Chapter 36
Sylas opened another letter, "Dear Xerath, I have roughly read your paper, and I have a feeling that it hints at a broader prospect and gives me a few new ideas. But considering the criticism you might receive, I believe I should immediately express my opinion to support you, instead of patiently waiting to perfect my new ideas. Please keep an eye on this aspect, both Sashara and I believe your research direction is generally correct, and on this point, I trust that Professor Emerson will share our understanding. Notoriety is irrelevant."
Xerath's expression didn't change much, but Sylas keenly sensed her unusualness – her experience of life and death had made her very sensitive to facial expressions – the archmage squinted her eyes, her eye sockets slightly reddened, colorless flames flickered in her eyes, burning onto Sylas through a thin layer of mist above.
Joy.
The archmage unconsciously grasped the round silver paperweight on the table, "This... who wrote this letter?"
Sylas looked at the envelope, "Bia... Beatrice the Windcaller, is she your friend?"
Xerath gazed into her emerald eyes and said gently, "Yes, Biatris is my senior sister."
"Sister? What does sister mean?"
Xerath smiled and said, "Yes, you won't have a sister. My teacher Emerson is also an elemental mage, and he has seven students. I am the youngest one. Biatris and Sashara are the fifth and sixth, they are both girls, so they are my sisters."
"I see," Sylas got the answer, "So, will I also become a sister?"
Xerath shook her head, "No, I don't plan on taking any more disciples, you will be the only one. Don't worry about that, you have other things to worry about."
An unopened envelope flew out from the stack of envelopes on the table. Sylas opened it, there were three pieces of paper inside, with beautiful handwriting. Sylas read the first note, the words were simple but very new to her.
"Your letter was quite intriguing, so without your permission, I asked Virgil about it. Please give my regards to Sylas! I have an eight-year-old daughter and two sons, one is ten years old and the other is five years old. That's why it's appropriate for you to ask me about this matter. I have attached a list of recommended children's books with this letter. After hearing about this, my wife Lillian enthusiastically wrote a thousand-word guide on parenting. To not dampen her spirit, I have also sent you what she wrote. I apologize for not being able to mail you a package due to the long distance. Children are gifts from heaven, and an adopted daughter is no different. I wish you a smooth journey in parenting."
After finishing reading, Sylas had countless questions in her head. Xerath stood up from the writing desk, walked over to her, and picked up the remaining two papers. She explained while reading, "This is from Diego. Diego is my eldest senior brother, the first disciple of our teacher Emerson. He is the only one among us who is married and has children. I asked him for advice on how to interact with such big children, and this is his reply to me."
Xerath was really serious about keeping her. Sylas's understanding of this matter became a bit clearer, but she still couldn't be sure if something would happen that would make Xerath abandon her again.
With courage, she reached out and held Xerath's hand. Xerath lowered her head and asked, "What's wrong? Did you make a new discovery?"
Sylas shook her head and said, "No, but I think Mrs. Biatris' letter supports my point." Xerath smiled, touched her head, and sat back down, gesturing for her to continue reading the letter.
However, Sylas noticed that the joyful glow in Xerath's eyes didn't appear when she comforted her again. Biatris, she remembered the name, and also wondered why this lady's short letter made Xerath's eyes look so beautiful.
These many letters can be roughly divided into two categories, praising and disdainful. There were very few supporters, probably from Xerath's fellow magicians, but there were countless opponents. Water Lord didn't reply to a single letter, and the insulting letters specially written to her were sent by Xerath to Fire Lord Elvis, folded into burning paper planes. Xerath personally replied to all her supporters, so Sylas had no way of knowing what she wrote.
These intermittent letters continued for about three months. Sylas always read them for her, seeing the sarcastic comments coming out of Xerath's sharp mouth. The Elemental King's mood was not too good, and her wind element guarding her side was the first to sense her mood, whispering softly.
But no one knew how to comfort her, including Sylas. She had some tricks she used to please her mother, but they were useless for Xerath. Gradually, Sylas discovered that only when she did well in spelling and grammar class could she genuinely make Xerath smile.
Regarding teaching, new inspiration and ideas suddenly came to Sylas's mind after Xerath impetuously invited her to be her student. With Sylas's gaze upon her, she wrote down her expectations for this new, perhaps only, student in a brand new notebook, and they weren't too high: to become a qualified magic apprentice.
