Chapter 49: Calming Ripples

After hearing the young merchant, Shaoke pursed his lips. Luckily, the white mist concealed his expression, so the other party didn't notice. "You think your money buys you a conversation with a mage?"

The young merchant didn't get angry and smiled slightly. "Sir Mage, why did you kill the mercenary I hired without reason? Normally, I believe he would never dare to offend a mage."

At that moment, one of the mercenaries with the young merchant happened to be among those who had previously helped the mages carry their luggage. He recognized the mage on the carriage, shrouded in white mist, and quickly whispered to the merchant about what had happened earlier.

The merchant's brow furrowed slightly as he stepped forward, eyeing Shaoke. "Mage, could you dispel your spell effect? The way you look right now isn't very polite. Are you taking revenge on that mercenary who was merely following orders because of what happened earlier?"

Shaoke waved his hand impatiently. "You have no right to criticize a noble mage, especially as a merchant. That mercenary not only knocked my coachman to the ground but also attempted to rush into the carriage to attack a mage. I believe any mage in such a situation would act without hesitation." So saying, he took out a small amount of magic powder from his robe, chanted a special spell, and flung it into the air. "Burn, flames!" The powder burst into flame in mid-air and slowly drifted down, landing on the scorch marks left by the earlier wall of fire, under the tense gaze of the onlookers.

The young merchant shrugged, unfazed by the threat. "Why doesn't your other companion come out and talk to me?" He then glanced at the basin-sized fire burning on the ground and added, "Using a special spell to ignite magic powder isn't a real spell. I doubt it's even as powerful as a zero-tier spell."

Just as Shaoke was about to respond, a horseman broke from the ranks of the bandit cavalry. Adjusting his slightly disheveled leather armor on horseback, he performed a formal salute. "Honorable Mage, we ask your forgiveness for the inconvenience we've caused. I'll have some of my men escort you and wish you a pleasant journey."

"Do we still need to pay?" Shaoke asked, knowing the answer was no.

The rider who had stepped forward shook his head awkwardly. "Honorable Mage, we would never dare to take your money. Please forgive us." He then pointed to the cavalry behind him. "You there, accompany the mage and guide them around."

"Yes, sir!" The chosen riders acknowledged and moved out, but they balked at the scorch marks left by the wall of fire. Without the mage's permission, they dared not cross, fearing the flames from the magic powder might land on them, let alone the possibility of the mage hurling a fireball. Without activating their aura, they would be severely injured or killed.

Shaoke considered for a moment, intending to allow the riders to approach, when the merchant nearby interjected, "Mage, these savage bandits cannot be trusted. They are the most untrustworthy bunch. I believe they would be more than happy to capture two mages as prisoners." He then took a step back, signaling his concession.

Shaoke ignored the young merchant's actions and casually waved his hand. Turning his head, he looked over at the area where the merchant caravan and the bandit cavalry were gathered. He saw scattered merchant groups being led away by the cavalry, who made no attempt to surround or attack them. This reassured Shaoke further.

Just then, a rider rushed out from the merchant caravan, galloping toward them. All three parties watched him warily. The rider approached the young merchant and whispered something into his ear. The merchant's expression darkened, and with a wave of his hand, he led his men back toward the caravan.

The cavalry leader grinned and shouted at their retreating backs, "Heh! Let's see how you escape this time. Your reinforcements haven't arrived yet, have they?" He then seemed to remember something and turned to Shaoke. "Honorable Mage, you came from the northern border, right? Please leave this area quickly. A battle is about to break out here."

Shaoke sent a rider to inform the two carriages behind them to join him so they could leave together. "Aren't you afraid we'll leak your plans?" he asked, casually touching the magic powder in his robe.

In response to the mage's question, the cavalry leader shook his head. "Leak our plans? Even if we kept it secret, the other side could just hire a high-rank mage to find out. Besides, we don't need secrecy. Haha! Have a pleasant journey." With that, he commanded the remaining cavalry to rejoin their main force.

The few riders left behind cautiously led the way in front of the carriages. Shaoke gave the coachmen some silver coins before returning to the carriage.

As soon as he entered, the female mage asked nervously, "Mage Xueye, they're just letting us leave like that? It's really..." She shook her head in confusion.

Shaoke let out a long sigh of relief and deactivated the array on his robe. "Francis, to be honest, I don't understand the situation either. But I believe their target isn't the money—it's something else. However, what does that have to do with us? We are under the protection of the Imperial Military. Those soldiers disguised as bandits wouldn't dare attack us, or the Mage Corps of the Military wouldn't spare their leaders."

The female mage lowered her head, placed her hand on his knee, and lifted the carriage window to glance outside. "The merchant caravans have scattered. The cavalry is likely growing impatient and will probably launch an attack soon."

Shaoke closed his eyes and leaned against the carriage wall, instructing the coachman, "Speed up. Don't worry about the bumps."

The coachman acknowledged, and the already fast carriage picked up even more speed, gradually overtaking the merchant caravans that had passed earlier.

After traveling a few more miles, the coachman gradually slowed down, finally easing the tension of facing bandits. However, at that moment, the sound of rapid hoofbeats echoed from ahead. Earlier, another merchant caravan had passed through this stretch of road. Seeing them frantically directing their carriages to the side, the coachman swiftly steered the carriage to the roadside and, feeling unsafe, moved closer to the edge of the nearby woods.

