Chapter 118
The mischievous Earth Child had disappeared a long time ago.
She created a water curtain in front of herself and saw that her current hairstyle looked like a jumbled piece of cloth cut by a child, or a randomly torn piece of paper. Virgil laughed with a leaky sound from behind. The archmage's face grew darker, the wind spun around her, and clouds began to form. Only then did Virgil realize that the situation was getting serious and he burst out laughing.
The archmage summoned the Son of the South Wind to tidy up her hairstyle a bit, but in order to leave no flaws, the Son of the South Wind had to shave the shortest parts. This task was simple, and the archmage ended up almost completely bald, almost as short as the hair of the shortest monk.
The Son of the South Wind disappeared for a long time, and the archmage still hadn't turned around. Virgil and Sylas moved around to the front, and as soon as Virgil saw her face, he started laughing.
Sylas couldn't help but laugh too. The archmage's elegant and cold appearance was shaken, but replaced with a more neutral and restrained temperament.
"It looks great, you don't have to worry about your appearance." Sylas's voice was sincere, or at least it sounded that way. However, the strong contrast still created a comical effect.
The archmage looked at her with an expression of distrust.
"Really! You don't have to doubt my honesty!" If a stranger saw her hairstyle like this, they would never find it funny; they would only be attracted by her seriousness and gloominess.
"I always thought that your perception of me would be somewhat idealized."
"Your appearance is objectively beautiful, which is widely recognized by the public. Many people in school talk about your beauty."
Xerath turned her head skeptically, although being praised by Sylas for her beauty was a delightful thing. "How many people in school have actually seen me?"
"Um..." Actually, most people haven't seen Xerath in person. They've only heard about her from some young people who happened to see her. And according to the rumors, she is becoming more and more beautiful. Oh no, the archmage's insight has caused a lot of trouble!
"In other words, this is an argument that doesn't hold water. I can't believe you," said the archmage coldly, looking at Sylas's pursed lips. Sylas couldn't help but cover her own head, but it couldn't change the fact that her image was completely ruined.
Sylas was caught in a mix of laughter and tears by her attitude. The archmage being stubborn was really cute. She couldn't help but take a few more steps, grabbed Xerath's hand, and looked straight into her eyes, saying seriously, "Teacher, don't be sad about your hair. You actually look really good like this, at least I personally think so. It's different from before, but overall, it looks really great. Right, Virgil?"
Virgil couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter, earning a cold glance from the archmage.
"Don't be like this, old friend. I'm laughing because I imagine you being surrounded by hot beauties."
"Why would you think of such boring scenes?"
Virgil chuckled and said, "For sure, with this new look, you'll be even more popular among the young girls. I know what they like. Pretty boy types are the most welcomed, and your hairstyle change has effectively weakened your overly refined demeanor. The girls love a little bit of a naughty and scholarly look. Your new hairstyle combines the advantages of both, and it even gets rid of boring male admirers..."
Sylas hesitated and asked, "Is the teacher very popular with the little girls?"
"No. It's all Virgil's imagination. And I don't need to chase away male pursuers," Xerath replied coldly.
But Virgil didn't think so. He enthusiastically pulled Sylas aside and whispered, "Of course! Girls admire the strong, and it's incredible how much they like someone with a neutral appearance in the same gender..."
The archmage interrupted firmly, "This is called the 'Ingram Effect'. Ingram was a cross-dresser, thin and frail, who always played female roles in plays. Surprisingly, the audience loved his female characters even more than the female actors. People are inclined to like those in the same gender with qualities of the opposite gender. I won't go into detail about this concept, but you just need to know that there are underlying patterns behind the story Virgil told."
Virgil smirked cunningly and continued whispering to Sylas, "Anyway, it's the truth, don't you think? Xerath's badges always sell exceptionally well in the small shops near the school, right?"
Sylas's eyes widened in fear and her hair stood on end, as if someone had discovered her secret.
Furrowing her brows, Xerath asked, "What badges are you talking about?"
Virgil straightened up and tried to explain, "Um... it's just... you haven't been to the stationery store near the school before..."
Sylas rushed back to Xerath in panic and said, "Anyway, teacher, shouldn't we go back? I miss Titus, and its beef jerky must be almost finished, right?"
With that being said, the archmage also started to worry about Titus. In the past, she would take Titus to the pet store for a few days, but this time she didn't because she thought they wouldn't be gone for too long. However, she realized that Titus must have finished all his beef jerky.
