“The competition begins!”
As Roger’s steady voice fell, the air in the alchemy room seemed to freeze instantly.
All eyes focused on the two young girls standing at the center of the hall.
Emma and Elusa moved almost at the same time.
Elusa’s expression was focused; her technique was precise and rigorous, each step following textbook procedure, displaying the solid foundational training of Lemon Academy.
She handled the ingredients carefully, meticulously controlling her magic output, striving to produce a perfectly standard Mana Restoration Potion.
Emma, on the other hand, displayed a very different style.
Perhaps it was the inspiration from that mysterious blueprint, or maybe the experience she’d accumulated through countless failures, but her movements had a flowing, effortless grace.
For someone who had already successfully developed the “Dual-Effect Potion” and pondered deeply on its foundation, making a single-effect Mana Restoration Potion was indeed a breeze.
She skillfully mobilized the magic within her, precisely extracted the active ingredients from the herbs, and seamlessly blended them into the transparent test tube.
The entire process was carried out almost without pause or hesitation.
What shocked everyone was that, in less than five minutes, a test tube filled with a clear, magic-lustered liquid already sat before Emma—her Mana Restoration Potion was complete.
This speed was extraordinary.
Many present, even if not versed in alchemy, had seen other alchemists at work and knew that producing a batch of stable-quality magic potions typically took at least half an hour.
Emma’s speed completely upended their expectations.
Roger’s pupils also contracted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, adjusted his glasses, and commented in a calm, unruffled tone, “In the path of alchemy, quality comes first. Only once quality is assured does speed hold any meaning.”
“If one seeks only speed and neglects efficacy, or even causes the potion to fail or develop side effects, that is a tremendous waste of materials and betrays the true intentions of an alchemist.”
He still had full confidence in his junior Elusa.
Lemon Academy specialized in this field, and Dean Yukino was a titan of the empire’s alchemy world.
Elusa, as Yukino’s personally chosen direct disciple, had a talent and foundation honed through countless trials.
He simply could not believe that a student from the eclectic Starlight Academy could surpass his direct junior in alchemy.
Without revealing his thoughts, he cast a glance at the composed Sarah beside him, feeling a bit stifled.
People from Starlight Academy had come to the Quiet Moon Dock to stir up trouble, and now wanted to compete in alchemy as well, while Sarah’s obviously partial stance only made him more displeased.
Fifth-rank magi were certainly powerful, but in the field of alchemy, Lemon Academy’s authority was unshakable.
Unlike the others, whose attention was locked on the match, Izar’s mind had already drifted far away.
His gaze furtively swept the crowd.
The protagonist of the game, Leon, was surely among these elite students from the various academies—a potential, mobile “source of trouble.”
He had to find this person as soon as possible and firmly memorize his features, so that he could avoid him accurately in the future.
However, as he scanned the crowd, his eyes once again—by sheer misfortune—met a pair of cold, aloof eyes.
Izar’s heart skipped a beat.
Rhea… Why does she keep looking at me?
With her “aloof flower” persona, shouldn’t she be completely indifferent to everything around her?
Could it be that she recognized me and wants to reminisce?
This thought had just surfaced when Izar ruthlessly pushed it back down.
No, absolutely not!
Just thinking about Rhea’s psychotic elder sister Angelica, as well as Rhea’s own high risk of going off the deep end in the late game, made Izar’s back break out in a cold sweat.
Getting involved with someone who had both “heroine” and “potential villain” identities was, without question, one of the greatest crises in his survivalist career.
He quickly averted his gaze, praying desperately that she had only glanced over by chance.
He didn’t want to interact with any main story characters at all right now.
He just wanted to quietly play the role of a background extra, accumulating power until he could protect himself—or even ignore all trouble entirely.
While Izar’s mind was at war with itself, Elusa also finished her Mana Restoration Potion at the eleven-minute mark.
Though she was more than twice as slow as Emma, by standard conventions, her speed was still considered outstanding.
Now came the moment that would decide victory.
To ensure fairness, a neutral party—a third-rank mage from Stirn Academy—was chosen as the potion tester.
With everyone watching, the mage first depleted all his mana, then drank Elusa’s and Emma’s Mana Restoration Potions in turn, carefully sensing and comparing the recovery effects.
The results were quickly revealed: Emma’s potion surpassed Elusa’s in both total mana restored and restoration speed, with the difference being about ten percent.
This outcome made Roger’s facial muscles tighten almost imperceptibly for a moment, but he swiftly composed himself, showing only an appropriate hint of surprise before regaining his calm, with no further loss of composure.
As Yukino’s disciple, he understood that there was always someone better in the world—he just hadn’t expected to meet one here.
Luke leaned in and whispered so quietly only Izar could hear, “Izar, look at Roger’s face—trying to stay calm, but his mouth just twitched…”
“Why does he look just like me when I pretended to be a Lemon Academy student yesterday, acting all arrogant? Could he be… another one of your plants?”
