Chapter 359 Return and War’s Outcome

The long journey brought great benefits to the mage, at least now he was capable of pronouncing those Ancient Magic Scripts. During this period, he also deciphered some of the genuine ancient books obtained from that underground ruin years ago. From these books, he learned a vast amount of spell knowledge. He believed that now, facing an ordinary Nine-rank Mage alone, he could easily hunt him down. He could even slay special types of Nine-rank Mages. This was mainly because he had acquired many arcane secrets from those ancient books.

Upon entering the Blue Feather Empire, Shaoke stopped traveling on foot and instead used spatial rifts for travel. Now, with his powerful mental strength and understanding of space magic, he could easily use spatial rifts for travel. This time, in just half a day, he once again arrived at the Bloody Fortress.

As soon as he arrived near the Bloody Fortress, Shaoke heard the deafening sounds of battle. The fighting had resumed here, but he didn't know how long it had lasted. Dozens of powerful mental energies and magical energies instantly locked onto him. Shaoke offered no resistance, merely hovering quietly in the air, allowing these guardians to probe him.

A warrior and a mage swiftly flew up from below, watching him warily. "Honorable Mage, may we ask what brings you here? Is there anything we can help you with?"

The mage withdrew his mental probe and respectfully bowed to Shaoke. This was mainly because he could not detect whether the man before him—who bore a strange aura—was a mage or a scholar. The aura was far too peculiar. The warrior did the same, also failing to detect Shaoke's rank.

Shaoke smiled slightly, then took out the scepter he had used in that battle and said, "I am a mage of the Blue Feather Empire, returning from the battlefield of the Luanyun Empire. Someone is waiting for me here, so I came." He handed the scepter to the warrior, who quickly identified it without hesitation.

"Mage Xueye, welcome." After detecting the scepter, the warrior looked at Shaoke in surprise. Inside was a brief record, notably stating he was an Eighth-tier Mage. If this mage was indeed an Eighth-order being, there were only two possibilities why they, of the same rank, could not sense his aura. Either he had advanced to the Ninth Rank, or he possessed a concealment technique and was on the verge of advancing to Ninth-order.

Either way, he was worthy of respect. In the Bloody Fortress, practitioners were respected solely based on their strength. Shaoke now fully possessed that.

After a brief aerial conversation about current matters, the three returned to the ground.

The mage once again verified Shaoke's identity, then wrote his name on a crimson sheet and certified his current status. This certification allowed him to travel freely across the Blue Feather Empire, bearing the military seal of the Bloody Legion. During this time, the twenty-odd mental probes on him remained until he received the certificate, after which he felt no more probing.

After exchanging a bow with the mage, Shaoke inquired about the location of the Blizzard 33rd Corps here. Mage Roman and the others were executing tasks here.

The mage pointed to the hundred-story mage tower at the city's center. "All mages from the legions are now residing there. Go there and inquire. Alchemists are generally on floors above the hundredth." The mage then asked Shaoke about other matters, needing to assist this mage who had answered the empire's call.

Thanking the mage again, Shaoke took a carriage toward that massive central mage tower. Over the centuries, the population here hadn't changed much, just more merchants and mercenary bands. Here, respect for mages and all practitioners had reached its peak.

In Shaoke's view, this mage tower was even larger than the one in the Fallen Capital. Covering hundreds of acres, the tower was crowded with merchants and mercenaries, handling tasks, making payments, and recruiting mercenaries. Young practitioners of various professions entered and exited, drawn by an extensive library system. For some reason, the Bloody Fortress had suddenly opened many exclusive military books, greatly attracting young practitioners to study here.

Shaoke didn't examine the scene in detail. A young attendant approached, curtsied, and said, "Honorable Mage, how may I assist you?"

Shaoke looked at the attendant, feeling a sense of the old Mage Guild here. "I need to get to the hundredth floor. Where do I go?" He handed her the paper from the Eighth-tier Mage, but she declined with a bow.

"Honorable Mage, I cannot verify your credentials. I can take you to where specialized personnel do so." The attendant gestured and led the way.

Near the wall was an elevator-like device. A Fourth-tier Mage, after hearing the attendant's brief report, checked Shaoke's ID. Learning he was an Eighth-order being, he quickly bowed and took out a transparent crystal orb to search. He soon found the residences of Mage Roman and the White-robed Cleric.

They lived on the 210th floor. Shaoke went there but didn't find them. The guarding mage there said Mage Roman and the Cleric had just gone to the tavern. He had no choice but to find the tavern.

After searching three consecutive floors of taverns, Shaoke located Mage Roman and her group with the help of attendants.

After fifty or sixty years apart, seeing Mage Roman filled Shaoke with warmth. He calmed himself from a distance, then walked toward their table. Mage Roman seemed to sense something, turning abruptly to look his way. The White-robed Cleric and Lan Wei'er also noticed Roman's reaction and followed her gaze.

Without a word, Mage Roman stood still, allowing Shaoke to hold her tightly. He then embraced the White-robed Cleric. For Lan Wei'er, he merely kissed her forehead politely. At the invitation of Roman and the Cleric, he sat down with them.

A cup of honey-sweetened water was brought by the attendant at the Cleric's request. She held Shaoke's arm excitedly, gazing at him. Mage Roman resumed her usual lazy posture, lounging in the high-backed chair, placing her legs on Shaoke's, quietly enjoying his presence. Lan Wei'er wanted to ask about the battle several times but remained silent.

"We should go back," the Cleric said after a while, her eyes reddening as she softly suggested to Shaoke. "I think you need to rest properly." She looked at Roman, seeking support. Roman nodded without hesitation. Lan Wei'er's opinion was unintentionally ignored.

Shaoke led the three female spellcasters away, causing envy among the other mages in the tavern. After they left, some low discussions were inevitable, but none of that concerned Shaoke. He returned to Mage Roman's room to discuss war matters.

After briefly recounting some battlefield events, silence fell. Roman said after a time, "Xueye, I thought you would return with others. I was worried all that time." She fidgeted with her clothes nervously, looking more haggard than when Shaoke left.

Shaoke remained silent, then softly comforted her. He had sent word via the Blue-robed Mage back then, yet Roman still worried.

"I heard recently that over a hundred kingdoms vanished across the continent," the White-robed Cleric said, patting Roman's arm to lighten the mood. "But I'm puzzled—those empires didn't fight with others. And the fall of all those kingdoms shares one thing in common: they all worshipped gods." She looked at Shaoke, hoping he could explain, as the fall of many kingdoms occurred after the Luanyun Empire's collapse. She thought Shaoke might know something.

Shaoke shook his head regretfully, not understanding. But he knew that what the dying ritualist had said was true. To understand those events, he would need to advance to the Legendary rank. Yet advancing was no easy feat.

After discussing their experiences, the topic turned to Lan Wei'er. Roman, now calmer, spoke first about this matter.