Chapter 11: Along the Way

After the advice from the mage, who seemed mysterious in the soldiers' eyes, and the captain's orders, everyone's emotions gradually calmed down, thus avoiding a potential disturbance that might have occurred.

The captain hurried back from the front of the group, solemnly thanked Shaoke for his assistance, and ordered his deputy to protect the mage at all times before excusing himself to return to the front to stabilize morale. Shaoke thought to himself, "Officials really have a lot to worry about! Even the lowest-ranking ones, of course, provided they are good officials."

After the brief commotion subsided, the group quieted down considerably. The soldiers whispered about what they would eat for lunch, when they would rest, whether the scouts ahead had hunted enough game, and occasionally checked for signs of monsters while clearing the path.

The Elder Physician launched into a lecture for his son, tirelessly repeating the duties a physician must uphold, sternly reprimanding him for his failure to promptly save lives and heal the wounded. Even though the young physician repeatedly insisted that he was merely speaking in theory—that such situations had not occurred before, were not happening now, and would not happen in the future—the Elder Physician would not let go of the erroneous thoughts in his son's mind. He believed, "Everyone has the right to live, even criminals are no exception, let alone these soldiers. Physicians must rescue the injured as quickly and effectively as possible when people are attacked by beasts or harmed by enemies." Shaoke and the two mages fell silent, quietly listening to the Elder Physician's incessant nagging, which seemed likely to continue for a long time.

Shaoke occasionally instructed his two new companions on matters to pay attention to in the wilderness: "Mage Yija, don't always walk with your head down. A mage never lowers his head, not even in death. If a monster or enemy suddenly appears, can you rely on your perception to detect the situation?"

"Mage Loki, you should observe your surroundings more carefully. If you accidentally get lost, you can still rely on your memory to find your way back. Moreover, when a mage casts spells against an enemy, they must pay attention to the surrounding environment and choose appropriate spells to confront the enemy. This is something the instructors at the academy have emphasized more than once." Shaoke paused briefly before continuing, "Look, do you see that big tree ahead? If an enemy were hiding behind its branches, what spell would you choose?"

Mage Kiya was momentarily stunned. "Fireball," he said, then looked at Xueye. "Fireball? Poor Mage Kiya, do you think you've already become a novice mage? Able to cast a first-tier spell?" Shaoke said with an expression of disbelief. "‘Corrosive Sphere...’" said Mage Xueye. "Mage Yija, what would you choose?" Shaoke pressed Yija, who was frowning in thought. Mage Yija said, "If the enemy uses ranged attacks, I would choose 'Mist Spell' to disrupt their vision. If it's close combat, I would use 'Frost Ray' to slow them down."

"Excellent! Mage Yija, it seems you are temporarily better than Mage Kiya at observing the environment and selecting spells. Don't be shy; this is the praise you deserve." After watching Yija speak a few words and then lower his head in silence again, Shaoke felt a wave of helplessness. Could someone like this successfully aim at enemies in the future? It was a question worth pondering.

"Mage Xueye, if you encountered such a situation, what spell would you choose? Assuming you could only use zero-level spells." After a brief silence, Mage Kiya turned the question back to Shaoke. "Hmm! I would choose 'Entangle.' This environment is well-suited for that spell. With the enemy in the tree, it would be easier to disrupt them as quickly as possible. Then, depending on the situation, I would choose a spell, ultimately opting for 'Frost Ray,' as this environment would enhance its freezing effect. Of course, you could also choose the fastest-casting spell you know to strike the enemy."

Shaoke thought for a moment before answering. He remembered when he first arrived here, during his first mission, Mage Feiyi had asked him the same question. Shaoke had answered "Lightning Orb," and then Mage Feiyi told him, "If you know 'Frost Ray,' why not use it? Its casting time is short, and it affects the enemy's speed. If you know 'Entangle,' no matter the enemy's level, it will always take them some time to break free." Later, Shaoke worked even harder to memorize and practice as many zero-level spells as possible, preparing for unexpected needs. He wondered where they were now, whether their return would go smoothly, what arrangements the capital would make for them, and if he could ask them to send some books and spells once they were in contact. After all, the merchants' books were too expensive, not very professional, and lacked important materials like spell incantations.

