Chapter 33: Small Town

The night passed uneventfully. The next day, the soldiers woke up early, and the chaotic noises forced Shaoke, who was meditating, to stop and attend to his morning routine. The nearby mercenary camp was also awakened by the soldiers. Although some members complained about the soldiers' impolite behavior, none came to confront them directly.

After breakfast, the mercenary captain bid farewell to the mages and the military captain. The items they were tasked to find were not in this area; they needed to venture deeper into the forest for a few more days. Of course, this information was obtained from the town. Now that they had encountered the patrol, the mercenary group hoped the captain could give them some information about the area ahead.

The captain kindly informed them of the situation ahead: "The snow tigers up front have been almost entirely hunted by us. You'll need to change direction. On our way back, we didn't spot a single snow tiger. Perhaps you should head that way; I estimate there are still some snow tigers there."

"Thank you! We won't forget your help," the mercenary captain expressed his gratitude and then made another request: "Are your supplies still plentiful? We've consumed some of our rations and liquor. If it's convenient, I hope we can get a resupply from you."

The captain pondered for a moment before indicating that he needed to discuss the matter with the mages.

After the captain relayed the request, Shaoke asked, "Captain, can our food and liquor sustain us until we return to the town? If we have surplus rations, we can sell them. After all, no one will eat that hardtack once we're back. What are Mage Yija and the others' opinions?"

The captain replied, "Mage Xueye, I haven't inquired with the other two mages yet. I'll go ask them in a bit."

"Alright, I won't go over. Just notify me once everything is settled," Shaoke said. He was currently tidying up the books scattered from the previous night and had neither the desire nor the time to meet those mercenaries, as it would waste his time organizing his belongings.

As Shaoke was packing up, waiting to depart, the soldiers outside announced that they could set off again. The mercenaries, having obtained sufficient supplies here, quickly bid farewell to everyone and left.

The team resumed their journey. After the first encounter with the mercenary group, they came across more mercenary teams in the following days. After checking the map, Shaoke realized they were not too far from the town. Due to the large number of mercenaries, monsters in the area were scarce. Moreover, the path they had taken was still clearly visible, occasionally maintained by the mercenaries. As a result, the team's speed increased by nearly half, especially since their temporary home was just ahead.

Prompted by the mage, the soldiers of the entire team picked up their pace even further.

When everyone returned to the town they had left over two months ago, they let out excited shouts. The town's guards had spotted their dusty companions early on. Some quickly ran to the town center to notify the other captains stationed there, while most rushed over to welcome Shaoke and the others. The town's residents also set aside their work, gathering around the soldiers to chat. Many children secretly observed the three mages, their evident envy not escaping anyone's notice.

Shaoke and the soldiers carrying their prey made their way to the town's military camp amidst the welcoming crowd. Along the way, they encountered the other three captains who had brought soldiers to greet them. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone decided to hold a banquet at noon the next day, inviting some merchants to sell their recent spoils. For now, the soldiers and mages were exhausted and needed a good night's rest.

After discussing the events of the mission in the battalion commander's tent for a while, Shaoke bid them farewell. Knowing his habits, no one insisted on keeping him. However, Mage Yija and Mage Kiya seemed somewhat dissatisfied with his behavior. In their view, mages still needed some necessary social interactions.

Just as Shaoke was about to leave, the battalion commander handed him a package: "Mage Xueye, this package arrived from the capital a few days ago. It's from Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki. I'll send a soldier to deliver it for you."

"No need, I appreciate your kindness. I can manage on my own," Shaoke declined. "Battalion Commander, I won't be attending tomorrow's banquet. Please don't wait for me."

"Very well, Mage Xueye. I hope you have a good rest tonight. After all, I heard from the soldiers that this mission was quite dangerous," the captain said politely before returning to converse with the other two mages. He was well aware of Shaoke's habits, as Shaoke had only attended the first banquet and never participated again. Well, he was a mage.

On his way back, Shaoke stopped by a general store to purchase some daily necessities. When he returned to his small house after an absence of two months, he couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth. Was this his home in this world? Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought.

