Chapter 46 Crucible Explosion

Chapter 46 Crucible Explosion

Everyone's eyes fell expectantly on Rena.

After a moment, Rena shook her head very slowly, her tone filled with frustration and regret. "Sorry, everyone. I do think he looks familiar, but I just can't remember right now."

"It's okay. If you can't remember, let's go find Tristan first and ask him what's going on."

I nodded gently. "Let's go on Saturday when we're off. We still have classes at school the rest of the time."

Luke agreed. "Okay. When the time comes, you two go find Tristan, and the three of us will find a chance to see Gareth."

"I have a feeling Gareth should know something about this, I'm just not sure if he'll be willing to talk," Chloe said thoughtfully.

I waved my hand. "How will we know if we don't ask?"

Chloe was the first to stand up. "It's getting late. You two should rest early. We're heading back to the dorm to sleep too."

"Okay, see you."

The next day, Potioncraft.

Darius and I went to the classroom very early and picked a seat in the middle.

Chloe and the other two came a bit later than us. Seeing we were already there, Chloe was surprised. "Vanessa, Darius, you two are here so early today?"

I nodded and gestured toward the classroom door with my chin. "You know who's teaching us. If we're late again, we'll probably get kicked out directly."

Chloe thought about it and agreed. She was about to complain when Luke quickly covered her mouth. "Oh my god, just say less. Haven't we offended Royce enough already?"

Chloe blinked and shut her mouth.

Class time arrived. Royce walked into the classroom right as the bell rang.

He wore a dark blue Aethergate College of Magic robe, his hair combed meticulously, with several books tucked under his arm.

Royce looked around coldly, his gaze lingering particularly on Darius and me, a cold snort escaping from his nose. "Starting today, I'm your new professor."

"In my class, you follow my rules. First, you must absolutely respect the classroom. If you can't do that, please leave now."

"Second, the assignments I give, whether practical or written, must be completed seriously. I don't accept any excuses. If your work doesn't meet my standards, I'll deduct points. Don't blame me for being harsh if you fail at the end of the term."

"Third, starting today, I require all students in this class to arrive ten minutes early, and you cannot wear shorts or short skirts. Try to wear long sleeves for tops as well. Otherwise, I'll deduct credits every time I catch you."

Royce had too many conditions, and a wave of discomfort rose in my heart.

Was he some relic left over from the last century?

After stating his requirements, Royce didn't listen to the students' opinions. He strode to the podium and began his lecture.

I listened absentmindedly.

But gradually, my back straightened and my expression became serious.

Though Royce was rigid and petty, he had a very deep understanding of potion theory and could explain knowledge in a clear and accessible way during lectures.

Before I knew it, I was drawn into an ocean of knowledge.

And what changed my view of Royce the most was when he said—

"The potions on the market right now are all too expensive. Only those magic families and nobles can afford them."

"But potions should serve all mages. I hope my research on substitute materials can allow everyone to use proper potions, so that potions are no longer monopolized by those big families."

When Royce said this, his expression was very serious.

I thought, setting aside our initial conflict, he really was a good professor.

After Royce finished the basic theory, it was our turn for practical work.

I looked at the cauldron before me, half a yard across and half a yard high, excitement barely contained in my eyes.

I channeled magic into the cauldron and poured in clear water.

After a while, the magic cauldron started bubbling with a gurgling sound.

What we were trying to make this time was a basic amplification potion. After drinking it, it could temporarily increase magic power by ten percent.

The materials needed included purple frost beetle shell, spirit-crossing bird feather, mindless grass.

I silently recited the required materials in my mind while searching through the herb basket beside me.

The herbs weren't organized by what we needed—this was also Royce's requirement.

He believed that if you were going to learn to make potions, you first needed to recognize various herbs and pick out what you needed from all the materials yourself.

Suddenly, a student not far away made a mistake in their operation, causing a huge explosion.

The floor shook twice.

I was startled, and all the herbs in my hand fell into the cauldron.

The clear water in the cauldron turned light blue at a visible speed.

I didn't notice anything wrong and continued stirring slowly clockwise.

The basic amplification potion is light blue and gives off an apple-like fruity scent during the brewing process.

At first, everything in the cauldron seemed normal.

But gradually, I noticed something was wrong.

The color in the cauldron was getting deeper and deeper, slowly changing from blue to deep red.

I immediately felt something was off and carefully fished out the herbs to look.

"Fluxvine? Where did this come from?" I muttered quietly.

The recipe for the basic amplification potion didn't include Fluxvine—only Catvine.

I remembered that Fluxvine was used to make blast brew.

This was bad.

I carefully used my wand to fish out the Fluxvine and added a gentle stabilizer, trying to calm down the restless energy in the cauldron.

But the cauldron began to shake uncontrollably.

Bang.

The huge explosion made my ears ring.

Countless bursting flames shot out from my cauldron.

The flames landed on the curtains and immediately started a big fire.

This is terrible.