An elven alchemy teacher?
That makes sense. Given the faculty at Carillian Academy, the teachers’ qualifications are among the best on the continent.
As for subjects like alchemy, the longer one lives, the more experience they accumulate, and the more refined their skills become.
Moreover, Carillian Academy is a melting pot of races. Except for demons, every race is represented here, so it’s not unusual to have an elf as a teacher.
Vinny glanced at the appearance of this female elf teacher and surmised that she was likely an Ocean elf.
Perhaps due to racial traits, elves naturally have a significant advantage in this area. Vinny had never seen an elf with small breasts, and this blue-haired female elf alchemist was no exception.
Well, Shikondell was disguised, so her true appearance was unknown, but it was probably not small either.
Vinny compared the two and found that this elven alchemy teacher seemed only slightly inferior to Milian.
Regardless of the difference, it was a height that Aesphyra could never hope to reach in her lifetime.
“...”
Sitting in the front row, Aesphyra narrowed her eyes, feeling as if she had been subtly insulted again.
“Hello, students who have chosen alchemy and potion studies. Let me introduce myself. I am Seve Twilight, an Ocean elf. I’ve been teaching at Carillian Academy for nearly a century, and from now on, I will be your alchemy teacher,” the elf teacher said as she walked to the podium, placing a hand on her chest and speaking in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze.
Her words caused a stir among the students. Although everyone knew that elves were a long-lived race, the idea of someone maintaining their youthful appearance for a century was still quite astonishing.
For humans, this was even more unbelievable. No one would have guessed that this seemingly youthful girl could be hundreds of years old.
Practicing Soul Armaments could indeed extend one’s lifespan, but maintaining the same appearance for centuries was perhaps something only elves could achieve.
Before the class began, Teacher Seve handed out a test to assess the students’ understanding of alchemy.
Vinny looked at the test paper in his hands, completely baffled.
He recognized every word on the test, but when combined into sentences, he couldn’t understand any of it.
Still, it wouldn’t be good to leave it blank, right?
Vinny looked around and noticed that the other students were all deep in thought.
Glancing at Aesphyra in the front row, she was writing furiously, answering the questions without hesitation.
Teacher Seve also noticed Aesphyra and walked over to her, nodding frequently as she reviewed her answers.
This was the power of the protagonist.
After much deliberation, Vinny decided he couldn’t leave the paper blank. Taking a deep breath, he wrote down his name and then handed in the test.
Such is the life of a cultural desert.
After collecting the test papers and briefly reviewing them, Teacher Seve’s gaze fell on the striking silver-haired girl.
“Miss Aesphyra, it seems you’re not a beginner. Have you studied alchemy before?”
“Well, I’ve dabbled in it a bit,” Aesphyra replied modestly.
In truth, her knowledge was far beyond just “dabbling.” Her answers were even more perfect than the standard reference, truly astonishing.
Like other subjects, the first class of alchemy and potion studies only covered some basic knowledge.
Next was scroll drawing, where Vinny encountered another familiar face.
“Hehe, Vinny, what a coincidence,” Shikondell waved her small hand in greeting.
“Shikondell, are you feeling better now?” Vinny asked.
“Yes, I’m fine now. Thanks for your concern, Vinny,” Shikondell replied with a smile. As an elf, she was simple and straightforward, wearing her emotions on her sleeve.
Interacting with someone so pure and uncomplicated was refreshing, unlike dealing with those who were cunning and manipulative.
“That’s good. What was wrong with you this morning?”
“Oh, it’s just an old problem. I’ve been frail and sickly since I was a child,” Shikondell shook her head. “Did anything happen in the combat class this morning?”
“What could have happened?” Vinny didn’t mention being approached by Miren and engaging in a sparring match with her.
“By the way, Shikondell, did you choose scroll drawing because you saw I picked it?”
“Not really. I just considered your choices and realized I’m quite interested in scroll drawing too. It’ll be useful in the future, so I chose it,” Shikondell replied, lowering her head.
