Chapter 73: The little fairy was exhausted after picking ten big fruits...

In the Faerie Forest, Dosia often took the Little Fairies out gathering.

They gathered fruit, medicinal herbs, leaves, fungi, vines, and other materials.

Because the Little Fairies were so small and could gather only so much, Dosia assigned them things suited to their size, such as kuku fruits small enough for them to hold in both arms.

After five years of gathering fruit, Shu Li had accumulated plenty of experience. That was why he had followed the Elven King to the Elves’ orchard with such enthusiasm when he heard that the afternoon lesson involved gathering.

However, when the Elven King told him to pick a fruit as enormous as a pumpkin, Shu Li stared incredulously at his handsome face and saw only seriousness in those profound green eyes.

He truly wasn’t joking.

In the space of a few moments, the gentle and considerate Elven King had transformed into a strict teacher.

Once his surprise passed, Shu Li had no choice but to accept reality.

For this afternoon’s gathering lesson, he had to pick fruits dozens of times larger than himself, completely intact, without any tools whatsoever.

“Your Majesty, can I... use magic?” Shu Li’s mind raced as he tried to think of a solution.

At present, magic was his only idea.

“You may.” The Elven King took a step back and stated the requirements. “Use every kind of magic you have learned to pick ten fruits without damaging them.”

Hearing that, Shu Li understood.

Picking fruit was merely an excuse. The real purpose was to train his magic.

Even if he had not suggested using magic, the Elven King would have required him to do so.

Staring at the pumpkin-sized fruit, Shu Li took a deep breath.

Fine. He would spend the entire afternoon in the orchard if he had to. Ten fruits it was. He refused to believe he couldn’t do it.

Shu Li retreated a foot and carefully examined the fruit.

It was enormous, so its stem was naturally not thin. At roughly two centimeters in diameter, it was thicker than a Little Fairy’s entire body. The ground beneath the tree was bare soil. If the fruit fell directly from a height of more than three meters, it would undoubtedly smash to a pulp.

Therefore, to pick it without causing any damage, Shu Li would have to use every trick at his disposal and every spell available to him, ensuring that nothing went wrong.

Shu Li put his mind to work and devised four possible plans.

For the first plan, he would use wind magic to sever the stem, then earth magic to raise the soil and form a soft cushion that would safely catch the fruit.

For the second, he would use wood magic to lengthen the stem until the fruit “grew” all the way to the ground, then slowly cut it with wind magic.

For the third, he would burn through the stem with fire magic and use wind magic to support the falling fruit, slowing its descent.

For the fourth, he would sever the stem with wind or fire magic, then use water magic to envelop the fruit in a large, springy ball of water that would carry it safely to the ground.

All four plans were feasible. Their only weakness was Shu Li himself.

He was a Mage Apprentice, and his spells possessed limited power.

His water ball spell... produced something the size of a marble. It could never envelop a pumpkin-sized fruit.

Plan four: rejected.

His wind magic was too weak. That morning, he had not even been able to open the cover of a magic book, much less support a huge red fruit weighing more than ten pounds.

Plan three: rejected.

When he had previously studied magic under Siet, his earth magic had raised only a ten-centimeter mound of soil. Given the fruit’s weight, he could forget about creating a cushion.

Plan one: rejected.

Three plans were out. That left plan two, which had to work whether it wanted to or not.

After weighing his options, Shu Li decided that plan two was at least somewhat practical.

With his plan settled, it was time to act.

Shu Li took his apprentice magic staff from his storage ring and loudly recited, “Great Wood God Euroman Pas, I am Sperien of the Faerie Forest. I ask that you command the wood elements to gather around me and strengthen the life force of this fruit tree!”

A mass of gentle green light gathered at the tip of his magic staff. He swept the staff forward, sending the green light drifting toward the fruit. It touched the stem and melted into it.

Shu Li watched the stem intently, observing for any sign of growth.

Half a minute passed, but the stem did not change at all.

Shu Li pursed his lips but did not lose heart. He tried again.

“Great Wood God Euroman Pas, I am Sperien of the Faerie Forest...”

As he released the spell, he continually pictured the stem’s growth in his mind. Perhaps his will truly had taken effect, because when the green light merged into the stem, it lengthened ever so slightly.

