The tips of Sylvia’s ears warmed slightly. She was not used to such proximity; for an elf, this was far too intimate.
But she did not back away either. She simply kept her back straight, averted her gaze, and asked, “What kind of favor?”
“Teach me skills!” Wu Yao announced righteously, counting them off on her fingers. “Stealth, Tracking, physical combat—anything is fine. You’re my best partner, after all!”
She put extra emphasis on the word “partner,” but a dazed Sylvia only registered the word “best.”
Those words were like feathers dipped in moonlight, drifting softly into her ears and making her want to scratch them to relieve the tingling sensation.
All elves were born from the branches of the Mother Tree, like thousands of leaves with interconnected veins, indistinguishable from one another.
The love the Mother Tree bestowed upon them was fair; every elf was a kin of the same bloodline, with no distinction of high or low.
Therefore, when one elf said “best” to another, it meant that person stood above all other blood-related kin.
But Wu Yao was not an elf. She probably did not understand this.
Sylvia composed herself and calmly replied, “Alright.”
Seeing Wu Yao’s eyes instantly light up, Sylvia immediately emphasized, “But not right now. I have a mission to attend to. Once I’ve finished my business, I will come find you.”
Wu Yao’s eyes grew even brighter. A mission!
She immediately patted her chest with a series of thumps and said with utmost sincerity, “I’m the most loyal person you’ll ever meet. Your mission is my mission. Let me help you complete it!”
Sylvia looked moved, but her refusal was firm. “That is against the rules.”
As Wu Yao was about to press further, Sylvia reached inside her black robe, took out an object, and held it out to her. “This is a Sound-Recording Stone. It can be used as a medium for Voice Transmission.”
“A Sound-Recording Stone?” Wu Yao looked down at the oval stone chip in her hand and instinctively cast Appraisal.
【Sound-Recording Stone: An oval stone chip with regular patterns on its surface. A faint humming can be heard when held close. A wondrous acoustic pathway exists between two Sound-Recording Stones from the same vein. Briar, the Great Witch of the Burning Night, utilized this property to create Voice Transmission, enabling long-distance communication with instant transmission within a hundred kilometers.】
【Effect: Once activated, establishes a voice connection with a matching Sound-Recording Stone. Each transmission lasts for a maximum of 5 minutes.】
Long-distance communication and instant voice transmission within a hundred kilometers—wasn't this basically a magical telephone?
“I want to learn it!” Wu Yao’s face was filled with anticipation.
Unable to withstand such a gaze, Sylvia cleared her throat, extended her finger, and drew a few arcs in the air.
A pale gold trail remained wherever her fingertip passed, forming a complex yet fluid rune with arcs nested within arcs and a tiny spiral at the corner.
“The core of Voice Transmission is this rune.” She traced it once more, moving even slower this time so Wu Yao could memorize the movement of her finger.
“Did you see it clearly?”
Wu Yao followed along and traced it herself. Sylvia glanced at her in pleasant surprise and nodded in approval.
“Just like that. Activate it using the wind element and direct it toward a target—it can be a person, or it can be a Sound-Recording Stone.”
“Does it have to be the wind element?” Wu Yao had not unlocked the wind element yet, and she furrowed her brows at her own selection of elements.
“Of course. Why?” Sylvia was perplexed.
Witches were beloved by all elements; to them, there were only elements they used frequently and no elements they could not use. Sylvia, being an elf, shared a similar nature.
Assuming Wu Yao simply had an elemental preference, she explained further, “Voice Transmission itself is a wind-element spell, and the acoustic pathway of the Sound-Recording Stone also requires the wind element as a carrier.”
“I don’t know how to use the wind element.” Wu Yao recalled what she had read in the Mage Apprentice's Notebook and asked uncertainty, “Do I need to jump off a cliff to sense the wind element?”
Sylvia’s expression froze.
“By the Moon Goddess!” She clutched her head and let out an exclamation that was almost a shriek.
Wu Yao took a step back, wondering why this elf had suddenly lost her mind.
Sylvia lowered her hands, her expression shifting from shock to a complex mix of anger and worry.
She grabbed Wu Yao’s shoulders with both hands, her voice solemn. “Tell me, who told you to do that?”
Sylvia’s gnashing teeth made Wu Yao realize something was wrong.
She answered honestly, “I killed a Mage Apprentice, and the notebook he had on him wrote exactly that.”
Sylvia’s expression darkened even further. She let go of Wu Yao’s shoulders and let out a cold snort, her voice stiff. “Hmph, what do those plagiarists know about the elements!”
After saying this, she suddenly fell silent.
Wu Yao was merely a newborn witch who had awakened eleven days ago, without a Mentor to guide her or any inheritance to direct her.
She had stumbled her way through figuring out elemental spells on her own, even having to learn how to perceive elements from a plagiarist’s notes.
Centuries ago...
Sylvia closed her eyes, suppressing her surging emotions.
Her voice softened considerably, sounding much gentler, even filled with pity.
“Elemental perception does not require such dangerous methods.”
She raised her hand, a faint wisp of wind condensing at her fingertip. “Those are just reckless attempts by plagiarists who don’t know any better.”
“Elemental perception is a compulsory course for newborn witches. Since you’ve already figured out elemental spells on your own, elemental perception shouldn’t be difficult for you.”
Sylvia glanced at the sun, which was already tilting westward. “I must depart after the sun sets. I hope there’s enough time to go over the basics with you.”
Sylvia led Wu Yao through the winding alleys of Qinghe Town, stopping in front of an abandoned mill.
The mill’s stone walls were covered in dead vines, and half of its windmill blades were missing, groaning creakily in the afternoon breeze.
“Let’s do it here.” Sylvia raised her hand, a wisp of pale gold light slipping from her fingertip.
The light crawled along the walls like a living thing, weaving a translucent curtain around the mill.
Wu Yao curiously reached out and poked the light curtain, feeling a slight resistance at her fingertip. Sylvia explained casually, “This is a simple Soundproofing Spell.”
Wu Yao wanted to learn it, but she held herself back.
“Which elements have you perceived so far?” Sylvia conjured two cushions, handing one to Wu Yao while she sat down casually on the other.
“Fire, water, earth, and wood.”
Sylvia looked somewhat surprised, but not entirely shocked.
Given the affinity elements had for witches, perceiving them was only a matter of time. However, Wu Yao’s progress could be considered rapid even when compared to those young witches who had Mentors.
“Every witch must learn to ‘see’ the elements. Only then can they truly utilize them.”
As if recalling something, Sylvia’s voice grew slightly deeper. “Normally, newborn witches learn elemental perception together during the Lunar Gathering ritual. For now, I shall do the honors in their stead.”
Rate on N.U.
