In the end, Edward chose to believe in Aisa. After all, the dragon has far more experience than any of them.
He also wasn’t truly worried that his brothers would think poorly of him since they had mixed around for ages and except that one thing he couldn’t bring himself to tell them, there honestly wasn’t anything they didn’t know about him.
In a moment, they were each given a small pouch with two or three different medical pills within. For their test, the contents of each container vary, and so does the spirit herbs needed to craft them.
Alan, Jim, and Kairos opened theirs but could not identify half of the pills within.
However, they were not actually upset at the lack of preparation for this test because in any case, the Saint Empire is a pro-cultivator, warring state and the grades of crafting classes were never as weighty as combat and strategy courses.
Of course, their objectives were never to get academic careers in the first place. Compared to last year, their aspirations have changed a lot.
They do not have a straight-forward career goal like the other students, the only thing on their mind is to gather enough power to build up the Snowdrifts.
This makes learning new things even more important than the grades they achieve.
“Shall we follow Edward around?” Kairos suggested. Even if they did not mind scoring zero on this class, there is no reason not to try.
Mischievous grins plastered on their faces and the three instantly stuck onto Edward like stickers, not allowing him to go off by himself.
“I… I’m not going to search for Luciette… The… the exam comes first. Here, let me see what pills you guys got…”
“Oh, then why are you stammering,” an unfamiliar voice asked playfully.
“That’s … that’s cause… hey, who are you?”
“You forgot? I’m Lugh from the Light Rose house, part of Alucard’s team,” a swarthy guy said with a smile, “By the way, you’re not allowed to show others your medical bag, or you’ll be forfeited.”
“Ah darn, there goes our plans.”
They vaguely recalled Lugh from back when the Snowdrifts saved the Dracula team from the Orcs. As they remembered, he introduced himself as a descendant of a family of royal healers. No wonder he is here in the same class.
It cannot be helped that they had almost forgotten about him. He had the kind of face that would blend into the background and disappear into a crowd. It didn’t help either that the way he speaks was ordinary to the point that he leaves others with a frightening lack of impression. He is the type of guy where others would ask him several times, “Eh, sorry, what’s your name again?”
“Oh well, we might as well find some berries to eat instead. It’s such a large place, surely there will be food for the picking,” said Alan, who already forgotten about the test and started enjoying the coolness of the day.
“Then let’s find some sweeeeeet ones, okay?” Jim suddenly looked eager, quite unlike how nervous he was at first when facing a sudden test.
Kairos, of course, joined his two hopeless friends to go sightseeing. There isn’t much he can do when all he knows are the effects and not the components of the pills he was tested on.
Edward, bashfully, said aloud to no one at all, “Well… since I don’t know which direction to go… I guess I’ll go this direction as well…”
And so, the archer followed along.
His brothers grinned but otherwise did not poke fun at him.
Lugh decided to tag along, feeling it will be much more amusing, and he called out to Luciette before they left, “Hey Luciette, let’s go together. It’d be fun!”
Although Edward did not say a word, his eyes immediately shone, and his buddies knowingly shot him glances. All of them know better than to jeopardise the deal, and a little while later – because Luciette is weak to friendly invitations – she joined them.
Along with her, her little group of admirers also followed.
The instructor did not lift an eyebrow at the size of their party. Except that the students cannot help each other moving together is not prohibited.
Before they left, San Du Hou reminded them that they are only borrowing the place for three hours. A limit that did not leave them with much time to wander around.
Part of the reason is of course to limit the duration of the exam. Without a time-limit, it will be harder to tell the proficiency of the students. However, the reason why it is so short is to prevent these apprentices from harming the medical gorge too much. After all, the Steel Rose family provides a significant portion of the spirit herbs in the market for the empire.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Though everything harvested must be given back, or if made into pills, the produce must be handed over, there are still bound to be damage when so many students enter this place.
For example, when someone steps on a spirit herb and spoils it, or their amateurish handling causes the plant to die during extraction.
It is especially true when those like Alan and Jim who are dead set on fooling around appears. The destruction they can do in a couple of hours is unimaginable.
The two skipped ahead, singing songs and searching for interesting herbs, while the rest followed leisurely behind.
In this place where valuable things are all over the place, the two worked up quite a hype.
No matter how others look at them, they are the complete opposite of nervous students taking an exam, and the instructor frowned deeply.
Most students who are talented enough to be sent to the Pill Creation Class would cherish this opportunity. Those that did not enjoy the class and only want to mingle around are always in the minority. But this time, it is a whole group behaving this way, it is almost like the kids have revolted.
“No, no, with that child, Kairos, around, surely they are not just here to waste time. Let’s see what they plan to do first.”
San Du Hou stuck his eyes to his viewing crystal, with the image on the screen focused on their every move.
