Chapter 38: The Origins of the Academy

Page 1/3

Chapter 38: The Academy’s Origins

Kurov pinched one end of his mustache with his right hand and tapped the questionnaire with the other.

“Write down your true thoughts. Once you leave, keep this confidential. Do not mention the questionnaire to any other students.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Xia Zuo rubbed the hair atop his head, steadied his wandering mind, and focused his attention on the questionnaire.

Though it contained only a few hundred words, the questionnaire revealed a great deal about the academy and the kingdom—secrets that could only be learned after becoming a mage apprentice.

Because of his outstanding performance, he had earned the favor of many professors and was fortunate enough to learn these things ahead of time.

Starry Night Academy was a school for mages, responsible for nurturing formal mages and even high-ranking mages.

There were many organizations like it throughout the world.

All of them ultimately belonged to the Mage Sanctuary.

Several hundred years ago, an alchemist known as the Lady of Starry Night had successfully advanced from a high-ranking mage to an archmage, greatly strengthening the Alchemical School.

The Mage Sanctuary had granted her a territory, which was the land where the Kingdom of Starry Night now stood.

Formal mages trained by Starry Night Academy who displayed sufficient talent would be sent to the Silvermoon Federation for further study. After becoming high-ranking mages, they would even have the opportunity to continue their cultivation under the Lady of Starry Night.

The admission of students with acquired affinity had been carried out at the Lady of Starry Night’s instruction.

Even within the Mage Sanctuary, only a handful of people with acquired affinity had ever become archmages.

The Lady of Starry Night was one of them.

Training students with acquired affinity on such a large scale was undoubtedly a bold experiment by the Alchemical School.

The Alchemical School wished to prove to the other schools that, apart from cultivating a breathing technique to its utmost limits, those with acquired affinity could also become mages through the study of alchemy.

Xia Zuo understood the weight behind this questionnaire.

It might even be submitted to the Lady of Starry Night herself, so he considered every word carefully before writing it down.

The first dozen or so questions concerned the students’ experience in their courses, the difficulty of their studies, and similar matters.

Xia Zuo honestly recorded his impressions.

The general alchemy courses were all pleasant enough.

Some subjects were rather dry in themselves, such as Alchemical Linguistics, but their instructors were charismatic, and the atmosphere in class was peaceful and entertaining.

Without the slightest attempt at concealment, Xia Zuo praised the head of the academy at length in the questionnaire.

He did not deliberately hide the shortcomings of certain courses, but he expressed his dissatisfaction in more tactful language.

Take the Colossus Studies course in the School of Gigantic Constructs, for example.

Its instructor was Professor Bolton, a tall, muscular, bearded man who liked to wear tight leather clothing that accentuated the contours of his muscles.

He was the mentor of Little Moben Riley, the blacksmith’s son.

Neither of them cared much for books. They were interested only in furnaces and anvils.

In his lessons, the ringing of hammers striking hard objects continued almost from beginning to end, while actual explanations were few and far between.

The students could only consult the diagrams and key points in Colossus Studies and roughly guess what Professor Barry was doing.

Xia Zuo answered most of the questions in smooth, flowing handwriting, but his pen suddenly stopped.

The final two questions were rather troublesome.

Headmistress Beatrice had proposed that the seven general alchemy courses—Alchemical Linguistics, Anatomy, Herbology, Potion-making, Toxinology, Oilcraft, and Colossus Studies—should each allow only one retake.

If a student failed both the regular examination and the make-up examination that year, they would be permitted to retake the course once the following year alongside the new students.

If they failed that retake examination, they would be expelled.

They would return to wherever they had come from.

This was different from the treatment given to students with innate affinity.

Every student with innate affinity was destined to become a mage, and the academy would not abandon a single one of them. Besides, not one student with innate affinity had ever failed a course.

So, did he agree with the headmistress’s proposal?

What were the reasons for his agreement or disagreement?

Xia Zuo propped up his chin and frowned in thought.

The opportunity to enter the academy was rare, and it would affect a person’s entire life. Every student with acquired affinity understood that clearly.

They would devote every ounce of their strength to mastering the seven general courses.

If they could not even pass the retake examination, then they truly were not suited to studying alchemy. It would be better to free up the academy’s educational resources for other new students.

Xia Zuo glanced at his calm-looking mentor, picked up his pen, and wrote his answer. Then he looked at the next question—the final one.

Headmistress Beatrice had submitted a second proposal.

In the past, students with innate affinity had been few in number, allowing the professors to teach them one-on-one or in groups of three.

With the sudden influx of students with acquired affinity, the quality of instruction could no longer be guaranteed, and the professors were unable to understand every student’s academic situation in detail.

Beatrice intended to use another method to motivate the students with acquired affinity to study.

Until this year, academy students had received bounty notices forwarded from the Warriors’ Guild by their mentors.

