Emma’s face was instantly shrouded in heavy disappointment.
She lowered her head, staring at the Blueprint in her hands that was brimming with endless possibilities, as if she had brushed past a Lost Peerless Treasure, sighing faintly, even her shoulders drooped a little.
Yize, firmly adhering to the NPC Core Principle of never standing out and never showing off, comforted her in a helpless tone, “Senior, don’t be too discouraged. Since that old man is still within the Imperial Territory, I’m sure there will be a chance to meet him again. Or… if I’m lucky enough to run into him next time, I’ll do my best to introduce you, how about that?”
It sounded nice, but in truth, he was shifting the responsibility onto the vague notions of “next time” and “luck.”
Emma pressed her lips together and didn’t reply, but her thoughts drifted far away.
Ever since she picked up this Blueprint that Yize had dropped a few years ago, she had poured nearly all her energy into researching it, trying to apply the “Double Effect Overlay” approach it contained to other potions.
Yet, she didn’t know how many precious materials she had wasted, or how many explosions and failures she’d endured, but she could never touch the threshold of success—not even once had she managed to produce a proper prototype.
She was born into a Pharmacy Family famous throughout the Empire, and had been called the Genius Pharmacist of the Century by her clan since childhood.
After entering Starlight Academy, she was without a doubt Number One in Pharmacy among the students.
In the past, she always thought that pharmacy was a simple matter of following the instructions, that as long as you had hands, anyone could do it; the only difficulty lay in the precision of material handling and fire control.
It wasn’t until this seemingly random and scribbled Blueprint appeared before her eyes that she suddenly realized—she had only been walking on the road paved by her predecessors, standing on the shoulders of giants, never truly glimpsing the true depth and vastness of the Pharmacy Path.
A true Master of Pharmacy should dare to innovate, optimize, and even create recipes! If all Pharmacists stubbornly clung to tradition and only copied Ancient Recipes, then the path would eventually wither and die.
Her brief but failed romance with Teacher Yisha had also made her reflect deeply on just how naïve and immature she once was.
After stepping out of that shadow, she swore to devote herself wholeheartedly to the Pharmacy Path and forge her own Bright Future.
This Blueprint had almost become her spiritual pillar.
For years, she’d thrown herself into studying it day and night, barely suppressing the ache in her heart. Yet reality was cruel; again and again, she approached the success she imagined, only to fail at the final step every time, as if forever blocked by an invisible sheet of paper.
Today, she had finally mustered the courage to set aside her past embarrassment and seek out Yize, hoping to find a breakthrough, but she never imagined the answer would be so elusive.
The Potion Recipe was not even Yize’s work? But… thinking about it, it seemed only natural.
Yize’s talent was mediocre, and he usually seemed lazy and unambitious. How could he possibly possess such extraordinary, even paradigm-shifting, understanding of pharmacy?
At this thought, the disappointment in Emma’s heart grew heavier, as if the tiny flame that had just kindled was doused with cold water.
“If you don’t have anything else, Senior, I’ll go back and get ready for my trip,” Yize said as Emma remained silent, the warning in his heart fading away and the urge to leave growing. As he spoke, he warily watched Emma out of the corner of his eye, his body already half-turned, ready to dash off at any moment.
Emma was pulled back from her chaotic thoughts and simply gave a soft “Mm.” Almost instantly, she reverted to her usual aloof and proud self, as if nothing could affect her, nodding slightly. “Sorry for bothering you this time, Yize.”
“Not a bother, not a bother! I didn’t help much anyway, it was nothing, Senior, you’re too polite!” Yize hurriedly waved his hand, and before he finished speaking, he had already bolted towards the dormitory like a startled rabbit, not even looking back, his speed nearly rivaling a low-tier wind magic boost.
Watching his almost afterimage-like back, Emma turned her gaze to the side once more.
This junior of hers had appalling magical talent, but his skills at making a quick escape were second to none. Perhaps… on this journey, having him run errands and scout ahead wouldn’t be entirely useless? She thought helplessly, finally finding a minuscule role for this “Fool” of a junior.
At the same time, inside the Dean’s Office.
Kleia and Yisha stood side by side, their gazes fixed on a smooth Crystal Ball suspended in midair. Within the sphere, the scene of Yize and Emma’s conversation in the corridor was reflected in perfect clarity, even down to the smallest sound.
Kleia raised her eyebrows slightly, her slender fingers tapping the table as she turned to the composed Yisha beside her. “That Potion Recipe… is it really as impressive as Emma described?”
Yisha’s gaze remained on the Crystal Ball, her tone calm and unreadable. “I haven’t seen the recipe myself, but just based on Emma’s description—especially the part that suggests it incorporates an understanding of Magic Arrays—the difficulty and theoretical value of refining it are probably beyond imagination.” She paused for a moment, as if something clicked in her mind, and thought inwardly, “No wonder she hasn’t been bothering me these years. So, her mind was captured entirely by that Potion Recipe.”
Kleia mused with an “Mm,” leaning back for a more comfortable posture, then asked with interest, “Then, in your opinion, Teacher Yisha, what about my disappointing fourth disciple?”
Yisha slowly shifted her gaze from the Crystal Ball to Kleia, enunciating each word, “This student of yours… I fear he’s far from as simple as he appears.”
“Oh?” Kleia’s interest deepened. “And why do you say that?”
Yisha analyzed calmly, “Just consider how he got the Potion Recipe—one casual favor, and he receives an improved formula that could be considered a National Treasure of the Empire, one that would drive any Pharmacist mad? Kleia, do you believe such stories, like something a Bard would make up?”
Kleia was silent for a moment, lips slightly parted, but ultimately said nothing. Thinking it over, there was indeed something unexplainably bizarre about it.
Seeing Kleia remain silent, Yisha unhurriedly retrieved a thick, Starlight Academy-crest-embossed magic ledger from her Storage Ring and laid it open on the desk. “Take a look at this.”
Her fingertip pointed to a certain entry. “This is the record of all commission tasks undertaken and completed by students in recent years.”
Although Starlight Academy was mainly for nobles, there was no shortage of talented students from poor backgrounds.
To ensure they had the resources for basic life and training, the academy regularly issued all kinds of commissions from both the public and the Imperial government, rewarding students accordingly upon completion.
These commissions varied in difficulty and risk; even seemingly simple errands could lead to unexpected trouble.
Kleia’s gaze swept indifferently across the densely recorded entries, detecting nothing unusual. “Is there a problem?”
Yisha slid her finger down to “Yize’s” name, her tone certain and unyielding. “Haven’t you noticed? Every commission he’s taken, he’s completed with a one hundred percent success rate—never a single failure.”
She paused, letting the information sink in, then threw out another crucial detail. “And if you look at the reports, he always completed the tasks alone, never once teaming up with anyone. More baffling still, not a single injury ever reported in the completion summaries, not even the slightest scratch.”
Yisha looked up, her eyes sharp as they met Kleia’s. “How does a ‘Fool’ with only five percent elemental affinity, who can barely cast second-tier magic and appears meek and harmless at school, complete commissions that even three-person teams can fail—and do so without a single injury?”
The office fell into brief silence.
Only the faint magical glow from the Crystal Ball reflected in Kleia’s deepening eyes.
…