Lawson vaguely felt that with each 'breath', this strange warmth seemed to grow a little stronger than before.

A surge of intense joy flashed through his heart: 'Ha, do I already possess magical power?!'

But this joy didn’t last long. Suddenly, he felt waves of heart palpitations, as if he were being watched by a wild beast.

He was startled: “How could there be a wild beast in the room?”

Startled, his tranquil meditation was automatically interrupted.

Lawson immediately opened his eyes and saw Silas standing by the bed.

He had his head lowered, those gray, misty eyes fixed tightly on him, filled with a deep gloom, like a venomous snake ready to strike.

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Chapter 6 The Third Golden Rule

Green Oriole Inn.

In the dim room, Lawson could clearly sense Silas's hostility. Although he didn’t understand why, he dared not let his guard down in the slightest.

He hurriedly jumped off the bed and asked cautiously, “Master, did I do something wrong?”

Silas seemed to be lost in some emotion, and Lawson’s voice snapped him out of it.

The cold light in his eyes quickly faded, but a lingering chill still remained on his face, like icicles floating in icy water—startling to behold.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. You did very well, exceptionally well—far beyond my expectations!”

As he spoke, a trace of undisguised jealousy flashed in Silas’s eyes.

He hadn’t expected that a shepherd boy from the mountains, with absolutely no magical foundation, would enter deep tranquil meditation on his very first attempt.

Back when he was at the Golden Dawn Academy, it had taken him a full six months to achieve that, and even now, after twenty years, he still couldn’t guarantee entering deep meditation at will.

When his mind was troubled, he could barely manage even shallow meditation.

Truly, comparison is the thief of joy!

Jealousy gnawed at Silas’s heart like a venomous snake, filling him with unbearable frustration.

The more he looked at Lawson, the more irritated he became—he almost wished he could curse the boy’s heart to burst on the spot.

But reason forcibly suppressed the impulse.

“Lawson, you’ve already mastered tranquil meditation perfectly. But if you want to further your magical studies, you must earn more money.”

“Yes, Master.”

Lawson’s demeanor was as respectful as ever, but deep down he felt a chill.

Having lived past forty in his previous life, his experience and insight far surpassed that of a fourteen-year-old boy. He could see right through Silas’s thoughts at a glance.

‘Already a low-level mage, yet jealous of a beginner like me, even nearly trying to kill me. His heart is even narrower than a needle’s tip.’

Dealing with someone like this—especially when you’re at an absolute disadvantage—meant you had to be extremely cautious, never wounding their pride even a little.

He thought to himself: ‘Better play dumb.’

On the other side, Silas naturally had no idea what Lawson was thinking. He took a book from his coat.

“Take this ‘Oil Painting Techniques’, and these paints and canvases are for you as well. Study them carefully and master the techniques of oil painting as soon as possible.”

After speaking, seeing Lawson remain silent, he immediately grew displeased: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Master, I can’t read.” The boy’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s, his face flushed red, clearly ashamed.

Silas frowned and lightly patted his own forehead: “Oh~ A wild child raised in the mountains like you really wouldn’t know how to read.”

His face showed equal parts annoyance and impatience. After a moment’s thought, he said very reluctantly, “Fine, I’ll read the book to you. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me, got it?”

Lawson was delighted and quickly nodded, “Yes, Master.”

It was already 7 p.m. by now, and the sky was completely dark. Silas lit the oil lamp on the table, laid ‘Oil Painting Techniques’ flat on the table, and began to read it aloud, sentence by sentence.

Lawson listened attentively, his eyes fixed on the words on the page.

After a few sentences, Silas asked, “Can you understand?”

Lawson was about to say yes, but recalling what had happened earlier, he changed his mind and shook his head blankly: “Master, I don’t quite understand the term ‘even stirring’ in the third sentence.”

Silas scolded disdainfully, “What a fool!”

After scolding, he forced himself to be patient and explained carefully. After all, this concerned his future income.

For the rest of the time, Silas read and explained, while Lawson played the part of a slow-witted child, clumsily learning, until the latter half of the night when they finally finished reading ‘Oil Painting Techniques’.

‘Whew~~’

Silas let out a long breath, his face full of exhaustion: “That’s it for today. I’ve explained all the basics of oil painting to you. Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin practicing with real materials. Try to master this craft as soon as possible.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Silas flopped onto the wooden bed, then pointed to the corner of the room: “I’m going to rest. You sleep on the floor over there. No noise while sleeping, understand?!”

“Yes, Master.”

‘Puff~’

Silas extinguished the oil lamp, and the room was plunged into darkness.

Lawson tiptoed to the corner of the room and lay down on the floor fully clothed.