"So, guys," started Gianpiero, making sure to immediately clarify things for those who were attending one of his afternoon classes for the first time. It was a small habit that was proving difficult to die.

"Today we will focus on studying the Cultivation Technique: Small Lake. And, in particular, we will concentrate on strengthening or restoring your Cultivation Base, since many of you are likely to have experienced failure in advancing your Cultivation. Don't worry if you have never practiced this specific technique or if this is your first time with me in this classroom. My methods are slightly different from those of my colleagues, as I prefer not to continue where I left off in previous lessons. Don't even think that you have nothing to learn just because you are in your second or third year; there is always something to learn about Cultivation from anyone!"

He thundered with force once he reached the end of his initial presentation, not realizing that he had practically shot himself in the foot with his last sentence. But for now, let's go in order.

"For those who are interested," he continued without letting too much pause form between his words. "In the Academy Library, you can find copies of the Technique Manual for a few Credits. Or the complete copies at a less affordable price, or if you still can't read properly, there are Data Stones with voice recordings. Feel free to use the medium of your choice if necessary, there's no shame in using some Credits if you're not sure of your memory." He reminded for the umpteenth time before continuing, bringing a slight smile to those recruits who followed his lessons regularly but did not have the necessary credits to rent a manual from the library.

Their lives were tough, poor things. Not that there were many who could afford to take what they wanted whenever they wanted without a sponsor. But let's move on.

"I want to be clear from the start," said Gianpiero, slamming his palms forcefully on the sturdy wooden lectern, to make those slightly amused or annoyed expressions disappear, but not there for the reason he thought. "Although Small Lake is considered a common, almost low-level Technique today, it actually has its roots in ancient times. We don't even know for sure which Ancestral Technique was used as the basis for creating it. Using it certainly won't allow you to advance in your cultivation, but with constant practice, your chances of failing during Advancement or finding yourself in a dead end will decrease dramatically!"

The young instructor used different intonations and exaggerated gestures to capture the attention of his students, a bit like a street vendor. A friendly and relatively efficient approach that made his hair flutter a little too much and made him almost look like an idiot with too much free time on his hands, but who believed in what he was saying.

From then on, he began to explain, with skillful detail, what the Technique consisted of, how it worked, and everything else that followed. He even relied on the blackboard that had been moved next to him to draw a series of strange diagrams that, at least theoretically, were supposed to represent some principles of Cultivation from a graphic point of view. However, since it was a knowledge of bygone times that had only remained in fragmented form, only people who had grown up in that era could take it seriously.

For example, taking advantage of Small Lake's ability to move Mana within the user's body in a specific way, Gianpiero made a brief aside on Cultivation in general and the properties of Mana. "Defining Cultivation in simple words is not an easy task. The act of Cultivating, in its most basic form, consists of storing a certain amount of Mana within the body in a specific way. This energy will subsequently, as you continue your training, make the muscles and bones with which it comes into contact stronger and more resistant. Finally, once you have correctly created your first eleven Meridians, one by one and without haste, then you will have successfully completed the first Realm of Cultivation. That is, the Creation of the Meridians. With each new Meridian will come an increase in both the quality and quantity of Mana at your disposal, obviously making you stronger. Your longevity will also gain more and more benefits, allowing you to live much longer than an ordinary person."

Obviously, in addition to beginners (or even slightly desperate ones like Giulio or Luigi), there were several students in the room from the years following the first with Cultivations in the order of Three or Four Meridians. A commendable result if achieved within the third year. For these recruits, the notions related to the fundamental basics of Cultivation were certainly superfluous; however, they all remembered their first year at the Academy, and for this reason, no one objected to the Instructor's decision to go off on a tangent.

Once Gianpiero had finished his pleasure trip, he reviewed several passages directly from the Cultivation Manual, highlighting to the best of his ability the focal points to focus on during the use of the Technique. In particular, just as he turned his gaze towards Giorgio and the others, betting on their being first-year students, he decided to dwell on a particular phrase.

"The Strengthening of One's Cultivation Foundation will help stabilize the flow of one's Mana within the body and facilitate its use once released, or in case of Advancement, mitigate its violence," he read, even though he knew more or less everything by heart, but still checking for the sake of scrupulousness. After all, as mentioned before, many would not have been able to borrow the Manual, so the least he could do was minimize errors in his presentation.

