Chapter 24: First Assignment

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: First Assignment

When the thirty minutes elapsed, Professor Vane re-entered the dome pushing a tall, multi-tiered portable rack laden with hundreds of organized seed packets, small glass jars, and germination trays.

"Gather round," Professor Vane called out, his voice carrying over the hum of the climate controls. "On this rack, you will find a wide variety of seeds—ranging from standard grains and common vegetables to delicate botanical strains. Browse and take what you need for your primary assignment. Plant them, nurture them, and manage your soil balance."

He rested both hands on his wooden staff, his sharp eyes sweeping across the gathered students.

"This will be your first official graded coursework. Your performance will be judged on two strict criteria: Crop Quality and Cultivation Speed. The student who cultivates their crops at the highest quality and fastest speed will be rewarded with 100 Academy Honor Points."

A ripple of excited whispers broke out among the freshmen. Honor points were the primary currency for unlocking advanced library tiers, purchasing rare forging alloys, and securing private cultivation chambers.

While the other students immediately rushed the rack to grab the fastest-growing or highest-yielding commercial seeds, Rowan remained standing beside Plot 36.

He kicked off his boots, letting his bare feet sink into the cool earth to feel the underlying mana currents pulsing through the conduit below. Kneeling down, he dug his hands deep into the dark, rich soil, picking up a heavy handful. He squeezed it tightly in his fist, checking its structure: the dirt held its shape firmly against his palm, yet crumbled effortlessly into soft, aerated grains the moment he poked it with his finger.

Healthy loam, Rowan thought, dusting his hands off with a satisfied nod. The C-Grade conduit matrix beneath this plot provided exceptional drainage and nutrient retention.

Walking calmly over to the seed rack after the initial crowd dispersed, Rowan carefully reviewed the options before making his selections:

[ROWAN’S SEED SELECTION]

1) Golden Sweet Corn & Russet Potatoes: Reliable, nutrient-dense staples to test the plot’s growth speed and yield optimization under accelerated mana flow.

2) Sun-Dried Soybeans: Essential for natural nitrogen fixation to keep the plot’s soil chemistry balanced during rapid cultivation.

3) Highland Coffee Beans: A high-value stimulant crop that required strict temperature and moisture control.

4) Himalayan Blue Poppy Seeds: A delicate, notoriously difficult exotic flower strain that reacted sensitively to elemental shifts.

Rowan intended to refine his staple and cash crop techniques while using the exotic blue poppies to experiment on unique, high-tier decorative flora—a combination that would easily push the limits of both quality and speed.

Carrying his selected seed packets back to Plot 36, Rowan set to work preparing his rows.

Rowan knelt beside the rich, dark soil of Plot 36, carefully measuring the distance between his rows. He laid down the Russet Potatoes and Sun-Dried Soybeans first to establish a strong nitrogen-fixing base, followed by the Golden Sweet Corn, the delicate Highland Coffee Beans, and finally, the prized Himalayan Blue Poppy seeds in their own dedicated corner.

Once the seeds were nestled into the cool loam, Rowan rested both palms flat against the earth.

He didn’t draw attention to himself or chant spell incantations. Instead, he simply regulated his breathing, exhaling a soft, virtually imperceptible strand of natural mana—a gentle, refined whisper of his Breath of Eden.

The moment the refined vitality touched the buried seeds, the soil around Plot 36 hummed softly. Deep beneath the surface, the seeds didn’t just absorb water—they drank in the pure, unadulterated essence of life. Small, golden-green mana threads sprouted from the seed coats, anchoring instantly into the C-Grade nutrient matrix with absolute stability.

Satisfied with the initial germination trigger, Rowan stood up and walked over to the control console at the edge of his station.

Sol-Aethel maintained strict 24/7 camera surveillance across all major research domes to monitor student progress and enforce academic integrity. However, to prevent cross-contamination between experimental strains—and to protect rare crops from petty student sabotage—every station came equipped with a heavy-duty, retractable enclosure.

Rowan tapped the console’s release sequence.

With a soft mechanical whir, a reinforced, transparent glass dome extended smoothly from the overhead structural framing, descending until it sealed flush against the stone border of Plot 36. Rowan engaged the internal atmospheric lock, setting the interior humidity to seventy percent and locking the glass dome with his unique student credential pass.

