Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

"Nothing can be hidden from Lord Yilandul's eyes. I have been busy with some troublesome things recently. Although I have been meditating, the time is very short. I still feel uneasy and I can no longer feel my progress as clearly as before."

Yilandur nodded and poured me a cup of tea.

"Actually, I should have told you about this a long time ago, but since you are so busy with official duties, I don't want to bother you anymore. I want to ask you a question first. Why do you want to learn magic?"

"Of course, because magic can help me fight better."

"That's it. You want to use the power of magic to defeat your enemies. So do you still care about the secrets of Aetherius? Do you still want to know where the magic power comes from? Are you still willing to spend your whole life studying the reasons and laws for the effectiveness of magic?"

I roughly understand what Yilandur means. I am too utilitarian about magic, only seeking practicality, and lacking interest in the basic rules behind it. To use an analogy, magic is like a mobile phone. Most people - even the manufacturers of mobile phones - focus on its performance and price, but almost no one is willing to understand the physics involved in mobile phones. That involves optics, electromagnetism, etc. People who have not received professional training may not understand it at all, but breakthroughs in these basic knowledge can bring revolutionary improvements in product performance.

"Lord Yilandul means that the understanding of the rules of magic determines the upper limit of a person's magical ability. If I can't make a breakthrough in the rules, no matter how much I meditate, I will never make any progress?"

"That's right. As you know, the ancient Nords once gave birth to many famous magicians, but what about today? The Nords have already regarded magic as a trick of the weak elves. In fact, if we only talk about magical talent, the gap between humans and elves of various races is not so big that it is insurmountable. But humans have too outstanding physical conditions. Some tasks that elves need to rely on magic to complete can be accomplished by humans with just physical strength. Over time, humans are more inclined to use their bodies rather than delve into magic. After all, learning magic requires a long time and a certain amount of talent, and the effect is too slow."

Ilandur's words made me ponder. This is a dilemma. If I want to have a brighter future in magic, I must spend a lot of energy. It would be best if I could go to the Mage Academy in Winterhold and study hard for a few years. But this means that I have to abandon the position I have already achieved. Danger cannot tolerate a member of the Lords' Council disappearing for several years. Once I lose my influence in Falkreath, it will not be easy to get it back. If I don't coordinate in the middle, can the various forces with complicated interests, such as the Stoon family, the Horik family, and the Reach people of the Snake Cliff Ridge tribe, still unite and cooperate? If Falkreath falls into internal strife, will Balgruuf sow discord and take advantage of it?

Yilandul drank a cup of tea with me silently. He seemed to be choosing his words and it took him a long time before he spoke again.

"Brother Locke, in my humble opinion, you should focus on martial arts. As for magic, just let it happen. Just treat it as a hobby. Take some time to meditate every day. It's gratifying to see progress, but don't be too obsessed if you don't."

"But didn't you say that I was very talented in magic?"

Hearing him say this, I naturally felt unwilling. Could it be that his previous words were just a compliment to me?

"I still think you have a talent for magic. You learn new magic very quickly, your pronunciation is clear, and your gestures are very standard. Not every wizard apprentice can do this. However, you have to accept the reality that you have missed the best age to learn magic. If you could have entered school ten years earlier and had a competent mentor to guide you carefully, you would definitely be a rising star with unlimited prospects. But you are only starting to receive systematic magic training now. In ten years, you will be over thirty years old, and your level will be just like that of your peers. Moreover, I heard that you came from a humble background, and it is not easy for you to achieve what you have today. It would be a pity if you just gave up everything you have achieved and stayed in school. Your mother is old, and you have to consider your family. You can't be willful about some things!"

Tears welled up in my eyes.

Why?! Why do I have to give up my most promising development direction when I obviously have talent?

"Is there no magician who achieves great success late in life? People learn things at different times. Just because I started learning a few years later, you conclude that this path is not feasible. Isn't that too arbitrary?"

Yilandur poured another cup of tea, handed it to me, and held my hands, which were trembling slightly with excitement.

"Yes, there is a legendary magician who probably lived in the First Age, during the reign of High King Harald. His name was Gault. I'm not sure if you have heard of this name, as most of his deeds have been forgotten. But it is said that he only started to study magic in his thirties and eventually became a great master. But, Brother Locke, are you sure that your talent can rival that of a legend? It is unwise to abandon the tangible achievements that have been made for a future that is unknown whether it can be realized."

There was no need for Yilandur to lie. In order to deal with the invasion of Valmina into my dream, he taught me the method of meditation and a few small magics. At that time, I had just helped Rigel break the impasse and facilitated her reunion with her father. I was feeling complacent, and I had no idea that the Imperial Army would be approaching the border a dozen days later. In a series of crises, Danger and I cooperated tacitly and became important figures in the diplomatic affairs of Falkreath. I went on several diplomatic missions to Whiterun and the Snake Cliff Ridge Tribe, brought back a little girl Helgi, and negotiated with Annis and Moira to promote cooperation between the two sides. These tasks ultimately delayed my personal practice. Now I am not very good at archery, gunmanship, or magic.

But thinking of Helgi, I had an idea. This girl didn't neglect swordsmanship and archery while learning magic. Why don't I learn magic and martial arts from her? Besides, the Dragonborn in the game can not only practice magic and martial arts, but also combat, magic and thief. They can even add the three magical skills of alchemy, enchantment and blacksmithing to become a real hexagonal warrior. Yilandur commented on my idea with four words:

whimsical.

