Chapter 204 Another girl from my past, seriously?
"Ayla, are you free this evening?" Rio asked, as they were all walking back to the dorms after their classes for today were finished.
"No, I need to go and look for professor Saltzman. I had some doubts about the recipes you gave me last time." Ayla said, as she explained.
Reindolf Saltzman, a great alchemist and another professor at Zenith academy, also Ayla's mentor in the ways of alchemy.
After seeing that Ayla's talents in alchemy weren't showing any signs of improvement in the early years, Rio decided to change some stuff and asked Artemis to prepare another teacher to help her in learning.
He also suggested the name of Reindolf to Artemis. Reindolf at that time was just another run of the mill alchemist in the Haven city Alchemist Association. Believing in his lies and being supportive as always, Artemis agreed to the request, and thus Ayla, who was supposed to only meet her mentor after coming to the academy, met him years ago and also became his student without any hardships.
Since back then Reindolf was nowhere near as famous as he is now, it wasn't hard for him to accept Ayla as his student. After all he couldn't just refuse the request from the Blake Family without having any backing himself. This also helped in boosting his reputation and he even managed to get the attention of World Association a little early than the novel. So it wasn't a bad deal for him.
But even though Ayla's talent slightly improved with the constant guidance of her father and Reindolf, but she was still just average and nowhere near the level of a genius alchemist heroine. Maybe it was because she lacked the motivation and drive to learn, or maybe it was because she didn't feel the need to be so dedicated in mastering anything.
It was only after Rio's demise in the Draugr Depths dungeon, that she forced herself into her lab and focused only on learning and mastering the books of potions and techniques Rio gave her on her birthday.
He didn't know her thinking and motivations behind doing that, maybe she felt indebted to him for saving her father's life, and wanted to prove that he didn't choose wrong and finish what she promised him. Or maybe she just needed a trigger of tragedy to awaken her talent genes.
But it was only when Rio returned from the dungeon that he learned that the snotty crybaby he left behind was gone, and had now grown into a genius alchemy star of the Alchemist Association.
"Actually you don't have to work so hard on the potion about EMMSY, I've already learned it. So you can just take it easy and focus on your studies or other things." Rio said, making Ayla surprised.
Looking at Rio's serious expression, Ayla asked "For real. Why don't you just teach me then? I already almost got it, I was just confused about the final parts." Saying this Ayla's usual calmness was gone, and she had an excited expression as she started asking about her doubts "The book said to burn the Aurangy medicine and mix it with Morishas, but aren't these two opposite of each other and reduce each other's effects, thus failing the whole process and potion. I even tried doing that separately and creating a mix of them alone but _ "
"Ayla stop _ " Rio said, hearing her constant doubts and theories. "It's no big deal, you can just learn and experiment in your free time. I just wanted to say, there's no need to work hard on it. Okay."
Ayla nodded her head hearing his words. "You really don't need it now? " She asked again to confirm her doubts.
"Yes, I don't need it. So just focus on something else. Try learning the technique you chose from the library. Or anything else you want." Rio said, as he reached the dorms.
Knowing the potion was for curing the aftereffects of EMMSY, she had been working hard on creating it perfectly, yet failed to do so till now. Even though it had been more than 2 weeks now. This was also expected by Rio, after all even though he had given her the recipes he copied from the novel's knowledge, he himself didn't know anything about the process or making it. And this one was much more complicated than the Pura Corpus potion. And needed much more complex herbs and medicines, with delicate control and knowledge of everything. After all, how can a potion of the middle stages, be made so early so easily?
That's why he didn't rush her, and was willing to wait, but with Shweta's dreams haunting him from a few days back, getting impatient he just bought the potion from the system and it. Now he doesn't need the potion so Ayla can just focus on other things and techniques.
"By the way, I didn't ask you about your room partner. Who is it?" Rio said, as he remembered about the change in the novel.
