The Door Within the Pupils

After the assessment concluded, the previously tense atmosphere eased, and Scholar Heide intended for everyone to relax and shift their states of mind.

"For the coming week, we will be staying in a village outside the city," the scholar announced to his students.

"Each person may only bring one trunk of luggage containing your change of clothes. We depart together tomorrow morning."

"We will be holding classes in a natural environment, and I will guide you in gaining a practical understanding of various crops and the environment in which farmers labor."

"Alright, once this morning's class ends, you may head home to prepare."

"Oh~" Upon hearing about the break, the students cheered without exception.

Afterward, everyone gathered in groups to discuss how they would spend their time in the rural village.

For the commoner students, this was nothing out of the ordinary, but for some of the noble and wealthy students, it was quite a novelty.

"I wonder if we can go hunting there. I learned archery a year ago, but unfortunately, I've never had the chance to put it into practice."

"Can I bring my beloved pet Kaka? He is a loyal hunting dog."

"It would be great if we could ride horses, galloping across the grass with someone dear."

"I'm so tired of staying in Scorched Stone City."

"Is there a river there? Can we go swimming?"

"If there's a river, we can go fishing."

"Sigh, we can't bring servants; that takes the fun out of it."

"Perhaps we can go look for scarecrows. I just read a strange story about scarecrows a while ago."

At this moment, Comia pulled Sylutia and Karen together to discuss their plans.

"Karen, bring your bow and arrows. This will be a chance to put them to use; maybe we can even hunt some game for a barbecue," Comia suggested.

"That's no problem. I also have a set of outdoor tools I've used before," Karen nodded.

"What about you, Tia? What are you good at?"

"I can probably help you identify wild plants, and, well, I can prepare food too," the young girl thought for a moment.

"Then why don't you bring some seasonings? Or maybe we'll need a picnic blanket."

"As for me, I'll have my dad prepare a tent for me to carry over."

"Aren't we staying in the village? It's not like we're camping in the wild," Sylutia recalled.

"Oh, it's not wild camping? Fine, then I'll bring some snacks and a blanket; I need to sleep comfortably, after all." She was quite fond of sleeping.

"It's settled then. We'll set off together tomorrow."

"Agreed."

In the afternoon, back at her residence, Sylutia began to prepare.

In truth, she didn't have much to bring. Aside from the essential clothes, there were only two books, a notebook, and a small bag of seasoning tools.

Should she bring her pillow? She was quite fond of the buckwheat pillow she had recently made herself. In a situation where she couldn't afford cotton, such a pillow was already quite comfortable.

She picked up the pillow and felt it, then decided to bring it along.

It wasn't heavy, anyway; she could carry it.

Next were the flowers and plants in the backyard that she was worried about leaving behind.

Thinking of this, she went to her bedroom to retrieve the potion she had just finished making and examined it closely.

This potion had been given to her by Teacher Heide yesterday; it was said that the people at the Alchemist Guild had spent several days brewing it before they succeeded.

[Emerald Pupil Potion](Tier 1 - Emerald Nectar): When dripped into the eyes, it allows you to see the flow of nutrients within plants, their hidden Aspect Power, and their growth status. (Good quality, each effect lasts 3 minutes)

Only three minutes? The young girl whispered softly, then opened the cap and carefully extracted a few drops with a specialized glass tube, dripping them into her eyes.

A cooling sensation spread instantly, and everything in her field of vision turned gray, like a black-and-white world. However... she blinked and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her originally light blue eyes had turned emerald on one side. This heterochromia, one emerald and one blue, added a strange and mysterious charm to the girl in the mirror.

Arriving in the backyard, Sylutia swept her gaze over the flowers and plants. She discovered that in this black-and-white world, these plants possessed exceptionally vivid colors. Even within the green, she could distinguish hundreds of different forms and shades; it was truly magical.

Returning to the Swan Orchid she had cultivated, the young girl carefully bent down to observe it closely. As if she had X-ray vision, she gradually perceived the "colors" inside the Swan Orchid. This "seeing" was more like a form of intuition, revealing the rhythms and differences within.

Guided by the textures of these colors, Sylutia placed her hand on the Swan Orchid, stimulating the "Emerald Nectar" Aspect Power within the potion in her eyes. A more delicate and clear sensation emerged, as if another layer of "tactile sensation" had been added to the "colors," along with the faint "rhythm" of the plant's breathing. With these three perceptions fused, a more three-dimensional and entirely different perspective unfolded.

The world had not changed, yet she saw scenes she had never witnessed before, as if stepping out of a narrow, dark cave to gaze upon the wilderness under the sky for the first time.

Countless pieces of information converged in her eyes and mind, then were simultaneously understood, analyzed, and gradually organized.

