Chapter 61
Sylas said she didn't know. Xerath flipped the cover over and saw that it was written "б·Truce", an abbreviation. The "B" was written in northern letters, implying that the author was either from the northern region of Mandesa or from the Theodore people. And "Truce" means three tridents, suggesting that the author's family was likely a fisherman from the northern seas.
She looked at Sylas again, as if she could see through all the little secrets in her heart. "Is there a summoning spell inside? This could be a shortcut."
"No... no."
"Then why do you still want to buy it? Tell me your reasons."
Sylas quickly caught a hint of negotiability, indicating that as long as she had a good enough reason, she could convince Xerath to buy her the book.
"I... I think that spells of the same kind may have common characteristics. I believe that at least I should look for their common patterns, maybe I can piece together the spell."
Xerath laughed again.
And Sylas happened to like seeing her laugh. She usually looked very strict when she didn't smile, and if she looked at you at this moment, you would always have a foreboding feeling of being frozen soon.
But when she laughs, it's like warm water breaking through the ice and splashing out suddenly.
"This won't happen again." Xerath touched her face and threw the book back onto the counter, then handed all the books to Sylas, the Earth Child, after paying.
They walked out of the library, and the cold air surrounded them once again. Xerath held Sylas's hand and felt the chill. She instinctively grabbed Sylas's hands and held them in the warmth of her fluffy sleeves.
"Why is it so cold? Hmm?"
Sylas blushed and smiled, "I don't know."
Xerath put her arm around Sylas's shoulder, allowing the warm and cozy fabric to cover Sylas. They walked into the freezing weather together.
Afterwards, they went to the market to buy groceries. It took them about two hours to return home with Frostchild and Earth Child, all of different sizes. Titus was freezing because his fur was shaved off, so he kept spinning around Elvis. Xerath went into the library, while Sylas found a hiding spot where Xerath couldn't see and flipped through the newly bought reference manual.
According to Sylas's standards, the book was well-written with clear logic, distinct categorization, and concise information. The reference manual wasn't as scary as Xerath had described.
However, because the chubby lady at the library mentioned something related to the author's name this morning, Sylas couldn't help but pay attention to the author of this book. But with her limited knowledge, all she could figure out was that the author might be someone from the Mandas or Theodore lineage, known for their fishing skills.
She bought this book because she thought it looked good. Her main purpose was to find clues from a classification and categorization perspective, just like the reason she told Xerath: these spells always have some common characteristics, maybe she can create a summoning spell herself.
She skimmed through it but didn't find any words related to "Endless Water Realm".
Later, she started writing a letter to the chubby lady at the library and her siblings. To make the letter not too dry, she briefly mentioned how much she liked the "Book of Elements". Then, when she helped Xerath deliver the letter to Shamodial, she slipped her own letter in as well.
About a week later, she received a reply. Shamodial came back with several letters and pecked at the library window making a tapping sound. Xerath walked over, opened the window, and let them in. She took out the letters from the soul mailbox strapped to their foot and read them one by one.
Sylas nervously watched her, her intense gaze catching Xerath's attention.
Xerath didn't say anything, just gave her a glance, and picked out a letter with "Sylas" written on it from the envelopes. "Made a new friend? Is this your first time? Let's celebrate! Who is the other person?"
It was hard to tell her expression, and in fact, Sylas had even considered that Xerath would oppose her making friends, any kind of friend.
In reality, she is still Xerath's demon beast, with a bond imprint, and her whole being belongs to Xerath.
"No... just a library staff member. Last week I asked her a few questions and she couldn't answer them right away, so she promised to write me a letter."
Sylas walked over and handed her the letter. "Are you nervous? Don't be, I won't blame you. Actually, I'm worried about you not having any social skills. Make sure to reply to your friends' letters."
Sylas looked up, trying to read her expression, and when she confirmed she wasn't being sarcastic, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Xerath shook her head helplessly. "How mean do you think I am in your eyes?"
"No! No no no no... I'm not mean!" Sylas's face turned red as she tried to explain. "I just... I just don't want you to be unhappy."
Xerath exaggeratedly sighed and walked back to her seat, slumping down.
The person who wrote the reply wasn't the plump lady from the library but her brother and sister (from the letter, it seems the one holding the pen is her brother, Swis). They are twins, and the sister's name is Caroline.
