Chapter 24: Arcane Garden

Mentioning his younger brother, Sami became talkative again, "It's a pity my brother's talent was too poor. He stayed in the Mage Tower for three years and still couldn't become an Official Apprentice. My family really couldn't afford an untalented apprentice, so we let him go back; he left just yesterday."

Xia Duo was silent. The agreement period for an Apprentice to join the Mage Tower is three years. If one has no intention of making progress, it is nothing more than a job with low pay and a chance to gain some experience.

But if one harbors the desire to progress, no amount of money is enough to cover the cost.

Xia Duo could tell that Sami's family situation was likely decent, at least wealthier than Xiao Nier's family, but even so, they could not afford to have two children studying Magic at the same time.

He seemed to feel the pressure again.

……

It wasn't until they reached the location of the Arcane Garden that Sami restrained his emotions slightly, turning back into the image of a Mage that Xia Duo remembered: rational and indifferent.

Stepping out of the Elevator is the Arcane Garden. The entire second floor is like an independent space, with farmland, livestock pens, rivers, a mill, and houses.

The destination for Xia Duo and the others was the area with the houses. From afar, they saw a middle-aged man in a linen shirt with bare arms standing in front of a row of stone houses, staring intently at a book in his hands, completely indifferent to the arrival of Xia Duo and the others.

"Master Mage, we are here to supplement the manpower for the Arcane Garden." After getting closer, Sami said softly.

"Hmm. Sami, is it? And Xia Duo." The Mage looked at Sami, then glanced at Xia Duo, and said, "Arrange all the work yourselves. I don't look at the process, only the results. Go on, and don't bother me unless there's something important."

Xia Duo had seen several Official Mages act this way. Sami had spent even more time in the Mage Tower than Xia Duo and was long accustomed to it, so he called Xia Duo and the others to walk toward the stone houses.

"Xia Duo, come here." Sami pulled Xia Duo aside mysteriously, away from the others, into a corner inside the house. "Use them for whatever you need. It doesn't hurt us to have a few more people working. Just help them ask a question at the end of the month."

"……"

Xia Duo nodded to show he understood. Using questioning opportunities to exchange for other resources was not Xia Duo's exclusive method; other Official Apprentices must have long since developed similar exchanges, with the only difference being the price.

"How many people are here? Do all Official Apprentices do this?" Xia Duo asked.

"About 30 people, I don't know the exact number, but as for Official Apprentices, I know there are only 3, including us."

"So few Official Apprentices?"

"That's not few. The work of an Official Apprentice is generally related to Magic, and the Arcane Garden has no threshold."

Xia Duo nodded thoughtfully. The total number of Official Apprentices might not be small, but Ordinary Apprentices rarely have contact with Official Apprentices, so they will always seize the opportunity to trade for a chance to ask a question.

Just like Dien; when Xia Duo proposed the trade at the time, he was incredibly excited.

It seems Sami is likely at the bottom among the Official Apprentices, but Xia Duo is an even lower bottom-feeder than Sami, not even having touched the edge of the key Magic 【Mending】 required to become an Official Apprentice, as mentioned by Dien.

Still need to work hard!

……

While Xia Duo and Sami agreed to trade questioning opportunities for others to do their work so they could do their own things, the three Ordinary Apprentices on the other side had changed into their work clothes and were ready to start.

Seeing that neither Xia Duo nor Sami had changed their clothes, they were not surprised at all. They were all "old apprentices" in the Mage Tower and must have already understood the unspoken rules of the Arcane Garden before coming.

For them, the more Official Apprentices there are, the better, because each additional one means one more question can be asked at the end of the month. Moreover, the more people there are, the easier it is to coordinate what questions to ask, avoiding major disagreements.

Just like that, Xia Duo and Sami began their official "labor" for the day.

During this time, Sami introduced Xia Duo to another Official Apprentice in the Arcane Garden, Dewan, and after a brief conversation, they parted ways.

Xia Duo found an apple tree full of fruit, took off his Mage robe to lay it on the ground, leaned against the trunk, and began to memorize Netherese characters.

At this moment, Xia Duo actually felt like he was about to take the college entrance exam, but before the real exam, he was never as self-disciplined as he was now!

……

The Arcane Garden is mainly used for growing food and raising livestock. Unlike other floors where the temperature is kept at the most comfortable level for the human body, the temperature here is quite hot. Even after taking off his Mage robe, Xia Duo still felt somewhat hot, and he didn't know how Sami solved it.

Besides the heat, there is the light. The light in the Arcane Garden is like the midday sun. Even hiding in the shade of the apple tree, staring at the words on the Parchment for a long time made his eyes sting and ache.

This place was originally a place for work, only being utilized by Xia Duo and the others for study; it is not a true place for learning.

After memorizing for a while, Xia Duo felt his head swell and his eyes go dark—not from fatigue, but from the sun.

Imagine, at noon on the hottest days of summer, even studying in the shade requires a strong will.

Focus, as one of the core elements of Mage Spellcasting, largely stems from will. Yet, modern people are accustomed to a life of luxury, and what they lack most is will.

Xia Duo is making progress, but at this specific moment, his willpower is clearly insufficient. He thought of the Official Mage he saw earlier—wasn't he also reading a book seriously?

And he wasn't even in the shade.

As for Sami, Xia Duo no longer bothered to think about how Sami was doing; he should be concerned about himself.

He pinched the inside of his thigh hard.

"Hiss—"

Xia Duo immediately felt a sharp pain spread through his whole body, but his spirit also became incredibly focused in that instant. Then, using this momentary focus, he continued to study the Netherese characters.

He knew that using physical pain to improve focus was a crooked path, but he also knew that before his mental will could overcome the inertia of his body, necessary stimulation was acceptable.

Just like that, the morning passed.

When Xia Duo appeared on the Elevator limping, Sami and the other Official Apprentice, Dewan, looked at him with strange expressions, but they didn't say anything.

As for the Ordinary Apprentices, they wouldn't say anything either; they were already tired after working for half a day and were only concerned with themselves, so they had no energy to care about others.

……

Lunch was eaten in the first-floor cafeteria. Compared to breakfast and dinner, the lunch hour was noticeably livelier, and it was a rare time for the apprentices to chat for a while.

And compared to the monotony of breakfast and dinner, lunch was relatively rich. In addition to the bread and cheese from breakfast and dinner, there was also a small slice of roasted meat, lettuce leaves, and half a cup of wine.

Wine required one's own container; the cafeteria did not provide them. Fortunately, Xia Duo carried his wooden wine cup with him.

After lunch, Xia Duo found Sami and asked:

"There are other apprentices in the Arcane Garden in the morning; can we not go?"

Although one can train focus and will there, the actual learning efficiency is not as good as in other places, especially in Xia Duo's current situation where he urgently needs to learn Netherese characters.

However, Sami's answer was negative. "You don't think the end-of-month attendance is decided solely by that Master Mage, do you? There are also records from the Tower Spirit. Leaving the Arcane Garden during working hours is absenteeism. You can bring your books and notes there; it's the same."

It might be the same for you, but it's not necessarily the same for me, Xia Duo complained in his heart. He gave up on this plan; since that was the case, he would have to make good use of the other time.

Afterward, the two parted ways.