In the Spring Garden, the March sun shines through the young leaves of poplar and elm trees. The spring water gushes between the shadows and the light. This open-air inner courtyard is surrounded by four towering stone walls, beyond which are many halls, courtyards, corridors, halls, towers, and the thick outer walls of the "Wang Xuan Pavilion" of Jour College. This thick wall withstands any fire, earthquake or tidal wave, as it is not only made of stone, but also clearly imbued with magic. The Rook Academy is the "Island of the Wise", a place where magical skills are taught. Therefore, Hongxuan Pavilion is equivalent to the Witchcraft Academy, and it is also the center of witchcraft. As for the center of the Hongxuan Pavilion, it is this small inner courtyard away from the outer wall. Here, fountains are constantly gushing and trees stand all year round on sunny days, rain or starlight.

The closest tree to the fountain is a sturdy Yamanashi tree, whose roots are so thick that they even crack the marble floor. The cracks were filled with bright green moss, wisps of which stretched out in all directions around the grass-grown fountain pool. A boy sat in a low rise of marble and moss, his gaze following the rise and fall of the water column in the center of the fountain. The boy was almost an adult, but he was a teenager. He was thin and richly dressed. His face may have been cast in golden bronze to make him look so well-molded, so stable and stable.

About fifteen paces behind him, on the other side of the small lawn in the center of the inner courtyard, there was a man who seemed to be "standing" under a tree, and it was difficult to pinpoint because of the light and shadow. But what is certain is that there is a man in white who does not move his style. The man stared at the boy as he gazed at the fountain. All around is silent, only the leaves dance, the flowing water dances, and the fountains sing incessantly.

The man stepped forward, and the breeze gently brushed the young leaves of the pear tree. The boy jumped up quickly, stood up, bowed to the man, and saluted, "**Master."

The man stopped in front of him. The man was not tall, but his torso was straight and powerful. He wore a woollen white cloak with a hood, the hood of which hung down from his shoulders, revealing his face, his face was ochre, his nose hooked, and he had a scar on one cheek, and his eyes were blazing, but he spoke warmly: "This fountain is a pleasant resting place." Before the boy could apologize, he continued, "You have come from afar, and you have not rested, so continue to sit."

He knelt on the edge of the white pool and reached out to touch a circle of droplets of water flowing down from the fountain's high basin, allowing the water to flow down from his fingers. The boy sat back down on the bulging marble. The two were speechless for a moment.

"You are the son of the Prince of Yingrad Island and the Inrad Islands, and a descendant of Lord Mored." **The teacher said, "The oldest and most downright hereditary inheritance in the Earthsea Islands belongs to your family. I've seen the spring orchards of Yingrad Island, the golden roofs of Berilla – what do you call you?"

"They call me 'Blade.'"

"That should be the language of your island's dialect. What do you mean when you say these two words?"

The boy replied, "It's the sword."

The division nodded. The two were silent again. Then it was the boy who spoke first, neither rudely nor timid: "I thought the ** teacher knew all languages."

The man stared at the fountain and shook his head.

"I know all the names—"

"All names? Only when he speaks the 'first word' and lifts up the islands from the deep sea, does he know all the names." The man's bright, piercing gaze stared at Ablade's face. "Of course, if it were necessary to know your real name, I would. But it is not necessary at the moment. So from now on, I'll call you 'Blade'. And I'm Sparrowhawk. You come by boat, how the journey went, tell me."

"It's too long."

"Is the sea breeze bad?"

"The sea breeze is calm, and I have bad news on my back, Sparrowhawk."

"Let's talk about it." **The teacher said solemnly, as if he was tolerant of the child's impatience. As he spoke, he looked again at the transparent curtain of water dripping from the high basin to the low basin, not listening, but as if he was listening to more than just the boy's words.

