Chapter 67: Good News

After completing that transaction which left Shaoke feeling unsettled, he had just returned to the manor when he received some good news from Officer Ulfat, who was in charge of welcoming the newly promoted mages. Ulfat excitedly told Shaoke, "Respected Mage Xueye, this morning, right around lunch, a female mage showed up. After I inquired, she told me she knows you. As you asked, I got a mailing address from her. Here! This is her address." As he spoke, he pulled a slip of paper from inside his coat and handed it to Shaoke.

Shaoke excitedly took it, hesitated for a moment, then opened it. Sure enough, it was Female Mage Wodun's handwriting. On it, she not only left her contact information but also told him that she wasn't free to get out much these days because her mother, Mage Peyton, was busy starting her on learning those second-level spells. She hoped Shaoke would keep in touch with her through letters.

Shaoke read the words on the note once more before carefully folding it and placing it in the small pocket inside his cloak. "Ulfat, here. This is for your trouble." As he spoke, Shaoke took another common gold coin from his already dwindling coin purse and handed it to the officer. He figured that without the officer's help, she might have just left if she couldn't find him, without leaving any way to get in touch.

The officer didn't refuse this time. He simply took the gold coin, glanced around, and lowered his voice, "Respected Mage Xueye, that mage who ridiculed me when you first arrived here has been constantly looking for you lately. He's saying he wants a formal duel with you." He secretly glanced at the mage, whose face still looked pleased. "He's already brought this up with the old officer here, but the old officer didn't agree. If you encounter him outside, be careful."

Shaoke nodded. "Does that mean as long as I'm within this manor, that mage won't dare to take action?"

The officer nodded. "Yes, but even though the senior officer rejected his extremely absurd proposal, I'm worried he might rely on the noble backing him and pick a fight if he meets you outside."

Shaoke smiled. "Alright, thank you for your help. I'll go see the senior officer first. If anything comes up, you can find me. I'm usually in that room." Once Ulfat nodded, Shaoke pulled his cloak around him and headed off toward the old officer's office from memory.

The same officer let him in again, and Shaoke couldn't help but maliciously wonder if this officer was specifically assigned to door duty. It seemed this was the downside of not having servants!

The officers inside were still the same group. Only the senior officer was holding a stack of papers, constantly flipping through them. The other officers remained seated upright on either side of the long table covered with a white cloth, waiting. Shaoke guessed they stayed here every day.

The senior officer put down the papers in his hand and carefully examined Shaoke. "What's the matter? Sit down and talk." He pointed to the chair Shaoke had already used twice, signaling him to sit.

Shaoke performed a mage etiquette and sat upright as commanded. "Sir, I have been in the library for a month and haven't left once during that time." As he spoke, he took out the library document from his bag, intending to hand it to a nearby officer to pass along.

The senior officer waved his hand. "Don't tell me about these things. They're trivial. Are you planning to go to the front lines now?" He pointed to the stack of papers on the table, indicating that there were already many important matters and he didn't want to see what Shaoke was handing over.

Embarrassed, Shaoke put the document away and stroked his staff beside him, denying it. "According to the agreement, I have the right to stay in the capital for another two months." He then touched his somewhat empty coin purse uncertainly. "Sir, may I request an advance on another portion of my allowance? I need it now to help accelerate my magic studies."

The senior officer and the other officers burst into laughter. "What? Did you spend some enjoyable time with those female mages serving as attendants there? No wonder you look even thinner!" The senior officer gave Shaoke a strange once-over. "Alright, considering how diligent you are, I'll advance you another month's allowance. But there won't be a second time. Young mage! You need to take care of your health!" He barely suppressed his laughter, then waved his hand, instructing an officer to escort Shaoke out.

Before the door even closed, another round of laughter erupted inside. Although Shaoke felt misunderstood, he didn't intend to refute it. Firstly, these soldiers didn't seem malicious; secondly, he realized these officers all possessed aura of the fifth tier or higher. Because only with warriors above the fifth tier could he currently not sense the presence of their aura. He believed that if he clashed with these officers, he would definitely be the one to suffer.