By noon, after consulting the mages, the captain found a relatively large clearing for a temporary rest and prepared lunch. Dozens of soldiers skillfully leveled the small clearing and invited the mages to rest there. To the mages' satisfaction, everyone began to busy themselves. After all, this was the environment they were in, and the two new mages couldn't find fault with the soldiers' efforts to tidy up the clearing.

The scouts mentioned earlier had been lucky enough to kill a few ordinary tigers on the road, which were now prepared as lunch to satisfy everyone's appetites. In addition to the meat, the mages were specially served several plates of wild vegetables, and the bread slices baked that morning before departure were toasted on the grill. After all, aside from Shaoke, the mages they had seen rarely ate meat. These low-ranking soldiers didn't want to upset the mages over trivial matters, even though most mages didn't care about such things. Small jars of butter, honey, and pine nut wine added some flavor to the food. The soldiers' lunch wasn't as lavish, but that was to be expected given the circumstances. Moreover, large chunks of boiled tender meat and meat soup with a few wild vegetables better suited their tastes and provided sufficient energy to meet their needs along the journey, maintaining ample strength to clear the path. As for alcohol, it wasn't time for them to drink yet, as the group didn't carry much and couldn't allow these heavy drinkers to indulge. Only when they slept at night would each person be given a small cup, mainly for warmth.

For the two new mages, lunch wasn't particularly lavish, but they understood that in such an environment, they couldn't expect too much from the food. At least Shaoke found the wild vegetables dug up by everyone in the wilderness quite tasty. Even after arriving in this world, Shaoke only got to eat wild vegetables when on military missions. Usually, he bought cooked stir-fried dishes outside, which lacked the unique crispness of these wild vegetables.

Watching Mage Yija and Mage Loki eat the wild vegetables with expressions of difficulty, Shaoke couldn't help but laugh and broke the mages' habit of not speaking during meals: "You two, there's nothing wrong with eating these wild vegetables. Chew slowly; their flavor is much better than cultivated vegetables. Don't rush to swallow them, or you won't taste their unique crispness. Many merchants hire villagers to gather these foods in large quantities, which caused complaints from the surrounding mercenaries. Eventually, they negotiated and resolved the conflict. Now, large-scale gathering of these things is prohibited. They are left here for mercenaries to supplement their meals and quench their thirst, as their growth rate is very slow in such cold regions."

In response to Shaoke's kind reminder, Yija and Kiya expressed their gratitude: "Thank you for the reminder, Mage Xueye. However, I think I'll stick to bread slices and meat soup in the future. At least they won't make my tongue too bitter to chant incantations quickly." Mage Kiya frowned as he swallowed the wild vegetable in his mouth, wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, and gave his answer. Beside him, Mage Yija nodded slightly to show he agreed with Kiya's thoughts. However, Shaoke didn't notice Yija's gesture. After giving up on persuading Kiya to try these, he repeatedly invited Mage Yija to taste the wild vegetables. Mage Yija had no choice but to reluctantly swallow the food, which wasn't particularly tasty to him.

Lunch quickly ended amid Mage Kiya's suppressed laughter and Mage Yija's slight frustration. After a short rest, everyone set off on the journey again. Their long leather boots crunched on the thick snow, startling birds from the trees from time to time. Occasionally, unlucky individuals were even hit by droppings from the sky.

The mood in the group was more subdued than in the morning. Physician Ino obediently kept his eyes on the ground, hoping to find some medicinal herbs to supplement his private purse. However, they were too close to the town, and the medicinal herbs and beasts in the forest were very scarce due to the villagers' gathering and the mercenaries' constant hunting. Thus, the group's progress remained relatively fast.

Physician Ino occasionally reminded the soldiers to keep an eye out for any wild vegetables that might appear nearby and promised that if there was a big harvest, he would treat everyone to the most expensive rum upon their return. The soldiers teased him: "Rum? Oh my! The great Physician Ino Swan is going to treat us to rum? Are we dreaming? You only ever treat your father to rum. Us? Treating us to a large cup of premium liquor each would be enough; we won't fantasize about rum." "No, I mean it this time," Physician Ino said, stealing another glance at his father and shouting loudly. "Come on, you've always said that. Since you've been here, you've never actually kept your word."

And so, the soldiers and Ino bickered. Occasionally, Ino would say a few words to Mage Kiya, but under the watchful eyes of the captain and his father, he quickly slipped back among the soldiers. However, it wasn't long before he went over to chat with Mage Kiya again.