Chapter 288 The First Student
There are indeed more people in the square where the apprentice recruitment meeting is held than there were decades ago, but it has only changed from "extremely sparse" to "slightly sparse".
The number of freshmen in this class barely exceeded 400, which is still too many students and too little resources for such a large college.
Just like every time in the past few decades, Benjamin sat quietly behind the admissions desk of the Alchemy School, holding a thick book in his hands.
He seemed to be reading intently, but in fact his mind had already drifted away, pondering the details of a certain energy circuit optimization plan.
He no longer had any expectations for this trip and only regarded it as a routine matter that needed to be performed.
However, fate always seems to like to play a little joke on us unexpectedly.
A small figure, looking a little timid, hesitated for a long time, and finally came to his stage.
The subtle movement brought Benjamin's thoughts back to reality. He raised his eyes curiously and looked at the little girl in front of him who looked only eleven or twelve years old.
She was wearing a clean but not fancy cotton dress, and her brown curly hair looked a little frizzy. She nervously clasped her hands in front of her, and her eyes avoided him, not daring to look him in the eye.
When the little girl found that Benjamin was looking at her, she shrank back like a frightened deer, but she finally mustered up the courage, took a small step forward, and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito:
"Hello... Hello... Teacher Jieming." She quickly glanced at the badge with his name engraved on his chest to confirm his identity. "I... I want to join the alchemy school."
Benjamin looked at her calmly, and his powerful mental power instantly recalled the fragments of information that had just been vaguely transmitted from the distant test hall.
Despite the long distance, it was not difficult for a formal wizard to capture the announcements about talent levels and the corresponding soul aura ripples.
"Level 4 talent, Anita Chack. Is that right?" Jemin's voice was steady as he directly pointed out her name and talent.
Anita seemed startled by this precise "recognition" and nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice: "Yes... yes, mentor."
There’s a last name, Chuck…Jerming understood instantly.
This usually means she comes from a family with at least some wizarding heritage.
In all likelihood, such children choose the logistics department because they followed the advice of their family elders, rather than out of their own love of knowledge or insight into long-term interests.
After figuring this out, the slight ripple in Benjamin's heart quickly subsided, and was replaced by an imperceptible disappointment.
But his face remained calm, trying to recall and imitate the gesture of Mr. Clark when he recruited him. He nodded slightly and said in a slightly experienced and calm tone:
"A wise choice. The wizard's path is long and dangerous. Only by ensuring your survival can you talk about the future. Persevere. Even if your talent is ordinary, one day you will be able to see your own scenery."
These words, which he had heard back then as full of wisdom and profoundness, now had a formulaic flavor when he spoke them himself.
"Yes, thank you for your teachings." Anita answered carefully, her tone respectful but lacking a touch from the heart.
Without saying anything more, Benjamin took out a rather ancient, even rough-looking animal skin scroll from under the table and handed it to Anita.
"This is the standard apprenticeship contract of the Norn Workshop," he explained in a businesslike manner. "Read each clause carefully. If you have no objections, leave your blood and spirit mark on it. Remember, once the contract takes effect, any violation of the terms will result in an unbearable price."
This scroll may look simple, but it is actually a very sophisticated magical weapon.
The seemingly rough "animal hide" is actually the leather taken from formal wizard-level Warcraft, usually used to make disposable high-powered magical weapons.
This time, using the money to make the contract is considered a rather extravagant act.
The surface of the scroll is even more cleverly crafted with light and shadow magic, turning it into a "display" itself.
Only half of the contract content is presented above. If you want to read the full text, you must slide your finger upwards on the surface of the scroll.
This is the second implicit test that Norn College has always set when recruiting apprentices, mainly targeting those apprentices who have no wizarding background and rely entirely on themselves.
If one can discover and operate it on his own, it is enough to prove that his observation ability, spirit of exploration and understanding are extraordinary.
However, for apprentices with family backgrounds like Anita, this has long been an open secret.
Benjamin watched as she skillfully swiped her finger upwards across the surface of the scroll. Light and shadow shifted, revealing the complete terms of the contract.
She just glanced at it quickly, and it was obvious that the elders of the family had already explained the key points to her.
Benjamin shook his head secretly, and the last bit of expectation disappeared.
Anita quickly followed the instructions, pricking her fingertip and placing a drop of blood on it.
At the same time, Benjamin guided her, separating a strand of her still weak mental power and integrating it into the scroll.
Buzz!
The scroll flashed with an imperceptible light and then returned to calm, marking the official establishment of the contract.