It worked!

Shu Li was delighted.

The secret he had learned that morning really was useful.

He turned toward the Elven King and saw him standing in the neighboring plot. He had picked an apple-sized fruit and was feeding it to the unicorn.

The unicorn munched the fruit with relish, occasionally swishing its flowing tail.

Shu Li blinked, withdrew his gaze, and devoted his full attention to his work. Again and again, he cast beginner wood magic, summoning the wood elements roaming through the air to help him lengthen the fruit’s stem.

Under the effects of his growth magic, the stem lengthened at a visibly perceptible rate.

As it grew longer, the fruit slowly descended.

Shu Li’s confidence soared. He recited the incantation with increasing frequency, while the image in his mind became ever more specific and detailed. His awareness seemed to enter a wondrous state, and he instinctively connected it to meditation.

One defining characteristic of meditation was focusing one’s attention entirely upon a single object, then exploring deeply in a particular direction to seek perception and understanding.

The image in his mind was now extraordinarily clear—so clear that he could even “see” the fine fuzz covering the stem.

Just as the book had said, once he treated magic as his natural instinct, everything would flow naturally.

Without needing to think, he recited the Wood God’s true name. He repeated the incantation more than ten times without stumbling once.

It was incredible.

Shu Li grew more excited, and his incantations came faster and faster. The stem had already lengthened by more than a meter, leaving only two meters between the fruit and the ground. Victory was within sight.

Wiping away his sweat, Shu Li stood on a nearby leaf, raised his magic staff high, and fluently recited the wood-element incantation.

He could feel his proficiency with magic increasing. He no longer needed to worry about tripping over his words.

At least, not with this particular incantation.

As the saying went, practice made perfect, and mastery came from perfection.

As long as he worked diligently and studied hard, he would become an outstanding mage one day.

Not far away, the Elven King finished feeding the unicorn and leaned against the trunk of a fruit tree. His gaze was warm as he watched the Little Fairy diligently cast spell after spell.

That tiny body was unleashing astonishing power.

The wood elements drifting freely through the air surged toward him in a great tide, each competing to become a source of his power.

Shu Li remained completely unaware of the phenomenon. He only felt as though his energy were inexhaustible. Casting magic had become remarkably easy, and the speed of his incantations increased.

At first, each incantation had taken him ten seconds. Now he could finish one in five.

Once he stopped stumbling over his words, his speed had actually doubled.

After an unknown amount of time, the stem had lengthened by more than three meters, and the bottom of the fruit successfully touched the ground.

Shu Li’s legs gave out. He collapsed facedown on the leaf, gasping for breath.

He was... halfway done!

But he was utterly exhausted.

At some point, the Elven King had arrived beside him. Looking down, he asked, “Are you going to give up?”

“N-no!” Shu Li pushed himself upright and sat down. He looked up at the Elven King, clenched his fist, and declared with perfect confidence, “I’m only resting for a moment.”

The corners of the Elven King’s lips lifted slightly. “Why not use light magic to dispel your fatigue?”

“Huh?” Shu Li froze, then scratched his head in embarrassment. “I don’t know how.”

He had attended only a few magic lessons, all of them covering basic spells. He knew fewer than ten incantations in total.

The only light spell he knew was the light ball spell.

“Incantations are not confined to a single form.” The Elven King placed his broad palm gently over Shu Li’s head. “Light elements, gather into a blessing of holy light and dispel this fatigue.”

A mass of gentle white light appeared in his palm and enveloped the Little Fairy.

Shu Li instantly felt brimming with energy, ready to fight another round.

When the Elven King removed his hand, Shu Li stood and bowed respectfully in thanks. Then he took out his notebook and quill and rapidly scribbled down the short incantation.

Clearly, this was another intermediate or advanced spell. If he did not want to exhaust himself as he had that morning, he had better not attempt it casually.

However, since the Elven King had said that incantations were not confined to a single form, could Shu Li make a few small alterations to the original? For instance, he could add a preamble praising the god and lower the spell’s rank.

He would try it in a little while.

Shu Li put away his notebook and quill, nimbly jumped from the leaf, and opened his wings. They slowed his descent, allowing him to land lightly atop the enormous fruit.

