Chapter 6 - Caelora

The ascent from her district, Neolune, to the upper district, Caelora, was uneventful.

It went swiftly, with her getting brief glimpses of the beautiful craft of the Elves as she admired the sights of the many districts they passed on their ascent.

Though Sylvie did not get the best view, with the lift crowded with Elves, she found the other districts seemed as uniform and seamless as Neolune, yet the quality and craftsmanship enhanced from district to district.

Despite the Wood Elves' emphasis on functionality and simplistic beauty over gaudiness, the Upper district was noticeably more modern and superior to the ones prior. Yet Sylvie found each aesthetically pleasing to the eye, with the styles changing, though constant in the harmonious style of the Wood Elves.

When the lift stopped its ascent at their destination, Haryk indicated that she and her mother should leave. Disembarking the lift was a simple affair, and they were already swiftly moving to the Alchemy Guild in Caelora.

The alchemy guild is an established continental organisation. Even the solitary Wood Elves allowed the neutral organisation to establish a branch in their City.

Haryk described the guild as providing legitimacy and a reliable representative of an alchemist's skill. A magical device in each branch kept a registry of each alchemist and their rank.

If Sylvie passes the assessment today, she will be included in that registry and awarded a badge, one believed to be next to impossible to replicate, signifying her status as a guild-assessed alchemist.

Employers always view Guild-assessed alchemists more favourably as the stringent assessments guarantee their ability is legitimate.

However, that is not the only value of being a member of the Alchemist guild, since the organisation has access to a treasure trove of knowledge and a resource network considered one of the best on the continent, and all members have access to it if they can provide suitable contribution points from the requests posted by the guild.

All guild Alchemists get an additional monthly wage based on contribution points, depending on their rank. This motivates continual improvement and sharing more alchemical knowledge.

Sylvie was determined to pass her assessment this time as she felt it would be a good way to repay Haryk for all the resources he had spent on her in the past few years.

Though she learnt rapidly compared to your average alchemist, every would-be alchemist spent many resources to get to where they are. Sylvie was no exception, wasting many materials before she could eventually brew the potions successfully.

She was able to earn some coin back through bartering some of her brewed potions with Haryk, though. As a mentor, he taught her the meaning of commerce, the value in the potions she brewed and the art of buying and selling in the market.

It taught her the meaning of currency in Falamel. She learned there are Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Mithril coins. Each coin had a simplistic yet tasteful style and was around the size of a large penny. The currency's value worked: 10 copper is worth one silver, 50 silver to 1 gold, 100 gold to 1 Platinum, and 100 Platinum to 1 Mithril.

Most of the potions an Apprentice Alchemist can craft are worth silver. Only a few potions that an apprentice alchemist can brew with a steep material cost can demand gold.

Sylvie did not have access to such materials, so no matter how much she turned on the charm to the merchants around the market to haggle for more favourable deals, she lost more coin than she made from the materials she utilised in her daily practice.

She knew Haryk would gain a commission if she successfully passed her assessment. The alchemist guild introduced this incentive to motivate stagnant alchemists who cannot progress their rank. However, Haryk has yet to utilise this, as he has been focusing on mastering the available potions he could brew at his skill level.

Sylvie was his first actual mentee when it came to alchemy. However, this made her feel more pressured to do well, as Journeyman alchemists have a competitive edge in training the best pupils, aiming to raise students more accomplished than them.

Haryk had some reputation among Journeyman alchemists, and Sylvie was concerned she would let him down if she failed, as it would reflect on him.

Sylvie continued to move with Haryk as they passed through a high-end street with many remarkably looking stores.

She was mesmerised by the glittering displays, as the stores had far more intriguing, interesting-looking items than Neolune.

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Sylvie even saw magical artefacts that required essence to operate. Some don’t even need a core to utilise, as it would passively absorb the essence in the surroundings and could be activated at will.

She was fascinated as the store owners advertised these wares. However, they had no time to look around, so she continued moving forward, feeling that she would eventually return to have a better exploration of the area.

Eventually reaching the Alchemist Guild, Sylvie found herself outside a ginormous building that was the largest in the street by some distance.

The entrance was an impressive arch-like structure, as a mixture of beautiful patterns formed along the doorway, continuing to make itself around the entirety of the building as a mix of stone, brick and wood that was stunningly coloured, decorated with an exquisite gold font in the elvish words for ‘Alchemy Guild’ created a picturesque scenery.

