Chapter 220: The Necromancer and the News

The one who initially commanded now played a supporting role. After all, the initial engagement lasted ten rounds, and the mages had already become familiar with their positions. Of course, the occasional new mages who joined still needed some time to adapt. As for Shaoke's team, although they were missing dozens of mages, due to various reasons, they had never been replenished, so there was no need to worry about new members affecting combat effectiveness.

"Undead, don't disturb Mage Xueye while he's studying. I think you should clean up and gather the surrounding corpses now," a middle-aged mage frowned. He was currently a commander aiding Shaoke in battle. "Can't the military department now send enough people to bury those corpses?"

"There aren't too many corpses here," the mage shrouded in gray mist, known as the Undead, replied hoarsely. "Just a few thousand corpses won't have any impact." He then muttered, as if dissatisfied with the commander's decision, "Is it because I came later that you treat me this way?" He swung his staff, made from hundreds of mage skulls, forcefully, producing a shrill, low whistle. This displeased many mages who were enjoying their dinner.

"It's not because you came later, but because you're the only one in this team who can manipulate the dead," the middle-aged commander glanced at Shaoke, who was reading a spellbook. "If you can complete the task, I think Mage Xueye will leave a few heads for you during the next battle." He then quickly turned to busy himself with other matters, because Shaoke's gaze always made him feel very uncomfortable. He really didn't know why the other had become like that after advancing to a Fifth Tier Mage. After all, no mage liked to reveal the marks in their eyes, because it represented their focus, and some High-rank Mages could even use the symbols the other revealed to judge some of the special spells the enemy had mastered.

The mage known as the Undead, after receiving the middle-aged mage's promise, turned his gaze back to Shaoke's face. He now needed to get Mage Xueye's commitment; without it, he would get nothing. After all, the mages Shaoke hunted were among the most powerful he encountered, though the highest was only a Sixth Tier Mage. As for Seventh Tier Mages or Ritualists, they were hunted early by the top-tier professionals hovering on the front lines.

Shaoke nodded slightly, agreeing to the request, which delighted the Undead mage, who planned to immediately cast spells to manipulate the dead. However, the mages enjoying dinner unanimously refused, as no one wanted to see headless or mutilated corpses digging pits and dragging broken flesh into deep pits while eating. It was quite unappetizing.

After receiving the silent disapproval from the other mages, the Undead mage had to sit down and enjoy a piece of meat handed to him by a companion, which improved his mood.

Dinner ended quickly. There was no fine wine or maids, but the mages didn't complain. Small animal-hide tents were soon inflated and set up in designated positions. Some mages retired early to their tents. Of course, the female mages still chatting in the simple house were not ones they dared or had the right to invite. These female practitioners never showed kindness to mages who dared to invite them. They guessed that even if Shaoke invited them, he would face the same rejection.

Fortunately, Shaoke had never done such things, which somewhat balanced the other mages' feelings.

Some handsome mages constantly hovered around the White-robed Cleric, a habit that persisted for years. Even after Shaoke told them she was married to an officer who was at least a Seventh Tier Warrior, the mages didn't change their ways. In the monotony of war, they had to find something to do, and teasing and chatting became the best alternatives to sex.

After memorizing a Fifth Tier Spell again, Shaoke tried practicing various spellcasting techniques. He delayed rest, which displeased some mages, especially the middle-aged commander. Although he knew Shaoke ignored his advice, he felt it was his duty to offer correct suggestions, even if he had made them countless times. Every night, he repeated them.

"Mage Xueye, I think you should rest early now," the mage said, repeating the advice Shaoke could recite by heart. Finally, receiving no acknowledgment, he had to check on the mages on guard duty before retreating to his tent.

Some female mages also went to rest in pairs, often sleeping two or three to a tent. Of course, if a female mage accepted another mage's invitation, they would reduce the number to sleep alone, though such occurrences were rare.

In the dilapidated house, only Shaoke, Mage Yisier, and the White-robed Cleric remained.

When Shaoke closed his spellbook, the White-robed Cleric, who had been staring at the fire, voiced her doubts.

"Mage Xueye, will the Blizzard Main Army's forces come here this time?" She blushed slightly as she poked the fire with a branch, causing Shaoke, who had been focusing on her, to feel a bit warm. He managed to control himself.

"They will come, but I can't confirm that your husband will accompany the army here. They'll only rest in the forward city for a while before leaving." Shaoke fiddled with a magic item, checked the fluctuations transmitted with some energy, quickly interpreted them based on memory, and relayed the news he had just received.

"That's good. I'm really worried something might happen to him." She gently touched her lower abdomen and glanced at Shaoke before asking softly, "How long has it been since you last saw Mage Roman? Are they definitely coming this time? In the last letter, they only vaguely mentioned it, but I couldn't be sure."

"Almost a year," Shaoke sighed softly. Mage Yisier placed her small hand on his leg to comfort him. The White-robed Cleric's strange gaze made Yisier uncomfortable, but she didn't withdraw her hand. Without the owner's rejection, she wouldn't pull it back.

Shaoke's tent was set up inside the simple house by some mages. When he showed signs of resting, the White-robed Cleric took out her golden spellbook, flipped a few pages, and chanted a spell in a melodious tone. A golden light floated up and slowly merged into Shaoke. After that, she signaled Mage Yisier to return with her to rest, but Yisier gently shook her head, leaving the White-robed Cleric no choice but to return to her tent alone.

After the White-robed Cleric left, Mage Yisier added a few pieces of wood, then crawled into Shaoke's tent. After a brief meditation, Shaoke followed.

Inside the small tent, only a thin animal-hide blanket served as bedding. Fortunately, the inflated animal-hide tent insulated most of the cold and was quite soft, so the mages' rest wasn't too harsh. Still, a small tent couldn't compare to a large one with a fire pit for warmth.

As soon as Shaoke entered the tent, Mage Yisier gently hugged him. "Now you're happy, right? Mage Roman is coming." She pouted slightly, lightly bit his neck, and then continued her usual routine. She placed his head on her chest and began massaging his head, continuing until he fell asleep. Of course, she would also sleep there that night.

Yisier's massage and the White-robed Cleric's earlier treatment eased Shaoke's headache. He comfortably turned his head on the female mage's soft chest, closed his eyes, and meditated quietly. Yisier gently removed their cloaks and robes, then held Shaoke as she slept.

Though Mage Yisier slept, Shaoke lay there, continuing his meditation. The persistent, severe headaches forced him to meditate frequently to resist the pain. Fortunately, the Cleric's treatments kept him from losing combat effectiveness due to the prolonged agony.

This headache was similar to what he experienced before advancing to a Third Tier Mage. Back then, the silver light's intense headache disappeared after his advancement. But now, four or five years after becoming a Fifth Tier Mage, it persisted. Although the silver light's intense activity in his meditation space rapidly increased his mental strength and magic power, the nearly decade-long pain made him wonder if it was a delayed effect from not occurring during his Fourth Rank advancement.

Various guesses didn't alleviate the pain, but with the White-robed Cleric's careful care and daily special spells, the headache didn't trouble him too much. However, necessary massages and frequent restorative meditations were unavoidable.

After half a magic hour of meditation, Shaoke took some medicine provided freely and without limit by the military department. He now took the highest-grade medicine previously used by Sixth Tier Mages. A few other mages did the same, some because their meditation spaces were sturdy enough to withstand the high-grade medicine's impact, others because they had unique spells to mitigate its effects. Shaoke didn't care, as no other mage could take these medicines continuously like he did.