Chapter 238: Refusal and the Search After Returning

The decisions I make never change." Shaoke rotated his staff. "No one's ever made me change them." After speaking, he stared intently at the Legion Commander before him. "Can you tell me what happened to that Legion Commander from the Blizzard 33rd Corps?"

"That's not something I can know." The middle-aged Legion Commander hesitated but ultimately avoided the question. He then told a nearby soldier to bring Shaoke three more magic bags of high-grade potions, enough to sustain him for nearly a decade.

"If the Blizzard Legion can offer you any more help, these potions are the last of it." The middle-aged commander, seeing Shaoke accept the potions, continued, "After the war ends, the Blizzard Legion will no longer provide you with any support."

"Is the war almost over?" Shaoke rotated his staff again, conjuring a green flame in his hand, then snuffing it out. "Can you tell me about the current progress?"

"Of course." The commander nodded and proceeded to explain the war situation. Everything was just like the two female mages reported last year: when winter arrived here, the nearly thirty-year war would be over. The armies of five empires had already surrounded the Esuoer Empire's only city—its capital. There, each empire would send its strongest troops to fight for control over the capital, facilitating post-war allocations.

"Good." Shaoke thanked the commander and got ready to leave. At that moment, the commander suddenly recalled something and said, "If you want, we can find you a small fiefdom here. But you'd have to join the Blizzard Legion." Lowering his voice, he added, "The fiefdom may not be large, but it's enough for everything you'd need to establish a small family. I think every mage would need it."

"Joining the army is the only way to get a fiefdom?" Shaoke looked at the commander with some confusion. "I thought every high-rank mage could get a small fiefdom by paying some gold." He added, "If there's a difference between the two, could you explain it to me?"

"There's no difference." The commander smiled wryly at the mage. "There's not much empty land left in the empire. I think buying such land in the capital would be very difficult." He reminded him, "Of course, you could also use another method to obtain a fiefdom."

"Thank you." Shaoke gave the Mage Etiquette salute again, then picked up his staff and left, not waiting for the other mages who were still browsing books. He now planned to head back to the capital, his home in this world, like he'd originally planned. But that would have to wait until the war truly ended. As for the frontline battles, he no longer cared, having effectively refused to participate.

Only three months into the long winter, the Blizzard Legion stationed in this small town announced the war was over. The mages stationed here could leave for now and go back to the capital. Just as Shaoke was about to depart, he received letters from Mage Roman and Mage Yisier, who had followed the army back to the capital before the war ended. They said they'd already arrived and would be staying at the castle in the capital for a while. Both mages hoped Shaoke would seek them out upon his return. Yisier, in particular, wished he could attend her wedding.

As Shaoke read the letters, everyone in the small town—residents and soldiers alike—started cheering wildly, embracing everyone they knew or didn't know to vent their excitement. Shaoke just grabbed the letter, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep.

Large numbers of troops withdrew from the frontlines, while many others moved from the capital to the newly conquered territories for garrison duty. Unlike other mages who'd left the army and followed the troops back, Shaoke packed his stuff and set off alone through the snowstorm toward the capital. He wanted to see Mage Roman, find the Death Mage Corps to copy some spells, and then go back to his hometown in this world.

Since he hadn't purchased a horse, it took him a full year to reach the capital. Fortunately, large armies had passed through the area, so he encountered no bandits along the way. Even if he had, he was confident he could eliminate them alone. After advancing to a higher rank, his spellcasting speed had improved significantly; some second-level spells were now nearly instantaneous. Of course, these low-level spells were only dangerous to low-order beings, while high-order beings paid little attention to attacks below the third rank.

Through prolonged meditation, over a dozen more thin threads had emerged from the altar in Shaoke's meditation space, merging into the Six-pointed Star Magic Array. As the threads increased, his spellcasting consumption decreased further, albeit very slowly. Still, the mage didn't mind the minimal effect—any reduction in consumption could aid him in future conflicts.

Although Shaoke often studied the characters he had personally combined on the altar during his journey, he made no progress by the time he reached the capital. The sentences formed by the Ancient Magic Script seemed only to circle the spiritual bands in the altar without any other effect. This prompted Shaoke to plan on obtaining relevant books from the Death Mage Corps, though it remained just an idea for now.

The capital's prosperity hadn't faded with the war; it persisted. With the return of large armies and mages, the city became even more bustling. Fortunately, Shaoke could now control the Six-pointed Star Magic Array in his eyes, hiding it so that no one could determine his rank from his cloak or staff.

Soldiers in plain clothes, off-duty troops in groups, and mages of various ranks strolled leisurely through the streets. The long war demanded a thorough release of tension. However, fresh from the battlefield, the soldiers' tempers were not the best. Shaoke witnessed many conflicts between soldiers and civilians along the way. He didn't inquire about the causes, but the soldiers' red eyes and half-drawn sabers made the war's horrors evident.

Fortunately, numerous patrols prevented these volatile warriors from brawling in the streets. Mages and other professionals also had such incidents, though less frequently than the soldiers.

After wandering aimlessly through the streets for a while, Shaoke took a carriage to the small castle where the Blizzard Legion was previously stationed. A Fourth Tier Mage from his former small mage team was guarding the gate. Upon seeing Shaoke, he eagerly asked about his purpose and warmly arranged for soldiers to bring food and wine to entertain him.

When Shaoke explained his intentions, the Fourth Tier Mage grinned and nodded, sending someone to notify Mage Roman and Mage Yisier. While waiting, the Fourth Tier Mage said to Shaoke:

"Mage Xueye, since returning to the capital, Mage Yisier has gotten married." Noticing Shaoke's lack of reaction, he awkwardly continued, "And Mage Roman often has suitors here. A Fifth Tier Alchemist—one that would make any low-rank mage's heart race." He paused briefly before adding, "Over the past year, a mage named Roland has frequently visited Mage Roman, often inviting her to taverns for drinks." Seeing Shaoke's hand tighten on his staff, he quickly added, "But Mage Roman rarely agrees, and even when she does, she returns by midnight." He then suggested uncertainly, "Mage Xueye, you should blow that mage's head off like you did those Ritualists." He waved his staff emphatically.

"That mage thinks he's so impressive. If it weren't for my duties, I'd have killed him just for the way he talks to me." He sighed helplessly. "Now he's become a noble mage, apparently rewarded after the war. But I can't sense any combat experience from him." He continued, "Mage Yisier's husband is also from the Blue Feather Legion, now a noble mage. Why hasn't our Blizzard Legion produced any noble mages?" He shook his staff in frustration, clearly dissatisfied with the military's recent rewards.