His next task was to sever the stem with wind magic.

“Great Wind God Wendis Inor, I am Sperien of the Faerie Forest. I ask that you command the wind elements to gather around me and bring me wind blades capable of cutting through anything—”

He swept his magic staff forward, sending several tiny wind blades toward the stem.

Silence—

The stem’s surface did not bear so much as a scratch.

Shu Li wore an expression that said he had expected exactly this.

After suffering setback after setback, he now possessed a rough understanding of his magic’s power.

He was only a Mage Apprentice, after all. What mattered was practice.

“Great Wind God Wendis Inor...”

Tiny wind blades repeatedly swept across the stem while Shu Li pictured every one of them striking and cutting the exact same spot.

A rope could saw through wood, just as dripping water could wear through stone.

After persistent effort, the stem finally snapped.

“Huff, huff, huff—”

Shu Li plopped down on the fruit and let the sweat stream over his face. Looking up at the Elven King with sparkling eyes, he announced, “Your Majesty, I successfully picked one!”

The Elven King crouched and praised the Little Fairy without reservation. “You did very well.”

“Hehe—” Shu Li grinned happily. The joy of success washed away his exhaustion.

The Elven King took out a small handkerchief and handed it to him. “Wipe away your sweat.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Shu Li gladly accepted the handkerchief and briskly wiped the beads of sweat from his face and neck.

Nine more enormous fruits remained. He could definitely complete the task!

Once he finished wiping away his sweat, he put the handkerchief away, intending to wash it before returning it to the Elven King.

Next, he would test the light spell for dispelling fatigue.

He raised his magic staff high and recited with a determined gaze, “Great Light God Laient Freys, I am Sperien of the Faerie Forest. I ask that you command the light elements to gather into a blessing of holy light and dispel my fatigue!”

Nothing happened at first. Shu Li thought he had failed and was about to try again when a tiny point of light appeared at the tip of his magic staff. Gradually, it expanded into a ball of light and cast down a beam that enveloped his entire body with perfect accuracy.

Although the spell activated very slowly, Shu Li could clearly feel his fatigue fading.

Two minutes later, the light ball vanished, and Shu Li’s energy was restored.

The effect was not as powerful as the Elven King’s advanced spell, but it was enough to sustain him while he picked the next enormous fruit.

He spread his wings and eagerly returned to work, brimming with motivation.

A faint smile graced the Elven King’s face as he watched the little fellow energetically raise his magic staff and recite his incantations swiftly and fluently.

The brown-haired Elf who tended the orchard approached carrying a large basket. After bowing to the Elven King, he placed the enormous fruit Shu Li had picked into it.

“He has remarkable magical talent,” the brown-haired Elf said with feeling as he watched Shu Li repeat the same wood-element incantation over and over.

To possess such tremendous explosive power at only five years old was extraordinary. Shu Li even knew how to draw inferences from what he had learned and apply it flexibly.

What surprised the Elf most was Sperien’s affinity with the natural elements. It was extraordinary, no weaker than the Elven King’s own.

Magical incantations could not be lowered in rank through a few casual alterations.

When he had been a child, he had dared only to begin obediently with beginner spells and progress one careful step at a time.

Sperien did not seem constrained by magical ranks at all. He had effortlessly accomplished something that others would need ten years of hard work to achieve.

The Elf’s gaze swept over the little hair clip on Shu Li’s head, and he became thoughtful.

Perhaps it was connected to the Elven King’s blessing.

The Elven King gave a slight nod. His emerald eyes remained focused on the busy Little Fairy as he murmured in a voice as beautiful as heavenly music, “He is a one-of-a-kind Little Fairy.”

The brown-haired Elf froze slightly.

After twenty minutes of effort, Shu Li successfully picked another enormous fruit.

He took out the little handkerchief the Elven King had given him, wiped the sweat from his face, and steadied his breathing. Then he cast a fatigue-dispelling spell on himself and launched his assault on the third fruit.

By the time he picked the fifth fruit in even less time, Shu Li had become thoroughly confident. His magical incantations flowed faster and more fluently with every attempt.

As long as he formed a specific and precise image in his mind while reciting the incantation, his spell essentially never missed its mark.

He had finally grasped part of the secret to casting magic.

