Chapter 71: Facing a Problem

After finishing his morning lessons, Shaoke practiced the exercise methods he had just learned several more times. This method, which neither took up too much time and helped maintain or even enhance physical fitness, was something mages were quite happy to adopt.

With the materials needed for copying in hand, Shaoke planned to visit the library again to copy some first-rank spells. When the officer received the letters Shaoke had written last night for posting, he hesitated for a moment before asking, "Respected Mage Xueye, the Senior Officer said that if you have time, he would like to speak with you."

Shaoke thought for a moment before replying, "Mm, alright." With this request, he decided to first visit the Senior Officer and then go to copy some spells.

It was the same room, with the same doorman and the same officers in attendance. After the Senior Officer's gesture, Shaoke sat somewhat uneasily in the chair, waiting for his questions. He noticed that the Senior Officer seemed much more serious today than during their previous two meetings.

The Senior Officer observed Shaoke for a while before saying, "Mage Xueye, are you planning to leave the military department? Like your two former companions, to leave here?"

Upon hearing the Senior Officer's words, Shaoke felt a chill run down his spine. "Sir, I have no intention of leaving the military department," he said, looking unflinchingly at the Senior Officer's somewhat stern face. He hadn't expected the Senior Officer not only to know everything that had happened to him the day before but also to openly mention it, giving him a complicated, hard-to-define feeling.

The Senior Officer nodded. "Mage Xueye, it's still too early to say anything. I can't force mages like you to go to the battlefield. In two months, the allotted time will be over. I hope that by then, you will be able to accept that position according to the agreements." As he spoke, the Senior Officer tossed a scroll over to Shaoke. "You can take a look at this when you have time. It contains some insights on mage cultivation collected within the Empire. I hope it'll be of some help to you." With a somewhat weary wave of his hand, he dismissed Shaoke.

After leaving the Senior Officer, Shaoke touched the scroll in his pocket and decided to first study what was written on it. Although he had never heard of anything like "collections within the Empire," he figured it was like the palace archives from his past life.

The scroll looked thick, but it wasn't heavily written on. It was entirely in Ancient Magic Script. Fortunately, the writer hadn't added any mental or magical traps, making Shaoke's interpretation work relatively smoothly. After skimming through the contents, Shaoke was suddenly at a loss, unsure of what choice to make now.

It turned out the scroll was entirely about common issues encountered by mages below the Third Rank during cultivation. It repeatedly emphasized that for meditation below the Third Rank, it was best to use the universal meditation method. Although its effects were somewhat inferior, it could, to some extent, make the meditation space slightly more stable and boost the chances of successful advancement considerably compared to using advanced meditation methods. It listed many more advantages, leaving Shaoke, who had just been considering switching to an advanced meditation method as soon as possible, now unsure of what to do. After hesitating for a while, he wrote down what had happened that day on a letter, intending to send it to the female mage and ask her to inquire about her mother's opinion.

After finishing all this, Shaoke decided to visit the Elder Mage at Mist Academy to ask whether he had encountered such a situation back in the day. After all, he still maintained a skeptical attitude toward the item the Senior Officer had inexplicably given him.

The Elder Mage at the gate was very pleased to see Shaoke again and invited him for a drink. "Mage Xueye, is something the matter? You don't look too well. Although putting in more effort is very helpful for your advancement, I think it's best if you still get some sleep every night, even if it's just for one magic hour. It will be very beneficial for you now. Don't rely entirely on meditation to restore your vigor." As he spoke, he poured Shaoke another glass of wine.

Shaoke nodded. "Thank you for the reminder. I came today to seek your advice." He then recounted the incident of receiving the scroll from the Senior Officer and quietly awaited the Elder Mage's response.

The Elder Mage frowned. "Mage Xueye, I got one of those scrolls too, back in my day. However, it was only when I was leaving the capital. At that time, that fellow was still just a gatekeeper. Ah!" The Elder Mage stretched out his somewhat withered hand and stroked his graying head, pondering for a moment. "Every mage who goes to the battlefield receives such a scroll. Back then, many mages switched to advanced meditation methods. Only those who hadn't obtained advanced meditation methods continued using the old ones. After trying an advanced meditation method for a while, I also gave up that method, which could speed up cultivation, and switched back to the universal meditation method."

"Why? Is the advanced method really as described in the scroll?" Shaoke eagerly asked his question.

