Chapter 40: On the Road Again

They traveled like this for several days. Unless nature called, Shaoke generally stayed in the carriage without getting off. When tired, he would lie down inside to sleep for a while, or read a book. Even at night he slept in the carriage, mostly because there weren't any decent-sized towns along the way, and staying in someone's house was less comfortable than the carriage anyway!

Maybe because they'd done business before, the merchant always sought Shaoke for a brief chat after meals. Although Shaoke was initially annoyed, he stopped caring after a couple of days. After all, the merchant casually offered him advice, saying, "Honorable Mage, my carriage has actually ferried many mages who were promoted at the border. They weren't as attached to the soldiers as you seem to be. Every mage who headed out was thrilled. After all, the environment here feels quite harsh even for ordinary people like us, let alone noble mages."

After they'd gotten acquainted over a few days, when the merchant's caravan reached a spot about a day's journey from the small town, the rather scrawny merchant approached Shaoke's carriage, hoping for a word with him.

"What's the matter? Are we about to reach the small town ahead?" Shaoke put down the large hardcover book in his hand and asked.

"Honorable Mage, we still have a day's journey. Tonight, we'll rest at the small town ahead. If we get an early start tomorrow, we can reach the small town by evening." The merchant replied softly, "I've already sent a servant ahead to prepare rooms and dinner for everyone."

"Oh!" Shaoke replied with disinterest. The merchant felt quite helpless looking at the mage shrouded in a layer of white mist all day. In the past, whenever he chatted with mages, he could get them talking for ages while they were all fired up. Why was this mage so calm?

"Mage, actually, I have a daughter. She is also a mage and was recently promoted to a full-fledged mage." The merchant excitedly shared some of his family situation with Shaoke, hoping to initiate a pleasant conversation.

"Really?" Shaoke was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this merchant to have a mage child, and a daughter at that. To be honest, Shaoke had seen very few female mages in this otherworld. Even in the academy where he studied, there weren't many. He hadn't expected to run into the father of a female mage here.

"Yes, Honorable Mage. She is also serving at the border. I've advised her several times not to come here, but she never listens, and I can't control her." The merchant sensed Shaoke's surprise and forced down his excitement and pride. Fortunately, he had already mentioned this to many newly promoted mages and could now control his emotions. Otherwise, he wouldn't know what might happen if this mage felt he was showing off too much. He'd heard tell that two years ago, a mage set fire to a fellow traveler's carriage over some petty thing. Luckily, there were no goods on it, or the loss would have been significant.

"Oh! Your daughter is also serving at this border? It seems she's really looking out for you!" Shaoke suddenly understood why the merchant's daughter did this. The border! Once everyone knew the merchant's daughter was a mage serving here, no one would dare trouble this out-of-town merchant.

"Hehe!" The merchant chafed his chilly hands, looking a bit embarrassed. "Mage, the cloak you're wearing was actually meant as a gift for my daughter." After saying this, perhaps feeling a bit ashamed of his greed, he let out a few dry laughs.

Shaoke rolled his eyes helplessly. Fortunately, the white mist concealed it from the other person. "Is your daughter going to be mad at you?"

"No, I didn't tell her I would bring that cloak this time. Besides, it's yours now, so there's no point in saying anything more. Hehe!" The merchant touched the money pouch in his bosom, feeling somewhat guilty.

Shaoke didn't know what else to say to him, and the atmosphere fell silent. Soon, the servant who had gone ahead to the small town returned with the news that everything was prepared.

The caravan stopped at the small town. Shaoke remained in the carriage and didn't go down to find accommodation. He opened the wooden window at the back, allowing the cold wind to blow in. Thinking about how the merchant sold the gift meant for his daughter for a gold coin made Shaoke realize even more deeply the care of parents and the future expenses of a mage.

The merchant came again in the evening, looking somewhat excited. "Honorable Mage, my daughter is waiting for me in the small town ahead. I haven't seen her since she was promoted. I really don't know if she'll complain about my irresponsibility as a father."

"My daughter is only twenty years old this year. She's very beautiful and sensible. Unfortunately, her mother died early. I've been running around and haven't taken good care of her. She's been managing her own life all alone. Sigh! Even when she sent me news that she was promoted, I couldn't share her joy in time because of a few silver coins, leaving her to travel alone so far to the small town to wait for me. Sigh!" The merchant muttered gloomily. Shaoke knew the merchant was aware of his mistake.