Vinny nodded, not saying much more.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of the day’s classes, Vinny walked out of the lecture hall, stretching his stiff muscles.
They felt sore and numb.
Shikondell followed behind him. Since scroll drawing was the last class of the day, they could walk back to the dorm together.
With Shikondell as his little chef, Vinny no longer needed to eat out every day. It was better to eat at home.
Shikondell’s cooking wasn’t as good as the restaurants, given that she was just a beginner, but it was much cheaper. Vinny only had to pay for some of the ingredients and a small fee for her labor, which was far less expensive than eating out.
Most students at Carillian Academy were well-off, and the cost of living here was high. For Vinny, there was no low-cost area; everything was expensive.
Especially the restaurants. The food was delicious, the ambiance was excellent, and the prices were exorbitant.
As they say, the cost of living at Carillian Academy was higher than in the capital of Camela.
But it was understandable, the academy relied on high tuition fees and these shops to sustain itself. As long as the quality was good, the high prices were justified.
But for someone like Vinny, who was poor, it was a bit daunting.
Honestly, if he hadn’t enrolled in Carillian Academy, the gold coins he had won from the two angel investors could have supported him for a long time in the capital.
But Vinny understood the difference between a single meal and a steady source of food.
What he wanted wasn’t temporary comfort but a long-term solution.
Speaking of which, joining the faculty at Carillian Academy after graduation wouldn’t be a bad idea. It was a stable job, almost impossible to lose, and the academy’s benefits were quite good.
In the blink of an eye, two weeks had passed since the start of the semester.
Vinny had almost completely adapted to life at Carillian Academy.
But even so, he had discovered something devastating.
The tasks available to freshmen in the mission hall were extremely limited, and the rewards were pitifully small.
This was to prevent overambitious students from taking on tasks far beyond their capabilities, which could lead to life-threatening situations.
This restriction was understandable, as Vinny himself wasn’t sure if he could handle those tasks.
But now, it wasn’t a matter of whether he could handle the tasks, it was a matter of whether he could survive the semester if he didn’t get any tasks!
In ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ theory, his savings should have been enough to last the semester. The money he had won was substantial, dozens of gold coins, and even with the high cost of living at Carillian Academy, it shouldn’t have run out so quickly.
But blame it on the atmosphere. People’s thoughts and behaviors are heavily influenced by their surroundings, and here, we must mention Vinny’s card-playing friends.
Those card players were all from wealthy families, either nobles or rich merchants, who had no shortage of living expenses or pocket money.
Every weekend, Vinny would gather with them to play cards, and naturally, his basic deck was no match for theirs. He was utterly crushed.
At first, Vinny didn’t think much of it. He saw it as just a pastime. But the more he played, the more addicted he became.
Later, Fred started taking Vinny to the card shop at Carillian Academy. Over time, watching Fred and the others buy card packs and pull out rare cards, and even witnessing Fred pull a super-rare, highly valuable card, Vinny grew envious.
As he became more familiar with the card game, Vinny couldn’t help but be drawn to those beautiful, powerful, and valuable rare cards.
The appeal of a card-collecting game lies in having something that others don’t, right?
So, when his card-playing friends proudly showed off their new cards from the latest packs, Vinny would say, “It’s not like I’m dead without them,” but his eyes were filled with envy.
Ah, seeing them pull cards so easily, he wanted to buy packs and try his luck too!
Finally, Vinny couldn’t resist the temptation and reached for his wallet.
One weekend, he secretly went to the card shop alone. Initially, he thought that since his friends made it seem so easy, he should be able to pull a rare card after buying one or two packs.
But after buying two packs and opening them on the spot, he only got one decent card.
Unwilling to give up, Vinny believed that since others had such high luck, his shouldn’t be bad either.
Moreover, pulling a decent card gave him a taste of success, and he couldn’t stop.
What if the next pack had a super-rare card?
