“Well, let's just start with the potion. I might have an idea about the lab, but I don’t know how good it is, but it might work.” Ray said as they entered the lab. An understudent buried out, having placed the materials already.

“What do you mean? Do you have your own lab or something?” Marcus asked.

“Well, yes, it's not like they are hard to make.” Ray replied, getting the beaker ready for synthesizing.

“Um, a lab needs to be isolated, clean and have a lot of materials and machines.” Marcus replied.

“Not for simpler potions. Just a distillation machine is enough. And beakers aren’t exactly expensive. To isolate you just need some air, metal magic and an attic can be a lab.” Ray answered.

“But materials aren’t cheap.” Marcus stated.

“Yes, but potions can be sold.” Ray replied, adding eighty-one points of mana into the potion water. The potion was very mana intensive.

“The only place I know that sells unlicensed potions is the bakery, and I don’t see them selling our things anytime soon.” Marcus noted.

“I need to concentrate on the potion now, but we can talk about it later, let's just say that I can get you in and leave it at that.” Ray replied as he began the potion making process.

The first step to making the potion was adding Nermibius and Quarnator within seconds of each other. The problem? Nermibius was a freezing herb that lowered temperatures and Quarnator made water boil. The two of them would act against each other and nullify their effects.

Ray pointed his wand at the potion, making the two fluids circle each other without touching, trying to preserve as much of their power as he could. The next step was to let the solution stir for ten minutes, without losing most of its potency. Ray could see why the potion was hard to make.

The only reason he was succeeding was because of the wand. The Elven songwand was literally made to control sources of power that might lash, and it served Ray very well in Alchemy.

“Can we talk now?” Marcus asked.

“Marcus, you’re supposed to be watching. Not letting these two mix is the hard part, you know.” Ray said.

“Yes, but you’ve kind of left me in a lurch here. The potions are good, but the bakery is a huge deal.” Marcus said.

“What do you mean?” Ray asked, now he was curious.

“The bakery is like a big mystery. I heard a College student works there beat up the local gang. And the gang was killed by the guard a day later. Not just that, they recently hired Tier 9 guards too. Not to mention, they seem to have a huge supply of potions. The only source of potions in the Commoner’s district, you know?”

And the moment was here. Ray had always thought that it would be some epic moment or something, not here, in the middle of mixing the potion.

“The College student is me.” Ray said as the solution finished stirring. The next step was contrary to the previous part, Ray needed to merge the two different elemental solutions. Ray concentrated all of his attention as he let the solutions flow into each other, a blindingly bright light emerging from the potion as the final step arrived.

Ray levitated Horritus powder into the potion, if the solution had enough potency left after that clash, then he would have a potion. But if it didn’t, then he had failed.

The Horritus powder merged into the bright potion, the light increasing as it blinded Ray for a few seconds before finally calming down. A milky white potion stood before Ray.

“Well, who wants to test if that worked?” RAy asked as he turned to a stunned Marcus. Well, time to face the judge.

“Huh, may I ask why?” Marcus asked.

“What do you mean?” Ray asked.

“I mean, the Marchioness obviously doesn’t need money…” Marcus said, making Ray realize what the confusion was.

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“Well see that's the thing, Aunty Ariana just signed the papers, Ma was the one who raised me.” Ray answered. “And we’re, ugh, pretty much commoners.” Ray answered.

“So…you’re one of us. Just a lot more talented.” Marcus noted, his voice was strange, mellow as if he was contemplating something.

“I failed the Academy’s basic test.” Ray stated.

“A lot more successful than.” Marcus said.

Ray opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by Marcus saying, “Ray, that’s a neutral mana potion. Do not try to tone it down. The nobles were wrong, Ray. The test was wrong. Ray, you’re living proof that the nobles are dead wrong. And if they can be wrong about you, they could be wrong about all of us. And if-if you, a commoner can outperform nobles…then maybe nobles aren’t inherently better after all.” Marcus replied.

