Chapter 95
Virgil pondered these possible events in his mind, listening to faint laughter from downstairs. Unable to resist, he said to Titus, "I must be overthinking it. There are more than one reason for companionship."
"Huh?"
"Alright, alright, you don't need to understand. As long as you can eat, sleep, and play, that's enough."
"Woof! Woof woof woof!" Titus' tone became serious, he was probably protesting against him thinking his pet job was too simple.
"Isn't it? What else do you want to do? Get stepped on by Xerath?"
"Woof!"
"Do you want to take care of your little pals?"
"Woof!"
"Do you want to be in charge of tasting if the ingredients are fresh or not?"
"Woof!"
"Do you want to cheer up the archmage?"
"Woof!"
"Are you quite busy?"
"Woof! Woof woof woof woof!"
He pushed open the large door downstairs, walked out onto the porch, Xerath and Sylas were already standing at the end of the porch. The wind was so strong that he couldn't hear what they were saying. Xerath tucked her loose hair behind her ear and smiled only at Sylas.
Virgil walked over and saw colorful plant seedlings sprouting from the sandy ground. A thought came to his mind: So this is how tall grass grows.
"I didn't expect you to raise them. How about that! Isn't it fun?"
Xerath blinked and smiled, saying, "I didn't expect it either, but it's quite fun. It's almost like taking care of you."
"What do you mean, taking care of me?" Sylas widened her green eyes, and Virgil smiled understandingly.
"Although you have to worry and can't be too controlling, if I want you to grow well, I can't impose too many restrictions. But you can't have too little to eat, drink, wear, or use, and having too much is also not good, it will... rot the roots." The archmage slightly frowned, selecting suitable words from her vocabulary to make a small analogy. But maybe she didn't need to explain it so clearly, the light in Sylas's eyes indicated that she completely understood the archmage's meaning when Xerath was halfway through her sentence.
It was amusing to watch them communicate, as long as he didn't think about being completely isolated.
The archmage, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Sylas's gaze, said, "It's quite fascinating, somewhat unfamiliar, but not completely. I have never put much effort into nurturing these things, except for Titus, which didn't require much effort."
"Woof!"
Hearing the sound, both of them turned around and smiled beautifully. It was a delightful sight that moved Virgil, but the notorious playboy, famous throughout the continent, remembered his principle of appreciating certain things and nothing more.
"Ladies, do you want to water the flowers? How should we do it?"
Sylas smiled and walked into the sunlight. The wind was strong, blowing her robe and hair to one side. This could only mean that the wind outside the protective barrier was even stronger.
She walked forward, facing the sun. Her water lord walked ahead of her, so she decided to close her eyes. She didn't want to look at that scorching hot ball of light in the sky. She let her water lord lead the way. Voices were occasionally heard amidst the strong wind, whispers of spells that came and went. Water droplets overflowed from rifts in space, suspending in the air and forming various-sized clusters. They refracted sunlight from different directions, creating rainbow-like spots of light on the walls. It was like being immersed in an ocean of diamonds for a moment.
Xerath followed behind Sylas, always wearing a faint smile. Her eyes, slightly curved upwards, affectionately gazed at the figure in front. Occasionally, she looked at the unusually large flesh-like plants around them, and even glanced at Virgil. But then, her warm gray eyes became proud and smug.
Showing off.
Virgil gnashed his teeth and silently criticized. Sometimes the archmage could be unbelievably childish, as if her maturity was something she could control, and she only invested it in academia. The part unrelated to that still seemed stuck in the year they were both twelve, when they went to different schools.
The water droplets float and now they slowly sink, sinking into the intertwined gaps between the plants. The soil becomes moist, but it seems they are still sinking. With each step Sylas takes, new cracks of elements are torn open by her, while the old ones heal. The water droplets continue to sprinkle in the air, gently falling behind her, sinking into the gaps of the plants, moistening the sandy soil - which is not fully sandy anymore. Sylas had bought some humus from the gardener in Withered Leaf City, who said there are magical "elements" in it that can accelerate the decomposition of dry leaves. And these magical "elements" have gradually spread under Aimekotes' feet. The lower leaves of flesh plants become wrinkled and withered without sunlight, falling to the ground in the wind. After layers of decomposition, they turn into new fertilizer.
The girl closed her eyes and walked around Aimekotes with light and brisk steps. The mage tower owner who indulged her to the extreme even forcibly tore a gap in the wind wall as she passed through it, just so she could walk through with her eyes closed.
