Wandering Agent
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Chapter 86 Sky-metal
🕑 Added 2022-01-18 02:35:38 +0000 UTCI watched as my several gram bomb exploded in Professor Hern's mind, figuratively. He was tapping his reference book repeatedly as he waited for my response.
"Okay, what is sky-metal? Why is it important?"
"Excellent question! Do you know why we use leather for making most warmage armors?"
"Well... it's readily available, and you can enchant it."
"No, well, sort-of. It is enchantable and replaceable, but the main reason is it has good strength versus weight ratio. If a mage were to wear iron armor or the like, they would be harder to hurt, but much slower than they already are. Since only very thick, very enchanted metal would be good for stopping an actual knight who got too close and that would make your average caster unable to move we instead make armor that can stop blows from non-magic users while providing some magical protection."
"Okay..."
"Sky-metal is a game changer when it comes to that. It's not quite as magically conductive as silver or gold, it is nearly as good though. It differs more in it's weight, sky-metal is extraordinarily light, and those two things make it one of the best, if not the best material for making armor for warmages. It's soft certainly, but that is easily remedied with a few basic enchantments, the same we use on leather would be far more effective on this."
"What are the other ones? Not magical materials?"
"No, no, no, you absolutely don't want a magical material as your armor. If the magic is somehow disturbed the results can be quite bad. Those are used mostly in static items. The only other known material that could compare would be primordial-metal, though that is even rarer, and not anywhere near as conductive." He blinked, as if he realized I'd gotten him off track. "Sorry, where were we then. Ah, yes, do you have any more of this?"
"Sorry no." That was technically true. I did not have any more metallic aluminum laying around.
"The merchant who sold it to you, do you know if they did?" Professor Hern looked like he was nearly salivating.
"I highly doubt it. Not that I would even know where to send you, it was just something that caught my eye as I was walking down the street. If he had a shop, I don't know where it is." Another truth... technically. I hastily told him what street I'd bought it on, well, the alum at least. The last thing I needed was Professor Hern poking too deeply into my business.
"I see..." He had reformed the metal into a ball and was playing around with it in his fingers. "There are some more tests and the like I'd like to run on this. I've never actually seen a sample in person before and it's a rare chance. It will also allow me to update some of our reference works."
I considered that for a few moments. "I don't mind you keeping it for awhile, mostly since I don't have anywhere to store something that rare, but I would like it back at some point."
He gave me a few promises to that effect before sending me off. I could tell my professor was a bit too excited for this, but whatever kept him out of my hair. It was my guess that he'd find some reason to go into the market and search it bottom to top for more aluminum, but he'd probably be disappointed.
I on the other hand had some things to deal with. Other than my many personal problems I now had a new project. Aluminum enchanted armor would be on the docket so that the next time I knew I was going into a fight, I would go in hard and fast. There was no way I'd be sharing this with the teachers though, way too big. As a matter of point I was going to hold off on making any more aluminum at all until Professor Hern had his chance to waste a bunch of his own time. Hopefully I wouldn't need it too soon.
The next day I had Atali Language, and I went to class with a whole stomach full of butterflies. Dras and I had yet to have our talk and that was something I knew would have to happen. We needed to go over where we were and what had happened. Certainly I knew we'd drifted apart, but it had been rather more extreme than I'd realized. I hadn't even talked to him about his girlfriend.
We still sat near each other in that class, and even talked lightly sometimes, but nothing like we did when we were younger. I sat there, barely paying attention as our teacher went over several terms I'd already put to memory. While I was still trying to think of what to say, class ended.
The two of us waited as everyone left, packing our things but keeping to our seats. Even Professor Etia eventually made her way out, she did give us a look before going though.
"So..." He tried to start.
"Yeah."
"When is the last time we really talked Alana?" Dras looked out across the room, seemingly at nothing. "I mean really talked, like we used to."
"We chatted a bit when I first came to the school... even then though I think we were..."
"Mmm. I suppose I let myself get too caught up in my studies, forgot my friends."
"I mean, I didn't really try too hard either. So don't blame yourself."
"It's always been like that hasn't it?"
"What?"
"I'm two years older than you Alana, but I've always been behind. Even when we were really young there was so much you knew that I didn't. You're a better mage, better at math, better at almost everything. I feel like you're always the elder in every situation."
