Chapter 54: Silver Ebony

After the female mage had fallen asleep, Shao Ke shifted slightly to make himself more comfortable. He carefully observed the slumbering mage, then calmed his mind and entered his meditative state.

As dawn broke, the female mage woke up. She lowered her head, rubbed her eyes under the blanket, tidied her disheveled hair a bit, and then sat up properly. Shao Ke woke to her movements and slowly withdrew from meditation. "How are you feeling? Any better?"

The female mage glanced at Shao Ke, who remained in the same position as the previous night. A faint blush appeared on her face. "Yes, much better. Thank you, Mage Xueye. I'll go prepare breakfast for you."

Shao Ke rubbed his numb legs. "Not yet. You should freshen up first. Otherwise, if others see you, it might affect a mage's image."

"Who's going to see me if I have my cloak on?" As she spoke, the female mage clenched her small fist and gave Shao Ke's leg a light punch. Nevertheless, she retrieved her toiletries and began to freshen up inside the carriage.

After the female mage finished grooming, Shao Ke felt his legs were no longer so numb. He tidied himself up a bit, lifted the curtain to let some fresh air into the carriage, and then went down with her to walk around their small camp for a while, stretching their somewhat stiff bodies.

The nearby merchants' camp was already bustling, with the aroma of food wafting over. Stimulated by this, the coachmen quickly began preparing their own meals. Unfortunately, they could only cook some oatmeal for breakfast, which wasn't particularly sumptuous. However, the mages were used to this and had no complaints.

After they had eaten breakfast outside the carriage, the mages' convoy set off toward the capital again, following the merchant caravan. The female mage began reciting and memorizing the spells she had just transcribed to familiarize herself with them as quickly as possible. Shao Ke checked the semi-finished 'spellbook' soaking in the magical liquid and started preparing the other required materials.

Watching Shao Ke busily working, the female mage hesitated before saying, "Mage Xueye, your method of crafting is far too complicated. Moreover, a 'spellbook' made this way will require more materials and be less effective during the special tempering process later on. Why not wait until you reach the capital to learn a new crafting method?" After speaking, she looked at him nervously, perhaps fearing she might upset Shao Ke.

Shao Ke stopped what he was doing and looked at the female mage very seriously. "Francis, I must complete this 'spellbook' before we reach the capital. It is very useful to me, and I cannot delay for too long." Having said that, he lowered his head and resumed his work.

The female mage pouted slightly and turned her body to give him more space.

Shao Ke carefully sprinkled gem powder onto the silver-sinkwood board he had retrieved from another carriage that morning. Although the carriage was bumpy, it wasn't enough to dislodge the powder from its intended place. He had spent a full two common gold coins on this silver-sinkwood, a type of wood commonly used by ordinary mages as a carrier for crafting 'spellbooks'. The fusion array carved onto this board could maximize the paper's capacity to hold spiritual and magical power.

Shao Ke then took out a packet of snowstone powder and slowly sprinkled it on. After repeating this process with dozens of different magic powders, he finally let out a long sigh of relief. By now, the various powders scattered on the silver-sinkwood board had formed a thick layer, firmly adhering to the board so that not a single grain would fall off no matter how it was moved.

After placing the board into a small compartment in the carriage ceiling, Shao Ke rubbed his somewhat sore hands. He glanced at the female mage, who was intently studying her spells, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately began preparing his materials again. Once he was busy again, the female mage, who was memorizing spell knowledge, glanced up at him briefly and smiled.

Shao Ke carefully reviewed the materials he had prepared and realized that aside from carving the array on the board and mixing the ointment to activate it, everything else was ready. Although he wanted to carve the array on the board now, the magic powders had not yet fully bonded with the wood. Moreover, the carving process could not tolerate the slightest disturbance. Therefore, he decided to wait until evening to do the carving. For now, he needed to continue memorizing the spell knowledge.

During the midday break, the mages inside the carriage were occupied with their own tasks. Suddenly, a troop of cavalry caught up from the road behind. A coachman from the rear quickly ran up to the mages' carriage and said, "Honorable Mage... Honorable Mage, it's bad. The bandits are catching up."

Shao Ke immediately grabbed his staff from nearby and stood at the coachman's position to look back. The female mage also picked up her staff and stood beside him. Shao Ke signaled for her to return inside the carriage, but she pretended not to see. Instead, she quickly chanted an incantation, casting a 'Protection from Arrows' spell on Shao Ke, then one on herself. As she was about to cast another spell, the galloping cavalry had already reached their carriage.

