Chapter 39
Xerath burst into laughter, "Do you mind this? These are necessary expenses to nurture you, and I don't mind spending more on you. However, apprentices paying tuition fees is a basic rule. Its main purpose is to make you understand that teachers need to spend time and effort to train you. It's not an easy job, it's very expensive, and extremely valuable."
Xerath thought for a moment and added, "It will make you... better." She originally wanted to say "more valuable," but subconsciously felt that Sylas might get confused between the different meanings of "value" and create the misconception that she would be "sold in the end." "Is there anything you don't understand in my explanation?"
Sylas slowly shook her head, but raised a new question, "But what is the essence of my job? Besides causing destruction, I can't think of its purpose..." Her head lowered even more, "It feels like I'm just your trouble."
"Oh," the archmage said abruptly and dramatically, "I thought the primary purpose of this job was obvious."
Sylas still had her head down, but she looked up with a puzzled expression in her eyes.
Xerath grabbed her chin, forcing her to look directly at her, "You need to learn at least to control 'wind' and 'water,' right? Besides sweeping and washing dishes, what else can you practice with? And you can't just... let me do the sweeping, can you? I'm a mage with an apprentice."
Sylas was amused by her remark, "Teacher, were you like this when you were an apprentice?"
With Sylas's gaze fixed on her, Xerath walked over to the recliner and slowly settled in. Titus came running over, wagging his tail, and deftly held the archmage's slender bare feet.
Walking barefoot on Titus feels really nice, and it even makes me feel warm.
Sylas sat on the nearby couch under Xerath's guidance, facing her teacher's profile. Xerath turned to look at her and asked, "What do you mean by 'like this'?"
Sylas lowered her head guiltily, realizing she made an unclear reference mistake again. "I mean, do you also need someone to clean the whole mage tower?"
"Of course, but my teacher has seven students, so we take turns to clean, one person per day. And we clean our own rooms ourselves."
Seeing Sylas's longing expression, Xerath said, "Do you also wish to have someone to share your work?"
"Oh no, not at all!" Sylas quickly defended herself. "I understand that cleaning is beneficial to my studies, and I want this kind of practice!"
It is unimaginable for Sylas to live together with another stranger. She doesn't want anyone to share her admiration for the Elemental King, and she especially doesn't want someone to divide Xerath's attention away from her.
Xerath smiled lightly and said, "Very good. I like hardworking people."
Today, the outside of the tower is very calm. There are no storms, and the sky, not obscured by sand, is a purplish-blue color. The not-too-bright sunlight shines in through the window, making Xerath's profile slightly glow.
Sylas looked at her and asked softly, "Will you also not be able to damage the mage tower?"
Xerath smiled and looked into her emerald eyes, explaining gently, "It is necessary to tell you about the normal path to becoming a mage."
"Am I...unusual?"
"No, absolutely not, but you are special. Of course, first it's important to explain that I am also special." Xerath took the tea cup passed to her by the water lord, its hand glowing with a blue-green light as the sunlight passed through.
"Usually, children with some natural talent enter primary school to learn and become apprentices. Then they move on to intermediate school. Each year, mages select qualified mage apprentices from these young people who have already completed a systematic study of relevant knowledge. They enter the mage tower for further learning. Later, when the time is right, they take the graduation test. Only those who pass all three tests can become official mages."
She patted Sylas's hand, which was placed on the armrest of the sofa. "There are also a small number of people who directly enter the mage tower to study, such as children from mage families. Or if your parents happen to have a mage friend or relative, and you have good talent, that mage might be willing to guide you. There are also some people from prestigious noble families who find it easy to study directly under a renowned mage because of their family's support."
Xerath lay back down. "Most mage apprentices may need to accumulate enough magical power until they are around sixteen years old to be able to summon and form a contract with a water lord. But I summoned Hyectra when I was ten, and everyone thought I had great talent. This news reached Emerson, my teacher, and so he came to pick me up after I graduated from primary school."
"I see, that's how it is."
"Yes, exactly. So when I entered Emerson's mage tower, I was already a skilled mage apprentice and didn't have much chance to damage the mage tower. However, I did break the school building before. My parents had to pay a lot of money because of it, and the school gets damaged a few times every year. It's not really uncommon, so don't worry."
Xerath's smile was gentle, so Sylas easily felt at ease. The Elemental King never lied, she had a deep understanding of everything, so her judgment was trustworthy. With this thought in mind, Sylas gained a little confidence.
The Elemental King doesn't lie, but humans have a hundred ways of not telling the truth. Xerath was familiar with these ways: the school building didn't always get damaged, and her parents didn't have to pay "a lot of money".