"Your Excellency, you know, my father is a wizard, a descendant of Morred, who spent a year at the Rouk Academy in his youth, so he has some power and knowledge, but he rarely uses witchcraft because he is so focused on ruling the realm, managing the town, and managing the trade affairs. Our island's fleet sailed westward from generation to generation, even as far west as the west, trading in sapphires, cowhides, tin ore, and more. In the early winter of this year, a captain returned to the city of Berilla and brought back some observations, and when my father learned of Eryi, he sent for the captain to explain it in detail." The boy speaks neatly and confidently, and he has been taught rigorously in the palace style since he was a child, and he is completely free from the shyness of ordinary teenagers. "The captain said that there was no magic left on Navidun, about five hundred miles to the west of our island. Spells, he said, had no power there, and the words for witchcraft were forgotten. His father asked him if the warlock and the witch had left the island. He replied no, because there were still people on the island who had been warlocks, but they couldn't cast spells, not even spells to mend pots and pots or find missing needles. My father asked, "Didn't the islanders of Navidun panic?" Again, the captain denied: the islanders didn't seem to care. He said that the situation on the island was really weird, and the autumn harvest was not good, but everyone felt that it didn't matter. I was there and heard him say, 'They are like sick people. It's like someone telling him that he won't die this year; But he told himself that it wasn't true, and that he would live forever. They wandered around, covering their eyes and not seeing the world as it really was.'" The other merchants returned and told the same story, saying that Navidun Island had become a poor island and that it had lost its magic arts. But these are just rumors in the region, and the region has always been full of strange things, and this time only my father thinks about it.

"Later, when the 'Feast of the Lambs' was held every New Year on our island, the wives of the shepherds from all over the country brought the newborn lambs to the capital, and my father instructed the sorcerer Rout to perform fertility enhancement spells on the lambs. But afterwards Lott returned to the temple in a fit of discouragement, put down his wand, and said, 'I can't say a spell, my lord.' When his father asked him for details, he could only reply, 'I can't remember the mantra or the meaning.' My father then went to the market to cast a spell himself, and the festival was completed. But when he returned to the palace that evening, he looked dejected, and said to me, 'Although I have recited the incantations, I do not know if they have any meaning.' This spring, the flock was in a miserable situation: the ewes died during birth, many of the lambs were stillborn, and some were deformed." The boy's tone of voice slipped abruptly and eagerly, and he blinked and swallowed when he said the word "deformed." "I've seen some of them with my own eyes." After he finished speaking, he was silent for a long time.

"My father believes that this sign, as well as the situation on Navidon Island, indicates that there is some kind of evil at work in our region. He longs to hear the advice of the wise."

"Ling Zun has sent you, and that proves that his desire is urgent." **The teacher said, "You are the only son of Ling Zun, not to mention, the voyage from Yingrad Island to Jok Island is not short. Do you have anything else to say?"

"It's just a rumor from some old woman in the mountains."

"What did the old women say?"

"They say that all fortune-telling witches see bad luck in the smoke and pool water, and that the ** they make is wrong. They're not the kind of people who know sorcery, though."

"Although fortune-telling and ** are not worth paying much attention to, the old woman's words are worth listening to. Okay, this information you brought, Master Rouke will indeed gather and discuss. However, I don't know what advice they can give to Ling Zun, because Yingrad Island is not the first island to hear anything like this."

Blade's journey from north to south, passing through the large island of Hefno and crossing the Inner Pole Sea, arrived at the island of Roque. It was the first time in his life that he had traveled far from home, and it was only in the past few weeks that he had finally seen a land different from his homeland, and for the first time he had become aware of the "distance" and "difference", and it was only then that he realized that beyond the pleasant hills of Yingill Island, there was a vast world and many inhabitants. He was not used to thinking of the world as grand, so he listened to the words of the ** master for a while before he understood the meaning.

"Where else has there been similar news?" He was a little stunned and frustrated, because his original hope was to bring immediate countermeasures back to Yingrad's hometown.

"The first one is the South. Later, a similar situation occurred on the island of Wasuo, south of the archipelago kingdom. Legend has it that the island of Vasso is completely incapable of performing spells. But it is difficult to know for sure, because the island has always been unruly, and piracy has been rampant for a long time. It is often said that listening to a southern businessman is tantamount to listening to a liar. But in any case, the legend is the same everywhere: the fountain of witchcraft has dried up."

"But here on the island of Rouke—"

"We don't feel that at all. It is a defense from storms, from any changes, from all kinds of calamities. I'm afraid it's overly guarded. What are your plans now, Prince?"

