Due to the stresses of the day everyone was quick to head to bed. Soon the new day greeted them and with it Jien and Olivia broke off from the others to head to the Bazaar to discuss prices with Rodrick with their stock of concoctions. Olivia had a hopeful look in their eyes while Jien appeared as calm as always understanding that not every transaction would be a great success. Considering that this was only the second with Rodrick and that it was meant to feel out the market he hoped for a good result but was prepared to be disappointed. They still had one day to brew something that would bring them what they needed.
After a long discussion with Rodrick leading to the interesting discovery that paralytics and poisons actually had a fairly high value in the market compared to healing agents. When talking this point over with Rodrick he commented that "anyone can make a bloodstop salve or healing potion on the fly". They all, regardless of year either had taken or would take the alchemy course which would focus more intensely around healing than any other topic.
Jien took this note to heart and decided to redirect their efforts toward a variety of poisons and other agents. He knew that brewing these presented risk given that any accident could lead both him and Olivia to harm. Despite this he now fully understood that that very risk brought these products into high demand. As Rodrick had stated, anyone could brew a healing potion and unless yours could be considered extremely pure then the market was ultimately flooded with them.
With their new findings in hand they made their way back to their rented lab having only earned half of what they needed to cover both supplies and the rental fee for a lab, not even considering profit. They quickly began their morning focused on their work, just as the others did for theirs.
It was only at time for lunch that they met at the dining hall nearest their quarters. Rosalind had arrived a bit later than the others, having made her way back to clean up after a morning in the forge. They ate in relative silence focused on their food. Though the work itself wasn't always hard it didn't stop their stomachs from rumbling as meal times grew closer.
After their lunch finished they began to trek their way toward the same direction as the greenhouse where they had studied alchemy with Professor Everhart. Though the general area of the academy was the same the building they ultimately entered was not. The building itself being much larger than the others surrounding it but similar in style with its white stone walls and general rectangular shape stretching back farther than two of the neighboring buildings combined and matching relatively in height at two stories.
When they opened the plain wooden double doors they realized why the building was so much larger. The front section as they entered the space appeared to be a museum of sort. In glass cases there were a variety of items from weapons made of varying materials to skulls of different sizes. Though some of them had small differences if one weren't paying them close enough attention one would think them to be human in origin.
The very nature of this space led the group to understand the topic of today's lesson. They would be learning about the other races that inhabited this world. The enemies that they they had been warring against since time immemorial. It was a topic of study that interested Jien greatly given that one would not be able to learn much outside of the Academy itself. He wasn't quite sure the reason for this but if he had to guess it would be so that the Empire and Academy could control the narrative and what was discussed.
After perusing the various displayed items for a few long minutes they made their way to another large set of double doors at the back wall of the space. When opening the heavier wooden doors they found why the building was twice as large as the others. While the first half was a museum of sorts, the second was a large auditorium. It appeared that while the other classes had been more personal in nature, focusing on individual units, this class would not.
As if to punctuate this thought the door to the museum area opened once again and Rebecca and her unit entered. Not long after the other two entered as well, followed by yet another group, unknown to any of them. This group seemed to be blend of all walks of life from top to bottom, likely those who had not had strong connections to assist in pulling them into a unit with others they already associated with.
Though Rebecca and Carmichael appeared to want to talk with Julie and Jien respectively, Bennet was quick to interrupt them, telling them to get a move on with a grunt. He didn't seem remotely enthused by this class or the fact that he would have to study it with any of them. It appeared that he still hadn't gotten over the loss his unit had suffered even though they still chatted at times during meals.
As the time for class was quickly approaching they all chose to take their seats within the spacious auditorium. Though there were thirty of them it appeared that the auditorium with it's many layers of seats could easily fit several times their numbers. Angling down to a stage with a single podium built of light wood and backed by large chalkboard covered in many notes the room seemed to slope down into what would have been a basement. The seats were simple wood with cushioned seat and back in a maroon color.
Due to the design of the room Jien and his unit were quick to take the front row seats with the other units filing in to the rows after them. Jien checked his pocket watch and just as the second hand hit the start of their class a figure appeared from the shadows as if he had always been there. It was the same man that Jien had seen multiple times now, the same that had brought Julie to the Academy and the same who was waiting for Professor Everhart after their alchemy class.
The man with his dark hair and piercing obsidian eyes swept his gaze over them, leading to immediate silence. His voice was firm and deep as he spoke for the first time. "You have no need to know my name. If you need to address me then do so as Professor or Sir. I am here for one simple purpose, to teach you about the enemies that we humans have been warring with for generations."