"We can't go back to Tabletop Mountain City the same way," the archmage said.
"Not the same way? Then how will we go? Oh my, you don't want to cross the desert, do you? Maybe you'll be fine, but what about Sylas?"
"We need to learn how mages travel. Sylas, do we cross the desert?"
Of course, Sylas agreed, "No problem at all, going with my teacher."
Virgil understood why. If they went back through Tabletop Mountain City, they would have to pass through two mage unions. Xerath's acquaintances were all over the Mage Guild in Withered Leaf City, and if they caught a glimpse of her distinctive hairstyle, the archmage might explode the entire guild hall in a fit of rage. Then Virgil would be seen as an accomplice and end up on the adventurer's wanted list across the continent. He would experience the treatment of a Lich before actually becoming one.
"Hahaha, of course I'm fine. What about food?"
"Virgil, go buy dry food at the camp, and give me the water. We leave now."
The archmage spun around and walked forward, revealing a large black stain on the back of her white robe, left there just now to protect Sylas.
Sylas knew exactly how they got there. In fact, if the archmage hadn't been commanding the water lord to protect Virgil while also concealing themselves, they wouldn't have ended up in such a dire situation. Sylas walked over and held Xerath's hand, whispering, "Teacher, it took Pegasus three days to walk to Aimekotes through the desert. Do we really have enough time to go back?"
Xerath replied, "It all depends on the weather. For a magician, there is nothing that can't be done."
She spoke without expression, and there was even a hint of displeasure. Gone were the soft strands of hair that used to soften her cold attitude, replaced by tightly bound curls against her scalp. It indeed had a touch of femininity but with a more subtly feminine quality.
After the recent chaos, some of the unattended Earth Children were sleeping, while others had returned to the void within the unstable range of the Elemental Gate. Their luggage was scattered all over the place. After tidying up the mess and securing it onto the newly arrived Earth Child, Virgil also returned. He had a large bag in his hands and each person received a small portion to carry.
"Why do we... Can't it be put in the luggage?"
Xerath, expressionless, sorted out Sylas's provisions and clothes, saying, "The desert is unpredictable. If, by any chance, we get separated, you wouldn't want your provisions to be carried by an Earth Child. Magicians don't easily die in the desert, but they do suffer. Take it."
Just like when they arrived, the two of them rode together on a sturdy Earth Child, trailing behind Dvořák who was walking at a brisk pace. Pegasus occasionally glanced back at them, perhaps finding them too slow.
Virgil whispered, "Hey, don't be fooled by the archmage's new hairstyle. Be careful not to be killed to keep his secret."
"Virgil."
"Did I not say anything?"
"The wind blew backwards, carrying every word of your whispered conversation into my ears. I'm considering whether or not to silence you for good."
Sylas gently grabbed Xerath's hand, feeling a slight touch. Xerath flinched too, as if wanting to pull away, but ultimately didn't.
"Teacher, please don't be upset. Don't mind your new hairstyle, it looks really nice. Of course, Virgil was just being noisy. If you don't like it..." She lifted her hand and wrote a few characters, abruptly silencing Virgil.
Xerath chuckled silently. The little one had easily used a Silence Spell to shut Virgil up. She looked at Sylas, but the young apprentice didn't make any further moves, just continued to look at her.
There was an excessive silence. Xerath stood up, calmly withdrew her hand, pretending to gaze at the path they had taken. On the horizon, the buildings were barely visible, and the campsite was filled with various wisps of smoke.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, while their Earth Child mounts saved them from having to walk any further. The mage's journey was quite pleasant. As evening approached, Virgil said, "Archmage, perhaps it's time for all of us to rest?"
When Xerath said "good," he couldn't help but clap, arousing Sylas's curiosity. She had silently waited during the entire journey for Xerath to reveal the "techniques of walking in the desert" that he had mentioned. Now she couldn't wait any longer.
"Oh? The archmage never showed you?"
"What did you see?"
Xerath stepped on another Earth Child and walked in the opposite direction. Sylas asked nervously, "Where is the teacher going? Why are they so far away from us?"
"Nothing, just bring your Earth Children here quickly."
Sylas gathered the Earth Children and suddenly the ground started to shake. The sand and stones on the surface seemed to be influenced by something and began to rhythmically tremble. Sylas got scared and kept asking Virgil, "What is this? Is this a new kind of storm that I haven't seen before?"