"As soon as I have a conclusive conclusion, I can bring it back to my father and let him understand the nature of this evil and how to deal with it, and I will immediately set out for Yingrad."

** Shi looked at the boy again, but this time, despite all the training in the past, Ablade looked away. He didn't understand why this was the case, because there was no element of unkindness in the staring of the ** teacher's dark eyes, which was both fair and quiet, and compassionate and compassionate.

All the islanders of Yingrad looked up to his father, and he was his father's son, so if anyone looked at him, they would also regard him as the son of the prince of the majestic Yingrad island, the prince of power. No one had ever looked at him like this: simply as if he were a "sub-blade." He didn't like to think that he was afraid of the ** master's gaze, but he just couldn't meet it. The gaze seemed to enlarge the world around him, and not only did Yingrad Island sink to insignificance, but even he was not exempt. Therefore, in the eyes of the ** master, he has become just a small figure, in the background of the archipelago surrounded by the sea and covered by black shadows, which is really very small.

He sits, pulling at the fresh moss from the cracks in the marble. Soon he heard his voice, which had just turned low in the past two years, and said in a faint and hoarse voice, "I will do as you command."

"You should obey Lingzun, not me." ** Teacher said.

His eyes were still fixed on Ablade. At this point, the boy raised his eyes and looked back. Because, after completing the act of submission, he will forget his own insignificance, and be able to see the ** master: this is the most prominent sorcerer in the whole earth and sea, who once installed a manhole cover for Fang Duo's ink well, retrieved the ring of Eriabai from the tomb of Etuan, and built a deep slope embankment on the foundation of Nepu Island; He is also a sailor who is familiar with the waters of the island of Estobie in the east and the island of Keldo in the west; It is the only remaining dragon master today. He was kneeling beside the fountain, short, old, with a quiet voice and eyes as deep as the night sky.

Blade jumped up in a hurry, knelt down on his knees, bowed, and said with a slight stutter, "Master, allow me to serve you."

His confidence vanished, his cheeks flushed, and his voice trembled.

He wore a sword at his waist, seated in a new pair of leather sheaths with red gold trims, the sword itself was unpretentious, with an old, silver-tinged bronze crossbar. He quickly drew his sword and dedicated it to the ** division, like a retainer who was loyal to the prince.

The master did not reach out to touch the sword, but only looked at it, and then looked at the subblade. "It's your sword, not mine," he said, "and you're not anyone's slave."

"But my father said I might have to stay at the Rook Academy until I figured out what this evil was. Maybe I'll learn some spells, too, because I don't know any skills. I don't think I have any power, but my ancestors were mages. If I manage to learn a little, I might be able to help you—"

"Your ancestors were kings before they became mages." ** Teacher said.

He stood up and walked over to Ablade, with a silent but vigorous step, and then took the boy's hand and told him to get up. "I thank you for your offer to serve me, and although I haven't accepted it now, I may accept it when I'm done discussing it with the masters. The devotion of a generous heart cannot be easily rejected by anyone; The sword of Morred's heir should not be lightly set aside either! - Alright, you go, the boy who brought you in just now will take care of your meals, baths, and rest. Go for it." He nudged the center of the shoulder blade on the back of the blade, revealing an intimacy that no one had ever shown to him, and the young prince would have been disgusted if it had come from someone else, but the touch of the master was like a reward, because he was full of admiration.

Blade is a lively teenager who likes to play games and competitions, and requires the use of physical and mental skills, which he is good at and excels at. He was at ease with all the etiquette and command responsibilities, even if those responsibilities were not at all easy or simple. But so far, he has not completely surrendered himself to anyone or anything. Everything is easy for him, and he can do it easily. Therefore, everything is like a game, and he can play hard. Only at this moment, he was awakened deep inside, not by games or dreams, but by honor, danger, wisdom, by a scarred face, by a quiet voice, by a hand holding a witch wand. **The yew witch staff held by Shi Youya, close to the place where he held it, there was a silver mark on the black wood, which was the lost rune of the kings of the past dynasties. Such a wand contains power, but the ** master does not take it for granted.

Thus, the first step of Blade's farewell to his childhood was completed in this instant: neither looking nor looking back; Unguarded, unreserved.

He forgot even a polite farewell, and walked briskly to the porch, looking simple, radiant, and obedient. Master Gede saw him go.

