Testing (again) II

"....Master Mandrag, you're up first" the Chancellor gestured towards the master sitting far to his left. This master was a greying old man who sat up straight in his chair before speaking out in a listless and uncaring voice.

"How should one extract the medically-applicable compounds from Hellebore?" this question was pretty simple as the most commonly used extraction processes in alchemy are applicable.

"Selective salt conversion using titration as an indicator sir..." Elliot answered after a moment of thought, a general answer for sure.

*harumpf*

"....inefficient and ineffective, but applicable. Good enough I suppose..."

"Name all sub-components of the body starting from organs..."

"Um....liver, heart, pancreas, skin, brain, spleen, intestines both large and small, the stomach..." the explanation continued on for a few minutes with Elliot taking a few pauses now and then to wet his mouth or ponder for a bit.

"...then there are the bones. The main bones in the arm are-"

"STOP! Name all bones in the hand..."

Elliot paused for a moment but could only sigh and name each part he knew. It's been a while since he's studied this material but it went well....he couldn't remember them all in the end but Master Mandrag simply nodded and gestured for him to be quiet.

"Good enough to pass....on to you Master Kilvin..."

A strong-looking man wielding a thick accent spoke out loudly with a gruff voice.

"Very well...how do you make an ever-burning lamp?"

All other professors sighed and rolled their eyes as this master seemed to use this same question every time and each was tired of hearing it...

"....will you all sigh every time I ask my question!? THEY'RE MY QUESTIONS!!" Master Kilvin turned to Elliot with hopeful eyes.

"Well I suppose if you used a sympathetic binding between--"

"NOOO!!" Master Kilvin interuppted.

"I said an ever-burning lamp, not an ever-glowing one.....TRY AGAIN!" This Master has obviously heard applicants giving this same answer before so he'd had enough.

After a few seconds of thinking and calculating, Elliot could only shake his head and give a disappointing answer..."I don't know sir, I'd have to be taught such knowledge by you I'm afraid..."

Master Kilvin's eyes widened before he coughed lightly into his fist...

*cough*

"Well, for this question...I suppose we'll have to study together if you come to my shop..."

The questions went on for a few minutes, with Elliot doing best with mathematics and rhetoric. These were the fields he didn't have to learn from scratch over this past year...

Eventually, the last question came from the Master Historian...

"Mr. Elliot, in your opinion, who was the greatest man to ever live..."

Elliot was already tired and was not running at one hundred percent, so without thinking, he blurted out an answer that only one of the master's found familiar.

"Raven Oscars...." Elliot's eyes widened but before he could change his answer, Master Namer burst out into laughter.

"HAHAHAH!.....you said it! Chandrian's undergarments you actually said it....HAHAHA!!!"

Under the confused eyes of his fellow Masters, Elodin finally caught his breath. He turned towards Elliot before smiling like a shark ready to bite..."Be careful with names Mr. Elliot, names are precious things...HAHAH!!"

After the masters shook themselves out of confusion and Elliot wiped the sweat off of his face, the Chancellor motioned the young man to take a seat while they deliberated.

After some time, Elliot was asked to stand and the Chancellor spoke...

"Mr. Elliot, with the recommendation of.....a verified unknown graduate, and the sponsorship of Master Namer, you are hereby granted permission to study at the University with a tuition of four silver talons..."