"Oh it's her." Ayla said, as she pointed towards a girl coming into their direction.
'Fucking hell' Rio cursed as he saw Saisha walking towards the dorms, followed by two other elven girls.
"Wait, you're living with the Elven princess?" Amelia asked as she recognized the girl too. And Ayla nodded her head in agreement.
"What's so special about it? You're living with a princess too." Rebecca said, as she noticed Amelia's surprised expression.
"Hehehe'' Amelia smiled at her remark. And asked Ayla " How is she? Is she arrogant and stupid like other elves?"
"She's actually nice. She's calm, pretty and smart too. Though she doesn't talk much so I don't know much about her yet." Ayla said, as she remembered her meeting with her roommate from yesterday.
Hearing her words Amelia just clicked her tongue and said "Anyway if she troubles you or tries to bully you, just tell me. I'll teach her a lesson."
"Woah, what got you so spirited? Did she do anything wrong?" Rebecca asked as she saw Amelia just glaring at Saisha's leaving back.
"Naah, I just don't like her." Amelia said, while glancing at Rio, who was walking side by side with them, but silent.
Unlike what she thought, Rio wasn't silent, he was busy conversing with the system who fucking does nothing to warn him of changes in the plot.
'System, you fucker. Aren't you supposed to warn me of changes in the plot, or give me points for everything that is different from the novel.' Rio asked angrily.
[Yes host]
'Then why the hell, I didn't see any notification of Saisha's plotline change. Or Ayla being her roommate." Rio said. "If Saisha isn't living with that girl from the novel, how can the event of that drug accident happen?"
[There's something wrong with her host. The point system I have is self running, comparing everything with the original novel's plot and giving you points. But just like you and your sister, she's outside the plot too. There's nothing to compare as the characters are totally changed and replaced. You won't get anything for them and it's hard for me to monitor them. I already explained it to you the last time when we talked about Amelia's awakening.] System said clearly explaining it's side.
So I won't get any notifications or rewards from her too huh.'
[It's not that serious. You'll get their rewards every time their own special plots start, or you make major changes to them. yourself. Until then they're our blind spots.]
System had already explained all these things when he changed the plot during Amelia's awakening, and when later goddess Gauri (Kali) directly made Amelia her avatar, instead of giving her a simple blessing like Nyx.
But he didn't expect Saisha to fall into that category too. Amelia was basically always near him, or he always had someone else who was near her, so he wasn't much worried. But Saisha is an important character in the novel, so if he couldn't know her changes it would be troublesome for him.
'Let's just hope your 'bastard Being' doesn't send someone else here.' Rio said in a silent tone, hoping no one else from his past died and reincarnated here.
His words of prayer had just finished when he heard someone speaking behind him "Excuse me, can I talk to you for a moment?"
The voice was cold and emotionless, like a recording made on a machine, yet at the same time it sounded so clear and smooth.
Rio turned to look back and was surprised to see another heroine standing there - Katherine Winston. He was surprised as to why the cold ice girl came to talk to him here, instead of challenging him in the training grounds like he thought so. "Yeah, what happened?" He said.
"I saw you using transformation magic yesterday in Miss Freya's class. Can you teach me that?" Katherine said without stopping, her face still showing that same expression.
She waited to hear Rio's answer, yet after seeing him dazed out, she thought he wasn't willing to teach her so she continued saying "You don't need to teach me everything, just guide me for a bit. I've tried learning it myself for a while, but I didn't understand_"
Katherine was saying her thoughts and doubts, but Rio wasn't listening to her voice. Because the more he listened the more he felt it sounded familiar. So so familiar. It only took him a moment again to realize whose voice it sounded like.
'System'
[...]
'Please say that I'm wrong, and it's not what I think it is?'
[I'm sorry host. But it seems we just found another anomaly.] System spoke in a mechanical tone, dropping its previous personality of the girl it chose from his mind.
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A/N - another girl from his past seriously.
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