Shaoke felt somewhat sad and tried to console him. "I believe your daughter will understand what you're doing now. You don't need to blame yourself."

"Yes! She's very sensible. She knows why I do these things. After all, the expenses for mages will only increase later. The subsidies from the Mage Guild or the military alone can't meet the needs of spell learning. Otherwise, her mother wouldn't have married me back then. Sigh!" The merchant sounded helpless, but after a brief pause, he raised his voice. "She's outstanding, yes, she's an outstanding mage, even more so than her mother. I believe her mother would be very pleased about this."

Shaoke listened attentively to the other's words without interrupting, mainly because he didn't want to speak. However, the merchant's topic forced Shaoke to speak again.

The merchant asked somewhat presumptuously, "Honorable Mage, how should I address you?"

"You can call me Mage Xueye." Although Shaoke didn't want to tell the other his name, considering that the merchant might inquire at the town where he served, he believed many people would be willing to tell him his name.

"Lord Mage Xueye, my name is Gore Wodun. My daughter is Francis Wodun. I hope you can look after her a bit if you have the chance in the future. After all, she's still a child." Merchant Wodun's pleading gaze fell on Shaoke. It seemed all the efforts he made in the past few days were for this matter.

Shaoke was both amused and exasperated. "Mr. Wodun, you're so trusting as to tell me your daughter's full name? Do you entrust your daughter to every full-fledged mage you meet?"

"Yes! Oh! No... Hehe! Lord Mage Xueye, I'm just worried my daughter will be wronged in the capital, so... I've heard there are too many high-rank mages there. As a newly promoted mage, she's bound to face difficulties there, especially as a girl..." Merchant Wodun gloomily explained why he did this, hoping this newly acquainted mage could look after his daughter.

"Alright, Mr. Wodun, I'll do my best to help her. After all, we are both mages promoted at the border." Shaoke sighed. He knew what this merchant was worried about. After all, he had heard about the situation in the capital back at the academy. Almost all slightly higher-ranked mages were concentrated in the capital. One could imagine how a low-rank mage would definitely face some difficulties there, unlike in ordinary small towns where there were hardly any mages.

Before dawn, the caravan set off. Looking through the carriage window, Shaoke noticed more and more travelers on the road: caravans of various sizes, groups of mercenaries, scattered civilians pushing carts... The chaotic shouts were almost incessant. This sudden exposure to the lively environment made Shaoke, who had grown accustomed to quiet, feel very uncomfortable. Fortunately, after closing the window, the outside influence lessened, but Shaoke couldn't read his book peacefully again.

After nearly a day's journey, Shaoke's caravan finally arrived at this northernmost small town. Rather than calling it a small town, it was more like a small but sturdy military fortress, though it seemed small compared to those in the south.

When passing through the city gate, Shaoke easily entered this small town, which was both a fortress and a commercial city, after showing his military proof. The merchant happily thanked Shaoke for his help because, with the military proof, the entry fee was waived by the guards according to regulations, even though it was only one copper coin per person.

The caravan slowly made its way through the bustling crowd to the inn where Merchant Wodun had arranged to meet his daughter. After getting off the carriage, Shaoke, led by Merchant Wodun, headed directly toward the room they usually stayed in. The servants nearby familiarly called out Merchant Wodun's name, hoping to get some tips from him. Although they knew the chances were slim, there was still hope of earning some extra money.

"Hey! You little rascals, hurry up and prepare the best room for this honorable mage. No, three rooms. Book the two adjacent rooms as well. The mage should not be disturbed." The merchant loudly scolded the servants while also explaining to the surrounding onlookers the situation of the person shrouded in white mist beside him.

"Alright, Mr. Wodun. There's already a mage waiting in your usual room! It's said to be the daughter you often mentioned who became a mage, but she's wearing a wide cloak, so I couldn't see clearly." A servant nearby informed the merchant of his situation.

"Good! Now! Prepare the best dinner for me. I need to entertain two mages." The merchant stingily didn't throw out even a single copper coin but, contrary to his usual behavior, ordered the best dinner to entertain his daughter and the mage he had recently met.