The mentors would promise a reward and dispatch suitable mage apprentices or formal mages to complete those bounties.

Page 1/3

Page 2/3

That was how the stationed mages had come to be.

Beatrice planned to imitate the Warriors’ Guild’s points system and formally establish a Mages’ Guild within the academy. The currency used to exchange for rewards would likewise be points.

During the mage-servant stage, points in the Mages’ Guild would come from course examinations and classroom quizzes.

After becoming mage apprentices, students would earn points by completing bounty notices.

The rewards available for exchange had not been listed on the questionnaire.

The only question was whether he supported Beatrice’s proposal.

Just as Xia Zuo was considering how to answer, Kurov lightly tapped the table.

“A mage apprentice can strengthen their spiritual sea only by constantly absorbing docile elements, which means they must travel far and wide in search of traces of untamed elements.

“That is written in An Introduction to Meditation.”

Xia Zuo looked up and nodded in response.

Kurov controlled the teapot and poured himself some tea as he continued.

“We will place untamed elements among the rewards in the Mages’ Guild.”

Xia Zuo tilted his head, narrowed his eyes, and asked in confusion, “Professor, don’t you need untamed elements? Why not absorb them yourselves?”

“Untamed elements come in many forms.”

Kurov returned the teapot to the tea table and lifted his cup to his lips.

“What mage apprentices can tame are merely the weakest varieties of untamed elements. You will understand once you read an introductory meditation method.”

Xia Zuo watched his mentor drink the tea and suddenly felt thirsty himself. He picked up his own cup and took a sip. Then he raised his fountain pen and wrote the words “I agree” in the blank space beneath the final question.

The question had not asked him to explain his reasons, so he did not write anything more.

Xia Zuo replaced the cap on his pen and handed the completed questionnaire to his mentor.

“Professor, am I the only one who has to fill out this questionnaire?”

“Not at all. Every professor has students they particularly admire. At this very moment, all of them are filling out questionnaires.”

While Xia Zuo had been writing, Kurov had already read through his answers. He now folded the questionnaire back into a small square.

As he rose from his wooden chair, he said, “Once the final examination results are announced six months from now, you will know who they are, and they will know who you are.”

Xia Zuo watched Kurov walk around the desk toward the door. It seemed that he intended to leave the alchemy room, so Xia Zuo stood and asked, “May I try some other toxins?”

Kurov waved a hand behind him, his tone easygoing.

“Use the alchemy station and toxin bottles here as you please. But you may make only apprentice-grade toxins.”

Xia Zuo watched him leave, then sat back down. He reviewed his earlier performance in his mind. He had probably not revealed any flaws, and Kurov was fairly open-minded.

Well…

Open-minded toward good students, at least. All teachers were like that.

Xia Zuo walked over to the alchemy station, picked up the two remaining bottles of Black-Eye Toxin, and poured them both into his mouth.

When the toxin concentration remained unchanged, increasing the dosage would only prolong the duration of its negative effects.

He lay on the table and rested for two minutes, easily enduring the hallucinations and deafness.

“Hmm, delightful.”

Still unsatisfied, Xia Zuo walked over to the toxin cabinet, found some Withered Brown Extract and Ginger-White Extract, and prepared to make a full cauldron of Black-Eye Toxin in one go.

One hour later.

[Health] 42/45

The drying process had taken a little longer, and the quantity of toxin added had increased as well. The rate at which his health declined had surpassed his rate of recovery, costing him a few points.

It was only a minor issue.

Xia Zuo stood smugly before a row of twenty bottles of Black-Eye Toxin. With a grand sweep of his hand, he grabbed three bottles and poured them into his mouth, his face glowing with satisfaction.

Since Kurov had told him to use the supplies as he pleased, then drinking them was perfectly fine!

Apprentice-grade toxins—plentiful and filling!

…

Four months later, at noon.

It was Saturday.

After five straight days of classes, the students could finally relax properly.

Most of the students dining in the restaurant wore expressions of relief.

Life at the academy provided for all their material needs, but the academic pressure was overwhelming.

Two weeks earlier, the professors had announced to their students the new examination arrangements for the general courses, along with the preliminary plan to establish the Mages’ Guild.

Every new student felt that the burden on their shoulders had grown much heavier, terrified that repeated failures would force them to leave Starry Night Academy.

It would be humiliating—almost impossible to accept.

Especially after witnessing the prosperity of the kingdom’s capital and enjoying the academy’s generous living conditions, none of them would be willing to return to their backward, dilapidated hometowns as expelled students.

Everyone hoped to become a mage apprentice, officially register with the Mages’ Guild, accept bounties from every province and city, earn silver coins and renown, and accumulate enough points to exchange for the guild’s rewards.