"For those who are still at the beginning of their journey, these notions may not be very clear, I realize," he said, continuing to look in the same direction as before. "Terms like 'stabilize the flow' or 'mitigate its violence' may be perceived as strange and unfounded statements. This is because you lack experience in this area. Even a fundamental concept like that of the Cultivation Foundation may still be hazy in your minds. Unfortunately, many of these things are learned through experience. Even I do not feel confident enough in my abilities to give you definitions carved in stone. The only thing I can invite you to do is to study and train..."

At that precise moment, two distinct but exquisitely similar things happened. On the one hand, Gianpietro had the impression of seeing something move near him out of the corner of his eye. It was as if a shadow had passed by him. Something so fast and strange that he immediately thought he had had a sort of slight dizziness.

On the other hand, Martina had a similar but more difficult to perceive sensation. It was more of a reflex dictated purely by instinct that made her turn to the side for a moment, thus discovering that the seat next to her was completely empty.

No one else in the midst of that small crowd felt the same thing. On the other hand, from then on, everyone could see a sort of vagabond wandering around the stage with a nondescript bottle held tightly in his hands.

"Oh... I see that there are still people who know how to do their job decently. Well done... Well done, damn it," Carlo said, speaking more to himself than to others, fully focused on the bottle he had just found. Then, before Gianpiero could react, the boy uncorked the trophy using two fingers, a good dose of ignorance, and pure satisfaction.

A sweet aroma of dignifiedly crafted white wine filled the young man's heart. A feeling of affection and even almost love warmed his body. A small solitary tear marked his cheek. It was like finding an old lover at the hometown bar. An encounter that made him experience a whirlwind of incredibly genuine emotions.

Before arriving in Asparetto, he had wandered aimlessly in the surrounding territories. In one of those wanderings, he had ended up, completely by chance, in the home of the leader of a very small but well-stocked village of craft beer. However, as much as he had nothing but respect for those who still produced alcohol using the traditional system, alcohol produced with the assistance of Alchemy allowed for such a quantity of adjustments that it simply made a comparison unfair.

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That said, the bottle underwent a magic trick: it went from full to empty with just the imposition of hands and mouth. A trick that left everyone present dumbfounded, especially Gianpiero who had bought it at a good price for dinner with his future in-laws that evening.

A torment that passed rather quickly, however.

"There were a couple of oversights during the preparation," said a fully satisfied Carlo as he massaged his belly. "But even so, it turned out particularly well. Who knows what methodologies they're using now? I don't think it's been enough time to completely change the game. Although... Well, it would be interesting if something like that happened," he muttered to himself, grinning at the idea of a possible great revolution in the field of Alchemy.

After all, he had never had a great talent for that specific art. But unconditional love, the absence of liver cirrhosis in his body, and his encounter with numerous masters of the field had accumulated such a quantity of information as to be frightening. In addition, the kind Venetian had always had a weakness for partying and enjoying life, so his current mastery in this regard was not too difficult to explain.

Not knowing any of this, dear Gianpiero had the sensation of having a heart attack. His breath almost suddenly cut off, and a feeling of warmth began to warm his chest, making him sweat slightly on his forehead. "A-And who the hell are you?" he said then, more surprised than angry, although at that moment he had already realized that the bottle he had just bought had already gone to hell.

Just to be clear, he was also one of the few poor souls who hadn't been informed in time about the arrival of a certain madman. That's why the man couldn't place who was in front of him. Not only because the ragged tunic he was wearing was different from the usual uniforms of the recruits, but also because he had not perceived his presence until a moment before.

As an Instructor, Gianpiero's cultivation and field experience were not to be underestimated. Whether he was giving a lesson or taking a nap, as an experienced soldier, he always had a clear idea of what was around him. It was a 'technique', or rather a habit, that high-level fighters always kept active. By scattering their Mana around, which once released from the body was generally identified as Aura, they immediately identified suspicious or sudden movements, just like a spider with its web.

The boy who had stolen his wine had managed to sneak into his blind spots in just a few seconds, reaching him even from the side. A negligence that would have paid a very high price on a battlefield. Yet it had just happened inside an Academy hall and in broad daylight, no less.

"Ah... Shit," Carlo exclaimed, finally realizing what his brain had made him do in the last minute. In fact, while still within the realm of interpretation, the boy remembered everything perfectly until he had caught a whiff of a good scent. After that, he found himself on stage with an empty bottle in his hand. A complete mystery that even left him bewildered.

Or, at least, let's pretend it's so just to avoid saying that his romantic encounter with alcohol had made him put everything else on the back burner. Let's give him a minimum of dignity, shall we.