Izar: “…”
He glanced at Luke speechlessly. This guy’s way of thinking was always so strange.
But now that he mentioned it, Roger’s brief awkwardness really did have a certain flavor.
Elusa herself was full of disbelief.
She grabbed the potion Emma made and drank it herself to feel the effect.
When the clearly superior recovery effect flowed through her, she finally bit her lip, unwilling as she was, yet still maintained basic etiquette, bowing her head and admitting, “I lost. Your potion… works better.”
Emma showed no trace of pride at her victory.
She simply nodded calmly and replied with a single word, “Mm.”
Elusa hadn’t expected such a bland reaction.
She had thought she would be ridiculed.
After a moment’s silence, she looked up, eyes burning with curiosity and unwillingness, and clenched her fist to ask, “That kind shown in the recording… the Mana Restoration Potion that can also enhance elemental affinity—does it really exist?”
“It does,” Emma replied affirmatively.
“Then why didn’t the one you made just now have that effect?” Elusa pressed.
Emma explained calmly, “Because my understanding of magic arrays is limited. Only when using a specific array that gathers elemental power can I guide elemental forces into the potion during the brewing process, granting it that temporary affinity boost. Besides, for that dual-effect potion, to maintain the bonus effect, its pure mana recovery is actually a bit weaker than the one I made today.”
As she spoke, Emma took a leftover “Dual-Effect Mana Restoration Potion” from her storage ring and handed it over.
Elusa accepted the potion and, after carefully sensing its properties, her face again showed shock.
She handed the potion to Roger.
Roger took it, examined it briefly, and immediately sensed the lively elemental waves distinct from an ordinary Mana Restoration Potion—exactly as recorded in the viewing stone.
His expression turned grave.
Elusa took a deep breath and asked the key question, “To integrate the principles of magic arrays so exquisitely into potion-making—no ordinary alchemist could do this. The one who developed this potion… who are they?”
Emma replied, “The original blueprint was obtained by my junior, Izar.”
Izar’s heart leaped into his throat, but he forced himself to stay calm, his face showing just the right amount of confusion and reminiscence, as he repeated for the umpteenth time the story of the ‘mysterious old grandpa’:
“Well… here’s how it went. About two years ago, outside the academy, I came across an old man who fell down, so I helped him up. To thank me, he gave me this old-looking blueprint. I couldn’t really make sense of it and just thought it was junk, but Emma-senpai happened to see it and was interested, so I gave it to her. After that, I never saw the old man again.”
Emma sighed at the right moment, her voice tinged with genuine frustration, “Sigh, when I help the elderly, I end up losing everything, but Izar helps someone and gets such a precious gift… Luck really is unfair.”
“I see… What a shame,” Roger took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all his shock and disappointment.
He turned to Sarah, his expression already calm, and said solemnly, “A bet’s a bet. Miss Emma’s alchemy skills are indeed superb. Our Lemon Academy admits defeat.”
“Just, I hope that if your esteemed academy wishes to exchange and learn in the future, you will send a formal invitation. Our Lemon Academy will always welcome you with open arms. There’s no need to use such… roundabout methods.”
Izar was a bit surprised.
Though Roger had been tough before, he could admit defeat so frankly after losing.
This magnanimity and character were truly admirable.
Sarah showed an appropriately apologetic smile and replied, “You flatter us, Roger-senpai. Indeed, our juniors’ actions were lacking in propriety. As their senior and as Starlight Academy’s representative this time, I formally apologize to everyone from Lemon Academy.”
This respectful and measured exchange from both sides cleverly eased the previous tense atmosphere.
Izar watched silently from the side, secretly sighing.
Sarah’s ability to be Starlight Academy’s public face clearly wasn’t just due to strength; her high emotional intelligence and skillful diplomacy were equally crucial.
At this moment, Roger broke into a hearty smile and said to all the students from various academies present, “Everyone, today’s events were indeed due to our Lemon Academy failing to uncover the truth in time and causing you inconvenience, as well as taking up your valuable time.”
“As an apology, tonight’s dinner will be on me. I hope you’ll all attend. After all, in the coming days, we’ll be heading to the Lemon Territory together to investigate the magical beast disturbances. This is a good chance to get to know each other and have a preliminary understanding of each other’s abilities, which will help our future cooperation.”
Hearing this, Izar felt the world go dark.
A large-scale inter-academy dinner party? This was practically his idea of the most terrifying social torture possible!
He could already picture himself surrounded by strangers, forced to engage in meaningless small talk, constantly on guard not to get dragged into the center of attention.
In stark contrast, Sarah’s emerald eyes lit up instantly, and she showed an unconcealed, childlike look of anticipation. “We can have dinner together!”
She said softly, her voice full of joy, clearly looking forward to it.
Izar inwardly groaned. It’s over, the moment for the social butterfly to shine is coming.
And he could only brace himself, ready to play the role of an utterly forgettable background character, an invisible little nobody in this unavoidable social storm.
He could only hope the dinner would end quickly, and that no more complications would arise.
……
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