Chapter 152 Isabel's Meeting Gift
After classes on Tuesday morning, Isabel came to eat with Aiwas as usual.
Isabel had a lot to share with Aiwass. From last Friday until today, when they hadn't seen each other, the topics had accumulated for four days.
Before, Isabel had no concept of time. To her, every day was an endlessly repetitive cycle, with no expectations for the next day.
But now the situation was different. She was looking forward to being promoted together with Aiwass, looking forward to their adventures in the dream world and experiencing another life together; she was also looking forward to chatting with Aiwass and sharing interesting things in each other's recent lives.
Even though this kind of sharing happens every day, the content is completely different.
Isabel used to love weekends. They were the days when she could stay quietly in the Hall of Silver and Tin, without having to talk to anyone. She could sing, draw, and play her instrument all by herself, and the time would pass by in the blink of an eye.
That sense of tranquility and isolation from the world always heals her tired mind.
But now, when the weekend is approaching, Isabel will become anxious and worried because she will not be able to see Aiwass for several days. She has gradually become accustomed to talking to others, and once she adapts to that kind of life, she will understand what loneliness is.
Therefore, Isabel would carefully prepare a notebook with her planned topics. She and Aiwass were not in the same department, and they could only see each other for a few hours at noon, and they might not even be free in the afternoon - one of them would often have something unexpected to do.
This sometimes led to her missing the topics she'd planned on. She'd encounter something interesting the previous night or this morning, but forget to mention it after they met. She'd only remember it after they'd separated, and the next time she chatted would be a day later. After a few of these incidents, Isabelle started taking notes, planning and preparing for her chats, jotting down any questions she'd thought of or interesting things she wanted to say.
She had heard last night that Aiwass had brought his sister to school. Isabel was very curious at the time because she knew that Aiwass's sister was frail and rarely went out to see the wind.
Now that she suddenly goes out, her illness must have finally healed, right?
Isabel was quite curious about Aiwass's sister because Aiwass often used "Yuli" as a topic. Although she had never met Yulia Moriarty, Isabel already had a good understanding of her.
Her personality... seems a bit like mine?
Thinking about how both of them were friendless and both had a good relationship with Aiwass, perhaps they could find common topics and become friends?
So Isabel took the initiative to ask to meet Yulia, and Aiwass readily agreed.
After asking Aiwass what his sister liked, Isabel went back to prepare.
Only at this moment did she realize that she was indeed the Princess of Avalon—it should have been quite troublesome, but she had only mentioned it and it was already prepared before the end of the afternoon class.
Although she already had the key to No. 14 Ronin Street, Isabel nervously rang the doorbell in order not to give Yulia a bad impression.
As the saying goes, put yourself in someone else's shoes—Isabel thought about it. If it were her, she would definitely feel uneasy if the door of her room was suddenly opened by a stranger. No matter who that person was, it would only make Isabel feel subconsciously uncomfortable and resistant.
Fortunately, she lived in the Palace of Silver and Tin and didn't have such an opportunity.
To Isabel's surprise, it wasn't Lily who opened the door, but a cute girl she had never seen before.
Isabel was not very tall, and Yulia was half a head shorter than her.
Her long white hair fell to her waist, and the bangs covering her forehead and temples made her already small face look even more delicate.
Her eyes were a rare, warm ruby-like color, and Isabel subconsciously thought of the candies she loved to eat.
...surprisingly energetic.
"elder sister……"
Yulia said in a soft voice: "Who are you looking for?"
Hearing this, a gentle smile appeared on Isabel's face unconsciously.
She wasn't the youngest in the family. Besides her two-year-old brother, Isabel had younger brothers and sisters. But they were all dead now.
"I'm looking for Aiwass... and also for you."
Isabel closed the door behind her and subconsciously reached out to touch Yulia's hair. The girl's hair wasn't the bone-white of an old man, nor was it the pale, cold white that made one feel cold. Instead, it had a slightly warm feel, giving off a sense of vitality and energy.
The satin-smooth feeling made Isabel feel an illusory sensation at the tips of her fingers without even touching it.
She even wanted to touch Yulia's cheek. She was so cute, like her grandmother's cat.
But she thought that was too rude - Aiwass said that Yulia was a very shy and timid girl. It would scare her.
"You are Yulia, right?" Isabel said softly, "I have prepared a gift for you..."
As she spoke, she handed the shoulder bag she was carrying to Yulia.
Yulia tilted her head slightly while holding her bag, looking a little confused.
"Open it and take a look."
Isabel whispered encouragingly.
She was actually a little nervous because she was not sure about the gift she had chosen - even though Aiwass swore that this was what Yulia liked.
But Isabel still thought it was too strange. Why would a fifteen-year-old girl like this?
Yulia opened the bag and found three thick books inside.
"The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony", "The Transmutation of Metals: Special Agents and Modified Metals", and "Astronomy of the Lower World".
"This is--"
Yulia's eyes suddenly lit up and she became excited.
Because these three books are all very famous alchemical works, and they are all books that cannot be purchased through normal channels in Avalon.
