New York, spring of 1929 In order to obtain the facilities she needs to complete her investigation of the courthouse collapse, hermeticist Nia Himlan has made a deal with some of Little Italy's shadier characters. She is granted access to a laboratory, but everything comes at a price, and soon, Nia discovers how far she’s willing to go to save her career. Meanwhile, astronomer Aden Fenice suffers the consequences of a robbery committed at the University of Hermeticism, when someone breaks into his home. His meeting with the intruder marks Aden for life and adds fuel to the fire of age-old hostilities between the University of Hermeticism and the Institute of Astronomy. The Elixir of Life is the second volume in the alchemy punk series Academia, a story of science, prejudice, and magic.