"Favor?" Robb repeated, unfamiliar with the term yet intrigued.
"It's an invisible yet very real form of return," Lady Elena explained. "When a sorcerer passes down their knowledge to a gifted successor, helps them grow, or sees their private techniques refined and propagated, they receive what is called Favor."
Her voice lowered, like she was recounting a mystical and ancient legend.
"It nourishes the sorcerer's spirit, increases their magic power, and most importantly, it dissolves mental contamination."
Robb's head snapped up. He immediately recalled the mental contamination brought on by The Whispers of the Star-Eater, and Lady Elena's earlier warnings.
"Mental contamination... it can really be eliminated?"
"Under normal methods, no matter how potent the potion you take…" Lady Elena nodded slowly.
"Contamination can only be temporarily suppressed, it can never be completely removed."
"It clings to every sorcerer like a shadow. The more powerful a sorcerer becomes, the more pollution they carry. Over time, this contamination corrodes the mind like poison, twists the soul, and eventually leads to mutation."
Her gaze darkened, as if she had witnessed such tragedies firsthand.
"Many powerful sorcerers ultimately fall by their own strength, either through mental collapse or transforming into unrecognizable monsters."
"But 'Favor' changes everything." Her voice turned firm again.
"When a young person experiences a breakthrough under their mentor's guidance, the growth they generate creates a pure energy that feeds back to the mentor. In the form of 'Favor,' it can be used to purify the accumulated mental pollution."
Robb suddenly felt a string of guesses in his mind click into place. He blurted out:
"So that's why the mentors in the Order, even while busy with experiments and training, still make time to teach apprentices?"
"Exactly." Lady Elena nodded, a faintly bitter smile tugging at her lips.
"On the surface, it looks like selfless teaching. In truth, it's a means of self-preservation. Instructing apprentices is not just a duty, it's a way to extend one's own life."
Robb fell silent, a deeper understanding settling in his heart.
Everything now made sense,
Why those high-and-mighty sorcerers were willing to teach apprentices like him, seemingly for just a few magic crystal shards;
Why the Black Mist Forest had such a well-structured teaching and mentorship system, even encouraging competition among apprentices;
Why Lady Elena had been so "generous" in sharing her Alchemy knowledge and even gifted him the rare The Whispers of the Star-Eater…
"May I ask who made this rule?" Robb couldn't help but ask. "Where does the 'Favor' come from?"
Lady Elena let out a long sigh, gazing out the window toward the distance.
"Even my own mentor likely didn't fully understand that. The world of sorcerers holds too many secrets, some of them beyond our comprehension."
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
"There are rumors that it relates to entities far beyond the multiverse itself, ancient beings known in texts as the Infernal Gods."
"They drift between countless worlds, rewriting rules, maintaining balance. 'Favor' might be their way of encouraging the spread of knowledge."
"Infernal Gods…?" Robb whispered the term, the word itself seeming to carry some kind of ancient weight.
"In any case," Lady Elena pulled her gaze back to him, "Favor is one of the few truly fair exchanges in the world of sorcery. You gain knowledge and growth, your teacher gains purification and longevity. This bond often lasts a very long time, sometimes even for life."
"So I'm now your..."
"My student, of course," she said with certainty. "Even though you've graduated, this bond won't just disappear. Any future breakthroughs you make in Alchemy will still bring me Favor."
Lady Elena smiled, a rare softness in her expression. "And one day, you may have students of your own, and experience this connection firsthand."
A warm feeling welled up in Robb's chest. He now understood how rare and precious such a student-teacher relationship was in this harsh world of the extraordinary.
"I'll keep working hard to achieve greater things in Alchemy, Madam Elena," he said solemnly. "Not just for myself, but also to honor your teachings."
Lady Elena paused, then brought up a new topic:
"By the way, are you planning to apply for the Order's potion master certification? There happens to be a session this month. If you don't register now, the next one won't be until next year. With your current level, you have a good chance of passing."
"Potion master certification? Could you tell me more?"
Robb asked with interest. He had read about it before but didn't know the details.
Lady Elena gave him a thorough explanation. Robb learned that sorcerers had an internal ranking system:
A professional potion master must be able to independently craft common intermediate potions.
A senior potion master needs to be capable of modifying existing formulas.
A potion-making pioneer must be able to create entirely new formulas...
Robb nodded and committed the information to memory. At the same time, his system interface suddenly flashed with a new unlock:
[Class Advancement Info Unlocked: Potion Master (★ ★)]
[Class Change Requirements:]
Basic Potion Theory at Mastery
Potion Brewing at Adept √
Herb Identification at Adept √
Independently craft 3+ intermediate potions
Successfully improve at least one existing potion formula
Lady Elena didn't notice Robb's brief distraction and continued:
"Above that, there are even higher tiers, Alchemy Sage and Creator-Lords. They can forge things that don't even exist in this world, 'fantasies' brought to life. But those are beings of legend."
As she spoke, new content flickered across Robb's panel, but this time, it appeared incomplete:
[Partial Advancement Info Unlocked: Potion Professor (★ ★ ½)]
[Class Change Requirements:]
Prerequisite Class – Potion Master (★ ★)
Potion Brewing at Mastery
Successfully create at least one brand-new potion formula
???
???
[Unknown Class: Alchemy Sage (★ ★ ★) ???]
[Unknown Class: Creator-Lord (★ ★ ★ ★) ???]
[Note: More information required to fully unlock]