Batch Farming Trust

Unlike the schedules that Iver was familiar with, Royal Law University does not have the traditional "8 a. m." classes.

The seminary's morning classes start at 9:00 AM and afternoon classes start at 3:00 PM. There is only one class in the entire morning or afternoon, but the end time is uncertain.

Typically, the instructor will bring an hourglass with a timer that lasts forty minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the course schedule. Each time the sand runs out, it will make a clear "ding-a-ling" sound.

After a short break, to use the restroom or grab a bite, the instructor will invert the hourglass again and begin the second lesson. get out of class will end once the sand has run out the second time.

Two hourglasses, one clockwise and one counterclockwise. This rule and method of timekeeping is precisely the respect that the mentors have for the "Hourglass," the Pillar God of the Equilibrium Path.

He safeguards the concepts of "knowledge" and "science," and the earliest "professional educators" and "professional researchers" in all ancient civilizations were His apostles.

Although Iver left home relatively early, Lily was pushing his wheelchair, and they couldn't walk very fast. Iver arrived at the school gate at exactly ten o'clock, and by the time he and Hai Na student Haina reached the classroom, class was almost over.

This lesson uses a medium-sized hourglass, with one cycle lasting one hour. This means that this history lesson, which is basically just reading from the textbook, will require sitting in the classroom for two hours, even without counting the breaks in between.

Although Professor Bard's class is only once a week, that one class alone is incredibly grueling.

Normally, the students would start to get a little anxious ten minutes or so before Professor Bard's class ended.

They pack their things, drink some water, chat, and discuss with their classmates where to go next—for college students, it's a bit too early to eat dinner, but going out to play is too rushed. Usually, they'll play sports, cards, or chess, or do experiments, study, solve problems, or exercise.

Or they could simply go to the sports field to admire the handsome men and beautiful women of the athletic department—this was also the time when the "Individual Tactics" department practiced riding or swordsmanship. Once they reached their second year in the theological seminary and learned the Illumination Spell to heal others through physical contact, this would become an excellent opportunity for them to find boyfriends or girlfriends.

Now, all they can do is watch helplessly as their seniors take away the best resources available to their peers, and there's nothing they can do about it.

But in any case, it's definitely better than sitting here and feeling sleepy for two or three hours.

Fortunately, the professor had a very good temper. Whether they were whispering or sleeping on their desks, he generally wouldn't interfere as long as it wasn't too outrageous. He would just continue talking on and on.

But today is different.

The hourglass was almost empty, and the students were indeed getting anxious.

However, they weren't in a hurry to go out and play; instead, they wanted to hear Iver continue telling his story.

I'm afraid that once all the sand has leaked out, Iver will clock out and shut up.

—So who will fill in the gaps in our story? We can go out and have fun every day, but you can't hear such vivid historical stories just anywhere.

Even if Professor Bard lectured for three hours, the knowledge would flow cleanly out of my brain like water.

But they could swear that they could tell the story Iver told to others at bars, dances, or other social events that very night! A fascinating history that was mysterious enough, involved a large number of extraordinary individuals, was largely unknown to most, yet not taboo enough—enough to make them the stars of the social scene for that brief hour!

Even students who don't usually pay attention in class took out their pens or pencils and started taking notes seriously.

"In the later stages of the Land Partition War, these Child of the Moon were defeated. Because of Child of the Moon immortality yet inability to cross flowing water, they were sealed away by the Narcissus Duke and imprisoned in a prison dug behind a waterfall. The first Narcissus Duke was the president of the Court Alchemy Association, and also the vice president of the Mage Association. His title of Duke was bestowed upon him by the emperor at the last moment during the later period of the empire, and he was also the last nobleman of the empire."

"The Narcissus Principality simultaneously practices the Path of Wisdom, and their capital is the former Imperial Capital of the empire. This is the first spellcaster nation on the entire continent, and even in the world, where the upper echelons are entirely controlled by mages and alchemists—this might be the key point, students, please draw it."

Iver's tone is gentle and his voice is clear, making him instantly likable.

Unlike some mentors hired from other places who have heavy regional accents and strange grammar, making it difficult for listeners to understand their meaning; nor is he like Professor Bard, whose speech is rather vague and monotone, making it easy to fall asleep.

As a native of the Glass Island, Iver's Avalon Language was exceptionally standard—unlike some Glass Island instructors whose voices carried a distinct Elven Language accent, leaving unfamiliar students with the Elven Language confused. Iver's father, James Moriarty, was one such example.

"Those Child of the Moon who were not sealed away joined the former Imperial Art Association and together they established the Iris Flower Kingdom. The Duke of Black Hawk, who guarded the border and worshipped the Lord of Scales and Feathers, was almost unscathed in this Land Partition War because of his neutrality. Because the Black Eagle Principality had fertile land, they took in a large number of mercenaries and adventurers, as well as professional soldiers who had lost their income. Combined with the large number of Hunter, apothecaries, and assassins trained by the Black Eagle Principality, they became the strongest military power after the empire split."

Lily, standing behind Iver, stared wide-eyed at her young master in a wheelchair in front of her.

Lily only knew that Iver did like to read strange books at home, but because she strictly followed the rules of a personal maid, she had no idea that he was so knowledgeable! She looked up at the students who were quietly looking over from the podium, her brown pupils seeming to sparkle.

Yes, that's it...

"This is wonderful! It's exactly like the university classroom of my dreams!" Iver said, then laughed, "You must be wondering... why was the Black Eagle Principality, the only country that preserved a complete military system, annexed by Star Antimony?"