"The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony" is a sacred text written by Valentine I, the founder of the Star Antimony Kingdom, and "The Astronomy of the Lower World" is a summary of alchemy by an ancient alchemist - it regards alchemy as "the astronomy of the lower world" and corresponds to the real astronomy "the astronomy of the upper world".
Transmutation is an alchemical term. It refers to the transformation of one substance into another, or one element into another... For example, a certain base metal is transformed into silver or gold.
This process requires a transforming agent with mysterious properties. This "special agent" can modify a large amount of metals with only a small amount of consumption. Different alchemical processes require different special agents, synthesis methods, and usage amounts.
The legendary "Philosopher's Stone" is essentially the ultimate special potion - just a tiny amount can transform hundreds of thousands of times its weight in base metals into gold. This is also one of the three ultimate goals pursued by alchemists.
Its namesakes are "Life Creator" and "Universal Solvent." The latter refers to a universal solvent capable of dissolving all matter in the universe, reducing it to its most fundamental properties, so that any substance can participate in alchemy.
These three books respectively explain the three major directions of alchemy: "spiritual sublimation", "matter modification" and "concept projection", and can be said to contain the foundation of modern alchemy.
This is not some popular science book that a layman can read, but something that only extraordinary people who are seriously engaged in alchemy research should start reading.
Although these are not secret books, if you can fully understand these three books, you can also gain at least three mysterious skills from them and become a true alchemist.
Yulia had a copy of the Star Antimony version of "The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony" that belonged to the professor. She had read it through and through... at least ten times, and knew many chapters by heart.
But she didn't understand the Star Language very well after all.
Even after repeatedly consulting the dictionary, she still couldn't understand some of the rare words, alchemical terms, and coined words in the book. She often asked Professor Moriarty to help her decipher the words and passages she couldn't understand.
As for the remaining two books, they were not even in the professor's collection - the former was too introductory for the professor, but it contained the mysterious skill of "Material Transformation" that was essential for becoming an alchemist.
The latter is another field that even the professor has never studied... It is a mysterious alchemy that uses the names and concepts of God, similar to prayers and rituals.
These books are impossible to buy in Avalon, they are completely banned.
There were books in the Royal Law University library, but books in the library had to be returned after reading them, which made Yulia reluctant. Besides, Aiwass had his own books to read, and Yulia didn't want to use her brother's quota to borrow books she wanted to read.
Yulia flipped through the pages and was surprised to find that they were not typed, but were entirely handwritten!
These books were written in Avalon, and the handwriting was vigorous. Some notes, corrections and conjectures were recorded in the content.
Apparently, this is the "first draft translation" of the books in the Avalonian version today.
"...You must be Her Royal Highness Princess Isabel, right?"
Yulia didn't dare to pretend not to know the other person anymore. She even hesitated: "Such a precious thing, can I accept it?"
She liked them very much. But because of this, she realized how valuable these books were—she was even a little hesitant to accept them.
I always feel like if I collect these books, I'm going to sell my brother off...
"It's okay."
Isabel smiled and said, "This set of books was a gift from the president of Milton University to my grandmother... because of her educational reforms, alchemy was no longer taboo. To support this policy, he sent my grandmother the eleven alchemical works he had translated, so that they would become the basis for the textbooks compiled by Avalon Law University."
"After the textbooks were completed, they became my grandmother's personal collection. Later, when I wasn't very talented in the path of authority, she gave them to me.
"I thought about learning alchemy back then, too. But it turned out to be too complicated for me. Aiwass said you like alchemy... I'm glad you like it. It won't be wasted. It would be a real misfortune if such a good book were left unread.
"Just keep them safe, Yulia."
Isabel said gently, "You will become a great alchemist."
“Thank you, sister!!”
Yulia was very happy and put them carefully back into the bag.
Seeing that Yulia really liked the gift she gave her, Isabel breathed a sigh of relief.
Aiwass was actually right.
Yulia does like alchemy books...
How could a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old like this kind of thing?
The Moriarty family was not short of money, so there was no point in giving them things that could be bought on the market, and it would only make her look vulgar and tasteless; simply giving them books was useless, because the library of the Royal Law University was the royal collection, and she would be just offering something to someone else; but Aiwass didn't know what Julia liked - the preferences he gave were extremely strange.
Mechanics, electronics, chemistry, paleontology, but my favorite should be products related to alchemy, such as alchemy books.
...Listen, does this sound like something a fifteen-year-old girl should like?
Isabel even considered giving Yulia a set of butterfly specimens. They were probably ancient creatures, and they seemed more appealing to a girl's taste—at least they looked beautiful.
But she thought about it for a long time and decided to respect Yulia's personal preferences.
So she finally thought of a suitable gift:
——A unique alchemical translation manuscript!
Even though Isabel wasn't particularly interested in alchemy back then, she felt these were precious gifts and treasured them. But even though Isabel almost completely forgot about them, it was only with great difficulty that she remembered she still had such a set of books.
