Chapter 19: First Appearance

The journey was monotonous, with nothing but thick trees, accumulated snow, and occasionally startled birds along the way. The dull travel could only be made bearable by talking to each other.

Shaoke casually twirled the staff in his hand and then tucked it into the pouch on his back. To him, this made him feel like the wandering heroes he'd fantasized about, even if some found it rather odd. However, the increasingly eccentric quirks of mages, each more peculiar than the last, ensured that those with opinions dared not—or would not—bring them up in front of the mages.

Seeing Shaoke's action, Mage Kiya became quite interested and copied him. Since he didn't have a pouch on his back, he had to stick his not-very-long staff into the collar of his robe. He shifted his shoulders and remarked, "It feels strange, Mage Xueye. Do you have a specially made pouch on your back for the staff? It seems I'll have to ask the merchants to prepare one for me when I return. Otherwise, I'm worried the staff might slip out."

"Haha!" This was the first time Shaoke had seen another mage carry a staff on his back, and the way he kept glancing around, looking a bit awkward as if hoping for others' comments, made Shaoke unable to resist saying, "Perhaps the wandering heroes from that world felt the same way the first time they tried it! Hehe!"

"Mage Xueye, what did you say? I didn't quite catch it, sorry." Mage Kiya didn't remove his staff either, simply following the team empty-handed. With the newness of it still on his mind, he hadn't heard Shaoke clearly and asked in return, "Why does it feel so strange? Is something missing? Mage Xueye, what do you think?"

"Hmm! Something is indeed missing, Mage Kiya. Think about it—you've been holding a staff in your hand for years, and now suddenly it's on your back. Of course, that would make you feel like something's missing." Shaoke agreed with his guess and provided a more detailed explanation of what was lacking. "Oh! That explains it! But I'll get used to it over time." Mage Kiya suddenly understood.

Mage Yija also noticed Shaoke and the others. After hearing their conversation, he asked with a worried expression, "Mage Xueye, if you carry it like this, can you still use the staff quickly during spellcasting? If not, its power might be less. After all, the staff is one of our most important tools!"

"Mage Yija, what do you think the staff's function is? Is it absolutely necessary for spellcasting?" Shaoke shot back, hoping for a different answer.

"The magic staff can speed up our spellcasting, increase the success rate of spells, and enhance the caster's control over spirit and mana. If suitable magic arrays are embedded in the staff, it can even attack enemies swiftly." Mage Yija explained, looking down under Shaoke's gaze. "This is all basic knowledge when learning magic, Mage Xueye!"

After hearing Mage Yija's answer, Shaoke nodded slightly. "Yes, we learned these things as soon as we started studying magic. These answers accompany us beginners until we successfully cast our first spell. However, Mage Yija, do you have any other different insights?" Shaoke teased his easily shy companion.

This question made Mage Yija feel even more inadequate. He lowered his head and stammered in response to Shaoke's inquiry, "N-no, Mage Xueye, I... I don't have any other... insights, Mage Xueye."

Seeing his companion's awkward expression, Mage Kiya jumped in to defuse the situation. "Mage Xueye, I don't know what other uses the staff has either. Could you explain it to us? Both Mage Yija and I would like to know."

Noticing it was almost noon and the hazy fog had mostly dissipated, Shaoke realized the team would soon find a campsite for everyone to rest. He decided not to tease his easily embarrassed companion any further.

"Mage Kiya, the staff doesn't really have any other uses. However, you should try looking at things from a different perspective. Mage Yija, why do we use a staff? Because it helps us. But does the staff have to be held in our hands to be effective? Some magical accessories are no less effective than high-tier staffs. They can also be considered staffs. Carrying a staff simply gives us an additional tool to assist us. As long as the staff is on our person, we can utilize its effects. Of course, like me, you'll need to get used to it." Shaoke explained.

"Mage Xueye, does carrying the staff like this have any other uses? I... I feel like I've heard of this method somewhere." Mage Yija mustered the courage to ask.