Knowing that Sylas also liked the book "Endless Water Realm Fantasy," their tone in the letter was very eager. They also shared their thoughts on the "Book of Elements," filling up almost an entire page. It was amazing to be able to talk about these things. Sylas had previously told Xerath about it, and Xerath had just smiled all the way through, never showing such a surprised tone.
In addition to including a list of suspected authors, they also answered some of Sylas's questions about "B Truce" in their reply.
After reading the letter, Sylas understood that there was a lot of knowledge hidden in surnames. She took a look at the envelope again, and the plump lady's family name is "Rost," a common surname belonging to a cooking family.
Looking at those people who have been in regular communication with Xerath, such as a person named Diego with the surname "Westcounty," Westcounty is a fairly large area. This surname represents the fact that his family had lands in this vast area, which explains his status and class very well.
Among the wizards, there are many people with surnames representing their lands, probably because this class has access to the best educational resources. There are also two types of people among the wizards. One type has surnames like "Morningstar," usually surnames that government officials or intellectuals would have. The other type has surnames like "Windcaller" or "Mistweaver," most of whom come from ancient wizarding families. These surnames represent the specialties of their accomplished ancestors in certain types of magic, and they often have a long lineage of magical knowledge in their families.
Lastly, there is a group of people who come from poor backgrounds, with parents who are mostly uneducated laborers. They have the fortunate opportunity to continue their studies and become wizards thanks to sponsorship from a foundation.
From their explanations, it seems that "B Truce" belongs to this kind of wizard with a poor background. Sylas, being cunning, flipped through several indexes of journals that she had subscribed to over the years while Xerath was napping, but she didn't come across anyone with the surname "Truce."
In theory, this is quite common. Not every wizard has the ability to publish papers in the journals that Xerath frequently reads. However, considering how easily Xerath agreed to her buying a "quick reference guide," it became very unusual. Especially after Xerath specifically asked who the author was.
If Xerath mentioned this unintentionally, it could still make sense, but Sylas believed there was some connection: an unknown author gaining recognition from Xerath, who is very selective of authors. Sylas was very curious about the background of "B Truce."
Despite her research not making much progress (if there was any progress, it was that she learned the common beginnings of a few water elemental spells and even figured out a few simple spells herself, thanks to Xerath's strict grammar training), she mentioned this speculation in her letter and requested the help of the two siblings in finding this person called "B Truce."
From their correspondence, it turned out that neither of them knew about the existence of the "Book of Elements: Scroll of Water." The two twin friends immediately became intrigued, while Sylas focused on searching for the people on the list.
The fleeting "Aiselte Aibi," the mysterious "B Truce," and the peculiar words "Endless Water Realm" that almost never appeared in the books she had read—there must be some mysterious connection between them.
But it seemed like she found that she was not paying attention. This week, Xerath suddenly said she would teach her how to write scrolls (since you bought that book, you should make the most of it, said Xerath). Scrolls are written on prepared sheepskin paper using a brass pen dipped in silver ink.
Silver is a special metal with memory, and the specially prepared sheepskin paper can retain magical energy for a long time. However, no one really knows the principles behind it, even though all the stories, legends, and history books only mention that it was a gift from the Elf King to the third emperor of the Ancient Seti Empire. People have been doing it this way since ancient times, and it has been effective, so who cares how it works?
Even Xerath cannot explain it clearly. This must be a serious mystery!
Scroll writing has strict guidelines. The paper size, font, line spacing, spacing, headers, and footers all have a set of special rules, passed down among wizards, and some of the specifications are now unknown.
Even a person who cannot use magic at all can quickly and immediately cast spells using scrolls because they only need to be burned with any flame. So scrolls are a good tool for people who are not skilled in magic.
"But you must strictly adhere to the proper format when writing, otherwise the spell may fail. This is the only purpose of the format."
The prepared sheepskin paper is not cheap. The ordinary draft paper they use (of course, it is also high-quality) costs ten copper coins per sheet, while the prepared sheepskin paper costs twenty silver coins per sheet (at wholesale price). Xerath instructed her to draw grids on the sheepskin paper according to strict formatting requirements, and then copy a simple wind shield spell.
"It's really long."
Xerath laughed, Sylas could complete this spell in a short time by using blending techniques to shorten the incantation, and by combining strokes to shorten the writing process. With both techniques combined, she could almost cast a wind shield spell instantly.
