Chapter 258: Departure and Life

Red and blue threads intertwined, gold and blue robes complementing each other. The same cheeks, yet with a different taste. Mage Yisier quickly noticed Shaoke's gaze, then curled her lips and swayed her body slightly, like a young dancer performing a pure yet seductive dance. Mage Roman then blushed and gently swayed her waist and wriggled her feet, making her appear even more adorable. At that moment, they all forgot they were mages.

The female mages' dance lasted nearly half a magic hour before stopping. Mage Roman, slightly breathless, looked at Shaoke and, upon seeing his appreciative gaze, happily embraced him. All of this astonished the ordinary soldiers watching nearby, but strict military discipline prevented any dereliction of duty.

The mages lingered on the city wall for a while longer before leaving. Today was the day Shaoke departed. No matter how much they tried to persuade him to stay, those who wished to leave could not be held back. Even if one did not want to leave, when the time came, they had to go.

Beneath the city wall stood seventy or eighty mages, all familiar with Shaoke. Upon learning of his departure from the capital that day, they gathered to see him off. A faint sadness flowed among the mages, but their strong self-control kept them from being too distressed by the parting.

There were no luxurious carriages or docile warhorses; Shaoke would walk back to his hometown in this world. Just then, a lavish carriage emerged from the capital, protected by numerous guards, and drove along the road ahead. However, after a short distance, it slowly came to a halt, as the carriage's owner recognized Shaoke.

"Mage Xueye?" A mage jumped down from the carriage and walked a few steps to Shaoke. It was Francis Payton Mage, who he hadn't seen in days. "Where are you headed? If it's on the way, you can travel with me." He glanced at the other mages, then fixed his gaze on the pale-faced Mage Roman nearby.

Shaoke hesitated briefly at Francis Dun's suggestion before shaking his head in refusal. Still, he thanked him for his kindness. Faced with this, the mage Francis could only helplessly board the carriage, as he had important matters to attend to. He had no time to waste on a wandering mage.

Thus, Shaoke, alone, followed the path Mage Francis had taken, slowly disappearing from the sight of Mage Roman, Yisier, and the other mages.

Time does not pause for anyone's reluctance. Over a decade after the male mage left the capital, Mage Roman informed Shaoke via letter that the Blizzard 33rd Corps had been reestablished, hoping he would return to join the Blizzard Legion. However, the male mage temporarily declined, as he felt his current life was satisfactory. Moreover, without any orders and with ample material support, he had plenty of time to study spell knowledge and conduct research.

To the northeast of the Blue Feather Empire, about seven or eight days' journey from the vast Misty Forest, lay a small town. Its population was much smaller than towns in the empire's south, but due to the passage of many merchants, it still appeared quite bustling. A few magic hours away from the town stood a mountain, not particularly large, but home to many low-level magical beasts and wild animals. This attracted numerous low-level mercenaries and townsfolk to hunt the beasts for their magical meat, valuable furs, blood, magic cores, and other items.

At the foot of the mountain was a house built from thick logs. This was the residence of a mysterious mage, or so the townsfolk believed. This mage seemed far more enigmatic than others they had encountered. He was always wrapped in a black cloak and rarely appeared in town. However, he would regularly come to purchase magical beast furs and other precious materials and food.

Most townsfolk were happy to sell their harvests to this mysterious mage, as his prices were generally slightly higher than those of merchants. Yet some were reluctant to sell to the so-called mage, not only because they had never seen him cast a spell but also due to his peculiar temper.

For instance, the so-called mage forbade townsfolk from approaching too close to his dwelling; otherwise, they would inexplicably fall unconscious, only to wake up dumped not far from the town. More importantly, whenever a baby was born in the town, this so-called Black-robed Mage would use his somewhat gaunt hands to touch the infants or suspend a beautiful crystal ball over them. All of this made the less-informed townsfolk feel strange and uneasy.

Various mysterious legends about mages circulated in the countryside. The townsfolk didn't know what the mage intended to do with them, but they were powerless to resist a mage's demands. Even the local officials and stationed soldiers showed great respect to this mage. The officer, who the villagers believed had already awakened his aura, dared not speak loudly in the mage's presence. This was remarkable, as that officer usually never lowered his voice.

Among the infants tested by the mage, some were trained from a young age by the aura-awakened officer, while others were left to play freely. A couple of children were even taught basic writing by the officer. However, over the past decade or so, only two infants, once they grew a bit older, were instructed in writing by the officer.

Inside the log house, the simple floor was covered with thick layers of various animal skins sewn together. A smokeless candle couldn't fully illuminate the somewhat large room. Fortunately, some charcoal still burned in the nearby hearth, casting a faint red glow that brought a bit of light to the dim interior.

A huge wooden bed, custom-ordered by the mage in the town, cost him three Blue Feather silver coins. Though it looked crude, its sturdiness was unmatched by ordinary beds.

At least a row of bookshelves, each over a person's height, stood against the wall, without any weight on them.

The mage had now removed his cloak, revealing a slightly pale, stern face. By the candlelight on the sturdy writing desk, he sat peacefully in an armchair, reading a thick book. A solid reading stand held a large-format tome, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and as thick as a palm. The pages were extremely thin and soft, even thinner than the silk used by merchants.

Just as the mage was engrossed in reading, a crystal ball resting on a small stand on the writing desk suddenly brightened. The crystal ball, the size of a human head, was pure white and usually emitted a soft white glow, though not as bright as candlelight.

The sudden brightness of the crystal ball quickly caught the mage's attention. The seemingly young mage fixed his gaze on the crystal ball and, after a few simple, eerie syllables, an image slowly appeared within it. Three tall men in the uniforms of the Blue Feather Empire were walking through the forest. The leading soldier carried a fine spear and a half-shield, and his long leather boots prevented snow from slipping inside.

Seeing the soldiers approaching, the mage frowned slightly, then carefully marked his place with a bookmark and closed the book. He sat there, quietly stroking the light gold metal patterns on the book's cover. Occasionally, his fingers paused on the recessed or raised magic scripts on the metal, but he soon moved on.

After nearly half a magic hour, a soft knock came at the mage's door. "Honorable Mage, a large merchant caravan has arrived in town. They are from the Blizzard Trade Guild. Would you like to come and take a look?" The leading soldier tried to keep his voice calm, not daring to speak loudly, as he knew through some people in the Blizzard Trade Guild how peculiar and formidable the mage residing here was.

"Understood," the mage replied curtly, saying no more. The soldiers, after a brief pause outside, turned and headed back the way they came. Whether the mage would go to town to meet the Blizzard Trade Guild merchants was not for them to decide. After all, this mage rarely bought items from merchants.

After the low-ranking soldiers left, the mage took out some fine snow wine from a nearby cabinet and slowly savored it until the small jar was empty. Then he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rested quietly. Only after three to five magic hours had passed did he stand up, gather his belongings, pick up his peculiar staff, wrap himself in his cloak, and leave.

To prevent occasional stray beasts from damaging the room, the mage activated a simple magic array carved into the wooden door before leaving. The array was merely a fear-inducing one, which, when activated, directly affected the minds of people or animals, causing them to hallucinate their worst fears. However, this array could only deal with low-level beings and could not be permanently preserved. Of course, with superior carriers or other magic materials, the array could be sustained.

Wrapped in a black cloak adorned with dozens of magic scripts, the mage hesitated for a moment before pulling down the hood. He also refrained from activating auxiliary spells like Blur and Shadow, which he usually kept active. Carrying his staff, he headed toward the town. A journey that would take ordinary people three to four magic hours took him less than one magic hour after he cast Feather Fall, and that was only because he deliberately slowed his pace.