Chapter 3 - Mentorship

Haryk Elaleth's irritated eyes turned towards them, annoyed that they were disturbing his train of thought.

His feelings did not change even when he saw it was her Father, Yorik, yet as soon as the older Elf saw her walking in from behind, his face lit up with a big smile as he said, “Oh, so it is Sylvie! Welcome, welcome back! You want to come and see what Uncle Haryk has in stock today?”

Haryk was always friendly when she visited his shop from a young age. Haryk sold many valuable commodities. He may not be the most skilled alchemist who can brew the higher-end potions, yet none of them can offer the diverse range of merchandise Haryk can.

Alchemists are divided into ranks. That rank demonstrates your ability to craft the quality and grade of those potions.

Alchemist ranks are Apprentice, Journeyman, Adept, Master, Grandmaster and Emperor.

Haryk was only a Journeyman, respectable at most. However, knowing his talent was limited and he would not be able to craft the higher-end potions needed to advance his rank, he decided to master the many potions that a Journeyman alchemist is capable of brewing.

This has led to Haryk's incredible versatility. He sells many different potions, making his little shop very popular. Sylvie thought he would be a great teacher because he is knowledgeable and experienced in alchemy.

Smiling back at Haryk, she knew she needed to propose to him sneakily.

She couldn't make her intentions too obvious. Or maybe she could? Haryk almost lamented how bright she was, nothing like his musclehead sons, who were too obsessed with becoming adventurers to think of learning alchemy.

Her Father took that moment to speak, inserting himself in the conversation as he said, “Haryk! Got any more health potions in stock? I ran out of my last batch!”

Yorik frequently visited Haryk’s shop for health potions and various remedies to help him on his outings. Health potions came in numerous grades, and though Haryk, who as a Journeyman alchemist could only brew low-grade health potions, it was more than enough in most situations.

Acknowledging her Father, Haryk said, “How many would you like? I have plenty in stock”

Ballen took this opportunity to say, “How about some for me? You're looking at the future of this district, you know... I might lack coins now, but slip in a few potions and I will owe you one.”

Haryk rolled his eyes at Ballen’s antics. Ballen frequently came over with his son Arlen, so he was already familiar with the boy. The boy resembled a copy of his Father, whom he had known for a long time.

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a few boxes of Iron Bone Salves. Many guards use these, rub them on your limbs daily, especially after practice, and they will increase bone strength and make you stronger.” Haryk said as he went into the back of the shop before bringing back both her Father and Brother their requests.

Yorik handed over some coins to Haryk, who waved his hand as he said, “It’s fine, friend. You don’t need to pay full price. I still make a decent profit at two gold.”

Ballen's eyes lit up with joy as he handled the boxes; he did not expect to get anything, so he was overjoyed.

“Thanks, Haryk! You will be paid back manifold when I become the greatest Warrior this district has ever seen!” Ballen said with a confident grin on his face.

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Haryk found himself rolling his eyes again. The boy never failed in audaciousness.

Sylvie sensed an opening.

Sylvie took the opportunity to say, “Can I be helpful? I want to make potions like Haryk to make Brother and Daddy happy!”

The room turned silent as they regarded her. For a moment, Sylvie felt she had failed, but her Father and brother's faces quickly brightened, and the biggest smiles appeared on their faces.

“I knew Sylvie loved me the best! Look how much she wants to make me happy!” Ballen said with assurance.

“No, you're wrong! Can't you tell she wants to make her Father proud?” Yorik said, shaking his head.

Both began eyeing each other begrudgingly as Father and Son faced off.

Haryk, on the other hand, had a thoughtful look from the beginning.

He eyed Sylvie as he said, “You are a bit young for a typical apprentice, but you are very bright, and I could use a helper. None of my sons is interested, and I have not had an apprentice for a while…”

Sylvie could tell Haryk was genuinely interested, and Yorik suddenly became serious too.

“You're considering her? She is five and will be expected to be mentored soon, though I figured she would go down her mother's route.” Yorik said in thought.

Wood Elves did not have a formal institution for schooling on Earth. There were academies focused on learning magics, but only the minority who awakened their cores could attend those.

Most Young Wood elves would have a mentor, an elder who would hone all that it means to be a Wood elf, sharing their knowledge with them from a young age, including everything related to their nature lore, etiquette, and social customs.

There were specialised Wood Elves who handled mentorship. They were usually old, very experienced Elves who decided their final years would be best spent teaching the younger generation what it means to be a Wood Elf.

Like most Wood Elves in the lower district of Neolune, Sylvie's mother, Mryna, was influenced by the crafting culture here. She learned from an older Wood Elf, a proficient leather worker, and learnt everything she knew from them, eventually becoming one herself.

Mentorship was considered sacred in Wood Elf culture, and the mentor would be like a second family.

Ballen was a special case. He wanted to be a warrior from a young age and made it known. His father pulled some strings to convince a formidable old Wood Elf, an excellent warrior, to mentor him. Lanren, on the other hand, was opposite in temperament; he was being mentored similarly to her Mother and dreamed of becoming a crafter.

Sylvie was expected to follow her Mother and Brother, Lanren, an alchemist, was seen as a rarer path than most crafters; it was challenging to find a mentor, and her Father did not want to put it on Haryk to ask such a personal thing.

You can only mentor one at a time; it would be a big commitment for him to take on Sylvie as a tutee in any form.

Haryk regarded Yorik as he replied, “I know what I am doing, don’t you worry! Sylvie is very sharp and bright; she can come down here and watch me brew, and I can teach her about the process; it won't harm her. It is good to bring the children around, let them experience things, and give them an idea of what they want to do. For now, we can treat this casually as a child showing interest. We can move on from there if she shows talent and wants to go further.”

When Sylvie saw Yorik nodding in agreement after some thought, Sylvie almost wanted to jump for joy.

Finally, after so long, she can move forward. She had done all manner of things since her rebirth, even trying meditation and the like, but she had to accept that the formation of her core was a long process that would take time. Alchemy was something she could start early, in the early stages at least.

One of the hindrances to progressing into the later stages of alchemy is that a gifted mage who can control the heat and manipulate the flames perfectly has an astute advantage in crafting the demanding higher-tier potions.

Haryk was not a mage and did not have a core. He was an alchemist who used specialised machinery.

Her Father, Yorik, then asked her one final time, “Do you want to learn alchemy from Haryk? You will have to come here regularly.”

Sylvie could not stop nodding, afraid he would take it back.

Everyone else laughed at her apparent eagerness. Sylvie did not care, though she was determined to start her journey as an alchemist.

With everything decided, they left. Haryk would be prepared for her tomorrow, and Sylvie would begin learning alchemy.