"You're spending so much on potions that you might as well hire an old mage to give you proper instruction."
In Jonathan's eyes, the crazy frequency and duration of those spell casts could only be the result of burning through expensive potions. It clearly wasn't worth it.
He Xi smiled but didn't explain.
When he returned to 122 Scarlet Waterfall Alley and pushed open the courtyard gate, Thomas came right over.
"Galen, why were you training so late? I wanted Blair to meet you, but I waited forever and you never came out..."
Blair? He Xi thought for a moment before remembering that he was the friend Thomas had mentioned yesterday. His older brother was Black Iron IV.
"Why did he want to meet me?"
Thomas said indignantly, "He was bragging again today about how his brother had taken down a few goblins all by himself a couple of days ago! He also said that with his brother teaching him, he'd become an adventurer sooner or later, and mocked me for having no chance!"
"So I told him that a Black Iron III adventurer was renting a room in my house! He still didn't believe me!"
He paused, then added with a hint of pride, "I didn't even tell him that Sister Zoya is a Silver adventurer!"
It was perfectly normal for boys that age to compete over whose older brother was better.
The idea was a little naive and silly, but He Xi had been that age once, too.
He crouched down and patted Thomas. "Sister Zoya is amazing, and of course that's something to be proud of.
"But have you ever thought that... maybe ten years from now, when people talk about you, they won't say, 'That's the kid with the amazing older sister'—
"Instead, Sister Zoya