Days slowly passed and during this period, Zilan had spent his time mostly in the gravitational cave, strengthening his body’s exterior and interior while at the same time trying to comprehend a bit of the laws of gravity. After all, if he was going to spend lots of time there then why not try to comprehend something, he didn’t have anything to lose anyway.
He’d also occasionally go to teach his class a few times. The assignment he had left had been completed some time ago but it was only until two days ago that he administered the test that would determine their second fields.
Today was the day he was going to fetch the results and coincidentally it was also the day Amani had decided to accompany him. The two hadn’t talked very much since he joined the Purple Heart, Two flames camp however, every time their paths crossed, their conversations would almost always revolve around two things. Alchemy and Fujo.
It was more than clear that Amani valued Fujo very much. He had asked Zilan to take care of him more than once and one time he unintentionally let his true thoughts slip saying, “That boy is the future of our family.”
Naturally, Zilan understood what Amani meant but he didn’t want to get involved in their families politics so he refrained from asking him to elaborate. All that mattered was that Fujo was his brother, if anything happened he would be there for him, any other information or secret no matter how ground breaking couldn’t motivate him more.
“B..Boss! He’s here.” Yelled Kifo. His practice had paid off and now he was able to call Zilan ‘Boss’, although it sounded somewhat unnatural and forced.
“I’m coming.”
Without wasting any time, Zilan got up from his desk, put on his hood and speeded downstairs.
“Senior Amani, apologies for the wait.”
“Haha, why so formal, how many times have I told you to just call me Uncle Green?” replied Amani.
He was dressed in a formal green Alchemists robe and four beautifully crafted cauldron pins hung proudly on his chest.
“Don’t worry, I’m only curious as to how you are faring as a teacher. I’m not accompanying to inspect your level or anything like that.” Said Amani. His calm tone and his green eyes gave off a relaxing air, turning the atmosphere naturally pleasant.
“Master of Hearts.” Zilan couldn’t help but think.
The two then bid farewell to Kifo before heading out.
……………………………….
“I see you’ve progressed in your cultivation.” Smiled Amani.
It was easy for some Beasts to recognise each other’s strength through their breath. This skill was limited to those with strong bloodlines and needless to say, Amani belonged in this exclusive group.
“I was just lucky.”
“Haha, luck isn’t a bad thing. It can also be considered a skill, for example I recently learnt that you’ve advanced two spots on the second rank Alchemists list.” He chuckled as he said the last part.
Zilan bitterly smiled, this Fujo never seized to amaze him. How much farther was he going to embarrass him?
“You and him are getting close I see. That’s good.” Stated Amani as he patted Zilan on the head.
He wanted to resist but after the initial shock, Zilan found himself for some reason not too bothered by it. In fact, it was surprisingly comfortable.
“Fate is a strange thing.” After saying that, he slowly withdrew his hand.
The journey from there on out was expectedly silent with only the occasional passer-by saluting Amani, breaking it.
It wasn’t long before the two reached their destination.
The school for Apprentices took up a very large space, this was mainly due to the fact the number of apprentices were staggering almost doubling the total number of second rank Alchemists. This was because normally, it would be extremely difficult to advance to the second rank stage in a short time. Usually, it took about three to four years on average for students to pass the second rank test and graduate from the school. During this time, new apprentices would continue to pour in every year, increasing to the already enormous crowd.
Zilan, of course, did not plan on having any student of his to take longer than a year to attain the skills of a second ranked Alchemist. There were two reasons for this, the first being that the quicker his students advanced the more the name of the teacher would be praised and spread. As for the second reason, he just didn’t have the time to be burdened with all the duties of being a teacher for a long period of time. In the first place, Alchemy had to do with understanding coupled with constant trial and failure, for a teacher to hold his students hand for years was already more of a detriment than a bonus.
Moving towards his class, Zilan was shocked to find Misty and Lorn outside of class, both appearing distressed.
“What’s going on?”
When the two saw their teacher approaching, they hurriedly ran up towards him. They were worried something bad would happen to him if he was to be found out.
“Teacher, you have to leave.” Whispered Misty as she grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him away.
“Calm down, what’s going on?”
“There are people inside class waiting for you. They don’t seem to be friendly.” Replied Lorn. He was much calmer than Misty however, it was evident from his expression that he wasn’t too optimistic about his teacher’s situation.
“Oh! Who is it?” Not waiting for an answer, Amani calmly entered the classroom with a smile. Zilan naturally followed behind him.
Misty and Lorn looked at one another before rushing in as well. They both really liked their teacher but there were things they couldn’t assist with.
“Hmm? Elder Jingiza, what brings you to this place?” asked Amani, quite surprised but still cupping his hands as a show of respect. “Oh! And if it isn’t Junior Mo? How are you these days?” Although his tone was amiable, anyone with high intelligence could tell he was mocking Mo.
“Hmph! Just because you broke through, now you think you’re the sh*t? One of these days, I’ll take care of you as well.”
Seniority was earned in the Alchemy Association therefore as long as one had more power or was ranked higher, regardless of his/her actual age, they were considered the Senior.
“Amani, why have you come here?” wondered Elder Jingiza, frowning.
His appearance was quite eye catching. His entire body was covered in silver fur and his robes were also silver in colour. His head resembled a wolf but his body was built more like a human, upright, well-toned and dignified.
“Why? Zilan is a member of my camp, of course I’d visit him once in a while.” Smiled Amani.
Hearing this, Jingiza got even more upset, frowning even deeper. He looked towards his disciple and felt nothing but anger towards him. He was a sixth rank Alchemist and this was a very lofty title to have however, in this world there were people you just couldn’t mess with and Amani’s master, Wazimu was one of them.
Forget him, even if the first Elder himself showed up, restraining Wazimu was pretty much impossible. His very name when translated to the ancient language means “Crazy” that in itself should tell you all you need to know about him.
For his disciple to actually get tangled up with Wazimu’s people, was he trying to cause him harm?
Nevertheless, as his Master, backing down now was impossible. Not to mention, he was on the right side. After reviewing the nonsensical assignment the Half Breed had given his students, it already took a lot out of him not to rage.
“Are you Zilan?”
Zilan nodded, he didn’t bother cupping his hands, only bowing his head a little. The reason? Why the hell should he be polite to someone who’d clearly come to cause trouble?
“I’ve recently received a report about your conduct as a teacher. You should know yourself what I mean, so I’d like to hear what you have to say for yourself?”
Amani looked at Zilan only to see the other party shrugging in confusion.
“Would Elder care to explain?”
“Hmph! Take a look for yourself.” Saying that, he threw a jade tablet towards Amani who instantly began reading through.
“This…” Even for him it was too much.
He smiled wryly before passing over the tablet to Zilan who after seeing it suddenly burst out into laughter.
“You dare to laugh? Does this mean you were ruining these children’s future intentionally?” shouted Senior Mo, enraged.
“Pfft..Hahahaha….Honestly, I’ve seen idiots but this is on another level. Was this the best you could come up with?”
Zilan looked at the Elder Jingiza and smiled. This man has really suffered to have such a dumbass for a disciple.
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