The coachman crouched under the driver's seat, nervously gripping the reins, ready to drive away at any moment. Shao Ke recognized this cavalry unit at a glance. Just as the coachman had said, these riders were dressed like the bandits they had encountered a few days earlier, though some looked rather disheveled, with white cloth wrapped around them, apparently wounded.

As the cavalry passed by Shao Ke's convoy, he suddenly felt dozens of eyes fixed intently on them, but he couldn't locate where the gazes were coming from. The color drained from the female mage's face, turning it deathly pale. Shao Ke forced himself to remain calm, standing still as the cavalry sped past them. The other merchant caravans on the road cautiously stayed in place, hoping to avoid provoking this notorious group of riders.

After the cavalry had passed, the female mage finally let out a long sigh of relief. "I just felt many people from that group staring at me, but I couldn't tell where they were looking from. And that feeling just disappeared... No, it's back."

Before the female mage could finish, Shao Ke saw the cavalry, which had already passed, arc around and return. Within a few dozen breaths, the group of riders stopped right in front of Shao Ke and the others.

The female mage nervously grabbed Shao Ke's arm. Even though their clothing was thick, Shao Ke still felt the flesh on his arm being pinched painfully. He kept psyching himself up internally: 'You are a mage! Don't forget, you are a noble, powerful mage. How can you be timid here? What grand scene haven't you witnessed? In your previous life, you stood on a building surrounded by thousands of onlookers and weren't this nervous! Look up at them.'

Shao Ke endured the inexplicable pressure emanating from the cavalry standing silently before them. 'Could this be the legendary killing intent?' This thought flashed through his mind but was quickly dismissed. "What business do you have? We are mages from the Imperial Military Department, returning to report."

A rider emerged from the group. He was a middle-aged man with a bald head, not wearing a helmet. He wore a leather half-plate armor and carried a large blade. He scrutinized the two mages carefully and said, "Mages, we already know you belong to the Military Department. Don't worry, we mean no harm. We merely wish to know the name of this female mage here. I wonder if the two mages would grant us this request." As the middle-aged bald brute spoke, he shifted his gaze to the female mage beside him, waiting calmly for her response.

The female mage turned to look at Shao Ke, who was frowning in thought, then let out a soft sigh. She wasn't sure what to do either. Seeing the mages' hesitation, the middle-aged bald brute waved his hand, signaling the cavalry to retreat. The riders uniformly guided their horses back exactly ten horse-lengths before stopping.

The brute lowered his voice. "Female mage, if I'm not mistaken, I believe you have a mother serving at the Mage Guild in the capital, correct? I know your mother. She learned of your whereabouts from the Military Department and incidentally entrusted me to find you on the road and bring you back." The middle-aged brute paused before continuing, "If you don't believe me, I have a letter from your mother here. I hope you will verify its authenticity."

The female mage glanced at the male mage beside her and shook her head. "No. Even if you have some token, I will not return with you. I can make it to the capital myself."

The middle-aged brute gently nudged his horse, retrieved a black package from a pouch on the saddle, and tossed it over. "Female mage, this is what your mother entrusted me to deliver. Her letter is inside. The honorable mage did not ask you to return with us. She only wanted to know if you were safe." Having said that, he turned his horse and led the rest of the cavalry galloping swiftly toward the capital.

The female mage reached out and caught the thrown black package. She turned to look at Shao Ke and said, "Mage Xueye, I... I'd like some time alone to think."

Shao Ke nodded understandingly. "Francis, is your mother really serving at the Mage Guild in the capital? They couldn't be deceiving you, could they?"

The female mage shook her head. "No, these soldiers aren't lying to me. In the past, my mother often sent soldiers to the border to deliver things, so I trust him. Besides, I can sense my mother's mark on this package." As she spoke, she stroked the package, seemingly eager to see its contents.

Shao Ke turned to the coachman hiding under the driver's seat. "Get up, relax. The cavalry has left. Catch up with the merchant caravan ahead; don't fall behind." He then sat down beside the coachman, adjusted his cloak, and quietly waited for the carriage to start moving again.

The female mage looked at the somewhat slender back sitting in the driver's position, opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately entered the carriage to examine the package the brute had given her.