Chapter 46: Sowing Trouble

After the mercenary captain had left, Shaoke whispered to the female mage, who was still unsettled by what had just happened, "Francis, let's head back for now too! We can just wait for them to come tomorrow."

The day passed by quickly in the midst of cultivation. At dawn, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Shaoke was packing his belongings when he heard a knock at the door. It was the female mage who had come over. Shaoke was pleasantly surprised and politely invited her in, but she declined his offer. "Mage Xueye," she said, "the inn's attendant just told me that several mercenaries are waiting for us in the main hall. It looks like the merchant caravan has arrived. Are you all packed?"

"Yeah! I'll be packed up right away. My meditation session went on a bit longer today, so I got delayed. Fortunately, it's still not too late." Although Shaoke felt a bit awkward, he knew that inviting a woman into a single man's room was impolite, especially an unmarried woman—unless under special circumstances.

The female mage took her leave. She first asked the inn's attendant to help carry her luggage outside, then had the carriage that belonged to both of them brought out to the street and selected a suitable driver to prevent the contents from being damaged by excessive jostling.

Shaoke watched the female mage's retreating figure, slightly dazed for a moment before resuming his packing. Just as he finished, the female mage knocked on his door again. Shaoke stood in the doorway, looking at her. Her face looked troubled, and her large blue eyes flickered, with a silver and a black diamond-shaped array appearing in each. "What's wrong, Francis? You don't look well," Shaoke asked worriedly, thinking she might be feeling unwell. After all, every woman experienced such things from time to time, even powerful mages—it was simply the way of nature.

"Mage Xueye, I'm very sorry to disturb you again, but I think you can hold off on packing for now. The merchant caravan hasn't arrived—only a few mercenaries came," the female mage said angrily, explaining the reason. "I think we should wait a few more days before leaving."

"Francis, what exactly happened? Are you upset about this?" Shaoke still didn't fully understand why she was angry and had to ask again.

The female mage took a deep breath. "Mage Xueye, those mercenaries said the caravan master refused to come here to pick us up. They want us to wait for them at the southern city gate. What's more, they didn't even send a single driver capable of handling a carriage! Are we supposed to drive the carriage ourselves? And according to those mercenaries, this caravan usually doesn't set off until nearly noon. Are we supposed to wait stupidly at the gate for the entire morning, just waiting for that idiotic caravan?"

The more Shaoke listened to the female mage's complaints, the angrier he became. He couldn't believe that a caravan with a history of over ten thousand years would make such a basic mistake—making a mage wait for them? Fine! Can't we travel without this caravan?

"Francis, you go back to your room and rest a while. I'll go down and talk to those mercenaries," Shaoke said, first escorting the female mage to her room. Then he pulled up his cloak, activated the array attached to it, and a mass of white mist slowly shrouded him, only occasionally revealing glimpses of black silk embroidered with gold and silver patterns.

When Shaoke arrived in the main hall, there weren't many guests inside. He saw four or five mercenaries in leather armor standing stiffly by the entrance. Shaoke walked straight over to them and asked, "Why is this happening? Your captain said the caravan would gather here. And is the caravan so short on drivers that they can't even spare one? Tell me the reason."

The mercenaries, noticing a person shrouded in mist approaching them directly, replied nervously, "Honorable Mage... the caravan master... refused to come here. They need to rest a bit longer, and they require the captain's protection. They said... the caravan has no extra drivers... and..."

"Enough! If I recall correctly, their records indicate they belong to a caravan under the Misty Chamber of Commerce, right?" Shaoke angrily interrupted their explanation, wanting to confirm the caravan's true identity once more.

"Yes, Honorable Mage. This time, there's a noble accompanying them back, so..." The mercenaries tried to explain further, but Shaoke had no patience to listen. He waved his hand to shoo them away. "Leave. Tell your captain there's no need to wait for us to travel together."

The female mage's luggage was carefully carried back to her room by the inn's attendants. As Shaoke was about to return to his own room, the female mage invited him in for a detailed discussion.

Shaoke sat by the fireplace, frowning slightly as he pondered the earlier events. He hadn't expected a caravan under a ten-thousand-year-old chamber of commerce to so blatantly disregard two mages. Now he was beginning to understand some of the helplessness mages felt. Despite their immense power, they often had to serve wealthy merchants, as otherwise, they couldn't even afford basic cultivation materials. Mages! Have you truly fallen?

