Chapter 364 Exchange and Return

In the evening, Mosan the barbarian stayed in Shaoke's room for a long time.

He had many things to say to Shaoke, and even more so, he wanted to learn more about the outside world from him. This was mainly because he was particularly eager to venture out into the world, so he sought more information from Shaoke.

"Mage Xueye, these are the items we intend to exchange for your books." Shortly after breakfast, the barbarian chieftain sought out Shaoke, bringing a large quantity of magic materials and some strange objects to his room. These were the items agreed upon for exchange with the mage. Shaoke quietly examined them.

These magic materials were exceptionally precious, including many that Shaoke needed for crafting a spellbook. He set these aside and then began inspecting the strange items.

The barbarians brought many peculiar objects—some were scepters made from beast bones, others were worn vessels covered in carvings of many characters. After a thorough search, Shaoke picked out a small crown that looked quite eerie. It was woven from dozens of black, unknown plant vines, adorned with several strange black gems and bizarre runes. These runes felt familiar to Shaoke, as some of them resembled those he had seen on the golden horn.

The mage pointed at the crown and asked the old chieftain with confusion, "Is there any specific description of this?" He then picked up the crown and gently ran his fingers over it. The crown emitted a faint magical fluctuation, one that felt familiar to Shaoke—the same special fluctuation emitted by the thousand-foot-tall giants who fought the Wild Beasts.

"This thing is said to be a relic from the ancient era, even older than the primordial age." The barbarian chieftain glanced at the crown and added, "It is recorded that a previous owner noted that a spellcaster wearing it could reduce some unimportant incantations. This crown can cut casting time and consumption by half." Sighing, the old chieftain took the crown from Shaoke's hand, stroked it a few times, and then closed his eyes, falling silent. This crown was quite famous in their barbarian tribe.

Seeing the old chieftain about to leave with the crown, Shaoke questioned him with displeasure, "I want this crown now. The items you brought out are for exchange, so I believe you have no right to take away what belongs to me." With that, Shaoke glared at the old chieftain. Although the man felt like a powerful warrior, Shaoke no longer cared.

"Every user of this crown ended up being killed by the crown, and it always returned to us." The old chieftain sighed. He didn't value the crown much, but recalling the tragic fates of its previous owners, he regretted letting the reckless young men pack these items.

Shaoke ignored the chieftain's warning. A magic item that could greatly boost his strength was now crucial to him, as his mental power and mana growth could no longer greatly aid his combat. Of course, prolonged battles were an exception. But with the spells he had learned, he could easily defeat opponents without needing extended fights.

Shaoke had tested the black crown using special methods, techniques commonly used by ancient spellcasters when discovering magic items from previous eras. If the item had issues, the caster would easily detect them. After several tests, Shaoke found no problems and stored it in his magic bag.

"Mage Xueye, I think these ancient vessels might also be useful to you." The barbarian chieftain glared at the barbarians who had brought the materials, then pointed at the ancient vessels. These were items passed down through their tribe for millions of years, often used as high-value payment in trades with merchants.

Shaoke paid no attention to the chieftain and carefully examined the ancient items. They had no magical fluctuations but contained many noble and mage vessels from ancient times. These were highly sought after by great nobles, who lacked such historical items in their family collections and needed to buy them for display.

"As for the other items," Shaoke produced a large number of books he had collected during his travels across various countries, now proving very useful. "More magic materials, fewer of the strange items." He took out more books, and the elder barbarians around him stared intently, eager to take them to their rooms. But they restrained themselves, knowing these weren't theirs yet.

Dozens of barbarians brought a large quantity of magic materials, which, as mentioned, were extremely precious. After a period of selection, Shaoke collected them all, knowing he would use them. The various strange items, however, took the mage a long time to choose. Whenever the barbarian chieftain tried to stop Shaoke from taking more materials or items, the mage would pile up more books on the ground, and the barbarians would say nothing more.

The bartering session lasted nearly a day, ending only when Shaoke's two spatial rings were full. Another dinner took place, with the barbarians easily hunting and devouring whole magical beasts. After eating a few slices of meat, Shaoke silently mulled over his future plans.

