Amy

"Hello! Are you a new Alchemy Department apprentice? Me too!"

Benjamin's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly returned his expression to calm.

He looked up and saw a girl with curly brown hair and a bright smile standing beside his table.

Her eyes were lively, as though she were filled with curiosity about everything around her.

"Hello," Benjamin replied, sizing her up without giving it away.

The girl's clothes were not luxurious, but they were clean and neat.

She looked somewhat tired. She had probably also failed several attempts at the Basic Meditation Method, yet the vitality on her face overwhelmed that weariness.

As for the fluctuations of her spiritual power... hmm, fifth-grade talent. Among the apprentices he had scanned, that placed her above average.

"Looking at your badge, that's the crucible insignia of the Alchemy Department! Great, I've finally met someone from the same intake!" The girl sat down in the empty seat across from him without the slightest reserve.

Her tray was piled into a small mountain, with an astonishing variety of food. One look was enough to tell that she had quite the appetite.

"My name is Amy! Amy Gray Sparrow!" she introduced herself. Then she blinked and held out her hand. "What's your name? You're sitting here all alone—it looks pretty lonely."

Benjamin grew even more wary.

In this unfamiliar place, a fellow apprentice with decent talent had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with him—and with such warmth and directness at that...

Too suspicious.

With the sharp insight of a Cultivator, he had also noticed the seemingly casual yet appraising look in Amy's eyes.

Testing me? Gathering intelligence, or does she have some other purpose? Benjamin made his judgment in an instant.

"Benjamin," he answered simply, with no further reaction.

"Benjamin, nice to meet you!" Amy seemed not to notice his coldness at all, and her smile became even more sincere. "Today exhausted me, especially the meditation! Did you draw the pattern in your Spirit Sea? Oh my god, those lines were ridiculously complicated! My spiritual power felt like a lump of noodles—I just couldn't knead it into shape. I got backlash several times, and my head nearly exploded!"

As she spoke, she picked up a piece of roasted meat and devoured it heartily. Though she seemed to have no table manners whatsoever, her sincerity was palpable. She looked like a carefree, cheerful person without a single scheming bone in her body.

Yeah, right!

Benjamin lowered his eyes. He appeared to be eating the food before him without a care, but inwardly, he sneered.

There were only three kinds of apprentices who still chose the Logistics Department despite the Combat Department's promotion: smart people who had spotted the problem, those whose parents or grandparents were wizards and thus already knew the situation, and useless trash who had given up on themselves.

Since she had failed at meditation, she was clearly not descended from wizards. And judging by her cheerful nature, she was not useless trash who had given up on herself either. That left only the last possibility.

For such a clever person to suddenly approach him, she definitely had her own purpose. Everything she was showing now was merely a disguise.

Amy kept chattering on about her failed meditation attempts. Benjamin listened impassively, analyzing her words inwardly.

No, she isn't probing for the results or state of my meditation, Benjamin thought.

Thinking of how he was currently pretending to be an apprentice who had failed meditation—and thus should also look pale and exhausted—a thought surfaced in his mind as he listened to her.

She's trying to create resonance through a shared experience... Is she simply trying to build a connection?

After considering it, Benjamin decided to test her. He nodded slightly, showing agreement. "It really is difficult. I tried several times."

"Right? It's so hard! Several classmates around me were just like me—they failed several times, and their heads were about to explode." Amy continued chatting seemingly casually as she chewed her food. "But there are also a few impressive ones. It seems they've already found the right path. One of them is an apprentice in our Alchemy Studies."

"Oh? Really?" Benjamin showed an appropriate amount of amazement. "They can get started that quickly? What a genius! It seems Alchemy Studies really is brimming with talent."

"Apparently they haven't truly gotten started yet. They only successfully inscribed the first part of the pattern."

"That's still incredible. Compared to them, I'm really far behind."

"It's not that exaggerated. I heard that person is a great noble, and their family already has a wizarding background. They must have undergone related training beforehand."

Amy continued her introduction enthusiastically. "And Benjamin, you're impressive too. Among this year's new Alchemy Studies students, you should be the one with the highest talent."

"Haha, thanks for the compliment." Benjamin smiled "shyly." "But there aren't many new students in Alchemy Studies this year, are there?"

By now, he could confirm that the girl before him had deliberately come looking for him. After all, aside from his name, he had not revealed any other information.

Since she knew his talent grade, she clearly knew quite a lot. So Benjamin probed a little further.

"Hehe, there really are only three of us. But you really do have the best talent among the three," Amy said with a seemingly embarrassed smile.

"You seem to know quite a lot. You found out all this on your very first day?" Benjamin asked as if casually.

Amy froze slightly at his question, but she still took a bite of roasted meat and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. "Hehe, as for me... I might not be good at much else, but making friends and chatting with people—I'm somewhat talented at that."

She stuck out her tongue playfully, though her tone carried a subtle pride. "Everyone in the cafeteria wasn't in the best state, so it was easier to get them talking. And while lining up for the talent assessment, I spoke with quite a few people too... After all, we're all newcomers. The more friends you have, the more paths you have."

Hearing Amy explain herself so openly, Benjamin sighed inwardly. I gave myself away.

Of course, he did not mean that his identity as a Cultivator had been exposed. He meant that his earlier act of playing dumb had been exposed.

He had been too hasty. He had directly pointed out the core issue with her, allowing Amy to notice that something was off.

But Amy truly was as skilled at communicating with others as she had claimed. Even after being called out, she did not seem the slightest bit embarrassed. She even quickly adjusted her approach, decisively laying her cards on the table.

That way, even though Benjamin knew she had approached him with a purpose, he did not feel much aversion toward her.

After all, her purpose was just as she had said: the more friends you had, the more paths you had.

They were all newcomers now, with no conflicts between them. They even shared common interests, since they would have to take part in military service in the future.

Moreover, Amy had already demonstrated her "value." At the very least, her ability to gather intelligence was indeed important to Benjamin at this stage.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Benjamin looked up and seriously extended his hand again. "Let me introduce myself again. Benjamin."

Receiving Benjamin's acknowledgment, Amy became even happier, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. "Amy."