Chapter 43: Heading South

After hastily leaving the tavern, Shaoke was just at the door when he heard the people inside all let out a huge sigh of relief, as if they hadn't breathed for a long time.

A loud-mouthed young man said to his companion, "Hey, buddy, pass me that bottle of pepper over there. When that odd-looking mage was here earlier, I didn't dare ask you for it, afraid my voice would disturb him. Luckily, I managed to hold it in until now. I... mmm!... Why'd you cover my mouth? Even though you're the captain, I want to tell you that a brave warrior's mouth is never still, except when sleeping, because it still needs to eat more food to maintain the warrior's bravery."

"You idiot, that mage hasn't left yet. Do you want him to come back and roast you with fire with such a loud voice? That would put us off our food for a week. Damn it, show some consideration for the ladies?" The middle-aged man who seemed like the leader scolded his companion and cautiously glanced toward the door.

"Ha! That mage just left. I really don't know why a mage would come to such a low-class tavern to eat. They should attend banquets with the nobles; that's where they belong." A merchant chuckled boldly. In fact, he didn't know that although Shaoke had left the tavern, his powerful mental strength had sharpened his hearing. Their words had already been overheard by the mage, but Shaoke wasn't in the mood to go back and say anything, which saved them from a possible confrontation.

On his first tavern visit, Shaoke hadn't expected to run into such a situation. Not only did he not see a beautiful all-female mercenary band, but he also didn't witness any bullies harassing young girls. Instead, he only saw a group of low-ranking merchants and mercenaries, with a few women occasionally present, who seemed to be there to warm the beds of their captains.

In the afternoon, after wandering the streets for a while, Shaoke was thoroughly bored, so he hailed a carriage and headed to the inn where the Female Mage and her father were staying. The merchant got the news and quickly ushered him and his daughter to his room, where they gathered again to chat.

The merchant asked a few questions about the shopping. Shaoke gave brief answers before lapsing into silence. Of course, he didn't mention what had happened in the tavern.

After sitting with them for a short while, the Female Mage stood up and excused herself to return to her room. Shaoke stayed a bit longer before also having the merchant lead him to his own room to get on with his mage work. No matter what, he had already wasted the entire morning, and he couldn't afford to waste too much time in the afternoon. After all, he was a mage who needed to use Meditation to improve his strength.

Shaoke's room was next to the Female Mage's. He pushed open the wooden door carved with patterns and entered the room, which was slightly larger than the merchant's. Facing the door was a window alcove with velvet curtains, which were already drawn open. The wide shutters were tightly closed, blocking the cold wind outside. To the left was a lit fireplace, making the room warm and cozy.

Shaoke carefully arranged the materials he had purchased that day so that he could quickly retrieve and use them when needed.

Since this wasn't the safe and quiet military camp, Shaoke didn't engage in deep Meditation because he didn't know when he might be disturbed by the merchant or the Female Mage.

He immersed himself in his mana space, carefully observing the flow of mana on the meditation-formed magic array. His current focus was on the Meditation Method for increasing mana. As for purification, he relied entirely on the rhomboid pillar array within his mana space. Although this purification efficiency was lower compared to some other mages, Shaoke still decided to first increase the mana in his mana space to its limit before considering other matters.

While Shaoke was meditating, the magic array he had set up at the door was disturbed. Shaoke immediately stopped his Meditation. "Who is it?"

"Mage Xueye, it's me. I had the staff prepare a lavish dinner for us. Please join us for dinner! My daughter is already there." The merchant softly invited him.

"Mm! Alright, I'll get ready and come over. You go ahead first." Shaoke smoothed his robes, picked up his cloak, and then put it down again. After all, he would have to take it off when he got there, which was quite troublesome.

When Shaoke arrived, the first course had already been served on the dining table. The Female Mage and her merchant father sat quietly on cushioned chairs, waiting for his arrival. After Shaoke offered his apologies, dinner began.

The merchant also knew that mages had some peculiar habits, so he didn't say a word during the meal. He only silently refilled wine for his daughter and Shaoke from time to time. The Female Mage quickly put down her knife and fork, produced a small white handkerchief from somewhere, dabbed her mouth, and sat quietly without moving.

