Chapter 48: It’s so great that Jingjing, the top student, successfully received the mission!...

The quiet academic star was now fifteen and considerably taller than he had been five years ago.

In ordinary human terms, he had been about 150 centimeters tall at ten. Now, at fifteen, he had grown to 175 centimeters.

He had shot up remarkably fast and was nearly as tall as an adult Fairy, though his build was a little slender, clearly that of an adolescent.

Shu Li had not seen the quiet academic star at dinner, yet here he was outside the Mission Hall.

Kumandi glanced over the four Little Fairies and asked in puzzlement, “What are you doing here?”

The Mission Hall was where Fairies posted missions. Those who came here usually intended either to accept a mission or post one. Why were these four five-year-old Little Fairies rushing inside?

“We want to find the amethyst tree,” Angel said first.

“Cathy said teams from the Mission Hall regularly travel to the amethyst tree to gather materials,” Dixio added.

“You need a good shaft to make a magic staff.” Budeno spread his arms wide to demonstrate. “Mr. Serpent gave Sperien a huge piece of sunstone.”

Kumandi roughly understood what they meant. His violet eyes turned toward Shu Li.

Shu Li nodded and summed it up. “So we came to see whether any teams will be going to the amethyst tree soon.”

Kumandi frowned. “All of you want to go?”

“That’s right!” Shu Li replied. “Cathy said you can only obtain the finest branch suited to you by praying to the amethyst tree in person.”

Although he was only a Mage Apprentice right now, there was nothing stopping him from making a high-grade magic staff in advance.

When Mr. Serpent learned that he had begun studying magic, he had gone somewhere dangerous specifically to obtain an exceptional piece of sunstone for him. How could Shu Li possibly let him down?

Of course he had to turn it into a magic staff as soon as possible, study hard, and strive to become a high-ranking mage.

Once he became a high-ranking mage, he would be able to grow bigger!

Then he could freely explore any part of the forest and visit Mr. Serpent often.

Shu Li frankly told Kumandi what he was thinking. After listening, Kumandi fell silent for a moment before saying to them, “Follow me.”

“Yay!”

The Little Fairies clapped their hands and happily followed the black-haired adolescent Fairy into the Mission Hall.

Many adult and adolescent Fairies had gathered before the mission wall in the lobby. Whenever they found a suitable mission, they flew over to the reception counters to accept it.

Kumandi led the Little Fairies straight to reception counter number four.

The adult Fairy sitting behind the counter looked curiously at Kumandi and the four tiny figures behind him.

“Hello, Kumandi. Why are you back?”

“I want to bring four more Little Fairies,” Kumandi said. “The Fairy who posted the mission didn’t set a limit on the number of participants.”

The adult Fairy’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at the four adorable five-year-olds. “Are you sure?”

The road to the amethyst tree might not be dangerous, but was it really appropriate to bring along four Little Fairies who could not use magic?

“I’m sure.” Kumandi nodded solemnly.

The adult Fairy shrugged. “All right!”

There would be three adult Fairies on the team as well, so they should be able to keep the little ones safe.

“Come along, little cuties. Sign your names in this book.” The adult Fairy placed a notebook and a quill on the counter.

Shu Li had not expected everything to be settled so easily. It had taken less than a minute from beginning to end, astonishingly fast.

He picked up the quill and wrote his Fairy name in Elven script in the space the adult Fairy indicated.

Sperien.

After writing the tadpole-like script for five years, he had become very proficient at it.

“What beautiful handwriting you have, little cutie!” the adult Fairy exclaimed when she saw Shu Li’s signature.

“Thank you.” Shu Li smiled graciously.

Over the past five years, he had written countless Elven characters in his determination to master the language.

Copy, copy, and keep copying until he remembered them.

Combined with the calligraphy skills he already possessed, his unchanged writing habits had gradually developed into a distinctive personal style despite the unfamiliar script.

Even the quiet academic star had praised his beautiful Elven handwriting!

Shu Li proudly tilted up his little head.

Amused by his confidence, the adult Fairy praised him several more times, until Shu Li began to feel a little embarrassed.

Dixio signed second.

He picked up the quill and finished writing his name with a few rapid strokes.

Compared to Shu Li’s handwriting, his was much messier.

Angel and Budeno then signed their own names. One wrote with delicate elegance, while the other’s handwriting looked childish.

