Arthur followed Livlan into a classroom on the first floor. There were already several children inside, ranging from about sixteen years old to six or seven, like Arthur. Rather than sitting on chairs, they were seated on tiered steps, each with a small square table beside them.
Arthur looked at the unfamiliar arrangement, ready to sit in the front row when a large hand stopped him from behind. Turning around, Arthur saw Captain Dodge, who handed him a stack of books along with a satchel. Holding the heavy books, Arthur was momentarily speechless. Just three days ago, he had been living peacefully with his family in a secluded mountain village, and now he was about to sit in a classroom to study modern civilization.
"Students should look the part," Dodge said with a friendly smile, waving to Arthur before heading out the door.
Seeing that the time and attendance were about right, Livlan called for Arthur to find a seat in the front row. She then explained to the children that she would be filling in for Miss Vivian, who had taken the day off.
"Children, how much do you know about the Hiss River region?" Livlan asked, standing in the middle of the classroom, where the students were seated in descending height order. Arthur's small frame allowed him to sit in the second row.
"Hiss River has always been a main area of human activity since the Old Calendar," answered a slightly older child in the back row. "And it was also the primary region where Gaia, the Goddess of the Earth, was active," another added.
"The Hiss River was the main battleground for the first Human-Elf War." "The Hiss River has many herbs." "The Hiss River…" Students kept raising their hands, turning the classroom lively with discussions.
Livlan gestured for the children to quiet down and continued, "It seems you've all heard much from Miss Vivian about the Hiss River. Let's start from the beginning. You've likely heard of the Old Calendar. According to both human and elven historical records, the Old Calendar began with the invention of paper by humans. It ended with the Fall of the Gods. Before the elves gained most of the land on the southern continent, humans were one of the rulers here. The Hiss River was essential to your ancestors, who built the first human kingdom, the Histon Kingdom, here. Eventually, they established the first king to unite the entire southern continent, King Mathias, and Brighton City was founded here, though it was first known as Hiss River City."
"In Old Calendar year 541, King Mathias unified the southern continent, bringing both the elves and orcs under human rule. This lasted until Old Calendar year 430 when Elf King Gauss Iso led the elves in the first Human-Elf War." Livlan paused, her pointed ears twitching slightly as she paid silent homage to the first Elf King. "He drove the human king, King Aston, from the northwest corner of the southern continent back to the northeast, establishing the elven capital in Elf Forest."
"In Old Calendar year 212, the orcs rebelled, seizing the southern human capital of Leyue City and dividing it into several large tribes. Thus began the era of the three major races coexisting on the southern continent, a balance that has lasted until now. Later, humans and goblins from the eastern continent arrived on the southern continent by sea, merging with the southern humans to create the current human race. The city of Hiss River was renamed Brighton City."
Feeling the relentless march of history, Arthur experienced a sensation he'd never felt before—a reverence for human history. Humanity had risen and fallen, experienced both splendor and hardship. Now, these children were tasked with discovering the direction humanity should take by examining the past.
"Teacher, we want to hear about that man!" "Yes, we want to hear about the man from Brighton City!" The children interrupted Livlan, cheering with excitement.
Livlan pretended to hold her head in her hands, acting as though she had no choice. In fact, she had prepared to share that man's story today.
"Alright, children, let's talk about the sixth lord of Brighton City, Rhine Hebrew." Arthur's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly looked down to hide his surprise.
"Rhine Hebrew was one of the main figures who established the Blank Twenty Years, as you all know," Livlan continued. I don't know, thought Arthur, listening carefully.
"During those blank twenty years, no one knew what Rhine Hebrew and his group discovered. They mastered a power—a power capable of opposing the gods of the continent—a power to communicate with nature. Rhine taught this power to the elves, goblins, and dwarves who later coexisted in harmony, but left out the orcs, who sided with the gods, and the rulers of the sea, the merfolk."
Orcs—Arthur recalled that fateful night under the blood moon, the massacre of Green Village, and the black-robed pursuers that followed him. They were orcs.
"Fearing the power humans wielded over nature, Ericrom, the God of War, along with all the gods of the earth, joined forces with the orcs and merfolk to wage war against the four races led by humanity. This conflict became known as the Fall of the Gods. The four races emerged victorious. The gods vanished from the earth, and Rhine Hebrew and his companions disappeared after the war."
"Many of those they had taught retained some power over nature. Those with these powers became a small, select group. They called themselves…" Livlan glanced around the classroom at the children, who were completely engrossed, and slowly said, "Wizards."
…
At five-thirty in the afternoon, Arthur returned to the charity. His mind was filled with the contents of that morning's lesson, which had been meant as a culture class but ended up as a history lesson—a story about the sixth lord of Brighton City. "You look like you haven't woken up yet." George pushed past Arthur, who was standing at the door, tossed his satchel onto the couch, and sat down at the dining table.
"You're the one who hasn't woken up. Arthur's brain is probably way bigger than yours," Katerina chimed in. She'd just returned from the Charity School with George. The two had spent the day in a crafts class, fighting over a sheet of paper.
Seeing that George was about to argue back, Mrs. Lily turned from the kitchen and gently tapped George on the head with a long ladle, saying, "Argue again, and you're on dish duty tonight."
"It's the red pepper's fault…" Mrs. Lily glanced his way again, and George had to swallow his words as she waved her ladle in warning.
"How was it, Arthur? Was the school nice? Did you go to school before?" Katerina, who was the oldest and accustomed to looking after the younger children, was holding Lizzy in her arms.
"No, I hadn't been to school before. It was… unbelievable," Arthur replied, thinking about learning the history of the Hebrew family in class. Though he hadn't learned much, he understood one thing—humans' control over nature was likely connected to the Hebrew family. He was also curious about the meaning behind the Blank Twenty Years, hoping he would learn more about it in the future.
"Alright, everyone, time for dinner, little gentlemen and ladies," Mrs. Lily called, bringing out a steaming pot of tomato soup. The children slowly gathered at the table. "Let's give thanks to the farmers. It's thanks to their hard work that we have tomato soup and cornbread."
"Thank you, farmers," the children replied in unison.
After they picked up their food and began eating, Arthur took a big bite of bread, then turned to George, who was fighting with Katerina over food, and asked, "George, do you know where wizards usually are?"
"What are you up to?"
Arthur took another big bite of bread. "I want to communicate with nature."