Chapter 243: Gifts and Conflict

Mage Yiga quickly noticed Shao Ke's discomfort and quickly apologized, saying he'd forgotten about Shao Ke's habit of not caring about matters outside of magic. Preventing any guest from feeling embarrassed during the banquet was something every host should do, meaning etiquette and protocol. After all, many mages paid little attention to such things. And Mage Yiga had simply forgotten to remind Shao Ke when informing him.

Seeing Mage Yiga's anxious demeanor made Shao Ke suddenly feel that the other was still the same young mage who had once been flustered over casting spells in the Misty Forest, which made him feel uneasy. "How about a magic book? I have a magic book that I once got on the battlefield." Shao Ke finally decided to pull out one of the spell books he had copied in exchange for those high-level fruits as today's gift.

After hearing Shao Ke's explanation, Mage Yiga breathed a long sigh of relief. After all, the host reads from the guest list, and if no gift appeared at that moment, it would be super awkward for both the host and the guests. The noble mage who had been helping nearby felt some regret at giving up his idea, but he didn't show it.

As the announcer called out, Mage Roman and the others presented gifts on behalf of their respective legions. Shao Ke noticed that each gift was announced loudly as per the guest's instructions. Not only did the Blizzard Legion send gifts, but also the Blue Feather Legion and other legions in the capital. Of course, these gifts were delivered by low-level mages representing the legions. Representing one of the Blue Feather Legion's sub-legions was Mage Roland, whom Shao Ke hadn't seen for a while. Shao Ke didn't think much of Mage Roland; he had already decided to treat him as a stranger from now on, letting their old friendship from the Bloody Fortress fade.

Soon it was Shao Ke's turn, and he took out a large, thick book. It was a spellcasting record from an ancient command mage. Such a book was just as valuable as the magical materials or precious magical artifacts gifted by others, as a book could be passed down through a family until its decline, providing help to the family's mages throughout that time.

When the announcer announced Shao Ke's gift, the guests were a bit jealous of the Yiga family. That night, only a few books on spells had been given as gifts, and Shao Ke's gift—a spellcasting record from an ancient command mage—was way more precious than those earlier books. Of course, the guests could figure out why he'd given such a gift.

Mage Yiga hadn't expected Shao Ke to give such a valuable book, and he was really grateful for what Shao Ke did. The noble mage from the Orpheus family also gave Shao Ke a surprised look. As for Mage Roland, upon hearing the news, he started scanning the hall for Shao Ke, knowing that only by finding this death mage could he see his beloved Mage Roman.

Although the Yiga family hadn't invited that uninvited guest, the young mage still gave a fourth-level meditation method as a gift. Of course, this gift was almost more precious than Shao Ke's book, but Shao Ke didn't care. He noticed Mage Roland in his silver robe searching for them.

According to custom, the host set aside one magical hour for discussion, allowing guests to talk about the gifts just given. Then began another main event of the evening's banquet: the dance. Since it was a formal banquet, the dance lasted only one magical hour. During this time, guests could dance with their own partners or with partners provided by the Yiga family.

Although most mages and guests hadn't brought partners, the Yiga family had invited many noblewomen and women from small magical families to serve as dance partners. During this time, guests could invite them to dance.

At Roman's request, Shao Ke temporarily ended his conversation with the noble mage and Mage Yiga to invite the female mage Roman to dance in the center of the hall. After two songs, the two mages ended their dance, as Shao Ke's dancing was quite rough.

Mage Yiga left, as an important steward, he couldn't stay in one place for long, needing to attend to many guests. At that moment, the noble mage beside him suddenly invited Mage Roman to dance. With the male mage's consent, Mage Roman accepted the invitation. As for Mage Isier, she had pulled her husband onto the dance floor as soon as the dance began and hadn't come down yet.

"How are things now?" Mage Franciston suddenly showed a blush that only women have. After a long silence, she spoke to Shao Ke, "Won't you tell me?"

The female mage's soft voice was very pleasant. "It's the same as before, nothing different." Shao Ke carefully studied the female mage beside him. Mage Franciston, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, looked more mature than before. A light silver belt tightly cinched her small waist, and high boots paired with her short mage robe made her look very beautiful. She slowly toyed with a small, light silver wand, everything seeming so casual.

After hearing Shao Ke's answer, the female mage Franciston just responded softly. "If you had joined the Mage Guild back then, I think things wouldn't be like this now." Saying this, she suddenly sighed softly, "If I invite you to join the Mage Guild again, would you agree?" Her light blue eyes fixed on Shao Ke, her lips slightly parting as if to say something, but in the end, she stopped.

"Are you planning to marry that mage?" Shao Ke glanced at the noble mage dancing attentively with Mage Roman, feeling an indescribable emotion as he spoke.

"His family is very large. If you saw his emblem, you'd know; their family has lasted for over a hundred thousand years." Mage Franciston twitched the corner of her mouth, "Even if he wanted to marry me, his family would reject it because of bloodline issues." She leaned back in her high-backed chair, staring blankly at her male partner on the dance floor. "That female mage is from the Roman family, right? Their family is very famous, but it's been in decline for a long time." She added, "If you only consider bloodline, her mage bloodline is older than the empire's age."

"Are you planning to marry her?" Mage Franciston asked Shao Ke nervously. When she learned that this seemingly ordinary male mage was involved with the last female mage of the Roman family, she felt quite uneasy. She had once thought that if she hadn't cherished this male mage, no female mage would be with him, but everything turned out contrary to her guess.

"I don't know." Shao Ke twitched the corner of his mouth, "If everything goes smoothly, it should happen." As he spoke, he saw Mage Roman stop dancing and gracefully leave the dance floor during a partner exchange. Then Mage Roman came straight back to Shao Ke and the others. Finally, the female mage Roman directly took Shao Ke's arm before talking with Mage Franciston. The noble mage remained there dancing with others.

"What's wrong?" Shao Ke looked at Mage Roman with some confusion, "You weren't like this before."

"Mage Roland saw me. He'll probably come looking for us after the next song ends." She glanced at the hundreds of dancing couples.

After a quick scan, Shao Ke soon spotted him. Mage Roland was now moving his noble dance partner toward the edge, apparently planning to use the song change to come down and find Shao Ke and the others. Of course, it all had to do with Mage Roman.

"Mage Snow Night, you should take good care of Mage Roman. Many nobles and mage families have their eyes on her." Mage Franciston kindly reminded Shao Ke, but her words came a bit late.

As soon as the song changed, Mage Roland gracefully parted from his female partner and headed toward Shao Ke. At that moment, a young noble interrupted Mage Franciston's conversation with Shao Ke. After politely bowing, the young noble fixed his gaze on Mage Roman and quickly stated his intent in a noble language. Mage Roman frowned and shook her head, refusing his invitation.

Fortunately, mages had some knowledge of simple languages, so Shao Ke quickly understood the other's awkward words. The young noble had invited the female mage to rest at his home after the banquet. Faced with this invitation, Shao Ke grew angry. He couldn't believe this noble was inviting his woman to sleep with him in such a setting, prompting the mage to act quickly.

He raised his long black five-fingered staff and swung it at the young noble's head. Of course, what the young noble had done wasn't overly inappropriate; Shao Ke just didn't get the local customs. In formal banquets, guests could invite members of the opposite sex for more intimate interactions, provided both parties consented. However, few people made such invitations when the other had a male partner, as it easily led to conflict.