Chapter 282
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Chapter 282
Time didn’t pass by faster without Xerath. On the contrary, each day became particularly tough. After eating out for three days at Star Song Castle, she finally couldn’t bear it and decided to go to the North Tower Base of Sisters Hall.
As graduation approached, everyone was extremely busy. Especially Swis, who was busy taking makeup exams in various subjects in hopes of graduating smoothly. Otherwise, he would have to spend money to study for another year, which the Rost Family could hardly afford.
But even so, Sister Luna and Aunt Jane still gave Sylas a lot of warm comfort after they learned that she finally moved out of Aimekotes.
"Why would this happen? She should have loved you very much…" But Sister Luna still found it unbelievable, and even Sylas felt disappointed just like her.
Aunt Jane seemed to say very rationally, "This is also a form of love, you can’t always live under her protection. Just like the Archmage said and demonstrated, she wants you to become a great wizard, with achievements that are not inferior to hers. Of course, she hopes that you can fly on your own." She said earnestly, "There is a magical bird on the ocean that can fly over a thousand miles without making any stops. It is probably as powerful as the Archmage among birds."
"Yes! Sylas, without a doubt she cherishes your talent."
Sylas thought to herself: Of course I know that, but this is not the kind of cherishing I want.
Sister Luna also knew this, but she didn’t know how to go from this kind of cherishing to the kind that would bring comfort. They exchanged a glance and could see the perplexity in each other’s eyes.
"But… I can’t see her anymore. What should I do if she doesn’t want to see me? I have no way to go back."
Aunt Jane said, "Wait a minute, there is a solution, it’s just a matter of whether you are willing to do it."
The two of them looked up at her together. Aunt Jane straightened her chest and said, "The easiest way to meet the Archmage, who lives in seclusion in the depths of the desert, is to go to the place where she will definitely go."
"How would I know where she’s going?"
Jane smirked slyly and said, "I know! Even on the eve of graduation ceremony, us students who work for the school still have to do our jobs. Did you forget where I have a part-time job?" Jane has always been working part-time at the school’s labor union. Though the salary is lower, the benefit is that the workplace is right on campus, and she can build good relationships with the teachers. She handles countless pieces of information, and under Swis’ analysis, they become even more valuable. "All the meeting-related content that will be notified to Star Song Castle’s labor union will go through me. I am well aware of the archmage’s movements."
That’s true. The School’s labor union management department will definitely have the list of participants. And Xerath won’t easily agree to go to a meeting, so if she agrees, she will definitely go. Sylas has been handling her emails for a long time and knows her habits very well.
Jane confidently said, "Based on my observations and calculations, the meetings that the archmage is known to attend in the next two years are, first of all, those closely related to the little fairy…"
"With me?" She felt that she and Xerath are completely unrelated and couldn’t think of any connection between them, except for their names.
Jane looked at her with surprise, "Of course! What are you thinking, my little fairy? The archmage spent a hundred thousand gold coins to establish a foundation for you! She will definitely attend the foundation’s evaluation meeting, as well as several important meetings supported by the foundation."
"…This foundation also supports important meetings?" She felt like she had no idea that Xerath would be concerned about these things. But when she was busy, Xerath would occasionally disappear for a few days, especially during their little conflicts.
"Of course, there are," Luna nodded, "such as the Red Soil Yard meeting." It’s about how to naturally and philosophically raise pets. "And the Klurong Workshop."
Sylas frowned and asked, "…Don’t tell me it’s the Witchcraft Research Society?"
"Yes! And it’s hosted by Emerson, so the archmage always goes to support."
No wonder they were having a great conversation at the graduation ceremony. Sylas suddenly remembered that Xerath had once said, "Teachers we admired in the past turn out to be nothing special as we grow up." Ignoring the twist that followed, a warning bell rang in her heart, and she thought to herself, "I must definitely go and check it out."
"That’s settled then! You know, the twin’s family is already prepared. If Swis doesn’t graduate with enough points, he will take a one-year extension. During this period, Caroline will find a decent job at Star Song Castle, and we’ll continue our research in your tower, okay?"
" ‘We’?" Sylas noticed the word she used.
"Oh no, Towerken didn’t take me in this year."
"What about Jane?"
"As long as you’re willing to pay me, I can work for you. We haven’t been to your new house yet! Let’s go and see?"
"Hmm…" Sylas led the way lackadaisically. Lake Yongning, which was beautiful and tranquil, welcomed its first guests, but they soon discovered that the little fairy had no attachment to this lovely place. Most of the things at home were still packed, waiting to be unpacked. Only one room, a lab and study, had a half-filled bookshelf.
Jane and Luna exchanged glances, their momentary communication was probably to exclude outsiders. Anyway, no one understood what it meant.
When they were leaving, Jane suggested having a meal together. Sylas immediately agreed, and Jane realized through conversation that Sylas didn’t even have her own Fire Lord.