"That's because the Stibium Kingdom inherited the empire's most enormous legacy—"

"The Demon Scholar, nearly wiped out by the Child of the Moon, and the necromancers, who were loyalists of the old empire and targeted in the early stages of the Land Partition War, had almost nowhere to go as the biggest losers. At this time, the emerging alchemists from the ' Twelve Keys ' who had seized a lot of funds and talent in the war gathered them together and established the Stibium Kingdom."

"The alchemist who led the defection from the Alchemy Association and created the ' Twelve Keys ' was Valentine I, the founder of the Stibium Kingdom. These folk alchemists, all from commoner and minor noble backgrounds, did not destroy the old empire's aristocratic system but continued to use it, hardly changing any of the ancient imperial traditions. Even the laws and official system were basically left unchanged. Therefore, the people actually welcomed Valentine I's rule more—aside from replacing him with a more enlightened, younger emperor from the common people, their way of life remained largely the same."

"This alchemist united all the folk alchemists, declared alchemy as the foundation of the nation, established a university to openly teach alchemical knowledge, and lifted the ban on the sale of all alchemical books. The word Star Antimony means 'the heart of a lion,' which is why the symbol of the Stibium Kingdom is a golden heart."

"Unlike the orthodox alchemical tradition of the Narcissus Principality, the alchemists of Star Antimony never aimed to 'understand the world' from the very beginning, but rather to maximize their acquisition of the power to 'change the world.' They only create 'useful things,' conducting their research entirely based on utilitarian motives and with a specific purpose in mind."

"This is the biggest difference between ' Stibium Alchemy ' and traditional alchemy. Some of the knowledge in our current 'chemistry' comes from Stibium Alchemy. Without a doubt, students—I believe this is the key point. This is why the Stibium Kingdom's national strength has increased so rapidly, and it has even been able to annex the powerful Narcissus Principality and Black Eagle Principality."

Alchemists are proud. No one can force an entire nation's alchemists to conduct research in a specific area for the benefit of the ruler and the country.

—Unless this path was chosen by the alchemists themselves.

"During the Land Partition War, Valentine I, through his continuous capture, study and analysis of those Child of the Moon, eventually demystified a portion of the mysterious knowledge of the Path of Love and transformed it into his own power."

"After that, Valentine I proposed a completely new concept: he believed that the Philosopher's Stone was impossible to achieve. It violated one of the essential principles of the Equilibrium Path, 'equivalent exchange,' and therefore no longer regarded the Philosopher's Stone as one of the three ultimate goals of alchemists."

"He added a new ultimate goal, which is another path he presented in his book ' The Triumph Chariot of Stibium' —to upgrade antimony and create 'star antimony.' Before this, antimony was not one of the 'seven basic metals' valued in traditional alchemy, and the alchemical research on antimony began with Valentine I."

"Because antimony represents animal nature in alchemy, the refining of antimony also means the refinement and sublimation of animal nature."

"In other words, as long as the method is right, any mortal can become a god. This is the core concept of the Stibnite Person."

Just as Iver finished speaking, the hourglass on the table rang. And just as he finished reading the book, he also finished the main points.

Upon hearing the bell ring, the students began to complain.

"Oh, is that all?"

"Professor, let Iver continue his story!"

After all, the "history" that Iver is talking about is filled with an unusually rich amount of details that are only briefly mentioned in history books.

In this world, secrets are wealth, and knowledge is power.

What he said also touched upon a great deal of basic knowledge about alchemy. For Avalon, where alchemy had only been around for twenty years, these were things that most students had no access to and were not interested in.

Just like those content creators who popularize niche but advanced scientific knowledge, their videos can keep viewers who are usually too lazy to listen in class focused and attentive.

Iver deliberately veered off into the conflict of paths and focused on alchemy, all for the sake of this scene.

He remembered that even a top student like Senior Hai Na couldn't resist the allure of this thing. While part of the reason was her extraordinary adaptability Path of Transcendence and her inherently rebellious nature... it also showed that despite the Queen's permission for alchemy to exist, it remained an extremely mysterious entity even at the Royal Law University.

These freshmen are naturally even more unable to resist.

Iver was already two months behind, and being the professor's son, coupled with his close relationship with Hai Na, would likely alienate his classmates from Iver.

But he knew it.

Hidden among these students were numerous side quests—although he had forgotten the details and trigger methods of many quests, he clearly remembered the vast expanse of densely packed white question marks on the map. He also remembered the most crucial rewards.

When he first entered the school in the story, after skipping the opening CG and seeing these question marks, he couldn't help but blurt out "Holy crap!"

In the game, as an outsider with no known classmates, players will have to complete at least two tasks when interacting with these classmates. The first task usually involves solving a problem or trouble to gain their trust. For some difficult classmates, a complex chain of tasks might be required.

The second, or rather the last, quest in the quest chain is the real "quest." Completing it will reward you with a large amount of money, items, and books, or unlock reputation and secret shops in certain areas.

Doing them one by one is too troublesome and a waste of time.

Iver made such a dazzling entrance, one of his purposes being to make his presence known and to ensure his classmates remembered him. He also aimed to establish a persona of being "mysterious, gentle, and knowledgeable"... Later, he would further establish a persona of being "powerful and helpful," thus essentially using his reputation to skip the initial "trust quest."

Seeing the unusually friendly and approachable reactions of his classmates, Iver knew that his primary task had obviously been completed!

It was all thanks to the help from my senior and the professor.

With a mysterious buff akin to that of a "transfer student," Iver's actions were far more effective than when he enrolled normally!