Chapter 118

Chapter 118

The Medical Department's election was held in a classroom within their departmental building. The empire's medical technology relied entirely on alchemy and radiation instruments. Enrollment was limited, with half the students being alchemists and the other half coming from affluent families, aspiring to careers in military logistics.

Luo Wenqing belonged to the latter group.

Her approach to life was rather unconventional. She had secured her position as the Medical Department's Chief by purchasing healing potions crafted by a Four-Star Alchemist, consistently defending her title in the arena challenges.

Facing the judge's stern expression, the newly enrolled Luo Wenqing slouched lazily in her chair and remarked nonchalantly, "Teacher, don't be upset. Being born into a good family is a skill too. And in our department, results are the only thing that truly matters..."

"After all, a genius can be undone by a single mishap, but the Luo family—" She shook a priceless alchemical potion in her hand, its grass-green liquid refracting a beautiful, life-giving glow under the light. Luo Wenqing grinned widely. "An empire built on money never crumbles."

A wisp of white smoke drifted upwards, then slowly dissipated.

Luo Wenqing stood with one hand in her pocket, a lit ladies' cigarette held in the other, though she didn't smoke it. She simply let the expensive tobacco burn down, turning into wisps of smoke.

She was still dressed in a loose T-shirt and baggy pants, topped with a spotted shirt. Even with the capital planet's intelligent climate-control system maintaining a constant temperature, her attire seemed a bit too thin for the evening.

Behind her, the tiered classroom buzzed with lively discussion. Medical Department students were holding their election. Since this was her final year, she had to step down and make way for a successor. With no designated replacement to defend the title, the Medical Department had skipped the usual defense process and started a fresh election for a new champion, followed by challenge rounds.

This commotion had little to do with Luo Wenqing. She was merely there out of habit, overseeing the proceedings. Thanks to the Luo family's immense financial backing, the overall caliber of the Medical Department's student leaders was actually the lowest among the six departments. Luo Wenqing worried that without her presence, they wouldn't be able to handle any problems that arose.

The elevator at the end of the corridor "dinged" as its doors opened, and light footsteps echoed, growing closer—soft, like a ghost wandering the teaching building at midnight.

Luo Wenqing didn't turn around, still idly holding the cigarette and leaning against the railing. "It's late. What took you so long?"

"I could've come tomorrow, and it would still be fine."

"Why did you bring someone with you?"

"Ran into them on the way. Just to fill the audience seats."

"Then why are you and your guest standing so far apart?"

"I don't know about him, but I dislike the smell of smoke."

Hearing this, she finally turned around, both amused and exasperated. "I mean, you don't have to be so harsh, do you? I've dedicated three years to the development of this department, only to be forced to step down. I'm allowed to be a little melancholic for once, and you respond with such flippancy?"

"Whether you like it or not, that's how it is. After all, *I'm* the one you called here."

Eve let out a quiet "hmph" and waited for the smoke to completely dissipate before stepping forward. She wore a black formal suit, her silver mask half-illuminated by the moonlight. She looked less like someone attending a departmental chief election and more like she was on her way to a funeral.

Luo Wenqing knew Eve was annoyed about having to rush between two jobs and was taking it out on her, so she chuckled softly, not taking offense. She glanced at Eve's hand, still clasped with Lorca's, and nodded towards the tiered classroom without comment. "Alright, unhook yourselves before going in. I bet quite a few people in there are eager to see you, our Medical Department's rising star, Lu Qing."

Unhook what? Eve looked down and only then realized her hand was still being held by Lorca. She paused for a moment before gently kicking his shin. "Hey."

"Sorry," the kicked one finally seemed to snap out of it, like a robot whose mute function had been turned off. "I was lost in thought and didn't realize I was still holding your hand all the way here. I hope it didn't bother you."

His words were shy, but he released her hand as slowly as possible.

Luo Wenqing saw through it but didn't comment, observing her cousin's little act with amusement. Once the two finally stopped their awkward interaction, she burst out laughing. "You two are really something."

Two people who loved to act clueless, together.

Eve ignored her and walked straight into the room.

The tiered classroom was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The Luo family was wealthy and had equipped nearly every room in the Medical Department building with spatial expansion devices, and this room was no exception.

The setup resembled a concert stage, with dozens of tiers of steps and a podium at the front that had been repurposed as the election "arena." Large screens on both sides zoomed in on the intricate actions on stage. Even with previous years' students included, the Medical Department only had about a hundred people, far from filling the entire hall.

Eve's entrance was quiet, but the students on stage were in the middle of brewing an alchemical potion, and everyone had instinctively held their breath. The crisp sound of the door opening attracted quite a bit of attention.

The room was brightly lit, and someone turned around, catching sight of the distinctive silver mask. They blurted out without thinking, "Oh! It's Lu Qing, the one who skipped military training!"

Eve: "..."

Seriously, that sounded awful. How could they say that about her? Didn't she earn her privileges through merit?

Beside her, Lorca chuckled softly, leaning close to her ear. "You're quite famous in your department."

"Talent always shines through. I apologize for that," Eve said. "And I must emphasize that the only department I acknowledge as my own is the Mecha Department. How can you refer to a workplace with such a warm term as 'your department'?"

...Though she was probably quite famous in the Mecha Department as well by now.

The comment caused a stir. Thanks to whoever had blurted that out, nearly half the classroom turned to look.

