Chapter 1832 Two Matters <TOC> Chapter 1834 Mission Indicator
Translator: SumTLMan
After finishing the matter, Angel began to wait for Rhine to speak of the second matter.
However, Rhine did not immediately speak; instead, he slowly extended his hand, and the illusions of two cards appeared before Angel’s eyes.
The cards were square, one white and one golden.
From the illusion, no other content could be discerned; they were simply two cards filled with blank spaces.
Nevertheless, Angel understood Rhine’s intention.
He hesitated, then asked, “Is this… a flier invitation card?”
Rhine nodded, “Yes, a mentor’s flier invitation card.”
Angel fell silent for a moment, “Do you mean to suggest that I take on an apprentice, Lord Rhine?”
Rhine observed Angel’s expression carefully, “You seem to be reluctant to take on an apprentice?”
Angel nodded.
Rhine did not ask why Angel was reluctant to take an apprentice but instead said, “Whether you take on an apprentice is entirely up to you, but I suggest you could try it.”
The memory faded, and Angel turned to look at Tree Spirit sitting opposite him in the carriage.
The question that Rhine had not asked before was now posed by Tree Spirit.
Tree Spirit said, “Speaking of which, taking an apprentice could bring great benefits to you. You could gain preferential access to organizational resources and also acquire a future ally. Why are you unwilling to take on an apprentice?”
Confronted by the inquiry of Tree Spirit, Angel pondered for a moment and said, “I am not yet prepared to take responsibility for the future of others.”
After Angel spoke, the air fell into a silence.
As Angel lifted his head, he saw Tree Spirit looking at him with a strange gaze.
“What’s wrong? Is my response that peculiar?”
Tree Spirit responded, “It’s not just peculiar, it’s exceptionally so. Surely you don’t think that taking an apprentice is like what Sanders did for you?”
“Isn’t it?” Angel asked.
In Angel’s recollection, the mentors he encountered, whether it was his enlightening mentor Jon or Sanders, who led him onto the path beyond the ordinary, had always done so.
“Of course not,” Tree Spirit said, massaging its temples. “Now I understand why you previously outright rejected Rhine’s proposal.”
“You should know, there are two types of apprentice summoning flier invitation cards: the golden flier invitation card and the ordinary white flier invitation card,” Tree Spirit explained to a puzzled Angel.
When a talent receives a golden flier invitation card, it signifies “I hold you in high regard.” Receiving a white flier invitation card means “You may learn from me.”
These two flier invitation cards represent two different attitudes of a mentor. Those with a golden flier invitation card are certainly more valued, while those with a white flier invitation card engage in a standard teacher-student relationship.
“Actually, even if a talent were to receive a golden flier invitation card, the relationship between that talent and the mentor is not necessarily like what Sanders was to you.” To Tree Spirit, Sanders’s relationship with Angel resembled that of a direct inheritance disciple, a bond closer than even that of kin.
The relationship between teachers and students among the general populace is confined to “teaching and learning.”
“I’ve heard that you taught alchemy for a while at the Achillea Comprehensive College?” Tree Spirit, while explaining, suddenly changes the subject, inquiring Angel.
Angel nods: “Yes.”
“What do you think was the nature of your relationship with the students during the period you taught?”
Angel considers his words: “Instructor and Listeners?”
“In other words, it’s just a typical teacher-student relationship,” Tree Spirit pauses, then continues: “Rhine suggests you take on apprentices, and that’s exactly what he means. Those talented individuals you accept are for you to teach and for them to listen and learn.”
“You’re not responsible for their futures; you only need to impart extraordinary knowledge during lessons, and that’s it. Once they achieve something, it benefits you not just in reputation, but they can also become your support.”
Angel frowns: “That sounds like a kind of extensive free-range upbringing?”
“Something like that.” Seeing Angel’s furrowed brow, Tree Spirit adds: “This is actually a common phenomenon in the Wizarding World. Don’t think that wizards aren’t responsible just because they don’t look after their apprentices. You see, what wizards contribute is their experiences and knowledge along the way. These are invaluable, so even with this free-range approach, the apprentices are not at a loss.”
“Even if you issue a golden flier invitation card to a talent, you’re still not obliged to be responsible for their future because you hold the knowledge, and you have absolute dominion over the sharing of that knowledge.”
The words of Tree Spirit have a certain impact on Angel’s thoughts.
He has seen similar situations, like how Flora treats Baruba with even more indifference than to a stranger. Or for instance, his friends Shalem and Nausica, Angel has never even heard them talk about their own mentors.
Angel sees and understands, but because it doesn’t concern him, he subconsciously overlooks it.
His mind still clung to the Earth-style Eastern mentor-disciple philosophy taught by Jon; because of this, taking on an apprentice was a matter of great solemnity in his concept.
However, he overlooked the differences between civilizations and the uniqueness of individual versus common cases.
“You don’t need to take responsibility for others, not for their future or their goals. The only life you need to manage is your own,” Tree Spirit paused then added, “So, after shedding these shackles, you can truly give it a try.”
Tree Spirit’s counsel was simply out of a belief that Angel’s act of taking an apprentice would strengthen his ties to the Savage Grottoes. Moreover, Angel possessed exceptionally powerful alchemy, and although they could already send people to learn at Achillea Comprehensive College, having someone under Angel’s direct guidance would undoubtedly be more beneficial than the college itself.
Angel pondered for a moment, “I will consider it seriously.”
Angel was somewhat persuaded by Tree Spirit, but he was not prepared to immediately seek out an apprentice, mainly because he did not have the leisure time for it.
After all, even if he wasn’t responsible for the apprentice’s future, he would at least need to allocate time for teaching. Right now, he was more intent on filling the gaps in his own knowledge. When the day came for him to review the old to know the new, it wouldn’t be too late to start teaching.
After discussing this matter, Tree Spirit then talked to Angel about some recent events in the Savage Grottoes.
Since Angel was not often in the Savage Grottoes, he listened attentively to Tree Spirit’s narration.
However, the initial topics Tree Spirit brought up were quite normal, but as it went on, it essentially turned into a litany of complaints.
For instance, Liana was currently the subject of Tree Spirit’s most frequent complaints.
The reason is that Liana plans to host a tea party where many witches will attend, and she wishes to have the Eternal Tree as the venue. In preparation for the arrangement of the space and the decorative elements, Liana often seeks out Tree Spirit for advice.
Liana frequently makes very demanding requests, such as asking Tree Spirit to carve out a space within the trunk of the Eternal Tree specifically for the tea party, or to embellish the setting with the essence of the Life Pool, and to gather the core fragrance of the Eternal Tree…
“I’m utterly fed up with this tea party; it would be better not to hold it at all,” sighed Tree Spirit.
Angel: “If it really isn’t held, I believe everyone in the Savage Grottoes, men and women, young and old, would probably complain.”
Although men are prohibited from attending the tea party, the presence of so many witches still pleases the men. The witches are happy, too, as the opportunity to interact with others is inherently a good thing.
Furthermore, the tea party is an event comparable to the Star Observing Day, an occasion where one can gain a wealth of information, intelligence, spells, and secrets, which the upper echelons regard as extremely important.
If Tree Spirit truly backs out, it would certainly provoke a collective outrage.
“Even if we have to hold it, I’d prefer it to be somewhere else… preferably not in the Mirror World,” Tree Spirit said with concern.
Chapter 1832 Two Matters <TOC> Chapter 1834 Mission Indicator