Anyway. Now that he realized he had made a mistake and had no intention of repaying a bottle when he could spend the same money to buy another one, he suddenly found himself with more problems than solutions. Being a man of culture, he fully understood the pain that the Instructor was feeling at that moment. After all, if some random jerk had stolen a good bottle from him... No, Carlo couldn't even imagine such a horrible scenario.

"I understand, I understand," he said finally with a hint of a tear, moving towards Gianpiero and placing a hand on his shoulder. All the while, the other, still temporarily limited in cognitive abilities, instinctively took a step back to increase the distance between them. It didn't matter that he didn't feel any Mana coming from that strange boy, he still didn't feel confident enough in his own abilities to risk being within range.

Carlo interpreted his moving away from the podium as an invitation to make amends. A sort of silent revenge on the Instructor's part; and, it had to be said, at first that gesture left him slightly hesitant, but then that unpleasant feeling went away. Although mixing too much with the people of that time was not a necessity, he still didn't find anything wrong with it, since they were talking about an action aimed at repairing a rather serious offense; at least in his opinion.

"Okay, okay. Let's take a look at this Small Lake..." When he decided what to do, he shifted his attention to the Manual and quickly flipped through it to read its contents. At first, he had some trouble reading it, but after understanding the meaning of some words through the context of their sentences, he managed to decipher the strange handwriting that must have become popular after his departure some time ago.

"It's actually a miracle that the language has remained practically the same, but as for this way of writing... Is this supposed to be an 's'? It looks more like a snake after a bad drink. And this 'a'? Who's the idiot who decided that a house with still scaffolding had to become a letter? What kind of world is this..."

His complaints continued for a good minute as he continued reading. Although a quick glance was more than enough for him to understand the concept, he avoided starting his explanation right away, ignoring the buzz in the room; not because he felt the need to prepare further, but simply because he had figured out who the creator of Small Lake must have been inspired by. A name that, at least in the attribute of small, suited the original source very well.

With this thought in mind, and a slight smile on his face, Carlo finally took the bull by the horns. He began in grand style by saying to the confused but mostly attentive recruits: "Let's start with the assumption that talking about Cultivation is like talking about butts. Everyone has one and appreciates a particular type. So don't expect to learn one or two Techniques and be set for life. As you grow, your needs and tendencies will also change. Don't make the mistake of getting stuck without reason." Going against the classic vision of the Instructors of Asparetto, who preferred a monolithic approach to the subject.

The students struggled to keep up, especially with the non-formal language he had started to use without any problem. But as he continued, most of them had difficulty looking away.

"Since I don't know you, shall we start with the basics, okay?" asked Carlo without waiting for an answer, scratching his head due to the slight feeling of good humor that the wine must have started to give him. "Cultivation, in extremely down-to-earth terms, is nothing more than a test of an individual's personal growth. Nothing more, nothing less. Absorbing the Mana of the World and making it one's own is comparable to the process of producing concrete, for example. You have to keep kneading and working hard without stopping to be able to quickly finish the job before it solidifies in the wrong form," he gave practical demonstrations of what he was talking about, complete with an imaginary trowel, a fantasy wall, and an invisible bucket. A little show that made some people smirk but for the most part went unnoticed

"That's why what we call the Cultivation Base is, in practical terms, the foundation of the building under construction. Ah, the building is your Cultivation, it was a metaphor. This is not a course for carpenters. Also, don't confuse it with something physical, but rather think of your Cultivation Base as something that your body, your Mana, and your Aura have achieved. The more these three elements coexist peacefully, the easier it will be for you to advance to the next step. While, on the contrary, if, for example, your body was not able to withstand your release of Aura, then no matter how much you train. You will never be able to continue because at the unconscious level, you will always limit your true potential so as not to hurt yourself."

In addition to his first review of the basic principles of Cultivation, Carlo began to pull out concepts that were extremely trivial and elementary for him but, judging from the fixed and intense looks not only of the students but even of Gianpiero, had become quite valuable.

For them, it was like facing the breaking of a great dam due to the ease with which that strange boy was delving into one topic after another. The water, in the form of words sometimes not exactly courteous, continued with all the momentum and speed that falling from a great height and being pushed by the weight of the rest of the tons that were previously on its back could give it.

At least until Carlo realized that he had taken a parallel road and had gone straight to another nation. Then he returned to the tracks he had set at the beginning to talk about Small Lake. However, he decided on the spot that he had spoken alone for too long and invited a couple of random people on stage for a practical demonstration.

"You and you! Come here, with practice you can learn everything better. Except for taking it from behind, I don't need practice to know that it's not of my interest. Without judging anyone, eh, if those are the tastes, they are the tastes. The important thing is that you don't stay behind me."