Chapter 237

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Chapter 237

"It cannot be seen by the public. Allowing you to study it is already the biggest concession I can make."

"So, what should we do about these?"

Xerath couldn’t help but sigh. "No problem, I can give you some limited guidance, as it’s not my area of expertise. I can also introduce you to colleagues to discuss these issues. If you can’t let go of them, you can even start working on it now and continue until you finish. But it can’t be your thesis, I insist on that."

It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was poured over Sylas. She took deep breaths, feeling frustrated to the point of wanting to kneel down on the ground. Xerath had never been like this before, she had never restricted her thoughts or said anything disappointing, and even if she did, it was surely harmless. Anyway, Sylas couldn’t remember anything now.

She was completely surrounded by a sense of overwhelming defeat. The method offered by the slippery water lord didn’t work at all, and her plan to regain Xerath’s attention completely failed—although for a while earlier, Xerath’s gaze stayed on her.

Xerath pushed the chair aside and walked slowly to her side. Hesitatingly, she placed her hand on her shoulder and whispered, "I’m afraid you’ll have to think of another topic. Did you prepare more than just this one?"

"No, I only prepared this one." Taking a gamble, she chose the one she was most interested in, hoping that she would still hear those words that would make her heart skip a beat, "I like you… Your thoughts are like secrets whispered to you by a Creator." Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

She didn’t like it, she simply didn’t. Sylas felt a sense of fear and realized that she had lost the only ability that could make Xerath pay attention to her.

Xerath raised her hand, wanting to brush aside the stray hair near her ear (compared to six months ago, Sylas’s hair had grown much longer), but then felt that this gesture was too intimate. If she had a clear conscience—like their teacher Emerson, for example—she could understand it as the affection of an elder towards a younger person, but…

But what if she felt guilty?

She could only lower her half-raised arm and comfort her, saying, "It’s okay, you can use these in the future. I once told you that during your revision, you would come up with many interesting ideas. I told you that there might even be inspiration for your graduation thesis among them. Did you write them down?"

Sylas reluctantly nodded and took out a small notebook from her pocket, which had always been the place where she recorded her inspirations.

Xerath returned to her seat, while Sylas mumbled and read out the topics she had come up with, with Xerath writing one for each. Xerath always wrote slower than Sylas spoke, so when Sylas paused to wait for her to finish writing, she would stare at Xerath’s hand.

Fair and slender, with well-proportioned bones and flesh, she realized that there had been many opportunities to hold Xerath’s hand. The touch was not as cold and hard as it seemed, but instead filled with an incredible softness and warmth, which kept her gaze fixed on it.

The archmage didn’t feel the burning gaze, she just made a sound to signal her to continue when she paused.

"That’s all."

"Is that all? I think it’s enough… I have been working on Bayes conjecture recently, and I dare say you can’t be faster than me. Tell me your thoughts?"

Sylas shared some thoughts about Bayes conjecture, but to Xerath, they seemed quite basic. "Your approach is similar to mine, so it’s impossible for you to be faster than me. If I publish it before you, you won’t be able to use it as your thesis. But would you like to be involved in my work?"

"Do you need any help?"

Xerath looked up at her and pushed her glasses up. "I hate to disappoint you, but I have to be honest: I don’t need any help. My own efficiency is enough."

Sylas was indeed disappointed. Xerath had always been like this, enjoying her own company and working alone. No one understood her, and she didn’t need anyone to understand her, so she didn’t need any help at all.

"You can continue researching crystallization if you want. Are you willing? Although I don’t know much about these specialized topics, I can provide support and analysis based on fundamental theories. This is something you can do. I can take you to meet Lapis, and you can talk to him."

Sylas hesitated. Crystallization was a good idea, but it would require her to measure more crystallization areas to discover hidden patterns. This meant she had to leave home and travel around the world. And Xerath had just mentioned that her research on Bayes conjecture was at an important stage. She couldn’t leave and waste time wandering around in other places with her. The inevitable result was that she had to go on the journey alone and separate from Xerath.

Coming home to write a paper is just so I can spend more time with Xerath, right?

But before she could object, Xerath immediately drew a checkmark beside this topic, saying, "This is something you can focus on. Let’s move on to the next one."

