Chapter 40
Xerath smiled and said, "How about this? These beautiful views are often too hard to describe with strict language. It takes a different kind of magical pattern to describe them, and that is poetry. You've been working a bit too hard lately, you need to relax."
Sylas asked with confusion, "If it doesn't help me understand this book, then what is the purpose of spending time reading it?"
Her confusion on her face was genuine. If someone else said this, it might be ironic, but maybe Sylas really didn't understand. Xerath knew her student well, so she asked in return, "Is this what's been bothering you lately?"
"I guess... yes."
Instead of confidently answering like before, Xerath thought for a moment and said, "Do you have difficulty reading these books?"
"Yes... these dazzling genres... I struggle to understand the relationships between them."
"But you really want to understand it. I know you've been taking a lot of notes and making flashcards."
"That's right, that's the foundation. Isn't it, teacher?"
Xerath smiled gently, her gray eyes shimmered with a touch of mist. "On one hand, I dare to guess that this is my fault for not arranging the course properly. To solve this problem, I think I need to give you some main threads that can connect these things, some tools that are a step higher than the difficult reading materials you've seen."
"What is that?" Sylas asked.
"Some things about philosophy, one of the basic tools to understand the world. It might seem dull and complicated, with conflicts among them, and it may temporarily confuse you. But you still need to master them."
All of this didn't make Sylas hesitate in the slightest. She quickly replied, "Yes! If it can solve the problems I'm currently facing, I'm willing to learn."
Xerath patted her hand and said, "I like you... having an attitude of facing challenges. I'm really glad you have it, it's valuable."
Sylas blushed slightly and answered softly, "I'm really glad I have it."
"But there's one thing... maybe you haven't noticed, or maybe it's my oversight..." Xerath's expression changed, and silver fire ignited in her eyes, capturing Sylas's gaze. "Sylas, you're pushing yourself too hard, what's the reason for that?"
"Me...?" Sylas looked confused, "I feel like my studying... is okay?"
"I know you're trying hard to understand them, you've taken a lot of notes and even sacrificed your rest time to memorize them. It's undeniable that these are necessary tasks. But even when there's a storm, you start losing focus, thinking that these things are not helpful for your studies, and therefore, there's no need to understand them, right?"
Sylas thought for a moment and said, "More or less."
"'Useful' and 'useless' are relative to 'purpose,' so what is your purpose that makes you think poetry and appreciating scenery are useless? It puzzles me because, on the contrary, based on my understanding of you, I think you should really enjoy these irrational things."
Sylas still looked confused and said, "Purpose... isn't it to become a qualified mage apprentice as soon as possible?"
"Little beast, there's no rush," Xerath narrowed her eyes slightly, and tapped Sylas's nose. "I once promised you freedom. The basic meaning of freedom is to be unrestricted and unhindered. Now, I'll give you a more specific explanation: to let you understand this world without obstacles, and based on that, to think without obstacles, and make choices that satisfy your inner self. That is my ultimate purpose."
She patted the book resting on her lap and pointed to the sky in the distance. "These are things you need to observe and understand. They will not be useless. Don't... don't reject things that appear in your life."
Just like I never rejected you in the end.
The fading flames danced gently. "I won't push you too hard either. After you finish writing this book note, you won't have to write for next week. I thought maybe I could talk to you about poetry and philosophical appreciation. What do you think?"
Sylas's original doubts and nervousness were smoothed by Xerath. The Elemental King was always right, and she was always beautiful and all-knowing.
In the stagnant time, the only figure sitting at the table continued to grow. Xerath opened another old trunk for Sylas, and judging by the labels, they were clothes she wore around the age of twelve. Considering Sylas had only been in the tower for three years, Xerath concluded that she grew quite fast.
Sylas was undoubtedly an excellent student. In these few years of solitude, Xerath corrected her language habit, daily routine, and even dining habits. She wore the expensive suits she had left from her childhood, and had completely become a mage apprentice from a wealthy and well-educated background. It was hard to imagine her wild, beast-like life before.
But what made her even more precious was that she always had some strange, romantic and naive ideas, just like her nature, which were retained intact and expressed in a clear and logical language, always vivid and delicate.
