Chapter 7
"Can you tell me your name now? Your name."
"…Sylas, I am Sylas."
"Nice to meet you, Sylas."
The two of them found themselves in a situation where they had nothing to say, but luckily, outside her bedroom, the scenery on the desolate plain was magnificent, and there happened to be a storm today. The grandeur and greatness of nature were vividly displayed in the raging storm, but Xerath should have been working in her study.
She heard Sylas's tummy rumbling, so she spoke up and asked, "Sylas, are you hungry?"
Sylas nodded. Xerath raised her hand and chanted "light as a feather," then scooped up Sylas and walked out.
"Hyectra, is the meal ready?"
"As you wish, madam. Elvis has prepared potato corn meat soup for the young lady."
Sylas's little body lay on top of her, emitting warmth and trembling slightly. It was a kind of contact that made her feel a little frightened, the invasion of each other's personal space. She didn't like being touched - wizards didn't like being too close to others - but now it seemed that this was the most effective way to keep Sylas calm and prevent elemental outbursts.
"Sylas," called Xerath.
"Xerath," answered Sylas.
Xerath looked up and met those emerald eyes, "Who taught you to say 'wind'?"
The child said, "Mom."
"Where's mom?"
"Dead, blood."
"And dad?"
Sylas shook her head, "I don't know."
"Alright, let's eat."
On the third floor of the mage tower was her living room and dining room. The smell of food and soft light seeped out from the small doorway. Xerath walked in, holding Sylas, while Virgil stretched out on the couch.
He saw Xerath and quickly pulled his feet off the table.
Xerath felt a jolt in her arms as Sylas suddenly hugged her tightly and screamed.
"Bang!" A wall brick shattered, and Xerath waved her hand to summon an Earth Child. It rumbled over and the flying debris seemed to be attracted to it, sticking onto its body. The Earth Child reached into the hole, and soon the wall was as good as new - maybe with a tiny difference, who knows, to human eyes all rocks look alike.
The Earth Child disappeared into thin air, and Xerath gently touched Sylas's head, comforting her, "It's okay, he can't hurt you, and I will protect you."
Sylas's tense body relaxed.
"Oh, Xerath, did you become an animal trainer?"
"No."
Virgil raised his hands, showing he had no weapons, and smirked at Xerath. He lowered his voice and said snidely, "Impressive, taming a crying girl after spending some time with her. Great skill."
Understanding Virgil's personality, Xerath instantly smiled, a rare sight. "Virgil, don't make crude jokes. I am also a woman."
"A serious worker's profile is the most handsome, old friend," Virgil whistled, "and a celibate pretty face like yours attracts everyone, regardless of gender."
"Virgil, don't make crude jokes."
"Alright, alright."
The food was already on the dining table. There was supposed to be pea and mushroom steak for Sylas, but she was served a potato and corn meat soup instead. The aroma of the corn even overwhelmed the steak. Sylas couldn't resist the tempting smell. She looked at Xerath, who nodded in approval, and she eagerly began to eat.
Watching her wolf down the food, Xerath felt a bit relieved. Suddenly, Sylas flinched and immediately turned to vomit. Xerath asked in shock, "What happened? Why did you throw up?"
Sylas raised her hand, and sand appeared out of thin air, covering the vomit. She looked up and asked Virgil, "Why did this happen?"
Virgil's face turned pale as he remembered the goat and sheep bones as well as the green mouse bones underneath the entrance to the underground palace. He forced himself to say, "I think… maybe she's not used to eating cooked food. I saw many intact animal bones in the places where she appeared… maybe… you should try giving her raw meat."
Hyectra immediately went into the kitchen and quickly brought out a plate of bloody steak. There were obvious signs of flames searing on it. Sylas grabbed the steak and began to gnaw on it, her tearing and biting actions resembling how Titus ate.
Xerath glanced at Titus and indeed saw it lift its "head" from the food bowl, foolishly staring at the new companion.
Sylas obliviously continued to gnaw on the steak for a while and then noticed Xerath looking at her. She immediately handed over the steak in her hand. Xerath shook her head, pointing to her own plate, and said, "I also have some, thank you."
"Tell us the story of this trip, old friend," Bronywn said as she cut a piece of meat and looked up.
"It's a long story," Virgil sat at the other end of the long table, far away from Sylas. He took a sip of red wine. "There was an old hunter who once participated in that hunting operation. It alarmed many hunters, but most of them were not skilled enough and died either by fire or being chopped in half. You know, everyone has a protective wind shield scroll, but many people didn't have time to burn it before they died."
He pointed at Sylas who was eating. Xerath, however, didn't feel much. Magic spells are dangerous, and unnecessarily attracting demon beasts is a very foolish act.
"They chased after the incredibly scary demon beast from Keatler all the way to Sunlight Town, but I heard that the demon beast was already captured by Priest Raphael."
"Raphael? The priest? The one from before…"
"That's right, our old friend Raphael." Virgil nodded. "This old hunter and his companions didn't give up. They searched all around but found nothing, and Raphael did leave with a big cage, so everyone dispersed."
"Did you go look for Raphael?"
"Yes, Raphael is currently in the prison in Saint Trelanxi."
"I've heard something about it," Xerath glanced at Sylas, who was staring at her plate. So she cut a piece of meat and put it in Sylas's plate. Sylas grabbed it and ate it, showing a very satisfied expression. Xerath simply cut all the meat and pushed it towards her. "I heard he offended the church for the sake of a few poor people. Is that true?"
"Ahaha, I don't think so. That temple is a remnant of the Sun God's teachings. The whole temple is made of Sunstone. I think he wants to sell all of these Sunstones. Let me see. I think he originally just came to join in the fun, but unexpectedly discovered the Sun God's temple. To prevent others from finding the Sunstones here, he used the news of a 'demon beast' to distract everyone's attention. But the real 'demon beast' is still underground, helping him guard the temple."
"A Sunstone that is the size of a square can be sold for fifty gold coins."
"So there are probably a hundred thousand gold coins buried underground."
"A big deal."
Virgil nodded, "I think it's because the priest of the Keatler parish finally discovered this temple and wanted to benefit from it, but Raphael refused."
"The locals found a lot of evidence of his disrespect towards the gods and handed it over to Raphael. He hanged him for blasphemy."
"That's right. On the surface, it seems like eliminating a threat to the people, but in reality… You understand."
"Seen it many times."
"Yes, seen it many times." Virgil fiercely took a bite of his beef. "Raphael gave the mayor thirty gold coins, so the mayor would feed the demon beast for him. Maybe he still plans on coming back to turn her into his servant."
"It's really worth it." Xerath saw that she had finished eating and picked up the napkin on the table to wipe her hands. The owner of these hands was bought from Virgil for a thousand gold coins.