"No, I don't know the real effects. Back then, I didn't have time to ask other mages who had advanced." The Elder Mage smiled and shook his head. "The mental and magical power generated by advanced meditation methods are much harder to control. If you're fighting on the battlefield, it's easy to fail at spellcasting due to haste or emotional instability. If it weren't for that period of using the advanced meditation method, I wouldn't have delayed my advancement by nearly two years." He spoke with some annoyance, lowering his head to take a sip of wine. "However, you can refine that mental and magical power through the formations formed within your meditation space. Although that would waste a lot of time, the hidden dangers would be lower. If you have sufficient medicinal resources, you can use the advanced meditation method."

Shaoke thanked the Elder Mage for his advice with a bow. After asking a few more questions, he gratefully bid farewell and left satisfied. He then hailed a carriage and headed toward the military department's library.

He still couldn't make a decision and ultimately decided to wait for the female mage's reply before making a final choice. After all, according to the Elder Mage, the front lines simply didn't have enough auxiliary medicinal herbs for the vast number of mages to purchase, and the prices there were more than double the normal rates. Considering his own financial reserves, Shaoke leaned somewhat toward the Elder Mage's suggestion. However, he still planned to experiment with the advanced meditation method for a while after returning to see exactly what the situation was like.

At the library, after paying thirty common gold coins, Shaoke managed to copy enough spells. This was only possible because his status reduced the fee by half and he had brought his own transcription materials.

By the time he left the library, the sky had grown somewhat dim, and pure white snowflakes were once again drifting down. Merchants had already packed up their stalls and hurried back to their residences. Only those with storefronts still had clerks standing at the doors, waiting for customers.

Declining the coachman's offer, Shaoke slowly walked along the street toward the manor. Although the distance was still considerable, for Shaoke, who was taking his first careful look at the capital with ample time, this wasn't a problem. He feared he might never have another chance to properly observe the capital's conditions.

The lanterns along the roadside slowly lit up as the magic crystals operated, their dim yellow light providing some assistance to the pedestrians still on their way.

Suddenly, a four-horse carriage came rushing from ahead, the rapid clip-clop of hooves growing louder. Shaoke glanced at the wide road and moved closer to the edge. He didn't want the muddy snow kicked up by the carriage to splash onto him, even though his cloak had a magic effect to clean stains.

After passing Shaoke by a distance, the carriage slowly came to a stop. Under the coachman's control, it quickly turned around and backed up, gradually stopping in front of Shaoke.

Shaoke tensed up warily, gripping his staff tighter, and stopped walking, intending to change his route. He didn't know the reason for the carriage's actions because he could feel faint but constant waves of magical energy emanating from within. Although weak, at this distance, his heightened alertness allowed him to sense those fluctuations.

After the magical fluctuations subsided, a young mage in gray robes descended from the carriage. He was already enveloped in a first-rank defensive spell. "Haha! Isn't this the gatekeeper mage? Why have you been avoiding me all these days? Why aren't you taking a carriage back?"

Shaoke frowned and immediately activated the formation on his cloak. A faint white mist quickly enveloped him. "What is it?" Shaoke quickly recognized the mage as the one who had mocked him at the gate. Although he knew the Senior Officer had rejected the other's challenge for a duel, he wasn't sure if the mage would, as the officer had said, engage in a fair fight with him outside.

The mage looked at Shaoke and said, "No need to be so tense. Since the Senior Officer rejected my challenge, I have no interest in fighting you. After all, you're just a newly promoted rookie." He waved the staff inlaid with high-quality red jade in his hand, hesitating for a moment before adding, "I think you should come with me to meet a noble. He'll pay you enough money for carriages, enjoying the company of female mages, buying expensive medicines and magic items, and might even provide you with advanced meditation methods. Look! This staff is much better than yours."

Shaoke shook his head. "I don't plan to go with you to meet any noble. Do you have anything else?" He tightened his grip on his staff again, unsure if the other would attack him over the incident from that day. As the other had said, he was just a newly promoted mage who hadn't yet truly mastered second-level spells.

The mage waved his hand, dispersing the spell effect and revealing his handsome face. "I know you're upset about what happened that day. I formally apologize. After all, I was very rude at the time, especially toward a fellow mage." The mage hesitated before continuing, "This noble friend of mine is very generous. He has never been stingy with us mages. I think you should consider it. If you're interested, you can have the gatekeeper come find me. He definitely knows my whereabouts."

Shaoke looked at the mage before him and nodded slightly. "I apologize for my impulsiveness back then. I actually didn't intend to cast a spell." He glanced at the mage. "I'll be leaving now. If I'm interested, I'll come find you."

The young mage nodded in satisfaction, brushed off his robe, which didn't have a single snowflake on it, and returned to the carriage before driving off again. He wanted to deliver this news to the noble, who would surely reward him handsomely for recruiting another mage.