"Is that why you didn't ask me to the school's ball?"
"What? I didn't even know you thought of me like that. I mean, Dietrich has been practically gushing over you since he discovered you existed. Several of the other boys like you too. Besides I'm dating Clarissa anyway, have been for like almost a year?"
"Okay, first, Dietrich is nice and all, but he's sort of an idiot, and I can't stand that. Two, you've been dating someone for almost a year!? Why did you never tell me?"
"What of course I told you... erm... oh, oh maybe I didn't. We really do need to talk more."
I wanted to hit my face on the desk. That was huge, how did he not think to even tell me? We sat right beside each other in class and chatted, how had it never come up? What even dude, do you not think your personal life is something I'm interested in hearing about? Actually...
"You... you never do talk much about yourself and what's going on with you do you?"
"Nah, not so much. Mom always used to ask me every detail about everything, then get mad at things she didn't like, ya know? So I guess I just try not to go into personal stuff."
"Details she didn't like like me?"
"Oh she still hates your guts. I don't think she knows you go to school with me though."
"Does she know about Clarissa?"
"Absolutely fucking not." We both got a chuckle at that one.
"We should hang out more."
"Yeah, there's a few small events going on in the knight's school soon I hear. They're catching a few beasts and letting the students fight them for training, wanna go? Well, I think I'd need to bring Clarissa so she doesn't get all jealous, but..."
"That's fine, let's do it. Mind if I bring Kala along?"
"Kala? Why?"
I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. It took a few moments for him to get it, but when he did his eyes got a bit bigger.
"I'm honestly surprised it took you so long."
"I mean... that's a new one for me. I didn't know you liked girls."
"I don't, I like Kala, and probably not in exactly the same way as you like Clarissa."
"Um... okay. Wait, why did you want me to invite you to the school ball then?"
"Because I knew you probably would, nothing was likely to happen because we're not like that, and you're a nice enough guy."
He responded by flicking me on the ear, hard. "Do not play games with boys Alana. If you are or aren't interested, make it clear, and make clear what you want. Going to that ball together would have been announcing ourselves as an item, which would have pissed Dietrich off. That's something I would have had to deal with. Which I would have, had I been single and you just told me what you wanted."
I rubbed my ear and pouted a bit. I suppose just expecting him to invite me had been a bit rude on my part, particularly if we both knew I wasn't interested.
"Sorry."
"Forget about it. You've been there for me for a long time Alana. You're like a big sister or something. I could never really think of you like I do other girls."
There was a bit of a lull for awhile, both of us thinking about all we'd learned about each other. It was nice, and in some ways reminded me of all the time we'd spent studying and hanging out. Eventually we did pick it back up though.
"So, watching knights fight monsters?" I asked.
"Hey, don't blame me. I understand it's something a handful of nobles do for fun, and to see how the new students are coming along."
I rolled my eyes and we headed off to our next classes, making jokes on the way.
Classes for the rest of the day were rather uneventful. When I returned to my room though I found a most unwelcome surprise. Professor Rooke was there, as was another professor whose name I knew not. She stood off to the side while he spoke with Emma, seemingly awaiting my return. Several of my personal effects were laid out, uniforms and the like, it was also obvious some of my drawers had been opened, some still were.
"What is this?" I asked my voice quite a bit sharper than I normally would speak to a professor. "Men aren't even allowed in these dorms Professor Rooke, and what have you done to my room?"
"I received a number of disturbing reports, and it was determined that searching it was necessary."
"You had no right to go through my things." I could practically feel my magic rising as my anger peaked. The bubbles that constituted my aura seemed to cover me in a thick layer protectively, bursting out a bit as I released my control and pushed, seemed my training had paid off some.
"I did not search your things Alana. It would be improper for a man to go through a lady's possessions. I waited outside while Emma and Professor Lur did. You will also find that I had every right, as your guardian to authorize such a search."
I could have almost spit fire at him. With magic that was really an actual option too. "Reports? What reports?"
"Well, the most alarming would be that you have been spending hour after hour lying seemingly unconscious on your bed, failing to respond when called. I would think that you might be trying to work on upgrading your core, but according to Professor Hern you seem to not be progressing on that much. You've also appeared with a sample, albeit small, of an extraordinarily rare material. Oh, and let us not forget this." His voice was acid as he reached over and opened my lamp, revealing the actual magical item inside. "I'm not sure what is going on with that, but whatever it is is really, quite decidedly not standard."
