Chapter 132 Post-war Rewards

"Young mages, after the long battles, the fact that you can still sit here today cannot be entirely attributed to luck. This is an outward display of your capabilities," the Seventh Tier Mage praised the mages for the first time. "I believe most of you're about to advance to the Third Rank. I hope all of you can successfully become Third Tier Mages. Hmm! The military will provide you with the highest-level Third Rank advancement method for free. I think you are up to the task now."

As the Seventh Tier Mage spoke, he handed the papers in his hand to the mages beside him, instructing them to pass them on to the other mages.

Shaoke took the large sheet of paper and gave its contents a quick look-over. To his surprise, it listed the names of spellbooks, precious magic materials, some magic items, and special Second Rank spells along with their spellcasting techniques. Looking at the extensive list of rewards, for a moment, Shaoke felt that the nearly two years of war had not been in vain. At the very least, the rewards before him were something every mage would eagerly anticipate. He believed that even a Fourth Tier Mage, or even a Fifth Tier Mage, would have to pay a hefty price to obtain such items.

"These are merely the rewards you deserve," the Seventh Tier Mage said, watching the somewhat reclusive mages before him as the corners of his mouth twitched upward slightly. He was quite satisfied with their astonishment. "Your rewards are slightly more generous than those of other mages. Hmm!" The mage paused briefly before continuing to Shaoke and the others. "After you advance to the Third Tier, you will be allowed to choose ten spells for free. I imagine very few among you will select all ten at once, so you can claim these free spells at any time before you depart this world."

"Special spells?" A mage, cloaked like Shaoke, stood up, performed a salute, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Will we receive the basic casting techniques for the spells we choose?"

"That goes without saying. All the corresponding spellcasting techniques will be made available for you to copy," the Seventh Tier Mage replied, showing no displeasure at the interruption. He merely waved his hand, signaling the mage to sit down, and continued, "Of course, each of you will receive the complete set of advanced meditation methods from the Third Tier meditation methods. I believe this is something you will gladly accept." The Seventh Tier Mage shrugged as he finished speaking, observing the dazed expressions of the mages listening to his announcement. He was quite pleased with the current situation.

Yes, he was truly satisfied with this group of Second Tier Mages.

Although Shaoke didn’t understand why their rewards were more generous than those of other mages, he became excited at the prospect of freely choosing ten spells. He hoped to use this opportunity to copy some high-powered spells that the military would not typically display in the library. He was certain the military possessed a vast collection of such spells, as they wouldn’t place all their valuable resources out in the open.

"Is it because we are all about to advance soon? Because we enjoy killing? Or because of our rapid progress in spell cultivation?" The Second Tier Mage sitting next to Shaoke pondered for a moment before saluting the mage and voicing his doubt. "Are we merely the chosen lucky ones?"

Although the other mages shared similar doubts, none took the initiative to ask for the specific reasons. At the very least, Shaoke refrained from asking because he had grown indifferent. He no longer cared about the motives or reasons behind the military’s actions. He believed the military didn’t truly have them in their sights and that this was merely a way to motivate the other mages who feared death in battle. Yes, it was simply a stimulus for the mages of the Military Mage Corps.

Just as Shaoke was lost in his thoughts, the Seventh Tier Mage slowly scanned the hundreds of mages in the room and said in a low voice, "This is not something you should know. Ask about these matters again after you have successfully advanced to the Third Tier." After speaking, the mage gently waved his staff, signaling the mages to leave, and added, "Go collect your respective items. The soldiers will be more than happy to assist you. Remember to reward them with some extra coins." The Seventh Tier Mage shrugged once more and added, "There are also some ordinary items there. I believe you can still find something suitable for yourselves among them."

Finally, after praising them once more, the Seventh Tier Mage allowed them to go collect their rewards. After all, there were still other mages waiting for him to distribute rewards.

The gathering of three to four hundred mages walking outside did not attract much attention from the surrounding mages, as everyone knew today was the day the military distributed rewards to the mages who had participated in the war. After all, every mage here would receive their share.

