The Mage's Path Begins with Reading

Half-elf, what—kind of thing is that?

Is this an insult?

Even if the speaker meant no harm, how could it sound like anything other than an insult?

Shawn immediately retorted in anger, "A half-elf is not a 'thing'! No, wait, a half-elf is a thing! No, that's not right either..."

Meryl Winterstorm was clearly confused by Shawn's circular logic, staring with wide eyes in utter bewilderment: "So, is a half-elf a thing or not?"

The dialogue between the two minors made even the elegant and gentle High Elf chuckle.

The High Elf mage pursed her lips and smiled secretly for a long moment before composing herself to explain, "A half-elf is a unique race, the offspring of a union between an elf and another race. They possess two distinct bloodlines; they are mixed-blood. Young man, if I may be so bold, what is your name? I mean your full name, including your surname."

Shawn immediately grew alert; this was a background check.

In this world, surnames were held in high regard because they represented one's bloodline. When introducing themselves, many people would include their surname and the names of their elders.

For instance, if Medivh were to introduce himself, he would say, "I am Medivh Aran, son of Nielas Aran," though he would be more likely to mention his mother than his father, given that she was far more powerful and famous.

The High Elf mage was trying to trace Shawn's origins through his surname. Since ancient times, the elven population had been small, and thus, their surnames were few. Any adult elf was intimately familiar with every elven surname in existence.

Shawn did not intend to lie.

In truth, he was just as eager to understand the mystery behind his inexplicable surname and his bizarre status as a half-elf.

Therefore, after only a brief moment of hesitation, Shawn answered readily, "My name is Shawn, Shawn Feathermoon."

Shawn Feathermoon?

The several elven mages exchanged glances, seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

They did not recall any elf bearing the surname "Feathermoon."

Perhaps it is a fallen house? Or a newly created surname? the mages wondered.

Elven surnames were not immutable.

For example, the King of Quel'Thalas, the great Anasterian Sunstrider—his surname, "Sunstrider," was only adopted after the High Elves had diverged from the Night Elves.

Could Feathermoon have originated in a similar fashion?

The elven mages did not dwell on the matter, quickly pushing the trivial question to the back of their minds. The High Elf mage smiled at Shawn and asked, "Shawn, you mentioned earlier... that you wanted us to give you two 'special treatment'? What does 'special treatment' mean?"

Shawn hurriedly replied, "Wise mage, it is like this. 'Special treatment' means to receive private instruction. We were lost during the lecture today, so we were hoping the mage could explain it to us again. I wonder, I wonder if that would be possible?"

Shawn lowered his voice, putting on a cute, pleading act.

The kid was sharp.

He only resorted to acting cute because the High Elf mage before him was a beautiful woman. If it had been a man, Shawn would have been the first to gag! One had to know, Shawn was straight, not bent; he had absolutely no interest in his own gender.

Although High Elves no longer possessed infinite lifespans after moving away from the Well of Eternity, they remained a long-lived race, easily living for hundreds or thousands of years. Thus, to a High Elf, the fifteen or sixteen-year-old Shawn was not even a youth; he was, at most, a child—even considering he wasn't a pure elf, but a half-elf.

Therefore, the High Elf mage was quite understanding of Shawn's display.

Perhaps because of Shawn's status as a half-elf, the High Elf mage felt a sudden sense of kinship and quickly agreed to his request.

As honored guests of Stromgarde, the High Elves were lodged not far from the royal palace. Under the guidance of the female elven mage, Shawn and Meryl arrived at a certain room.

It was a room akin to a library, filled with books. Most of the volumes were part of the Arathi royal collection, while only a very few, radiating intense arcane energy, were the spellbooks brought by the elven mages.

Every single spellbook was incredibly precious.

Every mage was a scholar; their formidable magical prowess was accumulated through tireless study and research.

After confirming that both Shawn and Meryl were literate, the elven mage took a large stack of books from the shelf, piled them in front of the two, and left them with a single sentence before picking up another book to read.

"Read from top to bottom, understand it thoroughly, and then come find me."

Shawn was a person who loved to read, whether on Earth or in Azeroth.

The stack of books the elven mage had placed before him were not spellbooks, but magical textbooks. While the terms differed by only one character, they were worlds apart in reality.

A spellbook not only recorded various spells, but these spells could be cast directly by providing a certain amount of mana, making them no different from a spell prepared and released by a mage over a long period. Furthermore, a spellbook itself was an indispensable tool for a mage, often exceeding the value of a staff.

A mage wielding a spellbook was likely to be more powerful than one with only a staff, provided they were of the same rank.

Magical textbooks, however, were merely books recording magical knowledge. They were common items, and as vessels of knowledge, the two could not be mentioned in the same breath.

The material of these textbooks was not ordinary paper, but a special plant fiber crafted by the High Elves. Because these fibers possessed inherent magical resistance—impervious to water and fire—the resulting books shared these traits. This allowed the textbooks to be preserved for a long time, even for thousands of years.

The only drawback was that the pages were too thick. A book as thick as a brick might only contain thirty or fifty pages, unable to record much information.

The text contained in the stack before him probably didn't even amount to a middle school language textbook.

The characters in these books were not elven, but human—what would later be known as Common. These books had been specially written by Quel'Thalas scholars before coming to Stromgarde, with the express purpose of being readable by humans.

Opening the first book, Shawn was soon enthralled.

These magical textbooks did not involve any actual spells, but only the most fundamental magical knowledge. Things like the origin of magic, the elements of spellcasting, the material composition of the world, earth, fire, water, and wind, the differences between various elements, how to meditate, and the purpose of meditation.

They seemed basic, but for a beginner, they were vital. If you did not read these books, if you did not study and grasp the experience accumulated by predecessors over millions of years, you could never embark on the path of a mage.