Chapter 122 - 121: Gerry Harrell

Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Gerry Harrell

"Who is Gaode?"

Just as Gaode finished his "special" lunch and was about to get up and leave, someone suddenly shouted a question from the cafeteria entrance. The voice was loud, instantly drowning out the noisy chatter inside. Everyone, including Gaode, turned their heads toward the main doors.

A tall, thin young man with an affluent air, wearing the standard robes of the academy, stood at the entrance. His gaze swept over the crowd. His eyes were exceptionally sharp, carrying an inexplicable sense of oppression, and few dared to meet his gaze directly.

"It’s Gerry Harrell, the chief of the Alchemy Department... Looking for someone is one thing, but what’s with this aggressive attitude?" Gaode heard someone whispering nearby.

Gerry Harrell... Gaode chewed on the name in his mind. It was his first time hearing the first name, but the last name was incredibly familiar. While the crowd was still guessing what Gerry Harrell wanted with someone named Gaode, Gaode already had a faint inkling.

At that moment, Gerry Harrell finished sweeping his gaze over everyone in the cafeteria and seemed to have locked onto his target. His sharp eyes finally landed on Gaode. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he walked straight over to Gaode’s table.

Gaode stood up, frowning slightly. He knew this visitor meant trouble.

"If I’m not mistaken, you’re that Gaode, right?" Gerry Harrell asked.

"You’ve got the wrong person," Gaode replied. With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Seeing Gaode leave just like that, Gerry Harrell was clearly stunned. He obviously hadn’t expected such a reaction. It wasn’t until Gaode had taken several steps and was about to leave the cafeteria that Gerry finally snapped back to reality. His expression darkened considerably as he took a few quick strides to block Gaode’s path once more.

He looked at Gaode with absolute disdain. "As expected of a country bumpkin who sneaked in through the back door with a recommendation letter. You don’t even dare to admit your own name.

"How is someone like you qualified to study alongside me at the Cyrus Magic Academy?"

Gerry Harrell hadn’t lowered his voice; rather, he had deliberately raised it. The moment those words were out, coupled with the fact that the other students in the cafeteria were already eagerly watching the drama unfold, almost everyone heard him. Now, they all knew about Gaode’s background.

Gaode looked expressionlessly at Gerry Harrell, who was blocking his way, and spoke very calmly. "First of all, whether I am qualified to study at the Cyrus Magic Academy is not for you to decide.

"Also, my name is indeed Gaode, but I’m not the only one with that name.

"Just like how your name is Gerry. In my village, there’s a mutt named Gerry who I’m very close with. He barks for me all day long, but I would never mistake you for him.

"I only know the mutt named Gerry, not you. So, the Gaode you’re looking for probably isn’t me either."

Gerry Harrell clearly never expected such a reply from Gaode, and he easily caught the insinuation that he was a "mutt." Caught off guard, he froze in place for a moment, not knowing what to say. But his shock only lasted a few seconds.

Gerry Harrell sneered. "What a sharp tongue.

"As a senior at the academy, it seems highly necessary to teach a newcomer like you some of the rules around here."

"The academy’s mentors will teach me the rules; I don’t need you poking your nose into my business." Even at a disadvantage, Gaode’s words were unforgiving—a stark contrast to the sensible attitude he had shown when trading with Mage Lael.

The reason was simple. With the latter, he had a choice. Being polite could earn him reciprocal courtesy from Mage Lael. But facing this Gerry Harrell, regardless of whether he was polite or not, the hostility would remain unchanged. So why bother being polite? Moreover, Gerry Harrell was ultimately just a senior student. The trouble he could cause could never compare to that of Mage Lael, a high-ranking figure in the academy.

"The first lesson I’m going to teach you is to show respect to your seniors." Put on the spot and thoroughly embarrassed by Gaode’s attitude, Gerry Harrell started to lose his temper.

A clear, teeth-gritting whisper suddenly echoed in Gaode’s ear—one that only he could hear. "Your admission task is to submit 3,000 kilograms of Water Gold Ore to the Alchemy Department."

Communication Skill.

"Just to remind you, I happen to be the current chief of the Alchemy Department. The daily collection and settlement of Water Gold Ore fall under my jurisdiction... Just you wait and see."

Gerry Harrell shot Gaode a contemptuous look, as if he could already see the panic that was about to dawn on his face. Although even as the chief of the Alchemy Department, he had no right to invalidate the Water Gold Ore Gaode submitted, he could certainly add some obstacles along the way. For instance, he could be unusually strict when assessing Gaode’s ore submission.

The Alchemy Department inherently had purity requirements for the Water Gold Ore used to craft Trial Puppets. About twenty percent of the Water Gold Ore submitted by new students usually failed to meet those purity standards. In other words, if strictly audited, Gaode would have to submit an extra 750 kilograms of Water Gold Ore just to complete his admission task.

According to the academy’s long-standing unspoken rule, however, purity was never scrutinized when collecting ore from new students. Whatever amount of Water Gold Ore a new student handed in was accepted at face value. As long as it was dug out of the mine at the bottom of the cliff and met the weight requirement, it was fine.

After all, the primary purpose of this admission task was to temper the newcomers; the Water Gold Ore was just an added bonus. Furthermore, once new students completed their admission task, they would become official students. And in the world of Mages, a year or two was nothing. Meaning, it was actually quite common for senior students to be surpassed by newcomers.

As the saying goes, "Never underestimate a youth for being poor." As a senior, there was simply no need to offend a newcomer over an admission task, or else they might be the ones suffering a few years down the line.

"I’m so scared," Gaode replied, his lips moving silently.

Except, this response was also only heard by Gerry.

In the face of Gerry Harrell’s intimidation, Gaode remained exceptionally calm because, to him, the threats were truly laughable. However, Gaode did glean one piece of information from this incident: the deterrent power of the rules in the academy was still immense.

"Students must not harm one another."

This was one of the academy’s rules. Therefore, Gerry Harrell didn’t dare to step out of line; he could only resort to such underhanded methods to threaten him. He didn’t even dare to threaten him openly, opting instead to use the Communication Skill for fear of being overheard.

After giving his reply, Gaode wasted no more breath on Gerry Harrell and left the cafeteria.

Completing his admission task was the priority. He was already eager for the formal Mage classes and didn’t want to wait a single moment longer!