Chapter 17: Once Again

The mages' silence didn't stop lunch from arriving, but the meal temporarily broke their quiet. A plate of meat chunks, several small dishes of wild vegetables, a small pot of mushroom meat soup, a small barrel of aperitif, and a small barrel of ordinary red wine made for a rather hearty lunch. At the sight, Shaoke sighed in relief. "Maybe I can think of an excuse by the time we finish eating!"

"Alright, mages, let's begin this late lunch!" he said, then picked up the small barrel of aperitif and placed it on the wooden stump serving as a dining table. "Get your cups out! Let's see if this wine tastes any better." As he spoke, Shaoke retrieved his silver goblet from the rosewood box stored in the deerskin pouch that served as his catch-all, along with the silver utensils for eating—knife, fork, spoon, and small plates.

This was one of Shaoke's quirks. Having read novels in the past where silverware could detect poison in food, he had custom-made these utensils after arriving in this world, on a strange whim. It wasn't as if he had developed any genuinely noble notions.

After setting his place, Shaoke poured wine for the two mages. "Mage Yija, your glass is truly beautiful!" he remarked. "Mage Kiya, you should have a glass too." "Thank you, Mage Xueye," replied Kiya, whose cup was made of jade. "Mage Yija's cup is quite nice. Even filled with the most ordinary red wine, it would look splendid," Shaoke thought to himself. "I know, but I can't be bothered to use such cheap stuff, even if it's considered valuable in this world."

After exchanging pleasantries, the three casually began their lunch. Perhaps due to their own brand of excitement, the two mages drank most of the wine from the two small barrels.

Stimulated by the alcohol, Yija gradually relaxed, no longer as silent as before. Although no further conversation ensued, Shaoke sensed the atmosphere had improved. The tender meat chunks were quickly devoured by the hungry mages, and most of the soup was consumed as well.

Kiya rubbed his slightly bloated stomach and sighed, "I ate so much this time. Mage Xueye, is drinking this much wine okay?"

"Don't worry, Mage Kiya. There's no need for concern. Even if you drank a small barrel of Bolani wine yourself, nothing would happen, as long as your tolerance holds out," Shaoke replied. With a hint of regret, he swirled the red wine in his cup before downing it in one gulp. Even though it was the most ordinary wine, he longed for some liquor. Unfortunately, the team leader, with his strict standards, would not provide the mages with even the lowest grade of rum. "Actually, drinking a little wine like this is beneficial for our mental energy. However, other types of alcohol shouldn't be consumed frequently or in large quantities. Only grape-based wines can slightly purify the quality of our spirits. Hmm. Though you should wait at least a day between drinks."

"Oh! No wonder those high-ranking mages always have a glass of wine with their meals," Yija, now seeming more cheerful, chimed in with an expression of sudden realization. "Thank you, Mage Xueye. I feel much better now."

"Haha! That's good. Look how worried Mage Kiya was," Shaoke secretly sighed in relief. "If you still couldn't let it go, there would have been nothing I could do. Thankfully!"

In the afternoon, the mages busied themselves again. The two mages who had just experienced their first battle were hunched over wooden stumps, jotting things down nonstop with quill pens. Shaoke casually leaned against the head of the bed, reading a book, and occasionally added firewood to maintain the temperature inside the tent. They remained occupied until evening when the peace was broken by the physician delivering dinner.

"Respected mages, I've had dinner brought over. My apologies for disturbing your work," the physician said, bowing politely despite the mages' puzzled expressions. He then addressed Kiya, "Mage Kiya, weren't you planning to visit me? Do you have time after dinner? I'd like to ask you some questions."

Kiya awkwardly set down his pen. "After dinner, I won't be as busy. I forgot about the time. As you know, I wanted to see how you handle those pelts."

"Excellent, Mage Kiya. I'll take my leave then. It's snowing again outside. I'll have a soldier escort you over later. I suppose you don't know which tent I'm in yet!" The young physician then bid farewell and braved the wind and snow to return to the tent he shared with his father.