During the meal, Shaoke secretly observed the Female Mage several times and noticed that she had a particular elegance while eating. This elegance wasn't due to the unique etiquette of mages but was very natural, which fascinated Shaoke. After several such instances, not only did the merchant notice Shaoke's peeking, but the Female Mage, who wasn't looking down this time, also quickly noticed her companion's impolite behavior. However, she only blushed slightly and continued sitting there, waiting for her father to finish eating. Her fair, delicate hands restlessly fiddled with the edge of her cloak. Fortunately, the dining table blocked Shaoke's view, or else...

Shaoke felt extremely ashamed. Good heavens! A proper, modern guy who'd traveled through time actually did such an impolite thing. Had all the magical education he received over the years been in vain? How embarrassing! Why was his willpower so weak now? Was it a consequence of his promotion? He had never heard of such a consequence!

After restraining himself, Shaoke ended the dinner while lost in random thoughts. Under the merchant's orders, the workers brought out exquisite pastries for everyone to enjoy.

After taking a small sip of wine, to shake off the emotions from the meal, Shaoke said to the merchant, "Mr. Wodun, I plan to leave here tomorrow and head to the imperial capital as soon as possible. Has Mage Woton prepared the travel items?"

The merchant glanced at his somewhat melancholic daughter and said through gritted teeth, "Mage Xueye, I respect your opinion. You can set off early tomorrow morning. Francis's items are also ready. At that time, you just need to check at the southern city gate if there are any merchants heading toward the imperial capital and travel with them for mutual support. What do you think, Mage Xueye?"

"Alright, I also think it's good to travel with a merchant caravan for support. Otherwise, just taking care of the luggage in that one carriage would waste most of our energy. After all, it's not like when we came here with military escort. Miss Woton... um! Mage Woton, what's your opinion?" Shaoke unconsciously treated her as an ordinary woman but still formally sought her opinion.

"Mage Xueye, my father's opinion is correct, and I agree. However, my items aren't fully prepared yet. Mainly, I haven't purchased the various magic powders for unexpected situations. Later, I'll go with my father to buy some." Mage Francis Woton somewhat embarrassingly revealed that she wasn't fully prepared. Although Shaoke was quite frustrated, he didn't mind once she said she could prepare them tonight, as long as it didn't delay tomorrow's journey.

"Haha! My little Fanny, I've already prepared everything for you. I've put them in my big trunk. I'll get them for you later. Don't worry, I bought only the best." The merchant happily swirled his wine glass because he had once again done something helpful for his daughter. After all, he always felt somewhat indebted to her.

Upon hearing her father's words, the Female Mage's face flushed red, and even her faintly visible neck turned crimson. She felt very shy that her father used her nickname in front of someone she wasn't familiar with. Fortunately, her father didn't mention it again in the subsequent conversation.

After they decided on the departure time for the next day and the method of contact in the future, Shaoke excused himself and left. He needed to rest early, as another long journey would begin tomorrow. Moreover, he wanted to leave more time for the father and daughter, as they didn't know how long it would be before they met again.

Early the next morning, as soon as the sky brightened, Shaoke and the others loaded their luggage onto the carriage. With the help of one of the merchant's workers, they headed toward the southern city gate, where they would wait for merchant caravans heading south and join them.

Fortunately, they woke up early, and some merchants were still gathering to head south together. The arrival of Shaoke's group caused a stir among the merchant caravans gathered at the southern gate—two mages! Although many adventurers also wore cloaks, the aura and the symbols on their cloaks were something no non-mage could possess.

Shaoke and the others smoothly joined this large temporary caravan formed by several small merchant groups. The merchants were very welcoming of the two mages, as some of them had traveled with promoted mages before and understood what these two mages represented.

When the merchants learned that Shaoke and the others were promoted mages returning to the imperial capital to report, they temporarily provided a spacious four-wheeled carriage pulled by two horned horses for the two mages to use. The Female Mage, perhaps unwilling to let the merchants spend more money, didn't refuse their kindness.

Seeing his daughter and the mage he had just met not long ago board the carriage and leave, Merchant Woton couldn't help but cry. "My little Fanny, my precious. What cruelly took you away from me? My little Fanny, I hope you won't pursue higher mage ranks like your mother did. Goodbye! I really don't know when I'll see you again."