Three minutes was not nearly enough. She had to drip a few more drops of the Emerald Pupil Potion into her left eye. Those green-dyed eyes held a strange charm, the emerald within the pupils appearing to float and flow like liquid, drawing one deep into them.

Perception after perception, analysis after analysis—the secrets of the plants before her were like doors being unlocked one by one in Sylutia's eyes.

The unknown behind the doors, the knowledge behind the doors, the mystery behind the doors—all were revealed to her one by one.

(Insight into "Swan Orchid" achieved. When facing "Swan Orchid" plants in the future, you gain an information advantage. "Identification Pupil" completion +1)

A flash of enlightenment surfaced in the girl's mind, and she slowly disengaged from that immersive state.

As she observed the Swan Orchid before her once more, the various pieces of information she had organized surfaced in her mind.

[Swan Orchid](Good-58): Growing. Humidity is not at optimal levels; requires an additional 21.24% moisture. Ambient temperature is slightly low; needs an increase of 5.8 degrees. Soil is compacted from watering, leading to poor aeration. Nutrient deficiency; lacking several micronutrients...

She hadn't realized the extent of the issues until she looked; Sylutia was shocked to discover so many problems.

Humidity and temperature? These were beyond her current means to resolve—likely requiring a greenhouse—but she had already thought of several ways to address the soil compaction and nutrient deficiency.

First was loosening the soil, replacing the top layer, and mixing in a small amount of gravel to increase aeration and prevent clumping. Next was adjusting the watering for some of the Swan Orchids, followed by crushing eggshells into a fine powder to add to the soil as fertilizer.

She recorded her proposed solutions in her notebook and began loosening the soil, constantly adjusting her methods and logging data as she worked, much like someone searching for the perfect alignment of gears.

Sylutia remained busy until the sky grew dim, and it was only when Talia returned home from work that she stood up from the garden ridges in the backyard.

"Tia, I bought bread on my way back today." Talia placed the bread she was carrying in the kitchen before finding the young girl as she stepped out of the backyard.

"Why are your arms and dress covered in dirt? Were you that busy today?" She took Sylutia's hands and led her aside to help brush her off, asking with concern.

"Talia, I made a lot of discoveries today." Sylutia's voice was uncharacteristically bright, tinged with a hint of excitement.

"You're so happy today." Although Talia didn't understand what Sylutia had discovered, she was happy for her nonetheless.

"How about we skip the bread and go to the restaurant for a big meal instead?" She was feeling a bit peckish.

Under normal circumstances, Sylutia would have been reluctant to spend the money, as she didn't have many silver coins left.

But she was truly happy today, so she nodded in agreement.

"Then just for today, but we'll have to wait a long time before the next one; we still need to save money." Seeing her agree, Talia jumped for joy, then glanced at Sylutia and hurried to the kitchen.

"What are you going to the kitchen for?" the girl asked curiously.

"To heat up some water for you, of course! You can't go out looking like that, Tia." Her voice drifted in from the kitchen.

About an hour later, after a bath, a refreshed Sylutia changed her clothes and headed out with Talia.

They arrived at the Gelia Restaurant once again and found a quiet little private room.

Tonight, they ordered the "Braised Oxtail."

[Braised Oxtail](Excellent): Braised oxtail, prepared by searing onions and bay leaves in hot oil. When the oxtail is eighty percent cooked, the seared onions, bay leaves, and carrot chunks are added, seasoned with garlic cloves, salt, sugar, and tomato paste. When served, it is accompanied by several roasted round potatoes and drizzled with the savory oil-based sauce.

The two enjoyed a rare and delicious feast. Once finished, Talia returned home feeling satisfied, while Sylutia had already decided on the tasks she would entrust to Talia.

"So, you mean Tia won't be home for the next week?" Talia sounded a bit dejected after hearing the news, as Sylutia was a good cook, and she had been enjoying new dishes every night.

Though not quite on par with the chefs at the restaurant, the meals were still very much to her liking.

"If Tia isn't home, I'll be stuck gnawing on dry bread and vegetable root soup every day."

"Just bear with it a little. If it's really that bad, you can go over to Sister Winnie's and mooch a dinner," the girl teased.

"I could go, but if I do it too often, I'd feel embarrassed."

"Speaking of watering the flowers, how should I water the ones you're growing? I see you recording the water volume and time every day," Talia asked.

"You don't need to worry about that. I'll organize a chart tonight, and you can just water them according to the amounts listed."

Talia certainly couldn't manage the level of precision Sylutia did, but the other conditions for cultivating the "Swan Orchid" were already set. As long as the watering volume remained within a 30% margin of error, it would be enough to produce an "Excellent" quality Swan Orchid.

"Then, I'll leave the next week to you."

"Leave it to me!" With that, the two walked home, laughing.

Come to think of it, she hadn't left Scorched Stone City in over a month; this upcoming trip filled Sylutia with a sense of novelty and anticipation.