Led by a mage, Shaoke and his group walked for about half a magic hour before arriving at the supply depot behind the military camp. In the spacious area, large numbers of mages lined up in an orderly fashion in front of piles of rewards, waiting their turn. The mage guiding Shaoke’s group led them to one of the piles, notified the personnel there, signaled for Shaoke and the others to step forward and collect their rewards, and then departed.

As Shaoke and the others stood before the spoils stored in luxurious large wooden boxes, he heard murmurs of unrest from the waiting mages nearby. "Look! Another group has arrived. Why are their rewards more generous than ours? Didn’t we also fight the enemy on the battlefield?"

As soon as one mage finished complaining, another reminded him, "It’s not that we didn’t fight the enemy on the battlefield, but rather that we eliminated too few opponents." The mage added enviously, "I recognize one of the mages in that group. He was in the same unit as me. The number of enemies he killed and the assistance he provided in attacks was more than three times mine. Shouldn’t they receive more? After all, the military never said the rewards would be the same. If that were the case, who would risk their lives to eliminate opponents?"

Listening to their discussion, Shaoke gained some understanding of the reasons, but he didn’t believe this was the primary cause for the generous distribution of items.

As the newly arrived group, each mage first selected some ordinary items from the list provided by the personnel before collecting their rewards—three large wooden boxes in total. With the assistance of nearby soldiers, they made their way back to their respective residences.

After smoothly selecting several ordinary rewards, the mages in front quickly packed them into a small box. They then assigned a few soldiers to carry the other three large boxes and follow Shaoke to his residence.

Upon returning to his residence, Shaoke gave each soldier a common gold coin as payment. After the soldiers left, he eagerly closed the door and carefully opened one of the boxes to inspect its contents.

The first box was filled with books. On top were several volumes Shaoke had long desired: "Practical Applications and Interpretation of Simple Abyssal," "The Relationship Between Abyssal Writing Methods and Auxiliary Items," and others. After briefly checking a few books, he confirmed that, as stated on the list, there were no errors.

The other two large boxes contained precious magic materials and special potions. Shaoke even found a small bottle of "empty stone liquid" concentrate at the very top. The final box held some valuable magic items.

There was a silver chain embedded with "frost crystal," a ring engraved with a Defensive Magic Array, several disposable small tools sealed with spells, and items similar to rune stones, such as condensation stones and flame stones. Finally, Shaoke opened a long, narrow box inside and carefully retrieved one of the scrolls. He cautiously sensed it with his mental energy and confirmed that the scrolls bore no Mental Imprint or unique fluctuations. Among these magic items, the ones that excited Shaoke the most were the dozen or so magic scrolls he had retrieved last.

These magic scrolls were entirely different from the ones he had imagined in his previous life. They were several times more valuable than spell-sealing tools. Although most were disposable consumables, once the holder imprinted their mental and magical energy onto the scroll, they only needed to stimulate and control it with a minimal amount of mental or magical energy before tearing it open to release the spell and attack the target. Unlike sealing tools, they didn’t require the injection of magical or mental energy during the attack.

Following the names on the list, Shaoke meticulously inspected the final rewards he had received. Looking at these rewards, he felt that his efforts and risks on the battlefield had not been in vain. At the very least, the returns he received were enough to make some Fourth Tier Mages, or even Fifth Tier Mages, envious.

After carefully checking everything, Shaoke, who had been excited for a long time, finally stored these precious rewards back into their original boxes. He then meditated for a while before taking out the top-tier Third Rank advancement array provided by the military. After a brief study, he realized it was several times more complex than the one he had purchased before.

The excitement from the rewards didn’t truly subside until the evening. Just as Shaoke finished his dinner and continued writing his "spell record," a soft knock on the door interrupted his work once again. Although he was somewhat displeased at being disturbed by a guest at this hour, he knew that the visitor was either Mage Roland or a mage delivering a message on behalf of the military. In the over three years Shaoke had been at the fortress, no other mage had ever visited him on their own initiative, not even during the day. Moreover, Shaoke’s room remained occupied solely by him, with no new mages joining.

After tidying up his writing materials, Shaoke welcomed the guest inside. It was none other than the familiar Mage Roland.