While Shu Li worked hard to pick the fruit, the Elven King did not remain idle.

Seeing that his little student had found his rhythm, he went to the neighboring plot to help harvest its fruit.

Even the exalted Elven King performed physical labor.

However, he always worked neatly and efficiently. After reciting a few short incantations, the largest and ripest fruits on the trees detached themselves and obediently floated into [N O V E L I G H T] the large baskets on the ground.

The Elven King harvested with effortless ease on one side, while Shu Li toiled through incantation after incantation on the other.

Seven, eight, nine, ten—

Finished!

Shu Li collapsed from exhaustion, lying sprawled across the final enormous fruit without even wanting to move. The moment the determination sustaining him faded, fatigue swept over him, and his eyelids began to droop.

He couldn’t hold on any longer.

He would just... close his eyes for a moment!

As soon as he relaxed, Shu Li’s consciousness sank into sweet dreams. His gauzy wings rested against his back, curving slightly forward to wrap around his body.

By evening, the sun was sinking in the west. Brilliant rays of sunset filled the horizon, coating the orchard in an orange-red glow.

The Elven King stood beneath a tree, looking down at the Little Fairy sleeping soundly atop the fruit. A hint of amusement flickered through his eyes.

The brown-haired Elf leaned closer for a look and said affectionately, “The little fellow has worn himself out.”

The Elven King had been much too strict with little Sperien.

Making a five-year-old child practice magic for an entire afternoon had completely exceeded his limits.

The Elven King lifted Shu Li into his palm and gently touched him with the pad of one finger.

Shu Li remained utterly unaware. Feeling warmth and softness around him, he comfortably stretched his limbs. His fingers loosened, and the magic staff he had been clutching all this time slipped free.

The Elven King reacted swiftly and caught the tiny magic staff.

The brown-haired Elf laughed. His fingers itched to give Shu Li a squeeze, but with the Elven King present, he did not dare reach out.

The Elven King seemed to sense his intentions and cast him a cool glance. Holding the Little Fairy in one hand, he mounted the unicorn.

The unicorn conjured a pair of wings and gave them a flap, stirring a gust of wind. It instantly soared into the sky and flew toward Crystal City.

The brown-haired Elf remained in the orchard and plucked from his hair a leaf carried there by the wind.

Fine. As long as the Elven King was present, none of them could hope to get their hands on the little fellow.

Shu Li slept throughout the journey, completely oblivious to the world. He did not even notice when the Elven King placed him on the bed in his room.

Sayah was responsible for caring for the Little Fairy. She wrung out a small towel and thoughtfully wiped Shu Li’s face, hands, and feet.

“Your Majesty, little Sperien is going to miss dinner.”

He truly was sleeping soundly. Even when she moved him around and turned him over to wipe him clean, he did not wake.

“Save him a portion and bring it to his room.” The Elven King removed his exquisite cloak and outer robe and hung them on the clothes rack.

Sayah tucked the blanket around the Little Fairy, then stood and looked at the Elven King. Seeing that he apparently intended to remain there, she replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

She had never imagined that the Elven King would care so deeply for little Sperien.

Had he shown Ilio the same concern when Ilio had collapsed from exhaustion during his childhood training?

Sayah had no memory of it. She shrugged, carried the basin from the room, and closed the door behind her.

The Elven King glanced at the Little Fairy sleeping sweetly beneath the blanket, then walked to the window. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed through the glass at the Elven mother tree in the courtyard.

The afterglow of sunset painted the mother tree’s bare crown red. Its sole palm-sized green leaf was carefully sheltered among its branches.

Little Sperien... Little Sperien...

The mother tree had waited all day. Evening had finally arrived, yet the Little Fairy who had promised to visit never appeared. Unable to restrain itself any longer, it called to him through its thoughts.

Little Sperien... Are you back? Hurry and come see my little leaf...

Unfortunately, Shu Li had consumed far too much mental and physical energy that afternoon. He was sleeping so deeply that nothing could wake him.

The mother tree refused to give up and continued calling persistently.

Little Sperien...

“He’s asleep. Whatever you need, you can speak to him tomorrow.”

The Elven King’s voice abruptly sounded, and the mother tree’s calls ceased at once.