Xerath had no intention of leaving; she seemed to want to test Sylas's knowledge. Under her gaze, Sylas spoke with a brave face, "Teacher, I think you should protect the remaining part of the living room."
Xerath thought for a moment and said, "Take it slow." She called upon Titus to help elevate Sylas. Titus wasn't willing because it knew it would be the first to be flooded once the big water came. However, Xerath pointed out the mark on Titus' cushion and threatened to use the contract, so Titus reluctantly came over.
"I'm sorry, Titus, I'll try not to make mistakes..."
"Woof woof woof..." Titus lay down, continuously whining.
Xerath lightly kicked Titus and lifted Sylas's hand from behind. "When the crack of elements opens, be prepared to catch the water. I think that's the only difficulty inside. So, don't be afraid, nothing will go wrong."
Sylas felt the warmth and tickle of Xerath's breath on her neck. Her teacher stood behind her, and she felt like she was leaning against an unshakable rock.
She took a deep breath and opened the crack of elements, causing water to spray out eagerly. With some preparation, the splashes of water didn't seem as fast, but she still couldn't catch them. She gave up controlling the wind to catch the water droplets and focused on tightly holding her hands, breaking the crack of elements entirely.
Luckily, Xerath was there to help her. She quickly took control from Xerath's hands and made the water balls float and move slowly in the air. The water balls floated up and down, bouncing on the kitchen counter, and each bounce made a plate disappear. Sylas watched them, unconsciously slowing down her breathing.
The dirty plates spun in the water and gradually became clean. When she took them out, there were still fresh water droplets on them. Sylas placed them on a shelf by the side. The dirty things that couldn't be washed away stayed in the sink, and she picked them up and threw them into the fireplace to burn.
After Sylas finished doing all this, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Xerath casually said, "You're amazing. It's not difficult at all. It's something you can do well with practice."
Xerath loved to praise her students. On one hand, Sylas was smart and well-behaved, and on the other hand, it was a request from Diego's wife, Lillian.
"Praise has an unexpected effect. You should praise her often." After writing this sentence, Lillian even listed some references. Xerath had gone to the public library to find the article before and found it very convincing.
Later, for some unknown reason, the desire to praise her students took over. Praising Sylas had become a habit. Every time Sylas received praise, her jade-colored eyes sparkled, often making Xerath feel as if she were the one being rewarded.
What's wrong with doing something that makes everyone happy?
Her students were indeed very smart and deserved these compliments. After Xerath last guided her in controlling the broom, Sylas could control it well. She could even control four brooms and a small whirlwind simultaneously, gathering dog hair and dust together and throwing it outside of the tower.
She still washed the dishes under Xerath's protection, but she had improved a lot since the beginning. She could even summon a small Earth Child now, although earth was a stable and inert element, making it much easier to control than wind.
Sylas accompanied Xerath to the Withered Leaf City in the North several times over the course of about a year. Her summoned Earth Child gradually took over most of Xerath's heavy workload.
Sylas's speech became more organized, like a tailor-made outfit for Xerath. Although it took a long time to complete, it fit better and better.
Inside the solitary tower in the desert, Xerath often felt the absence of the passing of time. The archmage-level magic significantly slowed down the rate at which her life was fading away. The rising and setting sun only served as indicators of time, and there were no seasonal changes outside the tower. Instead, there were various types of elemental storms that frequently visited.
Sylas still loved storms. Whenever it got windy, Xerath would always accompany her outside to sit together. They would raise a wind shield, which Sylas found it hard to maintain without becoming distracted, and it would cover both of them on a bench. They would leisurely read a book unrelated to Xerath's main area of study, like a collection of Gu Gaoboren's poetry.
Sylas's Earth Child helped move Xerath's rocking chair and her small lounge chair out onto the terrace. Xerath sat down with a poetry collection in hand. Titus wagged his tail and came over, then placed Xerath's fair feet just right after she took off her shoes and lay down on the ground.
Sylas looked at the orange storm center in the distance with a hint of worry. After staring for a while, she silently began to read the collection of papers in her hands.
Xerath suddenly spoke and recited a romantic poem about the west wind. It was the unfamiliar words that caught Sylas's attention. She looked up at Xerath's moving lips, briefly lost in thought before snapping back to reality.
It was a world that Sylas couldn't comprehend, with rare but strangely rhythmic words. Inversions and displacements were scattered throughout. She listened, not fully understanding, but the rhythm and melody captured her pulse. Xerath's fair profile and pale lips also caught her gaze.
