The study of Master Elias was a whirlwind of triumphant chaos. The old scholar, having confirmed the validity of Ray’s translation with a frantic cross-reference of his own notes, was a man possessed. He laughed, he wept, he muttered to himself, and he paced his cluttered office with the energy of a man half his age. He had already paid Ray the one hundred Academic Marks, the transfer appearing on Ray’s medallion with a satisfying chime that was the sweetest sound he had heard in weeks. Ray and a bewildered Rina finally managed to extricate themselves from the study an hour later, leaving the ecstatic professor to his newly-translated shipping manifest as if it were the most sacred text in the world. Back in the quiet solitude of their spartan dorm room in Cormorant Hall, the reality of their new fortune began to sink in. Rina stared at the number "100" that Ray had projected from his medallion onto the wall, her eyes wide.

“One hundred Marks,”

She breathed, the sum seeming impossibly vast.

“Young master… that’s… that’s more than my family earns in a year.”

Rina said computing if these marks were converted to currency outside the academy. That evening, for the first time since arriving at the academy, Ray spent some of his newfound wealth. He led Rina to the main dining hall and, bypassing the station that served the tasteless, free gruel for initiates, he confidently spent two Marks on proper meals. They sat at a small table with plates of roasted chicken, warm bread with actual butter, and mugs of sweet, spiced cider. Rina took her first bite of the chicken, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. For seven days, she had managed their paltry five Marks with a fierce, anxious precision, often watering down her own soup or skipping a meal entirely to ensure Ray had enough to eat. The simple, profound joy of a hot, savory meal was so overwhelming it broke through her stoic composure.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

Ray said softly, a small, genuine smile on his face. She could only nod, quickly wiping a tear away with the back of her hand, a profound sense of relief washing over her.

Later that night, back in their room, the euphoria gave way to pragmatism. This was their first council of war.

“One hundred Marks is a good start,”

Ray began, his voice analytical, the Gritty Detective’s bluntness coloring his Ambient Presence.

“But it is not a solution, Master Elias might be a temporary, unreliable source of income.”

“We cannot build our future on one man’s academic obsession, we need a steady, sustainable plan.”

He stood and began to pace, laying out their situation.

“I have assessed our weaknesses, first, my physical condition is a critical failure.”

“My Crucible Path training is my primary focus for survival, but it is too slow on its own.”

“I must use the academy’s resources to accelerate it, second, my lack of any ability in Institutional Magic makes me a target.”

“I must address this weakness before it becomes a public failure, third, and most important,”

He concluded, turning to face Rina directly,

“We are operating blind. We need information.”

“We need to understand the economy of this place, the politics, the secrets.”

Rina listened, her expression serious. She was no longer just a servant; she was his partner.

“But how, Ray?”

She asked.

“The other students do not speak to us, and I am just an attendant.”

“An attendant sees everything a student does not,”

Stolen from NovelBin, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He said, a determined glint in his eye.

“You have access to a world, I can never enter: the world of the staff.”

“The kitchens, the laundries, that is where the real information flows.”

“But I must ask more of you, Rina. I must give you a tool to help.”

He knew he was about to cross a line, to entangle her even more deeply in his strange, dangerous world.

“My patron,”

He began, framing the lie carefully,

“has granted me permission to share another part of my ‘gift’ with you.”

“Not just instinct, but insight, a way to hear the whispers behind the words.”

“But it must be your choice.”

Her trust in him was absolute. She met his gaze and gave a firm, determined nod.

“I will do whatever it takes to help you, Ray.”

Ray nodded, a heavy sense of responsibility settling on his shoulders. He walked over to her and gently placed his hand on her forehead.

System, initiate the Understudy Protocol, share the skill: Information Gathering (Gossip).

Ray command mentally then he felt the familiar, draining pull of cognitive energy. Rina gasped, her eyes squeezing shut as her mind was flooded with a dizzying rush of new, intuitive understanding. It wasn't just about listening; it was about understanding the subtext of a sigh, the weight of a pointed silence, the flicker of an eye that betrayed a lie. She now possessed the instincts of a master courtier, a spy who trafficked in whispers.

