Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Finally, having managed to usher Lorca out before anyone noticed, Eve leaned against the door, letting out a sigh of relief.

A clattering sound grew louder from a distance. She lifted her eyelids, seeing the robot steward, resembling a large trash can, slide in. Its two round hands magnetically held a spatula and a frying pan, clanging them together like a percussionist.

"?" Eve looked puzzled. "What are you doing?"

The robot steward replied, "I just wanted to remind you that, according to your schedule, you have less than thirty minutes to prepare before your first class this morning, and you still haven't eaten breakfast."

Blue light flickered across the little robot's screen face, a silent, insistent urge.

"......"

Blaming Lorca's surprise visit for disrupting her schedule, Eve quickly finished her breakfast and went upstairs to change.

Her hair was swiftly dyed black with an auto-dye device, and her originally blue eyes were covered with black lenses. Finally, she carefully adjusted her mask in front of the mirror. Considering she was only going to class, Eve opted for a more casual multi-function shirt instead of her usual large black robe. Its pockets were, as always, filled with various materials and self-defense tools.

After gathering her things, she grabbed her bag and hurried out. The dormitory area was quite a distance from the medical department building. With her stamina depleted, Eve ran at full speed, finally arriving at the classroom door just five minutes before class began.

The medical department building was unusually crowded. To attend the Four-Star Alchemist's class, everyone with an opportunity came, and those without one skipped their original classes to be there. The elevator was impassable, so Eve had no choice but to painstakingly climb the stairs.

"Huff, huff."

Having finally completed the long ascent, she leaned against the wall and chugged a stamina recovery potion. Once her breathing had somewhat steadied, she dragged her feet and continued toward the classroom.

Luo Wenqing stood by the front door of the classroom, arms crossed, still in her signature wide shirt and baggy shorts, as if summer followed her everywhere. Her toes tapped rhythmically on the ground. "Long time no see," she nodded to Eve with a bright smile. "Why are you so late? For a teaching assistant, arriving later than the teacher counts as being late."

"...Even if I'm late, the teacher should bear at least half the responsibility. Besides, I don't care about that TA stipend at all. If you could fire me from this position, I'd be very grateful."

"Sorry, but that's really not possible unless you hand over the Department Chief position to someone else."

Luo Wenqing chuckled, reached out to pull the classroom door handle, and gestured for Eve to enter. "There's not much to this class; it's purely theoretical. We just need a teaching assistant to take notes. Who else but the Department Chief is the highest-level person in the department? If you really want to leave, it's not impossible—just get a written approval from the instructor."

As if Agnes would ever let her go! Eve gritted her teeth in frustration, forced to temporarily abandon this unrealistic plan.

She suddenly asked, "What about you? I haven't seen you around school for a while."

"I was taken by the Grand Marshal. She needed a small favor from me," Luo Wenqing replied. "I just served as a witness in the Imperial Court and observed the trial process."

Any high-ranking officer in the military who reaches the level of Legion Commander can be called a marshal. Frigga Cavendish, as the sole Supreme Commander, is generally referred to as the Grand Marshal by her subordinates.

"What did she ask you to testify about?" Eve asked, though she already had a hunch.

Sure enough, Luo Wenqing answered without hesitation: "To testify against the Fourth Legion."

Hearing this, Eve raised her eyebrows with a subtly complex expression. Luo Wenqing continued with a smile, "Don't overthink it. The Fourth Legion, as the largest force closest to the capital planet, has been throwing its weight around more than once. This time, they crossed the line by interfering in the First Empire Academy's drills, which pushed Frigga past her tolerance limit. It's normal for them to be dealt with."

"The timing of this 'dealing with' is so coincidental; how can I not overthink it?"

Unlike Luo Wenqing, who wasn't deeply familiar with military affairs, Eve, having long assisted Qin Mengde with miscellaneous tasks, understood the situation much better.

The emperor intended to promote the Fourth Princess to balance the Crown Prince but hadn't specified how. Originally, they guessed that the 18th Legion, rescued from the Royal Zerg, would be handed over to Qin Mengde. But now, combining it with Luo Wenqing's news, it seemed more likely that the Fourth Legion would be given to Qin Mengde.

Distant water won't put out a fire close at hand. The Crown Prince's influence was mainly concentrated in the capital's upper power circles. To keep her in check, Qin Mengde would need to have troops stationed nearby. At this critical moment, Frigga voluntarily giving up the Fourth Legion seemed all too convenient.

Eve sighed and asked, "Are you sure you're not an emissary sent by the Grand Marshal?"

"......" Luo Wenqing's usually sharp eyes flickered briefly. Just as she was about to say something, the class bell sounded. The clear, melodious sound spread through the air. Eve interrupted her before she could speak: "Let's go inside first. It's just the two of us standing here, and everyone is watching."

She pointed into the distance. Luo Wenqing turned to look and saw a bunch of curious eyes peeking through the windows.

Luo Wenqing waved at them irritably and shouted, "What are you looking at? Class has started!"

Although the former Department Chief had stepped down, her authority remained. At her command, the students scattered obediently.

Time passed slowly. Perhaps because the teacher was twenty minutes late for the first class, this time, Agnes appearing at the door just five minutes after class started gave the students the strange illusion that she had arrived "quite early."

After all, she was a Four-Star Alchemist. Just brewing one potion or crafting one tool could earn her more than an ordinary lecturer's three-year salary. No one knew how the school managed to hire such a big shot, but the medical department students were well aware that having Professor Agnes teach was a steal for them. In this case, even if she cut a few minutes from the class, so what? Every minute she taught was a minute they gained!

