Although Merlin felt that old man Etha was rather odd, Carice had already said that the old man had very high attainments in appraising Molta Empire era antiques. Therefore, he did not have any more misgivings. Bowing slightly before old man Etha, he said respectfully, "Merlin is willing to follow and learn from you, teacher!"
"Very good."
Old man Etha's face, which had just been somewhat ashen, immediately changed into a big smile. "Merlin, come this afternoon and begin by learning some basic knowledge about appraising antiques."
Merlin was unable to figure out old man Etha's temper. He did not dare to object, so all he could do was nod and indicate that he would come in the afternoon. Following which, old man Etha sent Merlin and Carice out the door.
"Miss Carice, who on earth is teacher Etha?"
Merlin could not wait any longer and inquired Carice.
Carice was in a deep thought for a moment before lowering her voice and said, "Mr. Etha seems to have come to Blackwater City from some other place. It's just him as I've never seen that he has any relatives. His personality's a bit reclusive, and he only likes to collect antiques. I also met Mr. Etha by accident and asked for his advice on antiques. It has come to a point where I always consult Mr. Etha if I encounter some antiques I don't understand. As for other things about Mr. Etha, I'm not very clear myself."
Merlin nodded. Subsequently, they got on their way respectively and Merlin went back to the castle in his carriage.
…
In the afternoon, Merlin came once more before the small house of old man Etha.
By then, the weather had already cleared up. The snow which had fallen heavily for a full day had now stopped. However, the air was still very chilly. Merlin pulled his coat tightly and went up to the second floor before knocking on old man Etha's door.
The door opened very quickly. Upon seeing Merlin, old man Etha's face was indifferent.
"Still considered on time, not bad."
Old man Etha said nothing more and let Merlin through the door.
Merlin came to the side of the fireplace where old man Etha liked to sit. He could see a thick book placed next to the fireplace.
Old man Etha lifted his head, gave Merlin a look, and said casually, "Antiques are the sediments of history. A piece of antique may perhaps be bearing a special period of history. So, if you wish to understand antiques, you've to be knowledgeable and understand the historical background of antiques in depth. For example, the antiques of the Molta Empire era that you like – if you wish to truly be able to identify the antiques of this period, you must first understand the Molta Empire. Do you know what is the most important thing about the Molta Empire?"
Merlin shook his head as he lacked knowledge in the Molta Empire.
"It's language. Language is indispensable to a great and united empire. Only through language can we understand the many events during the time of the Molta Empire. Of course, language is also a very good method in identifying the antiques of the Molta Empire era."
Old man Etha casually picked up the small book on the table and handed it to Merlin.
Merlin casually flipped to a page and discovered strange symbols on it. He had never seen them before. Old man Etha explained, "This is the Molta language. It's the language used during the time of the Molta Empire!"
"Molta language?"
Merlin's eyes lit up. This Molta language was very different from the language that was being used in the Kingdom of Light now. The sacred language of Light was somewhat similar to the western Latin alphabets of his previous world, with various letters forming more than thousands of words and phrases.
As for the Molta language, every component looked like a tadpole. To Merlin, he was unable to identify the differences between these letters.
"Merlin, if you wish to appraise the antiques during the time of the Molta Empire, you've to begin by learning the Molta language."
So, Merlin began to learn this complicated Molta language here at old man Etha's.
Learning a language was an extremely dull task, but Merlin was passionate about learning the Molta language. Perhaps this body had been born very sensitive toward languages where he showed great talents while learning the Molta language. Within an afternoon, he had already mastered a few dozen words.
Of course, perseverance was required when learning a new language. One would only be able to grasp it fully after learning for a few months, or even years.
The afternoon passed very quickly. Seeing that the sky had gradually darkened, old man Etha said coldly, "Alright, that's it for today. Go back and practice the Molta vocabulary you've learned today properly."
"Teacher Etha, I'll definitely do my revision well when I get home."
Merlin gave old man Etha a slight bow to show his respect once more before leaving the small house.
"Hoo..."
Outside, the cold was biting with a chilly wind. Merlin's mind, which had been somewhat drowsy became much awake and clearer. He could already see Moss' carriage.
"Moss, back to the castle!"
Merlin darted into the carriage and stretched his legs, leaning his back against the carriage. He lightly massaged his head with both hands. Although it had been tiring learning from old man Etha today, this had been the most productive day he had ever since he arrived in this world.
…
A few days had passed. Merlin went to and fro old man Etha's place and the castle daily. Life was very simple then as he traveled between these two points.
"Butler, is there something wrong?"
After Merlin had his breakfast, he asked the butler in a soft voice. He had noticed earlier that something seemed to be amiss with the butler today.
The butler hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth to say, "Master Merlin, Miss Macy has already left the castle for nine days and hasn't been back since. Should we send people to look for her in Grand City?"
Merlin was stunned. During the past few days, he had only been concerned about learning the Molta language. Every day had been very productive so he had somewhat forgotten about Macy.
He remembered Macy saying that the social exchange in Grand City would only take about three to five days but it had almost been ten days now and she had not returned. No wonder the butler was worried.
