Inside, Arthur found himself in a completely different world than the one he had been in a second ago. The difference between this particular room and the rest of the airport was shocking.
The sheer aura of luxury and comfort it exuded was so overwhelming, that the boy had to stop and take in everything around him for a few seconds.
The lounge exuded opulence with its polished marble floors, soft ambient lighting, and high ceilings adorned with intricate gold leaf patterns. Rich, dark wood paneling lined the walls, interspersed with art deco accents and soft, velvet-covered furnishings in deep jewel tones.
A grand bar with a mirrored back showcases an array of crystal decanters, while plush seating areas are arranged around sleek, low tables. The atmosphere is serene, with the quiet hum of hidden ventilation and the subtle scent of leather and exotic woods.
On the other side of the room, a giant wall made out of polished glass gave a panoramic view of the runway from up close. Aircrafts could be seen descending and ascending clearly even this late at night.
The entire place felt like it belonged to a renowned hotel rather than the airport. Arthur never even thought places like this existed. ‘Did I get into the wrong room, what the hell is this? I’m too poor for this nonsense!’
Looking around him again, Arthur noticed that he was the only one in the lounge. Nobody else seemed to be present there. So, with hesitant steps, he walked deeper into the place, still looking around as if he were a curious child exploring the world.
Eventually, he settled in one of the chairs. “Holy… This is so comfortable. What did they make this chair out of? I almost want to take a nap now if I wasn’t too nervous.”
Adjusting his position, Arthur noticed that there was a panel on the right handle of the chair. Curiously, he tapped on one of the buttons when suddenly, the chair started vibrating. The feeling reached every part of his body quickly and made him groan.
“A massage feature too? This… This is heaven!” He muttered. His soar muscles and bones were shuddering from pleasure. “If this is how they’re going to treat me, then this is damn well worth it.”
The boy had realized that perhaps the ticket he was sent had unlocked some kind of privileged treatment for him. However, he didn’t know how that was even possible, and even more than that… How did Divinity get such influence even on airports and the traveling industry?
‘They have their legs dipped in every goddamn pond. I don’t think there is something they can’t do. Can they even be considered a game developer at this point?’
Divinity Online is the richest company in the world, and they are only growing rapidly every single day. Their influence was also spreading faster and faster as they slowly rooted themselves in society itself.
Most people knew who they were and even more were getting to know them after the release of Divinity Online. Arthur was but one individual of many, and yet he was receiving such a treatment because he was simply invited to the Blue Crest Academy.
As he was contemplating all of that, the boy heard the door to the room open. Immediately, he opened his eyes as he looked over his shoulder. ‘Finally, is there someone else taking the flight to the same island?’
When Arthur first stepped into the place, he thought that nobody was going to come after him. After all, he didn’t know the number of people invited to the academy. Out of tens of millions of people his age playing the game, how many are even that good? He didn’t know the answer and that was why he assumed that the invitation was something very rare to receive.
Yet, surprisingly, it seemed he wasn’t going to be alone. ‘I wonder if I know this person.’
Looking over his shoulder, Arthur realized that there wasn’t one person, but instead, several people had walked in. Two guys, and two girls to be precise. All of them seemed to be wearing quite luxurious clothes and expensive jewelry on their bodies.
Even their auras were exuding wealth and status. They also looked quiet with their well-kept hair and shiny skin. Two of them particularly stood out for Arthur as they were standing ahead. The boy was tall and muscular with a strong look on his face that had a hint of arrogance in it.
The girl on the other hand was very beautiful and also shared the same arrogant look as the boy.
‘Hm, they seem familiar, don’t they? Are they the children of some kind of rich family? They have similar appearances so they’re for sure siblings. The other ones are probably from a different family.’
Arthur never took an interest in rich families in his city or any other place. Their lives and his were as different as the sky and earth. He was simply not cut out for such things and so he had no interest in them at all.
However, he can still recognize ‘rich’ when he sees it. After all, most wealthy people wear their money on their bodies.
‘Unless they’re billionaires, then it comes around a full circle and they somehow look like peasants.’ Arthur thought to himself as he turned around, losing all interest in the group.
“Tsk, why did they deny Victor access? I can’t go anywhere without him.” He heard one of the girls speaking in an annoyed tone. “They denied all our servants.”
‘Servants…’ Arthur frowned as he tapped the button and enjoyed his massage silently. But, he made sure to keep listening to them speaking in the background.
The tall boy looked at the girl and said. “It seems they only want us to take this plane wherever it’s going. Servants are not a part of the invited candidates.”
“I wonder why they don’t allow other people to go there. Perhaps they don’t want the location of the island to be revealed yet.” The girl added coldly.
“Possible.”
As the conversation continued, Arthur listened and captured every bit and piece of information he noticed. ‘They don’t seem to know why we are being invited either. Hmm, not even the rich nobility know? I guess there is no privileged treatment here. Everyone is equal in not knowing anything.’
Arthur was worried of the hierarchy that comes along with being brought to a place where people from all walks of life are gathered. The rich and powerful were naturally going to take control and oppress the weak if they were rotten and Arthur considered himself from the weak.
“Hm? There is someone here.” As the three of them were talking, it seemed one of the girls noticed Arthur’s presence. Everyone naturally looked at him.
Arthur frowned as he lifted his hand lazily. “Don’t mind me, I’m just relaxing.” He replied. “Nice to meet all of you, I’m Arthur.”
Then, as if nothing happened, he went silent and continued enjoying his time. Silence took over the entire room for a good 30 seconds before he heard someone speak.
“Stand up. I want to see your face.”
The voice seemed to belong to the tall boy. His tone was cold and commanding as if he was ordering Arthur, not asking him.
‘Attitude doesn’t work with me, son.’ Arthur opened his eyes as he sucked in a deep breath. “Add a ‘please’ at the end, and I might consider.”
Although the boy didn’t want any trouble, he wasn’t going to let someone order him around. He already had enough of that working in grocery stores and getting yelled at by his boss.
“…” The entire place was submerged in silence again. But, this time, it was far more uncomfortable. The tension had skyrocketed in a mere second.
“What did you just say?” The boy asked in a confused yet angry voice.
A//N: Hand me all your PS!