Saun 20, Arc 716
The Mortalborn arranged the books on the desk in front of him carefully before he looked up at the students that were sitting in front of him, waiting for him to begin. He knew some of them from the previous season when he had taught an introductory class on chemistry, but there were also a few new faces here and there. They looked so young and innocent. Most of them were barely out of their teens. They were little more than children, and they had seen so very little of the world so far and experienced very little of its cruelty in comparison to him. Had he ever been like them, so full of trust and hope for the future, so impulsive?
Shaking his head slightly, he checked the clock that hung on the wall. It was time. He rose to his feet in one swift motion and strode over to the blackboard that was located behind his desk. “Today“, he spoke as he took a piece of chalk and wrote a single word on the blackboard: ‘CHEMISTRY’. The tone of his voice was firm, albeit a touch cool, and he enunciated his words very clearly as if he were a teacher of rhetoric, a nobleman rather than a professor of chemistry and a man of common ancestry. “Today we are going to talk about the touch points of chemistry and other branches of science. Nothing can thrive in isolation, as you are without a doubt aware. Chemical knowledge can be useful and is sometimes even an absolute necessity in a number of different branches of science. Can anybody name one?“
Most students just looked at each other for a moment because they were worried about giving the wrong answer – the foreign professor who was always so well put together had a reputation of being very strict – but a young girl with red hair and freckles all over her face eagerly raised her hand and started to wave it around so that she would catch his attention sooner. The Mortalborn frowned very lightly for he did not appreciate such know-it-alls, but upon realizing that nobody else would raise their hand he nodded at her. “Yes, Thalia?“
“Physics, Professor!“ He gave her a sign to go on, and she stood up and explained, “Physics are the driving force behind chemistry. One of the first fundamental steps in the field of chemistry was made by studying the physical property of weight and the introduction of a physical measuring instrument, the balance. The study of weight eventually led to the discovery of other physical properties, such as volume and density.“
“Thalia is right“, he acknowledged and gave the girl a sign to sit down again before he wrote ‘PHYSICS’ on his blackboard and drew a line that connected it to ‘CHEMISTRY’. “The knowledge of weight, volume and density which are physical properties is essential in the field of chemistry. If we did not know about those properties, our work would be harder, if not impossible. Can anybody name a second branch of science though?“
“Pharmacy?“ a boy with straight blonde hair, brown eyes and pale skin answered a little uncertainly. It was only after he had said that that he realized that he had been supposed to raise his hand first and then speak. He figured that late was better than never though, so he quickly put his right hand up and murmured, “Sorry, Professor!“, blushing a little as he did so. The Mortalborn locked eyes with him, but then he inclined his head.
“That is correct, Marcus“, he spoke and wrote on his blackboard again. “Although I expected an answer and not another question. Knowledge of chemistry is essential in the field of pharmacy. As some of you may know, I worked as an apothecary in Ne’haer for some time in addition to teaching chemistry. The development of new drugs or the modification of existing drugs requires greater knowledge of chemistry. In fact it is in essence chemistry. Furthermore, you use chemistry when you develop concentrated solutions or dilute solutions. And finally, the knowledge of how different chemicals react with each other and the human – or rather humanoid - body is an integral part of pharmaceutical sciences.“
He paused for a moment before he addressed his class again, “There is another branch of science that is even more closely related to chemistry than physics or pharmacy though. Can anybody tell me its name?“ He looked around, but none of his students answered – or dared to answer, although Thalia looked as if she were very tempted to say something. He let about a bit pass, before he said a single word. “Alchemy.“
The Mortalborn arranged the books on the desk in front of him carefully before he looked up at the students that were sitting in front of him, waiting for him to begin. He knew some of them from the previous season when he had taught an introductory class on chemistry, but there were also a few new faces here and there. They looked so young and innocent. Most of them were barely out of their teens. They were little more than children, and they had seen so very little of the world so far and experienced very little of its cruelty in comparison to him. Had he ever been like them, so full of trust and hope for the future, so impulsive?
Shaking his head slightly, he checked the clock that hung on the wall. It was time. He rose to his feet in one swift motion and strode over to the blackboard that was located behind his desk. “Today“, he spoke as he took a piece of chalk and wrote a single word on the blackboard: ‘CHEMISTRY’. The tone of his voice was firm, albeit a touch cool, and he enunciated his words very clearly as if he were a teacher of rhetoric, a nobleman rather than a professor of chemistry and a man of common ancestry. “Today we are going to talk about the touch points of chemistry and other branches of science. Nothing can thrive in isolation, as you are without a doubt aware. Chemical knowledge can be useful and is sometimes even an absolute necessity in a number of different branches of science. Can anybody name one?“
Most students just looked at each other for a moment because they were worried about giving the wrong answer – the foreign professor who was always so well put together had a reputation of being very strict – but a young girl with red hair and freckles all over her face eagerly raised her hand and started to wave it around so that she would catch his attention sooner. The Mortalborn frowned very lightly for he did not appreciate such know-it-alls, but upon realizing that nobody else would raise their hand he nodded at her. “Yes, Thalia?“
“Physics, Professor!“ He gave her a sign to go on, and she stood up and explained, “Physics are the driving force behind chemistry. One of the first fundamental steps in the field of chemistry was made by studying the physical property of weight and the introduction of a physical measuring instrument, the balance. The study of weight eventually led to the discovery of other physical properties, such as volume and density.“
“Thalia is right“, he acknowledged and gave the girl a sign to sit down again before he wrote ‘PHYSICS’ on his blackboard and drew a line that connected it to ‘CHEMISTRY’. “The knowledge of weight, volume and density which are physical properties is essential in the field of chemistry. If we did not know about those properties, our work would be harder, if not impossible. Can anybody name a second branch of science though?“
“Pharmacy?“ a boy with straight blonde hair, brown eyes and pale skin answered a little uncertainly. It was only after he had said that that he realized that he had been supposed to raise his hand first and then speak. He figured that late was better than never though, so he quickly put his right hand up and murmured, “Sorry, Professor!“, blushing a little as he did so. The Mortalborn locked eyes with him, but then he inclined his head.
“That is correct, Marcus“, he spoke and wrote on his blackboard again. “Although I expected an answer and not another question. Knowledge of chemistry is essential in the field of pharmacy. As some of you may know, I worked as an apothecary in Ne’haer for some time in addition to teaching chemistry. The development of new drugs or the modification of existing drugs requires greater knowledge of chemistry. In fact it is in essence chemistry. Furthermore, you use chemistry when you develop concentrated solutions or dilute solutions. And finally, the knowledge of how different chemicals react with each other and the human – or rather humanoid - body is an integral part of pharmaceutical sciences.“
He paused for a moment before he addressed his class again, “There is another branch of science that is even more closely related to chemistry than physics or pharmacy though. Can anybody tell me its name?“ He looked around, but none of his students answered – or dared to answer, although Thalia looked as if she were very tempted to say something. He let about a bit pass, before he said a single word. “Alchemy.“