Sylvie thought it was the most magnificent building she had seen since her arrival in this world, and couldn’t wait to see the interior if the outside was this superb.

Her Mother seemed to share a similar opinion. Mryna’s eyes widened in appreciation as she said, “Such a beautiful building.”

Sylvie could only agree, she had been around almost the entirety of Neolune with her Mother and had never seen a building that exquisite.

Standing outside the building, Sylvie knew it was time for her to enter and make an attempt to become an Apprentice Alchemist.

Haryk said with a comforting smile, “Ready, Sylvie? Remember, don’t feel too nervous. You're very young as it is. Incredibly, you are here. I would not send you here if I weren’t confident in you. This will be a breeze if you perform to your usual standards.”

Sylvie nodded with a confident smile. She was as ready as she could be. Haryk had made her repeat the brewing process over and over again until she was able to brew the potions to an above-average purity standard compared to most Apprentice Alchemists.

If anything, she was overqualified for this assessment, yet it meant nothing if she did not demonstrate that.

Haryk seemed satisfied with her response as he waved at her to follow. They entered the building alongside her mother, and Sylvie found a huge interior.

It resembled a hall with many Wood Elves already present, chatting away, dressed in robes and earthly tunics.

The room had multiple seating areas, which seemed to serve as social booths for members. There were also boards, which Sylvie noticed seemed to list available commissions. Next to them held the requisite rank, and even had sections such as available jobs requiring an alchemist to be more permanent.

Other than that, there was a store section, similar to Haryk’s shop, though on a much grander scale, with more high-end looking potions. There, they had shelves stacked with potions, and that part of the guild acted as a shop.

The beautiful designs on the outside continued in the interior. Sylvie found the walls had them everywhere, and there were stone pillars with wood entwined in the stone throughout the hall.

Haryk indicated the hall's centre, where there was a reception desk. As they walked towards them, they joined a line and waited for their turn.

Sylvie noticed a few gazes directed at her sceptically, seeming to wonder why a child was here. She suspected none of them was assuming she was here to undertake the assessment.

Eventually, they reached the receptionist. Sylvie found a line of them sitting behind a large desk made of a splendid wood-like material.

A Wood Elf who shared the traditional Elven traits, though appearing middle-aged, sat with a neutral expression as he said, “Yes? What may I help you with?”

“Journeyman Haryk. My mentee is here to undertake the assessment being held today.” Haryk placed his badge down and passed it to the receptionist as he announced his intentions.

Sylvie had seen it before. The badge was a fancy ornament with a cauldron and potion symbol in silver and gold etched on the front, coded with Haryk’s magical signature. There was a row of glittering gems on it, two of which were lit a glowing green, indicating his rank as a Journeyman Alchemist.

An additional gem is awarded for each rank an alchemist achieves, the maximum being six, signifying the legendary rank of an Alchemy Emperor.

The Wood Elf receptionist nodded as he did something with the badge, replying, “Everything seems to be in order.”

Sylvie found the receptionist pause after saying that before he continued, turning to look into her mother's eyes as he said, “Now, you're the mentee, right? The test will be undergone in the assessment room, senior alchemists of the Guild will assess you and request you to brew five potions of your choice if deemed acceptable standard by examiners…”

The receptionist was about to continue until he realised the looks he was receiving, as he said, “Yes? Is anything wrong?”

“Oh, just you’re looking at my mentee mother, this is the one who will be taking the assessment,” Haryk said with a cheery grin.

Then, the receptionist finally bore his gaze onto her, where she decided to wave at him cutely.

“You have got to be joking…” the receptionist said as his eyes widened.

Sylvie felt this might be a common occurrence, though she had to admit she had never seen an older, experienced Elf ever break composure like that before.

“Is that a problem?” Sylvie asked questionably, deciding it was her turn to speak up.

The receptionist thought deeply before he replied, “I suppose not—entrance at the back, I presume you know the way, Journeyman Haryk?”

“I do”, Haryk said, nodding.

“Then good luck. If your mentee passes, if only I could see the look on that arrogant High Elf's face, though duty calls.” The receptionist said shaking his head ruefully.

‘High Elf?’ Sylvie thought, looking at Haryk’s eyes, which widened briefly in horror, fear, and apprehension.

‘That reaction? I thought High Elves are meant to be allies.’ Sylvie thought, having a bad feeling about this, though all she could do was follow Haryk as they continued their way to the assessment.