Now they can find owners who are just right for them and who truly understand their value.
Even if we ignore the fact that she was trying to please Yulia...Isabelle is really happy now.
This girl is quite cute.
Looking at Yulia, who was happily holding a book and smiling like a little girl, Isabel smiled gently.
She guessed right, she and Yulia would indeed get along very happily!
"Where's Aiwass?"
Isabel asked again.
"My brother is reading," Yulia said, carrying her satchel and following closely beside Isabel. "He said... he's preparing for his next promotion."
Yulia's affection for Isabel increased a lot.
Not only did she give Yulia the gift she liked, but her attitude towards knowledge also made Yulia quite fond of her - she originally thought that Isabel, as an extraordinary person on the path of beauty, should not attach much importance to alchemical knowledge... but she didn't expect that she actually had some research on alchemy.
While waiting for Aiwass, she chatted with Isabel for a while and found that Isabel had actually read these books seriously... Although she had almost forgotten everything now, with Yulia's prompting, she was able to recall some of it.
Your Highness, the Amazing Princess!
Yulia was in awe.
Even she herself hadn't read many of the books in the professor's study. Either they were in areas she wasn't interested in, or they were too obscure to understand, or the entire book was devoted to a small topic in a specific professional field...
This kind of book didn't seem that interesting. Yulia's original motivation for reading was to experience the world...but highly professional knowledge seemed too abstract and completely incomprehensible to her.
Therefore, although her adoptive father gave her some books, many of which were bought from abroad, Yulia didn't actually read them all... Despite this, she brought those books with her when she moved.
Princess Isabel, despite having no interest in alchemy, diligently read the books she was given. Her seriousness made her seem somewhat pitiful.
This princess has a pretty cute personality...
Yulia thought.
Just as both of them thought the other was cute and relaxed, Lily came over pushing Aiwass's wheelchair.
After asking Yulia what she was holding, Aiwas thanked Isabel on behalf of Yulia - he didn't expect Isabel's gift to be so valuable. He originally thought that Isabel would just give him a few hardcover books, but Isabel was so serious when they met for the first time.
I have to prepare some return gift, Aiwass thought.
But he also fell into the dilemma of gift-giving - as Her Royal Highness the Princess, what could Isabel not get?
After keeping this matter in mind, Aiwass and Isabel brought up the issue of Yulia's enrollment intentionally or unintentionally.
"no problem."
Isabel agreed straightforwardly: “Leave this matter to me…but Yulia may have to take a separate test.
"After all, if she really can't keep up with the courses, it won't be good for her studies. It will put her under a lot of pressure. We need to decide which department to assign her to based on her course performance... If her alchemy skills aren't too high, then it would be better to assign her to the Second Department to study basic courses for half a year, and then transfer to the Esoteric Studies Department next year."
Her Royal Highness the Princess kindly reminded.
She was no longer so timid when she chatted with Aiwass. And under Aiwass's guidance, Isabel had gradually understood how to use the power she had reasonably.
The biggest change was... she no longer rushed to act immediately after hearing Aiwass's request. Instead, she began to think from his perspective, using her common sense and understanding to judge the problems he might encounter, and then try to solve them in advance.
Isabel unexpectedly discovered that she was quite good at this.
Although she lacked the ability of those on the authoritarian path to control others' minds, guide their thinking, and strengthen their loyalty... she possessed a gift for understanding others' hearts. She could easily discern their true intentions from a single word.
Not everyone expresses their true thoughts in a conversation. Some people just can't, and some people just don't want to.
As a "jack of all trades", Isabel's understanding of everyone is also increasing simultaneously -
Perhaps it is because the interpretation of the heart and longing itself belongs to the realm of beauty.
As her conversation with Yulia deepened, Isabel gradually felt some of Yulia's essence.
She vaguely sensed something.
...Yulia didn't seem to be the fragile and soft girl Aiwass had described. On the contrary, she had a very calm heart... even cold and ruthless.
Yulia has a strong and competitive nature, and she is much stronger than Isabel in many ways.
The tenderness and attachment she displayed wasn't because her heart was fragile... but because she had a good impression of herself, and even more so of Aiwass. Therefore, in front of the two of them, Yulia was unwilling to reveal her aggressiveness—
But what will Yulia do if she faces someone she hates?
Aiwass had told Yulia to act cool and indifferent to her classmates after school, to protect herself. He had always felt that Yulia was weak and in need of protection, and that was indeed how Yulia portrayed herself to Aiwass.
But in Isabel's opinion, this is not the case.
Perhaps Yulia didn't need to pretend at all. She could just express her true feelings.
Isabel suddenly became interested.
——She wanted to see Yulia go to school. To see how she showed her cold nature.
An update of 5,500 words, two in one today meow!
I originally wanted to take half a day off for a chapter, but ended up writing 5,500 words for one chapter, so it became a two-in-one...
I'm going to play Bod today, and take a break after playing for a while!
I didn’t mention the little butterfly, sorry meow! Bow down, bang bang bang!
(End of this chapter)
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