Reaching for the Stars

Chapter Eighteen

"Well done, what is your name girl?" I glance at the old man who said that and realize he's the same one who asked about my temporary city pass.

"Elianna Dagonus." My words are firm even as my heart still races from almost dying, even now I still had lingering pains as the antidote slowly got neutralized the poison.

"Well, Miss Dagonus, good job with the antidote, Snow Ink Mushroom poison is one of the harder ones to identify. I am Professor Savo, it will my honor to teach you." I hear a scoff next to me as see the one called Finius looks over the remnants of my antidote.

"Hardly a good job, this antidote is filled with contaminants, with only a level six purity, I will have to make sure that you learn how to keep potions properly pure, so you can get the best results, I am Professor Kresmir." He seemed to be excited at the prospect of teaching me, even though he was lecturing me on the purity of my antidote.

"Did no one else notice that she drank three quarters of the poison instead of the required half? I imagine it was accidental but with how quick acting Snow Ink Mushroom poison is I am surprised that she is even still alive, I think that the purity of her antidote is rather good considering the pain she must have been in when she was making it. We've had students who had hours with slow acting poisons and still failed to produce an antidote of that purity level, you're just being overcritical, I am Professor Takeshi, by the way." He seemed kind, all of them white haired, and most likely very old, but he had kind eyes, that made me like him.

Of course, finding out I had drunk more of the poison than I had to, hence reducing the time I had to figure out the antidote, severely bugged me, but I had survived it, so there is nothing I can do about it now. "Regardless of whether she made the antidote to everyone satisfaction, are we in agreement that she passed the test?" This man hadn't spoken before, but I was grateful he was bringing up the subject I was most eager to find out the decision on.

All around the room, the professors slowly nod in agreement, resulting in the professor, who I do not yet know the name of, looking at me kindly with a smile. "Congratulations of being accepted into the Herbalism division of the Academy of Ashara. Now the tuition is one hundred and fifty gold coins for the year, or you can petition to be one of our disciples and if accepted, we would cover your school costs." I decided I like this one as well, he looked at me, and did not just make a judgment on the fact that I was here alone, or the substandard clothing I was wearing, he offered me two choices, one where if I have enough money to pay, they will take me, or two if I do not have enough money to pay, then I may be accepted as a disciple and have my school costs paid by my new teacher.

Luckily I had the money, because though I wouldn't mind becoming someone's student, I wanted to know more about them before I approached anyone, it wouldn't do to be accepted by a teacher who was impatient and a bad teacher. "I have the money to pay, though I am afraid it is in Khirad gold coins." He nods understandably, showing no reaction at all to hearing that I was from the Khirad Empire.

"That is easily solved by bringing you to the city's coin exchange, though exchanges are done based on the material used to make it and the weight, so two gold khiradian coins is worth only one gold Valenian coin." I understand what he means easily enough and because of the large stockpile of coins I have in my spatial tattoo, I am unconcerned about possibly losing half my money. Especially when it meant I would have money to spend more easily in the city, when I had been buying my average level herbalism equipment and cheap spatial ring, I had to pay an above average price because I was using Khirad coins, I think I paid much more than they were worth if the exchange rate was two for one, making me wish I had known about this coin exchange earlier.

Also the fact that Orpheus had me buy this stuff before coming here and I hadn't even had the chance to use any of it yet, having spent more money than they were worth because he insisted I needed it, he was definitely screwing me over in more than one way today, but the excessive amount of money spent on those items was minuscule compared to leading me to my possible death by poison without me knowing. "I just realized I have yet to introduce myself, I am Professor Neritos and the silent one in the chair there is Professor Rayax, he doesn't speak much so don't feel discouraged." I now knew every one of the professors by name, though I was unsure how I felt to feel their excited gazes on me.