Gardener of Eden

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Honor Points

Professor Vane tapped his wooden pointer twice against the grand blackboard at the front of Lecture Hall 4B, cutting off the lingering morning chatter of the assembled students instantly.

”Quiet down,” Vane commanded, his crisp voice echoing off the high stone vaulted ceiling. He turned to face the room, sweeping his keen gaze across the rows of desks before fixing his eyes on the central board. ”Today, we move beyond basic crop vitality and address the fundamental bottleneck of advanced cultivation: High-Grade Soil Matrices.”

With a flick of his wrist, Vane channeled a thread of blue mana into the chalk, causing complex diagrams of soil strata, mana conduits, and mineral balances to draw themselves across the board in glowing lines.

”Most novice cultivators make the critical mistake of believing that a high-tier seed does all the work,” Vane said, walking slowly along the elevated platform. ”They are wrong. If you plant a Grade-C seed in standard Grade-E soil, two things happen. First, the seed starves and yields inferior stock. Second, the seed violently drains the surrounding soil matrix of all ambient mana, turning arable land into dead, infertile ash within three growth cycles.”

Several students leaned forward, hurriedly scribbling notes into their leather-bound journals. Rowan listened intently, comparing Vane’s precise breakdown to the self-sustaining, primordial soil matrix he had been nurturing inside his personal domain.

”To sustain Grade-C produce and beyond without permanently ruining your plot,” Vane continued, turning back to the class, ”you must engineer a stabilized soil matrix. You must balance volcanic mineral core layers with crystalized ether dust, bound together by active organic catalysts.”

Vane paused, letting the weight of his words settle before resting both hands on the edge of his podium.

”Which brings us to your next major evaluation,” Vane announced, his eyes sharpening as a quiet murmur rippled through the hall. ”In three weeks, Sol-Aethel Academy will host the Mid-Term Practical Examination on Plot 36.”

He raised a single finger to quell the rising excitement.

”This will not be a simple harvest test. Each student team will be assigned a depleted, Grade-F plot of dead soil. Your objective is twofold: first, successfully construct a stabilized Grade-D soil matrix from scratch using provided raw minerals; second, cultivate a viable batch of C-Tier precursor crops within seven days of physical time.”

Vane’s eyes lingered briefly on Rowan before scanning the rest of the room.

”Grading will be strictly evaluated on yield quality, matrix stability after harvest, and overall mana density. Those who fail to stabilize their soil will receive zero marks for the practical module. Class dismissed—Rowan Vance, stay behind for a moment.”

As the rest of the students filed out of Lecture Hall 4B talking excitedly about the upcoming examination, Rowan stepped down to the podium where Professor Vane was organizing his lecture notes.

Vane looked up, setting his chalk down with a rare, approving glint in his eye. ”Rowan. Before we discuss the upcoming mid-term exam, there is an official matter to settle regarding your previous work.”

Rowan nodded respectfully. ”Professor?”

”I conducted a thorough preliminary inspection on your assigned plot over the weekend,” Vane said, leaning back against his mahogany desk. ”The soil regeneration, root depth, and vitality density of your first week’s yield exceeded the standard academy benchmarks by a substantial margin. Frankly, keeping you on the standard weekly grading curve for the introductory phase would be a waste of institutional time. I have decided ahead of time that you have aced the first week’s assignment.”

Vane reached into his coat and produced his official, silver-trimmed staff pass. ”Take out your student pass.”

Rowan retrieved his academy ID card from his pocket and held it out. Professor Vane tapped the edge of his staff pass firmly against Rowan’s card. A warm, golden array of runic script flashed across both passes with a soft, melodious chime.

[ SOL-AETHEL ACADEMY SYSTEM NOTICE ]

TRANSACTION COMPLETE:

* Source: Senior Lecturer Vane (Staff Pass)

* Recipient: Rowan Vance (Student Pass)

REWARD ALLOCATED:

* Academy Honor Points Received: +100 Points

CURRENT HONOR POINT BALANCE: 100 Points

STATUS: Perfect Evaluation / Week 1 Practical Assessment

”One hundred honor points,” Vane declared, pocketing his pass. ”You can redeem them at the academy treasury for specialized seeds, rare soil minerals, or library research passes. Use them wisely, Rowan. With the mid-term exam moving to depleted Grade-F soil, you’ll need every advantage to build a proper Grade-D matrix.”

