Chapter 32: Encounter

"We are from a mercenary company, here on a mission. Who are you?" A tall figure from the other party signaled his companions to maintain a certain distance before loudly responding to the inquiry, hoping to clarify their identity. Having spotted this relatively large camp from afar, they had sent a rogue from their team to investigate cautiously. Recognizing the group as military by the firelight, they approached with some relief, but confirmation was still necessary.

"Inform them of our identity and have them send a member with documents that can prove who they are. We need to verify," the captain ordered after a brief consideration.

"Adventurers ahead, we are the garrison troops from the town up ahead, currently on a mission. Send one person with documents that can prove your identity. Otherwise, we will assume you are bandits and respond with the harshest measures," the loud-voiced soldier shouted after leaning out, then immediately ducked back behind cover, fearing a sudden attack might pierce his not-so-sturdy skull—then, even if he wanted his comrades to carry him, it wouldn't be an option.

After a brief, hushed discussion, the newly arrived strangers finally sent a person forward slowly, carrying identification documents.

Shaoke half-hid behind Iron Tower, watching as a relatively short and slender figure approached slowly, holding a torch. A woman. No sooner had he made this judgment than the soldiers on his side began murmuring excitedly. A woman! It had been over a month since they'd seen one. The commotion quickly caught the attention of the torch-bearing woman, making her extremely anxious, almost turning to flee. Fortunately, the captain stepped out from cover in time, standing by the nearby fire, and called out loudly, "Don't worry. I'm just surprised it's a woman. Rest assured, you can see my uniform from this distance."

Reassured, the woman continued. She covered most of the fifty or sixty meters quickly, and when she triggered the Alert Ward set up by Shaoke and the others, everyone could finally see clearly by the light of her torch that the other party was truly a woman, holding a long scroll—likely their proof of identity.

The captain didn't let her get too close, instead sending the loud-voiced soldier to retrieve the documents. Though reluctant, the soldier had no choice—the captain had noticed his earlier show of cowardice and assigned him this relatively risky task as punishment.

The woman posed no threat, and the scroll was handed over smoothly. Shaoke moved to a fire beside a tent, carefully verifying the document's authenticity. The scroll clearly recorded the mercenary company's name, emblem, leader, members, completed missions, and current tasks. Each entry was detailed, with unique stamps from various local mercenary guilds verifying members and missions.

After carefully examining the stamps, Shaoke chanted an incantation, casting the Zero-level Spell "Identify" on the scroll. A faint emblem of the Mercenary General Guild gradually appeared on the surface. This was the master seal of all mercenary guilds in the Blue Feather Empire, inscribed with a special spell. It was said that even mages of the Archmage rank had never successfully broken this spell, and whether Legendary-ranked individuals had attempted it remained unknown.

Once Shaoke confirmed its authenticity, the captain rolled up the scroll and personally returned it to the female messenger. Out of respect for women, he apologized for the earlier scare.

The tension on both sides immediately dissipated. The soldiers emerged from cover, their restless energy barely held in check by the captain's authority—otherwise, they might have swarmed the woman.

With the captain's permission, the strangers approached the camp. The group consisted of thirty-six members, including four female members. The captain warmly welcomed them and invited them to share dinner.

Upon noticing three mages in the camp, the mercenaries understood the military's mission. Having often operated in this area, they were well aware of the mages' indirect training exercises here—a tradition that had lasted nearly two hundred thousand years.

After quietly observing the mercenary group, Shaoke grew puzzled. Their current mission was to obtain ten perfect Snow Tiger pelts, yet the team had only thirty-some members and carried limited ranged weapons. This left Shaoke wondering.

"Captain Kano, how do you plan to hunt those Snow Tigers? They're Second Rank magical beasts, and you don't seem to have much ranged weaponry," Shaoke couldn't help but ask, hoping to learn unique hunting methods that might reduce casualties for the soldiers when facing Second Rank beasts in the future.

