The helicopter flew for more than an hour before they reached a remote part of the Alps. This part of the mountain range was off-limits to outsiders. Cross Academy basically owned several whole mountains as private property.
Moments later, a great sprawling fortress became visible. It spanned several mountains, a marvel of architecture and engineering. Most of the man-made structures were built below the permanent snow line, where there were forests and even pastures further below.
However, the entirety of Cross Academy reached up to the glacial region on top. This was where the observatories, research facilities and focused training grounds were located.
The helicopter landed on a designated helipad within a retractable dome. It opened for them and then closed again after they landed. There were several other helicopters parked inside.
On another side of the mountain was a runway and a massive interconnected hangar for the airplanes. Cross Academy owned several helicopter and airplanes, but most of its alumni had their own private aircraft. After all, they were some of the most successful and wealthiest figures in the world.
After landing, Iris and Grandpa Lu rode a minibus to reach the main castle which was also the academy's administrative building. The castle was the first structure built when the great founder Professor Galaxianne Arria von Cross established the academy. The fortress and the other buildings were added much later by her successors.
The journey from the helipad to the main castle took about thirty minutes. They passed through several districts along the way. Since the entire campus spanned several mountains, Cross Academy was like a small country in itself.
The helipad and the hangar were considered as the airports. The campus also had its own private bank with several exclusive branches in other countries to serve its students and alumni. It had its own hospital, public transportation, gas station, restaurants, mall, cinema, parks and many more.
The academy's security force acted like the campus' private police, enforcing the academy's rules. It also had a private fire station with trained firefighters.
There were also residential neighbourhoods for the students, alumni and all the staff working permanently for the academy.
Visitors could also stay at a five-star hotel. Of course, they would need to pay for their accommodations from their own pocket. Not everyone could just enter the campus, so visitors needed to obtain special permission from the academy before they could come. Most of the time, the visitors were world and business leaders, royalty and other important figures who wanted to develop a close relationship with Cross Academy.
Basically, the campus had everything they needed to live conveniently, even luxuriously.
Despite all of these, the academy's official students and alumni rarely ventured outside to enjoy the campus' convenient recreational features. The geniuses would rather spend all their time studying, learning and improving their skills with their instructors and peers.
The districts were mainly populated by the workers and their families. Not all people staying in the academy were students, alumni and instructors. Some were regular people who came to work. Many of them lived in the campus permanently with their families.
Finally, the minibus arrived in front of the main castle. Iris and Grandpa Lu disembarked and entered the intimidating castle made of stone.
It wasn't a pretty castle like the ones built for royalty or nobility. It was big, crude and unsophisticated. It was a castle built to weather the harsh elements of the Swiss Alps and to provide a safe haven for the Cross Academy students when it was just founded.
In all honesty, it was the ugliest building in the entire campus. However, it was also the source of pride for everyone. After all, this was the building built by the great founder and the start of the long and magnificent history of Cross Academy. To the students, instructors and alumni, this ugly castle was a sacred place.
Grandpa Lu turned to Iris, waggling his eyebrows. "What do you think? Hideous, isn't it? Such a shame that Professor Cross had such horrible taste in architecture. Bwahaha!"
Iris pressed her lips tight to prevent herself from laughing.
"Here comes the bossy bastard," Grandpa Lu whispered to Iris.
She just smiled a little, not replying.
Professor Erwan Dupont and Giulia Moretti welcomed them. They spoke in German, including Grandpa Lu.
"Miss Long, it's been a while. I'm glad you finally have the chance to visit the campus. Welcome to Cross Academy!" Professor Dupont's stern tone became a little gentle when he greeted Iris.
"Thank you, Professor Dupont. It's an honour to be here."
They first headed to the headmaster's office for some tea to warm up. The castle's crude architecture clashed with the elegant interior design, somehow managing to produce a unique charm.
One of Professor Dupont's assistants served them tea and some biscuits. Like Giulia Moretti, the assistant wasn't a student or alumnus. Although they didn't hold the title of geniuses, all of the regular employees were still proud to work for such a world-renowned institution as the Cross Academy.
"How long do you plan on staying in Switzerland?" Giulia Moretti asked Iris.
Iris hesitated before replying, "I'm not sure."
She looked down, a bit embarrassed.
Fortunately, neither Professor Dupont nor Giulia Moretti commented about it, deciding to move on to another topic instead. After talking for some time, Giulia Moretti invited Iris for a tour. The two old men waved them away, claiming that they had important things to discuss.
Giulia Moretti leaned close to Iris and whispered, "They just don't want to walk because their knees might not take it."
"I heard you Giulia, you brat!" Grandpa Lu's voice boomed, disgruntled. "This old man's knees are stronger than yours! And of course, stronger than Dupont's! Hah!"
"What did you say? Jianhong, you're older than me," Professor Dupont said.
"What does age has to do with one's strength? I want to know! I take care of myself, so I'm healthier and stronger than people three, no, four times younger than me! I'm not like you who sits on a desk all day!"
The two started arguing.
Giulia Moretti and Iris giggled before leaving the two old men. Giulia toured her around the castle, introducing her to the employees they met on the way. So far, they hadn't met other students or instructors yet. They were probably busy with their own studies.
"We don't have a lot of current students. Even among the geniuses in the world, we have an extremely high criteria and only accept the very best," Giulia told her. "Sometimes years pass by without us admitting a new student. You're actually the only student we admitted in the past two years. You're also one of the rare ones who chose to stay in your home country after enrollment. Most students choose to move here at the campus and directly study here."
"The education system here is a combination of self-directed and one-on-one with instructors. There really isn't a classroom setting, except for when a notable expert comes and gives a lecture. Then the students attend the lecture on their own accord. Sometimes instructors will also want to bring their students out of the academy for practical experience. That's why there are times when the academy doesn't have any students at all because they're all out getting experience in the real world."
Giulia turned to Iris. "Although you didn't choose to stay here at the campus, you're still a student of the academy. All of our resources are available to you. You're also quite fortunate because there are quite a number of instructors and alumni who are visiting right now. Perhaps you can learn something from them."
"That sounds great, Madame Moretti. I'm looking forward to meeting them." Then Iris paused, tilting her head to the side as she thought over something. "Hmm… Maybe I'll stay here at the campus for the time being."
"I was waiting for you to say that," Giulia Moretti said with a pleased smile. "I've already prepared accommodations for you at the dormitory. Compared to the houses in the districts, it's more accessible to the learning centres and libraries."
Iris smiled, feeling excited. She would have to thank Grandpa Lu later for bringing her here.
The desire for new knowledge began bubbling within her, gradually drowning the painful memories of the torture. Perhaps staying at the academy was what she needed to recover from her emotional trauma.