The adult Fairy looked at Budeno’s plump little hand and smiled.

The little fellow was the chubbiest Little Fairy she had ever seen.

If he did not control his weight, he might not even be able to fly in the future.

Completely unaware of the adult Fairy’s concern, Budeno cheerfully set down the quill and flew over to Shu Li, where he obediently waited for further instructions.

The adult Fairy took four beautiful magical crystal tokens from a drawer behind the counter. “These are your mission tokens. Make sure you take good care of them! Once the mission is complete, you can use them to collect your payment.”

“Wow, we get paid too?” Budeno looked delighted.

He had just been worrying about his lack of money, only for an opportunity to earn some to appear.

How wonderful!

“Yes. A reward must be offered when a mission is posted, or no Fairy would be willing to accept it.” The adult Fairy patiently explained the rules of missions to the children undertaking one for the first time.

The size of the reward depended on the mission’s difficulty.

The harder the mission, the greater the reward, but the danger would increase accordingly.

Therefore, Fairies had to assess their own abilities carefully before accepting a mission. Otherwise, getting injured or losing their lives would hardly be worth it.

The client who had posted this mission was a potion maker.

He needed a large quantity of astral grass to refine a certain potion. However, astral grass grew only near the amethyst tree, and to preserve its medicinal properties, it could not be gathered with magic. It had to be collected in the most primitive way possible: by hand.

Since he needed too much of it and was busy refining potions, he had no choice but to post a mission at the Mission Hall and commission other Fairies to gather it for him.

The reward would be calculated according to the quantity of astral grass gathered.

The more they collected, the more they would be paid. Conversely, the less they collected, the less they would receive.

There was no limit on how many people could accept the mission.

Since the Little Fairies needed branches from the amethyst tree, this mission could not have been more suitable for them.

What good luck.

She glanced at the black-haired adolescent Fairy, the corners of her lips curving upward.

Kumandi was a good boy who might seem cold on the outside but was warmhearted within. He would surely take good care of the four little ones.

After leaving the Mission Hall, Shu Li gratefully said to the quiet academic star, “Thank you, Kumandi!”

Kumandi inclined his head slightly and instructed the four Little Fairies, “Once we enter the forest, you must obey the team leader’s directions and arrangements. You are absolutely forbidden from acting on your own.”

“Yes! We promise not to cause trouble!” Shu Li brought his legs together, lifted his head, straightened his chest, and gave a crisp, textbook salute.

Angel and the other two Little Fairies copied him, lining up in a row and raising their hands in salute.

Budeno was so chubby that the moment he straightened his body, his little belly stuck out.

Kumandi glanced at it and frowned as he reminded them, “You must bring your own food when you go out on a mission.”

In other words, there would be a limited amount of food while they were away, so they would have to ration it carefully.

For the gluttonous Budeno, this would be a severe test.

At those words, Shu Li solemnly asked the chubby little fellow, “Budeno, are you sure you want to come with us?”

“I’m sure!” Budeno answered without hesitation. He might be gluttonous, but he knew what mattered.

Besides, now that they had awakened their magic, they could use storage rings. He would simply find a way to pack more food.

Seeing the determination in his eyes and the seriousness of his attitude, Shu Li relaxed.

Budeno might love to eat, but he would never let them down when it truly mattered.

As an experienced adventurer, Kumandi took the four complete novices around the commercial district and helped them purchase all the necessary expedition equipment.

A storage ring was practically indispensable for travel and exploration. Food, water, medicine, and everyday necessities could all be carried inside one.

By the time they had finished preparing everything, night had fallen. The group flew back to the dormitory at an unhurried pace.

Before they parted, Kumandi reminded them once more that they were to meet the other Fairies on the team outside the Mission Hall before sunrise three days later.

The four Little Fairies nodded so vigorously that their heads bobbed like pounding pestles, assuring him that they would remember.

Three days from now happened to be the weekend. With two days off, they would have plenty of time to make the round trip.

Shu Li waved goodbye to the quiet academic star and bade his companions good night.

The moment he entered his home, he flung himself onto the soft carpet and flattened into a pancake.

“So tired...”

He had spent the entire afternoon practicing magic, toured the commercial district, and then flown for more than half an hour to return to the dormitory. He was so exhausted that he did not even want to move a finger.

