Chapter 89 - Enrollment Test (1)
The group of youngsters looked at that slender little lad. As they appraised him, they found that he was unremarkable, and even his wardrobe was ordinary. Since he also had a small build, it was no wonder why no one noticed his presence.
From the way he looked, he seemed like a little boy from some random commoner family. Even if he had passed the enrollment test, they doubted that he would be able to afford the school fees.
Even though their families were not very prominent, they were still wealthy. That was why the group of youngsters was snobbish toward him as they thought that he was poor.
“That is a rather strange question. Who doesn’t know that the Herbalist Division of Saint Laurent Academy is famous for its difficult enrollment test? Not many can pass their tests, not even if they gave it their all. The Herbalist Division had trained many advanced herbalists for our empire, so how can it be a place that anyone and everyone can enter?” One of the young men had arrogantly said.
The Saint Laurent Academy was famous for its Herbalist Division. To a certain degree, it was much more challenging to train an herbalist as compared to other roles. One would require talent and powerful influences if one were to nurture an outstanding herbalist.
Before one could become a famous herbalist, they would require an astronomical sum of money to cover their expenses to produce potions. A wealthy family might not even be able to support a budding herbalist, let alone an ordinary family.
The accumulated expenses required for the apparatus and medicinal ingredients for the students to produce potions was definitely not something the ordinary folks would be able to afford.
Everyone knew that an herbalist would be able to earn good money, even if they were just a junior herbalist. However, they also know that the apprentice would need a considerable sum of money to transition to a junior herbalist. One could say that it was a profitable profession, but one could also describe it as a way to use one’s wealth to create a talent forcibly.
Another reason for the rarity of herbalists was because of the high expenses that it would incur. Therefore, most people would be intimidated by that.
‘The economic base determines the superstructure.’ That saying was practically tailor-made for the herbalist profession.
No wonder those group of youngsters looked down on the little lad. No matter how they looked at the situation, they thought that there was no way he would become one of their future classmates. There were no children from low-income families in the Saint Laurent Academy.
Even though the young lad did not seem poverty-stricken, his wardrobe was very similar to what their servants would wear. How could he possibly afford the school fees then?
As for someone like him that had overestimated themselves and asked about the Herbalist Division, they were simply a joke.
“Don’t tell me that you wanted to take the Herbalist Division enrollment test?” The group of youngsters sniggered as they looked at the little lad.
The young lad smiled at them and nodded. His genuine smile added a trace of gentleness to his common facial feature.
“Haha, this is the biggest joke that I’ve heard this year. Little kid, do you know how much is the annual fees for the Herbalist Division? You can’t even afford it even if you sold your entire family. You should get rid of your unrealistic hopes and get lost.”
The group of youngsters had openly mocked the little lad as they did not care about the opinions of a commoner.
Instead, the little boy, who still stood at the side as they mocked him, stroked his nose.
‘Can’t afford it even if I sold my entire family?’
‘I wonder how much I would get if I sold the Vermilion Bird’s main family and their other branches.’