159 We Strive for Excellence (1/2)

The young man couldn't predict that Daniel and Alesia would be this close, but Daniel's words gave him a response to one of the most pressing questions in his head. Whether the two were together or not.

Excited about the newly acquired information, the young man said ”That's an awful thing to say to such a beautiful young lady. But it doesn't surprise me that someone of your standing would lack manners.”

The joke had gone far enough for Alesia's taste, and she wanted to stop the young man in his track, before he would start to think that his behaviour deserved her recognition. Unfortunately, before she could even speak, she heard another voice coming from behind them.

”I would argue that it is a rude thing to say that to any woman.. Are you suggesting that it would be alright if it was said to a less charming lady?” Said a fourth young man which slowly approached from the side.

On his chest, this young man showed a golden badge.

The moment this young man approached, the tall silver-badged young man backed away. Neither Daniel or Alesia knew about it, but the three young men were brothers, and their father, worked for the mother of this gold-badged young man.

The four of them had grown up meeting each other very often.

Their company dealt in the production, engineering, and sale of alchemical instruments, and alchemy was the main field. That's why they had been sent to study here.

Alesia wanted to clear this problem, and explain that she and Daniel were joking, or she might end up being bothered by these people in the future.

She looked at the gold-badged young man approach her, and tried to say something, but once again, she was interrupted by a distant voice that resounded through the entire hall.

”You are the elite of this city, and you came here to take the hard path to success. Gaining a standing through our world thanks to our intelligence, and drive to knowledge, is a worthy and honorable cause.. It's the superior cause, and it is, worthy of us.” This speech came from a distinct looking thirty years old man that had appeared in the middle of the hall from out of nowhere.

Even from the distance, this man emanated a powerful smell of chemicals. Yet, he wore distinct clothes, and it was clear that it belonged to a well-off family. On his chest, was a platinum badge, and a golden crest embed in his black shirt.

As he talked, nobody dared to make a sound, or to not pay attention.

”The lot of you have already received a certain type of badge when you've registered into the school. This badge will affect the quality of your teachings, and stay within the academy. It will also mark your person forever, and will only change in case your social standing will increase.” Said the man with a clear tone.

He then pointed at the crest on his chest, and said ”This crest indicates your contribution to the academy, and its rank can be increased through the completion of assignment, or achievements in your studies. These two symbols are worth the same, and we strive to aim for the best in each of them. We strive for excellence.”

The meaning behind the man's words were clear. 'You are initially only worth as much as your background is, and you can only prove your true potential through hard work and commitment.'

On this, cultivation and knowledge were on the same side. No matter how talented one was in cultivation, or how intelligent they were.. They would account to nothing in the end, unless they committed a hundred percent to the path they were destined to walk.

”You are allowed to commerce, make transactions, and even bet if your belongings if you want.. But one thing is not allowed.. Physical violence will cause an immediate expulsion from the academy, and murder will cause your backing powers to become the target of our entire group. You have been warned.”

Daniel had already guessed that there would be this sort of rule in this academy. After all, these young men and women had come here to learn a job which would allow them to pick up on what their parents would leave to them. That also meant that they didn't spend as much time cultivating as Daniel would.

Despite that, they had cultivated with extremely high resources since a young age, and barely any of them had a lower cultivation than Alesia. Unfortunately, what was truly scary about these young men and women, was the financial power they possessed.

Each of those with a silver badge or higher, had a reach much higher than Daniel's company itself, as they were heirs of companies and groups that operated on continental, planetary, or solar system's level.

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21:04

Once the introduction was over, the various students were sent to familiarize with the structure, and their dorms.

The academy possessed various high quality laboratories, and shops from which people could purchase ingredients in order to practice. Alternatively, there was a section of the academy where people could obtain assignments, which after completion, would give them contribution points which they would be able to exchange for materials as well.

There were also various gardens, inside which many different plants and herbs were planted. Their purpose was for students to learn, practice, and observe botany. An essential skill for these young men, which would have to make use of their knowledge if they wanted to avoid being tricked into purchasing worthless objects, or be able to recognize a real deal after seeing it.

The dormitories were separated into male and female, and the quality and area of the room, depended on the level of badge one possessed.

Daniel and Alesia had received two copper badges, so they had been assigned to the parts of the building with the lowest level of rooms.

Despite that, each room was very luxurious, and had every type of comfort in it. Unfortunately, they had to share it with another student of the same level.

The difference between different levels of rooms, were that silver level rooms were single rooms, golden level rooms had internal laboratories, and platinum level areas had a private teacher that could be questioned at any time during the day for help.

It was now early in the night, and Daniel was getting ready to go to the mess hall.

*Knock Knock* He suddenly heard knocking on his door. When he went to open, he saw Alesia with another girl by her side.

”Hey.” Said Alesia casually, before adding ”This is Talia, she is my roommate.”

Daniel turned to look at the girl that stood right next to Alesia, and immediately, he noticed that she looked slightly uncomfortable. It was clear that she wasn't totally okay with going to the men's dorm to pick someone up for dinner. Unfortunately for her, Alesia could not be convinced otherwise.

”I am Daniel.” He said while nodding politely.