He had originally intended to ask the quiet academic star some questions about magic, but he was in poor condition, so the results would have been far from ideal. It would be better to rest properly and ask him next time.

After lying facedown on the carpet for a long while, he struggled to his feet and went into the bathroom to bathe. Then he changed into a loose robe he wore at home and sat down at his desk with his hair still half-damp.

Although he was tired enough to fall asleep the instant he touched his bed, he could not skip his daily review.

He took out his notebook and copied the new Continental Common Language words he had learned that morning.

The Continental Common Language was somewhat like English from his original world, though its pronunciation was entirely different, and its words were formed from thirty-six letters.

Yes, thirty-six, not twenty-six.

He had only recently encountered those ten additional letters and frequently confused them, causing him to leave out letters whenever he wrote words from memory.

Even so, Shu Li was not as anxious about it as he had been when learning Elven.

Compared to Elven, the Continental Common Language was far easier to learn. Neither its vocabulary nor its grammar was as complicated.

The one thing that forever gave Shu Li a headache was pronunciation.

His habit of tripping over words was so difficult to correct.

“Sigh...”

After copying the words, writing them once from memory, and reciting them twice, he confirmed that he had memorized them and closed the notebook.

With the day’s review complete, it was time to write in his diary.

Shu Li took the magical notebook reserved for his diary from his storage ring, turned to the latest page, and recorded everything that had happened that day in Chinese.

“Dear Mom and Dad, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother...”

His quill paused. He flipped forward through the pages until he reached one bearing a drawing of five cartoon figures.

Although they were drawn in a cute, chibi style, each likeness was vivid enough to tell at a glance which one was his father, which one was his mother, and which ones were his brothers.

Ever since transmigrating to another world, Shu Li often regretted not persisting with his sketching lessons.

If he had learned to sketch properly, he could have drawn his family with lifelike precision. No matter how much time passed, he would never forget what they looked like.

Unfortunately, he did not know how to sketch. He could only draw simple chibi cartoons.

Five years was neither especially long nor especially short. Amid his busy studies, it had slipped by before he knew it.

In front of the other Fairies, he was always optimistic, cheerful, and positive. Only late at night, when everything was quiet and he opened his diary, did his longing for his family leave him feeling low.

Even so, Shu Li had never become discouraged, nor had he shed tears in sorrow.

He had always held fast to one conviction: one day, he would return to his original world and reunite with his family.

Every hardship he endured now was merely a Trial imposed by the God of Transmigration.

“Dear Mom and Dad, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother, good evening. I started learning magic today... Magic is incredibly fun. Its only flaw is that the incantations are too long. I keep wondering whether there’s some way to shorten them. Ideally, I’d be able to cast spells instantly without reciting anything at all.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t an online game world. Otherwise, I could spend some money in the shop and buy items that reduce spell-casting time.

“Oh, right. I told you before that I awakened all seven elements. I don’t know whether that makes me awesome, but I’m definitely twice as exhausted.

“The Elven King originally wanted me to go to the Elven Kingdom and study magic under him after I turned five.

“I refused.

“Why?

“Because I don’t think I’m worthy. (Collapses like a salted fish.)

“When it comes to magic, I’m just starting out. I’m basically a kindergartner who knows nothing, and I have to learn everything from the beginning.

“And who is the Elven King?

“He’s an ancient old... old professor who has lived for tens of thousands of years. He’s enormously knowledgeable and proficient in advanced magic. Asking him to teach a kindergartner would be a terrible waste of his talents.

“Eldest Brother, do you remember?

“You were in your second year of high school, and I was in first grade. You tried to tutor me, but I frustrated you so badly that you started banging your head against the wall, cursing yourself for being an idiot because you couldn’t teach your little brother.

“So I’m afraid the Elven King might get so angry while teaching me magic that he starts banging his head against a wall too.

“To preserve my adorable image in the Elven King’s heart, I absolutely, absolutely refuse to go to the Elven Kingdom right now. (Clenches fist.jpg)

“In short, I’ll master the fundamentals first. It won’t be too late to go afterward.

“Most importantly, I like studying together with the other Little Fairies.

“Everything’s more fun with a crowd!”

Shu Li filled two entire pages in a rush and still had more to say. If it had not been so late, with his eyelids already fighting to remain open, he could have written another page.

