Chapter 85

And during the time Ji Ran was hanging around in Sergey's alchemy laboratory, the Azure Wind Academy was also experiencing a storm of events.

The Azure Lion had officially challenged the Student Council, claiming that they believed themselves to be stronger and more suitable for managing the Student Council than the current council.

Their main target was the President, Kurizalde. By seizing the position of President, the other Student Council members would naturally be at their disposal—some of the original council members might remain, but most of the President's faction would have to step down.

Of course, being a Student Council President was not a simple task. One had to be familiar with the daily affairs of the Student Council, possess strong organizational skills for various activities, and have the ability to manage the order of the academy. Additionally, one's own strength was also crucial, as the President represented the academy, and if their strength was not among the top, their qualifications would be questioned.

Reinhardt made many preparations, even forming an alliance with another school's major force—the Iron Castle—to prepare for the battle for the presidency!

However, Kurizalde was no ordinary person. In response to the Azure Lion's challenge, he immediately issued a statement, declaring that the Student Council was not afraid of any form of challenge. He believed himself to be a qualified Student Council President and would not easily step down before graduation. He hoped that the challengers would adhere to the principles of freedom and friendship of the Azure Wind Academy and conduct their challenges within the norms of the academy, without damaging the camaraderie among students.

Kurizalde's statement was very official, but everyone knew that the current Student Council President would not take the Azure Lion lightly. When the battle was fully underway, he would certainly unleash a powerful strike!

This challenge had already overshadowed Sergey's alchemy experiment within the Azure Wind Academy. However, the alchemy masters were not concerned, as this alchemy experiment was a grand event in the alchemy community, and its reputation among the students of the Azure Wind Academy was not particularly significant.

Both the Student Council and the Azure Lion were making intensive preparations, and there had already been some minor clashes. Most students were merely observing, as the outcome of who would lead the Student Council did not significantly affect their personal interests. However, many students who were enthusiastic about power had already chosen sides, hoping to bet on the right outcome and become a part of the Student Council.

The entire academy seemed to be in an uproar, and even Lydia was curious and asked Ji Ran many questions about the two sides. She knew that Ji Ran had interacted with the leaders of both sides.

"It's not really related to me; I'm not that close to them," Ji Ran replied to Lydia.

Lydia was eating the red bean buns Ji Ran brought her, with some of the bean paste sticking to the corners of her mouth. Ji Ran reached out to help her wipe it off, making Lydia look up and smile.

"But, but... didn't they both invite you? That means they think highly of you!" Lydia still believed that her Ji Ran brother was the best, and the two organizations that were causing a stir in the entire academy had both invited her Ji Ran brother!

"That's just an investment in potential. They don't need to pay anything, and if they bet right, they will gain a lot. But no matter what, it has nothing to do with us. Focus on your magic studies and aim to become a Gold Rank Great Mage! By the way, how are you doing with your studies in magical botany and zoology?"

Ji Ran changed the subject; he didn't want to get involved in this big whirlpool.

"Um, um! But there are still some things I don't quite understand... like, the ecological issues of the Dragon Tongue Orchid..." Lydia's attention was successfully diverted.

Ji Ran truly had no time to deal with those power-hungry students; he had plenty of his own matters to attend to!

The preparations for the large-scale alchemy experiment were almost complete, and the first experiment was about to begin. However, from Ji Ran's perspective, this experiment was bound to fail. There were many aspects that seemed fine according to current alchemy theory, but from the perspective of alchemy, there were numerous contradictions and conflicts.

But he did not speak up to warn them. As an assistant, it was not within his duties to point out errors before they occurred... these were all alchemy masters, and how could an assistant see problems that they couldn't?

Let them taste the feeling of failure first... after all, it's an experiment, and not everything can succeed, right?

While the entire academy was in an uproar, Professor Alexander was looking out the window with a cold gaze.

"What? The plan needs to change? Damn it, we finally found an opportunity for the Dean and the other high-ranking officials to visit another academy, leaving only a Vice Dean in charge, and you're telling me to change the plan?"

"It's not a complete change... just the timing. You know, during the Student Council competition, all the students will be focused on that, which is very beneficial for our plan. I'm sure you don't want to see a bloodbath at the Azure Wind Academy, do you?"

Alexander turned his head, his cold gaze sweeping across the room. "You absolutely cannot cause any major incidents at the Azure Wind Academy, or I won't be able to help you! Remember, you're here to steal, not to rob! Don't think that the Azure Wind Academy can't handle you just because there's only one Vice Dean left. The Azure Wind Academy has many secrets!"