"Honorable Mage, I am a First Rank warrior, and we have two other First Rank warriors in the team. That's enough to handle Second Rank magical beasts," the mercenary captain promptly replied with a respectful salute.

The surrounding soldiers, including the captain, looked on with envy. None among them had awakened their Aura, despite having access to military cultivation techniques—albeit low-ranked ones. This made it even harder for soldiers to awaken their Aura, and those who did were quickly transferred to higher-ranked military units.

After staying a bit longer and accepting a toast from the entire mercenary group, Shaoke excused himself and returned to his tent. He now slept separately from Mage Yija and Mage Kiya, unwilling to witness Kiya's rapidly changing expressions.

To Shaoke's surprise, Mage Yija was there to greet him upon his return. When questioned, Yija replied somewhat awkwardly, "Mage Xueye, I don't think we should remain at odds over minor issues. We are companions now. You've helped us a lot, yet Mage Kiya and I have complained about you. That shouldn't have happened, and I hope you won't hold it against us." Yija spoke in one breath, his rapid breathing making Shaoke feel somewhat impatient.

Shaoke had assumed their mildly hostile relationship would persist until his departure. He was surprised when Yija approached again to apologize on Kiya's behalf. "Mage Yija, are you and Mage Kiya close? Friends? Why do you need to explain his mistakes?"

"Mage Xueye, Mage Kiya is still young and too impatient. I believe after five years of experience, he'll mature like you," Yija replied softly, slightly raising his head to gaze at the candle on the desk.

"Mage Yija, you come from a noble family, don't you?" Shaoke's sudden question left Yija stunned for a full minute.

"Yes, Mage Xueye. How did you know?" Blushing, Yija lowered his head even more uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide my background. It's just..."

"It's fine, Mage Yija. Since you're from a noble family, why come to such a desolate place? I believe having other mages as sparring partners would help your spellcasting skills improve faster," Shaoke asked, puzzled. Was he a runaway princess? Wait, no, he's male, and there were no spells known to alter appearance for so long.

Yija remained silent, head bowed. Suddenly, he lifted his head, the blush gone, and stared at Shaoke for a moment. An elegance never before seen in Shaoke or Kiya emerged. Then, he bid farewell softly but mustered the courage to add before leaving, "Mage Xueye, you're about to advance, aren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be so reluctant to part with those few drops of empty stone liquid. Mage Xueye, you must know that unless you become a Nine-rank Mage, relying solely on the monthly allowances from the military or the Mage Guild, further progress in magic will be difficult, if not impossible. If we meet again, I hope you'll consider helping me in my family."

Yija's departure left Shaoke somewhat bewildered, mainly due to his final words. Indeed, upon officially becoming a mage, the first challenge would be financial: purchasing auxiliary drugs, transcribing spells, using magic items—all requiring substantial funds. Without money, even the cheapest auxiliary drugs would be out of reach, slowing cultivation progress and widening the gap with others, ultimately trapping one at the lowest level of magehood, struggling to advance.

For these reasons, Shaoke treasured his empty stone liquid and planned to mix it with plant extracts after advancing to a formal mage, extending its usage time. Though this would slightly reduce its potency, the overall effect wouldn't differ much from the undiluted version.

After some scattered thoughts, Shaoke decided to focus on advancement for now. Future matters could wait—there would always be a way forward. Perhaps by then, he could acquire more cultivation resources through his own efforts.

With the captain's permission, the newly arrived mercenaries set up their tents adjacent to Shaoke's camp. Their tents were much simpler, with over a dozen people crammed into one. Only the warriors with awakened Aura shared another tent with the women, much to the envy of the soldiers still outside. Having not seen women for so long, these chance encounters, though not particularly beautiful, were still acceptable. Yet, they were monopolized by the Aura-wielding warriors. Some soldiers even suggested that if the mercenaries wanted to camp here, they should offer the women as a protection fee. The proposal was rejected by the captain, who respected women, and the camp gradually settled down.