After standing quietly for a moment by the fountain under the poplar trees, Gede looked up at the blue sky. "The messenger of Hoshun brings bad news." His voice was half as loud as if he were talking to a fountain. But the fountain did not listen, and continued to make a sound with a silver tongue, and it was Gede who listened carefully. After a while, he walked to another porch. Ablade hadn't seen the portico just now, and in fact, no matter how close they looked, few people could see it with the naked eye. Gede called, "Master Gatekeeper."

A small man who couldn't tell how old he was appeared. This man is not young, so it can only be said that he is old; But "old age" was not suitable for him, because his face was crisp, the color of ivory, and his pleasant smile made his cheeks arc. "What's the matter, Gede?" He asked.

There were only the two of them on the scene, so they called each other by their real names. There are only seven people in the world who know the real name of the ** master, and the gatekeeper master is one of them, and the other six people are: the name master of the Rouke Academy; The wizard of Ryabai, the Silent One, was given his real name "Gede" on the mountains of Bow Island a long time ago; The Snow White Lady of Bow Island", Tian Na who brought back her armband; A village wizard named Fei Hui on Yifeixu Island; Also on Yifeixu Island, a woman named Yarou, the wife of a furniture carpenter and the mother of two daughters, did not know witchcraft, but was very good at matters other than witchcraft; Finally, on the other side of the sea, in the Far West, the two dragons, Om Amba and Kailasin.

"We're going to have a meeting tonight," Master ** said, "I'll go and inform Master Xingyi, and I'll send someone to invite Murika Murray, even if he doesn't come in person, he can put aside the list of names for the time being, meet us, and let the apprentice rest for the night." Can you go and inform the other masters?"

"Okay." The gatekeeper smiled and was gone. The division then disappeared as well. Only the fountain talks to itself in the early spring sun, calm and never-ending.

Somewhere to the west of the Hongxuan Pavilion of the Rouk Academy—or somewhere to the south—you can always see the Heart of the Forest. Xin Chenglin can't be found on the map, and there is no way to reach it. Only those who know where the path is, can go. However, the general trainees of the academy, or the islanders and farmers, can see it not far away. It was a tall forest, and even in spring, the green leaves had a hint of gold. The apprentices, the islanders, and the farmers all thought that the mysterious woods would move unbelievably well. Actually, that view is wrong, the forest does not move at all, because its roots are the roots of "existence". What moves, is everything outside the roots.

Gede walked across the wilderness by the Hongxuan Pavilion. In the midday sun, he took off his white cloak. A farmer who was plowing the foot of a brown hill raised his hand to salute him, and Gede returned the salute. Many small birds flew into the sky, squeaking: fallow fields and star grass flowers on the side of the road were waiting to be released. An eagle drew a large arc in the sky, and Gede looked up, and raised his hand again, and the eagle swooped straight at Gede's outstretched wrist like a lightning speed, clasping it with its yellow talons. It's not a sparrowhawk, it's a large falcon on the island of Jouk, with white and brown stripes, and is good at hunting fish. It first looked sideways at the ** division with one round golden eye, touched each other's beaks, and then looked directly at the ** master with two round golden eyes at the same time. "Dauntless," the man said to the eagle in the "Genesis language," "Dauntless."

The big eagle snapped its talons and flapped its wings, staring at him.

"Go, then, dreadnought brother."

In the distance, the farmer at the foot of the mountain under the blue sky had long since stopped plowing and was concentrating on watching the scene. Last autumn, he also saw a wild bird stop on the wrist of the ** division, but in a blink of an eye, he saw the figure of the ** division, but he saw two eagles flying high in the wind.

This time, the farmer watched intently as they parted: the eagle flew back into the air, and the man walked over the muddy wilderness.

He walked up the path that led to the Forest of Hearts. No matter how the times and the world twist and turn around it, this path will always be straight, and if you follow the path straight, you will soon be able to walk into the shade of the trees.

Some trees have so thick trunks that anyone who sees them will believe that the forest of hearts will never move, because they resemble ancient towers, and although they may be grayed by age, their roots are like the roots of mountains. Some of the oldest trees have sparse leaves, which shows that they are not immortal. However, among these towering giant trees, there are also some new trees: some are tall and vigorous, and the green leaves are like crowns; Some are thin seedlings, just grown with leaves, as tall as a girl.

