The calm before the storm
Professor Eleanor Silversley's groundbreaking joint research proposal, like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, stirred up a tidal wave within the Rockefeller Institute's upper echelons. The board debated for days, with frequent table-pounding and heated arguments.
Supporters saw this as a groundbreaking academic opportunity, one that, if successful, would make Rockefeller College a household name across the continent’s academic circles, along with countless practical benefits—just think of those amazing new drugs! Opponents, on the other hand, were deeply worried, believing it was playing with fire, not only completely offending the Inquisition and the Vatican, but also potentially inviting uncontrollable unknown risks.
The old dean, Morris, was caught in the middle, his hair turning even whiter with worry. Finally, after a fierce negotiation, with the budget slashed to its bare minimum, the research scope strictly limited, and countless oversight and restrictive clauses attached, the project proposal, titled "Preliminary Feasibility Study on the Analysis and Application of Pharmaceutics with Eastern Continent Characteristics," was finally approved, albeit with great difficulty.
The news elicited mixed reactions from various parties.
Professor Eleanor ignored the restrictions; all she saw was the words "Proposal Approved." This usually meticulous and rigid professor, for the first time ever, let out a joyful cheer in her lab, startling her assistant so much she nearly dropped her crystal beaker. Almost immediately, she began organizing the equipment, counting the materials, and planning the experimental procedure, wishing she could drag Ling Yao into the lab the very next second to begin her momentous research.
Upon hearing the news, Finn Liver excitedly did three somersaults in the small shop, as if he could already see the officially certified gold signboard and the endless stream of orders. "We're rich! We're really rich this time! We're officially employed now!" he exclaimed, his words tumbling out in a jumble of excitement.
Ling Yao's reaction was the most indifferent; she simply nodded to indicate she understood. Cooperation? Sure. Laboratory? Whatever. As long as it doesn't interfere with her absorption of magic cores or cause her too much trouble, she can research however she wants. She even felt that having an official backing would save her from a lot of fly-like harassment.
Meanwhile, Judge Silas, upon learning that the proposal had been passed, locked himself in his office for an entire day. According to apprentices passing by the courthouse, sounds like someone forcefully crushing something or an extremely suppressed growl could be heard coming from inside, and the temperature at the entrance was several degrees lower than in the rest of the corridor.
When the office door opened again, Silas's face was terrifyingly calm, but his icy blue eyes were devoid of any warmth, only a frozen, all-consuming resolve remained.
He realized that the academy's leadership had been corrupted by illusory interests and laughable academic curiosity, making it impossible to expect them to purge this heresy. Even Professor Yinrui had fallen, becoming an accomplice to the heresy!
The purification must be carried out by him personally! For the purity of the Holy Light!
However, Silas did not act immediately. The lesson from the last public lecture was still fresh in his mind. Without absolute certainty and irrefutable evidence to definitively condemn his opponent as a "heretic," rash action would only lead to further failure.
He became unusually silent and patient. On the surface, he no longer openly questioned the college's decisions, and even when he occasionally encountered Professor Eleanor, he would only cast a cold glance at her without offering any real obstruction. This unusual calm, however, made those familiar with his style even more uneasy.
Before a storm comes, there is often a deathly silence.
In this eerie silence, the "Research Group on the Integration and Application of Eastern and Western Alchemy" was finally established, albeit with some difficulties.
The research facility was set up in a small, long-abandoned warehouse next to the alchemy workshop, which required us to clean it ourselves. Although the funding was severely cut, at least the basic equipment and commonly used materials were still provided.
The "honeymoon period" of the collaboration has begun—if this combination of one person being passionate and the other cold and indifferent can be called a honeymoon.
Professor Eleanor displayed astonishing efficiency and enthusiasm. She practically moved her entire household into the small warehouse, spending every day revolving around Ling Yao. She was either engrossed in her notebook, relentlessly questioning Ling Yao about the details of the "medicinal properties," or attempting to use various sophisticated instruments to measure the energy changes during Ling Yao's refining process—all to no avail, of course. Faced with Ling Yao's unreasonable power, the instruments either malfunctioned or gave incorrect answers, infuriating Eleanor to the point that she almost smashed the priceless instruments several times.
"Miss Ling, could you please demonstrate the 'Condensing the Core' step again? I'd like to use high-speed magic to capture the crystal and record it once more!"
"Miss Ling, this is an energy fluctuation spectrum analysis chart I designed based on your description of the 'fire-natured' medicinal properties. Please see if it matches..."