"Haha! Yes, I remember. Over seven hundred thousand years ago, there was a free legendary mage: the Free Legendary Isol. His full name was Isol Yagor the Shining Legend. When facing another legendary mage in battle, his high-tier spells were one-fifth faster, and his low-tier spells were cast in nearly half the time. It's said that even when casting thirteenth-tier spells, he was one-fifth faster than ordinary legendary mages. At first, I thought Legendary Isol just mastered more spellcasting techniques than others. But no matter how many techniques he had, it couldn't explain such a drastic increase in casting speed. Were the other legendary mages all fakes? Later, I read his biography and discovered some interesting details." Shaoke paused briefly, catching Physician Ino listening in intently but didn't call him out for being rude.

He continued, "His biography mentions several times that Legendary Isol cast spells with both hands. He didn't carry the essential tool—a staff. He wore as many magical trinkets as he could, using them to replace the staff and free both hands for spellcasting. When casting spells, he split the hand signs in two, each hand performing one, or both hands simultaneously forming a single seal. The former method sped up his casting, while the latter boosted his spells' power. This was a key reason for his victories, even when he mastered the same—or even fewer—techniques as others. So, I want to learn this method. However, I don't have enough gold coins to buy magical accessories with effects comparable to a staff. For now, I'll use the staff and get accustomed to this approach in advance."

Mage Yija exclaimed in surprise, "Heavens! Mage Xueye, have you already mastered this technique? That's incredible. Many mages have tried to learn it, but I've never heard of anyone succeeding. Even those who reached the Magister level couldn't use this technique effectively. Even if some could, they could only break down low-tier spells, which, as you know, isn't very useful for them. Hmm... Perhaps Saint-tier or Divine-tier mages could learn it."

After speaking, perhaps sensing something inappropriate, Mage Yija quickly lowered his head, seemingly unwilling to say more. Shaoke thought to himself, "It seems Mage Yija has quite a background! Either he's from a high-ranking noble family or a magical lineage. Otherwise, how would he know that even Magister-tier mages can't use this technique? Could someone be secretly protecting him? Confusing! But what does that have to do with me?"

While Shaoke was lost in thought, Mage Kiya asked, puzzled, "Mage Xueye, why have our mentors never mentioned this technique?"

"Mage Kiya, think about it. Since Legendary Isol created this technique, how many mages have actually learned it? Even those who succeeded could only apply it to low-tier spells. There are no records of any mage using this technique for high-tier spells. So, it's perfectly normal for mentors not to know this technique. Besides, even among mages who know of this technique, few practice it nowadays. They'd rather wait until they become Archmages before attempting it, hoping for success then. The main reason is that this spellcasting technique is incredibly hard, requiring not only diligent practice but also a certain level of innate talent."

After hearing Shaoke's explanation, Mage Kiya touched the staff on his back, hesitated for a moment, and then requested, "Mage Xueye, could I... learn this technique from you? I'd like to give it a try. I know it's sudden, but I hope, out of consideration for the help Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki provided, you could assist both Mage Yija and me."

"Mage Kiya," Shaoke now felt annoyed. "So, you're using my predecessors to pressure me? Alright, they did help me in the past, but aren't I already helping you get used to things here now? Just as Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki once helped me, I'm helping you. And now you're using their past kindness to coerce me?"

"Mage Kiya, was this Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki's intention? Explain why you're doing this." Shaoke demanded angrily. Could it be that Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki were unwilling to ask him directly and had their juniors ask instead? But they didn't need to resort to such methods!

"N-no, that's not it, Mage Xueye. It's not what you think. This is just my personal idea." Mage Kiya stammered an explanation as Shaoke glared. "I'm sorry, Mage Xueye. I shouldn't have blurted out such a request so rashly. I overstepped." Mage Kiya now felt as if, beneath that black cloak, he was being stared at by eyes as venomous as the experimental snakes from his training days. His body, warmed from the march, suddenly turned cold.

"No, Mage Kiya, you shouldn't use Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki's help to coerce me. Don't use their kindness to demand my assistance. That was their choice. Besides, I'm already helping you now, just as they once helped me. You should think hard about what you just did." Shaoke felt furious, and the more he spoke, the harder it became to suppress his rage. Ultimately, he was a rather proud person who never liked being coerced. This incident made Shaoke unable to hold back his anger, even though they were traveling together. In fact, it was precisely because of this relationship that Shaoke found it even harder to control his displeasure at being coerced.