Chapter 35
Sylas looked up and asked in confusion, "Xerath, isn't it a magic circle?"
Xerath bent down and tapped her nose, "Call me 'teacher'."
"Teacher."
Xerath nodded eagerly and said, "I really like you... your keenness. Yes, it is a magic circle. Did you see the runes on top?"
"So, the magic circle needs... 'feathers'?"
Xerath laughed, "Very good, you noticed the feathers. And did you also notice that the feathers are the core of the wind wall?"
"Core?" Sylas didn't quite understand. "Feathers make the magic circle glow, and the magic circle creates the wind wall. Is that the purpose of the core?"
Xerath's smile widened, "Overall, yes."
In her grey eyes, the fading flames seemed to ignite again. The brilliance captivated Sylas's gaze, as if she felt encouraged. Sylas continued to ask confidently, "So, the library... the librarian should also have a 'feather,' but I didn't see it."
Xerath held up the pen and shook it, asking, "What is this?" A golden light flashed and disappeared, and the feather pen went back to being dark. But Sylas understood. The feather was hidden in something ordinary. She cried out with delight.
An Earth Child came up to her and curled up. Xerath held her hand and said, "Please write AG, 133, okay?"
Sylas nodded and wrote the words "AG133." Suddenly, the shelf glowed and the feather pen flew into the air, bringing a book back in no time.
Sylas was very familiar with the cover. It looked very similar to her favorite bedtime story, "Book of Elements." Sylas gasped as she took the book from the "hands" of the library's bookkeeper. She casually flipped open a page and saw a vividly drawn Grand Lord of flames holding a hammer, about to smash a soldier in armor.
"Wow! It's incredibly exciting!"
Xerath looked at her with a smirk and asked, "Do you prefer the bookkeeper or this book?"
Sylas hugged the book to her chest and said, "I like them both!"
"You can take it to your room and read it before bed, just remember to have a light on."
Sylas's expression immediately changed. Taking it to read before bed meant that this book would replace Xerath's bedtime stories. She wanted to put the book back, but it would undoubtedly show her inconsistency, which Xerath didn't like.
Holding onto a hot potato-like object, Xerath couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Or do you prefer me reading to you?"
Sylas immediately replied, "Yes, I prefer you reading to me."
"Alright then, after we finish reading this one, I'll read you this one. These books belong to Hyectra."
"Do elements also read books?"
"On that matter, I hope you can find out for yourself. The library will have the answers."
Sylas looked in awe at the seemingly endless bookshelves, with respect in her eyes. But Xerath led her further inside, and in front of each bookshelf, there was a long ladder. Xerath climbed up one of the ladders and stood gracefully halfway up, pushing against the wall with her hand as if triggering a magical spell. A complex circular pattern appeared faintly in her palm, and the pulley beneath the ladder rolled smoothly to the other side.
She randomly pulled out a book and leaned back, causing Sylas to gasp and rush over to catch her. However, Hyectra appeared from thin air before Sylas could reach, and Xerath fell onto its flattened body. The soft water caught her, sinking like the surface of cotton and then bouncing back up. Xerath lay unharmed on a large water droplet, her legs crossed and beckoning her disciple to join.
Sylas jumped up and sat down by the "water bed," adjusting to a comfortable position. However, Xerath beckoned her to lie down. "I often pick a book randomly to pass the time, and I highly recommend you try it too."
Xerath closed her eyes, appearing relaxed. "If you also have a water lord, you can read while lying down like this."
The gentleman lying down sighed deeply, his blue clothes shining brightly.
"It's so much fun, I want to have a water lord too!"
"Um, I really hope you can study hard so that you can summon a water lord that matches your abilities soon. I have a lot of relatives who would like to find a decent butler job."
"I can do it!"
Xerath laughed and said, "I like your positive attitude."
She showed Sylas the cover of the book. There was a note attached to the cover that said "B22-2,2"
The title of the book was "The Blind Poet and the Awake: Narrative and Metaphor in Mythology." It was a book that interpreted ancient Saiti poetry, which used to be Xerath's bedtime reading, but it was a bit early for a child's bedtime reading. She let go of the book, letting it fly back to its place, and then pulled Sylas up from the water bed. They walked to the end of the library, where she opened her arms wide and said to Sylas, "This is the biggest treasure in the whole mage tower, and I sincerely hope you can have it."
