Saul's first mentor class turns into a big cleanup.
But fortunately, Saul was already experienced in working and caught on quickly.
Seeing him working meticulously and seriously, Mark became in a good mood, and while cleaning up, he gave Saul some things to pay attention to in his studies.
Two hours passed in this way, Mark had something to leave, so he explained to Saul to wrap up the work.
"In a few minutes you'll take the trash out into that yellow trash can. Make sure you remember it's yellow, and if it's not, put it in a bag, seal it, and dispose of it tomorrow."
Saul looked at the yellow trash can next to the lab door, which was taller than his chest, and nodded seriously.
"Okay." Mark pulled out a chair, stretched out his thighs and sat down, "Now here's your chance to answer for a final five minutes, after which I'm going on a date."
Saul rushed to ask the question he'd been preparing for.
"Senior Mark, how do both mental and magical powers affect the learning of sorcery?"
Mark was not surprised by Saul's question, listening to Mentor Kaz's words, he had already thought that this schoolmate in front of him was afraid that his magical talent was really poor, but his spiritual talent was good.
Probably also unwilling.
"If you look at it according to book knowledge, both are equally important. But as a wizard who values practice, magic power is the medium through which we turn knowledge into sorcery."
"Let me make an approximate analogy. The elemental ions in the outside world are a river a hundred meters away from you. Your mental talent is the speed at which you run, while your magical talent is the prop with which you carry the water."
Mark gestured with his hand.
"Ordinary sorcerer apprentices carry water usually in buckets." His gesture narrowed again, "And you use a bowl. So your growth will be much slower, see?"
Sol immediately said, "By I'll make more trips."
Mark shook his head, "It's more than that. In the wizarding world, there is almost no time when you don't use magic. You cast sorceries, make props, draw spells, construct runes, and all of these require you to carry two bowls of water or even a bucket of water in one trip. What do you do when you can't do it with your bowl?"
Sol bowed his head, a bit of the fingertips of his left hand showing, "Senior Mark, isn't there a way to turn the small bowl in my hand, into a large bucket? Like a voodoo transformation?"
Mark also glanced at Sol's left hand, but this level of physical transformation was nothing to him.
"Of course there are, but hardly any first level apprentices can afford it. The sorcerous transformation that Mentor just mentioned requires at least a second level apprentice to attempt."
He raised his hands, and a large mouth split open in the palms of both hands at the same time, constantly opening and closing, wanting to devour, wanting to lick.
Two bright red tongues, constantly testing and approaching Saul.
Saul gritted his teeth and forced himself not to instinctively back away. At the same time, his left hand was ready to strike.
Just as the atmosphere of the room turned cold, Mark suddenly retracted his hand again.
"Don't move, this is a lab."
He said with his usual face, as if he had just tried to scare Saul.
"Okay, Senior Mark." Saul also lowered his left hand and asked undauntedly, "Are there no modifications that a first level apprentice can do? I'm afraid I only have three months."
Senior Mark stretched and stood up, "Then you'll just have to gamble with your life. For example, go to the library and look at those textbooks that a second level apprentice would use."
Saul could see that Mark was ready to go, he didn't have much time left for questions.
He hurriedly followed Mark towards the door, "Can I borrow the books for second level apprentices?"
Mark walked quickly to the door and pulled it open with one hand.
"You can borrow any book that's in the public library." He turned back and gave a wry smile, "The library, well, it never stops lower ranked wizards from reading higher ranked wizards' books, they're boring too."
After saying that, Mark left the lab, closing the door smoothly.
Saul stood in front of the door, his head bowed in contemplation, "Gambling with your life?"
Relying on meditation alone, it was impossible for Saul to complete Mentor Kaz's requirements in three months.
He looked to the hardcover book floating silently on his left shoulder, "I'm good at this."
At that moment, the door to the lab suddenly pushed inward again and Mark poked out half his face, "Remember to pack your things before you leave."
"Got it, Senpai."
Saul was startled, looking at Mark's half face and shrinking back.
The door closed. Saul was the only one left in the room.
Probably ...
Saul turned and looked around the room there wasn't much work left for him, simple putting back in place and organizing, dumping the trash, and checking to make sure all the cabinets had been closed tightly.
Saul walks along the lab in a circle.
He pushes Mark's pulled chair back and shovels up the trash under the table and throws it in the yellow trash can.
The yellow trash can was dark and deep. Not like a bucket, but like a passageway.
Saul didn't look at it much and put the lid on as soon as he finished dumping the trash.
"A lab where I'm the only one left always feels uncomfortable." Saul touched his arm, as if he could feel goose bumps "popping" out from under his skin.
Saul found a few more scribbles on a table in the middle of the lab. Something had been drawn on the paper, but it had been completely covered by a black mess of lines, so nothing could be seen.
The paper was crumpled as if it had once been thrown away and picked up and flattened.
"Were these papers just here?"
Saul carefully swept them into a small bucket and turned around, ready to go to the trouble of pouring another trip.
Just as Saul reached down to lift the lid of the trash can, however, the can turned red for a split second in Saul's face.
Saul's hand braked sharply in mid-air and slowly retracted.
Pretending that he hadn't seen anything, he turned around and sealed the small bucket, placing it under the table.
He continued his rounds, walking to a row of cabinets in the deepest part of the lab.
Somehow, he suddenly remembered the man-monster walking chart he had used for today's meditation.
According to the layout on the diagram, Saul was currently standing at the lowest end of the monsters.
He hastily shook his head to shake off this not-so-lucky thought, yet when he took another step, he stepped on something.
He looked down and almost jumped.
Surprisingly, it was the puppet doll that they used when newcomers tested their talents.
There were clearly two empty holes where the puppet's eyes were, but Saul felt that there was sight gazing at him from inside.
"... Make sure the floor of the locker area is free of debris when you leave. I'll clean it up first, and if you find something on the floor when you leave. There's no need to rush, find cabinets around that hold the same thing and pick up the ones on the floor and put them back. Be sure to close the cabinet doors!"
Saul remembered Mark's instruction just now.
As soon as he turned his head, he saw the cabinet beside him open a small slit.
The glass cabinet door could see ... piles and piles of puppets placed horizontally.
"Well, this is to your house."
Saul turned his head slightly sideways to keep from looking directly into the eyes of the puppets on the floor, and leaned over to reach down and pick them up.
As his fingertips touched the rough, slightly cool exterior of the puppet ...
"Clatter ..."
A sound only Saul could hear rang out as the hardback book flew in front of Saul, the pages flipping rapidly before finally settling on a new blank page.
[May 26th, 314th year of the Solstice Calendar.
You have been left by Mark to clean the lab.
This really isn't a good job.
You are choked by a naughty puppet and are about to throw it back where it belongs.
You open the cupboard door, pick up the puppet by the head and carefully place it inside.
You are carried by the head and carefully put down.
You lay on your companion's body and watch the glass cabinet door close, and outside the door Saul hums a melodious song and happily runs away].
(End of chapter)