Chapter 273: Deal, Disappointment, and Encounter

"Honorable Mage, sir, these are the items we intend to trade." After a moment of hesitation, the older mage in charge of the magic bag took out the magic materials and handed them to the mage for inspection. Afterward, he stood nervously to the side, waiting for the mage's payment in potions.

"Ten doses of Sixth Rank potions." Shaoke quickly selected some items and gave his price. "Don't argue with me. If you don't want to trade, leave immediately." With that, Shaoke twirled his staff, his attention not on the materials but on the mages themselves. He carefully observed their reactions.

He was fairly satisfied. Only the Fourth Rank Mage showed a hint of discontent, but quickly concealed it. The mage conducting the exchange nodded and agreed to Shaoke's terms.

It turned out he had previously tried trading these materials with the Mage Guild, but they only offered ten doses of Fifth Rank potions. Other wandering mage organizations offered even fewer. So he was quite pleased with Shaoke's offer.

Following the two mages' previous potion needs, Shaoke quickly prepared the potions according to the ratio, though this time he gave the older mage an extra dose. It seemed the potential conflict over uneven distribution that Shaoke had worried about did not occur. After finishing, Shaoke stored the materials in his magic bag, drawing another glance from the other two mages.

"Do you also intend to join this organization?" Shaoke asked the two unfamiliar mages. "If you wish to join, write your names here." He repeated what he had told the first two mages before, then took out a book, a quill, and ink, handing them over. "Do you have any items? If I find them useful, I can pay you what you need now."

"Advanced meditation methods?" The Fourth Rank mage hesitated for a long time before asking. The other three mages watched nervously, since they all used the most basic meditation methods and craved advanced ones far more than potions.

"Aside from magical items like staffs and robes, I have all the advanced items a mage needs." Shaoke calmly repeated his earlier words, then rotated his staff, waiting for the two mages to decide. The Fifth Rank Mage didn't hesitate long before writing his name in the book. The other Fourth Rank mage, after hearing the answer, also wrote his name and a brief introduction.

Seeing this, Shaoke took out five more Sixth Rank potions and gave them to the first two mages as a reward for recruiting new members. Of course, the reward wasn't too high, as he didn't want them to focus solely on recruiting rather than collecting magic materials.

After a brief explanation, Shaoke added a new rule: no infighting among organization members, and they must assist each other when facing external threats. The four mages gladly accepted this rule. They knew that only a mutually supportive organization could ensure their basic safety.

Once the explanation was done, Shaoke gave each mage a cloak and explained the meaning of the symbols marking their ranks. He repeated, "There is no hierarchy of strength here, only the issue of flame count." The mages raised no objection, as this organization was purely a trading entity, not a combat-oriented Wandering Mage Alliance.

Finally, the two newly-joined mages also produced some magic materials and books to trade with Shaoke. But since mages without magic bags often had poor-quality materials, Shaoke paid them no potions. The books were not valuable either. Seeing the undisguised disappointment on their faces, Shaoke left casually, setting the next meeting time and place.

Trading potions for magic materials—Shaoke didn't consider it a loss, as he could obtain plenty of potions from the Death Mage Corps to support this operation. Of course, if the quantity was large, he might need to pay some cost. But he believed the Death Mage Corps would not refuse such a trade in magic materials.

At dawn, the streets were empty of ordinary civilians. Only bloodstained professionals hurried back to their dwellings, while regular soldiers cleaned the streets, hauling away corpse carts and clearing bloodstains and flesh that hindered passage.

As Shaoke was about to return to his manor, he sensed a familiar spiritual fluctuation in the distance ahead. This feeling stirred him slightly; if his memory served him right, it belonged to the wife of the Bald Officer, the White-robed Cleric, who had once treated him. Beside her was another fluctuation, unfamiliar to him. Still, he decided to go and meet the White-robed Cleric.

To prevent the White-robed Cleric from leaving, Shaoke quickly released his spiritual power, wrapping it around her while trying to calm his own turbulent spiritual fluctuations to avoid alarming her. Soon, the Cleric noticed his spiritual probe, sensed it briefly, waited a moment, then sent an invitation through the spiritual waves. Overjoyed, Shaoke quickly moved toward her position. After nearly thirty years without seeing the White-robed Cleric, he missed her dearly.

"Mage Xueye?" Turning a corner, he saw the White-robed Cleric, still looking much as she had years ago. She wore a white robe, a belt three fingers wide cinching her slender waist, and held a golden spellbook as if she would never tire. Beside her stood a Golden-robed Female Mage, a non-combat mage who favored alchemy; like the Cleric, she had also been the wife of the Bald Officer.

The White-robed Cleric joyfully watched Shaoke approach, surprised to meet an old companion here after so many years. "Is it you?" she asked, studying his attire uncertainly. She took a few steps toward him but was stopped by the Golden-robed Mage, who couldn't confirm this mage was their former comrade.

"It's me." Shaoke didn't mind the Golden-robed Mage's caution. He tore off his ordinary cloak, knowing the Cleric had been uncertain because of his clothing. Then he took out his peculiar staff from his magic bag and ignited the green flame atop it.

Upon confirmation, the White-robed Cleric broke free from her companion, strode quickly over to Shaoke, and examined him closely. "You haven't changed at all from those days," she said, touching her own haggard cheeks. "While I have aged so much." She sighed softly.

"Can we talk about the current situation?" Shaoke ignored the occasional passersby, fixing his eyes on the Cleric. "After you left, I never heard from you again. Mage Roman and the others are very worried about you." Then he remembered to invite the two female mages to his manor, but the Golden-robed Mage declined.

"No need, Mage Xueye. We're visiting friends. We can talk about this another time." The Golden-robed Mage motioned for the Cleric to follow, but the Cleric refused. She wanted to talk with this old companion; there was so much to catch up on after so many years.

Faced with her refusal, the Golden-robed Mage had no choice but to leave. The Golden-robed Mage's cold demeanor made Shaoke unwilling to offer any verbal persuasion. The White-robed Cleric could only watch her companion leave alone, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes.

"I've bought a manor here. Come and talk with me there," Shaoke invited again. The Cleric nodded.

They walked in silence for half a magical hour until they reached Shaoke's residence. "When did you arrive here?" the Cleric broke the silence, stroking her spellbook, revealing her inner turmoil.

"Just over a month ago." Shaoke activated a mechanism and waited for a maid to open the door. "I rarely went out before. I didn't expect to run into you today." He let out a long breath. "Mage Roman often mentions you. She's been looking for you. If it's convenient, I can tell her you're here." He turned to look at the Cleric, noticing she had grown thinner and less cheerful than before—likely due to her husband's death.