The room was spacious, and at a glance, many books could be seen, with rows of books lined up on the shelves against the walls.
On the table deep inside the room, books were piled high like a small mountain, and behind the book mountain sat a bald old man with a white beard.
Claude slowly raised his head and comforted Melissa when he saw her, "I’ve already heard about the situation in Dur Valley, my condolences. With wizards involved, there’s nothing anyone could do. From now on, stay at the academy and focus on your studies; you are safe here."
"Thank you, teacher." Melissa wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Who is this?" Claude looked at Herag.
Herag introduced himself, "My name is Herag Merlin. I was originally a guard for Baron Buck, but now I’m on the path of pursuing the wizard’s footsteps. I came this time to ask Master Claude some questions."
Claude was surprised, stood up, and asked earnestly, "Do you have the wizard’s aptitude?"
"I am currently a wizard apprentice," Herag replied.
"Do you have a teacher?" Claude asked.
Claude nodded, "I understand, you must want to join the wizard organization." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet
"Yes, but I know nothing about it, so I came to seek advice from the knowledgeable master." Herag noticed from Claude’s expression that he indeed knew something.
Claude laughed, "Knowledgeable? Compared to wizards, I’m just an uncivilized savage from a cave. You’ve come too late, the ship for wizard apprentices already left three months ago, and I don’t know when the next one will come, it could be three months or even three years."
"Three years?" Herag recalled Malcolm mentioning before that the ships passing by the Coleson Continent were rare.
Claude saw Herag’s disappointment, "The sea is full of unexpected situations, so the ship’s schedule is never certain. There’s no need to rush, use this time to prepare well. You probably haven’t studied the Sivir Language yet?"
"Sivir Language?" Herag had never heard of this language.
"It’s an ancient common language, and if you want to walk the wizard’s path, you must learn Sivir Language." Claude said as he walked to the bookshelf and took down a heavy book.
The language on the book cover was unrecognizable to Herag, but it looked somewhat like the English alphabet.
"This book is called ’Sivir General Language,’ and you can learn with me in the future," Claude said, handing the book to Herag.
Herag took it and thanked him, "Thank you, Master!"
Claude looked at Herag with envy and earnestly said, "Being young is wonderful. I once yearned for wizards too, but unfortunately, I lacked the aptitude. If I could have a student become a wizard in my lifetime, it would be a dream come true."
"Herag, call him teacher!" Melissa was very excited, frantically hinting with her eyes.
Herag also realized, smiled, and said, "Herag greets the teacher!"
"Hahaha! Good child." Claude laughed heartily, stroking his beard.
Melissa laughed and said, "From now on, you’ll have to call me senior sister."
"Then let’s start the first lesson today, the introduction to Sivir Language." Claude dragged out a blackboard from a side room and directly began teaching.
Herag listened carefully. Sivir Language was very similar to English, with thirty-four basic letters that combine to form different words, and the grammar wasn’t complicated.
He had the aid of Shenlan, so he learned very quickly.
"Sivir Language database established."
Shenlan recorded the relevant information of Sivir Language, so now even if Herag doesn’t continue learning, Shenlan could help him translate it.
"Such great talent!" After two hours, Claude became more and more satisfied with this student.
He had never seen a student learn a language this fast; he could only describe it as genius.
Claude praised, "Melissa is already a very smart child, but Herag is the most gifted student I’ve ever seen."
Herag humbly said, "Teacher’s teaching is excellent. Teacher, I’d like to go to the library to look up some information."
"You can use my library card first; just return it when yours is ready." Claude took out his library card from the drawer of the table.
He had long stopped needing this thing; you didn’t need a library card to enter the library, facial recognition was enough.
The library card was made of wood, crafted very elegantly.
Herag suspected that only Claude’s library card was ; ordinary students couldn’t possibly use such good wood, as just the material itself would cost some money.
At night, Herag and a group of people were having dinner together.
Emil spoke up, "We checked it out today; there’s a Mercenary Guild here, and we’re planning to take on some tasks. Some tasks offer pretty high rewards."
Melissa worriedly said, "High rewards indicate high risks too. You don’t need to rush into earning money; safety is the most important."
Emil patted his chest, "Don’t worry, I’m an official knight, and with Jimmy and the others, who have worked together for many years, we can handle most tasks easily."
"If you need my help, feel free to ask," Herag proactively said.
"Herag, you should focus on preparing for the wizard’s practice; your future path is farther than ours, and you can’t waste time on these mercenary tasks," Emil declined Herag’s good intention, not wanting to delay Herag over money matters.
"Sometimes I need to stretch my bones too. The ship’s arrival is uncertain, and there will be fewer and fewer opportunities to fight alongside you in the future." Herag poured a glass of wine, drank it to show respect first.
The group drank until late, and only then did they disperse. Herag didn’t rest but continued to meditate while gazing at the starry sky outside the window.
He was engaging in the meditation of the second star.
Meditation on the second star was a bit slower than before, as without the assistance of Meteor Grass, the progress was too slow.
As the night passed, while Emil and the others were still asleep, Herag had already arrived at the Nosentan Academy’s library.
The library was a circular six-story high building, considered a magnificent architecture in this world.
"You’re not a student of our academy, are you? Do you have a library card?" The guard stopped Herag; Herag’s demeanor was completely different from an ordinary student, easily distinguishable at a glance.
The guard watched Herag vigilantly, feeling that the person before him was very dangerous.
"I’m a student of Master Claude, here is the library card." Herag presented Claude’s library card.
"This..." The guard checked the library card; it was indeed genuine, but he had never heard of Claude accepting such a student.
"I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait a moment. I need to verify this," the guard said politely.
"Okay, I understand, thank you." Herag wasn’t in a hurry to force his way inside, so he waited at the entrance for a bit.
The guard, seeing his good attitude, breathed a sigh of relief, smiled apologetically, and went inside to find the library director.
Ten minutes later, the guard returned, respectfully handing the library card back with both hands, "Mr. Herag, you may enter now."
"Thank you!" Herag said with a smile.