There are ten students in their group altogether, but he concluded with a short observation that they do not seem all harmonious.
“Miss Luciette, let’s go. They aren’t even serious about the test,” a male student with long eyelashes, sharp nose, and a pretty face said.
Luciette smiled, and replied softly, “I think it’s more fun to go together…”
Since their goddess said so, the four followers reluctantly went along, but although, he spoke the truth, Alan, Jim, and Edward instantly loathed him.
“Handsome guys like him should trip on their faces!”
“Hmph, one that that nose would definitely break from growing too long.”
“Bah, my smile is nicer… right?”
At the same time, their insidious friend Kairos stood there thinking, “Ah, this medical gorge is pretty cool. I wonder if I can make the Steel Rose family offer this place on a bet. Heh heh heh.”
After travelling for a while, the scenery began to change. The group had finally stepped into the deeper recesses of the gorge, and they could feel the pure Heavenly Energies permeating the place. The wood element is exceptionally rich in this place, with a tinge of wind, water, and earth elements, making it a haven for growing herbs.
It is in fact filled with wild spirit herbs, unmanaged and allowed to grow on their own. As long as there are a strong concentration Heavenly Energies, such plants did not need much care to survive.
It is truly a lush valley, abundant with life, and in just a few steps, Alan spotted something that looks like a strange looking fruit on the ground.
“Is that a banana?”
“It fell from its cluster?”
“No way, it’s emitting pure spirit energy, and if you look carefully, it’s growing from the soil.”
“Ah, that’s a rare…,” someone started. But before the sentence was completed, Alan who had heard enough immediately broke off some of it and put it in his mouth.
A spirit fruit is surely more than beneficial for cultivators!
“H… how quick! Leave me some too!” Jim hurriedly plucked the rest from the ground.
The fruit started wilting in his hands, and Jim shoved it into his mouth so swiftly that no one had the time to react.
Though spirit plants can easily survive in the wilds, it is due to them using Heavenly Energy to grow and not because of how sturdy they are. Once this source of energy is disrupted or when the plants are damaged, their strength quickly fades as the energy they collected dissipates into the air.
.
.
.
Moments later, two idiots lay side by side completely paralysed.
Kairos and Edward stood next to them speechlessly.
The former covered his face with his hand, “I don’t know these two.”
“How did they survive so long with this kind of brains?” the latter sighed.
Luciette looked away for a moment, and two casualties suddenly appeared. She worriedly rushed over and squatted next to them, “Oh no! My goodness… what should we do…”
She took out several expensive looking pill bottles, but uncertain what happened she did not know which to apply on them.
Seeing Luciette upset like this, Edward felt helpless, not knowing what to do. He didn’t want her to think he is heartless, but how those two ‘geniuses’ ended up this way is a bit hard to explain.
“Miss Luciette, it’s obvious the four of them are here to mess things up. If we follow them, maybe they might destroy the spirit herb we need before we can extract it.”
“What are you talking about, now? They are poisoned, we need to help them!”
“Luciette, those medicines won’t help,” a different voice said.
“Lugh, I forgot you’re here! What’s wrong with them?”
It is impressive how vague his existence is when even Luciette whose kindness and thoughtfulness knows no bounds had a hard time picking up his presence.
Lugh, seemingly used to such words, dismissed it with a shrug and then continued, “I think they ate a muscle relaxant type of spirit herb. It’s a good supplement for External Martial practitioners when needing to heal after a strenuous physical training. Usually, pill makers will dilute it with other healing herbs, but they ate the most concentrated form. Fortunately, they shared it, or else it’s possible that their hearts might’ve stopped.”
“Don’t worry, their brains stopped long before their hearts did,” Kairos said with a laugh, then he added, “Is there a way we don’t have to lug them around for the rest of the exam?”
“Hold on a second,” the heir to the royal healers walked forward, and with a sharp needle he produced from his pouch, he pricked Alan and Jim at different meridian points on their bodies.
Infusing Ki into his needles allowed him to jolt the energy back into the two, and after a short moment, they woke up with silly grins on their faces.
After thanking Lugh, the two skipped ahead, singing songs like nothing happened.
“Idiots indeed have a frightening life force,” Edward whispered.
Thinking about it seriously for a moment, Kairos nodded thoughtfully and said, “That’s why these creatures did not die out yet.”
A little later, the two spotted another odd-looking, starfruit-shaped, spirit herb that is giving off a deathly cold black mist.
“First!” Jim declared, and he plucked it off before Kairos and Edward could give any warning.
He saw Alan looking at him with wide eyes, and immediately tore the spirit herb into two and gave a piece to his friend.
Sharing is caring, after all!
Unfortunately, though it looks like a fruit, this is another potent spirit herb that should not be consumed raw. Without a doubt, the two ‘idiot creatures’ once again lie down on the floor side by side, frothing from the mouth.