"That's right, we know the Azure Wind Academy has many secrets that we can't directly confront. So, we changed the plan to make it more stable. If you can initiate the plan when the Vice Dean is visiting the so-called alchemy experiment, it will be even more perfect..."

Alexander frowned. "I won't do anything too obvious. If I'm exposed, it will be counterproductive! But I'll try to find the right time..."

"Heh heh, being exposed isn't a big deal. Why not join our Order? The treatment for Gold Rank experts in our Order is excellent..."

"Thanks, but no thanks!" Alexander's face showed disgust. "I have no interest in your True God, nor do I believe that a drastic change in the world will benefit me. My cooperation with you is just a transaction. Once the transaction is over, we have nothing to do with each other!"

"Ha ha ha, Master Alexander seems to have a certain prejudice against our Order... You should know that our Order's goal is to change the world and make it an eternal paradise..."

"I said I'm not interested! You should focus on how to execute your plan!"

However, the other party seemed unconcerned: "Alright, I'm sorry you missed the opportunity to witness the change in the world... So, we'll proceed as planned for now. We'll contact you when it's time to initiate the plan."

The voice disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.

After a while, Alexander lifted his head, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Do you really think you can change the world? A bunch of clowns... If it weren't for the benefits you offered, I wouldn't cooperate with you at all."

He turned his head and looked at the Wisdom Tower, the iconic building of the Azure Wind Academy.

"The secrets of the Azure Wind Academy are far more numerous than you know. This place is where I can truly become a powerful expert..."

Ji Ran, of course, had no idea about the undercurrents beneath the surface of the chaos. He only knew that the first experiment of the alchemy masters had failed.

"Why? Our calculations were clearly correct..." An alchemy master was pulling at his hair in frustration. He was one of the masters responsible for the calculations, and the results showed that there was no reason for the experiment to fail. But in the end, the reality was the opposite!

"Maybe the purity or quantity of the materials we used was incorrect?" Another alchemy master suggested.

"Impossible! Although many materials were purified by Ji Ran, we checked them all, and they were perfect! The reaction process was as expected, but it suddenly collapsed at the last step!" Another alchemy master countered.

"What's going on? Everything was fine, and then it suddenly failed!"

"There must be something we haven't noticed..."

Sergey listened to the discussions of the alchemy masters, mentally replaying the experiment. But even he couldn't determine the cause of the failure.

"Perhaps, the sequence in which the materials were combined was the issue?" Ji Ran, seeing everyone's confusion, hesitantly suggested.

His words drew everyone's attention to him.

"Sequence? How could that be a problem? We're not doing this for the first time..." An alchemy master clearly didn't take Ji Ran's words seriously.

But Sergey's eyes lit up as he looked at Ji Ran.

"Tell me, what's the problem?" Sergey looked at Ji Ran hopefully.

"Um... how to put it... I think the properties of these materials are not as simple as they appear. I feel that there should be deeper relationships between them. If we can uncover the hidden properties of these materials..." Ji Ran didn't explain it too clearly, speaking more in terms of his own speculations. However, the alchemy masters gradually became engrossed in his words.

"Deeper properties? I haven't considered that. The properties of these materials are very obvious, and I never thought they might have other properties..."

"But this is indeed an issue we overlooked. Sergey's new arrangement method does have higher requirements for the properties of the materials. It might be the other properties that caused the failure!"

The alchemy masters excitedly discussed this, and finally came to a conclusion: it makes sense!

Ji Ran secretly sighed. Sigh, pointing out the errors in their experiment without revealing his true alchemy skills is really, really difficult.

---

"Sequence? How could that be a problem? We're not doing this for the first time..." An alchemy master clearly didn't take Ji Ran's words seriously.

But Sergey's eyes lit up as he looked at Ji Ran.

"Tell me, what's the problem?" Sergey looked at Ji Ran hopefully.

"Um... how to put it... I think the properties of these materials are not as simple as they appear. I feel that there should be deeper relationships between them. If we can uncover the hidden properties of these materials..." Ji Ran didn't explain it too clearly, speaking more in terms of his own speculations. However, the alchemy masters gradually became engrossed in his words.

"Deeper properties? I haven't considered that. The properties of these materials are very obvious, and I never thought they might have other properties..."

"But this is indeed an issue we overlooked. Sergey's new arrangement method does have higher requirements for the properties of the materials. It might be the other properties that caused the failure!"

The alchemy masters excitedly discussed this, and finally came to a conclusion: it makes sense!

Ji Ran secretly sighed. Sigh, pointing out the errors in their experiment without revealing his true alchemy skills is really, really difficult.