"Brother Locke, I advise you to give up this idea. Even for a long-lived race like the elves, it is rare to see a magic swordsman with extraordinary strength. What's more, human life span is only a few decades, and the peak period of physical and intellectual strength is less than 20 years. Unless you are truly gifted, the result of practicing both magic and martial arts will be that you will not be able to do either magic or martial arts. You started later than others, so you must not divide your attention and ruin your future."

I chatted with Yilanduer for a long time. In fact, I understood what he said, but I had always considered myself a mage and was evaluated as "very talented". Now my path to study was blocked, and I felt uncomfortable. When I was leaving, the dark elf saw that I still didn't want to accept my fate, so he stood at the door, holding my hand, and gave me another instruction.

"Brother Rocker, some things, if you miss them, you miss them. That's life. You are a smart person. Don't be blinded by your momentary emotions. Think about it carefully when you are calm."

I tried to force a smile, but I don't know if I succeeded.

Yilandur was talking about magic, but to me it sounded like something else: Rigel and I missed each other after all.

This is life...

Although I failed to learn new magic, I decided to stay in Helgen for a while. On the one hand, I wanted to learn archery from Angie and Floki, and on the other hand, I wanted to fulfill my filial duty to Donna. In Locke's own memory, his relationship with his mother was not very close. Donna and her husband were farmers who pursued a stable life, but their son was a worry. In the past, Donna often used Eric and Lund to beat her son, hoping that he would give up his unrealistic fantasies and buy some land. The mother and son often quarreled about these things. The young Locke decided to follow his uncle to trade horses in a fit of anger. After Sunil went bankrupt, he was still unwilling to farm honestly. In the end, he was killed by imperial soldiers in Helgen.

Although I am not the real Rockel, I am reborn with his body, so I have to take care of his family. Moreover, the old man not only did not get to enjoy the good life with me, but was dragged down and displaced several times, so that he had to rent a hotel. But Donna was open-minded about it. She was very proud of my achievements. Now her only concern was that I would get married quickly so that she could have grandchildren sooner. Since Lydia had been with me all this time, Donna kept asking me indirectly whether I was interested in her. How could I dare to flirt with a girl under Rigel's nose? I had to play dumb and coax her one day at a time.

I spent a very leisurely period of time in Helgen Town, practicing archery every day, accompanying Donna to sow some vegetables during my breaks, or chatting with Rigel and Ilandur, and researching new dishes with Eddie at night. Lund knew that his reputation was very bad, so he wrote to Stein and asked this kid to sell the hunting harvest of the Rich people in the Blood Throne to Eddie under my banner, so the inn now has enough meat to realize my hot pot dream, and I set my sights on pastries.

People in Skyrim used to eat bread. Dad would open the oven every six months. The baked bread would be stored for so long that it would be hard enough to crack the shells of nuts. If it was steamed pasta, there would be no such problem. The disadvantage was that it was not durable in storage. But Rigel, a pregnant woman, liked it, so I naturally rolled up my sleeves and worked overtime. In five days, I not only taught Eddie and Murray how to steam buns, but also figured out how to make jam buns stuffed with snowberries and various meat buns. The couple now had a big business and had hired three people to help in the kitchen. Eddie privately told me that he was saving money and would propose to Murray when everything was on track. He also specifically told me not to leak the secret, otherwise it would not be a surprise.

It is now the beginning of the first month of the first seed, which is March. After many hardships, Helgen Town finally prospered. Dad's Reachman Guard has expanded to more than 30 people, plus nearly 100 regular troops, and the small fortress can no longer accommodate them. In addition to garrisoning the Flying Watchtower and the Newgra Fortress, they are also considering how to control the Hrothgar Trail leading to the Riften Territory, which inevitably requires the capture of Orphan Rock in the valley to the east. This hill is the secluded place of the crow hag Esmerelda, and it must have killed many passers-by in the past 20 years, but I still successfully persuaded Dad not to attack it first.

My plan is to have Annis contact Esmerelda privately first to get a feel for her attitude. According to Moira, her old rival is a relatively open-minded Reachman, and does not have particularly deep racial prejudices. It would be best if the problem can be resolved peacefully. Our team lacks mages, and Esmerelda and her disciples can make up for this shortcoming, and can also form a check on Moira's forces in Snake Cliff Ridge. If the other party can be trusted, she can also teach Helgi magic.

I was forced to give up studying magic, so I shouldn't delay Helgi who is more talented. When I make a lot of money in the future, I will open a school so that every child can have the opportunity to study, discover their own talents, and choose their own path in life, instead of having to give up their studies like me due to family circumstances.

This idea has been in my mind ever since it appeared, and I couldn't get rid of it, so I told it to Yilanduer one night while we were drinking and chatting. The dark elf was also a little shocked after hearing it.

"Brother Locke, do you know how many difficulties your idea will face? The lords naturally hope that the subjects under their rule can be law-abiding. Moreover, they need farmers to plant crops, woodcutters to cut wood, and the bravest young men to take up arms. If all the children go to school, who will do the work in the territory? Who will pay the taxes? Moreover..."

The old guy was hesitant, but I naturally knew what he was going to say, so I took advantage of the alcohol and continued the conversation without hesitation.

"Besides, those damn nobles are just mortals. We all have two shoulders and one head. Who is better than who? Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species? If we can't strangle the peasants' path to study and progress, how can we protect their descendants for thousands of years?"

"You're drunk, Brother Locker."

Yilandul looked deeply at Lydia who was guarding the door, and snatched the bottle of wine from my hand.

"Send your master back to rest. Don't let him wander around after drinking so much."

The dark elf gently helped me up, and a whisper as soft as a mosquito came into my ears.

"If your school can really be opened, I am willing to be a free lecturer."