Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1436 Class
The pharmacist lay on his side on the bed, using the light from above to look at the book in his hands, while also taking some time to assess the strength of the two young nuns.

In this scenario, magic is a separate system.

Although there are many branches, all magic is subject to unified spell rules. Broadly speaking, the characteristics of spells are categorized into three types—spell class, spell power, and spell inertia.

Spell rank refers to the level at which a spell is cast, directly related to the rank a caster has reached within their own spell system. There is no possibility of casting spells beyond one's rank. Light spell is a typical first-rank spell within the divine spell system, and anyone within that system can use it.

Spell power measures how many "slots" a spell requires from the caster. It's similar to spell slots, but also different. Spell power is adjustable for a spell. The base spell power of Light is one, which results in a ball of light above the caster's head. Of course, if the caster can spend an extra slot to upgrade it to two, it would probably be as bright as a shadowless lamp.

As for spell inertia, it's related to the so-called "slots," which in this world are called "Na," a general term for capacity or capacity to contain. High-ranking priests like the Apothecary possess twenty-four Na of magic power. Spell inertia refers to how long a slot corresponding to a spell's strength remains unusable after it's been cast. Because it's directly related to the caster, spell inertia is the only indicator without a unified standard. The Apothecary's Light spell would be usable again in about fifteen hours, after that one Na. But it's unknown how long it will take for these two nuns.

Why not just ask?

Once the soup was ready, the apothecary came down and drank it with the two of them. Vanessa's cooking skills were decent; at least this pot of soup turned out quite flavorful. After drinking half of it, the apothecary pointed to the orb of light above their heads and asked the question.

"What is the total power of your spells in Naphtium? What is the inertia of using the Light spell?"

Upon hearing this question, Vanessa hesitated for a moment, but Veronica answered directly, "Six Na, about twenty-four hours."

She's very talented.

The pharmacist didn't ask about social class, because in the face of talent, social class is only a matter of time.

“Veronica, the priest doesn’t allow us to do this casually…”

“Don’t worry, Vanessa, the Pharmacist is our teacher, and since she brought this up, does that mean we can ask her about magic as well?” Veronica said with a smile. “We learned our magic from books and Father Thorne, but there’s still so little we can learn.”

"What did you learn?" the pharmacist asked.

“Light spell, fire spell, soothing spell, and healing spell—that’s all,” Veronica replied.

"The spells of the Savior Cardinals. Haven't you learned the divine spells passed down by the other Cardinals?"

“No… there are no books in the church,” Veronica replied.

Vanessa, on the contrary, seemed somewhat excited: "Pharmacist, do you know how?"

“I have studied the Sacred Pivot, the Mystic Pivot, and the Heart Pivot. Not only divine magic, but I also know a little bit of witchcraft, sorcery, and arcane magic.” The apothecary put the bowl aside. “But Father Thorne only hired you to teach you pharmacology. I don’t think he can afford the tuition for a magic instructor.”

“This…” Veronica and Vanessa were taken aback; it was indeed true.

Spells are not something widely accessible; most people will never encounter them in their lifetime. Because of this, those who can serve as spellcasters are generally of high status. Even wandering sorcerers, who simply travel around because they enjoy it, are treated as honored guests wherever they go.

From this perspective, Father Thorne, a priest from a rural church, really couldn't afford this tuition.

However, at that moment, someone knocked on the door.

Vanessa quickly got up and opened the door.

Father Thorne was standing outside the door, carrying a plate of bread.

“Perfect timing. The lord gave us some food, not much, just enough for the few of us. I’ll bring some over for you. Since there’s soup, it’ll go well with this dry bread.” Father Thorne handed the plate to Vanessa, then looked at the apothecary.

"What, Father, is there something else?"

“I heard those last few sentences, madam,” Father Thorne said with a smile. “May I ask, apothecary, how much is the tuition for this magic instructor?”

"You don't even know how to collect tuition fees, and you expect me to teach you?" the pharmacist retorted.

“I come from a small church, and my knowledge is limited. My divine arts are self-taught, and I truly do not know their market value. But since they have such a market value, I suppose they are not secrets that cannot be taught, are they?” Father Thorne asked.

"Indeed."

"I then believed in the pharmacist's character."

Father Thorne took a stone amulet from under his robe and presented it to the apothecary.

"Madam, is this enough for tuition? Or could you teach them a few lessons?"

The apothecary examined the amulet for a moment and said, "A reusable exorcism amulet, while not as powerful as a person's own ability to absorb energy and freely use or enhance spells, is still an extra means of protection. Its carrier is just ordinary marble, so its magical inertia is probably very high. This is probably the best thing you have, but unfortunately, it wouldn't even be considered among the world's rarest treasures."

“I know, but it should be enough for tuition. I don’t know much, but I’m not completely ignorant either. Even for the magic masters hired by the royal family, this item should at least cover their expenses for a month or two.”

The pharmacist smiled: "That was the rate a year ago when the emperor was still alive. But since you're so sincere, I'll accept the tuition. Let's make it clear first, twelve lessons per person, only teaching divine arts. I don't want to be accused of leading nuns astray."

"Thank you, madam." Father Thorne thanked her and left without lingering.

Seeing this, the pharmacist laughed and said, "The priest is a straightforward man. You two shouldn't let him down. How much you learn in this course is up to you."

“But that’s not covered in pharmacology,” Vanessa suddenly said.
These words were obviously meant to defend the priest, but the pharmacist was quite appreciative: "Of course not, that's a different price. Let's eat. After you finish eating, hurry up and review. I guarantee that during the time I'm your teacher, you will feel an unprecedented sense of fulfillment."

=
The pharmacist kept his word.

