Chapter 132

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Chapter 132

The next day, while walking in the market, Xerath quietly whispered in Sylas’s ear, "I’m really sorry for wasting your time."

"No… Don’t say that. It’s okay." In fact, compared to studying together with Xerath in the library, walking aimlessly outside hand in hand made her feel more comfortable. Not only could they be close to each other, but they could also chat from time to time. Talking during class was not allowed, and she didn’t dare to disturb Xerath while she was working.

She would be happy to chat with Xerath without working if she could.

But most of the conversations with Xerath were work-related. "…if we use the Florinor transformation here…"

"It becomes the ‘Triangle Equation’? Problem solved!"

"That’s right, that’s right. Isn’t it?" Xerath also showed a happy expression, as if all her joy was prepared for her achievements at work. "Give me a piece of paper, I want to try… never mind."

Sylas’s hand, which was reaching into her bag, was stopped by Xerath. She asked surprised, "What’s wrong? It’s okay, I have it with me."

"Don’t worry about this. The Florinor transformation won’t become ineffective tomorrow, and the Triangle Equation will always be the Triangle Equation. So, let’s talk about your thoughts, hmm? Do you have any ideas?"

"Hmm… a little bit. After reviewing the crystal measurement records from different places yesterday, I have counted the types of crystallized rocks. There were forty-six instances of sedimentary rocks, twenty instances of metamorphic rocks, and only fourteen instances of igneous rocks. Therefore, I think this could be a point worth exploring. From the perspective of geography, crystallization occurs in deserts, river mouths, plains, and simple rocky areas. I think these terrain types can be classified as simple and complex terrains… Among them, the areas active with earth elementals could be stimulated by the energy of earth veins. These terrains have very special landforms, such as floods, winds, and even volcanic eruptions… So I think this could also be explored… But what makes it different from all previous records is the appearance of black water within this crystallization range, so I think this can also be written about."

After speaking, she nervously looked at Xerath. Xerath nodded slowly without expressing agreement or disagreement. "Did you look for information in these aspects?"

"Yes, um… Do you think there’s a problem?"

"I can’t see anything with just that. You are still deciding on the direction, right? This approach seems pretty good. It seems like you decide what to write based on the information you have at hand, right? This is definitely much better than having a viewpoint first and constantly collecting information to verify it. At least you have perfectly avoided this thinking trap in the first step. I really like your… beast-like intuition."

The little girl’s shadow quickly became light and cheerful. She giggled for a while, then suddenly stopped and said, "Did we miss the beef shop?"

Xerath paused and pulled her back. Beef was one of the main foods at home, and if Titus didn’t get his steak on time, he would pretend to be sick and unable to eat anything else.

Because her magic was slowly recovering, the archmage had to take a break. Her schedule was actually quite relaxed. During working hours, she appeared busy, holding a pen and drawing every day. But in reality, after completing the previous stage of work, she had been reluctant to move forward. The book she was currently writing was the "Unicorn Observation Diary" that Sylas didn’t know about.

"She has a calm and gentle profile, but only when she doesn’t have any expression. In fact, her expression during work is quite rich. When faced with a difficult problem, she furrows her brow and sometimes bites her nails. I have to stop her."

She put down her pen and folded a simple paper airplane with the nearby scrap paper. The breeze carried the archmage’s eager anticipation as the glider flew about three yards and accurately poked Sylas’s back of the hand.

"Don’t bite your nails, focus on your thoughts, and don’t do anything to distract you."

"Oh."

Sylas accepted the glider and pressed it down with a paperweight, so now Xerath couldn’t take it back even if she wanted to.

"I just stopped her with a handmade paper object. I hope she remembers me the next time she bites her nails."

"The restlessness of not being able to bite her nails lasted for a while, but now she should calm down. In fact, if she stays focused and thinks carefully, she can overcome this difficulty. And it seems she did it, now she’s smiling so innocently and adorable."

"I really, really like this about her."

"Often, we don’t know what kind of talents we have, but teachers should be the greatest treasure hunters in the world. They not only search for treasures, but also polish them according to certain rules, making these gems shine brightly."

"But now I don’t know if I still count as a treasure hunter."

"She is undoubtedly a priceless gem. Not only is she smart, sharp, and eager to learn, but she is also resilient, hardworking, and brave. Some even caused chaos just to catch her, but she managed to escape danger on her own."

"Originally, I only wanted her to live with dignity and freedom. Later, I wished for her to enjoy thinking like me – being able to satisfy herself with her own thoughts, isn’t that a shortcut to happiness? I wanted to share my most precious life experiences with her."