[RESONANCE LINK REINFORCED. NEW SKILL SHARED WITH UNDERSTUDY: RINA HAWTHORNE]

[SKILL: INFORMATION GATHERING (GOSSIP). CURRENT MASTERY: 1%. LEARNING SYNERGY BOOST: ACTIVE (65%).]

[COGNITIVE COST INCURRED. HOST IS MODERATELY DRAINED.]

When it was over, Rina looked at him, her expression one of profound shock.

“I… I understand,”

She whispered. The world sounded different to her now, filled with layers of meaning she had never perceived before.

“Good,”

Ray said, his own head aching from the strain.

“Tomorrow, your real work begins, go to the staff dining hall.”

“Make friends, listen, find out which student commissions are secretly easy.”

“Which professors are known for rewarding extra credit, and which noble students are careless with their spending, you are now the eyes and ears of House Croft within the academy.”

The next day, as Rina set out on her first intelligence-gathering mission, Ray’s plans were interrupted by a frantic knock on his door. It was Master Elias, his hair wilder than usual, his eyes blazing with an academic fire.

“Lord Croft!”

He cried, bursting into the room.

“I cannot be distracted by one-off commissions!”

“Your mind is a generational treasure! It is wasted on such piecemeal work!”

He took a deep breath.

“I am formally offering you a position as my Personal Research Assistant.”

“You will aid me exclusively in deciphering the Aeridor fragments.”

“In return, I will pay you a weekly stipend of 500 Marks for your time.”

500 Marks a week, it was a fortune, a steady, reliable income that would solve all their financial problems.

The old Alex Chen would have accepted immediately. But Ray, guided by the Conman and the Courtier, saw an opportunity.

“Master Elias,”

He said, his voice a perfect blend of humility and respect.

“I would be honored. However, to truly aid you, I would require certain resources.”

Elias leaned forward, completely hooked.

“Anything, name it!”

“As your assistant,”

Ray said smoothly,

“I would require access to the library's restricted senior stacks, to conduct parallel research that may aid our work, and my own practical studies in alchemy are lacking.”

“Perhaps your name could grant me occasional access to one of the lesser-used alchemy labs for my personal experiments?”

“Done! Of course!”

Elias agreed instantly, overjoyed.

“A brilliant mind needs the proper tools, I will make the arrangements at once!”

He scurried away, muttering about syntactical keys, leaving Ray with a new job, a steady income, and access to resources far beyond his station.

That evening, feeling secure for the first time, Ray opened the academy’s course catalog. He found the notice about the three free introductory practical courses for first-years. His path was now clear. He had partially solved the issue with Academy Marks for now, but his time was now more precious than ever. He had to choose wisely. First, he scrolled to the College of Valor’s curriculum and, without hesitation, enrolled in Body Tempering 101. Realizing the slow progress of his "Crucible Path" he needed something to supplement it.

The Serene Cultivator persona also recognized the immense potential of Body Tempering having synergy with the Crucible Path. Every grueling exercise in that class would be a stepping stone on his secret road to recovery. It was a necessity. Second, he looked at the listing for Introduction to Runic Inscription. His complete failure at the mana attunement test was a fact recorded in the academy's records. It was a glaring weakness, a chink in the armor of his 'prodigy' persona.

The Scheming Courtier in him knew that ignoring such a public deficiency was far more suspicious than facing it head-on. He needed to understand the mechanics of this magic 'enemy' before he could ever hope to convincingly imitate it or defend against it. He had to enroll, even if it meant enduring public failure at first. It was a necessary intelligence-gathering mission. For his third choice, he selected Introduction to Alchemy. His new arrangement with Master Elias granted him access to a lab; it would be foolish not to learn the fundamentals of the craft he was supposedly assisting with. He confirmed the course load, a small, determined smile on his face. The board was set. He had an income, he had access, he had an operative, and he had a plan. The real game at Solhaven Academy was about to begin.