"Good day, Teacher Vias."
"Good day, beautiful and lovely Miss Anne. The Goddess watches over you."
Etiquette was indispensable. After exchanging bows, Lu Xing sat at the workbench opposite the teacher and did his best to imitate Anne's cheerful, lively tone. "Teacher, what are we learning today~?"
He casually glanced behind him, asking the cold-faced maid with long legs clad in black stockings through his eyes: How much did I sound like Anne?
The maid did not move at all.
She probably had not understood what he meant.
What a terrible maid. Other than those long legs, she was useless. One day, he would have Anne dismiss her!
"Today, we will attempt to create an unknown metal with high magic resistance. It must resist earth- and death-element magic, while also possessing a certain degree of impact resistance and ductility."
Vias Stevens said with a smile.
The smile on Lu Xing's face nearly faltered.
Sure enough, he had been right not to spend five hundred experience points to exchange for basic alchemy knowledge. He had thought alchemy was roughly like chemistry, where all he had to do was add reagents into containers.
Who knew it would be this specialized?
Thinking about it, it made sense. Ancient Elven Language might have sounded impressive, but there was too little excavated material, and even the gods barely knew it, so it had cost only one hundred experience points.
Alchemy, however, had always been studied. Its complexity far surpassed that of Ancient Elven Language.
Fortunately, this elderly scholar with a graying beard was the Swinton Family's alchemist. He had taught Anne for a long time, so during lessons, he easily became absorbed in his own alchemical experiments and did not demand much from Anne—according to information from the cold-faced maid.
After giving some explanations, the old alchemist impatiently began his work. He first selected a piece of earth-element metal as the base material, then added several magical reagents in a particular order, stirred them, observed the results, and chanted spells to guide magic power onto it.
At first, he could still explain things to Lu Xing. Gradually, though, he began muttering to himself and stopped caring whether the student across from him was following the alchemical steps correctly.
Lu Xing loved this kind of class!
He also began trying alchemy, simply following the teacher's steps.
"You know alchemy?" The maid in black stockings suddenly spoke.
"I know chemistry."
Lu Xing remained perfectly calm. It did not look difficult, after all—much like a chemistry experiment. It did not matter if he did not understand the principles; the teacher was demonstrating everything right there.
"You know spells?" the maid asked again.
"Of course Anne does."
Following the teacher's process, Lu Xing chanted a spell while slowly applying an unknown blue magical reagent onto the earth-element metal.
He had already learned that magic in this world came in five types, corresponding to the first five main gods. There was also a special category of magic that only ancient races could learn, such as elves, dragons, beastmen, fairies, and the like. Only members of those races could learn their magic.
Among them, beastmen referred to Ancient Beastmen. Most Ancient Beastmen had gone extinct, leaving only a few Titans and Behemoths.
Interestingly, those who inherited the bloodline of ancient races could also use some racial magic, though its power and effects were far inferior to those of pure-blooded races.
"Anne, what are you doing?"
The old man suddenly looked up. He saw Anne inserting a glass rod into the vessel, then pouring the blue reagent over the rod so that it flowed in slowly.
"I'm adding the reagent," Lu Xing answered, then asked, "Am I doing it wrong?"
"...No, that is very correct!"
Vias quickly understood the purpose of the glass rod and praised him. "It guides the reagent in very well and is more convenient than using a funnel. Anne, how did you think of this method?"
He had learned it in chemistry lab class.
Lu Xing realized that this world's alchemy had quite a few things in common with Earth's chemistry. However, alchemy was something only a small number of people encountered, and the process seemed rather crude, relying heavily on magic.
That also seemed to be because magic came from the five main gods. At its core, it was the manipulation of magic power, which only displayed its force through the authority of the main gods.
In programmer terms, the main gods' authority was the interface, while magic power had no access to the underlying code.
"Teacher, has anyone studied divine authority?" Lu Xing tried asking.
"That is something only those at the Saint rank concern themselves with."
Vias answered quickly. Lowering his head, he tried using the glass rod to guide the reagent. After finding it very useful, he praised Lu Xing once more.
Lu Xing had wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that this teacher did not seem particularly enthusiastic about teaching, he gave up.
At noon, the alchemy lesson ended.
The system did not give any notification, but Lu Xing estimated that his performance had at least been passable.
Lunch was eaten back in the castle. The maid wanted to change him into another outfit, but Lu Xing refused, deciding to deal with it before the afternoon lesson.
"What class is this afternoon?"
Lu Xing ate at the exquisite dining table while Catherine, the head maid, stood behind him with her hands folded before her, her manners impeccable.
"It is Anne's most hated and least skilled subject."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Mathematics."
"She... no, Anne studies mathematics too?!"
Lu Xing laughed. Math was his strength!
He just did not know what mathematics in the Magic World was like, though mathematical logic should be universal.
Catherine said calmly, "Mathematics is a necessary prerequisite for learning magic and an essential field of knowledge for managing a territory. You ignorant soul seem to have studied mathematics as well?"
"Me? Modestly speaking, I scored 140 in math!"
"You are already ignorant and rude enough. I hope you will not add lying through your teeth to that."
"Heh heh."
Lu Xing had already found a way to deal with this cold-faced maid. He would not argue with her or refute her. He merely extended Anne's slender, fair hand and ordered, "Catherine, bring me a drink!"
The cold-faced maid's lips twitched, but her fine upbringing and the standards a maid was expected to uphold forced her to yield. She placed a glass of fruit juice in his hand.
Lu Xing nodded with satisfaction. "You may leave. Do not defy me again next time!"
He had had enough of that maid's sharp tongue!
Even though he knew she was worried about Anne and was a fiercely loyal maid.
Catherine lowered her eyes and stepped back.
Her legs trembled slightly.
She discovered that when the mysterious soul ordered her around, her heart filled with humiliation and anger. She wanted nothing more than to seize him and demand what exactly he had done to Miss Anne.
Yet after being forced to submit to him, an indescribable feeling surged from the depths of her heart. She clearly knew he was not her master, but he was Anne, and he was also a man. The humiliation from "Master" made her... burn all over.
Perhaps it was simply too humiliating.
Catherine found an explanation for herself, yet she vaguely anticipated offending him again and being ordered about by him once more.
Just like that morning, when she had been forced to support Master's hand down the stairs, as though submitting to the gaze in his vile, lecherous eyes...
"I'm full, Catherine. Take me somewhere to rest for a while."
Lu Xing did not notice the changes in the maid's expression. After wiping his mouth with a napkin, he rose and gave her the order.
It was not that Lu Xing had gotten used to ordering people around. The castle was simply too large, and he did not know where Anne took her midday rest.
"Remember this: you are not Anne! Do not try to order me around as though you are my master!"
Catherine warned him coldly, yet she still reached out to straighten his appearance, which had become slightly disheveled during the meal.
Lu Xing smiled with Anne's adorable little face. "No, I am Anne. Catherine, I order you to take me to bed so I can rest!"
Catherine's heart trembled.
He was Master...
Before you continue