novelraw Chapter 956: Two Worlds
Chapter 956: Two Worlds
Morning light streamed through the stained-glass windows, flooding the assembly hall.
When Lu Li, who hadn't had a pleasant night's sleep, arrived, many curious students were already pressed against the windows, peering outside.
He took his seat, and the prefect sitting opposite him at the long table, bathed in sunlight, asked, "Is the Land of Light even more beautiful than this?"
Recalling the golden rays piercing through the clouds to fall upon the sea and mountains, Lu Li nodded.
“If I ever get the chance, I'll definitely go...” a note of yearning was audible in his voice.
Every student who came to the assembly hall was delighted by the changes; according to Dogmeat, he'd eaten two extra plates of food than usual.
On the way to mysticism class, the students frequently saw the attendants again. They were hanging alchemical plates everywhere, which shimmered with vibrant colors, creating a festive atmosphere.
The mysticism classroom was no exception.
Curtains now hung over the windows, which had always been merely decorative; a faint light filtered through the fabric, dimly illuminating the classroom.
“Don't raise the curtains. You'll be disappointed when you see the truth,” Professor Haig reminded the students crowded by the windows, then nodded at Lu Li with a smile.Lu Li spent the mysticism class reviewing the books he had borrowed from the library. Afterward, he asked Professor Haig about the procedure for the level 2 mysticism trials.
“The attendants will take the students participating in the trials to one of the three Forbidden Zones and then give them a task. The assignment might be to find something hidden or to locate the source of some anomaly. Don't worry about the danger; it will take place in a Safe Zone.”
As an exorcist with practical field experience, Lu Li had an advantage over the other students in the level 2 mysticism trials.
Next, Lu Li sought out Professor Ruberhro, the alchemy instructor, and expressed his hope to use an alchemy station to practice potion-making.
Although he had already mastered the knowledge required for the level 1 alchemy trials, hands-on potion brewing would solidify that knowledge and lay the groundwork for the level 2 trials. However, Professor Ruberhro refused Lu Li's request.
“I'm very sorry, Mr. Lu Li, but junior-course students are only permitted to use the lab stations and crucibles during class.”
This was due to the risk of contamination. Both the alchemical ingredients themselves and the brewing process could be dangerous.
Though Professor Ruberhro had turned him down, Lu Li fortunately knew another alchemy professor from the senior courses.
After divination class ended and alchemy class began, Lu Li donned his cloak and left the Crown Level.
Descending from the Mixed Zone, Lu Li saw no New Year's decorations on either the middle or senior course levels; the atmosphere there remained gloomy and oppressive.
Perhaps it just wasn't their turn yet, or perhaps...
Lu Li knocked on the door of the alchemy office.
“The door's unlocked, darling,” came the lazy, feline voice of Professor Kris from within the office.
Lu Li entered the office; Professor Kris was seated on a large sofa, and the cauldron over the fireplace was bubbling again, releasing steam.
“What's the matter? Did you miss me already?” Her eyes curved on her beautiful face, which was flushed from the firelight.
“I want to brew a potion.”
“What a shame. I thought the exorcist had come to see me,” Professor Kris said with a sigh of regret, straightening her tall, elegant frame.
She produced a strange piece of parchment for Lu Li, which shimmered with peculiar colors in the firelight, and explained how to use it: write down the required alchemical ingredients and their quantities, then toss it into the fire.
Lu Li wrote down the five necessary ingredients and threw the parchment into the fireplace.
The burning parchment suddenly flared with a pale blue light and dissolved into the embers.
Lu Li looked up at Professor Kris.
“Wait,” she said.
Knock-knock-knock—
A few minutes later, there was a rough knock at the door.
“Your ingredients have arrived,” Professor Kris announced.
Lu Li opened the door to find five neatly wrapped and separated portions of alchemical ingredients lying on the floor.
Traces of mud were scattered around, and the faint scent of earth after a rain lingered in the air.
“The Underground Trading Guild?”
“Yes.” Professor Kris's narrow eyes scanned the alchemical materials:
“Potion of Pleasant Dreams. It seems you're ready to tackle the level 1 and 2 trials in one go.”
Lu Li carried them to the alchemy station, first setting up the crucible and adding pure water, then grinding the wormwood.
After being affected by the power of anomalies, the bitterness of this herb had intensified, and even its scent was as acrid as coffee without sugar. Then, following the steps from "Basic Potion Brewing," he added the alchemical ingredients to the heated crucible.
Lu Li, who remembered every step and measurement, was unlikely to make a mistake; Professor Kris watched him. Lu Li's alchemical process wasn't about aesthetic pleasure; it was more like a formalized scientific procedure, which possessed a beauty of its own.
Twenty minutes later, a slightly cloudy liquid was poured from the crucible into an empty vial.
“Sixty percent viability? For a novice, that's already an amazing talent. Are you sure you don't want to try your hand at alchemy? Perhaps I could teach you something... interesting...” Professor Kris, who had easily identified the viability percentage, said in a tempting voice.
“Are the holders of Cursed Titles powerful?” Lu Li asked.
“If they could just stop losing their humanity at such an appalling rate, every holder of a Cursed Title could single-handedly deal with a group of anomalies.”
Lu Li washed the crucible and began brewing the second batch of the Potion of Pleasant Dreams. Her words already contained his answer.
The second batch of the Potion of Pleasant Dreams was also a success, with a stable 60% viability. But when the third batch also came out at 60% viability, Lu Li stopped brewing.
“Because you're too rational, darling. Fixed portions, fixed timing, not a hint of surprise,” Professor Kris said lazily.
“Something made from a template will always be the same. You need to add a bit of feeling, darling.”
In other words, intuition, inspiration.
Perhaps Lu Li ought to pay closer attention in his next divination class.
Lu Li tried to brew the remaining two batches using "intuition" and "inspiration," but this technique was clearly too advanced for a novice who had only brewed a potion three times; the two batches yielded only 50% viability, and one Potion of Pleasant Dreams was on the verge of failure at 30%.
“Keep one as a memento of your first time, and I'll help you sell the rest. You should get something back for them.”
If not for the three vials of 60% viability potion, this session wouldn't have even covered the cost of the alchemical ingredients.
After bidding farewell to Professor Kris, Lu Li returned to the Crown Level.
While passing through the Mixed Zone of the middle courses, a figure suddenly rushed toward Lu Li, shouting incoherently, "Take me back to the Crown Level... take me back..."
An attendant appeared from the shadows and dragged the shouting man away.
“I don't want to be here! Let me go back up!”
“What's wrong with him?”
There was no answer to Lu Li's question; the screams faded into the distance under the watchful eyes of the onlookers.
...
Returning to the Crown Level was like coming back to a warm, bright cabin on a frosty, snowy night.
Lu Li returned to his room; today's newspaper and the information from Winnelag, brought by the Trader, lay peacefully on the table.
News from Winnelag: Mayor Matteus had purchased a large quantity of food so that every citizen would receive a ration for the New Year.
News about the Andrea: The "Andrea," carrying the first survivors, was heading for the Allen Peninsula. They were expected to land in the Land of Light before the New Year.