The two mages inside, who had been discussing, also heard the urgent hoofbeats and quickly prepared for battle. Soon, a dark mass of cavalry emerged from a bend in the road ahead, galloping swiftly along the main path.

With just a quick glance, Shaoke noticed that these riders wore the same attire as the earlier bandits. Their numbers were modest, around a hundred, but each looked formidable. Shaoke even felt the gaze of over a dozen riders sweep past the window he was watching from, which left him astonished.

"What's wrong, Mage Xueye? Are these riders with the bandits from earlier?" the female mage asked, relaxing only after the cavalry had passed.

"Yes, their attire is the same," Shaoke replied after a moment of silence. "I felt over a dozen of those riders focus on our carriage just now. Perhaps they are aware of our presence."

The female mage frowned slightly and gently pressed her forehead. "Mage Xueye, do you think they are high-tier warriors? I've heard from mentors that only warriors above the Fifth Tier can sense magical fluctuations around them. If they could still sense the magical fluctuations on us in such a situation, I'd estimate they are even above the Fifth Tier."

Shaoke nodded. "Don't worry. These people clearly don't see us as a threat. It seems their target is quite formidable as well. Soldiers from the military? What reason could they have for disguising themselves as bandits?" Shaoke frowned, and the female mage hesitated before gently massaging his temples with her small hands. However, she quickly pulled away when he suddenly tried to embrace her.

The rest of the journey proceeded uneventfully. They encountered no large-scale bandit groups, though once, in a remote area near the woods, they came across a band of about forty or fifty bandits. Upon realizing their targets were mages, the bandits hastily retreated into the woods. They lacked the qualifications and ability to rob mages who wielded spells.

When Shaoke and his companion reached their intended destination, the coachman, following the usual practice, took the mages to a branch of his master's establishment. The mages received a warm welcome there and didn't mind the innkeeper's minor tricks, given his decent service.

After escorting the female mage to her room, Shaoke suggested discussing some spell-related matters, but she declined, citing exhaustion from the long journey and a need for rest. Shaoke helplessly adjusted his cloak and went to find the inn's manager to inquire about the situation.

After listening to the mage's questions, the inn manager summarized, "Honorable Mage, there were rumors a couple of days ago about a merchant caravan from the Misty Chamber of Commerce being attacked. However, no one knows the outcome. Some merchants and mercenaries said many died in that battle, and the bandits weren't real bandits—they were soldiers from the Imperial Army in disguise. Their target was to assassinate a specific individual in that caravan, though who it was is beyond my knowledge." He paused briefly before continuing, "Honorable Mage, it's only about ten more days of travel to the capital. We have a branch there as well, and I'm sure the manager there would be delighted to host you."

Shaoke frowned slightly. "Using soldiers disguised as bandits to hunt merchant caravans—does no one oversee such matters? What if they target ordinary caravans? That would..."

The inn manager smiled and carefully examined the young mage before him. "Honorable Mage, you may have spent too much time studying those mysterious spells and not fully understood the reality of the situation." He licked his lips and continued, "Their primary task is to follow orders from superiors to eliminate specific targets. Isn't it just the pointless games between nobles and great merchants? This practice has been going on for countless years, so most people take it in stride. Who knows, they might need to do the same someday."

Shaoke had the merchant prepare a lavish meal to be delivered. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Do you know where the library is here?"

The merchant habitually rubbed his clean hands together and chuckled dryly, but then he remembered he wasn't dealing with an ordinary traveler but a mage, making it inappropriate to try to extort him. "Honorable Mage, it's actually not too far from here. Let me call a carriage to take you there."

"Alright, thank you. We'll come find you after we've eaten," Shaoke said, nodding and handing the merchant a gold coin. "Make sure the meal is lavish, with some wine."

"Of course, Honorable Mage. I'll have the staff prepare it right away," the manager said, carefully blowing on the gold coin and listening to its crisp ring before tucking it into his pocket and bustling off to work.

When the staff, led by the manager, brought the meal, Shaoke invited the female mage to join him for lunch.

The spread included Genian-style smoked ham, golden roasted chicken, fragrant pear and vegetable pies, a large platter of vegetables, two small barrels of wine, a stack of sliced bread, and a small jar of honey. The staff arranged the dishes in a specific order on the long dining table in the mage's room.

Upon seeing such a lavish lunch, the female mage exclaimed in surprise, "Heavens! Mage Xueye, are you sure we can finish all this food?"

Shaoke shook his head and invited her to take a seat. "Francis, is there anything else you'd like? I can have the staff bring it. Consider this a celebration for surviving the dangers on the road."

The female mage surveyed the table. "They should prepare an aperitif. I'll go to my room to fetch a glass." With that, she left the table to retrieve a wine glass from her room.

When the female mage returned, the manager not only brought the requested aperitif but also several other drinks: anise wine, white honey wine, and lightly spiced wine.

The mages were pleased with the arrangements. After tipping the staff a silver coin and dismissing them, lunch officially began.

Shaoke raised his glass. "Francis, to your beautiful blue eyes, your soft long hair, and your beauty—cheers!"

They drank, each lost in their own thoughts. Though slightly embarrassed, the female mage found the conversation flowing naturally again.

—————— Four thousand words for now at noon, with another three thousand or so to come in the evening. I hope you brothers can support Xiao Qi. If you like it, please bookmark it! Thank you!