Chapter 24: Farewell

Chapter 24: Farewell

Xazo felt a bit disappointed. It seemed there was no hope of going to the Eastern Continent; he would just have to resign himself to the path of a mental-stream mage.

"But then again, you don't need to look far for what you can find nearby," Mars said, rubbing his chin and pondering for a few seconds. "Lord Thales mentioned that your willpower is quite good, more in line with the style of the Demon Hunter School. Starry Night Academy happens to have a branch of meditation that is compatible with the Demon Hunter School. There is an eighty percent chance you will be assigned to the Department of Poison Alchemy."

Xazo straightened his back, eyes widening in surprise. "The Department of Poison Alchemy?"

Mars walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a volume with a black cover. *Fundamentals of Poison Alchemy: The Separation of Toxins*.

*Thud.*

The heavy tome landed on the table with a dull sound. Three fingers thick, it contained over a thousand pages.

"Poison alchemy is quite unique; its alchemical products are highly toxic. The academy focuses on teaching methods for separating toxins. As for how to use those toxins to create poisons..." Mars turned pale, seemingly recalling unpleasant memories. He swallowed hard, his tone drifting as he said, "You’ll find out once you take Professor Kurov's toxicology course. Not only does he teach you to craft poisons by hand, but he also requires you to drink them..."

"That sensation..." Mars shuddered. "Anyway, someone with weak willpower like me is very prone to nausea and vomiting. But I must warn you, never actually throw it up, otherwise Professor Kurov will make you craft another bottle and drink it again..."

Xazo pressed his forehead and gave a dry laugh. So, he was going to start testing medicine again, only this time, he would be drinking poisons he had brewed himself. He shook his head speechlessly and asked, "Do I need to study other branches of alchemy as well?"

Mars nodded. "Of course. It’s just that the focus differs. Your primary focus will be poison alchemy, while learning other branches on the side. After all, the meditation method for the poison department requires strong resistance to toxins."

Mars pulled a palm-sized notebook from his pocket, flipped through a few pages, and read aloud: "Resistance to toxins... found it. According to the acquired affinity theory written by the Dean, toxin resistance stems from Earth-type affinity."

"But I have Fire-type affinity..." Xazo blinked.

"That is why there is a twenty percent chance you might be assigned to the Department of Artifact Alchemy." Mars paced in front of the bookshelf twice. "There are no texts on artifact alchemy here... Let me just explain it to you simply."

Mars pointed to the alchemical pendulum clock in the library. "This is a product of artifact alchemy, belonging to the discipline of ingenious objects. Remember the elemental vial Lord Thales had you hold during the second round of testing? That is a work of the Elemental Manifestation discipline."

Mars looked around, glanced out the window, and finally shook his head. "The third discipline is called Giant Creations. There are no products of it here in Rosac City. In fact, they are rare even in Starry Night City."

Xazo buried his head in thought for a moment, then opened *Fundamentals of Poison Alchemy: The Separation of Toxins* and began to read. Poison alchemy felt more suited to him. Artifact alchemy sounded far too complex and required a strong sense of spatial awareness. Unlike poison alchemy, where the hardest part was merely drinking the homemade poison—given his high health regeneration rate, wouldn't that be as easy as eating and drinking?

Seeing that Xazo was about to lose himself in the sea of books, Mars quickly clapped his hands and smiled. "Don't just keep reading; come with me to have lunch first."

...

At noon, one month later.

The gates of Rosac City were flung wide open. Guards lined both sides of the street, holding back the curious crowd and clearing a path several meters wide in the center. Six robust black horses entered the city. Their manes, groomed into sleek, dark, and oily shapes, bobbed up and down with the *clop-clop* sound of their hooves. They were larger than ordinary horses, with well-defined, powerful muscles. Most impressive was their discipline; their black eyes showed no sign of panic, completely ignoring the bustling crowd around them.

The six horses pulled three oversized carriages. Under the driver's guidance, they moved straight toward the Fountain Square, navigated the curved road, and turned the carriages around.

"Whoa!" The driver sat in the semi-enclosed cockpit, pulling the reins, and the horses stopped immediately in front of the testing station.

Attendants at the station stuffed the new students' luggage into the compartments beneath the carriages. Mars stood at the front of the group and nodded to Thales Methos beside him. "Lord Resident Mage, thank you for escorting us out of Rosac Province."

Thales, wrapped entirely in a black cloak, pulled his hat low to hide his face. He used an alchemical device to distort his voice, posing as an elderly man. "Indeed. The resident mages of Staryel and Yennan will meet you within their respective protected areas. Rest assured on your journey."

"Then we shall depart." Mars turned to the new students behind him.

