When the new spring arrived, little Eldrin also started to blossom, moving beyond his childish ways. His hunting knife, once a mere decoration, finally found its purpose as he ventured into the mountains with the village hunters. While he might not venture too deep into the forest or stand at the forefront when facing monsters, the tasks he was given were more about helping out, setting traps, and collecting prey. But these activities showed that he was already becoming a part of the hunting community.Blacksmith Bobby was over the moon. He had spent several nights forging Eldrin's hunting knife using pieces of precious, hundred-tempered steel. Every time little Eldrin killed a monster with it, Bobby was over the moon.Hunting is always dangerous, though. There are so many magical beasts hidden in the long coastal mountains. Occasionally, lost magical beasts in the mountains will run to Rutherland Village.Little Eldrin encountered a gray magic wolf, which is a real level 2 magical beast. Even the village chief has to deal with it seriously. When Eldrin and the two hunters from the village encountered the wolf, it was a tough battle, but they managed to bring the wolf's body back to the village. What the villagers praised was that Eldrin stayed calm and composed during the whole ordeal, and he did exactly what he was supposed to do. Even the best hunter couldn't have done better. If Eldrin hadn't cut the magic wolf's hind paw with a knife, things might have turned out differently.Eldrin faced a lot of dangers this year, but he always stayed calm and handled everything with ease.No matter how tough the situation got, he never flinched.At nine years old, Eldrin learned courage. This year was the easiest because children in the mountains are always courageous. But the courage that his mother taught Eldrin was different.Eldrin did it, and from then on, his mother no longer called him little Eldrin, but my Eldrin.
"My Eldrin is already a real man!" Elaine would always say this with a smile every time she saw Eldrin.
But one day, Eldrin straightened his chest and answered: "A real man must also be wise!"
Elaine was taken aback, looked at Eldrin seriously, and asked, "Tell mother who told you this."
"It's written in the book!"
"Which book?" Elaine asked patiently.Not to mention magicians, even magic apprentices have a wealth of knowledge. So Eldrin has learned several languages from Elaine, even a very difficult and obscure ancient language.Reading is no longer a problem for Eldrin. He even finished reading several introductory books on magic during the winter, which might have been a bit boring for some, but Elaine couldn't remember which book had such a sentence."It's the book in the attic. There are many interesting things in it. It's the first time I know that the world is so big," Eldrin said excitedly."Is it that book?" Elaine remembered something and then smiled again: "That book is very interesting. My Eldrin, a true man, is wise beyond his years. But he's also got a lot of perseverance, strength, and courage. He's so smart, he'll definitely have all the wisdom he needs when he grows up. Mom's going to help him develop these qualities, and you'll be the first to benefit, I promise."
"And joy!" Eldrin said excitedly.
Elaine smiled and touched Eldrin's head, saying, "Yes, there's still joy to be found! Has my Eldrin been happy these years?"
Little Eldrin shook his head and said sullenly, "It's not always happy.Piru bullied me, and I hate breadfruit.And, mother, what kind of person is father?"Elaine's expression changed instantly, and then she said gently: "Your father is a real man..."Eldrin immediately added, "I know! He is also the worst villain!He is the one that mother hates the most!"Elaine smiled. Eldrin would ask her this question several times a year, and Elaine would always answer it in the same way. Over time, Eldrin learned to recite it by heart.He was a smart child, and he could understand the deep hatred in Elaine's heart when she mentioned his father. As time went by, Eldrin also hated this father.There were many times when Eldrin woke up in the middle of the night and heard his mother crying softly.
The child's logic is very simple: his mother loves him the most and he loves her the most. What his mother hates, he hates too.Every once in a while, Eldrin would ask about his father, because as long as he grew up, his mother would tell him more about his father. But deep down, he also wanted to know more about his father. He wanted to be able to avenge his mother when he grew up. He didn't know how to do that yet, but he knew it was important.This time, Elaine didn't tell Eldrin more about his father. She only said that she had spent a very short time with Eldrin's father, and that was all she knew.
"One day in the future, you will understand your father very well."For some reason, Elaine suddenly said this, and her face changed as if something was tugging at her heart.Elaine herself didn't know why she said this.
Eldrin could tell that his mother's mood had shifted, so he quietly stuck out his tongue and said, "I'm going to read a book," before dashing off to the back room. That was Elaine's study, and next to it was the laboratory for mixing potions. There weren't many books in the study, but the ones that were there were all about the basics of magic, how to make potions, and the history, geography, and customs of the continent. This fit perfectly with Elaine's role as a magic apprentice.Eldrin loved reading in this room at night. There was a magic lamp in the study, and Elaine's magic power kept it lit throughout the night. Oil was expensive, so it was a rare treat for anyone to keep the lamp lit for a long time at night, except for Elaine, the village chief, the blacksmith, and the most powerful hunters.Eldrin spent his childhood in this simple yet cozy little room.
In those thick books, he found another world, a world that was much broader, more complex, higher, and more magnificent than Rut'theran.Little Eldrin had always secretly thought that when he grew up to be the best hunter in the village, he would take his mother and leave Rut'theran Village to see the world outside the mountains.Elaine sat alone in the living room and heard the sound of flipping pages.Little Eldrin was studying hard again. He had already learned the basics of magic, but he hadn't really learned to do magic.Elaine even stopped him from meditating.On the mainland, if you want to be a good magician, you usually start meditating when you're four or five, so that by the time you're ten, you have enough mental strength to start learning and using magic. But little Eldrin didn't think there was anything wrong with this, because he didn't know anything, and he also thought his mother was always right.Elaine sat quietly, and just because she said one extra word tonight, the door of memory quietly opened, and many dusty past events emerged one by one, and she couldn't suppress them.Elaine's head began to ache.She gently rubbed her forehead and sighed imperceptibly. Her eyes fell on the calendar on the table and suddenly saw a striking mark: in a dozen days, it would be Eldrin's tenth birthday.Ten years old is the dividing line between a boy and a teenager, while thirteen or fourteen years old can barely be considered an adult.
Before I knew it, ten years had passed.Elaine stared at the dancing light in the magic lamp. The brass lamp body was polished to a bright shine, reflecting her face. She wasn't the prettiest, but she was a lovely lady. In fact, she was one of the most beautiful women in Rutherland Village.Ten years had passed, but the years had left no traces on her face.If it weren't for the clothes, you'd never guess she was almost thirty. If a stranger saw her, they'd think she was in her early twenties.
The face reflected in the brass lampshade was actually very strange and too ordinary to Elaine, because she did not have such a face when she was born.A long time ago, she had never even thought that she would live such a simple, hard life for ten years, but watching Eldrin grow up day by day made her feel so fulfilled in her heart.Elaine walked into the study and looked at Eldrin, who was reading a thick Warcraft encyclopedia with great interest. She smiled warmly and said, "My Eldrin will be ten years old soon. Mom has prepared a special ceremony for you to celebrate my Eldrin's growth."
"Yeah! Will there be presents?" Eldrin jumped up, revealing that he was still a boy.
"Yes, it will be a gift that will stay with you for the rest of your life. But you have to get some rest these few days, okay? It's late now, you should go to bed."