Over the next several days, life became extremely chaotic and hectic. Eli was shuffled around to complete various processes necessary for the assistant position transfer. He was sized for a uniform tunic and trews. Since they didn't have one small enough for him, he was given a larger size to hold him over until his properly sized uniform was tailored for him. Meanwhile, he was directed to several rooms throughout the Research Wing. In every wing, he was tested on many subjects like: General Knowledge, History, Mathematics, Alchemy, Metallurgy, and a few other subjects. Eli was told that these tests would determine the level of the classes he would be taking, which was extremely disconcerting due to the fact that most of his knowledge was from a different world.
However, Elder Li was not expecting anything from him knowledge-wise. After all, in the Elder's eyes, Eli was only a boy of seven. What knowledge could he have gained in 7 years of infancy and menial labor. If he was able to answer any of the questions on the tests Elder Li would be severely amazed and admiring of his luck.
Elder Li's thoughts proved prophetic. Eli had scored completely null, because unfortunately, the tests were written tests with no verbal questions and workers were never taught how to read, especially for children so young. Without being able to read the questions, much less write, he couldn't answer a single question. Eli missed his old world's system of mandatory schooling. However, it hadn't been too far out of his expectations. After all, with the level of development of this world, it would be considered a luxury to even have time to establish a system for formal education. Unfortunately for Eli, that meant that he wouldn't be able to show any knowledge in any field. This would mean months of classes going over the same level of knowledge he already had, unless he found an opportunity to show off. Now, the problem was simply trying to find a way to do so.
Elder Li looked over the scroll that held Eli's scores as the boy sat in front of him, frowning in contemplation. "You seem displeased with the results. You shouldn't be. There is plenty of time to learn the required knowledge in the future. Nor are the results out of my expectations. This simply means that you are a blank slate that we can build upon and develop freely."
"Elder, I simply feel that I could have done better than this if I could have read the questions. I think that I could surprise you with some of my knowledge if I had been allowed to have the questions read to me. Although I might not know much, I believe that I know more than what those scores show." Eli bowed his head in frustration. He had lived a full life learning random things on a variety of subjects in his past life. Yet, here he was looking like a complete imbecile because his test was written in another language.
Elder Li fixed his eyes on the child that sat before him and sighed heavily as if burdened with the knowledge of eras past. "Do not fear being assumed to possess less knowledge than you have. Fear having your knowledge overestimated and not having the answer. The former garners more rewards for success. The later ensures you lose more." He stood and walked around the worn mahogany desk and stood beside the boy, resting his hand on Eli's shoulder. "I will be in charge of your education. My experiments are in a stable state and can be placed on hold for now. I have an inkling that you will become a glorious and grand person that brings great success to those like us. You merely have to build your foundation. That takes time and can't be rushed."
"--- Yes, Elder. I understand," Eli said in a carefully constructed neutral storm. Elder Li chuckled at the stubbornness and lack of acceptance that was evident in Eli's eyes. In the Elder's eyes, Eli could refuse to accept it at the moment. As long as Eli kept learning and kept pursuing more knowledge and understanding that knowledge, it was enough. In time, Eli might even become the cornerstone of Knowledge Hall, or even supersede it entirely. If that was the case, there would be the possibility to recommend him to that place and see just how far he could go.
"For now, you will attend the rudimentary language courses. That class will teach you how to read. You will be attending with others that are around your ages or even older than you. How fast you progress from that class depends on you. If you learn slow, it will take longer. However, I expect that you might not take so long." In fact, Elder Li was expecting the boy to graduate from that class in 6 months to a year tops. At least, that was the impression that he got from how the boy thought so far. "You will be taking the classes for 2 hours at noon every day. I will be waking you at sunrise to assist me in my work. You will leave for the class 15 minutes early, and you will return here 15 minutes after to continue assisting. It will be long days for the foreseeable future. However, I think you can manage."
Eli could feel the weariness settling in already. He could already imagine the amount of work he would have to do. "Elder, might I ask what exactly I will be helping with?" He felt that he was being thrown off the deep end of a pool and was expected to swim. The only question that remained was whether he was wearing weights around his ankles when he was thrown in.
"You should just patiently wait for that to answer itself in due time. For now, get changed into your assistant's clothes to prevent any delays while walking around. You still need to finish gathering the rest of the items that you will need." With that, Elder Li shooed Eli away. As Eli disappeared through the door to the adjacent room, Elder Li started thinking about the best way to start teaching the boy. After all, the way he taught the boy could either encourage and spur on, or discourage and demotivate him.