"Oh." I looked over to the sphere that seemed to defy reality itself, still there, still looking too perfect, too... almost wrong.
"Oh indeed. While I've agreed not to pry into your research, at least some of that needs explanations."
Comments
Sky
Yeah, I have to say that leaving the academy is looking more appealing. These professors are violating the privacy of a student. Maybe they couch it in 'safety of the state', but that is no excuse for their blatant greed. They haven't even offered appropriate compensation. A bag of gold is small change compared to what she can offer, and they haven't offered any incentives. As a student, she has been enrolled to learn, she has paid her dues, and their greed for her magic is stepping over the line for their fairness. She doesn't owe them shit.
Mugatu9
Fuck these guys. She doesn't owe them shit. She's the one paying them to teach her, not the other way around
Choboman
So first, the background is that her original mentor warned her to not share any 'special knowledge' or she would take a risk of being captured or killed. 1. She goes to the capital where her abnormal aura is immediately noticed. 2. She regularly displays morals and opinions outside what's considered normal regarding gender, profession, and class. 3. She shares some knowledge with Dras and the Bard. And she can make sugar and other substances better than a young girl should. 4. She admits to rebelling and killing her mayor. To the Prince. 5. She admits to the school that she was taught by a renowned mage who fights for the other side. 6. She weaponizes ethanol in a way that no one else can do. 7. She completes core formation in record time and has insights no one else has noticed. 8. When confronted, she admits that she knows things that she doesn't want to share because they might make drastic impacts, including other things besides the core. 9. She's known to have spells that make her silent and invisible, and has been caught sneaking and eavesdropping by the Dean before. 10. She casually hands over a material that's extremely valuable and virtually un-obtainable, and then gives an implausible and unverifiable excuse for how she got it. The school has to think by now that she's a spy, or a strategic asset to be milked dry. She would be lucky not to 'disappear' to a medieval Guantanamo somewhere.
Lesley Douglas
Hey, I would suggest reading the chapter. It is not a bad chapter it is the last part that struck a chord with me and others. But that is part of a good story getting the reader to react, express concern or outrage. Also, remember an expectation of privacy is a relatively new human concept and, on this world, and context only the powerful or people with a powerful backer can really expect it. But Alana is powerful and is her best backer until she hooks back up with her family. She just has to take a chance instead of living in fear. But give it a shot. Now that is no fun, being able to wait until this saga plays out, while I wait on bated breath for the author to release a new chapter.
Lesley Douglas
I think the Dean and the Crown would step in to stop her at all cost. Plus, she needs the Academy if she is going to continue her journey and become a powerhouse as she has no resources or backer outside the school to help her along the best path. But if she does not take actions to secure herself while she is attending, she would be more than a pushover.
Lesley Douglas
Here is my question: what did they think the search would turn up? Drugs? Her research notes/journal? more experiments? More Sky Metal? They are monitoring everything that she is doing, her core progress. Her interactions with teachers. To this point none of Alana's conduct has been criminal or illegal, but what is known it that Alana will not roll over and tell them about her secrets without cause or benefits. And they believe they are entitled and if she won't tell them they will do whatever they want to find out. The school is set up to encourage students to research and the Academy provides safe facilities with all the necessary precautions are in place to allow students to experiment and not kill themselves. So, are they doing this to all students with talent or is Alana special somehow? These people have high expectations and Rooke is overstepping because no other parent could walk up in the school and do what he did to Alana. And because of his position of power over her and his position at the school, special rules should govern his or other professors like him who are guardians' behavior. Do you think this would happen to a noble student?
David Brims
A certain amount of trust will always be destroyed in a situation like this. But how he went about it was way worse than it had to be.
GoHazard
In my opinion, that would completely destroy and trust between them two. I would not be surprised if she'd treat him on the same level as the shield guy. Idk the professors have been feeling off basically since the core thing. She should not trust any of them and not give any more details about what she knows.
David Brims
I do agree you have a point. But I think the Prof went about this totally the wrong way, particularly given their prior agreement. He needed to talk to her first, explain his position, and ask her to explain or else an immediate search would be warranted, and explain why.