"So that's Lu Qing? She's the one who defeated the instructor? Even the Command Department next door couldn't manage that!"

"Well, the Command Department was assigned unarmed combat, which isn't their strong suit. It's understandable they lost."

"Then she got lucky. She got to choose and picked something the instructor wasn't good at. She just took advantage of the opportunity."

"Don't say that. I saw the match—she was really impressive. She didn't even use her Spiritual State."

"But," someone suddenly asked, "who's that guy next to her?"

That was a good question, because most of the upperclassmen present were familiar with that elegant, handsome face.

The Investigation Department Chief, also a direct descendant of one of the four great families, Lorca Oliver, was considered a breath of fresh air in the academy. Known for his approachable demeanor and gentle, meticulous style, he topped the list as the most popular Department Chief.

But why was he here instead of defending his own department's arena?

The freshmen were excited to see the Department Chief from another department in person, while the upperclassmen were already thinking on a deeper level.

Many students in the Medical Department were alchemists, so they were naturally familiar with the Oliver Family, which practically dominated the alchemy industry. If Lu Qing was so close to the Oliver Family's young master, was he intentionally supporting her? Or was Eve actually an alchemist trained by the Oliver Family?

Several upperclassmen who were about to challenge the arena stood up halfway, but when they saw Eve say a few words to Lorca and then stride confidently toward the stage, their hearts sank. Surely not? She was already so skilled in combat—could she also be an alchemist?

Faced with the possibility that their junior was a prodigy skilled in both combat and alchemy, they'd rather believe she was another privileged elite like Luo Wenqing, with the Oliver Family here to provide resource support.

After all, the Medical Department had plenty of wealthy students. Having been carried by the former Department Chief's financial power for years, they'd developed a resilient mindset.

Unfortunately, things rarely go as hoped. The alchemists who also belonged to the Oliver Family knew the truth about Eve's background and quietly avoided eye contact, leaving the uninformed students to exchange confused glances.

Eve finally reached the front. On stage, the previous challenger, who had just lost to the arena champion, was competing with a new challenger to see who could revive a withered exotic plant faster. The arena champion sat in the front row, massaging her temples with her eyes closed.

The silver-haired girl's face was cold and expressionless. Even the commotion caused by Eve's entrance hadn't drawn her attention. It wasn't until the table in front of her was tapped twice that her long eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.

When she saw who it was, her eyes flickered. "It's you?"

Such a meaningful phrase. The students in the room instantly forgot about the intense competition happening upfront, their attention fully focused on this interaction.

A noble-born young lady with the skills of a Three-Star Alchemist versus a mysterious newcomer with unknown abilities—the setup was enough to make everyone's eyes gleam with gossipy curiosity.

Eve gave her a deep look, surprised that her acting skills had not only not declined but had actually improved after all this time. "Are you the arena champion?"

"Yes."

A single word, cold enough to freeze someone to death.

"Get some rest," Eve nodded, turning her gaze away, her tone casual. "I'll challenge you soon."

Now that's a direct challenge!

It's worth noting that the gap between Three-Star and Four-Star Alchemists is a significant threshold. Even among Three-Star Alchemists, there can be vast differences in strength. And Luo Lin, on the stage just now, demonstrated power enough to surpass half of all Three-Star Alchemists!

Her masterful techniques and solid theoretical foundation impressed most of the audience, including senior students, the moment she made her move.

Even if Lu Qing excelled in combat, how could she possibly outdo Luo Lin in Alchemy? Or was it that having the backing of the Oliver Family gave her such confidence?

Many felt conflicted.

Unable to hold back, someone quietly slipped over to Lorca. Hearing that this Investigation Department Chief was famously good-natured, they mustered the courage to whisper, "Senior, I saw you came with Lu Qing. Do you two know each other privately?"

Lorca gave a soft "Mm," understanding the other's intention, and straightforwardly replied according to the background the Oliver Family had prepared for Eve: "She is a student of one of our family's Alchemist masters."

So she really is an Alchemist!

The student's eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at the black-haired girl leaning leisurely against a desk in the front row. Her face was masked, making her expression unreadable, but her relaxed posture inexplicably radiated an air of unbeatable confidence.

Meanwhile, the duel on the stage finally reached its conclusion. After careful comparison, the Teacher-Judge regretfully informed the challenger of their defeat and then asked the audience, "Who's next?"

"I'll go."

A lazy female voice rang out.

The same tone, a nearly identical situation, and the exact same protagonist.

The current champion on stage hadn't even fully retracted their relaxed smile before it froze on their face. In the front row, Luo Lin, who had seemed entirely unconcerned and had closed her light blue eyes to rest, opened them silently, watching intently as Eve stepped onto the stage.

The Teacher-Judge asked routinely: "What's your name?"

"Lu Qing."

"Alright, go to that table," the teacher said, pointing to a worktable filled with alchemical materials and equipment. "You have five minutes to observe and familiarize yourself. After that, I'll announce the test. The one with better healing effects within the same time frame wins."

Eve nodded and took her position as instructed.

She was entirely in black—black hair, black eyes, even her clothes were pitch black—with only a stark white mask standing out. Even the way she slowly rolled up her sleeves held an unusual draw.

Lorca sat in the audience, watching her intently, like the only spectator awaiting the last magician on earth, filled with extraordinary expectation and trust, poised for the performance to begin.

He was so absorbed that he completely failed to notice the person who had earlier sought information from him now bowing their head, typing rapidly on their device, editing something.