Chapter 198: Taking The Chemist Exams
Tyrion walked to the round building in the middle of the complex, figuring that the buildings at the sides were probably the Chemists' experimental labs. The building in the middle would naturally be the place where the Chemists held transactions, handled all dealings, or accepted missions. This would be where the Alchemy Guild's highest ruling people would come to.
"Stop right there! Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter," a security guard barked.
More than 10 security guards pewak super soldier levels were standing in attention at both sides of the main door. One of the security guard's expression turned into one of disdain after seeing Tyrion's clothing.
This was because Chemists were of noble statuses, so even an apprentice required a huge amount of wealth to be able to cultivate. Hence, their clothes and dressing styles always looked noble and luxurious. Looking at Tyrion's ordinary clothes, he looked like any other normal civilian.
"I am here to participate in the Chemist certification. This is my letter of recommendation," Tyrion said.
The Alchemy Guild's unique coding was on the letter of recommendation. It was impossible to fake. When the security guard saw the letter of recommendation, his expression changed immediately.
He then smiled flatteringly and said, "It's Mr. Lickeden's advanced apprentice! The Chemists certification process is about to start, so please enter."
The security guard let him in, figuring that anyone who could get a letter of recommendation would definitely have the support of a Chemist behind them. Also, since there was a recommendation list for every Chemist who wanted to get certified.
However Tyrion didn't use the letter of recommendation given to him by Groode but instead beat up a young man he has met on the way into unconsiousness along with his three 1-star Super soldiers collected his letter of recommendation, exchanging the one Groode had given to him.
Tyrion had already become accustomed to the way the humans on this planet changed their faces.
The people's way of expressing their wants here was much more straightforward than on Earth.
As such, their greediness, fawning upon the rich and powerful in their pursuit of profits was more obvious here. Moreover, as this culture lacked morals and values, it was normal for the majority of people to work solely for profit and their own gain.
Guided by the security guard, Tyrion walked into a big hall on the first floor, where hundreds of people were already gathered.
Tyrion had managed to even changed his appearance. But, of course, he did not change how good looking he was, why would he!?
The last time he was at Tronic Mall, both Groode and Donald knew his name. However, they had never seen Tyrion's face, and he was not sure if he had told them his real name.
In that moment, Tyrion surveyed the entire place, realizing that the hundreds of Chemist apprentices had mostly been split into two sections. Even though they could talk to each other, nobody crossed over to the other section.
"This is…" Upon seeing this situation, Tyrion was perplexed.
"Mr. Lickeden is from the civilian camp, so please follow me." The security guard guided Tyrion to the section on the left.
"Civilian camp? What is this all about?" Tyrion asked curiously.
"Mr. Lickeden doesn't know about the two main camps?" The security guard, who was named Rickey, asked. He then explained with a smile, "The two main camps are related to the Alchemy Guild…"
According to what Ricky, Blue Swirl continent's Chemists were split into two main camps. The first camp was comprised of the Chemists born as civilians, while the other was for Chemists born as nobles. As the name suggests, the privileged tier could obtain benefits that normal people could not obtain. Hence, it was easier for the privileged nobles to cultivate, as they had ample resources.
As for the civilians tier, it was harder for them to cultivate. But, the Chemists from the civilians tier were often more talented than those from the nobles tier. This was due to the fact that, unless they had outstanding talents, they would not be able to rise above the others.
The noble Chemists were known to look down upon the civilian Chemists, as they felt that their existence sullied the noble Chemist occupation. However, the fact that the civilian Chemists were more talented than them caused the noble Chemists to feel at a slight disadvantage.
Thus, they kept targeting the civilian Chemists in every way that they could. The civilian Chemists were naturally not happy about this, not understanding why they acted so superior. Therefore, the competition between the two sides became increasingly aggressive.
"It is too difficult for civilians to become Chemists, as most of them learn about the fundamental knowledge during high school and would only have the resources to practice during university. But, the civilian Chemists do also accept some talented apprentices or hold free classes and free experiments..." Ricky sighed.
"However, these resources are far from being enough for all of them, so only the most talented among them can rise above the others and become a real Chemist."
Throughout the years, Ricky had seen far too many of these similar situations. Tyrion could not help but sigh. If not for the help of the Heart of the Universe, he would not have been able to become a Chemist either. However, this group of civilian apprentices' financial situation improved a lot after they became apprentices, so at least life wasn't as hard as it used to be for them.
"Hey friend, why have I not seen you before? Which university's Chemist apprentice program are you from?" Right at this moment, a tall and thin man smiled and greeted Tyrion. "I'm Taergarien from East Cove University, and these three are Prince, Glory, and Vonn."
Taergarien introduced the others to Tyrion in a friendly manner.