Benjamin took out two books as thick as bricks from the storage space: "Basic Alchemy Manual" and "Basic Meditation Method", as well as a heavy wooden box containing basic tools and common material illustrations, and placed them in front of Anita, while warning:
"This is what you need to get started. There are still ten days until the class officially begins. During this time, you must master the Basic Meditation Method and successfully get started. If you fail to do so, your first month's standard resource ration will be deducted."
He pointed to the wooden box and said, "Here are your basic tools and some commonly used materials. The academy has a public laboratory, but you need to make an appointment in advance to use it."
Immediately, Benjamin's expression grew serious, and he looked at Anita sharply, "Remember these basic rules: First, safety is paramount. All operations must strictly adhere to regulations, and no chance is allowed! Second, private fighting is strictly prohibited within the academy, and any disputes must be submitted to the instructor for arbitration. Third, respect knowledge. All borrowed books and used equipment must be carefully maintained and not damaged. Fourth, points are your only currency for exchanging resources and knowledge within the academy. Work hard to earn them through tasks and study!"
After quickly explaining everything, Benjamin told her the approximate location of the dormitory area, then sat back in his chair, picked up the book he had only turned a few pages of, and signaled her that she could leave.
"Thank you, instructor. I'll take my leave." Anita bowed respectfully, picked up the heavy books and wooden boxes with difficulty, and left with a stagger.
Watching the thin figure disappear at the edge of the crowd, Benjamin blinked helplessly.
He was a little disappointed at first, but then he thought about it and felt that he seemed to have judged people by their appearance.
It might be unfair to judge someone as "lacking wisdom" simply based on their background and proficiency in scroll manipulation.
"Forget it, now that I've accepted it... I hope you can bring me some unexpected surprises in the future." He whispered in his heart.
Ten days later, Jermyn stepped into the exclusive laboratory assigned to the Alchemy School by the academy for the first time, which he almost never used.
In the empty and huge laboratory, Anita was the only one waiting there early, looking particularly lonely.
Benjamin didn't show any special reaction to this. The passion he had when he first became a teacher had long been worn away by the indifference of the previous decades.
"Welcome to alchemy, one of the most stable and foundational subjects in Nolen College." Benjamin didn't care about Anita's reaction at all, and spoke in a calm tone, neither hurried nor slow.
“Here, you will learn the core of alchemy—understanding, breaking down, and reconstructing.”
"Understanding is the recognition of the essence of matter, analyzing its elemental composition and energy properties. Decomposition is breaking matter down into its fundamental units. Reconstruction is the use of mental force to guide energy and matter according to your will, reshaping them into new forms or giving them new properties."
Benjamin glanced at Anita and his tone turned serious. "Alchemy requires extremely high mental strength. Your mental strength is your strongest tool. The precision of your mental control determines the upper limit of your alchemy."
He walked over to a small operating table next to the podium, on which lay a rather heavy-looking, irregular nugget of gold.
"You should have already reviewed basic alchemy, so there's no need to waste time. Today's first lesson is basic shaping," Benjamin said calmly. "This is one of the most fundamental practices in alchemy, controlling the form of an object through mental power. You'll practice with gold."
Without saying anything more, Benjamin took out a standard alchemical gold ingot and handed it to Anita.
"Watch it."
Jieming spoke briefly and began to demonstrate the most basic gold shaping technique.
Soft and precise mental power flowed through his fingertips, guiding the gold ingot to flow, stretch, and change shape like a living thing.
During the process, Jeming explained the key points of energy input rhythm and material structure stability.
After the demonstration, he guided Anita in her first alchemy practice in her life.
The course ended in a somewhat dull and mechanical atmosphere.
Anita followed the steps strictly and did not make any mistakes, but there was no inspiration at all. It was more like she was completing an assigned task.
After returning to his core laboratory, Jie Ming recalled the scene in class and sighed helplessly again.
This time, he sighed not at the student's possible lack of intelligence, but at the attitude that was almost written on her face.
Benjamin could understand the other party's lack of interest in alchemy, after all, it was a choice arranged by the family.
However, it was difficult for Benjamin to understand why she showed such a lack of interest in class so obviously that it even affected her own concentration and learning efficiency.
"If she keeps going on like this..." Benjamin muttered to himself as he gazed out the window at the eternally burning sky of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane. "Then I'm afraid she'll really only be able to remain at the level of 'logistics' for the rest of her life, never able to reach the true core of a wizard."
This first student did not seem to bring any surprises, but instead made him see more clearly the gap between ideals and reality.
(End of this chapter)
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