If someone were to ask Rhodes, 'What would you do if a beautiful Elven girl collapsed unconscious in front of you?'
Rhodes would righteously reply that he would protect her and quietly wait for her to wake up.
And now, that very situation was happening right in front of him.
Rhodes was stunned when he saw Serie, whom he had knocked unconscious, but then he quickly reacted and hurried forward.
"Miss Serie, are you alright?"
Our little Grand Ancestor, of course, couldn't answer him, her adorable face still showing a hint of disbelief.
"This is awkward."
He should have realized earlier that the Grand Ancestor now wasn't as terrifying as in later generations; she was still very young and tender, otherwise, she wouldn't have been knocked out by his magic.
Looking at Serie, so close, Rhodes still couldn't resist.
He reached out a small hand and pinched her round face; it was soft and smooth, like pinching a large, soft dumpling.
The texture was surprisingly good, and he couldn't help but poke it again, thinking, "I must be the first person in history to dare to poke Serie's cheek like this."
Just then, Serie's eyelashes suddenly fluttered slightly, and then she abruptly opened her eyes.
Rhodes instantly froze, his hand still on her cheek.
"Cough, cough." He pretended as if nothing had happened, withdrew his hand, and asked with concern, "Miss Serie, are you feeling alright?"
Serie's golden pupils were bewildered for a moment, then sharply focused, staring intently at Rhodes.
She realized that this damned man dared to touch her face, but that wasn't the most important thing.
This man's magic was incredibly abnormal; she had been caught off guard and knocked unconscious by him.
Shame and humiliation intertwined, but she didn't show it, though a necessary question had to be asked.
"What were you doing just now?"
Rhodes immediately gave a French military salute to show his innocence, "I didn't do anything; I was just checking if you were injured."
"Just a basic attack magic..." Serie eyed him suspiciously. Thanks to the defensive magic she had cast earlier, she wasn't injured, but she had been knocked out by the impact of his magic.
The main reason was that she hadn't been prepared; otherwise, she would have cast another layer of magic to resist the impact.
"Your Creation Magic is very strong."
Serie was silent for a moment, then stood up and slowly said.
She patted the dust from her white robe, and a wisp of magic condensed on her fingertip as she checked her physical condition.
She murmured to herself, "The magic consumption is much greater than expected."
This man not only perfectly replicated her magic but also made its power even stronger.
She paused, then suddenly revealed an excited smile: "How interesting! Your magical ability might just overturn this era!"
In this age of gods, all magic had already been set in stone.
Serie could sense that due to this man's appearance, a new magical storm would be stirred up, one that even the gods would not be able to permit.
She eagerly asked, "If I teach you more complex magic, can you 'create' new variations based on it?"
Rhodes was startled; he hadn't tried this method before and couldn't guarantee it, but he still braced himself, "I can try."
"In that case, you can stay on the outskirts of the Elf Forest. I will come every day to teach you magic."
Compared to the dangerous world outside, the outskirts of the Elf Forest were relatively safe.
As long as he didn't wander off into the territories of dangerous magical beasts, his life wouldn't be in danger.
Moreover, no Elf would be as idle as Serie, running around every day but not daring to completely leave the Elf Forest's sphere of influence.
"Like a master-disciple relationship?"
"If you want to think of it that way, you can."
Serie had never taken a disciple, and she didn't mind taking this human in front of her as her first disciple.
However, this man's ambition seemed to go beyond that.
"Then never mind, Miss Serie. I want to adventure in this world. Rather than a master-disciple relationship, I'd rather invite you to be my companion."
While it would be nice to become the disciple of this little Grand Ancestor and enact a story of a rebellious disciple, Rhodes still wanted to leave a deeper impression on her.
He wasn't pretending anymore; he was laying his cards on the table. He wanted to become Xindell.
Serie smiled.
This human seemed more interesting than she had expected.
Her smile held a hint of playfulness. She tilted her head slightly, her golden, soft long hair falling like tassels.
"Companion?" She softly repeated the word.
This was the first time she had received an invitation from someone else.
Elf Race were actually a very emotionally detached race. Let alone outsiders, even among themselves, there wasn't much warmth.
Even less so to become companions with others.
Serie was no different.
"Do you know what you're saying, human?"
Rhodes looked her directly in the eyes: "Of course I do."
"Interesting." Serie crossed her arms. "Then tell me, a short-lived and weak human, what makes you worthy of being my 'companion'?"
"Just this." Rhodes raised his hand, and a wisp of light condensed on his fingertip.
But unlike the powerful attack magic from before, this light sphere was purely for illumination.
This was new magic he had just analyzed and created from Serie's magic.
"This is new magic I just created. It can provide illumination in the dark. I named it Illumination Spell."
"You..." Serie's pupils constricted. "You analyzed my magic?"
This was a light-attribute magic unique to the Elf Race, and now this man had easily deciphered it, even creating new magic based on it.
Was it his personal talent? Or was the human race's talent like this?
"Replicating and interpreting your magic, then reproducing it in my hands, rewriting some of its effects to create new magic—that is my Creation."
As he spoke, the light in his hand gradually transformed, finally becoming a crystalline flower of light, suspended in his palm.
This was a magical form Serie had never seen before.
"Creation, huh?" She murmured softly, her eyes sparkling with an unprecedented brilliance. "How interesting."
Rhodes smiled slightly: "So, will you become my companion and travel with me? I can create more magic you've never seen, and you—"
He paused, his tone becoming serious.
"Teach me how to survive in this world."
Serie was silent for a long time, then finally let out a soft laugh: "Alright!"
The outside world was dangerous; even she didn't dare to venture out easily, but this man was too interesting. She was even starting to anticipate seeing more magic from him.
It would be a short but very interesting adventure, enough to make her reminisce about it throughout her long life.