The two newly promoted mages sat there in silence, their expressions grim. Finally, to prevent the female mage from doing anything rash, Shaoke spoke up to comfort her. "Francis, don't sulk in anger. The more you hold it in, the worse you'll feel. Try to be more open-minded. The way they treated us is their fault. Someday, they'll pay for today's disrespect."

"Mage Xueye, I think that's impossible. Don't worry, I'm not that impulsive. How many years do you think it will take for us to have the power to wash away the humiliation we suffered today? If it's like this here, imagine how much worse it will be in the more prosperous imperial capital. I once heard a noble mage who came here for experience say that mages today no longer command the same respect they once did. Perhaps only in remote small towns are they still revered and admired." The female mage's low voice reached Shaoke's ears as she casually tossed a piece of firewood into the fireplace and sighed softly.

"Francis, what are your plans once we reach the imperial capital? Will you join the military or transfer to the Mage Guild?" The prolonged silence forced Shaoke to find another topic—a difficult task for a mage who wasn't particularly talkative. But for the sake of the beautiful mage before him, Shaoke racked his brains and finally came up with this question.

"Me? I plan to go to the Mage Guild. What about you?" The female mage tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Shaoke with her flickering blue eyes, curious about his plans.

Shaoke felt a pang of disappointment. "The Mage Guild? I initially thought you'd take up a position in the military. I... I plan to join the military. I've heard it might be better there." He had assumed the female mage would also choose the military, but he hadn't expected her to opt for the Mage Guild.

The female mage replied softly, "The Mage Guild offers more freedom. At least there's no need to constantly watch others' expressions. And the Mage Guild is very united. My mother..." She didn't continue, leaving Shaoke, who wanted to learn more about her, feeling somewhat frustrated. However, he wisely didn't press further, knowing she didn't want to share those details.

"Francis, I hope you can advance quickly there." Shaoke sighed inwardly and offered his blessings.

"Yes, I believe I will. I'm sure I'll reach Third Tier Mage before you do. Why don't you come to the Mage Guild too? At least we can look out for each other there, and it'll be easier than you being alone in the military." The female mage's mood brightened, her face gradually regaining its normal rosy hue, and a slight smile touched her lips.

"No, I don't think the Mage Guild is right for me. I've heard that the spells in the military are stronger and more powerful than those in the Mage Guild. At the very least, copying spells there is much cheaper." Although Shaoke was tempted to join the female mage at the Mage Guild, he remembered the reasons behind his earlier decision and declined once more.

The female mage stared intently at Shaoke for a moment before bursting into laughter. "I never thought you'd be so concerned about saving gold coins! Haha! Actually, I've heard that the powerful spells in the Mage Guild are far superior to those in the military. And... and they have the most comprehensive auxiliary materials there. I don't want to see you looking as frail as a newborn Snow Deer when we meet again."

"Haha!" Shaoke chuckled awkwardly. "Don't worry, I can always buy auxiliary materials from the Mage Guild. Besides, I exercise regularly—my body still has its uses!"

Upon hearing his explanation, the female mage blushed and lowered her head. Shaoke suddenly realized his last remark might have been inappropriate, but seeing that she wasn't angry, he relaxed. In his view, she didn't seem to mind him at all.

After chatting a bit longer, the conversation turned to more practical matters. "Francis, tomorrow let's see if there are any other caravans heading toward the imperial capital. We can travel with them."

After considering Shaoke's suggestion for a moment, the female mage agreed. After all, she couldn't think of a better plan. They couldn't very well travel alone—that would be too dangerous.

Once the decision was made, Shaoke bid farewell to the female mage. He needed to go to the city's Mercenary Guild to check if there were any suitable caravans. The female mage wanted to go too, but Shaoke refused, insisting she needed to rest.

When Shaoke arrived at the Mercenary Guild by carriage, a crowd of mercenaries had gathered at the entrance, just like the day before. They stared at him in surprise as he approached. Shaoke knew why but paid them no mind. After paying the driver enough silver, he entered the guild under the guidance of the staff at the door.

The receptionist from the previous day was surprised to see the mage again but carefully attended to him, knowing full well that someone of his status couldn't afford to offend a mage.

After carefully reviewing the materials the receptionist handed over regarding merchants hiring mercenaries, Shaoke pointed to a small caravan. "Contact this caravan for me. See if they're willing to have two mages join their group. We also have a carriage loaded with luggage."

"Honorable Mage, how should I contact you?" Before the receptionist could get Shaoke's reply, another person entered the room and interrupted their conversation.