Hmph, those guys had been showing off in front of him, making him envious. He would pull a super-rare card that they didn’t have and make them eat their words!
Then, a day passed, and the steps of the card shop were littered with opened pack wrappers. Sitting on the steps was a blue-haired young man, lost in life, his eyes vacant.
Why, why, why!?
Looking at the pile of cards scattered on the ground, all of the lowest rarity, white and green, with a few not-so-rare blues, Vinny was devastated.
He felt like all his pride had been reduced to numbness.
And a pile of trash cards.
Why?? Wasn’t it supposed to be easy to pull rare cards?? Were those bastards just messing with me??
Little did Vinny know that his friends, to show off, had spent hundreds or even thousands of packs to get their rare cards, but they made it seem like they got them in one pull.
Everyone knew but didn’t say anything, except for one poor fool who believed them and thought he could get a rare card in one pull.
Vinny’s eyes were lifeless. There was a strange allure to card pulling. Once you tasted a bit of success, you couldn’t resist the temptation to keep pulling.
If you didn’t get anything after a dozen packs, the sunk cost made you feel like you’d already spent so much money and gotten nothing, so maybe the next pack would be the one to make up for it.
But instead of stopping, he kept pulling all afternoon, not only failing to recover his losses but also sinking deeper into despair, growing more anxious, and his blood pressure rising.
By the end, Vinny’s mind was clear, and he was in a daze, showing clear signs of a pre-death state.
He felt nothing but regret, immense regret.
But it was too late now.
When he came to his senses and saw the few copper coins left in his hand and the pile of trash at his feet, Vinny felt like he should pack up and return to Camella.
In one afternoon, he had spent all his living expenses for the semester, or even the year.
Now, with an empty wallet, he even entertained thoughts of ending his life.
Ah, I can’t go on! I’ll just find a block of tofu and smash my head into it!
The thought crossed his mind, but only for a moment. The next second, Vinny immediately comforted himself.
No! I’m too handsome to die!
After struggling for so long, not being killed by the protagonist’s fate, not dying from the heroines’ accidental attacks, but starving to death, that would be too lame, wouldn’t it?
All the effort I’ve put in so far would be wasted!
So, as soon as the thought arose, Vinny crushed it.
So what if the money’s gone? I won’t starve to death, will I?
The ever-resilient Vinny visited various restaurants, asking if they needed help or waiters.
As expected, these restaurants had no need for students as waiters. Most of the students here were wealthy young masters and mistresses who had no shortage of money, and they had no intention of hiring students as waiters.
Vinny hit walls everywhere and could only return home, sitting on the sofa in a daze.
“Vinny, are you okay?” Seeing Vinny so dejected, Shikondell was genuinely worried.
Looking at Shikondell, who was wringing her hands, Vinny felt like an unemployed husband who had searched for work all day without success, returning home to a concerned wife.
Vinny shook his head, indicating he was fine.
Now, apart from himself, Vinny had no one to turn to. He didn’t like owing anyone anything, so he would never consider borrowing money.
Even if he did, who would lend money to a notorious troublemaker like him?
Perhaps he should think differently and seek advice?
But this person wasn’t just anyone, it was Vanessa.
If Vanessa were in this situation, what would she do?
As soon as this thought crossed Vinny’s mind, he felt a chill.
When he turned into Vanessa, many of his actions were uncontrollable.
He couldn’t help but feel that if Vanessa were in this situation, she might say with a cold smile, “Wasting time on trivial pursuits, how shameful,” and then treat these cards that had bankrupted her as trash and throw them away.
Honestly, given Vinny’s understanding of Vanessa, she might actually do something like that!
Vinny could turn into Vanessa at any time, but Vanessa couldn’t turn back into Vinny immediately, it took a day.
During that day, Vinny had no control over his actions. Vanessa would find a way to solve the problem, but she might make the root cause of the problem disappear before doing so.
It felt like a virtuous wife teaching her incompetent husband a harsh lesson.