Chapter 622: Professor Heimburger
After the man's knock, the door moved slightly, opening a little bit-enough for golden light to seep through.
He looked at the guy, who stepped back a little bit and gestured for Northern to move inside with his hands.
Northern swallowed and gently pushed the door open and entered the office.
The place was a grand interior that stood in solemn splendor, the warm glow of candlelight flickering across the ornate furnishings.
An impressive wooden desk dominated the center of the room, its intricate carvings and gilded trim betraying the wealth and status of its owner.
Towering bookcases lined the side of the room to the left, filled with tomes spanning subjects from history to philosophy.
Antique globes, brass instruments, and other curiosities sat atop the shelves, lending an air of scholarly sophistication.
Ornate gothic-style windows framed the view outside, the fading daylight casting a warm glow across the richly appointed space.
A plush area rug covered the ornate tile floor, its swirling patterns adding visual interest.
In one corner, a seating area with finely upholstered armchairs invited guests to converse or peruse the owner's collection.
Northern looked around for a few moments. He had expected to see the owner of this place behind his luxurious table, but the high chair sat alone.
But he was sure the door had opened and the guide that brought him all the way here had gestured for him to come in like someone was inside.
He suddenly heard the sound of something tumbling on each other.
Northern narrowed his eyes and turned his head to where the sound had come from, using his delicate eyes to see through the shelves of books.
Behind the third shelves, a pile of books had fallen.
"Heyyo! Little help here anybody!" A thick but slightly rough voice sounded. The voice was as if mucus was permanently stuck in their throat.
Northern quickly moved across the shelves and removed the pile of books, grabbed the man's hand and pulled him up.
The first thing Northern noticed about the man was the tough and rough palms the moment his hands touched the man's, then the strength it took to lift the man out of the pile of books.
Usually, he wouldn't be worried about the strength it took, but Northern felt like he had drawn much of his strength that he should have needed to pull a man of this height.
His eyes fell down on the figure that was dusting his violently draping cloak.
"Hayya hayya, lad, thank you, I thought I was gonna die in there hayy."
The man's white, flowing beard was enormous enough for a bird to nest within it and live for days without being noticed.
Perhaps by the way his hands kept digging into it and combing through, there was one already living there?
Northern stood, frozen, astonished by the Santa that was standing right before him.
'Santa... Claus...'
But if he wasn't mistaken, the height, the beard, the structure of the man's face, the way his eyes curved downwards, reflecting a deep, foreboding well that held in its depth eons of wisdom.
His face was marked by prominent lines of age and experience, conveying a sense of profound knowledge. He stood upright, and the best he could do was reach just below Northern's waist.
'What a profound shortness... he can't be a dwarf, can he?'
Northern wasn't sure dwarves were a confirmed existence in this world. But if elves were, then there was a possibility that dwarves existed too.
If so, what else would explain this astonishing heart for such an old man?
'Even Hao is not this short.'
"Hayy, boy, you must be the new applicant for the position of a... uhmm, hayyaa, what's it again...?" He scratched his bush of a beard as he struggled to remember.
"Instructor." Northern whispered lightly, saving both of them from the old man's dying brain.
"Hayyaa! That it is. That! But that position now, boy holds too significant value to be given out haphazardly, you know."
The man said as he walked out of the bookshelves, slowly making his way back to the main
room.
Northern followed closely from behind, a little bent, he didn't know why-the man was clearly older than him by perhaps decades.
The air around the old man just sort of demanded it.
The man paused and walked around his table. Northern watched as the man struggled to climb the tall chair, he lifted himself up with his arms and used his legs to climb upon the
chair.
After that, he collapsed on the seat for a few seconds, breathing heavily, before sitting up on the chair. His head barely managed to rise above the table.
Northern shook his head slightly after watching all these unfold.
'Yeah... no way he goes to the gate.'
The man picked a set of small round glasses and fixed them onto his eyes, resting them on his pointed nose.
He rummaged through the files on his table and brought out a particular one, looking through it while digging his fingers into his white beard.
"Hmmph, I have your papers here with me. They do speak well of you. And, hayyy, you are a prodigy. I almost find this impossible to believe. A Sage at sixteen."
Northern stood silently, crossing his hands behind his back and watching the man read through the papers for a few more seconds.
He finally dropped it and fixed Northern with his deep scrutinizing gaze.
"Hayyya, my name is Professor Heimburger Gandall. You can call me Professor Heim for short. Some delinquent lads dare to call me the Short Burger Professor, I advise you not to
partake in such flapdoodle."
Northern nodded, "Trust me, I can tell how infuriating that can be. Rest assured, I understand your situation and fully relate to it."
The professor paused for a moment, blinking in confusion.
"Uhmm... I'm not sure what you mean, but haayyy. Come, sit here, let's start your interview." Professor Heimburger pointed to one of the chairs in front of his table, looking at Northern.