Well, I shouldn't expect to hide anything from my supervisor.
This is unrealistic.
Even though she had personally stated that she wouldn't interfere too much with my private garden.
Since she is my mentor, and since she has repeatedly stated that she has been watching me, then she must be able to know everything happening around me at all times, just as she said.
I have always been well aware of this.
For example, one day a few people suddenly burst into the small garden from outside.
This was clearly done with her tacit approval.
Now, what the mentor needs to see is [my attitude].
Deception is a futile endeavor.
Every move I made had already fallen into the depths of those bright golden eyes. My mentor was just waiting quietly, like a calm sea that is always tolerant of the slight filth floating on the surface, because its own cycle can purify it all.
I am ultimately just a small boat, fortunate enough to be carried to distant places, yet also fearful of the possible storms and tempests.
Not to mention that I had mentioned it to Professor Gulu not long ago. My tutor must have heard about it, but he just wanted to hear me repeat it to him in person.
Without much thought, I simply recounted the events of the past few days to her, and soon I saw the little girl-type mentor happily swaying her toes back and forth.
"Oh, it's those guys. Yeah, I know, I know."
The mentor squinted, leaned back, and put most of his weight on me: "Since the current lord of the Holy Tree Barrier can ask them for help, this matter should be resolved soon."
I wasn't surprised that the mentor knew about Yao and the others; rather, I was more surprised by her evaluation: "Does the mentor really think so highly of them?"
"After all, they're known as the elite light-duty squad that can help find anything once they accept a commission~" She held my right hand and looked down to draw circles seriously. "Although the price they charge is often quite high, that's unavoidable. After all, most of the things we entrust to them are the most difficult ones."
I was surprised again.
Although we haven't known each other for long, I did chat with Yao about what they were doing at first.
According to Yao, the reason these women got together was purely for convenience while traveling, and accepting lost-and-found requests was mostly just a side thing. Whether they found anything or not depended entirely on luck, and more often than not, it was simply to see what was being asked to them and satisfy their curiosity. Her tone and expression were very calm as she spoke, as if it were just an ordinary little thing, without any emotional fluctuation whatsoever.
"But why do you, my dear disciple, always hang out with that lucky idiot?" My mentor glanced at me sideways, sighing dramatically. "That little idiot, no matter what, has extraordinary luck. Even if he doesn't use his brain, his talent alone would surpass a whole bunch of novice mages struggling to pass the exam. On the other hand, my dear disciple, even in terms of aptitude, is only slightly better than average. If he becomes any more lazy, I'm afraid he'll be left far behind by your two friends."
I've never cared about these things. I only thought about making a few comments when I was with friends before. Now, I just ignore it and shrug it off: "Originally, I was just thinking about finding a simple job to make a living after graduating from college. Now that I have the sandbox garden as a foundation, I feel like I've achieved my goal for the next fifty years of my life ahead of time. I can just relax and retire now."
"While you are indeed quite capable in this area, learning in no time what others struggle to comprehend, that wasn't the purpose of initially teaching you the techniques for constructing the miniature garden." My mentor smiled again, making my back tingle with unease. "Besides, in the end, you've only learned the basics and constructed a rough outline. You haven't even had time to acquire the necessary materials and magic circulation, have you?"
"How can something so fragile that it breaks with the slightest touch be used as a finished product? Even a perfectly solid finished product still leaves room for improvement and repair."
I remained silent, pretending that I was watching her draw in my palm with complete concentration.
Seeing this, the tutor seemed to become interested as well. He turned around, leaned into her arms, and her hair, which had an unknown fragrance, spread out like smooth brocade. The patterns she made became more and more complicated, and it was hard to tell whether they were words or pictures: "Speaking of which, what was the topic you submitted to me before?"
"The construction and iteration of the element model," I answered honestly.
"Select the simplest ones. What about ranks?"
"Deploy the magic array."
"It's just average, an awkward position that's neither here nor there."
“Professor,” I couldn’t help but say, “if those students outside heard you say that, they’d definitely build a hut in front of your door and cry for half the night. Some of the senior students in the academy who are about to graduate still haven’t managed to set up the magic array.”
Unfurling a magic circle—a series of concentric rings inscribed with complex characters and formulas—is a crucial auxiliary means of amplifying the power, concentration, and accuracy of upcoming spells. It is also one of the standard criteria for being called a mage. Before this, one could at most be called a magic user, finding work that paid slightly more than the average person.
But this is also a formidable barrier that is difficult for ordinary people to overcome.
Without sensing magic, one cannot learn how to use it. Without using magic, one cannot master spells. Without mastering spells, one cannot know how to control the flow and convergence of magic, and thus cannot find a path to further advancement.
A few might find alternative paths, relying on tools or combat to gain insights through imagination and physical experience, but most are ultimately shut out. Even those considered talented and admitted to the academy often fail to advance further before graduation, ultimately lamenting their own powerlessness after repeated trials.
"But you are my disciple, so why should you care whether those mediocre people can do it?"
My mentor didn't care about any of that. He just poked my palm hard with his fingertip: "Anyway, there's still more than a year until graduation. As my only disciple, I just hope you can take another step forward before graduation, and ideally, be able to independently develop your own Dharma Ring. Only in this way can you hope to get a little closer to me in the future."
"...Is that not allowed?"
Unfolding the magic ring… Isn’t that a realm that only a grand mage can barely reach? It’s not something that’s so easy to achieve. Not everyone can be like the protagonist in a novel, advancing in the blink of an eye with just a few words.
Staring at those pleading eyes that were fixed on me, even though I knew it was just acting, I couldn't bring myself to utter the words. In the end, I could only sigh and say that I would do my best while begging my mentor for forgiveness.
I understand my limits; even with all my efforts, I can only barely reach that distant boundary.
Of course, I won't try.
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