Chymor
Sure, they know she probably didn’t steal it. But once the valuables pass a certain point “It’s none of your business“ becomes an inadequate excuse. Especially as this absolutely would affect the war effort. If nothing else, she’s clearly nearing the “secret worth killing for” level, as her initial mentor said about her water visualization.
Chymor
Everyone is upset as Alana is the mc and we know her to be capable… But the fact is if you turn up to class with some highly valuable diamonds or similarly inaccessible valuables and ask your teacher what they are, then your teachers would ask where you got them. And saying someone sold them in the market would probably not be the end of it.
John Growcott
I'm glad I saw this review before reading that chapter myself as it sounds like it would have really annoyed me too so thanks. I will give it a miss until I can read a few chapters together that will hopefully sort things out.
Some BS Deity
Whoops
Lesley Douglas
I was so angry when I read the last part of the chapter. Everyone before has already pointed out the ridiculous excuses given for the search which was unwarranted in every way. But the sphere was locked inside of a container, what would make him open it up and search it. And I sorry a perfect circle should not be such an amazing thing when part of them making things is touching, tasting, seeing using all their sense to engage in making the copy. So far Alana has exceeded all expectations in this, from her sugar, bread and paper; so why should the sphere be any different. At this point in the story there has been no mentions of illicit or illegal drugs in the kingdom or academy, so if they thought that was the reason for her bouts of unconsciousness, they are a magical people so a quick trip to the school healer and they would know. In fact, Alana as recently as 3 days prior was hospitalized, and I am sure when they checked her over drug abuse would have been found. At this point if I was her, I would start using her 30 something year old mind and put everyone in their place so this does not happen again. It might be time for her threaten to leave, she has no ties to the kingdom and there are other schools and places she can go. 1) I would point out that Rooke's search for answers is a clear violation of the agreement she made with the Crown and the Academy and a result she would not explain a damn thing to her. There are students doing experiments all the time at the school and because she shows talent and is able to think different and go down different paths of study then the norm, they think she should tell them her secrets. 1b) I would let Rooke know, that I intend to report him and the school to the public and the Crown for attempting to steal the research of an orphan they are supposed to be protecting. 2) Her business is her own and if they don't like her secret that is tough cookies she does not have to tell or share. And if all Rooke and Hern can do is talk about her behind her back, what she is bring them and monitoring her core without her permission should be a violation, I understood when she was building it the school would look at it, but his interest seems to be if she is doing something interesting and different so they can pounce and demand to know what she did. Then she refuses to have anything to do with them outside of mandatory classes, and she wishes to have Rooke's guardianship rescinded. In fact, as a part of any compensation deal, she should demand that she be emancipated and no longer needs a guardian. Also, I would request that the Crown be represented at the meeting as well as the Dean. From the moment Rooke wife spoke of how she picked Emma because she had a connection to Emma's family and they would owe her one for helping get her daughter get into the Academy, I knew that Emma would also be a reporting Alana's actions and her first loyalty would be to Rooke and his wife not Alana. A servant can only have one master, and if Alana is paying her money and getting her into school to better Emma's chances in life and marriage then it should be to Alana, and let her parents deal with Rooke and his wife. Because honestly, if I was Alana as soon as I got back to the room, I would call Emma in and tell her that she is fired and that she will need to find other accommodations if she intends to continue her studies at the school (And let her know that she will make sure to tell everyone why she was being let go, after all she would not want her peers to accuse her of allowing a spy into their lives, so good luck finding someone to employ you after this) and she need to vacate the room immediately as she will be looking for a new maid. Afterall Rooke's wife taught Alana all she needs to know in hiring a new maid. Finally, to be petty, I would demand back the sky metal now, and I would tell the crown that any and all things she shares or sells to them cannot be shared with the academy otherwise she will share or sell nothing to them.