“I mean, that’s obvious? Ma says the nobles just have an advantage. The potion’s not exactly successful.” Ray said, heading towards it as he picked the beaker up and shook it. “The potion is mostly water, I think it will give what, ten points of neutral mana?” Ray said.

“Ray, that's still more than most nobles get on their first try.” Marcus replied.

“Yeah, I know. And I was being serious about selling your potions at the bakery. I will have to ask Ma, but I am sure we can come to some agreement. Now, do you want to try making the potion again? Perhaps help a little so you get mana?” Ray asked. Marcus nodded and they got to work.

The potion making continued for the rest of the hour, culminating in Ray finally making a potion that gave a hundred mana points.

“Now that should be enough to be called a mildly successful potion.” Ray said as he handed the beaker to Marcus, “Here, it's your turn now. I still have half an hour of use left.”

Marcus took the bottle with shaky hands as he drank it and prepared to make Drawing fire. The potion was one of the second year potions, a very corrosive liquid that was primarily used as a back-up weapon on missions The potion making process went well, better than Ray’s own. Marcus, after all, had much more experience.

In the end, Marcus succeeded in making the potion, passing one of the three criterias to pass Art of Alchemy. Not to mention the potion’s salability.

“Uhum. The lab was for you, Mr. Rosenmund. Not this commoner filth.” the voice of the boy who had blocked them at the gate sounded out as the door slammed open. Ray’s face darkened. Luna had done it by mistake, but this guy had clearly tried his best to slam the door as loud as he could.

“Oh? Well, you’ll just have to specify it next time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to leave. I have my own lab to get back to.” Ray said as he left, Marcus following behind.

“I will ban you from the lab building!” the brat said, throwing some kind of tantrum. Ray doubted he had the power to do that. What sane person would trust him with that kind of power?

“Oh no, whatever will I do. Will I really have to use my private lab instead?” Ray mocked. Perhaps it was bad mannered to act this way, but so was what the College was doing.

Not to mention the kid barging into the lab, had Ray been making a potion, then it would have exploded in his face. In a way, this was a murder attempt. A far-fetched way, but Ray was going to stretch it this time.

“And what will your poor friends think about that!” the kid hollered from behind him as Ray hurried off, taking advantage of his higher stats to put distance between them and make the boy feel more ridiculous.

“I expect they’ll be happy about it, after all, I will be making them their own labs too.” Ray replied.

“The Dean won’t stand for that!” The boy said as Ray exited the building to a quiet street.

“The Dean’s authority ends at the College gate, kid. I am sure you are a genius of great levels, but if you do bad things, then don’t expect to be excused for it. Not by me.” Ray said, nodding at Marcus as he ran off towards the library.

Ray spent the next few hours memorizing every potion recipe he could get his hands on, and trying to learn how to make the recipes in the first place. The former went much better than the latter.

Ray could see why the ingredients combined to make a certain potion, but he couldn’t see why those specific ingredients were chosen. To make the neutral mana potion he would prefer, Retrè Norris, for the chill, the Nèrte Norris for the fire and the Lèrte Norris for neutral.

The three ingredients were the only trio of ingredients that came in all three varieties, and they were related too! The way Ray saw it, the three could combine better than the combination used now. But he couldn’t even find a picture of them, let alone why they weren’t used.

The only reason he knew them was because they were specifically mentioned in Herbopedia: The herb encyclopedia. At times like this, Ray wished he had a teacher, but the College and its stupid policies denied him that. In the end, Ray could only go home disappointed, still wondering why. Perhaps Ma would know?

Ray asked Marcus about it, but he didn’t even know the plants existed. In his trance-like state, Ray began walking in the direction of the noble’s district as he was used to, only coming out of it when a weight landed on his head. The cat.

Ray looked up at the furry nose that was looking down at him.

“I don’t suppose you know why they don’t use the Norris herbs?” Ray asked jokingly.

The cat’s nose touched Ray’s head as a voice suddenly appeared in his head, ‘The herbs are native to Dwarven continent, used to make their famous neutral mana potions en massè. The Humans can’t get their grubby hands on them’.