Translator: AnubisTL
The crowd in the apprentice recruitment plaza was slightly larger than it had been decades ago, but the change was merely from "extremely sparse" to "slightly sparse."
This year's freshman class barely exceeded four hundred students, still a meager number for such a vast academy, leaving far more applicants than available spots.
Jieming sat calmly behind the Alchemy School's recruitment platform, as he had done every year for decades, holding a thick tome in his hands.
He appeared to be engrossed in reading, but his mind had long since drifted away, pondering the intricate details of an energy circuit optimization scheme.
Having long abandoned any expectations for this annual ritual, he regarded it as a mere formality he was obligated to attend.
Yet fate often delights in playing unexpected tricks.
A small, timid figure, who had hesitated for a long time, finally shuffled up to his platform.
The slight movement snapped Jieming back to reality. He raised his eyes with mild curiosity, studying the girl before him, who appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old.
She wore a clean but plain cotton dress, her brown curly hair slightly frizzy. Her hands twisted nervously in front of her, and her gaze darted away, avoiding his eyes.
Noticing Jieming's gaze, the girl flinched like a startled fawn, but she eventually mustered the courage to take a small step forward. In a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, she said, "Y-you... hello... Mentor Jieming." She glanced quickly at the badge bearing his name on his chest to confirm his identity. "I... I want to join alchemy."
Jieming regarded her calmly, his powerful mental power instantly recalling fragments of information that had drifted faintly from the distant testing hall moments earlier.
Despite the distance, capturing the announcements of talent grades and their corresponding soul resonance patterns was no challenge for a formal wizard.
"Fourth-tier talent, Anita Chuck. Is that correct?" Jieming's voice remained steady and even as he stated her name and talent.
Anita seemed startled by this precise "recognition," her small head bobbing like a chick pecking at grain. "Y-yes, Mentor."
A surname, Chuck... Jieming instantly understood.
This typically meant she came from a family with at least a wizarding inheritance.
When a child like this chooses the Logistics Department, it's almost always because they're following the advice of their elders, rather than driven by a genuine love of knowledge or a keen understanding of long-term benefits.
Realizing this, the faint ripple of emotion that had just stirred in Jieming's heart quickly subsided, replaced by a subtle, almost imperceptible disappointment.
Yet his face remained as placid as a still well. He strove to recall and emulate the demeanor Mentor Clark had adopted when recruiting him years ago, nodding slightly and speaking in a voice tinged with weariness and detachment:
"A wise choice. The wizard's path is long and perilous. Only by ensuring your survival first can you even begin to contemplate the future. Persevere, and even with ordinary aptitude, you will one day glimpse a landscape that belongs to you alone."
These words, which had once struck him as profound and insightful, now sounded formulaic when spoken by his own lips.
"Yes, thank you for your guidance," Anita replied cautiously, her tone respectful but lacking any genuine resonance.
Jieming said no more. He retrieved a scroll made of rough, archaic-looking animal hide from beneath the table and handed it to Anita.
"This is the standard apprentice contract from the Noren Workshop," he explained matter-of-factly. "Read every clause carefully. If you have no objections, leave your blood and mental imprint on it. Remember, once the contract takes effect, any violation of its terms will carry consequences you cannot bear."
The scroll appeared simple, but it was actually a highly sophisticated spell artifact.
The seemingly crude "animal hide" was actually leather taken from a formal wizard-level demonic beast, typically used to craft disposable, high-power spell artifacts.
Using it for a contract was an extravagant gesture.
Moreover, the scroll's surface was imbued with a clever illusion spell, transforming it into a "display screen."
Only half the contract's contents were visible initially. To view the full text, one had to swipe upward on the scroll's surface with a finger.
This was the Noren Academy's long-standing second hidden test for apprentice recruitment, primarily targeting those without wizarding backgrounds who relied solely on their own abilities.
Successfully discovering and operating this mechanism demonstrated exceptional observational skills, a spirit of exploration, and comprehension.
However, for apprentices like Anita Chuck, who came from established wizarding families, this was already an open secret.
Jieming watched as she skillfully swiped her finger upward across the scroll's surface. Light shifted, revealing the complete contract terms.
She skimmed through it quickly, clearly having already been briefed on the key points by her clan elders.
Jieming shook his head inwardly, his last glimmer of hope extinguished.
Anita promptly followed instructions, pricking her fingertip and letting a drop of blood fall onto the scroll.
Simultaneously, Jieming guided her, drawing a wisp of her still-weak mental power and merging it with the scroll.
Hum!