Upon arriving in Changfeng Territory, they hadn't been assigned any tasks yet, but their workload suddenly surged. The first day, memorizing a few prescriptions was merely a formality; however, when the pharmacist's course officially began, before even entering the spell-learning phase, the terrifying amount of coursework already put the two girls, who considered themselves quite intelligent, under suffocating pressure.

"Pharmacology" is not as simple as memorizing a book; that's just the basics.

The use of herbal medicine is very complex. It involves determining which ailment it is for, whether it should be taken internally or externally, what tools to use for processing, how to process it, how to ensure that the medicinal properties are not lost, the differences between pills, decoctions, and powders, and their different application areas...

After the first week, when the pharmacist finally said, "God also gives believers a day of rest; tomorrow is a rest day," and left, Veronica and Vanessa were practically slumped over the table.

"Ve... Veronica, are you alright? I feel like my vision is going black." Vanessa stared at her nun, who was like an older sister to her, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“I don’t know… I feel like there are a dozen or so herbs circling around me, holding hands.” Veronica looked utterly exhausted. “Is pharmacology really that scary…? Much harder than etiquette or history…”

"Could it be because the pharmacist crammed a month's worth of material into a single week?"

"I think...it's been more than a month..."

The apothecary wasn't worried about the two nuns. She had assigned them based on their talent levels, which, while somewhat exploitative, was better than having no future. The world didn't allow for slow, gradual growth, especially since both were seventeen, only a month or two apart—an age at which they were old enough to join the army in the empire.

Father Thorne must have had a premonition of something.

During the past week, he had received confessions in the castle and also given two sermons. The pharmacist overheard one of them while passing by. Undoubtedly, Father Thorne was well-versed in theological classics and his words had a calming effect, but he didn't seem to have much piety.

Knight Gael took on a series of manual labor assignments from Longwind Territory. This knight, devoid of any chivalrous virtues, was primarily responsible for driving the group of people with his whip to their designated work areas. Only some wealthy families and children were exempt from this labor, as were special church personnel.

No one resisted—because Gale had at least done one thing Father Thorne had asked: to provide enough food.

The transition from spring to summer is also the time when food is most scarce. After a winter of depletion, coupled with the lack of produce in spring, it's no exaggeration to say that people have to compete with wild animals for food. Father Thorne understood these people's needs very well. Although only a small amount of money ultimately ended up in the hands of these commoners, with most of it going into the church's coffers, no one said anything, because without a priest, there wouldn't even be this job that provided them with food.

As the pharmacist observed, the priest spoke of divine protection but did not actually have a deep faith.

But that's not a problem.

The two nuns were to help the priest clean the small chapel in the castle on Sunday. The work wasn't strenuous, especially for the two young people; it only took a little over an hour. After helping the priest prepare the various items needed for the following week, Vanessa asked a question.

“Father, we have been studying pharmacology for a week, but the spell class has not yet started.”

"Is pharmacology easy to learn?" Father Thorne didn't answer, but asked a question instead.

The two nuns shook their heads in unison, but then said in unison, "They can learn it."

“That means you haven’t learned it yet. It’s unwise to expect another skill when you haven’t mastered the first one. I know you are very smart and can still study well even if you are juggling multiple subjects, but I will support your teacher’s decision,” Father Thorne said.

“We didn’t say it was a bad thing,” Veronica said. “The pharmacist is very skilled, we can all see that, and she may be more proficient in her field than any of the teachers you’ve hired before. But we’re worried that she won’t stay with us for very long.”

“Oh, that’s a good question.” Father Thorne laughed. “You think I’ve paid a great price but haven’t received enough in return, don’t you?”

“Father, you know we can’t keep a teacher like her,” Vanessa said. “We are nothing special, of ordinary status, and we only met her by chance. Summer is coming soon, and a traveler like her might choose to leave on some sunny morning.”

Father Thorne nodded: "Yes, although she promised the course, it would be difficult to finish the twelve lessons in one go. After that, I had no way to keep her."

The two nuns nodded together again.

"So, I can only give you a starting point, as I've said before. Children, I can't take you with me forever. I've brought the teacher in and kept her here for a while. After that, if you want to continue learning from her, it will depend on your own abilities."

Hearing the priest say that, Veronica and Vanessa were both taken aback. Then they exchanged a knowing glance, and Veronica said, "We will try our best!"

"Okay, let's go back. It's good to get some rest..."

"Right, right, there's still homework." Vanessa clapped her hands suddenly. "Father, let's go back!"

The two of them ran off in a hurry, leaving Father Thorne standing there, somewhat amused and exasperated.

That evening, when the pharmacist returned to the room, he found that the two girls had fully recovered and were studying with high spirits.

Not bad.

So on Monday, as soon as class started, the two saw four books in front of them. One of them was very familiar, it was the same book that the pharmacist had read before.

"Human energy has its limits. It's unrealistic to expect you to quickly learn all the relevant courses in a short period of time. So today, it's best if you two start learning in a differentiated way according to your own preferences—that will be faster."

The pharmacist pointed to the four books placed on the table.

"Pharmacology is not a standalone discipline; it intersects with and is studied in many other medical fields. What you learned in the previous week was merely memorizing the properties of various herbs and some basic pharmaceutical knowledge. These four books, however, represent the areas you will study in greater depth."

Are we already talking about deep learning before we've even finished learning the basics?
Veronica peeked out and saw the names on the covers of four books.

Poisonous Herbs, Deadly Creatures, The Book of Dismantling, The Record of Natural Disasters.

"Pharmacist... is all this pharmacology?" she asked quickly.

"Studying this is about fighting against the diseases and suffering in the world, so you must understand these things—choose two books each, no duplicates. Although competitive learning is useful for many students, it's probably ineffective for the two of you."