"Then how do you eat?"
"Eat… outside?"
"After you finish eating, where are you going?"
"The library… or maybe visit the market."
Jane felt puzzled and asked, "And then?"
"Go home and sleep."
"What about in the morning?"
"Come out to eat."
"Finished eating?"
"Library…"
The little fairy really didn’t want to stay at home, but Lake Yongning was a very beautiful and quiet place. Nowhere else had such clear blue waters and layered greens, nor did anywhere else have mountains glowing with sunset colors. Her unusual behavior was, of course, because…
When Jane looked up, she noticed that Luna was also looking at her.
"Actually… we can also rent a function room, not necessarily in your mage tower. That way, it will be more convenient for both of us to come and go."
"I’m not in the mood to look at houses…"
"Sister Luna will take care of it!" Luna quickly patted her chest, making a loud sound.
Luna’s speed in finding a house made Sylas think that she had planned everything in advance. However, considering that Luna didn’t really have a motive to plan ahead, Sylas accompanied her with doubts to the designated place. As a result, the place turned out to be Miss Slote’s property, which was incredibly messy and dirty, beyond imagination. It was hard to imagine that the owner of the house was a cleaner.
Then she suddenly realized that perhaps Miss Slote had some hidden past, and because of that, like her, she didn’t want to go home.
Luckily, Mrs. Slote had a lot of old-fashioned experimental equipment in her house. After cleaning it, the worn-out lab table looked elegantly antique. It took them about three days to clean up and they also rented Mrs. Slote’s guest rooms.
"It’s been about 500 years since it was this lively here," said the cleaning lady, followed by four magical brooms. Leunen’s impure body wriggled across the floor, almost turning black.
"I don’t think anyone has cleaned this place in 500 years. I feel like the floor can’t even get clean!"
"Nonsense, I cleaned it last month," the homeowner argued.
The rent was very cheap. The biggest studio cost three gold coins per month, and the rooms cost two coins. Eventually, Luna couldn’t resist and moved in. The three of them pooled their money to pay for the meals, but after trying Mrs. Slote’s cooking, Luna persuaded Caroline to hurry up and learn how to summon her Fire Lord. Eventually, they even escorted her to Star Song Castle under the supervision of the guild.
"As a proper magician, how can your tower not have a fire lord chef?" under the watchful eyes of their two friends, Sylas finally attempted to summon this elemental creature that she had never encountered before. However, just as she felt a sense of familiarity with the creature, it also pondered for a while, resting its chin on its hand.
The personified skull asked, "Do you… know Elvis?" After receiving a positive answer, it expelled a burst of flames, heating up the not-so-tall dome, turning it red. "Oh! I knew I was good at recognizing humans! Little magician, when my cousin came back on vacation, he told me your story a hundred times. It’s lucky for you to meet me. Our family has twelve more secret recipes than their family! All of them are confidential, like…"
Jane quietly asked Sylas, "Does your lord have so much to say because there’s something wrong with you?"
"But I don’t talk much!"
With the encouragement of her good friends, she didn’t have much time to feel sad. Since spring when Xerath kicked her out, until now when the maple leaves turned red all over the mountains, she has gained some popularity. Now everyone knows that she is a disciple of the powerful archmage Xerath. However, with this recognition also comes pressure. Some people believe that she will surpass Xerath’s achievements in her lifetime, while others think she will always live in Xerath’s shadow.
But none of these things really matter to Sylas.
She is now in her home in Lake Yongning, looking at the red sky in the west from her beautiful and breezy terrace. The whole sky is dyed in a magnificent fiery red, as if a phoenix has spread its wings. The West Wind Vein flows through the center of the desert and gradually loses its magic as it nears the desert’s edge, cascading down from the sky like a waterfall. And Lake Yongning, surrounded by mountains, seems to be the center of this "wind".
There are very few beings like her in this world. She was lucky enough to have encountered one when she was young, but that same being abandoned her.
She sighed deeply as she soaked in the gentle breeze, her thoughts filled with sadness from yesterday’s long-awaited meeting with Xerath.
It was neither too salty nor too bland, neither too cold nor too hot. In the middle of it all, she lost control for a moment, and then they awkwardly said their goodbyes. She couldn’t sleep the whole night and has been regretting this ever since.
The rosy light shines warmly on her face, while the hot desert wind from above bakes the snow-capped mountains and glaciers, bringing a moist and cool breath that gently touches her face, as if saying, "I have kissed the scent of a king."
Xerath is… right at the other end of the wind.
But at that moment, the guardian spell at the entrance of Lake Yongning was triggered. As a signal bell rings when someone visits, Lake Yongning is a place where hardly anyone would come due to its geography. Friends who come to visit would definitely not use the main gate, but would make an appointment in advance and have Sylas come out to receive them.
She looked at the spreading wings of the phoenix, its wings seemed to gradually wither, turning into purple-grey ashes.