After lunch, Mars retreated to his dormitory for some rest. Meanwhile, Xia Zuo found solace in the library, seeking out a quiet corner to doze off. He immersed himself in books throughout the afternoon and evening.
Dinner was a solitary affair, and his path back to the dorm at night was a lonely walk. It seemed as though everyone had vanished, leaving only his figure in the entire castle's halls and dining areas... except for the elemental servants that swept the floors and prepared food.
Oddly, he didn't feel the weight of loneliness, perhaps a side effect of spending too much time alone in his past life.
The following morning brought a different scene entirely. Freshmen in their school uniforms rushed into the dining hall, grabbing plates and loading them with bread and jam before haphazardly taking seats. Their shallow and deep double eyelids drooped with the evident signs of sleepiness. Xia Zuo figured the previous night's banquet performance must have been spectacular, causing these newcomers to retire late.
"Hey, Xia Zuo."
Anju, a black-haired girl, sat across from him, holding a plate. Although unable to paint in the carriage, the scent of turpentine lingered faintly around her.
"Good morning, Anju."
Xia Zuo smiled, employing his sensing technique to check who her mentor was: "You were assigned to Alchemical Oils with Professor Zholang, right?"
Anju, with her mouth full of blueberry jam, nodded and mumbled incomprehensibly, "Mm-hmm! Dim mentioned it only once when assigning mentors yesterday, yet you remembered. You've got an incredible memory."
Xia Zuo sipped his soup, his smile widening. The incident with the Ritchie Triplets served as a reminder: not all mages were bound by conventional moral constraints.
Some wandered in the gray areas, leveraging their abilities or other means, potentially crossing forbidden lines. He needed air-tight explanations for his peculiarities, preparing logical solutions to ensure they were accepted seamlessly by those who discovered them.
He summarized his current visible anomalies: extraordinary recovery ability and exceptional memory reliant on his "Knowledge Reserve."
The blame for his recovery lay squarely on the shoulders of the deceased villain from nearly two years ago. The exceptional memory, however, needed to be concealed.
Xia Zuo's plan was straightforward. Subtly, he intended to cultivate an image of being fond of reading and possessing an exceptional memory among those close to him. They would propagate this image to others, even their respective mentors.
This approach would allow him to confidently use the "Knowledge Reserve" during exams and assessments, securing high or even perfect scores.
Anju mixed corn chowder, swallowing her food, utterly unaware that in just ten seconds, Xia Zuo had contemplated so much.
She tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Which subject were you assigned to? I don't recall."
"Poisonous Alchemy, under Professor Kurov." Xia Zuo stuffed a sausage into his mouth.
At that moment, Mars arrived, sitting beside Xia Zuo with his plate. "Morning, folks. First day of school begins."
As he picked up a burger topped with meat, he sensed two gazes landing on him, particularly from the black-haired girl.
A primal instinct prompted him to realize that staying longer might be risky.
"Ahem."
Putting down his sandwich, Mars scanned the cafeteria and said, "Moben seems to be running late; I'll go fetch him."
Before leaving, he playfully winked at Xia Zuo, showing a friendly and humorous demeanor, devoid of any airs of a senior student.
"Did you attend the banquet last night?" Anju took another big bite of her bread.
"No, I was at the library."
Xia Zuo deliberately slowed down his breakfast consumption, sipping his soup with a spoon rather than gulping it down.
Glancing around and not spotting the Ritchie Triplets, he lowered his voice, cautioning Anju, "Mars mentioned something to watch out for regarding the girls."
Leaning forward, Anju listened intently as Xia Zuo quietly disclosed incidents of peeping at the girls, ending with a reminder, "Be cautious."
"Got it!" Anju nodded with a smile. "Dim specifically noted this in our 'Castle Rules for Girls' and increased patrols near the dormitories."
"Good to know. Seems like Dim, the castle overseer, takes his responsibilities seriously."
Xia Zuo elevated Dim's appraisal in his mind.
As Anju finished her last bite of sandwich, she asked, "What's your second class this morning?"
Xia Zuo handed her his schedule.
"Well, our second morning class only differs on Saturdays." Anju blushed slightly as she smiled.
Observing her expression, Xia Zuo felt a strange sense of emotion.
...
At 6:50 AM, the Alchemical Language class was about to commence. Xia Zuo and Anju lingered a bit longer in the cafeteria. Upon arriving at the semi-circular tiered classroom, only back-row seats remained vacant.
The two settled in the front, directly facing the podium.
The institution structured a six-month course for Alchemical Language studies. Classes ran from Monday to Saturday, spanning from 7 AM to 9 AM, totaling over 300 hours of instruction.
Six months later, there would be examinations. Passing these allowed students to progress to new branches of Alchemy.
Failure provided a chance for a makeup test. Failing that meant repeating the six-month course along with the incoming freshmen. Other courses followed similar patterns.
Xia Zuo laid out his "Alchemy Language" textbook, filled with markings and underlined passages.
Carrying this book, already stored in his "Knowledge Reserve," was purely for appearances.
The actual textbook for class wasn't this one. It was a scholarly tome, categorized as extracurricular or recreational reading, unsuitable for classroom settings.
According to the curriculum's appendix 1, the main focus of Alchemical Language's assessment was the "Herbal Basics: Illustrated Catalog of Magical Plants."
Xia Zuo planned to resort to his old method of forcefully memorizing the book.
Next to him, Anju flipped through Xia Zuo's "Alchemy Language" book.
Every page was annotated, even the back cover's whiteboard contained complex alchemical formulas.
She lowered her voice, "Have you self-studied through this?"
"Yeah, during that month at the checkpoint."
Anju's mouth moved in astonishment, then she admired, "Among the people I've met, your memory is truly the best."
Xia Zuo modestly chuckled, stealing a glance at her reading progress.
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