Without giving Sylas a chance to raise some mild objections, Xerath moved on to the next one and asked, "Asymmetrical scrolls? Can you explain?"

"Um… to put it simply, it’s a constant in the formula for scroll intensity. I just think it’s… not very classic."

"Classic" here is a very old-fashioned adjective. The ancient magicians of the Old Order believe that symmetry and completeness are characteristics of everything related to magic. It includes things like being divisible, being able to be divided equally, adhering to the golden ratio, and being constructible using a compass and straightedge. So this estimated average value obtained from "twenty thousand scroll tests," a rough value equal to three point zero four two three seven two, can never be called classic, right?

"But the intensity formula is indeed classical." So if an unclassical element is mixed in, it would feel very out of place, "I’m certain someone must be trying to figure out what’s going on."

"In fact, there are." Xerath pulled out a notebook from the bottom shelf of the desk nearby. "I used to think that way too, so I attempted to study it, but I came up empty-handed and had to believe the measurements."

Sylas accepted the notebook with great solemnity, as if receiving a king’s scepter. Holding it with both hands, she quickly flipped it open and glanced at the yellowed pages.

What caught her attention more than the contents was the handwriting, which appeared very childish.

"Teacher, when is this from?"

Xerath paused for a moment and replied, "When I was your age."

This answer somehow made Sylas laugh. Her bright green eyes slightly narrowed as she smiled at Xerath and said, "I really want to see what you looked like back then."

With a hint of a smile on her lips, Xerath blinked and lowered her head, saying, "There’s nothing special to see. I was quite unsociable and arrogant back then. I often offended people with just a few words. If you were to meet me, you might be scared away and never like me again."

Sylas didn’t quite believe this. She thought that the Xerath from back then must have looked more innocent compared to now, maybe lacking the wisdom and calmness that comes with time, and instead closer to that kind of exuberant young student. It must have been a different aura, definitely quite adorable.

"Back then, we didn’t have the technology to connect experiments, so conducting tests cost a lot of money. After the development of the connecting technology, did no one think about redoing the experiment?"

Xerath pushed her glasses up, as if about to express something serious, but her mischievous eyes gave her away. Sure enough, she said with a hint of nostalgia, "Although the development of connecting technology made these experiments easier and cheaper, it also attracted criticism and ridicule from the ‘moguls’ and the Sauran family. That old man was caught by the Foundation Review Committee."

Sylas laughed along with her.

"Which one do you find more interesting?"

Sylas stopped smiling and remained silent, still looking at the witchcraft research as if it had already started.

Xerath felt both frustrated and amused, sighed, and said with a laugh, "Sylas, look over here. Besides witchcraft."

"I choose… I choose scrolls. First, I have the one you gave me," she raised the notes in her hand, "and second, I don’t have to leave your…tower. I mean, you were concerned about my safety, so you made me report my whereabouts until the day I graduate. If I go out alone, I’m sure to encounter some unexpected trouble."

Xerath herself pondered this question. She couldn’t just put down her work, and crystal formations were not the kind of landscapes that were spread throughout the city. They were often far away from the towns with Portals, mostly in remote places. If she followed Sylas, she wouldn’t be able to access the references and her work would undoubtedly be delayed.

But she couldn’t let Sylas go out on her own either. Who knows what strange and unusual things aside from demons would be attracted to her?

Fortunately, Sylas had chosen a job that didn’t require her to wander around. It just required her to spend a bit more money. The archmage, who had already donated one hundred thousand gold coins, didn’t mind whether Sylas’s repeated experiments cost ten thousand or twenty thousand coins.

Xerath seemed satisfied with this answer and noted Sylas’s paper below her own work schedule. She looked up and asked, "When do you plan to show me your revised plan?"

"Um… next week at this time?"

Normally, this time would be feasible, but today, the old mage didn’t let her young apprentice off the hook and deliberately said, "A week? Did it really take you just a week to prepare all those things you seem so well-prepared with?"

"Um… um… it’s not the same." Sylas explained with a pouty face, "This is a summary and continuation of my previous work, I have lots of ideas. But this," she gestured to the notes in her hand, "I don’t have."

"I hope my notes can help you." She said and lowered her head, showing that she didn’t plan to communicate with Sylas anymore.