"Miss Ling, regarding the 'guide herb' in the 'principal, assistant, adjuvant, and envoy' formula, is its energy guidance method replaceable? What if we replace it with materials that have similar elemental affinity but come from different sources..."
Most of the time, Ling Yao would just glance at it or give a casual reply. Occasionally, when she got annoyed by the questions, she would explain a few more words or even demonstrate directly. To her, this research was tedious and inefficient; she'd rather use that time to concoct more pills to exchange for magic cores.
But Eleanor was thoroughly enjoying it. Every insignificant discovery, every small verification of the theory, filled her with ecstasy. She even began to imitate Ling Yao, trying to "sense" the "medicinal properties" of herbs instead of merely analyzing their elemental composition, although most of the time she was completely baffled by what she perceived.
Finn also took the opportunity to infiltrate the research group, taking on the title of "assistant researcher," mainly responsible for... odd jobs and sales. He astutely discovered that anything even remotely related to "the latest results of the joint research project" could be sold for a higher price! As a result, gimmicks such as "laboratory special edition," "research-grade purity," and "includes a data analysis report personally signed by Professor Eleanor" emerged one after another, and business actually took off to another level.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction. The rumors appeared to be subsiding, cooperation was progressing steadily, and business was recovering.
But Ling Yao didn't let her guard down. She could sense that the lurking surveillance was not only not decreasing, but had become more covert and frequent. A sense of impending doom hung over her.
Her hunch was right.
Inquisitor Silas was not idle. Beneath the surface of calm, he was busily weaving an even larger web.
He mobilized all the hidden forces of the court to more closely monitor the "Eastern Secret Medicine" and the small warehouse laboratory, recording everyone who entered and exited, analyzing every moment Ling Yao might use "unconventional power," and trying to capture that elusive evidence.
At the same time, he began to secretly contact conservative nobles and business leaders in the academy city who were uneasy about Ling Yao's existence or whose interests were harmed by her products.
In a secluded, spy-free chamber, Silas showed several solemn-faced, richly dressed men and women carefully selected, most terrifying video recordings (mainly Ling Yao's inexplicable potion-making process and some "victims'" testimonies distorted by rumors).
"Ladies and gentlemen," Silas's voice was deep and inflammatory, "you have all seen this. This is not ordinary competition, this is not academic disagreement! This is an utterly evil force from outside the world! It is corrupting our academy, bewitching our scholars, disrupting the market order, and even threatening your positions and interests!"
"Dean Morris and the council have been blinded by academic vanity! They are making a deal with the devil! And the one who will ultimately pay the price is the entire College Town!"
"We cannot stand idly by! For the sake of our families, our businesses, and our beliefs, we must unite and eliminate this cancer before the situation becomes irreparable!"
Fear and self-interest are the best catalysts. These conservative forces, who were already wary of Ling Yao, quickly formed a secret alliance under Silas's instigation.
They began using their resources and influence to secretly obstruct the progress of research projects (such as delaying the approval of materials and raising questions at council meetings), spread more dubious rumors, put pressure on the academy, and secretly fund Silas's "evidence-gathering" operations.
A net targeting Ling Yao, Eleanor, and even the entire collaborative project is quietly tightening.
The sky over College Town appears clear, but in reality, it is turbulent and overcast.
Even Eleanor, immersed in her research, sensed something was amiss. Applications for certain experimental materials were being delayed without reason, the occasional inquiry letters from the council were becoming increasingly harsh, and even some of her colleagues were looking at her with a sense of distance and strangeness.
But at this moment, she was completely absorbed in those fascinating Eastern theories, and she attributed these minor setbacks to the inefficiency of the bureaucratic system and the inherent biases of academia, without delving too deeply into them.
One day, when the materials management department delayed her again for a rare solvent she urgently needed for a comparative experiment, citing cumbersome reporting procedures, she angrily went to confront them. However, she overheard a clerk whispering with a man who appeared to be a nobleman's butler inside:
"...Don't worry, we'll delay Professor Yinrui's order as long as possible...The Earl gave the instructions..."
“…Understood, understood…that’s about the supply of medicinal herbs from the ‘Eastern Secret Medicine’…”
"...We've already spoken to them...and several major medicinal herb suppliers will no longer supply them..."
Eleanor's heart sank instantly.
She finally realized that the brief period of peace and cooperation might just be a fragile illusion.
The storm is really coming.
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