Translator: AnubisTL
Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye. In the Elosia Plane, Noren Wizard Academy No. 147 finally welcomed its historic inaugural enrollment day.
The academy's grand gate, forged from enchanted metal and stardust, soared into the clouds, radiating an aura of knowledge and power.
Jieming and several other wizards temporarily assigned to maintain order hovered silently in mid-air above the gate.
Below, a crowd of children streamed in from all directions, lining up to enter the academy.
Their faces shone with anticipation and wonder, representing the first seeds of hope for the Elosia Plane.
Yet as Jieming surveyed the sparse queue, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly and sigh softly.
"The numbers... are too few."
He estimated that fewer than three hundred apprentices had come to register.
This starkly contrasted with the bustling scenes he had witnessed on Noren Plane No. 13, where thousands of apprentices would clamor to enroll each year.
However, this was understandable.
The Elosia Plane's human population had only been undergoing guidance and aptitude modification by wizard civilization for a few centuries, leaving its foundations still shallow.
To reach the level of talent explosion seen on more mature planes, it would likely require thousands more years of sustained accumulation and evolution.
After all the freshmen had been guided to their designated areas for aptitude verification and registration, Jieming slowly descended onto the expansive black stone plaza at the academy's center.
By now, recruitment platforms for various Wizarding Schools had been erected around the plaza, their colorful banners and emblems representing different schools fluttering gently in the breeze.
Jieming's gaze swept across the scene, noting that the number of schools here was far fewer than the comprehensive array found on Noren Plane No. 13.
For instance, the Logistics Department had only seven or eight platforms, while the Combat Department fared somewhat better, boasting a few dozen schools.
As Dean Avery Knight had predicted, Noren Academy was still in its nascent stages, severely lacking in faculty.
He strolled over to the platform marked "Alchemy."
The setup was remarkably simple: a long table, a few chairs, and the Alchemy School's emblem—a triangular flask superimposed over a hexagram.
Mimicking the demeanor of his former mentor, Clark, Jieming sat expressionlessly in the main seat, retrieved a thick, ancient-looking magic book from his storage space, and laid it open on the table, feigning to read.
Yet his mind was far from the book's obscure runic script.
What should I teach them in the first lesson? His thoughts drifted, tinged with the nervous excitement of a first-time teacher.
"Should I follow my mentor's approach and start with a direct demonstration of basic alchemy, explaining fundamental material properties and energy ratios before culminating in a staged 'failed alchemy accident' to indelibly impress upon them the importance of rules and safety?"
"Or... should I try a different method? Begin with an alchemical riddle that requires unconventional thinking to solve, guiding them to experience the spark of intelligence and the allure of logic, planting seeds of rigor within the joy of discovery?"
Jieming had to admit that, standing in the role of an educator for the first time, he felt an irrepressible surge of excitement, even beginning to meticulously plan his teaching syllabus and classroom interactions.
However, all his carefully crafted ideas and expectations soon came crashing down.
The enrollment process stretched throughout the entire day.
As the setting sun painted the plaza in warm golden hues, platforms for other schools had recorded at least a few names, with combat schools proving particularly popular choices.
Yet, before Jieming's Alchemy School platform, not a single person appeared.
Until the wizard assistant in charge of enrollment began packing up, announcing the end of the recruitment period, not a single young figure had left their name on the registration form before him.
Jieming closed the book he had barely opened and stared at the blank registration list before him, momentarily stunned.
Then, a wry smile crept across his lips.
He understood.
The reason was self-evident.
The publicly stated contract terms for the Logistics and Combat Departments differed dramatically, both in early-stage resource allocation and perceived future prospects.
For these young people, newly introduced to the wizard world and brimming with ambition, the Combat Department's grand vision of "mastering the elements, soaring through the skies, and exploring endless planes" undoubtedly held a more immediate appeal than the Alchemy School's promise of "devoted research, material analysis, and the creation of miracles."
Apprentices capable of discerning the long-term value of the Logistics Department and the importance of its core knowledge through their own intelligence were exceedingly rare.
Even at Noren Academy No. 13, most students who chose the Logistics Department did so because their parents were wizards who guided their decision, rather than through their own independent judgment.
The absence of such "wise" individuals among this first batch of three hundred applicants was hardly surprising.
Recalling his earlier enthusiasm as he meticulously planned his teaching methods, Jieming couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly.
"Well, then," he said, standing up and tidying his desk. "No students means peace and quiet. I'll still get my benefits and have plenty of free time for research. It might not be so bad after all."
He had assumed his teaching duties were over, allowing him to fully enjoy this unexpected break.
Unfortunately, Jieming had underestimated the academy's demands.
His leisurely days lasted barely a week before an official mission notice arrived from the Dean's Office, transmitted directly to his laboratory.
Dean Avery Knight had personally selected him to participate in a crucial long-term project: the transformation and fusion of the Elosia Plane Cluster.
Elosia had been chosen as the site for the new academy precisely because the high-rank wizards of the Noren Workshop recognized its immense potential as a large-scale plane cluster.
The main plane where Noren Academy stood bore the heavy responsibility of nurturing the future foundations of civilization. It needed to support an ever-growing population while providing sufficient resources and a sustainable environment.
The most effective way to expand a plane's size and resource abundance was to gradually draw in and fuse adjacent medium- and small-sized planes that were either already habitable or could be made so through terraforming.
This grand undertaking was a core component of the Noren Workshop's long-term investment in the region.
Jieming's role was to serve as an assistant, participating in this monumental project.
The project was led by Dean Avery Knight himself, along with several high-rank wizards.
Jieming's primary responsibilities included conducting detailed surveys of the plane's environment, laying basic magical formations, and channeling energy flows—essentially, "helping out" with the groundwork.
He reviewed the mission roster and noticed a significant number of wizards had been conscripted, with a disproportionately high representation from the Logistics Department.
While such large-scale projects involving adjustments to fundamental plane rules and the construction of energy systems were precisely where logistics wizards excelled, Jieming suspected the reason for their overwhelming presence was simply that none of them had managed to recruit students.
(End of the Chapter)
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