It was already noon, the sun was high overhead, there were only a few hours left until the appointed meeting time for the mid-test.
Emery wanted to go see the White Fang clan, who should be at Zodiac City, but Headmaster Delbrand had warned him not to go there for the time being. Hence, he decided to try his luck at the Plant Institute instead.
After all, because of obvious reasons, one only needed to go through one portal to freely travel between the institutions.
…
Elder's Respite.
The humongous tree that mighty stood in front of the portal and the spectacular view that was accompanied by the fresh fragrance - the characteristics of plants and flowers. Even though it wasn't Emery's first time coming to this place, it still managed to amaze and take his breath away momentarily.
After recovering, like his previous time here, Emery quickly went into the institute. He headed towards the hall and asked one of the staff present behind the reception table.
With the time constraint and how much he wished to understand his nature foundation, Emery decided to do something he usually did not do. The moment he arrived in front of the staff, he immediately showed his privileged identity, making sure the other side saw his credentials to prevent any misunderstanding.
"I am Emery Ambrose of the privileged class. I came to see Instructor Erica. I-" In the middle of his words, Emery suddenly felt uncomfortable with the tone he used, so he quickly changed it. "I wonder if she's available."
Alas, his attempt went unnoticed, because the staff was already panicked when she heard his privileged status. In fact, she had already ignored Emery and was anxiously calling for the magus as requested.
Seeing this, Emery inwardly sighed and hoped he didn't make any trouble for the other party. But to his complete surprise, his 'arrogant' act caught the attention of an old man he absolutely had no idea of.
He didn't hear his approach nor feel his spirit force, but the old man had unknowingly arrived just a meter away from where he was standing. From this, Emery immediately thought of the other party as someone capable.
It took him a second before he realized that his guess was correct. The old man was the head of the Plant Institution, Grand Magus Yvere.
Realizing this, Emery immediately thought his actions just now would be considered disrespectful. Although the old man had not said anything, he couldn't help but be very anxious in his heart.
But then, he realized that, even though the grand magus did approach him, his attention was not on him at all. Instead, the grand magus seemed to be interested in Twik, who was currently attached to his lower arm and took the outer appearance similar to an armguard.
"Young man, if I may ask… what species is this?" said Grand Magus Yvere after observing Twik for a while.
Emery, whose heart was still anxious, swiftly tried to calm down." It's called Flora Colossi."
Hearing that, the grand magus seemed even more interested.
"Do you mind if I talk to the young fella?" Grand Magus Yvere asked with a smile.
"Yes… I mean, no. Of course I don't mind."
With a grateful expression on his face, Grand Magus Yvere nodded and began to reach out his hand to touch the wooden armguard, or to be exact, Twik. As soon as his hand landed on it, Emery saw an eye appear and it gradually began to transform, entangling its way towards the grand magus' arm.
Emery was elated when he saw this. He was happy to see Twik seemed to have recovered and back the way he was.
"What an interesting fella…" commented Grand Magus Yvere as his eyes fell on Twik. "You came from such a faraway place, don't you..?"
"Kuang... Kuang. Ku... Ku."
"Don't worry. Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." Grand Magus Yvere took his gaze away and looked at Emery while saying, "Looks like he was in shock before…"
When he heard the grand magus' words, Emery took a deep sigh of regret, as he felt responsibility for that.
It was also at this moment a woman with long curly hair approached the reception table where the two were. Realizing Grand Magus Yvere was present, she first gave a bow to the man and then turned and spoke to Emery.
"I am Magus Erica. Anything I can help you with, acolyte?"
Emery quickly bowed to the magus as a sign of respect, before explaining the reason he came here.
"Hello, Magus Erica. My name is Emery Ambrose. I'm here to ask for your guidance regarding the Law of Nature."
Magus Erica nodded her head at Emery's words and beckoned him to follow her towards a room they could use for discussion. But, as Twik was Emery's companion, Grand Magus Yvere naturally followed the two and caused the situation to become a bit awkward.
They walked into one of the empty rooms, which looked more like a small garden than a regular room. Even though Emery could see that Magus Erica seemed anxious, perhaps confused as to why Grand Magus Yvere walked around in the room with a little wooden creature, she didn't let that bother her and started explaining the topic that made him come.
With the demeanor of a professional, Magus Erica explained what Emery wanted to understand further.
Apparently, there were two types of Nature Law: Sky and Ground.
Sky had the prerequisite of understanding the Law of Wind, Lightning and Ice, before one could delve deeper into it. Meanwhile, Ground required comprehending the Law of Plant, Water and Earth. Most importantly, they both required the elements to be in balance, before one started comprehending the respective Nature Laws.
Understanding the reason Emery wanted to know all of this was because of himself, Magus Erica proceeded to check the condition of his spirit core. As Emery expected, the expression on her face quickly became one of surprise, before subsequently tainted with a hint of pity.
"Senior, I wonder if it's possible for me to learn about the Law of Nature. Moreover, I want to know how and what the difference of the Law of Nature is compared to comprehending all three laws separately," Emery asked with a sincere expression.
Magus Erica schooled her expression and calmed the surprise she felt, before answering Emery's question.
"With the situation you are having, I think Nature Law is the only possibility for you. Having the three separate laws together siding with Darkness Law… such a thing is just not possible, even for a privileged genius like you," Magus Erica said with a downcast tone.
This was the first time Emery had heard of himself being called a genius. It honestly caught him completely off guard. Maybe it was because of his previous behavior, but it surprised him when he saw the magus suddenly turn a little emotional about it.
At this moment, the old grand magus walking around the room stopped his steps right behind Emery and looked at Magus Erica.
"Erica, leave the young man with me, will you?"
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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,