"How about this, let's not send people over to Grand City in haste first. I'll find time later and ask Anson about it to see if he has any news."
The butler nodded before ordering the servants to clear the dining table.
"Hoo..."
Walking out of the castle, a burst of chilly wind blew into Merlin, causing him to shiver involuntarily. Although snow had not fallen these past few days and the weather had been sunny, it was still very cold.
"Moss, go to teacher Etha's."
Merlin hesitated for a moment. He usually goes to old man Etha's in the afternoon. Since he was going to find Anson today to inquire about some news, he still had to first go to old man Etha's and explain the situation.
The carriage slowly left the castle.
…
Merlin stood in front of old man Etha's door and called out softly, "Teacher Etha."
After a few moments, Merlin did not hear any response from old man Etha so Merlin stretched out his hand to knock on the door.
"Squeak..."
The main door was unexpectedly pushed open the moment Merlin's hand touched it gently.
Merlin paused for a while before going inside. He searched all over the place and saw no traces of old man Etha. It looked like old man Etha was not at home.
"Teacher Etha is really too careless. The door's not even locked. Isn't he afraid that thieves would come in?" Merlin muttered.
Recently, the security in Blackwater City could not be considered satisfactory. However, Merlin knew that old man Etha had always been weird and mysterious. He had been coming here for almost ten days now, and still, he did not know what on earth old man Etha did for a living. He only knew that there was only old man Etha in this house. Other than Merlin and Carice who visited occasionally, no one else had come.
Merlin guessed that old man Etha had probably come to Blackwater City alone.
Seeing that old man Etha was not at home, Merlin sat quietly in front of the fireplace and waited, taking the time to review the Molta language he had learned over the past few days.
After waiting for about an hour, the temperature in the house seemed to have dropped considerably. Hence, Merlin casually added some firewood into the fireplace. It was at this moment that Merlin heard footsteps downstairs, outside the door. Old man Etha had most likely returned so Merlin hurriedly stood up.
"Bang!"
The main door was shut harshly. Seeing Merlin in the house, old man Etha was startled and asked, "Merlin, why are you here?"
Merlin saw that old man Etha was wearing long, leather boots which had mud and earth stuck all over them. The big coat on his body was also covered with some dew. His face was slightly pale, and he looked as though he was very tired. Merlin did not know where on earth he had gone to.
"Teacher Etha, I've come to ask for a vacation. I might have to attend to some family matters in the afternoon, so I won't be coming today."
Merlin watched old man Etha for any reaction. To Merlin's surprise, old man Etha did not look furious but rather calm instead. A long time passed before old man Etha nodded his head and said in a composed manner, "I'll be traveling far these few days, so your education might have to stop for a while."
Merlin was astonished. Old man Etha usually looked like he could have been rather carefree and idle. What matters could he have to attend to?
"When is teacher Etha coming back?"
"Can't say for sure, perhaps three or five days, perhaps ten days or half a month. But you must remember, even if I'm not around, you've to practice the Molta language well. I've some insights here on learning the Molta language, and some translations in the sacred language of Light. I've organized all these a few years ago so take them and try to figure them out yourself. They should be of some help in improving your level of understanding of the Molta language."
While saying this, old man Etha took out a stack of thick materials and passed them to Merlin.
Merlin was at a loss. This stack of information was not an ordinary item. Was this not equivalent to a dictionary from his previous life? Moreover, these records were written by old man Etha, so they were extremely precious. In this era, such things could be considered a priceless treasure. Although Old man Etha was strict and stern, he still placed a lot of importance upon Merlin.
"Don't worry, teacher. I'll definitely practice the Molta language well at home."
Hence, Merlin took the materials and turned to leave.
"Wait..."
Old man Etha's face changed. Finally, as though he had made up his mind about something, he drew a black ring out from within his arms and immediately tossed it to Merlin. He said in a low voice, "I'll give you this little knick-knack, so you wouldn't be calling me 'teacher' in vain."
"Teacher, this..."
Merlin was somewhat hesitant, but old man Etha waved his hand casually and said impatiently, "Go, go quickly, go do what you should be doing. I'm rather tired, I want to rest properly."
The old man had not had a hint of courtesy where he immediately shooed Merlin out the door.
Merlin went downstairs and into the carriage, putting the materials inside. He was still in a daze, feeling that something was slightly amiss with old man Etha today, gifting him the materials as well as the ring.
"Old man Etha's been mysterious, weird and kooky the entire time. I wonder what on earth had happened? But this ring's really strange – it looks like it's been around for a few years..."
He did not know what material this black ring was made of. It was so light that it felt like nothing as he held it in his hand. The entire ring was as black as ink, and there was a hideous monster with three heads engraved on it, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. It looked remarkably true to life and made those who looked at it to feel somewhat strange.
Probably, not many people would be willing to wear a ring like that.
Merlin fiddled with it carefully for a moment but he did not discover anything special about it. Thus, he put the ring into his pocket and said to Moss, "Moss, let's go. I'm attending etiquette class today."
The carriage slowly left old man Etha's small house.