"But now the treasure hunter has become more greedy. She wants to keep this carefully polished gem to herself, not wanting anyone to share it – just seeing it is fine, but jealousy is enough, no ownership allowed – and more importantly, I want her… to be happy because of me."

"I might no longer be a good treasure hunter, a good gem-craftsman. Maybe I am just a greedy miser…"

"But I should try to be a good person first…"

Her pen paused there, unable to continue writing. She furrowed her brow in frustration, fiddling with her expensive mithril dip pen. Tearing off this page was not a good option; the torn paper would leave a trace. Tearing it or burning it would surely alarm Sylas – she never had the habit of destroying draft paper; she kept and archived every page.

After a moment, Xerath sighed and decided to let these sudden thoughts stay on this page: let time leave its mark as it should.

Her inner turmoil was barely visible on her face, and Sylas, engrossed in her reading, didn’t notice the slight change. Well… perhaps she noticed, but she simply assumed that Xerath was facing some work-related difficulties.

Meanwhile, the archmage kept observing her unicorn as she flipped open a fresh page, aimlessly scribbling with the pen tip.

"The surrounding stars dim and fade,

But your brilliance,

Covers the salty seas

And the blooming fields."

The handwriting soared, even intentionally imitating Sylas’s penmanship.

When it comes to the phrase "radiant," she used to admire the radiant girl Biatris, but now she can clearly feel the difference between the two radiance: one shines directly onto her, causing her heartbeat to race uncontrollably. The other allows her to appreciate it with great rationality, and even analyze it.

"Teacher?"

Xerath woke up from a state similar to shallow meditation and was surprised to find Sylas standing beside her, and those few lines of poetry were right next to her hand.

"Spreading across the salty ocean, and blooming fields."

She wonders what Sylas would think after seeing it? But Xerath’s desktop is usually messy – unlike her meticulous personality, she tends to spread out a lot of things when working – layers of books piled on top, revealing the middle half of the poem. Maybe Sylas won’t even notice it?

"What’s up? Do you have any questions for me?"

Sylas gave a gentle smile, the one that Xerath likes the most. The little girl’s smiling face is just three inches away from her, leaning slightly forward would allow her to kiss those rose petal-like lips and see if they are as soft as she imagines.

Don’t be like this, greedy miser. You just said you wanted to be a good person.

Even when she sits far away, the greedy miser cannot dispel this thought, let alone at such a close distance, with a warm and clear breath?

"Hmm… You just rang the bell a moment ago. Are you thinking or daydreaming?" Her mischievous eyes were jumping on Xerath’s face like a young goat.

Xerath chuckled, and the gentle breeze revealed her thoughts.

"Let’s go eat. That way the day will pass. I used to feel that summer and winter vacations always went by so quickly. The things I wanted to do always ended up being postponed until the end of summer vacation. What do you think?"

Teacher, I’ve been having a fulfilling time. After dinner, I will continue reading. But it does feel faster than when I’m in class." But that’s because I’m with you. There’s often a saying that goes, "Joyful moments fleetingly pass, while hardships feel as long as the coastline.

Xerath nodded with a smile, pushed her chair back, and stood up from within. However, Sylas didn’t immediately get up, causing a moment where Sylas almost ran into her chest.

The little girl stumbled backward, and Xerath felt like she was going to lose her balance and sit on the ground. So she grabbed her wrist and pulled her back with a little force.

But Sylas ended up directly crashing into her arms. Sylas might have had a premonition, but her slightly clumsy figure still involuntarily leaned towards Xerath, with her hands pressing against her waist. She didn’t immediately push away, but instead held onto her.

The girl’s forehead rested on Xerath’s shoulder, and it instantly felt like some sort of magic potion that ignited the speed of her heartbeat. A loud roar drowned out her ears for a moment, ringing sharply by her side.

"… tongue becomes unresponsive.

The burning passion engulfed my entire body like flames.

Everything in front of me became pitch black.

Thunderous roars echoed in my ears, my mind was buzzing… "

She didn’t dare to move, until the sound of the tide beside her ears subsided, Sylas raised her head from her embrace.

"Um… I…"

Her lips, like rose petals, opened and closed. Now, she was even closer than before, leaning on the table. Sylas supported her waist, leaning forward, and could easily… could touch her with her head lowered.

A warm and refreshing breath surrounded her, her eyes, like emeralds, met hers, as if enchanted by a fairy, emitting a bewitching glow.