At Alhaitham's residence, Silaya stood with her hands clasped behind her back, her fingers nervously twisting together. Her head was bowed, too afraid to meet her teacher Alhaitham's gaze.
Alhaitham sat at his desk, meticulously reviewing a document.
Alhaitham quickly set down the document in his hand.
The moment Alhaitham put down the document, Silaya's heart leaped into her throat.
The brief few minutes felt like months to her.
Hearing his words, Silaya's tense body finally relaxed, and an irrepressible excitement bloomed across her flawless, delicate face.
"Teacher, does that mean I don't have to go on the expedition with the group this year?"
Alhaitham: "Yes, not this year."
"Wonderful!"
Silaya pumped her fist in celebration, not caring about "this year" or "next year." With so little time left, she knew she definitely wouldn't be going.
After her outburst, Silaya suddenly remembered her teacher was still in front of her and immediately stood back at attention.
Alhaitham sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "Alright, you've worked hard these past few weeks. Take some time off and get some rest."
This time, Silaya couldn't contain herself. Her face lit up like a flower. "Thank you, Teacher! Thank you, Teacher!"
After Silaya left, Alhaitham said calmly, "Come out now. Stop hiding."
Kaveh emerged from the corner, looking at Alhaitham. "How was it?"
"Hmm, her skill is quite impressive," Alhaitham replied. "Significantly better than yours."
Alhaitham was well aware of Silaya's extraordinary talent. Every young person was required to learn at least twenty languages before graduation, but Silaya had already mastered nearly thirty. Her learning ability astonished even Alhaitham.
Kaveh bristled. "You can't resist taking a jab at me, can you?"
"Just stating facts."
Kaveh, currently living under Alhaitham's roof, couldn't be bothered to argue. He had been working on renovating the Palace of Alcazarzaray and returned deeply in debt, forcing him to temporarily share quarters with this insufferable man.
Alhaitham couldn't fathom why Kaveh had borrowed money from Dori to build her a house, only to end up owing her an even greater sum. Regardless, Kaveh had already pawned off every valuable possession he owned.
And it still wasn't enough!
Leaving Alhaitham's house, Silaya clutched the research paper she had been working tirelessly on, feeling the world was beautiful.
She hummed a tune all the way home.
Silaya's house was very close to Alhaitham's, only a few hundred meters apart.
Silaya was Jiang Mumu's Sumeru alias. Among Jiang Mumu's seven avatars, Silaya had the most tragic backstory.
An orphan since the age of five, when her parents died, she had scavenged for scraps alone in Sumeru. During her most desperate moments, she met Kaveh.
Back then, Silaya was incredibly adorable. Kaveh, already enrolled in the academy, wasn't wealthy but still decided to adopt her.
With Kaveh's help, Silaya safely navigated what should have been the most difficult years of her life.
As she grew older, she obtained a Dendro Vision, which completely transformed her life.
With her Dendro Vision, Silaya could cultivate flowers for people, earning Mora and no longer relying solely on Kaveh for support. She could even help him with his expenses at the Akademiya.
Having Mora, Silaya enrolled in the Akademiya herself.
Later, Kaveh introduced her to Alhaitham. Through Kaveh's introduction, Silaya also got to know this quiet, cool-looking older brother.
Compared to Kaveh's Kshahrewar, Silaya found Alhaitham's Haravatat more intriguing.
Her talent shone brightly, consistently topping the academic charts.
Do you even understand the weight of her achievements?
Over a year ago, she formally joined Haravatat. Initially, Alhaitham wasn't supposed to be her teacher, but for some reason, he suddenly took over.
Though Alhaitham was somewhat eccentric, he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to teaching Silaya.
Still, Silaya remained a little intimidated by her teacher. He always wore a cold, aloof expression and was extremely strict.
Sometimes, he would harshly criticize her for even a single misplaced punctuation mark.
In Silaya's own words: "Being around Alhaitham is nowhere near as comfortable as being with Brother Kaveh."
I haven't seen Brother Kaveh around lately. I have no idea where he's gone.
After returning home, Silaya carefully put away her research paper, then changed out of her school uniform into her usual green attire.
Finally on vacation, she heard there was a performance at the Zubayr Theater today and decided to go see it.
-
A ragged girl arrived at Liyue Harbor. She hadn't eaten in days and was so weak she looked like she might collapse at any moment.
Passersby noticed her condition, and some kind-hearted people stopped to ask if she needed help. But the girl remained dazed and unresponsive, continuing to walk forward alone.
Liyue's security was excellent, and the Millelith were highly responsible. When the harbor guards spotted the girl, they immediately approached her.
"Miss, what's wrong? Do you need assistance?"
Her lips pale, the girl murmured as if trying to speak, but no words came out. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she fainted.
"Miss! Miss?!"
An older Millelith soldier rushed forward to catch her, turning to another soldier. "Get a stretcher!"
Seeing the girl's wretched state, the Millelith soldier couldn't help but sigh.
Such a beautiful child... what happened to make her like this?
Some time later, inside Bubu Pharmacy, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up and looked around.
The unfamiliar surroundings made her anxious, but the medicinal scent gradually calmed her.
She fumbled for her shoes and stood up, only to feel dizzy and forced to sit back down.
As if sensing the movement, a green-haired man with glasses and a white snake coiled around his neck entered, carrying a bowl of something.
"You're awake? This is Bubu Pharmacy. You're too weak to move around."
Seeing Changsheng coiled around Baizhu's neck, the girl instinctively recoiled.
"What are you afraid of? I won't eat you," Changsheng said.
Baizhu held the bowl out to her. "You haven't eaten in days and have traveled a long distance. Your body is severely depleted. It's not wise to overeat now. Start with this bowl of congee."
The girl took the bowl and slurped down the congee in large gulps, as if she hadn't eaten in days.
No, it wasn't just as if. The girl truly hadn't eaten anything for days, not even a sip of water.
Drinking too quickly, the girl choked and coughed violently.
"Drink slowly, there's no need to rush," Baizhu said gently.