A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 172: Fighting Over Arix
Chapter 172: Fighting Over Arix

”You can’t just treat people like this. What’s wrong with me?” Bryndel felt wronged as he spoke.

Seldner sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. ”I remember your first apprentice, Lorin, is now the No. 2 of the Libertines, right? Bryndel, Bryndel, you turned a good military student into a space pirate. How can you have the nerve to take on new apprentices?”

Bryndel looked down, mumbling softly, ”He’s just a young man pursuing his dreams. How can I stop him?”

”Don’t just bring up the first apprentice,” Thrynn cut in, clearly unhappy. ”What about the second one, Xinghe? A talented Psychic Ware genius who ran off with the Empire’s merman right after finishing his training.”

Bryndel’s head drooped lower, but he kept muttering, ”He left behind fame and money for live. Isn’t that romantic?”

”And then there’s the third apprentice,” chimed in an elder from the Psychic Ware Association. ”This one’s the best. Founded a new Psychic Ware Association and thinks we’re just a bunch of old fossils who can’t adapt.”

Bryndel swallowed hard, too scared to speak. The third apprentice was truly a thorn in his side, having done everything possible to betray him.

Seeing his silence, the others nodded in approval and continued to berate him.

After a long, fruitless argument, everyone turned their eyes to the president of the Psychic Ware Association, seated at the head of the table.

”President, you decide who is most qualified to teach Arix,” Seldner said, casting a provocative glance at Thrynn.

Both of them were the strongest and had the best chance.

Thrynn, not wanting to back down, glared back and then fixed his gaze on the president too.

The president looked around, lowered his eyelashes, and said, ”Then Bryndel it is.”

Everyone was shocked.

Bryndel raised his head in disbelief, pointing at himself. ”Sir, you are you sure? Aren’t you afraid I’ll train another troublemaker?”

He had only trained three apprentices, two went rogue, and one was on the verge of it.

Thinking about his three troublesome apprentices, Bryndel suddenly lost the desire to take on new ones. One apprentice shouting ”Destroy the old, build the new” was already more than enough trouble. If he trained another, his life would be over.

”If you train another troublemaker, you don’t want to know the consequences,” the president said coldly, his gaze icy.

Bryndel stayed silent. He knew the president wasn’t joking. Messing up with Arix would mean consequences far worse than losing his life.

Seldner and Thrynn stopped arguing and tried to persuade the president. ”Sir, this is too reckless,” they said, their expressions showing just how unreliable they thought Bryndel was.

Seeing their disagreement, the president explained calmly, ”The research of the Psychic Ware has hit a dead end. We don’t need geniuses; we need mavericks. And when it comes to nurturing mavericks, no one can compare to Bryndel.”

Thrynn and Seldner were stunned and finally sat back down, saying nothing more.

With their silence, Bryndel became unhappy instead. ”Sir, I don’t think I can take the job. I’m really not suited for teaching an apprentice. Let someone else do it,” he said, trembling with fear but still trying to resist.

The president just glanced at him and said, ”When you finish paying the fines for your apprentices, then you can have a say here.”

Bryndel choked on his words. ’ Those troublemakers!’

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes in resignation.

The other elders, seeing this, were no longer angry. Instead, they seemed amused and explained to some newcomers the origin of Bryndel’s fines.

Bryndel’s apprentices, Lorin and Jorvik, were top talents in the Psychic Ware field.

Unfortunately, Lorin felt that staying in the Alliance was limiting his perspective of the world, so he joined the space pirates. Jorvik, on the other hand, was obsessed with love and ran off with a mermaid spy from the Empire, taking the Alliance’s Psychic Ware technology with him, which led to the Alliance’s secrets being leaked.

Unable to find the culprits, the Alliance blamed their master, Bryndel.

As a result, poor Bryndel was saddled with a huge debt, and if he didn’t repay it, he’d end up in prison for life.

Though his apprentices caused a mess, Bryndel’s own skills in the Psychic Ware field were undeniable. So, out of appreciation for his talent, the Psychic Ware Association helped pay off his fines. But the condition was that Bryndel would spend the rest of his life working for them.

It was unfair, but since these apprentices were taught by him, he had to bear the responsibility for their actions.

And so, the choice of Arix’s future teacher was peacefully decided.

Aside from Bryndel feeling a bit miserable, the other leaders were quite satisfied.

After the meeting ended, they even patted Bryndel on the shoulder and encouraged him. ”Hang in there. The future of the Psychic Ware Department is in your hands. We believe in you.”

As Seldner left, he lifted his chin proudly and said, ”If Arix has any questions you can’t figure out for her, you can send her to me.”

With that, he huffed and walked away, full of himself.

Thrynn felt a pang of regret. He had high hopes for Arix as an apprentice, but he trusted the president’s decision. He looked at Bryndel, sighed, and left with a worried expression.

Bryndel rolled his eyes, feeling exasperated. He opened his opticomputer to review the information the president had sent him about his new apprentice.

He just hoped this fourth one would be obedient. He couldn’t handle much more trouble at his age.

At Hecaris Military Academy, in the clinic...

Arix woke up and noticed someone sent her a friend request on her opticomputer. She glanced at the request but dismissed it right away.

”I’m your future Psychic Ware mentor, Bryndel. Come on, let’s conquer the world together.”

She knew she didn’t have a mentor by that name, so she figured it was just another scam.

With a shrug, Arix got up and tidied up the clinic. It was time to leave. She thanked the school nurse and headed towards the mecha department building.

Arix’s arrival went mostly unnoticed here. For the students in the mecha department, idols were fleeting; only mechas were their true passion.

Relieved by the focused atmosphere, Arix picked a seat and sat down quietly, waiting for class to start.

When the bell rang, the mentor of the mecha department walked in. But he didn’t start the lesson immediately. Instead, he smiled at the students and announced, ”Class, you’re in for a treat. The mecha Grandmaster of the Fifth Legion is here to give a lesson today. Please give him a warm welcome.”

The students cheered, and the applause was deafening.

Arix’s eyes lit up with excitement, and she clapped enthusiastically. She was glad she came today; she wouldn’t have wanted to miss a Grandmaster’s class.

The students were buzzing, all eyes on the door, eagerly awaiting the Grandmaster’s arrival.

Finally, under the eager gazes of the students, an old man slowly walked into the classroom. He stood behind the lectern, smiling warmly, and introduced himself, ”Hello, everyone. I am Magen, the mecha Grandmaster of the Fifth Legion. Today, I’m here to answer your questions about mechas. Feel free to ask anything.”

As Magen spoke, he scanned the students but didn’t see the one he was looking for. He frowned slightly, puzzled as to why Arix wasn’t there. She loved mechas and wouldn’t miss this class.

Magen had come specifically to see his future apprentice. Missing her would make this trip pointless.

Arix didn’t recognize Magen either. He wasn’t in his usual work clothes. Instead, he looked like a dignified gentleman at a party. One was an old janitor; the other, a distinguished Psychic Ware Grandmaster. It was hard to connect the two.

Magen also didn’t recognize Arix, who now looked like a little fairy compared to the scrappy girl from a month ago.

So, the two missed recognizing each other, totally unaware of each other’s presence.