”Thank you, Professor,” Rowan replied, slipping his updated student pass securely back into his pocket. ”I’ll put them to good use.”

Leaving Lecture Hall 4B, Rowan made his way across the central courtyard toward the Sol-Aethel Academy dining hall. The expansive stone hall was buzzing with midday energy, filled with the clatter of cutlery and the loud chatter of students discussing their morning classes.

Rowan scanned the long wooden tables for Barney’s familiar broad shoulders, but the dwarf was nowhere to be seen—likely caught up in an early shift at his grandfather’s forge or helping load the morning shipments. Picking up a tray with a quiet nod to the dining staff, Rowan found an empty spot in a quiet corner near the tall arched windows and sat down alone to eat his meal.

He had barely taken a few bites when a group of four students from his Herbology class walked over, holding their own lunch trays. Leading the group was a tall girl with wire-rimmed glasses, who offered Rowan an eager, respectful smile.

”Hey, Rowan! Mind if we join you?” she asked.

”Not at all. Go ahead,” Rowan replied, gesturing to the open benches around him.

The group slid into the seats surrounding his spot.

”I’m Clara,” the girl introduced herself, pulling her notebook out from under her arm. ”This is Lucas, Mark, and Sophia. We were in Professor Vane’s lecture earlier, and honestly, everyone saw him transfer those hundred honor points to your pass.”

”Word travels fast,” Rowan chuckled softly.

”It does when someone aces the Week 1 practical before the week even ends!” Lucas chimed in, leaning forward with genuine curiosity. ”Look, Rowan, we’re all struggling to keep our E-Grade soil matrices from degrading after just two harvests. How are you maintaining such high vitality levels without burning out the soil’s mana conduits?”

Sophia nodded eagerly in agreement. ”Yeah, Vane’s lecture on soil strata today sounded completely overwhelming. How do you balance the mineral core with the organic catalysts so smoothly? Do you have any specific tips or tricks for keeping the nutrient cycle stable?”

Rowan set his fork down, looking around at the expectant faces of his classmates. Realizing this was a great opportunity to build goodwill and establish strong connections within his year, he decided to share a few fundamental principles of soil management.

Rowan leaned back slightly, resting his hands on the table. ”It comes down to two main things most people overlook: catalyst distribution and spatial density.”

Clara immediately flipped her notebook open, pen poised, while Lucas and Sophia leaned in closer.

”First, with organic catalysts, don’t just dump them into the topsoil,” Rowan explained, gesturing to the surface of his wooden tray. ”If you mix them too shallow, the surface bakes under the sunlight and the mana evaporates before the roots ever reach it. You need to layer your volcanic mineral core at the bottom, lay down a thin layer of crystalized ether dust, and then blend your organic catalysts into the middle stratum. That creates a subterranean reservoir. The roots naturally stretch downward to feed, which actually strengthens the plant’s overall vascular system.”

”Middle stratum... got it,” Clara muttered, scribbling frantically. ”What about the mana-drain issue? My corn cleared out half my plot’s ambient energy in three days.”

”That’s a spacing problem,” Rowan said. ”When you crowd high-grade crops, their root zones overlap. Instead of drawing ambient mana evenly from the surrounding atmosphere, they enter a stress state and start aggressively leeching directly from the soil’s core matrix. You have to give each plant a buffer zone.”

He picked up a couple of small salt shakers from the table and set them down a few inches apart.

”For E-Grade crops like High-Vitality Tomatoes or Sweet Corn, leave at least forty centimeters between each stalk. For D-Grade produce, make it sixty. If you leave that neutral space open, the soil between the plants acts as a natural regeneration zone, pulling mana from the air to replenish the dirt faster than the roots can strip it.”

Mark let out a long breath, staring at the salt shakers. ”Forty centimeters... I had mine planted barely fifteen centimeters apart. No wonder my plot looked like dry chalk by Friday.”

”Try thinning out your rows tonight and deepening your catalyst layer,” Rowan suggested with a light smile. ”You’ll see the difference in root color within twenty-four hours.”

”Rowan, you’re a lifesaver,” Sophia said, looking thoroughly relieved. ”Seriously, thank you. If we pass this practical, we owe you a real drink.”

”Happy to help,” Rowan replied, taking another bite of his lunch as his classmates continued comparing notes, clearly invigorated by the straightforward advice.