The officer guiding him also couldn't help but chuckle a few times. Looking at Shaoke's flushed face, he said, "Cover up with your cloak! Haha! Actually, the senior officer just likes to joke like this. We know what you used that money for. This is just his way of teasing. Like when he has nothing to do, he always enjoys having us gather in that big room, sitting there watching him go through all sorts of random documents. I think once you get to know him better, you'll gradually get used to it."

Shaoke readjusted his cloak properly. After hearing the officer's explanation, he secretly sighed in relief. "Thank you!" He then followed the officer to the small room from last time to collect his allowance.

This time, the mage in charge might have been busy, so he didn't delay them for too long. He quickly gave them the required gold coins and, with a sour expression, let them leave.

Shaoke bid farewell to the officer. He now needed to return and write a letter to Female Mage Wodun, hoping to learn about her current situation through her reply.

Taking advantage of the night, Shaoke quickly handed the written letter to Officer Ulfat at the entrance, as all letters here would eventually be sent to him, and he would then dispatch servants to distribute them to the mages.

Excited, Shaoke returned to his room. Sitting in the thickly padded chair by the fireplace, he took out the small note written by the female mage and greedily read it again. After several times, he carefully placed it in a small rosewood box for safekeeping.

After dinner, he began carefully memorizing the advanced meditation method he had purchased from the maid in the library. The pattern formed by this meditation method in the end, like the patterns formed by the common meditation methods below the third rank, was a three-pointed star. However, its internal structure was nearly twice as complex as the common method. Shaoke memorized it carefully. He knew that using this method a day earlier would mean advancing a day sooner. After all, this advanced meditation method was more efficient. Unfortunately, insufficient funds prevented him from purchasing the other meditation methods; otherwise, his advancement speed would have been even faster.

After memorizing the newly acquired meditation method for a while, he began attending to other matters. He couldn't delay the daily meditation that was essential. During the period of transcribing spells, he felt that the excessive consumption of mana, mental energy, and mental strain had caused some turbulence in his mental space and mana space. Now he needed to restore them as quickly as possible through meditation so he could attempt the new meditation method sooner.

The next day, as soon as dawn broke, after completing his increasingly demanding daily studies, Shaoke planned to find a place where he could cast spells. He wanted to test the power of the few second-level spells he had already learned, to familiarize himself with their casting methods and time consumption as soon as possible, preparing himself for future battles.

He didn't want to disturb the senior officer, so he had to ask Officer Ulfat again, as he was the only relatively familiar person here who could help him. The other mages, upon seeing the robes Shaoke wore indicating direct subordination to the military ministry, were unwilling to talk to him and sometimes even mocked him behind his back.

Looking at the various mages on the road, Shaoke suddenly realized he hadn't been in contact with Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki, who had left earlier, for a long time. He stopped, thought for a moment, and decided to go find the other two mages first. He not only wanted to learn more about the specific situation here from them but also to thank them for the help they had given him back then.

After finding the addresses of the two mages, as Shaoke passed by the entrance, he asked the officer if the letter had been sent out. The officer gave him a positive reply, "Respected Mage Xueye, rest assured. Letters here are delivered by specialized soldiers. For those within the capital's range, it generally doesn't take more than six magic hours." He then looked at Shaoke and inquired, "Where are you heading? I'll call a carriage to take you there."

"Mist Academy, do you know this place?" Shaoke asked casually. Even if the officer didn't know, the coachmen would.

"Mist Academy, yes, I know it. I'll have the servants call a carriage from outside. Shall we wait inside for a while?" the officer asked Shaoke.

"No need, I'll wait outside. No need to trouble you," Shaoke shook his head and started walking out, intending to hail a carriage to take him there. The officer quickly followed and directed a servant to go outside first to help the mage find a carriage.

They didn't have to wait long outside before a carriage was hailed by the servant. After all, this area was still considered relatively bustling within the capital! Shaoke temporarily bid farewell to the officer and headed toward the direction of Mist Academy.

—————— Corrected typos. There might still be some undiscovered ones. I hope everyone can forgive me. Xiao Qi is doing his best to prevent this from happening. Tomorrow will resume two-chapter updates. Please support, brothers! Thank you!