The golden-haired woman still wore a purple robe, her exquisitely unreal face expressionless as she walked into the classroom empty-handed.

Agnes wasn't intentionally late. A potion she had prepared that morning had taken five minutes longer than expected to finish, forcing her to wait it out stubbornly in her office until it was done.

Eve was sitting in the small corner where Luo Wenqing had been during the previous class, legs crossed. Following Luo Wenqing's instructions, she held a light-screen in her left hand and an electronic pen in her right. The posture was so familiar that it gave her the feeling that, aside from the advanced equipment, it wasn't much different from attending a regular university class.

She had heard that some economically disadvantaged planets still used pen and paper for classes. The fact that humanity hadn't evolved a more efficient learning method after all these years showed that the existence of management studies was really just to drain project funds and add species diversity to universities.

Both of them saw each other at first glance.

Soon, a hint of triumphant smile appeared in Agnes's golden slit pupils, seemingly unsurprised that the other still had the courage to face her. In fact, if Eve had avoided her just because of a restraining alchemy spell on her back, it wouldn't have been like her.

This bold human girl.

Eve's face was hidden behind her mask, her expression unclear. She merely raised the light-screen slightly, signaling Agnes to get class started quickly.

You're already five minutes late. How much longer are you going to stand there spacing out?

No one could waste her time and life, not even a Fifth-Star Alchemist.

So all the students were somewhat horrified to find that Professor Agnes, upon seeing Department Chief Lu Qing, her lips curled into a slight smile... Though it wasn't obvious, it was enough to form a sharp contrast with her ice-cold demeanor throughout the previous class.

It was said that the higher the level of the alchemist, the more they valued talent. Former Department Chief Luo, who couldn't practice alchemy at all, was out of the question—comparing with her was pointless, and she was just covering last time.

But Lu Qing didn't exactly seem enthusiastic either. When the teacher entered, she didn't even greet her, her butt seemingly glued to the chair as she sat lazily with her legs crossed. Yet the professor still smiled at her.

If this wasn't favoritism or appreciation, what else could it be?!

Lu Qing's talent was actually this terrifying? No wonder she skipped classes frequently, neglected her duties as Department Chief, didn't hand in homework since she didn't attend classes, and wore a mask every day without socializing. So this was the arrogance of a genius!

Everyone's minds were reeling.

Eve had no idea what these usually aloof young alchemists were imagining. Even if she knew, she would only tell them exasperatedly to read fewer novels.

Seeing Agnes open the lecture materials, Eve was momentarily stunned—she hadn't expected this person to prepare lessons beforehand. And when Agnes opened her mouth, she was even more astonished: Agnes was actually lecturing seriously!

And she was quite good at it!

For a master of Agnes's level, mere alchemy theory was completely effortless. In previous theory classes, the content was basically taken from alchemy history, listing the influential Grand Alchemists and their representative ideas and works, just to give students an overview.

But Agnes did the opposite. She used specific schools of alchemy as a framework, first connecting the evolution of ideas like a long river, then interspersing well-known Grand Alchemists like islands in the stream, completely controlling the students' thoughts and making them follow her calm narration. From time to time, she offered praise or criticism of specific theories and alchemists, showcasing her vast knowledge with every word.

This was the level of a high-level alchemist, a charm entirely different from that of purely academic famous teachers.

Eve had initially been watching with mixed feelings to see what this non-human was up to, but as she watched, she realized Agnes's teaching was actually substantial. Unconsciously, she picked up her pen and began taking notes rapidly.

She had always been diligent in her studies and had her own strong opinions. As long as Agnes's lecture could truly inspire her, Eve didn't mind their past conflicts and listened attentively.

This deep dive into thought was only interrupted when the break bell rang. Most students felt left wanting more, and Eve was no exception. Organizing her already extensive notes, she suddenly thought of a key question:

Since Agnes could teach this well, why hadn't she taught me like this before?

Back in Venom Fang, the way she taught was simply by dumping a pile of assignments on me, threatening that I had to finish them within a day or there would be no reason to keep me; even if I finished, there was no feedback—just some circles and marks with a pen, then tossing a relevant reference book my way, coldly tossed out a "figure it out yourself" before leaving.

"......"

If we're talking about relationships, she was the real disciple, while those sitting in this classroom could only be considered stray students. How could Agnes be more dedicated to them than to her?

Agnes even prepared teaching materials specifically for this job. It paid practically nothing!

It’s better not to overthink it—the more you think about it, the more it chills you to the bone.

Eve never would have expected that even in the master-disciple world, there could be such treacherous exploitation of familiarity!

The ten-minute break soon ended. Agnes, who had just returned to her desk to add materials to a new potion, glided back into the classroom right on time. Although these young humans weren’t particularly bright, their admiring gazes made Agnes quite pleased.

If this was the sense of fulfillment that came with being a teacher, then Agnes had to admit she was somewhat moved by these little tricks of the humans. Though they were foolish, untalented, and couldn’t grasp the questions she posed, they were obedient and earnest enough, providing ample emotional value. Overall, the teaching experience was rather pleasant.

Long Quan had finally given her a not-terrible idea this time.

Agnes felt secretly proud but didn’t show it, stepping silently into the room. Yet the moment she returned, she met Eve’s subtle, direct gaze.

Unblinking, it wasn’t admiration or hatred, but somehow it made Agnes stop in her tracks, and she felt a pang of guilt.