Falxie
I totally agree.
lenkite
What does any of that got to do with searching her room and going through her personal belongings ? Really hope MC is not going to be a pushover again. She should hire a legal consultant now - she has the money. She is not a tenured professor whose personal research results must be given to the institution. She is not being paid a salary or grant for institutional research. "While I've agreed not to pry into your research, at least some of that needs explanations" Utter Bullshit..there is a thing called ASKING first before breaking into students room. Especially after giving one's word not to pry into personal research. Please don't make the MC a pushover. She owes them nothing. They ARE breaking their agreement and making excuses for it. She should ask them what does "not prying" mean since his agreement is clearly null and void. And tell them nothing since they broke their word. At this point, going to the professors for anything is being stupid on her part. She should do her own independent research in the library without involving any professor. I was hitting my head when she went to the professor last chapter. She could have gone to a blacksmith instead of these prying professors. These fellows appear to have no boundaries or compunctions in forcing her to reveal her research. It seems they respect each other's boundaries but feel ridiculously entitled to whatever MC comes up with. MC needs to grow up in basic maturity also. Leaving that sphere in her room and going with the un-identified metal to the Professor when she already knew that process to refine Aluminium was rare even on Earth until middle of the 19th century. PS: Fire that maid IMMEDIATELY. She has broken the fundamental personal maid trust and is revealed to be just a spy and MC would be an utter fool to continue keeping her.
David Brims
To be honest, there are reasons for him to be concerned that maybe she is taking drugs or something (spacing out on her bed) or maybe that she's a spy? But there are so many violations of trust here: 1) Emma reported her without first discussing the matter with her, then assisting in searching her stuff (that should probably have been just the teacher). Even if Emma maybe had a good reason, this is still a violation of trust. Can she still room with Emma after this? In her position, I couldn't. 2) Professor Hern reporting her metal find. Though this is a minor one since she didn't ask him to keep it to himself. 3) Professor Rooke getting her room searched. Yes, he's her mentor. Maybe this sort of act is regarded as standard for mentors under such circumstances. But what he should have done is talk to her about the reports and explain that if he wasn't happy with her explanation he was going to have her room searched because he was concerned about (fill in the blank here, which he didn't). The major problem is, directly searching the room is a violation of the agreement they made with the Dean and the Crown regarding her research. The agreement was: "I would also like to not be bothered about other things I decide to research until such time as I'm prepared to reveal them publicly." And they all agreed, including Professor Rooke. Frankly, at this point she should say she wants to bring the matter to the Dean, and then state categorically to the Dean that every matter they've raised is to do with her secret research and she will consider it a violation of the agreement with the Crown if they don't drop the matter immediately. She should also ask for a new mentor and a new roommate. If they refuse, she should threaten to leave and continue her schooling somewhere else (i.e. another country). If she doesn't play hardball here, she's going to get steamrolled. And yes, they can make life difficult for her, but she can potentially approach the Crown directly about the matter because of the agreement, and they should be rightfully concerned about that.
Falxie
Yup, kinda weird for them going back on their promises so soon. All they knew was that she bought the metal off a street vendor. And that she was working on her core but not making any tangible progress. No reason for a full blown search and breaking the agreement they had. Maybe there’s more going on but if not this needs a rewrite imho. Maybe her roommate found the sphere and showed it to a prof? But still… somethings odd here.
Falxie
Yeah, kinda odd.
Stephen Pearson
Going to strongly +1 the sentiment that it's not enough reason to search, nor the reveal of the perfect sphere nearly enough reason for her to become passive (though I always thought keeping the perfect sphere while in school was an obviously self-limiting move that was likely transparently placed to force plot progression).
Scyfe
I just interpreted it as him being greedy and thinking she had more sky metal. Hoping MC doesn't act as a pushover
luda305
Need to rework that ending. There are only two reports: deep sleeping and aluminum. The lamp was found in the search. That doesn't seem to be enough to justify a search. Unless it's a pretext. But he's been a fair straightforward guardian so not likely.
Findell
If she doesnt just quit school then she is being a stupid pushover.
Deinos
Nothing he said makes sense to me as a reason for searching her things. I mean what's the angle? That she's working on stuff without telling others? That she's having better results than others? The only thing that would warrant them having the moral high-ground *hehe high-ground* is if they could spin it as if they think her a monster or something along those lines. I mean comon, her last deal was explicitly about being left alone, on top of not having to tell them anything anyway legally/culturally speaking (at least as far as it looked so far). So I'm very curious how they will spin this and how she'll react.
Kedar
Well seems like both things have simplistic explanations, but even those are only going to lead to more questions or with her being labeled a savant/genius . The pi one seems like the easiest if they already have algebra as it could just be her figuring out pi is a constant and substitute in the constant pi as apposed to the incorrect calculations. The core one would just be her wanting to "figure it out".. Basically trying to force her supposed intuition of its functions like she did before.