This included mastering Common Language, Logic Rhetoric, controlling magic skillfully, writing low-level spells proficiently, learning to identify various magical items, and familiarizing herself with ancient Saiti language and Gustavian language, and other skills that apprentices must know.
Hyectra floated beside Xerath and whispered, "Could this... be too difficult?"
Xerath was the first among her peers to summon Water Lord, so Hyectra was the only big blue water ball among the small children in black mage robes. It stood out, and it wasn't until Xerath graduated from primary school and entered Emerson the Mage's tower for study that more water lords appeared by its side. Xerath was undoubtedly a genius, but that didn't mean she had the right to demand others to meet her genius standards.
"Is this... is this difficult?" Xerath blinked her eyes in confusion.
Sometimes Hyectra would chat with other water lords, such as the water lord who was Xerath's primary school teacher. Children have a natural inclination for play, which means they can't focus on learning subjects like rhetoric, logic, or grammar, which are boring and hard to enjoy. Most children have to wait until they are twelve years old, after graduating from primary school, to gradually start learning these dry but fundamental subjects under the guidance of their parents.
But many people give up on this process forever, because they may never find any enjoyment in it throughout their lives.
The pleasure of thinking belongs to a few people. Sylas loves to play, and the deep blue gentleman doubts her level of concentration. Many geniuses die young because it can be foreseen from the beginning: perseverance and self-control are the essence of achievement, talent will wither without the nourishment of effort, just like Xerath's achievement, the flower of talent blooming from her diligent study day after day.
The water lord didn't directly express her concerns. The archmage is on a roll, and anyone who rains on her parade will not have a good outcome. She will certainly be stubborn until she realizes her mistake.
"I wonder if the time period you set for her is too short. Logic and rhetoric usually continue until the final year of advanced school."
"I can't tolerate the foolishness of others. She should learn how to have rigorous yet tactful conversations before she turns twelve."
The water lord had to say, "Then you must be fully prepared, as this is not an easy task."
Elemental Archmage Xerath is a very beautiful woman, with delicate features and a tall, slender figure. Her focused gray eyes can ignite flames within anyone's heart. However, most of the time she appears quite aloof.
In Sylas's early days as an apprentice, she stayed in Elemental Archmage Xerath's mage tower. Xerath bought a powerful creature called a "demon beast" for her research paper. After completing her paper, she was supposed to sell the "demon beast," but she decided to keep it as a helper in the mage tower and it became her apprentice.
Usually, only wealthy families with a good background can afford to send their children to prestigious mages to become apprentices. They can pay the high tuition fees. Sylas had nothing, but she still had to pay the tuition, so she had to offset the costs by cleaning the mage tower every day.
Inside the mage tower, there was only a magic broom - a magical item that didn't like being touched by humans. You absolutely cannot touch it with your hands, as it gets angry and wilts. In order to make it obedient and sweep the floor, you have to say the correct spells and try to control the magic connection maintained by the wind element, just like controlling a puppet hanging from a thread.
The wind element was the first type of element Sylas learned to call upon, but she could only make them go wild and explode. Faced with the daily chaos in the mage tower, the aloof Xerath usually had only one sentence to say:
"Sylas, clean everything before going to bed."
The warmth they once had seemed like an illusion. Even though Sylas knew she couldn't possibly clean the entire mage tower from morning to night, she often ended up exploding stairs or breaking rooms due to elemental reactions, especially during the late hours.
Elemental creatures from the wilderness often slipped into the tower during these times, and Sylas had to find a way to chase them away.
Of course, as someone who had hardly learned any spells, all she could do was gather all the wind elements and send them away in a whirlwind. The next day, Xerath had to use stone giants to repair the damaged outer walls of the mage tower because of the trouble she caused.
After a night of wind blowing through the wilderness, the morning light shone through the broken walls. Sylas woke up from her unfamiliar slumber, groggily opened her eyes, and saw her teacher slowly descending from the top of the stairs.
The sound of leather shoes echoed in the open and cold space.
"Sylas, another explosion?" The staircase leading upstairs was blown apart. Xerath summoned a few stone creatures and placed them where the damage was, then walked over.
Just as Sylas stood up, she grabbed her hand and explained quickly, "Teacher, I..."
"Didn't you go last night?"
"Yes..."
"So you stayed up all night. Are you cold?"