After eating a small bread roll, Shaoke didn't feel like having more, as he wasn't hungry. He moved to the fire pit, placed a small copper pot filled with clean water on the polished firewood rack, and added some tea leaves unique to this world to brew. Although he didn't particularly enjoy drinking tea this way, the types of tea or similar beverages available in this world couldn't be steeped with boiling water—a conclusion he had reached after numerous experiments.

After finishing this, Shaoke took a book, moved a wooden stump near the fire pit, and began reading by the firelight. Kiya bid his companions farewell and had a soldier escort him to the physician's tent. Yija sat cross-legged on the bed, seemingly deep in thought. Shaoke assumed this because there were no fluctuations of mana or spiritual energy, unless Yija possessed a special meditation technique.

For a while, the only sounds in the tent were the sizzling of the copper pot and the rustling of pages being turned. A faint tea aroma gradually filled the warm, not-too-small space. During this time, the team leader came over to discuss the next day's itinerary with Shaoke again. After declining the mages' invitation to stay, the tent returned to its quiet state.

Kiya didn't return until nearly midnight, complaining as soon as he entered, "Good heavens! Physician Ino was far too enthusiastic. If there had been room for a third person in his tent, I might not have made it back tonight. I would've spent the night with a pile of unfinished pelts. Even though it was warm there, it's no better than here. Truly dreadful." Kiya concluded his partial understanding of Physician Ino with "truly dreadful," eliciting good-natured laughter from his two companions.

"We should rest early. Perhaps we'll encounter large groups of magical beasts tomorrow!" Yija suggested, his flushed face appearing somewhat unnatural in the firelight.

"Mage Yija, your suggestion is quite correct. After all, none of us can predict what we might encounter tomorrow. Maintaining ample physical strength and mental energy is the wisest choice," Shaoke replied, feeling both surprised and pleased. He had thought it would take Yija until tomorrow, or even longer, to muster courage again, but unexpectedly, he had recovered so quickly. It was truly astonishing.

The mages all agreed with the shy mage's proposal. After meditating for one magic hour, they decided to rest.

The next day, before dawn, the mages rose early. After completing their morning routines, the three went to inspect the Alert Wards around the camp. They replenished magic powder where needed and redrew wards on new carriers where necessary. Although the workload wasn't heavy, it was time-consuming and tedious. Fortunately, the two new mages were more proficient at maintaining and drawing these zero-rank wards than the day before, significantly reducing Shaoke's tasks.

By the time they finished, the soldiers had also risen. Many bonfires were lit in the camp's clearing. Chunks of meat were tossed into boiling iron pots, piles of wild vegetables were fried in oil to remove excess moisture, and snow-white flour was poured from wooden barrels, kneaded into small bread rolls, and placed on oiled iron grills to bake. Meanwhile, soldiers gathered in small groups, discussing their dreams from the previous night, boasting and hoping for better gains that day.

In the lively camp, everyone quickly finished breakfast. The soldiers who had stayed behind the previous day had discovered several nests of bird eggs, including many unhatched ones, which were now given to the mages as nourishment. This greatly improved Shaoke's appetite, which had grown weary of bread, and he ate quite a few.

Since they had already discussed the day's route and planned not to return to camp at noon to explore farther distances, they set out with ample provisions to avoid food shortages. This time, they intended to depart from another direction of the camp and return along an arcing path. To avoid being hindered during potential battles, Shaoke organized his pouch, leaving unnecessary items in the tent to reduce his load. He wasn't worried about theft, as no soldier would dare enter a mage's tent without permission. He also explained the reason for this to the other two mages.

With the team leader's approval, the group included one additional person today—the young, always cheerful Physician Ino. His father, the Elder Physician, along with over thirty other soldiers led by a squad leader, remained at the camp to continue gathering medicinal herbs and Magical Plants from the surroundings.

Ino excitedly exclaimed to everyone, "See? This team still needs me. If I didn't go with you, you wouldn't collect those herbs for me." Under his father's gaze, he quickly corrected himself, "No, if I didn't accompany you, and you got injured, the distance might cause delays in treatment, leading to unnecessary suffering. Oh! That's not right! I don't want any of you to get hurt. Anyway, this team needs me to come along."

Amidst the soldiers' banter and jokes, the team set off into the misty fog, heading toward the unknown.