"Respected chieftain, may I stay here for a long time?" After dinner, as the old chieftain was about to leave, Shaoke finally voiced his intention. "I can teach the young ones how to read and write, something they lack." He gently stroked his staff, as if it were the most natural thing. "For a fixed period each day." He added as the chieftain seemed about to agree.

The old chieftain smiled, lightly waved his beast-bone scepter, and agreed. This would cause no trouble for the tribe and would actually help them. Moreover, these barbarians never feared trouble; they craved it.

Thus, Shaoke told Mage Roman and the others about his plans that evening, and the female spellcasters all agreed. The distance from the Misty Forest to the Bloody Fortress was less than a day's travel for a mage at full speed, making it easy to meet up. Here, Shaoke could also work on his plans, including completely translating the vast collection of ancient books. More importantly, when Shaoke extended his mental power to sense the world at night, he found it easier here to receive images from ancient or primordial spellcasters.

Silver-white light flashed from the sky to the ground, and as the silver light increased, more images poured into his mind, greatly aiding him.

After some time, Shaoke finally understood the black crown's basic functions from the barbarians' books. Reducing casting incantations and mana consumption was its most basic feature. It could also store spells in its dozen odd gems, releasing them like scrolls, requiring a bit of time but much less than casting spells verbally.

This function was what Shaoke liked most.

Though the crown had more functions, the mage couldn't discover them. The intricate patterns and runes blocked his attempts to examine it, mainly due to his insufficient mental strength—though this was in a relative sense.

After understanding the crown's functions, Shaoke didn't wear it often but kept it in his ring. He didn't want to rely on magic items in ordinary combat, as it would make him lazy. Though all spellcasters knew this, many couldn't resist the temptation, reducing their casting abilities.

Time passed. One evening, while teaching young barbarians writing, Mage Roman sent him a message through a crystal ball. It was about the crown. Shaoke had described it to her in detail, and she had used the military and Bloody Fortress's vast resources to research it. Today, she finally sent him news.

The black crown was a powerful magic item throughout history, once owned by many high-ranking mages, even a Twelfth Tier mage. As the barbarian chieftain said, all owners were killed in battle, and the crown changed hands. Over time, it fell out of notice in the Blue Feather Empire.

"Death Crown" was its name, which sounded ominous, unlike the barbarians' term. In their tribe's records, it was called "Night's Glory." Shaoke preferred the latter.

Thus, Shaoke shuttled between the barbarian tribe and the Bloody Fortress, which didn't waste his spell training time but improved his spatial magic through constant travel. This continued until he fully deciphered all his ancient original spell books, then decided to leave. He hadn't found the method to advance to Ninth Rank in those books, only details on precautions and unique techniques, which were useless to him now.

Having decided to leave, the mage didn't linger. He simply informed Mosan and the old chieftain, then flew toward the Bloody Fortress to see Mage Roman, whom he hadn't seen for over a month.

The barbarians were reluctant to see Shaoke leave, especially Mosan, as Shaoke always brought fine liquor from the Bloody Fortress to trade for precious magic materials and strange items. Though each trade wasn't large, over time, Shaoke had filled another spatial ring with materials.

During his stay, Shaoke encountered various remnant races living in the icy Misty Forest. They visited the barbarians periodically for trades and other matters unknown to Shaoke.

Notably, he met the Snow Elves for the first time. They weren't born from the World Tree but reproduced normally like other races.

These Snow Elves had many archers. Their tribe was far from the barbarians and others. When they visited, only a few entered the barbarian camp; the rest built shelters outside. Over time, Shaoke learned the Snow Elves valued cleanliness and disliked the barbarians' messy camp. Yet, for reasons unknown to him, they still came for secret talks with the chieftain. The barbarians also sent people to other tribes periodically.

A human mage living long in a barbarian tribe intrigued other races at first, but the novelty faded.

Whenever these races visited, Shaoke joined their conversations in his free time. Among them, he was most welcomed by the Snow Elves. His mysterious aura, elegant speech, and vast knowledge made him popular with these graceful elves.