In previous years, during the innate affinity tests, Rosac Province would only produce one student eligible for enrollment every three to five years. Yet this year, during the first acquired affinity test, Rosac City alone had four new students, and nationwide, there were at least a hundred. In the first year after the academy's reform, the number of admitted students exceeded the total of the past few decades combined.

Mars stood still for a moment, filled with emotion, then raised his arm and pointed to the carriages. "Cora and Anjur will take the second carriage. Little Murben and Xazo, come with me; we are taking the third."

Cora Muller's parents, dressed in white, stood by the street waving handkerchiefs. Little Murben Riley's parents hugged each other, sobbing quietly. The two of them were hesitant while waiting for the carriage. Mars checked his pocket watch. "Go ahead, five minutes at most. We need to reach the northern pass to meet up with the other carriages."

Xazo watched Murben and Cora embrace their families and was surprised to find that Anjur, like himself, had no one to see her off.

"I'm heading up first." Anjur gave a playful smile, seemingly accustomed to living alone, and boarded the carriage with her thick leather trunk.

*So, both she and I are orphans...*

Xazo smiled bitterly to himself and climbed the steps, carrying his book-filled crate. The interior of the carriage was simple yet spacious. Four bunks were fixed to the walls, each with a half-ladder. Below the bunks were two rows of cushioned seats and a long table, all bolted to the floor. At the end of the carriage was a wooden door. Xazo opened it to find a washroom, equipped for both the toilet and a shower. A water pipe from the tank on the roof split into two, feeding the faucet and the showerhead. Wastewater drained directly through a hole in the center of the floor.

Compared to the circus wagons, the configuration of the Starry Night Academy carriage was luxurious. Xazo nodded in satisfaction, placed his crate on the table, and stood by the window, peering toward the edge of the street. That was where he had lived for the past month. He carried the deed to the small house with him, and he had given a copy of the key to Audrey. It was his link to the circus; letters sent from the capital would be delivered to that house.

"Time to go," Mars urged from outside.

"Mom, Dad, if the mill work gets too much, hire some extra help. I'll write back," Cora said, her voice trembling. After saying goodbye to her parents, she closed the door to the second carriage.

"Old man, drink less. Mom, I'm off," Murben said, then turned and boarded the carriage, leaning against the doorframe and weeping silently.

Mars pulled the carriage door shut and rang the copper bell on the wall. The wheels began to turn. The carriages rolled steadily out of the city gates. With the secret assistance of resident mages along the way, the journey was smooth and unimpeded. Lunch boxes were passed through the window at the front of the carriage daily. Aside from stops to change drivers, horses, and replenish supplies, they spent the rest of the time moving at a steady speed.

...

The morning of the third day.

The carriages traveled north, arriving at the pass between Rosac Province and Sbury Province. Xazo was sitting at the table, flipping through his poison alchemy book, when the sound of an exotic flute drifted into the carriage.

*Snake’s custom-made flute!*

He rushed to the window, tears welling in his eyes. Snake was playing the flute, and the green snake was dancing before him. The clown siblings were making funny faces. Popeye smoothed his cream-like hair. "Hey, I told you Xazo would cry."

Audrey wiped away a tear, smiling without a word, though her eyes were full of reluctance. The carriages rolled past the four circus performers. Xazo looked back at their fading figures from the railing. Suddenly, he noticed a strange, beautiful figure standing behind them, with pale golden hair visible in the distance.

*It seems the boss has found a new fire-breather.*

Xazo grinned through his tears and wiped his face with his sleeve. He turned around to see Mars standing behind him with a smile.

"That is my older sister, Miffy Morton. With her there, the circus will be very safe. And business will be good, too."

Xazo frowned slightly. "Is your sister a student at Starry Night Academy? Or a fire-breather in Starry Night City?"

"She is one level higher than me. She is already a mage apprentice. Although her spellcasting isn't very smooth yet, becoming a full-fledged mage is only a matter of time. Her joining Audrey's circus was specifically arranged by the academy."

A mage apprentice traveling with a circus performing in Rosac Province... Xazo recalled the contents of *Introduction to Meditation*, one of the mandatory texts for academy students. According to the book, all students at Starry Night Academy were mage servants. Once they finished their alchemy studies and passed the tests for the four alchemical branches, they could begin practicing introductory meditation. Meditation helped the practitioner enter a unique vision, searching for wild elements drifting between heaven and earth. If successful, the meditator could communicate with these elements and absorb them into their body, taming them into docile elements.

A mage servant who completed this process became a mage apprentice, capable of releasing simple spells with the power of the docile elements within them. There was only one path to promote from a mage apprentice to a formal mage: absorb more elements until one could practice intermediate meditation. This required mage apprentices to travel extensively, meditate in various locations, and seek the traces of wild elements.

Mars's sister joining the circus was, in every sense, a win-win.