Chapter 471
The following morning Ajax had breakfast with Luna and Hatchet before he left towards the Academy. It had been a while since he had been back there but there were more than a couple of people he wanted to talk to there.
“Welco back my lord.” The guards on duty bowed politely, easily recognising Ajax.
Having shaved this morning Ajax now looked like he would fit right in with the current third or fourth year students, age wise he was actually younger than so of them, though most of the teachers knew exactly who he was as they had taught him at one point or another in his ti at the Academy.
“My wayward pupil has returned.” Professor Vilethorn chuckles as Ajax enters her laboratory. “Here for another of your odd mixtures.”
Cent hadn’t been Ajax’s first attempt at recreating Earth’s discoveries even if it was one of his few Alchemical successes. His nurous failures at recreating TNT had caused a few issues in the professor’s over the years yet she was never upset and always encouraged him to experint.
“Sorry for interrupting your class. I have a working prototype this ti.” Ajax responded with a smile as he approached the desk. “Looking to create variations on it, your knowledge on substitutes is unparalleled.” Ajax was laying it on a bit thick since there were other Alchemy Masters in the capital who also had the sa skill set and deep knowledge base but there was no chance they would work with him without wanting to keep the recipe.
“Greet your senior.” the teaching assistant hissed at the students.
“He’s our senior?” One of the students asked, unsure if he believed it, they were second years and the person who entered while tall looked to be their age, certainly not soone who was more than five years their senior.
“Duke Hearthbound.” While most of the students didn’t recognise there were a few who were passionate enough that they followed Ajax’s winning spree of tournants during his ti in the Academy, and recognised him even if he was clean shaven.
“Oh yes, congratulations are in order.” Professor Vilethorn nodded. “You did go and get yourself that duchy. Though most of us teaching you knew it would always be just a matter of ti until you would, it took you a lot less ti than we expected.”
Now that they knew who he was the rest of the class was quick to greet him but other than a passing wave Ajax didn’t pay them too much attention, in that respect he had quickly acclimated to his position as a Duke. Instead he pulled out a vial of cent and starting explaining the problems he was having to professor Vilethorn
Ten minutes into their discussion the professor was now committed to the research of the odd grey dust. “This is very different to any other substance I have worked with. There had been so adhesives potions I have made before that are best compared to this but even they are far off.”
“I would guess that’s why the System saw fit to grant
the ‘Researcher’ Achievent for creating it.” Ajax bragged a little.
“You managed to get that Achievent, and you’re only telling
now?” the professor complained good naturedly. “Do you know that I can request a larger budget allocation for ingredients now that one of my students has successfully earned such an Achievent?”
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The next half hour the professor spent examining the setting of the concrete, trying to understand how the mixture progressed as it absorbed water. “It’s not drying out, it’s curing, you’re saying that after a couple of weeks the process finishes but you want to change the recipe so that the process can restart at any point if it gets moist enough again.”
“Yes.” Ajax nodded. “I have found that the sa rock at level twenty of mana infusion would act as the perfect base since it can perfectly absorb the water to slightly expand its volu and as such cover up any minor losses due to small cracks that may form.”
Finding large enough sources of the mana infused rock was sothing very high up on his to do list. He didn’t want to have to scour the dungeons for it so he would instead be starting to dig a little deeper into the mountain around Lessis to see if he can find so pockets of mana infused rocks that have ford over the millenia under pressure.
“I can think of three different additions that can be put in at the mixing stage with water that should be able to do what you want.” the professor said as she got up and walked towards the warehouse of ingredients she had at the Academy. “This is the first, and most likely to work. Volcanic ash, this is a level sixty two version very hard to find however since we are dependent on dungeon floors for it.”
Ajax nodded as he accepted the small sample baggie. It was sothing he was also pretty sure would work but it ca with the sa sourcing issue.
“Your second option is slightly easier to find but much more expensive.” the professor continued as she produced a small earthen mana gem. “The core of a mud golem, crushed up should also provide the sa effect though it could co with a slight loss of toughness while wet.”
Ajax hadn’t considered that as an option, but the professor was right, it would certainly not be cheap, while mud golem cores were found a lot more often than volcanic ash they also had several uses even outside of Alchemy.
“The last option is one I think would work best for you.” the professor said as she pulled out a specific dried plant. “Dried algae, considering your success with growing your own mana infused plant right here in the capital I imagine you could produce your own supply. I do imagine that you’d have to add so salt, probably in the water, before you mix the concrete to ensure it still binds properly.”
Ajax was surprised at this, he hadn’t seen this specific species of algae before but with his [Inspector’s Eye] and [Alchemist’s Examination] he was quickly able to get a breakdown on its uses. A few shallow artificial lakes were sothing he could build throughout his duchy to perfectly farm the algae.
“Thanks for this.” Ajax nodded as he pocketed the sample for trial.
“Of course,” the professor nodded with a smile. “You are always welco to visit.”
With that Ajax bade his goodbyes before he headed up to the top floor of the Academy, towards the library where he hoped to find a few texts that would help him with the issues that were now popping up surrounding his Aura. He was sure he wasn’t the first person in history whose Aura had a unique presence, seeing how one’s skills and stats influenced the Aura, there had to be others whose Aura had an odd affect on others and how they dealt with it.
“There you are, boy.” Balthazar Young all but shouted the mont he entered the library. Like Ajax the man’s Aura wasn’t fully suppressed, unlike Ajax however this was because the man’s power surpassed the point where the Aura could be fully suppressed, the sheer amount of stats and skill levels backing the Aura was too high. “Finally co to peek at my wisdom?”
The question took Ajax aback. “What do you an?”
“You’re going to be alive for a long ti now, finally soone who will live across millenia just like I did.” The old librarian and forr headmaster of the Academy was a living fossil closing in on his fourth millennium. “With the investnts into Vitality and Endurance you are making at your age and with how fast you are going to keep leveling I think you’ll get to see your third millenia.”
“Only three thousand years? Old man, I plan to still look young when I reach your age.” Ajax gleefully ribbed his friend and ntor before he explained about his recent discovery of evolution and the changes to both his lifespan and leveling speed.
“So I was wrong.” Balthazar said with a chuckle, “Took you battle maniacs almost my entire life to prove that my way wasn’t the path to living the longest life but you did it. Still with three tis the experience gain and twice the lifespan I dare say you have a chance at seeing your ten thousandth birthday. If you work hard enough.”
The next three hours Ajax spent talking with Balthazar about ways to better control his Aura while trying different exercises to help him suppress it. They found so success but Ajax would still need to practice them for a while before he’d be able to fully suppress his Aura.
With his departure from the library Ajax headed towards the headmaster’s office. The last person he was here to see and soone he was hoping to rope into helping him with his plan to propose to Lexi.
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