The sharp wind made the tower seem like it was about to collapse (which of course is an illusion). Virgil was dumbfounded, and even Titus tilted his head.
The wind wall that surrounds the tower all year round is created by rotating crystals on the top of the mage tower. The expensive Mithril Wire is laid from the tower's top as if it doesn't cost a thing, forming arrays around the tower, and the wind wall continuously grows from here. If the crystal is not violently destroyed from the sky, only the mage himself can control the wind wall from within the wall. But this crystal can withstand even lightning strikes.
Virgil has had this strange feeling before, but it was especially intense today. Xerath gave Sylas many privileges, and he knew Xerath would never do such things for others, but it just naturally happened. The two parties involved, and even Titus, didn't take it seriously.
Sylas felt the change in wind speed, surprised, she turned her head and naturally saw the wind wall behind her. She was surprised and stunned for a moment, then she turned back and silently sought confirmation from Xerath. The latter nodded twice, and Sylas burst into laughter.
"Oh, the esteemed archmage is so happy!" Virgil said sourly. Titus in his arms perked up his two furry ears and tilted his head, making a "woof" sound, as if he didn't quite understand why Virgil had to point at the constantly laughing Sylas and mention the archmage.
After they returned to the porch, Virgil heard Xerath ask Sylas, "So, did you reach it?"
He didn't understand what it meant, but Sylas naturally interjected, saying, "Yes, we've reached the maximum distance of control, even in invisible conditions..."
"Maybe nobody has ever tried using magic spells to water flowers, but I think it's worth investigating..."
Sylas said, "That's very interesting!" She pulled out a tiny notebook from somewhere and wrote a few words on it. "I've taken note of it, and I'll think about how to write it down when I have time."
"It's exciting."
"Teacher, I have another question. This question has been bothering me for a while."
Xerath was quite surprised. She opened the door, allowing everyone to come back inside, but her thoughts were still on Sylas, to the point that she forgot to check if the door was securely closed. Leunen, who was behind her, took care of that, while Hyectra added a little trap at the entrance. The two water lords exchanged a mysterious look.
"I didn't hear you mention it. Weren't you planning to share it with me first?"
Sylas earnestly said, "Initially, I intended to find the answers on my own, but... um... I need to describe my question first."
"I'm listening."
"Since I can open rifts to the Endless Water Realm, which is undoubtedly endless, theoretically, I could change the desert. But why... why has nobody ever done it before? There shouldn't be any deserts or droughts in the world, because mages can perfectly solve these issues."
"This is a good question," said the archmage. "I have been waiting for you to ask since you caused the great flood."
"Ah..." Sylas whispered in surprise. It seemed like this was a question she should have noticed long ago. So, without a doubt, she disappointed her teacher - she hadn't critically examined all the things that were considered normal in life, which is exactly what Xerath believed to be the researcher's biggest mistake. "I'm sorry... I..."
"Don't apologize, it's not your fault. I was just waiting for you to ask me," the archmage prepared to formally explain the question. She adjusted her collar and said, "Firstly, very few people are qualified to ask this question. You probably haven't studied any practical courses at school, right? Because the intermediate exam doesn't require practical skills. Practical skills are tested in a different kind of exam, which is meant for a different group of people with professional skill requirements."
Sylas shook her head. "No, I didn't study any. My pre-college course was just focused on exam preparation."
"Virgil？"
Virgil hesitated for a moment, then understood what Xerath meant. "Not every magician or apprentice can open the crack of elements." He quietly recited a series of incantations (unlike Xerath, who wrote them down). Sylas recognized a few words and realized it was an incantation to open a rift. If she opened one here, she might accidentally flood the living room! Nervously, she looked at Xerath and then at Virgil. Seeing that neither of them had any intention of stopping or preventing her, she took on the responsibility of protecting Aimekotes herself.
But the crack only flickered for a moment and gradually faded away. Sylas found it hard to believe because Virgil, after all, had graduated from an advanced school! She looked at him incredulously, her emerald eyes filled with confusion and disappointment. Virgil avoided her gaze. "Oh, sweet little girl, don't look at Uncle like that. Uncle's performance in practical exercises is quite good, but even so, I can't successfully open the crack of elements every time. I can't maintain it for long, let alone obtain water from a water elemental. Not all elements are willing to come to the mortal realm. You have to beg them, command them, coax them…"
