that they were from a different school - a school called the University of Processing Machinery.
Muko turned these details over in his mind until he could no longer bear to keep them to himself. As soon as he'd shared the information, everyone became interested because up till now they hadn't been aware of the existence of any other schools. They weren't even allowed to leave the grounds surrounding their own place of learning, after all. In fact, the penalty for leaving the permitted area was so terrible that not only had no-one ever incurred it, but it was entirely unknown what the penalty actually was.
Muko took it upon himself to follow the students that so intrigued him, and he saw them enter Pythagoras' classroom. The two teachers, Pythagoras and the one Muko didn't know, stayed outside and immediately began an animated conversation. Muko tried hard to hear what they were saying but only caught snatches of dialogue.
The Machinists' teacher leaned towards Pythagoras and
whispered excitedly: “I would say we're close, pretty close.”
Pythagoras thrust his head back in a disbelieving 'get
away with you' gesture. “It's not possible. Are you telling me