Chapter 87
Now that the immediate danger of having a dragon destroy Endow Hill was out of the way, Hua Tuo and Merlin decided to hold a serious discussion with both their students .
"It is Buddha's request that we take you in as students . However, we will not force this decision on you . Please think about it seriously if you will like to officially accept us as your teachers . Training will be harsh and it might take a few years . During this time, we will not only impart our skills and knowledge but also our experience and our blessings . Unlike what we've been doing before, apprenticeship is a magically binding contract . "
Truen understood what Merlin was saying . He already had such contracts with the Great Gods and quickly agreed to the terms . Zero was confused .
"What does this apprenticeship contract do? why is there a need for a contract?"
The old physician smiled . Normally, there isn't a need for a contract to take on apprentices . However, some arts that Sage Gods knew were considered catastrophic and knowledge in the wrong hands would be disastrous . As a precaution, apprenticeship contracts were formed to ensure that the apprentices of Sage Gods will not misuse their superior knowledge or risk self-destruction .
Zero wasn't afraid of the contract . However, he was concerned about the magic training .
"How can I train in magic if I cannot recover mana?"
Merlin felt a headache when he remembered the basic problem . While Zero showed great aptitude for magic, he didn't possess any life energy . It was very odd and Merlin wanted to consult Buddha about it .
"About that, I'll need some time to understand why you're not able to regenerate mana naturally . This doesn't mean that it's impossible to learn magic, it just means it will be trickier . "
Zero nodded . "Yes sir! In that case, can I learn from grandpa first? Truen can learn from you first then we'll swap about a year later . "
Merlin didn't disagree . In fact, it was a great idea . With Zero in Hua Tuo's care, he would be able to focus better on training the elf . According to Buddha, Truen was undergoing some training with the Great Gods in the dream space . Merlin wanted to use that dream space to groom Zero's guardian without alerting the boy .
"It's settled then," Hua Tuo nodded . Secretly, the physician was happy to have someone he could impart medical knowledge of the ancients . His world might have been destroyed but with Zero, it might live on for a little longer .
"Let's see each other again in two years," Zero smiled at the elf .
Although saddened at the thought of leaving his charge, Truen nodded . Two years was a long time but it was for the best . As he was, Truen was too weak to protect Zero . He needed to become stronger . As for Zero, he wanted to start his adventure but after the encounter with the moontaur sisters and the Dingo brothers, he knew he was far from ready for the world .
As such, the brunet steeled himself to learn as much as he can with Hua Tuo and Merlin . Endow Hill was the perfect place to learn how to blend in with humans . In fact, there was still so much Zero doesn't know about the world Great One created . What he'd experienced was merely the glimpse of a very very huge mountain .
"I need to become stronger," Zero resolved . It wasn't only for his sake, it was also for Truen and the Great Gods . He couldn't always rely on others . This was his adventure, Zero was going to take control and write their story . The book that Great One provided was blank . It was up to Zero to fill in those blank pages for both their sakes .
Hopefully, there will come a time when he could tell Great One all about it when he gets his memories back, the old and the new .
-Season 1 End-