Eli mentally prepared himself as he waited for the storm that was about to come. After all, not only had he directly refused the direction of the a disciple that was vindictive, he had done so in a way that was disrespectful. Although Shan had deserved that disrespect, Eli knew that it wouldn't matter because of the difference in status. Sure, he could have simply acted servile to appease Shan's nature. However, Eli had lived too long, if you included his past life, to deal with disrespect and a possible framing. Between the two options, this route seemed to be the one that would give him the least amount of trouble in the future.
"How dare a mere servant speak to a disciple like that? Are you even aware of your position?" Shan's face was growing redder by the minute and his eyes took on a dangerous glint. His eyes widened slightly in fury as he stepped forward menacingly. Eli sighed internally at the posturing. It was obvious that this young man was attempting to intimidate and suppress him.
"Who is making a raucous in these halls?" From off to the side, an elderly man walked towards him. He was dressed in a simple, yet immaculate, white tunic made from course linen. He had a long, white beard that held a smattering of brown, wrapped in a hair spiral made from copper. A set of glasses rested on his nose. Strangely, to Eli at least, they had no arms and merely stayed in place by clasping the bridge of the man's nose and had a couple of what he assumed were magnification lenses.
"Elder Li! I thought you were performing an experiment?" Shan was shocked as Elder Li was rarely seen anywhere except for the library and the laboratory. "This servant refused to hand over the delivery and was incredibly disrespectful. I was merely reminding him of the rules of Knowledge Hall and I was going to teach him to respect those older than him."
"Boy. I would like to hear your explanation of your actions." Elder Li's eyes narrowed in displeasure and annoyance. He hated things that disrupted his research. Especially troublesome things that didn't really have any sort of importance or relevance. Now, it seems, some ignorant child was causing problems because of a streak of disobedience.
"I, humbly, greet Elder Li." Eli bowed, hiding a mischievous smirk. Now it was time to give Shan a taste of his own medicine. If he wanted to use his status to cow those below him, he should be prepared to have it returned back to him. Besides, he knew of this Elder. Cato Li was a man renowned to be studious and fair. He prized truth and knowledge above politics or power shuffling. "I apologize to disciple Shan for any misunderstandings. Elder, I was simply told to make a delivery by another disciple and I was ordered to only hand it over to a Research Elder. I was merely following the orders I was given. I didn't mean to cause any unnecessary chaos."
Elder Li stroked his beard, openly contemplating the information. "That is a fair statement. Disciple Tenaym, you may take your leave and continue about your business. I shall take over from here and get things sorted out." Elder Li made a dismissive gesture towards Shan. Although Eli had hoped for a little more from the situation, it was enough. Shan looked absolutely apoplectic at the turn of events. Although, he made certain that the elder couldn't see the darkness on his face as he bowed and left. "Child, hand over the parcel and I will ensure that it gets to the proper place."
Eli didn't hesitate for even a moment, handing over the sack quickly. He waited for the Elder to finish his check, hoping to be on his way quickly. However, it seemed that the Elder had other ideas. Elder Li gestured for Eli to follow him and made his way into a side room that was filled with shelves of leather bound books and ceramic laboratory equipment. Eli looked around in mild curiosity.
"I would first like to remind you to be careful of how you speak to disciples, especially the older ones. They are very prideful and are easily wounded. However, I must say that the way that you bore yourself. Although, I think it would be wise to watch out for disciple Tenaym from hereon." Elder Li seemed to be saying it as an aside, but in reality, he was passing on advice.
"I understand, Elder. I will strive to follow your advice."
"Now, child, I would like to ask you a few questions." Elder Li sat down in his chair, placing his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers. He looked over his glasses at Eli, fixing him with a stare that seemed to pierce straight to his core. "Firstly, what do you think is the purpose of Knowledge Hall?"
The question seemed simple and straight-forward, but it also seemed to be a thinly disguised trap. Eli gently held his chin with his index finger and thumb as he contemplated the question. Wasn't it simply a place to gather knowledge? Yet, if that's the case, why would he ask it as if there was more to it? Absentmindedly, he sat in a chair cross-legged.
Elder Li smiled imperceptibly at the boy. His approval of the boy raising even more. It seems like the child is taking this question seriously. More so than most disciples. Good. He didn't move or speak, waiting for Eli to digest the question and fully form a response on his own. He wanted to see just how far a child could read into things.
Finally, Eli's eyes cleared as he finished his introspection. "That is a difficult question. However, I think it's a place to create knowledge."
"Explain."
"Well, on the surface, it seems like it's just a place to collect, store, and distribute knowledge and information. Yet, if that is the case, why is there a place to perform research? Surely, with all these books, most if not all of them have the explanation or research behind them. Yet, you seem to be performing lots of experiments. Also, if it was just a place for the collection and distribution of information, why would there be disciples? The only reason that I can think of is that you are trying to create more knowledge."
"Hmm. Second question. What do you think is the most important quality to have when pursuing knowledge?"
Again, Eli took his time thinking about this question, several minutes passing by before he spoke. "Doubt." He continued as the Elder gestured for him to go on. "If you accept things as they are written or told, you will be shackled by that very information. You will miss things that could be because others thought it was impossible or never even thought of it in the first place. Only by questioning everything and trying everything can you truly see what is fact. If you start saying that something is impossible, you will never see the true limits. If you accept something as absolute fact, it will stop you from seeing other ways and prevent learning and growth. So, you need to doubt everything in order to keep an open mind for learning. We need to remember, even geniuses can be wrong."
Elder Li smiled genuinely for the first time. "Final question. This one is the most important one. How would you like to be my assistant?"