Chapter 116: New Academy Students
The Imperial Mage Academy started its classes swiftly. Just a day after all students had chosen their majors, the various departments began their public lectures.
Typically, each department boasts at least ten instructors, allowing them to rotate without disrupting their own research. However, one department deviated from this norm. This department not only lacked instructors but didn't even have a classroom. This was the newly recognized Magical Alchemy Academy.
To prepare for the academy's recruitment and the first public lecture, Scar had gone to great lengths. He not only got the academy to approve using the Alchemy Tower as a teaching site, but he also used the previously earned patent fees to remodel the first-floor room of the tower into a large classroom. As the sole lecturer besides Durin, Scar was overworked to the point of exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Durin played the role of a hands-off supervisor. He leisurely arrived at the academy on the first day of classes, finding a visibly haggard Scar, who looked as if he had taken on the role of the department head himself.
"Durin, you finally made it. The first class today is yours, right? I almost thought you were going to leave everything to me," Scar complained.
Durin simply patted Scar on the shoulder with a smile. "Haha, I wouldn't miss a scheduled class. But just so you know, I'll be busy with movie filming, so I'll only teach once a week."
"Fine, once a week it is. The dean has been asking me repeatedly about your class. If you hadn't shown up, I wouldn't know what to tell him."
"The dean? Why is he so anxious?"
"It's because of your television idea. He's been pestering me for days about its design and feasibility, waiting for you to answer his questions."
"Ha, I didn't expect the dean to be interested in such things."
Indeed, while Durin had discussed the concept of a television with Scar before, he hadn't anticipated the enthusiastic response from the dean and other high-level mages, given that the current technology for stable signal transmission wasn't fully developed.
Scar sighed, "It's not just the dean. Every grand mage aware of your project is eager for you to develop it. For these homebodies, something to pass the time without leaving the house is a dream come true."
Durin chuckled, "I haven't even sketched a prototype yet, and they're already envisioning their new sedentary lifestyle."
He realized just how imaginative these mages could be, particularly those who had access to the highest levels of education in the world.
For these cutting-edge "mage scholars," even someone like Durin, with knowledge from Earth, only needed to introduce an idea. The mages would immediately grasp his meaning.
Unlike the mismatched situations in Norsrick, the Mage Tower was a much better fit for Durin. This was also why most mages congregated there.
In modern terms, it's like being able to chat all day with friends who understand your niche interests. Who would want to go back to a mundane world where they have to engage in boring conversations?
Having a place filled with individuals who understand you allows mages, whose knowledge often surpasses most people in the world, to prefer staying there rather than returning to the mundane society. Of course, those who became mages for money or out of necessity had no choice but to live differently and were often looked down upon by their peers.
In such an intellectual haven, Durin could speak openly and confidently, gaining more resonance rather than keeping things to himself. This was one of the few things that brought him comfort.
...
"Finally, this is the Alchemy Tower?"
"It should be here."
After much effort, Picor and Dylan finally found the location of the Magical Alchemy Academy's classes. Aside from them, there were about a dozen other students present. These were the academy's freshmen who had chosen Magical Alchemy as their major.
Clearly, this number was far below Durin's expectations. However, this was unavoidable. In recent days, other departments had been vigorously promoting themselves to prevent their new students from being poached, even to the point of almost openly recruiting. In this competitive environment, the Magical Alchemy Academy, which had done no promotion or active recruitment, inevitably suffered. This lack of recruitment effort was simply because the academy lacked the manpower to do so.
Picor and Dylan soon passed through the entrance of the Alchemy Tower and entered the interior. Despite the first floor's recent refurbishment, it still appeared shabby compared to other departments.
Upon seeing this, the noble-born Picor immediately frowned, "This place is so remote. I'm starting to lose confidence..."
Feeling even more helpless, Dylan responded, "Come on, if you're already saying that, then what does that make me, who followed you here?"
"Anyway, just wait and see. I doubt there are even fifty students who chose Magical Alchemy."
"Yeah, we're the first ones brave enough to try this out. At least we can't lose our nerve…"
Walking through the nearly deserted corridors, Picor opened the door to the designated classroom according to the notice. His expression changed instantly, and he quickly shut the door.
"What's wrong? Why aren't we going in?"
Seeing Dylan's bewildered expression, Picor forced a laugh and said, "Maybe we went to the wrong place. Inside, I saw no fewer than twenty Grand Mages, nearly a hundred high-ranking mages, and even the dean himself was there. Haha, we must have taken a wrong turn and ended up in the Mage Tower."
"Taken a wrong turn? Are you kidding? We clearly walked to the Alchemy Tower…"
"But? Could it be that I opened the door the wrong way?"
"Let me try opening it."
With that, Dylan stepped forward and opened the door again. Inside, all those notable mages turned their gaze towards the two newcomers. Realizing these were just ordinary students and not the person they were anticipating, the mages silently redirected their focus, resuming their quiet discussions.
Confirming he hadn't imagined the scene, Picor softly exclaimed, "What the heck is going on? Did we really not get lost? Is this not the fabled Mage Tower lecture hall?"
Indeed, these ordinary freshmen had never seen anything like this. Faced with over a twenty Grand Mages, they stiffly walked in and found seats at the back of the room.
Their current feeling could be compared to modern students walking into their first class, only to find the room filled with historical and contemporary geniuses like Einstein, Newton, and Edison, all behaving like humble students.
Due to the overwhelming presence of these Grand Mages, the true freshmen felt an unbearable pressure just sitting down. Even in the back row, they were stunned, not knowing where to place their hands, especially with the dean of the Imperial Mage Academy, the era's greatest archmage, Hohenheim, seated quietly nearby.
Soon, as Picor, Dylan, and the few other genuine freshmen were anxiously waiting, two figures slowly walked in from outside to the front of the classroom.
"Ahem, sorry to keep you all waiting."
After Durin finished speaking, Scar promptly moved off the platform, yielding the floor to him. Only then did the new students realize that the lecturer for this new course was someone who appeared to be around their age.
"Is he the lecturer?"
"Who is this guy?"
Clearly, although the students had heard rumors about Durin, few had actually seen him in person. What puzzled them even more was why so many prominent mages were gathered here just to attend this young man's lecture.
Understanding what the students were thinking, Durin addressed them calmly, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Durin Edward, the head and lecturer of the newly re-established Magical Alchemy Academy. Of course, I'm usually quite busy, so I'll only occasionally give lectures. Most of the time, your classes will be taught by Vice Principal Scar over there. Ideally, some of the Grand Mages present might join us as lecturers as well, as I don't want our academy's only teacher to be overworked to the point of collapse."
Durin's words, though light-hearted, drew mixed reactions. Scar's expression twitched at the implied workload, while the new students erupted in surprise. They realized that this young man was the director and writer behind the movie "Fate/Zero."
Consequently, their immediate thought wasn't about the lecture but rather a collective, "Hand over the second chapter of 'Fate/Zero' already!"
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