Thick snow had blocked the entrance. Shaoke struggled to clear it before entering. The interior was covered in a thick layer of dust due to the long absence and lack of cleaning. Fortunately, he had tidied up the books on the desk and in the cupboard before leaving, which made cleaning much easier.

After finishing all this, Shaoke finally had time to examine the package sent by Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki. Inside, he found a long cedarwood box and a letter wrapped in animal hide.

Opening the letter, he confirmed it was indeed from the two mages. The letter roughly stated: "Mage Xueye, we have arrived in the capital and settled down. The military assigned us to clerical positions, exactly as we anticipated. We also copied a few first-level spells that aren't available in the town. Due to restrictions and time constraints, we couldn't copy too many. We hope you'll copy them and place them in the gathering hut for the future needs of other mages."

The letter also mentioned many things, mainly about their experiences upon arriving in the capital. Mage Loki expressed hope that Shaoke would advance soon so the three could reunite. Finally, they included their current workplace: serving as mentors for beginners at the Mist Academy in the capital, hoping Shaoke would seek them out upon his arrival. They also mentioned their two juniors, Mage Yija and Mage Kiya, and hoped Shaoke would look after them.

After reading the letter, Shaoke's initial excitement faded. Recalling the events that had transpired with the other two mages during this period, he felt very conflicted. He didn't know how to explain these matters to the two mages who had helped him.

After pondering for a while, Shaoke didn't rush to open the box containing the first-level spells. Instead, he decided to reply to their letter first.

About half a magic hour later, Shaoke resolved to write a complete and unbiased account of the events that had occurred during this time. There was no need for concealment, as he believed they had sent similar letters to Mage Yija and the others.

Carefully folding the completed letter, Shaoke decided to send it out the day after tomorrow when he went to the town. He also intended to fulfill his promise of gold coins to the squad he had set out with. He didn't want to be resented by the soldiers for forgetting this commitment, especially since the promised gold coins amounted to two months of their military pay.

Upon opening the box, Shaoke discovered that the mages had not only placed several first-level spell records inside but also a small, thin notebook. Flipping through it, he realized it contained notes copied by Mage Loki on matters to pay attention to upon advancing to the mage rank. This was a small surprise from them, but for Shaoke, it was quite significant. The notebook also mentioned that a copy should be made and placed alongside the spell records, as after advancing to the mage rank, one would still need to stay here for a considerable period. Without understanding the precautions and methods to consolidate their current cultivation after officially becoming a mage, progress in spell cultivation during this time would be extremely slow.

Finally, Shaoke examined the spells sent this time. Four thick rolls of elemental paper were bundled together, with the names of the copied spells written on the outermost layer: "Swamp Spell," "Light Spell," "Flame Jet," and "Elemental Blessing." Shaoke noticed that these spells were quite suitable for the spellcasting environment here, especially "Elemental Blessing." Unlike the "Spellcasting Concentration" spell, it maximized the ease with which a spellcaster could mobilize their mental and magical power during spellcasting and, to some extent, accelerated the formation of low-tier and same-tier spells. Although normally it only sped up by two to three syllables, its duration was relatively long, exceeding the six magic hours of "Spellcasting Concentration" and lasting eleven magic hours. This meant that if mages cast this spell in the morning, their spellcasting speed would remain slightly faster by a few syllables until they camped for the night.

He truly wondered where they had copied this last spell from, as during his studies at the academy, he had never heard of this spell among first-level spells, nor was it mentioned in any books. In the end, Shaoke concluded that it might be a spell unique to the military. He also believed the Mage Guild must have similar spells.

The hut gradually darkened. After lighting a candle, Shaoke decided to finish copying these four spells before going to bed, as he planned to engage in a long meditation session the next day and wouldn't have time for copying. As for the previously mentioned spell diagrams, there was no time to refine them now. Shaoke thought that since over two months had passed without refinement, one more day wouldn't matter.

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I spent the entire morning correcting typos and really couldn't find any more. My eyes hurt!