Xerath couldn't tell whether Sylas praised her to encourage her or to make her happy. Sylas often made her feel like she was "too easy to teach". They didn't encounter any major obstacles, and Sylas was growing pleasantly according to the steps and pace planned by her.
Her students were like pure and transparent cups. Xerath poured some beautiful liquid into them, according to her own color. At least for now, they still looked beautiful when viewed in the sunlight.
Xerath moved an old coin away from the beam of light. This coin was obviously made of real gold, mixed with certain alloys to prevent it from getting worn out too quickly. The king's head imprinted on the surface was already unclear, let alone determining which dynasty it belonged to.
But in the middle of the coin, there was a well-grade ruby, almost transparent without impurities. Virgil sent it over a month ago, saying that he felt an unusual magical fluctuation on it.
Xerath had a hobby (which was also shared by many other knowledgeable mages), ancient magical history. This thing from ancient times might be a small magical invention. Its age and craftsmanship were worth pondering. She looked up, ready to call Sylas to take a look, but saw that Sylas's position was empty, only then did she remember that today was a rest day, and Sylas didn't come to the library to do her little tail.
The archmage felt a sense of loss that couldn't quite be called loneliness. Everyone is the same, they can only accompany you for a period of time in life. She realized this when she was very young. Even friends and classmates who spent every day together, after separation, everyone is always far apart. If one tries to maintain it, most people can maintain polite correspondence, but more people can only stay in memories, frozen in the past.
Sylas will also leave one day and become an excellent mage, leaving this mage tower to embark on her own life.
Xerath took off her glasses and wearily closed her eyes. She rubbed her temples for a while, pushed the chair away, and went downstairs to the living room.
"Sylas." She raised her voice a little, but didn't hear a response. A dark shadow crashed open the living room door and rushed towards her, tugging on her clothes to pull Xerath inside.
"Titus! What's wrong?"
She had a feeling something bad was about to happen. She tore open the crack of elements with her hands, and a deep blue steward came rushing out, sliding through the gap in the door.
Titus, with his round chubby body, burst open the living room door. Xerath quickly got up, lifted her robe, slightly bent down, and leaped over the sofa. The wind, driven by her golden magic, surged out from the door that the water lord steward had opened.
"'Mountains overlapping!'"
The stone walls around the terrace suddenly grew taller, and the wind howled towards Sylas. The helpless child was knocked into the air by the walls before she could even look up, spinning around in the sky.
Xerath rushed to her and asked loudly, "What are you doing!"
Sylas flailed in the air, unable to answer. She reached out her hand towards Xerath, but the wind was too strong, and she couldn't even see her teacher's expression. All she could see were dazzling hair tips, hurting her eyes.
After a while, Xerath released her from the bindings and held her hand to prevent her from falling.
"Sylas, you need to explain your actions clearly." Her voice was very calm, her robe unruffled, considering she just jumped over the couch, it's safe to say she's someone who pays attention to her appearance at all times.
"I... teacher... I think you've misunderstood something."
"I don't think so, Sylas. I saw with my own eyes that you had one foot on the terrace. You better tell me you were just stepping on it to clean your shoes."
"I... uh... uh... uh..." Sylas suddenly felt light on her feet, being pulled by Xerath's wrist and dragged into the house. The door slammed shut behind them, it must have been the wind being eager to help.
Then her body felt heavy, a slight feeling of being overweight causing her to fall onto the couch. Luckily, the cushion was very soft, so she didn't feel any pain, just very disheveled. As she stood up, Xerath was already sitting opposite her.
"Sylas, why did you jump down? I feel like I've warned you already, your actions can endanger your life, and I've always hoped that you could learn to protect yourself."
"Teacher," Sylas lifted her head, "I didn't mean to, you must have misunderstood something. I didn't want to do anything... well, okay, there is some risk involved, but I'm 90% confident that I can do it. I can show you."
"And what about the remaining 1%? Falling to your death?" Xerath's tone had become very stern, causing Sylas to shrink and furrow her brow, desperately trying to think of a way to calm Xerath down. But Xerath's complexion was clearly worsening, and her gray eyes held a cold, hard gleam.
"Before you get angry, can you please listen to my plan?"