The scroll flashed an imperceptible light before returning to stillness, marking the contract's formal establishment.
As Jieming retrieved two brick-thick books from his storage space—the Basic Alchemy Manual and the Basic Meditation Technique—and a heavy wooden box containing basic tools and a compendium of common materials, he placed them before Anita and cautioned:
"These are your entry requirements. You have ten days until formal classes begin. During this time, you must master the Basic Meditation Technique and successfully achieve entry-level proficiency. Failure to do so will result in the deduction of your first month's standard resource allocation."
He pointed to the wooden box. "This contains your basic tools and some reference materials. The academy has public laboratories, but you must reserve usage time in advance."
Jieming's expression turned serious, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Anita. "Remember these fundamental rules: First, safety is paramount. All procedures must strictly adhere to regulations, leaving no room for complacency! Second, private duels are strictly forbidden within the academy. Any disputes must be submitted to a mentor for arbitration. Third, respect knowledge. All borrowed books and used equipment must be carefully maintained and never damaged. Fourth, points are the sole currency for acquiring resources and knowledge within the academy. Earn them diligently through missions and study!"
After delivering these instructions, Jieming briefly pointed out the general location of the dormitory district before settling back into his chair, picking up the book he had barely opened, and gesturing for her to leave.
"Thank you, Mentor. This student takes her leave," Anita said respectfully, bowing. She struggled to lift the heavy books and wooden box, staggering slightly as she departed.
Watching her slender figure disappear into the crowd, Jieming blinked helplessly.
He initially felt a pang of disappointment, but upon reflection, he realized he might have judged her unfairly based on appearances.
To dismiss her as "lacking intelligence" solely because of her background and proficiency with scrolls seemed unjust.
Well, since I've already accepted her... I hope she'll bring me some unexpected surprises in the future, he murmured to himself.
Ten days later, Jieming stepped into the Alchemy School's private laboratory for the first time—a space he had rarely used.
The vast, empty laboratory contained only Anita, who had arrived early and stood there alone, looking particularly isolated.
Jieming showed no particular reaction. The initial enthusiasm of his early days as a teacher had long been worn down by decades of neglect.
"Welcome to alchemy, one of Noren Academy's most stable and foundational disciplines," Jieming said, his tone even and unhurried, completely ignoring Anita's reaction below.
"Here, you will learn the core of alchemy: understanding, decomposition, and reconstruction."
"Understanding is the recognition of a substance's essence, analyzing its elemental composition and energy properties. Decomposition involves breaking down a substance into its fundamental units. Reconstruction, guided by your will, uses mental power to manipulate energy and matter, reshaping them into new forms or imbuing them with new properties."
Jieming glanced at Anita, his tone turning serious. "Alchemy demands exceptional mental power. Your mental power is your most potent tool. The precision with which you control it determines the upper limit of your alchemical abilities."
He walked to a small workstation beside the lecture platform, where a heavy, irregularly shaped gold nugget rested.
"You should have already reviewed the fundamentals of alchemy, so we won't waste time on that. Today's first lesson is basic shaping," Jieming said calmly. "This is one of alchemy's most fundamental practices—using mental power to manipulate the form of matter. You'll be practicing with gold."
Without further explanation, Jieming retrieved a standard alchemical gold ingot and handed it to Anita.
"Watch closely."
With concise instructions, Jieming began demonstrating the most basic gold-shaping technique.
A gentle yet precise flow of mental power streamed from his fingertips, guiding the ingot to flow, stretch, and transform as if it were alive.
Throughout the demonstration, Jieming explained key principles: the rhythm of energy input and the stability of the material's structure.
Once the demonstration was complete, he guided Anita through her first alchemical practice.
The lesson concluded in a somewhat dull and mechanical atmosphere.
Anita followed the steps meticulously, making no mistakes, but her performance lacked any spark of inspiration. She seemed to be merely completing an assigned task.
Back in his core laboratory, Jieming recalled the classroom scene and sighed helplessly once more.
This time, his sigh wasn't for the student's potential lack of intelligence, but for her attitude, which was practically written on her face.
Jieming understood her lack of interest in alchemy—after all, it was a choice arranged by her family.
However, displaying such disinterest so openly in class, to the point where it affected her focus and learning efficiency, was something Jieming struggled to comprehend.
"If she continues with this attitude..." Jieming murmured to himself, gazing out the window at the eternally burning sky of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, "...then she'll likely remain stuck in logistics forever, never truly grasping the core of wizardry."
This first student had brought no surprises, but instead had made the gap between ideal and reality even clearer to him.
(End of the Chapter)
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