"Um... well..." Sylas nervously looked back and said, "This is a lot, can I really finish reading it?"
"You can," her teacher placed a hand lightly on her shoulder and said, "I'll be there with you."
Her voice faintly echoed in the somewhat empty library hall. When the sound completely faded away, Sylas nodded slightly. Xerath walked back, and Sylas followed behind her, sitting at their respective desks. Xerath asked her, "Can you do me a favor and read these letters for me?"
The letter in front of her suddenly flew up in the air like it had grown wings, and landed in front of her, along with a letter opener.
Sylas looked at Xerath and wanted to refuse, but she was afraid of making Xerath unhappy, so she reluctantly agreed, "I... I don't read fast, but if you insist, I will... I will do my best."
Saying this, she used the letter opener to open the seal of a letter, took out a piece of paper, and stumbled through reading it. She didn't recognize most of the words inside, and she had never heard Xerath use these complex sentences before. In their grammar class, there was no trace of this content. She mechanically followed the pronunciation rules of the words to read out this short message. Xerath occasionally corrected her pronunciation, but most of the time, she just looked ahead apathetically.
Sylas finished reading, but Xerath didn't say anything. Sylas thought it was understandable because the last time she read a letter, Virgil was there to accompany Xerath. If this letter was not something good again, then it was obvious that the task of comforting Xerath would fall on her.
It was a bit challenging for her, but Sylas was willing to take on the challenge. The smile of the Elemental King was captivating, and she thought that maybe her elemental friends felt the same way about her.
"Teacher, is the content of the letter not good?"
But Xerath asked, "Who is this letter from?"
"Vik, Vik Starseeker."
"A insignificant pawn," Xerath disdainfully snorted, but then turned around with a pleasant expression and said, "How do you know the content is not good? Does my face look too awful?"
"Um... I'm not sure how to describe your expression," Sylas finally found the right words to express herself, "but I see some prefixes that suggest denial... and some root words that suggest something bad."
She pointed at the letter and picked out a few words. Xerath's indifferent face softened slightly, and she smiled, saying, "Very good, is there more?"
Judging by her faint smile, Sylas thought she did well, so she gained some courage and spoke out about her findings. "Teacher, was my judgment accurate?"
The archmage looked pleased and said, "Overall, you were roughly correct. I like your keen observation skills and ability to categorize. I hope you can continue this good momentum. Please read the next letter."
Sylas gained more courage and read the second letter without stuttering as much. Xerath's expression became cold again. Her hair was platinum blonde, and because she rarely went outside, her skin appeared pale. Her gray eyes lacked warmth, so she seemed particularly distant when she had a blank expression.
The letters were similar, and the wording was almost the same. Sylas often encountered many of the same words. Xerath's expression remained unchanged, and Hyectra appeared quietly. It was as if it was the first time Sylas had seen someone else write a response letter for Xerath. However, it was unclear whether it was due to the unpleasant content of the letters or for some other reason that Hyectra hadn't started writing.
"Teacher, aren't you going to reply to the letters?" Sylas asked, expressing her own doubts.
Xerath sneered arrogantly and said, "There's no need to waste paper on these people. Do you have any new discoveries? Anything is fine."
"Um, I think maybe they all disagree with you doing something, and they have a rather low opinion of it... I found a few root words that represent 'inferior,' and I think they are similar to what Uncle Virgil brought last time."
"Very well. Your guess is mostly correct. Anything else?" Xerath smiled slightly as Sylas finished speaking, as if it was the only thing that had made her happy lately.
"Hmm... Some of them are good at using metaphors, always using the word 'like'."
"That's right, who wrote the letter you just read?" The archmage always asked about the sender's name after she finished reading, as if it was her entertainment.
"Weedy... Weedy Marshseeker."
"Hmph," the archmage snorted contemptuously, "creatures from the marsh, just as I expected."
"Teacher..."
The archmage turned back to Sylas, regaining focus and seriousness, like a caring elder, "Hmm? Have you made any new discoveries?"
Sylas shook her head, imitating Virgil's tone and said, "We know you're always right."
Xerath suddenly laughed, and a glimmer of silver flame flickered in her eyes, "Thank you. But I hope that after your knowledge becomes richer, you can sincerely tell me that."
Sylas couldn't fully understand this sentence, or she still couldn't realize the inner connection, and just nodded confusedly. But she could clearly feel Xerath's expectations for her.
"Read another letter."
