As they walked through the city, Stell noticed the increasingly depressing atmosphere. At the start, it wasn't so bad, at least. However, as time passed, people realized that they were in a new and unfamiliar world.
They could see people shouting, kids wiping their dried tears, and old people looking blankly at the sky.
"It truly is unfair." Stell couldn't help but lament. "Even though we were gifted an opportunity, we never had a choice."
Felix didn't comment.
"Most people here miss their homes. Most people miss their planets and family." Before Felix could look at him, Stell continued. "I know. Their family is somewhere out there. Their family also got transported. But... What about the little kids? What about old people?
"Should they use their achievements for a few months before starving to death? Should they compete in the games with young people like us? Or..."
Felix's lack of expression or comments made the conversation exceedingly awkward. It was one of the rare situations where Felix didn't react at all. Meanwhile, Stell continued.
"... should they fight with the monsters outside of the city? This planet isn't safe. Not even for us, not to mention children and the elderly."
Felix still didn't answer Stell's questions, leaving Stell to dwell all on his own. It was unknown what Felix thought.
Bitter, Stell could only conclude. "I guess that the world was never fair. I just hope that they can find a job and feed themselves. If it's possible, even ascend and grow more powerful."
Finally, he received a response. "I hope so." Felix nodded with a calm tone, not planning on continuing.
Wandering aimlessly, they arrived at a building that had a giant sign that read:
"Alchemy association." Stell read, making Felix's eyes light up. In front of the building, there was a long queue.
"Should we wait?" Stell asked, knowing Felix's tendency to avoid boredom.
Noticing that the queue was moving fast, Felix nodded. "Let's wait. Either way, we would just wander through the city."
While they waited, Stell saw Aaron in the distance. "Hey, isn't that Aaron?" He pointed.
"Huh? Where?" Felix started searching for him. After finding him, he noticed that Aaron's head was lowered, his pride all but gone.
"What's with him?" Felix asked. "Did he fall on his head?"
"I wish to know, too." Stell shook his head. Then, a brilliant idea appeared.
"Don't you have wind affinity? Try listening in." He suggested. Normally, a person who just acquired an affinity wouldn't be able to even sense it properly. However, Stell believed that Felix, a protagonist, might be able to.
And true to his expectations, it didn't take long for Felix to hear what Aaron was muttering.
"What is it?" Noticing Felix's weird expression, Stell asked after moving another step forward.
"He muttered: It's useless. I am not the one. This stupid thing..." Felix began relaying.
With a weird expression, Stell chuckled. "I guess that he lost another game."
Felix grinned in realization. "How is unlucky. How improbable is it for a system user to lose three low-division games in a row?"
His comment made Stell laugh. "He truly is unlucky."
After some time, they finally managed to enter the building. Immediately, they noticed many bottles on numerous shelves. Bottles had all kinds of colors, and it didn't take a genius to guess that the taste was also probably unique.
"This is so cool! It's as if I am entering a fantasy laboratory!" Felix's eyes sparkled.
"You kinda are." Stell chuckled, his eyes sparkling.
"Yes, I am." Felix only blankly nodded before reaching the receptionist. The receptionist was a thirty-year-old man.
"Since when are old men also receptionists?" Felix asked, unaware of his rude question.
Stell only facepalmed before apologizing to the man. Then, he answered Felix's question. "In my world, there are plenty of male receptionists."
Felix nodded as if he understood something.
With a twitch in his eyes, the receptionist asked them. "Welcome. How can I help you?"
"We don't know much about alchemy and this association, so we decided to explore a little." Stell explained their purpose.
The receptionist nodded, used to the sight. "Go to the first floor and apply for the first-level library pass. You can also ask the librarian any questions you may have."
After Felix and Stell left the line, another person immediately came to the receptionist.
After climbing the staircase, Stell and Felix found themselves inside of a huge library. There were probably thousands of books there.
"Hello, are you here for the first level pass?" A librarian behind a desk asked, lifting his head from the book.
