Chapter 24 Farewell
Xia Zuo felt a tinge of disappointment.
"It seems heading to the Eastern Continent isn't an option. I'll have to stick to the path of a spiritual flow mage..."
"But, you don't need to go far and wide," Mars Morton said, rubbing his chin, pondering for a few seconds. "Lord Tayles mentioned your strong will, more in line with the style of the Demon Hunter faction. Inside the Starry Night Academy, there's a branch that aligns meditation techniques with demon hunting."
"There's an eighty percent chance you'll be assigned to the Poison Alchemy department."
Xia Zuo straightened, eyes widening in surprise. "Poison Alchemy?"
Mars Morton walked towards the bookshelf, pulling out a tome with a black cover.
"Fundamentals of Poison Alchemy: Isolation of Toxins."
*Thud*
The hefty tome landed on the table, emitting a muffled sound. Its three-finger-thick pages contained a wealth of content.
"Poison Alchemy is quite unique; its alchemical products are highly toxic. The Academy focuses on teaching methods for isolating toxins. As for using toxins to create poisons..."
Mars's face paled, memories of unpleasant experiences surfacing.
Struggling to swallow, he spoke with a wavering voice, "When you attend Professor Kurov's potion-making class, you'll understand. Not only does he teach you to concoct poisons, but he also demands you drink the concoction..."
"The sensation..."
Mars shuddered. "For someone like me, lacking strong willpower, it's easy to feel nauseated and vomit. But I must warn you, never actually vomit it out, or Professor Kurov will make you concoct another dose and drink it again..."
Xia Zuo chuckled, pressing his forehead.
It seemed another round of experimentation was on the horizon, only this time, it involved imbibing self-created poisons.
He shook his head incredulously. "So, will I need to learn other branches of alchemy?"
Mars nodded. "Of course, just with a different focus. You'll primarily study Poison Alchemy while delving into some other branches. After all, mastering the meditation techniques of the Poison branch requires robust toxin resistance."
Flipping through a palm-sized notebook he retrieved from his pocket, Mars read aloud, "Toxin resistance is confirmed. According to the Academy's coined theory, secondary affinity stems from Earth-based resistance."
"But I possess fire-based resistance," Xia Zuo blinked.
"Exactly. That's why there's a twenty percent chance you might be allocated to the Arcane Alchemy department."
Scanning the shelves, Mars walked back and forth. "There are no records of Arcane Alchemy here..."
"Let me give you a brief explanation."
Mars pointed to the alchemical clock within the library. "This is a product of Arcane Alchemy, belonging to the Department of Arcane Artifacts."
"Remember the elemental vial you held during the second round of testing? That's a work of Elemental Manifestation studies."
Mars surveyed the room, glanced out the window, and finally shook his head. "The third discipline is Gigantic Constructs. There are no artifacts here in Rosack City. In fact, they are quite rare in Starry Night City."
Lost in thought, Xia Zuo flipped open "Fundamentals of Poison Alchemy: Isolation of Toxins" and started reading.
Poison Alchemy seemed more suitable for him. Arcane Alchemy sounded complex, demanding a strong spatial sense.
Unlike Poison Alchemy, the most challenging aspect was merely ingesting self-made poisons. Compared to high resilience, it seemed as easy as eating and drinking.
Seeing Xia Zuo engrossed in the books, Mars clapped his hands. "Don't get lost in the books. Come with me for lunch."
...
A month later, at noon.
The gates of Rosack City stood wide open, guards lining the streets, clearing a path down the center for onlookers.
Six agile black horses trotted into the city.
Their sleek, jet-black mane, neatly groomed over long necks, swayed rhythmically with their clip-clop steps.
These horses stood larger than usual, well-built with defined muscular frames.
What set them apart was their discipline. Their black eyes showed no signs of panic, completely indifferent to the bustling crowd.
These six horses pulled three excessively wide carriages, heading unwaveringly toward the Fountain Square under the control of the coachman, maneuvering along the curved path and altering the direction of the carriage.
"Whoosh."
The coachman, sitting in the partially enclosed driver's seat, tightened the reins, commanding the steeds to halt in front of the inspection station.
Servants at the station stowed the newcomers' luggage beneath the carriages.
Mars stood at the forefront of the group, nodding to Taylorus Mueller beside him. "City Mage Taylorus, thank you for escorting us out of the Rosack Province."
Taylorus, draped in a black cloak concealing his entire face under the hood, distorted his voice with alchemical tools to sound like an aged man.
"Indeed. Mages stationed in Stadriel and Southern Night will rendezvous within their respective guard zones to assist you along the way."
"Then let's depart."
Mars turned, looking at the new arrivals behind him.
The Affinity Test in previous years had only produced one qualifying student every three to five years in Rosack Province. However, this year's first Secondary Affinity Test had resulted in four new students in Rosack City alone, amounting to over a hundred across the country.
In the first year after the restructuring of the Academy, the number of students admitted surpassed the total intake of the past few decades...
After a poignant moment of reflection, Mars raised his arm, gesturing towards the carriage. "Keli and Anju will ride in the second carriage. Moben and Xia Zuo, come with me to the third carriage."
Keli Muller's parents, clad in white attire, stood by the roadside waving handkerchiefs.
Moben Liley's parents held each other, shedding silent tears.
The two hesitated as they waited for the carriage.
Mars checked his pocket watch. "Go on, just five minutes at most. We need to reach the northern checkpoint and join other carriages."
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