"Hello! New Alchemy Element apprentice, right? Me too!"
Jeming barely perceptibly frowned, but quickly adjusted back to a calm expression.
He looked up and saw a young girl with curly brown hair and a bright smile standing by his desk.
Her eyes were lively, seeming to be full of curiosity about everything around her.
"Hello." Jeming responded, while discreetly assessing her.
The girl's clothing wasn't luxurious, but clean and tidy.
She looked somewhat tired, probably had also failed at the Basic Meditation Method a few times, but the vitality on her face outweighed the fatigue.
As for her Spiritual Power fluctuations... Hmm, a Fifth Level Talent, which was considered above average among the apprentices he had scanned.
"Judging by your badge, it's the cauldron symbol of the Alchemy Element! Great, finally met someone from the same batch!" The girl sat down unrestrainedly in the empty seat across from him.
Her tray was piled like a mountain, with an extremely rich variety, indicating a big appetite.
"My name is Amy! Amy Grey Sparrow!" She introduced herself, then blinked and extended her hand, "What's your name? Sitting here alone looks quite lonely."
Jeming's alertness heightened.
In this unfamiliar place, a fellow apprentice with decent talent approached him on her own initiative and with such enthusiasm and directness...
Very suspicious.
With his sharp insight as a Cultivator, he also noticed the seemingly casual yet scrutinizing look in Amy's eyes.
"Testing? Gathering intelligence, or is there another purpose?" Jeming instantly made a judgment in his heart.
"Jeming." He responded briefly, with no further reaction.
"Jeming, nice to meet you!" Amy seemingly didn't notice his coldness, and her smile became even more sincere, "Today really exhausted me, especially the meditation! Did you draw patterns in the Sea of Spirit? Gosh, the designs are insanely complicated! I feel like my Spiritual Power is like a lump of dough, no matter how I knead, it won't form, and backfired several times, my head was about to explode!"
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of roasted meat and ate heartily; although it looked impolite, her sincerity could be felt, she seemed like a carefree and cheerful person with no hidden agenda.
"...As if!"
Jeming's eyes lowered, seemingly unconcerned while he ate the food in front of him, but in his heart, he sneered.
Apprentices who still choose the Logistics Element despite the Combat Element's promotion are only of three types: smart people who've discovered the underlying issues, those with wizard forebears who were informed about the situation, and those who've given up on themselves.
Since meditation failed, it indicates she's not of wizard descent, and judging by her outgoing nature, she's not someone who has given up on herself, leaving only the last possibility.
Such a smart person suddenly approaching him must have her reasons, and what she's currently showing is merely her disguise.
Amy kept chattering about her meditation failures, and Jeming listened without showing it, analyzing in his mind.
"No, she's not probing my meditation results and status." Jeming thought.
Considered that he was currently pretending to be a meditation-failed apprentice, now probably looking pale and fatigued, while listening to her, a thought popped in his mind:
"Is she trying to resonate through similar experiences... just trying to build a connection?"
After thinking it over, Jeming decided to test her, nodding slightly and showing an agreeable expression on his face: "It's indeed difficult, I've tried several times."
"Right! It's so hard! Several of my classmates are just like me, failed several times, my head's about to explode." Amy chatted casually while chewing her food, "But a few are impressive, seemingly already found the trick, one of them being an Alchemy apprentice."
"Oh? Really?" Jeming expressed appropriate amazement, "To get started so quickly? Truly a genius! It seems there are many talented people in Alchemy."
"Seems like not fully started, just successfully outlined the first part of the pattern."
"That's still impressive, compared to that I'm really lacking."
"Actually, it's not exaggerated, heard that person is a noble, with wizard background at home, surely had training ahead of time."
Amy continued introducing with enthusiasm, "Besides, Jeming, you're amazing too, among this year's new Alchemy students, you're probably the most talented one."
"Haha, thanks for the compliment." Jeming "shyly" laughed, "But there aren't many new students in Alchemy this year, right?"
He could now confirm that the girl deliberately sought him, as aside from his name, he hadn't disclosed any other information.
Since she knew his talent level, it meant she knew quite a lot, so Jeming also probed a bit.
"Haha, indeed only three, but you are indeed the most talented among us three." Amy seemingly laughed awkwardly.
"You seem to know quite a bit, able to know so much on the first day?" Jeming asked as if casually.
Amy was slightly stunned by his question but still took a bite of the roast meat, narrowing her eyes in satisfaction, "Haha, I... might not be good at other things, but making friends and chatting, I have some talent."
She playfully stuck out her tongue, but her tone carried a subtle pride: "In the cafeteria, everyone wasn't in a great state, it's easier to chat, plus I talked to many while queuing for the talent assessment... after all, we're all newcomers, more friends mean more paths."
Hearing Amy so openly explain her situation, Jeming sighed inwardly: "Exposed."
Of course, not referring to his Cultivator identity being exposed, but his previous pretending to be naive was exposed.
He asked a little too hastily, directly pointing out the core issue with her, thus Amy noticed something was off.
However, Amy was really adept at communicating as she claimed, even if exposed, she felt no awkwardness and quickly adjusted her approach, and candidly opened up.
This way, even knowing she approached him with a purpose, Jeming didn't feel much aversion.
After all, her purpose, as she said, having more friends means more ways.
They're all newcomers now, no conflicts, and even future military service means they have shared interests.
Moreover, Amy had already demonstrated her "value," at least this intelligence-gathering ability was indeed critical for Jeming at this stage.
After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Jeming looked up, earnestly extended his hand again: "Let me reintroduce myself, Jeming."
Receiving Jeming's affirmation, Amy was even happier, her eyes curved with her smile: "Amy."