Through the crystal-clear glass, the dark, moist earth of his plot looked completely undisturbed to any passing observer, hiding the incredibly potent botanical awakening already taking place beneath the surface.

Rowan wiped the dirt from his hands, picked up his boots, and headed toward the exit of Dome Gamma, ready to meet Barney for lunch.

Rowan paused near the entrance and doubled back toward the portable seed rack.

Keeping his movements casual, he reached into the bins and selected extra packets of the exact same strains he had chosen for his academy plot: more Golden Sweet Corn, Russet Potatoes, Sun-Dried Soybeans, Highland Coffee Beans, and a second pouch of the delicate Himalayan Blue Poppy.

With these extra reserves tucked safely into his shoulder bag, he could cultivate identical batches inside the isolated, hyper-dense environment of his personal domain. It was the perfect control environment—allowing him to test accelerated growth cycles and secret mutation thresholds without drawing any eye-tracker surveillance or student curiosity.

Dusting off his coat, Rowan slipped his student pass back into his pocket and headed out into the warm afternoon sun toward the main dining hall to meet Barney for lunch.

As Rowan entered the bustling academy dining hall, he spotted Barney sitting at a long wooden table near the center of the room. Barney vigorously waved him over, having saved a seat right next to him.

Sitting around Barney were a few of his fellow crafting track classmates—broad-shouldered, sharp-eyed apprentices with soot-stained cuffs and tool pouches still slung over their chairs.

"Over here, Rowan!" Barney called out as Rowan approached. Barney immediately gestured to his peers. "Guys, this is Rowan Vance—the top scorer from the Agronomy assessment I was telling you about!"

Barney introduced each of the blacksmiths and craftsmen around the table. Rowan gave a polite bow and shook each of their firm, calloused hands with an easy, welcoming smile before heading over to the buffet line to grab his meal.

The Sol-Aethel dining facility offered a massive self-service spread designed to keep high-energy Awakeners fully nourished, boasting a wide array of clean proteins, fresh grains, and mana-dense vegetables.

Rowan grabbed a tray and helped himself to a generous spread: several plump tiger prawns, two perfectly seared racks of lamb, a side of crisp asian cabbage, roasted asparagus spears, and a cold can of Diet Coke.

Carrying his loaded tray back to the table, Rowan set it down and took his seat beside Barney.

"Now that is a proper plate," Barney grinned, eyeing the lamb racks approvingly before taking a big bite of his own meal. "So, how’d the orientation in Dome Gamma go with Professor Vane?"

"Pretty smooth," Rowan said, taking a sip of his chilled Diet Coke before cutting into one of the racks of lamb. "Professor Vane assigned us our individual plots in Dome Gamma. I managed to get Plot 36—it sits right over a C-Grade mana conduit branch."

Barney let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "C-Grade right off the bat? That conduit’s no joke. Most freshmen would accidentally fry their roots in two hours if they didn’t balance the moisture channels."

"I’ve already sealed it under the retractable dome," Rowan replied with a slight smile. "Vane set up our first official coursework: cultivate a batch of crops as fast as possible without sacrificing quality. Top student gets a hundred academy honor points."

"A hundred honor points?!" one of the apprentice blacksmiths across the table gasped, nearly dropping his fork. "Man, that’s enough to rent private alchemy hearths for a month!"

Barney grinned, slapping his palm onto the table with a loud thump. "Hey, speak of the devil! Master Kaelen announced the exact same prize for the Crafting Department this morning!"

Rowan looked over, mildly surprised. "A hundred points for you guys too?"

"Yup!" Barney nodded enthusiastically, taking a large bite of roast beef. "A hundred points for the best crafted item by the end of the month. And since our department isn’t just metalworking—it covers woodworking, runic engraving, leathercraft, and composite assembly—they’re bringing in a full panel of judges to grade everyone’s work."

He leaned in closer to Rowan, lowering his voice with a confident wink. "Which means once I start hammering out your custom Grade-C equipment set, I might just submit one of your tools as my official entry for the panel. High-density silver-steel runic shears, tailored for zero-impurity crops? The judges won’t know what hit ’em."

Rowan chuckled, holding up his glass to clink against Barney’s mug. "Deal. Just make sure those shears are sharp enough to win us both first place."