Spending time with them, Shaoke learned that this Snow Elf tribe, often visiting the barbarians, wasn't very large. With over 200,000 members, it was the largest remnant tribe in the area. But for some reasons, they rarely approached humans, including merchants. Thus, the barbarians prepared food for them during trades.

Shaoke's departure caused a brief stir in the barbarian tribe, then things settled. They had their own lives, unaffected by an outsider's coming and going. However, the Snow Elves, upon learning of his departure, invited him to visit their tribe if possible, offering to guide him.

Back at the Bloody Fortress, Mage Roman and the others awaited him outside the massive mage tower. They returned to their room to discuss recent events, followed by passionate intimacy, as Shaoke was about to leave again. This time, Lan Wei'er, who had been assisting Roman and the cleric in experiments, suddenly voiced a different opinion—she wanted to accompany Shaoke.

"Mage Xueye, I've been here for nearly two hundred years. I'm tired of this place." Lan Wei'er barged in just after Shaoke had finished with Roman and the cleric.

Shaoke discontentedly tightened his grip on Roman's chest, making her frown. But under the male mage's subtle caresses, her body responded faithfully. The female mage knew Shaoke was displeased with her education of Lan Wei'er.

"Leave. You should know this isn't the time to barge in." Shaoke waved for Lan Wei'er, now a Seventh Tier Mage, to leave.

Blushing at the scene, Lan Wei'er hadn't expected her mother and the cleric to be with Shaoke during the day.

Under Shaoke's stern rebuke, Lan Wei'er apologized and withdrew.

"You should educate Lan Wei'er better." Shaoke flipped the cleric over, making her kneel, and began his conquest. "This behavior won't make her seem like a noble mage." The cleric soon shuddered and lay still, letting the male mage continue until he finished, then rested briefly before using special methods to increase pregnancy chances.

Roman shot Shaoke a displeased look. "Lan Wei'er is a Seventh Tier mage now. She no longer needs my education." She wrapped around the male mage, adding, "We used to discuss things at this time. I didn't expect today to be different." She blushed and laughed.

With Roman and the cleric's persuasion, Shaoke calmed down. After resting, they found Lan Wei'er in the living room and explained their decision. Lan Wei'er sat quietly, still blushing, lost in thought.

Seeing her silent, Shaoke couldn't stay angry. "You can leave the fortress and travel alone only after becoming an Eighth Tier mage." After the last war, Shaoke was uneasy about Lan Wei'er going out alone.

"Mage Xueye, it might take me a hundred years to reach Eighth Tier." Lan Wei'er had a special advancement technique that made her stronger than ordinary mages, even surpassing death mages of the same tier. Roman hadn't told Shaoke about this.

Seeing Shaoke's confusion, Roman reluctantly explained. This advancement method, the longer it was delayed, the stronger one became upon reaching Eighth Tier. A Roman Family mage once delayed for a thousand years, quickly surpassing family members and advancing to Ninth Tier soon after, then progressing faster than others. This was due to the strange method.

Hearing this, Shaoke shook his head helplessly. He rarely argued with Roman's decisions. Moreover, only those with Roman bloodline could use this method; others would see no effect. This made Shaoke marvel at the Roman Family's ancient power.

They sat together, chatting leisurely. After a while, the white-robed cleric changed the subject, asking when Shaoke planned to leave. Shaoke looked at her earnest face, suddenly feeling that the one he owed most wasn't Roman but the cleric who silently supported him with buffs.

"In a few years. I want to rest and teach Lan Wei'er some spell knowledge." He noticed Roman squinting, seemingly pleased. He poured wine for the three and sipped slowly.

"I plan to collect more ancient books, hoping to find information on advancing to Nine-rank Mage." He saw Roman stand, pacing the room, unusual for her.

"That's fine. If no luck, come back, and I'll ask my uncle for help." Roman frowned. She wasn't satisfied with Shaoke obtaining ordinary Ninth Tier methods through battle, but she couldn't help now, so she turned to her uncle, hoping he could assist.