Chapter 58: Farewell to the Imperial Capital

When the carriage set off again, the mages who had endless topics the night before had likely exhausted all conversation. Now, they found they had nothing left to say. The female mage restlessly flipped through the book in her hands a few times, then tossed it onto the writing desk opposite, hugging her knees and staring vacantly ahead.

Shaoke wanted to express his affection for the female mage several times, but after much deliberation, he ultimately gave up. Though he himself wasn't sure why.

As the imperial capital drew nearer, the roadside grew much more bustling. Although the mages were on an extremely remote road to the capital, small towns lined the way one after another. Passing through them and gazing at the lively scenes outside the carriage window, Shaoke felt like an outsider. He realized that although he had spent over twenty years in this world, he had never felt particularly close to the people here. Glancing at the pensive female mage, Shaoke turned his staff and asked, "Francis, have you been to the imperial capital before?"

The female mage whispered, "I came once when I was very young, but I left with my father later." After saying this, she fell silent again, sinking back into her thoughts.

At noon, the carriage stopped at the edge of a small town. The coachmen used the mages' silver coins to prepare a lavish lunch in the town, but neither mage was in the mood to eat. The female mage only took a small bite of bread before putting down her utensils. After urging her a few times, Shaoke tried himself but found he couldn't eat either. In the end, the two hastily drank a glass of wine as their farewell meal.

As the carriage started moving again, Shaoke used his prized high-quality snow fox brush to write the following in Chinese on the title page of the freshly made spellbook: "To the girl who first stirred my heart in this world: Francis Wodun." After pondering for a moment, he added: "Once, happiness was so close to me that I almost grasped its hand."

The magical ink slowly dried on the paper. Then, closing the book, he gently handed it to the still-pensive female mage and said, "Francis, it belongs to you now, and it will always belong to you until you abandon it."

The female mage took it blankly. "Xueye, why? You worked hard to make this, and it even contains Snow Bee Queen blood, which is very precious." After collecting herself, she clutched the spellbook and pushed it back toward Shaoke.

Shaoke shook his head. "Francis, keep it. I'd like it to be a memento of our meeting and getting to know each other. I'll make another in the imperial capital. I still have some of that blood." As he spoke, Shaoke took a small box from his pouch, retrieved a jade vial of the same size, and handed it to her. "See? There's still some left."

The female mage took it, gently opened it, but still hesitated. "But Xueye, those materials aren't cheap. It will be difficult for you to buy them in the capital." She shook her head and refused again.

Shaoke smiled. "Francis, don't forget, after arriving at the military department, I'll receive a large sum of money. Every mage does, and it will definitely be enough." He then handed the blank spellbook back. The female mage stared at him with her big blue eyes and said, "Xueye, thank you. Wait a moment." She lifted the carriage curtain, asked the coachman to stop, carefully jumped down, and ran to her luggage carriage. She retrieved a long, narrow box and, without waiting for Shaoke, returned.

After receiving the mages' permission, the coachman once again drove the carriage toward the now-nearby imperial capital.

Back in the carriage, the female mage caught her breath, opened the long box, and said, "Xueye, look! This is the spellbook I made on the road. I'm giving it to you so you won't have to make another," she said with a laugh.

Shaoke examined the spellbook. It was beautiful, with a pale blue cover edged in thin blue gold. It was a large-format book, twice the size of his and about three fingers thick.

Seeing Shaoke staring at the blank spellbook, the female mage slowly blushed and whispered, "Xueye, what's so interesting? Isn't it suitable?"

Shaoke shook his head. "No, it's just that when you make it this large, it will require much more effort to temper later."

Hearing this, the female mage shoved the book toward him. "What? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Besides, when you can temper a spellbook, you'll thank me for making it this big. At least you won't need another when copying spells," she laughed.

Shaoke picked up her spellbook, tracing his fingers over the magic script and decorative hollow patterns.

The female mage opened the spellbook Shaoke had given her. Though dazed earlier, she had seen him write something and wanted to look.

After a glance, she plucked the spellbook from Shaoke's hands. "Xueye, why did you write in those characters? How am I supposed to know what it says?" Her complaint drew a smile from him.

The female mage took out her blue quill with a gold nib and wrote swiftly on the title page. After the ink dried, she closed it and handed it back. "Take a look. I hope you can recognize it too."

Shaoke saw the script was unfamiliar. "Francis, this isn't your own private script, is it? Why have I never seen it?"

The female mage placed Shaoke's spellbook back in its box, storing it in her deerskin pouch. "There are many magic scripts you don't know! This one is ancient, said to be older than Ancient Magic Script. I hope you can recognize it someday," she laughed.

Shaoke shook his head slightly. "Francis, mages shouldn't lie. Older, more powerful scripts require greater spiritual power and magical energy to write. You seemed very relaxed."

"That's not it! This script isn't actually used by mages, so it needs no spiritual or magical support. You're not giving up on deciphering it, are you?" she laughed, her cheerfulness returning. "If you really can't read it, then come find me later and I'll tell you. Who told you to write something I can't understand? How about that?"

Seeing her mood lift, Shaoke felt happier. "Alright, Francis. As long as this script exists, I will figure it out. But if you want to know what I wrote, you must come find me too!" The female mage nodded, and they began discussing how to stay in touch.

Time passed in pleasant conversation. The noise outside repeatedly interrupted them. Asking the coachman, they learned that after the next hill, they would see the capital. Hearing this, the two fell silent again.

A while later, they saw the imperial capital of the Blue Feather Empire. The walls weren't tall, but from a distance, they felt intense magical fluctuations emanating from them. Streams of people moved toward the wide gates. Soldiers stood guard nearby with swords and axes.

Passing through, they noticed dozens of young mages in third-tier robes meditating in wall alcoves. This discovery made both sigh. They hadn't expected mages, esteemed in small cities, to be gatekeepers here.

The carriage crept along bustling streets. The female mage suddenly lowered the curtain, closed her eyes, sat quietly, then slowly removed her feet from Shaoke's lap. "Xueye, I think my mother has sent someone to the inn for me. I can't report to the military department with you tomorrow. Xueye, I..."

Shaoke felt a pang, slowly pulled his cloak around him, and touched where her feet had been. "Francis, I hope we meet often." He opened his mouth but found no more words.

The female mage opened her eyes, leaned over, and pulled back Shaoke's hood. She studied him, sighed softly, closed her eyes, then looked again. As she repeated this, the carriage stopped. The coachman called, "Honorable Mage, we have arrived. Please disembark."

The two were taken aback for a moment. The female mage slowly draped her cloak, threw herself into Shaoke's arms, and mumbled, "Xueye, you must stay in the capital. Don't go to the battlefield."

Shaoke hugged her back, whispering in her ear, "Don't worry. I think I can stay." The female mage studied him once more, then lifted the curtain and stepped down.

Following, Shaoke saw many sturdy soldiers at the inn's entrance. Leading them was the bald brute they had met disguised as a bandit. Dozens of soldiers stared intently at the two. Under their gaze, Shaoke felt extremely uncomfortable, as if his slightest movements were observed. This disgusted him. He didn't show it, merely tightening his cloak and standing behind the female mage to lessen the stares. The gazes felt familiar—likely from those fifth-tier or higher experts who had disguised themselves as bandits.