After receiving nods from Stell and Felix, he requested a payment of five gold coins per person.
"How does alchemy work? How can one become an alchemist?" Taking the opportunity, Stell asked him.
"Read the introduction to alchemy. As for becoming one, you will have to pass the examination." The librarian waved them away, clearly unwilling to waste more time with them.
Although they were bothered by his attitude, Stell decided not to complain. It just wasn't worth it.
Sitting in a corner, Stell picked 'Introduction to Alchemy' and started reading it. Meanwhile, Felix sat in a meditative pose.
Catching the sight of Felix closing his eyes, Stell wondered whether Felix was sleeping or actually doing something.
Either way, it didn't change the fact that he had to read the book in his hand. Imagining that it was a novel, Stell started reading it with interest. Whatever he read was reality, after all.
After a few hours, he put down the book. 'I envy that guy who could learn from books by touching them. Wait, didn't I get spoiled by the fact that he could later learn by just looking at them?' he commented while stretching.
After that, he looked curiously at Felix. "Did he really fall asleep?" Just as he was about to poke him with a finger, Felix opened his eyes.
With a calm smile, he stood up, stretching.
"Hey! Is sleeping that fun?" Stell asked mockingly, half-believing that Felix really was sleeping.
'There is no way that he actually meditated! This is Felix we are talking about!' Stell refused to believe that Felix had the patience to meditate.
'Actually, maybe he researched his power...' Realization struck him. Maybe he couldn't cultivate it, but he could familiarize himself with it.
Adding it to his ever-expanding list, he saw Felix smile. Noticing a lack of explanation, Stell convinced himself that Felix was sleeping.
"So, what did you learn?" Felix asked.
"It's simple, honestly." Stell started explaining. Apparently, alchemy was basically special plants with special properties mixed in a special way to serve a special purpose.
"That's it? You read that book for so long just to learn that?" Felix was bewildered.
"It introduced much more. For example, I can barely recognize an age of a plant. However, it's unreliable." Stell replied.
"In other words, you spent so much time on an unreliable skill and common knowledge?" Felix mocked with a smile.
"Basically. You can take it as me rebuilding my foundations. Not every book I read had the same alchemy, so I had to filter the truth. Actually, it's curious how so many concepts are similar in our worlds." Stell started wondering.
"There are too many explanations." Felix replied, not bothering with the big question, making Stell nod. "True. There are so many."
"Anyway, I learned the interactions between the elements, too. It was only an introduction, but it still immensely helped. However, the most important thing is..." Stell paused there, waiting for Felix to show a curious expression.
And indeed, Felix did show one. It was unknown whether it was to please Stell or just because he was curious.
It's that the laws here are different. Apparently, the laws in the world of exiles are merely a reflection of the laws in this world. In fact, some things don't even have equivalents.' His revelation shocked Felix to the core. He could never have imagined it.
"It truly is an ascended world." He muttered in bewilderment.
"One of such laws is that not everything is made of building blocks. Not everything can be broken down into smaller versions. For example, atoms." Stell smiled as he explained the astonishing truth he learned not too long ago.
Seeing Felix's perplexed expression, Stell decided to explain it differently. "Visualize a robot as a complete entity. Now, picture a robot crafted from Logo blocks. Even though they may appear identical, one is merely a replica constructed using building blocks. In the same way, you can't make an ameba from Logo blocks."
Struck by the realization, Felix nodded. "This world sure is wonderful."
"Is it hard to become an alchemist?" Felix's interest was piqued by the knowledge just one book had.
"It is. You need to read hundreds of books and memorize dozens." Stell's explanation crushed Felix's will to become an alchemist.
"I'll just become something else. What about you?" Felix shook his head, lamenting at the amount of knowledge required.
"I also plan on studying something else. Still, I can see hope for the exiles. Maybe it's not impossible for them to find a job in the city." Stell breathed a sigh of relief.
"So? We just spent a few hours here doing nothing?" Felix almost pouted.
"No, I learned something important." Stell shook his head.