple trees...

If it inspires you to act, it's reason enough. The man who taught you harvesting at Laula Dome helped revolutionize the quality of wheat produced in the community.

He chose to drop out of IDA just before graduation...claiming he'd rather make his own bread than waste in a classroom.

It matters not how you start. In every dream lies the potential to change our world for the better. And I sincerely look forward to seeing the day when yours come true.

We are responsible for getting the students back to campus. When you're ready, let's return.

...Good. We're all accounted for. This concludes today's session. No doubt you're tired from the day's experiences...but nonetheless I expect your reports no later than tomorrow.

Low Grade students need not write a report for this session. Rest up.

You're dismissed. Have a safe trip home.

Your assistance today was appreciated. I apologize again for the sudden nature of the request.

Count on me anytime! I'm glad I took the job. I even got to learn a little more about you.

Fraternity with TREES, Krervo? Astounding. That tale was utterly ridiculous. ...If you're giving your life to research for another, you might do yourself the dignity of a subject that can thank you.

...What's his problem?

You'll have to give Nonold some grace. Despite his attitude, he means quite well.

You and he have been friends since IDA School, right?

But back in Nilva, you said...

Nonold enrolled directly in High Grade.

But back in Nilva, you said... Ah. I forgot. Nonold enrolled late, right?

He told you? Yes. Nonold transferred here as a high grader.

We did not meet until I advanced from the lower grades. Consequently I had no friends my first 8 years of schooling.

When we became classmates... Life changed.

I had dismissed him at first, he seemed only to care about competing for exam scores. However...

During one class, I noticed we shared the same doubts about the material.

The teacher wasn't interested in addressing it. I had anticipated it, and was already resolved to look for the answer on my own. Most students, when faced with such indifference, simply give up.

But Nonold refused to let it go. He persisted, insisted upon an answer.

It was then that I realized he and I were on the same path.

The same?

Like everyone, I have experienced my share of failures and setbacks. Most people, when they stumble, have a person they can turn to for guidance, help forward.

But there was no one tackling the same challenges I was. Answering my questions was something I had had to do on my own.

And then came Nonold, hammering at my very own questions until they were solved.

He helped you work them out? That's nice of him.

I have no doubt he was just eager to beat me to their solution. One-upping me me was a sport. No matter his reasons, working through an issue alongside someone, and reaching an answer together, was satisfying.

Questions too complex to solve alone could be solved by two. If not by two, by three.

In Low Grade, I could never have imagined so many people becoming involved with my work. But suddenly, with help, I was able to overcome bigger hurdles than ever before. Though he didn't intend it, Nonold taught me the value of working with others.

Wow... He really had a big influence on you, huh?

He's not the superhuman genius he claims himself to be. But he has a drive, and fortitude of mind, that no other researcher can match.

That's what draws people to him. Most of the people I know from my school days I only met through him. No doubt, though, he'd argue against being valued for anything but his scientific achievements...

But I respect him as a scientist, and value him as an irreplaceable friend, precisely BECAUSE of these imperfections.

You really ought to tell him that. I'm sure he'd be happy to hear it.

...Too late for that now. I should never hear the end of it.

Tossing my name around? I knew it!

Slandering me behind my back, are you, Krervo? You'll be sorry...