"Honorable Mage, I am deeply sorry for what happened today. Please forgive me!"

Shaoke recognized the voice immediately—it was the mercenary leader who had invited them the day before. He turned and asked, "Sorry? Do you think apologizing after toying with two mages solves the problem? I don't blame you. I know this wasn't your decision. Please leave."

Just as the mercenary leader was standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to say, several merchants rushed in from outside—tall, short, fat, thin, all sorts of people swarming over. "Honorable Mage, join our caravan! We're also heading straight to the imperial capital. We can charge you less." "Honorable Mage, we'll prepare the best carriage for you and reduce the fee by half." Some even shouted offers of free passage.

This irritated Shaoke immensely. When he had traveled before, he had been escorted by the military as part of a group and had never dealt with merchants like these. He hadn't expected merchants to be like this—they didn't hold mages in high regard at all. In their eyes, having mages join required a price. This infuriated Shaoke. When he had traveled from the border, the merchants there hadn't charged mages a single coin. If Shaoke hadn't insisted on paying, they wouldn't have complained at all. He hadn't expected things to be so different here.

"Let me tell you, your behavior angers me greatly. You're making me despise the merchant profession. I need to leave. Get out of my way." Shaoke momentarily lost control of his emotions. The two-colored diamond-shaped arrays appeared in his eyes again. If these merchants didn't leave, he was prepared to cast a Fireball and blast them away, regardless of the consequences.

Fortunately, these merchants had some sense. Seeing the mage's anger, they wisely stepped aside and stopped their incessant chatter. Those who still wanted to say something lowered their heads after being swept by his cold, eerie eyes with the floating arrays. Only the mercenary leader remained unafraid. He hurried after Shaoke and said, "Honorable Mage, the main issue is that the city lord's son wants to travel with the caravan to gain some experience. And the caravan master is a noble, so..."

Shaoke gave a bitter smile and took a deep breath. "Thank you. If we have the chance, we'll meet in the imperial capital." With that, he left without hesitation.

After hearing the news Shaoke brought back, the female mage sat quietly without saying a word. Shaoke felt somewhat awkward. "Francis, I lost my temper this time. It's caused us a lot of trouble for our journey."

"No, Mage Xueye. If I were you, I would have done the same. We are not mercenaries, nor are we helpless noble ladies. We are mages." The female mage grew more agitated as she spoke, her fingers trembling slightly. "We are noble mages, not bodyguards for the wealthy and nobles, not playthings for the powerful, and certainly not targets for merchants to exploit."

Shaoke grabbed her hand, hoping to calm her down. The female mage didn't resist, allowing him to hold her hand until her emotions settled after a while. "I'm sorry, Mage Xueye. I lost my composure. Perhaps I shouldn't have left the border. I truly despise it here."

Seeing that she had calmed down, Shaoke felt it inappropriate to continue taking advantage of the situation and released her hand. "Francis, let's hire a carriage and a driver tomorrow. We'll travel on our own. It might be tougher on the road, but at least we won't have to deal with these merchants anymore."

The female mage nodded helplessly. She hadn't expected the merchants here to be so different from those in the small border towns. She didn't want to give these merchants silver coins for free either, because she believed that the two of them, as mages, would also be protecting the merchants. The merchants should be paying them.

"We can travel from city to city. It might be more troublesome, but I think it's relatively safer. And who knows, the merchants ahead might be better. By the way, Mage Xueye, should we seek help from the city's military garrison? They might assign some soldiers to escort us," the female mage suggested doubtfully.

"That's impossible, Francis. The military won't provide assistance for our return journey because we are now official mages." Shaoke glanced at her small hand and reluctantly explained the reason.

Since the decision had been made, Shaoke decided to go look for drivers right away. Unsure of where to find them, he approached the innkeeper for help. After delivering some food to the female mage, he returned to his room to cultivate.

When the innkeeper brought dinner in the evening, he also brought good news for the mages. He had found five drivers. Each driver only required sixty silver coins to take them to another city about ten days' journey away—a city they had to pass through on their way to the imperial capital. Moreover, the drivers had prepared sufficient horses and wouldn't delay the mages' journey at all.

The night passed without incident. Both mages immersed themselves in their own worlds, busy with their respective tasks. Shaoke even considered refining his empty stone bead, but after carefully sensing the bead, he had to give up due to insufficient strength. He estimated that only after reaching Third Rank would he be able to perform simple refinements on the empty stone bead.