A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 206 Request to the Alchemy Department

Luo Xia then spoke with Andrei again, gaining a deeper understanding of his recent situation. He learned that Andrei worked twelve-hour shifts every day, and because it was the night shift, Luo Xia was able to run into him at that time.

Rorschach picked up the contents he had been copying repeatedly. There was not a single inch of space wasted on the crumpled paper, and now the writing was forced to overlap.

Will you come again at this time tomorrow?

"meeting!"

Luo Xia nodded: "I'll bring handouts and new paper and pens at this time tomorrow. If you can find some more students, I'll bring a few more copies to give them."

Andrei stood up from his chair: "Professor Rorschach."

The monk waved his hand and slowly led Andrei out of the classroom. Where once a bustling place had been, now only the former teacher and former student remained.

"When did the gate open?" Andrei asked excitedly, mistakenly believing that the opening of the gate and the arrival of Mr. Rorschach were a signal that school was about to resume. However, he quickly realized that his father was unemployed and the family needed him to work to support them, so even if school resumed, there would be no chance for him to return to the classroom.

Luo Xia urged him to go home and rest to recover his strength, and not to overwork himself. "We agreed to meet again at this time tomorrow."

Goodbye, teacher!

The mage wasn't just there to sponsor Andrei's paper and pens; Rorschach immediately thought of his previous plan and rushed to the Alchemy Department. "Mage Snow? Where's Mage Snow?"

The alchemy department staff led Rorschach to the basement, where, in addition to the existing ether extraction equipment, the space had been expanded again, and a second reactor was being built symmetrically to the original "reactor" room.

Snow was directing the construction as the tower was lifted and slowly lowered into the alchemical pool.

"Rorschach, you're finally back!" He greeted the visitor warmly, but seeing the boy's gaze fixed on the No. 2 machine under construction, he said apologetically:

"Haha, we should have consulted you, the inventor of the design, but time waits for no one. We need to meet the new demand for ether, so the second unit started construction after reporting to Master Carnot."

"That doesn't matter. Just remember to send me the split for the Blue Light Barrier Core and the rolling suitcase." Luo Xia was happy to have the Alchemy Department get new equipment, which would double the speed at which his proficiency with [Divine Exorcism] would increase. "I also saw an interesting idea in the Empire that could save us the mithril rods at the bottom of the tower."

Snow's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"I wouldn't dare boast in front of the head of the Alchemy Department, but I'm really curious why the original power supply became insufficient so quickly. What new project has been launched?"

"Well," Snow abruptly changed the subject, "Alright Rorschach, did you come to me to offer new ideas for collecting ether?"

"Of course, but I have conditions," Rorschach handed Snow a Fonda drink: "No, not money, but for my student."

Snow hesitated before taking the bright green beverage, examining the bottle and the liquid inside before drinking it. Rorschach briefly explained the closure of the Higher Normal School and the resulting dropouts.

"That kid has magical talent. Although he only learned the basics of alchemy, I personally taught him, and he's still the top student in the entire grade for that subject. Master Snow, do you trust my abilities?"

"So, could the Alchemy Department accept a special apprentice? He doesn't need to enroll in the Star Tower; he can stay in the research building and learn and work with you."

Snow didn't agree immediately. He first opened the soda and took a sip: "Delicious! Master Rorschach, we've also heard about Master Gao's discontinuation. Master Cano even told me that you're practically a founder, so I'm very sorry to hear this news."

"The owners of the trading companies under the guild also complained to me that their investments had gone down the drain. I personally oppose the way the higher-ups are acting. But you still have to undergo an investigation. Master Luo Xia, your helping sensitive individuals like this might not be conducive to your own success in passing the investigation."

Rorschach laughed: "I don't care. At worst, I'll just pack my bags and go back to the Empire."

"Alright, your situation is too special. We need to discuss it with Master Cano first. If the Chief agrees, then I have no problem with that." Snow took another sip of soda. "Anyway, our Alchemy Department is always looked down upon by idiots. What's wrong with doing something outrageous? It's just one more apprentice, right?"

The Alchemy Department agreed quite readily, and Rorschach was certain there were no problems with Cano's side: "Thank you!"

But the other party had something to say: "What about the other students? Our Alchemy Department can't possibly accept any more people, even if we make an exception. Besides, most students probably don't have spellcasting abilities. If they come to the research building, they can only do odd jobs and will attract the attention of the investigators."

Rorschach frankly admitted, "I haven't thought about it yet." Perhaps he could ask Mr. Pierre to lead the restructuring of the new school, but he didn't know when it would be completed, and just finding new teachers would be a challenge.

"Why don't you go find your senior brother? He's been incredibly busy lately, and he's not working for Master Cano," Snow suggested.

What's my senior doing? Is he busy with the "Friends of Love and Equality Club"?

After Rorschach left, Snow watched his retreating figure and suddenly remembered, "Wait a minute, they still haven't said what the technology to replace the mithril rod is!"

As Rorschach expected, Cano had no objections, only suggestions, requesting that the matter not be publicized and not brought to the headquarters of the Tower of Stars.

Rorschach finally met his senior. During his absence, the research lab was certainly not idle. The parts dismantled from the prototype were piled in a corner, and now a table had been added to the room. Pascal was lying on it, snoring evenly.

Sleeping at your workstation? "Master Kano is here to check up on you." To make sure he could be heard, Rorschach used the [Telecommunications] spell to whisper to the demon.

The lazy student launched himself into the air, drool flying as he shouted, "Teacher, I'll finish organizing the materials right away! It's really just a little bit more!"

It wasn't until he was fully awake that the senior brother realized he had been tricked: "Rorschach! You come back and enjoy deceiving your senior brother. Oh, thank you." He took the orange-flavored fanta, the bubbles washing away the last bit of drowsiness.

What are your thoughts on Gao Shi?

To Rorschach's surprise, Pascal showed no resentment. Instead, he was in high spirits, raising his fists and declaring, "We must fight for students' right to education! Training teachers for Valois is investing in the future of the kingdom! If those gentlemen refuse to continue, we'll do it ourselves!"

"It's not that easy." Luo Xia was somewhat infected by his senior brother's optimism, but he was still calculating how long it would take to prepare, what the scale should be, and whether he could gather the guild's subordinate trading companies to invest again.

"What good will looking back and forth do? Come with me tonight and see for yourselves." Thor clapped his hands, his words and actions revealing a hint of smugness.

As night falls over the city, a textile factory stands on the riverbank near the docks of the Seine. Now, simple tables, chairs, and a blackboard are set up in the factory's open space, and kerosene lamps are lit and hung from the beams.

As 7 p.m. approached, people dressed simply began to enter. During the day, these men and women were dockworkers, textile workers, and other occupational workers, but now they had become students.

Two teenagers were maintaining order. They would only let people in if they saw their "attendance cards". Besides these two, there were many other students from ordinary normal schools who were respectfully called "little teachers" by the night school students because of their higher level of education.

These teacher trainees, who were only halfway through their preparatory courses, began a period of half-studying and half-internship.

(End of this chapter)