The soft ground under the trees is covered with fallen leaves that have accumulated over the years, and there are ferns or small woodland plants. But the giant trees here are all of the same species, and there is no name for such a tree in the Dihaihe language. The air under the branches smells earthy but fresh, and tastes like a flowing spring.

Gede meets Master Xingyi somewhere in the woods. The meeting place was made many years ago using a giant tree that had fallen. Master Xingyi has been living in the forest for many years, and rarely or never goes out of the woods. His hair is creamy yellow, which shows that he is not from the archipelago. Since the recovery of the Ring of Erriabay, the barbarians of the Karg Empire have stopped raiding the islands and have begun to trade peacefully with the Inner Ring Islands. The people of the Kalg Empire are arrogant by nature and not friendly by nature, but occasionally the sons of young warriors or merchants will come west on their own because of their adventurous or temperamental interest in learning witchcraft. Master Xingyi came here ten years ago. When he came from the island of Karigou, he was a barbarian "with a sword and a red feather decoration", and when he arrived at the Rouk Academy, it was a rainy morning, and he did not say a word, but said to the gatekeeper in the Hehe language, "I have come to learn the art!" At this moment, he was standing in the golden and green light under the tree, with a majestic figure, long light hair, white face and green eyes, and he was the Xingyi master of the earth and sea.

He may have known Gerde's real name, but he didn't say it. The two greeted each other silently.

"What are you looking at there?" **The teacher asked. The other replied, "Spider."

On the woodland, between the two tall leaves, there was a spider weaving a web, a delicate circle had been suspended, the silver-gray web line caught the sunlight, and the spider was waiting in the center of the circle, it was just a gray-black thing the size of a pupil.

"She's also a shaper." Ged said as he studied the delicate cobwebs.

"What is evil?" The younger man asked.

The round cobwebs and black centers seem to be eyeing the two together.

"The web we humans weave." Ged replied.

There are no small birds chirping in the woods, and in the midday sun, everything is still and hot, surrounded by trees and shade.

"Both Navidun Island and Inrad Island have brought the same message."

"South and Southwest. North and Northeast." Master Xingyi said, his eyes never leaving the round cobweb.

"We're going to meet here tonight, it's the best place to discuss."

"I don't have any advice to offer." Master Xingyi only looked at Gede at this time, and his green eyes were calm. "There's fear at the root here," he said, "it's fear, and I'm worried."

"That's right," said Gerd, "so I think we have to get to the root of it. We've been basking in the peace that comes with the restoration of our armbands and enjoying the sun for too long. What was accomplished during this period was trivial; What is pursued is emptiness. Tonight we must explore the deep source." Gede finished speaking and left, leaving Master Xingyi alone to stare at the spider in the sunny green grass.

Ge got the edge of the heart into the forest. The leaves of the giant trees here stretch outward, and the pavilions are like canopies, which are beyond the ordinary. He sat down with his back to the roots of a sturdy old tree, his wand resting horizontally on his knees, his eyes closed as if he were resting, but in fact he secretly transmitted a secret message of his heart. The message traveled north through the hills and wilderness of Jok Island to the headland where the waves crashed on the shore, where the "Isolation Tower" was located.

"Murika Murray." He called out in a telepathic message. The called name master was reciting the names of tree roots, herbs, leaves, seeds, flower petals, etc., to his disciples, but halfway through the thick name book, he looked up from the thick name book and responded, "Master, here I am."

After speaking, he listened carefully. Under the dark hood, only a tall, thin white-haired old man could be seen. The apprentices at the writing desk in the tower room all raised their eyes to look at him, looking at each other.

"When the time comes, I'll come." After she finished speaking, she looked down at the book again and said, "All right. The petals of wild garlic have a name, called "Ibela"; The sepals also have a name, called 'Patona'; The flower stalks, the leaves, and the roots all have their own names......

The names of the various parts of the wild garlic are known to the Gede ** master sitting under the tree. He put away the secret message and stretched his legs, eyes still closed. Soon, he fell asleep in the sunlight with heavy leaf shadows.

...