Under the combined pressure of the examinations and their hopes for the future, the students voluntarily reduced their weekend break from a day and a half to a single day, or even half a day.

Page 2/3

Page 3/3

The remaining time was spent studying on their own.

Humans were social creatures, and the same was true when it came to self-study.

Alone in a dormitory with no one supervising them, it was easy to lose focus. A glance at the fine weather outside and the lake glittering in the sunlight could send their thoughts drifting into the sky.

Most students found a place to study in the library.

Whether or not they knew the people sitting nearby, they had grown accustomed to leaving a seat between themselves and others, maintaining a suitable distance.

Once this unspoken arrangement became an accepted rule, the library no longer had enough seats.

Students who wished to study in groups therefore went to the restaurant. Several people would share a square table, sitting there from Sunday morning until evening without even needing to move for meals.

Over time, small student groups occupied the best places in both the library and the restaurant.

Every weekend, they took turns assigning someone to guard their seats. That way, even if they went outside the academy for a while, they could still return to the most comfortable spots and continue studying.

Xia Zuo had not originally intended to study in public. He was more efficient when reading alone.

In his dormitory, there were no footsteps moving back and forth, no laughter and chatter being forcibly lowered to whispers, and no intermittent coughing…

None of those distracting noises existed. His attention could remain at its peak at all times.

But An Rujouer wanted to see him. She wanted someone beside her while she studied.

So Xia Zuo had no choice but to meet her on weekends with a bag full of books on his back.

At first, they tried studying together in the restaurant…

They simply could not secure seats in the library.

A group of library regulars rose even earlier than usual, and after snatching up the seats they wanted, each of them promptly lay down on the table to catch up on sleep.

Xia Zuo and An Rujouer could only click their tongues in astonishment at the sight of the crowd surging into the library.

The two of them turned around and went to the restaurant. But the quiet corners with little interference had already been claimed by small groups, while the remaining seats offered very poor study conditions.

As for the classrooms and dormitories, they were even less feasible.

The castle administrator, Dim Carr, had laid down several rules in the Castle Regulations.

[Rule 5: Outside of class hours, no one may enter any classroom without permission.]

[Rule 7: No one may enter the dormitory of the opposite sex, nor that of the same sex. Everyone may enter only their own dormitory.]

Seeing An Rujouer’s dejected expression, Xia Zuo slapped his forehead and decided to seek out his mentor.

The Poison Alchemy District was spacious enough. Moreover, because there were so few students in the discipline, their regular lessons were always held in the alchemy room. The small classroom next door had never been used.

Standing before his mentor, Xia Zuo very rarely found himself blushing as he requested permission for himself and An Rujouer to study in the small classroom of the Poison Alchemy District.

“An Rujouer?”

Kurov stroked his mustache and gazed at his favorite student, amusement wrapped in his eyes. He had some impression of the black-haired girl; she always sat beside Xia Zuo during Toxinology class.

A heavy illustrated volume floated over from the bookcase and opened before the soft sofa.

Kurov read through the text, then controlled the fountain pen on his desk and wrote several lines on a sheet of stationery.

The letter flew out of the Poison Alchemy District.

Several minutes later, another letter flew back. Inside were a reply from the castle administrator, Dim, and a key.

Xia Zuo recognized the key. It was used to open the iron locker in the bathing room.

“Take it.”

Kurov tossed the key to Xia Zuo and said with a smile, “An Rujouer’s spiritual sea is approaching the level of a mage apprentice. You may make apprentice-grade toxins together. The more you communicate, the more unexpected benefits you will gain.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

Xia Zuo caught the key and bowed to his mentor in gratitude.

Before long, Xia Zuo and An Rujouer entered the Poison Alchemy District and thanked Kurov once more.

Inside the small classroom separated from the alchemy room by a single wall, the two of them lifted the hoods covering their hair and removed their leather gloves. There were no toxin bottles here, so they could loosen the specially made robes they wore in the Poison Alchemy District.

“Did Teacher Kurov scold you?” An Rujouer asked quietly, sitting to one side with her head lowered.

“No. He even told me to make toxins with you.”

Xia Zuo smiled, took some books from his satchel, and said, “Let’s read first. After dinner, we can go to the alchemy room, and I’ll let you try making some nonlethal toxins.”

“Mm, all right~”

An Rujouer leaned over, wrapped her arms around his shoulder, and nestled against him for a few seconds before returning to her seat and opening her book.

Xia Zuo stared blankly at the pages, inexplicably sighing inwardly.

Over the past few months, An Rujouer had grown increasingly dependent on him.

Perhaps their shared experience of losing their parents made her feel that she had found someone who understood her suffering.

Or perhaps she simply wanted the company of someone she liked and trusted.

He could not figure it out.

So he deliberately kept their relationship at its current level and did not allow it to progress any further.

End of Chapter