Chapter 294 - Ninety Four - We welcome in Spring (1/2)
Spring happened to be the busiest time for the outer alchemist school as everyone bustled to nurture seeds and plant seedlings into the herb fields, a mixture of fast and slow growing crops to fill their empty stores of the most needed herbs for later use. This task was a mandatory chore for all outer school alchemists, Leon was no exception, so after the first years trudged through the mud to till and fertilise the fields with a specialised compost made mostly of sweet sunclover, purple spirit grass and crystal dust, he and fellow seniors carefully planted the nurtured seedlings into carefully spaced holes in specific fields.
It was tiring work that took several days to complete. All of the students who would be chatty over the morning breakfast, would be quieter over lunch and silent over dinner before soaking in baths poured by those off duty then crawling back to their domiciles to collapse a dreamless, exhausted sleep. Leon's home was further than others, so perhaps for that reason a certain stubborn, midnight coeurl took pity on him and carried him the extra distance. Just for that tenday week anyway.
Following this tenday without break, the students were given a tenday to themselves, only those who wanted to gain points and things in exchange for weeding would continue to push themselves into working. At this time, the usual antagonism between inner and outer schools rose to become more than hostile opinions behind the backs of others.
”Outer school students are so lazy.”
”It's just growing herbs and they act as if they are dying!”
”If you put that much effort into growing them, how comes they aren't mature enough for us to use yet?”
Of course, these poisonous words simply came from a minority, a mixture of naturally talented elites and born nobles with silver spoons, not the hardworking seniors who strove to transfer from outer to inner sect nor those from a farming background who could sympathise a little better. But it just so happened that this minority were also the most popular or feared or idolised group, thus their opinions became the opinions of the student body of the inner school.
The inner school defended their decision of course. These were the cream of the crop when it came to alchemist talent! They needed to be guided and nurtured in developing pills and potions for the good of the cultivation world, not hoeing fields and digging out weeds!
”Spoiled inner school brats!”
”Where do they think the majority of the herbs they use come from? Fey and Faeries?”
”I don't think we should share our crops, let them suffer!”