He put away the notebook, made one last trip to the bathroom, returned to bed, and fell peacefully asleep.

The next day was another busy one.

Aisha no longer taught them general knowledge. She had moved on to geography.

Once the Little Fairies reached adulthood, they would all travel throughout the continent to gain experience. They therefore needed to understand its geography, along with the customs and cultures of its various countries and peoples.

A vast map hung on the wall behind the lectern.

Although it was not as detailed as maps from Shu Li’s world, he could still distinguish the mountain ranges, rivers, national borders, and other features.

When he first saw a map of this other world three years ago, Shu Li had been captivated by the continent’s vastness.

Aisha had told them that it was called the Austin Continent.

The world had originally been an endless ocean without a single stretch of land. When the Mother Goddess Isfu created the world, she transformed her body into the continent and her blood into its rivers, creating a foundation capable of sustaining all living things.

Afterward, the seven gods born before her assumed dominion over heaven and earth.

The seven gods were the Light God, the Dark God, the Fire God, the Water God, the Wind God, the Wood God, and the Earth God.

Each performed their own duty, maintaining the order of heaven and earth.

The Light God and the Dark God were twin brothers.

The Dark God was the elder, while the Light God was the younger.

Yet the younger brother, the Light God, lived in the heavenly realm with the other gods, while the elder brother, the Dark God, could only guard the sunless depths of hell and guide the souls of the dead.

Resentful of this, the Dark God repeatedly caused trouble for the Light God, seeking to overturn the order of heaven and earth.

When gods fought, mortals suffered.

The Austin Continent was engulfed in the flames of war several times.

The fiercest of these conflicts was the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago.

So many gods took part in that battle that more than half of them fell. Although the Light God succeeded in sealing away the Dark God, his victory could only be considered a bitter one.

To preserve their remaining strength, the gods severed the passage leading to the continent and withdrew to recuperate.

The Elves and Fairies, beloved by the gods and renowned as children of the Light God, remained on the continent.

That great war had also inflicted enormous losses upon the Elves and Fairies. To protect his people, the Elven King had no choice but to seal off the Faerie Forest.

It remained sealed for ten thousand years.

Although communication with the outside world had been cut off, they were not isolated from current affairs.

Every so often, Elves or Fairies disguised themselves as humans and left the Faerie Forest to travel through other parts of the continent and gain experience.

When they returned, they brought back new information about the continent and updated what had become outdated.

In one sense, their records of the Austin Continent’s history were even more detailed and comprehensive than those kept by humans.

That was because the Elves and Fairies recorded not only the history of every nation, but also the history of other peoples.

These included dragons, merfolk, beastfolk, winged folk, dwarves, goblins, Dark Elves, and many others.

There were far too many for Shu Li to remember them all.

Only when he first heard Aisha introduce them did he learn how many peoples existed in this other world.

Aisha had placed particular emphasis on the Dark Elves.

Dark Elves were fallen Elves.

During the War of the Gods, some Elves had been tempted by the Dark God. They betrayed the Elven King and joined the forces of darkness.

They willingly allowed darkness to corrupt them. Their skin turned dark, and their bodies became filled with malevolent energy and the aura of death. They regarded the white Elves and Fairies as enemies.

Aisha solemnly warned the Little Fairies that when they traveled the continent after reaching adulthood, they must be extremely careful if they encountered Dark Elves and never journey alongside them. Dark Elves had no moral limits, and one could never know when they might stab a companion in the back.

Although the Dark Elves had once been children of the Light God as well, they lost the Light God’s favor forever after allying themselves with darkness.

Hearing this, Shu Li could not help sighing with emotion.

The Elven King was so great, and the Elven Kingdom was such a wonderful place. Why had traitors still emerged?

It seemed every people had ambitious individuals ruled by their desires.

Shu Li loved geography lessons and filled many pages with notes every time. The more thoroughly he understood the continent, the easier his future travels would be.

It was no different from taking a trip. Gathering a detailed guide beforehand would help him avoid unnecessary detours and spare him a great deal of trouble.

After the first lesson ended, Lia’s music class began.

Five years had been more than enough time for Shu Li to learn the Elven harp.

The instrument he played now was no longer a tiny five-stringed harp, but a large harp with twenty-six strings.