Chapter 144 Sorrow Amidst Enjoyment

After Shaoke and the other mages had entered their rooms, he once again imprinted his Mental Imprint on the stone door. Shortly after the imprint vanished into the stone, the door slid open slowly, revealing his quarters.

The room was not large, only slightly bigger than Shaoke's quarters in the military camp, but it was a single room with ample furnishings. Against one wall stood a large bed covered with thick bedding. Facing the door was a writing desk with a long, narrow mirror on it. Perhaps due to the special environment here, there was no fireplace in the stone room, only a simple small fire pit with a polished grill placed over it. Beside it were stacked some branches of the fire-tree, which burned without producing thick smoke; a single root branch could burn for a full day and night. This was a fuel commonly used by high-rank mages and nobles, and Shaoke was surprised to find it here.

After quickly surveying the stone room, Shaoke pulled the black velvet cloth from the writing desk and dimmed the crystal lamps on the stone walls. He then took the items from his pouch in a specific order and arranged them on the spacious writing desk. Once finished, he found the spot the guiding mage had indicated, drew back the dark curtain covering it, and retrieved from the wall niche the large book mentioned by the guide, which recorded the rules of the Death Mage Corps' base. He then sat in a nearby chair and began studying it intently.

Just as he was researching and memorizing the rules in the thick book, one of the crystal lamps on the writing desk began flashing repeatedly. Recognizing this signal, Shaoke knew it meant the maidservants were bringing his meal.

A young, beautiful maidservant carefully placed the food from her tray on a low-legged table near the fire pit, which served as a dining table, following Shaoke's instructions. She then stood quietly to the side, awaiting further orders from the temporary occupant of the room.

Shaoke knew this was the protocol, so he paid no mind to the maidservant's presence. He simply sat on a low stool and began enjoying the simple meal alone. Indeed, the food was not lavish, but it was well-balanced.

There were ample slices of magical beast meat, sweet medicinal porridge, specially made bread, and even some medicinal wine. Of course, the main purpose of these foods was to maintain the mages' physical health, preventing a decline in physical condition due to reduced activity.

The maidservant stood motionless until Shaoke finished his meal, then softly inquired, "Respected Mage Xueye, I can give you a massage to help accelerate the absorption of the medicinal effects and relieve some physical fatigue." She leaned forward slightly, straightened her posture, and waited for the mage's response.

Using his powerful mental senses, Shaoke perceived that the medicinal porridge he had consumed was beginning to take effect slowly. After a moment's thought, he nodded in agreement to the maidservant's service.

The maidservant quickly and carefully collected and tidied the leftover food from the table, then tossed two fire-tree branches into the fire pit and lit them. After washing her delicate hands, she stood by the bed, waiting for Shaoke to prepare.

Following the military's post-meal exercise routine, Shaoke performed the movements several times in an orderly manner. He then removed his cloak, robe, and the thick clothing underneath, leaving only his white silk undergarments. He lay face down on the bed, awaiting the maidservant's massage.

The maidservant hesitated slightly but eventually climbed onto the bed. With some shyness, she began massaging Shaoke using the military's unique techniques. Of course, she massaged every part of his body, as only then could the medicinal effects be released and absorbed more quickly.

After finishing, the maidservant worked her slightly tired fingers and helped Shaoke put his clothes back on. However, when Shaoke offered her a common gold coin, she shook her head and refused. "Respected Mage Xueye, this is part of our duties. Moreover, we received a large sum of money before coming here, and there is nothing here that requires money to purchase." She lowered her head, somewhat nervously avoiding the mage's gaze. Before arriving, the maidservant who trained them had clearly warned her about the mages' peculiar tempers and taught her methods to avoid harm in such situations. She was now following those methods, and it seemed to be working well.

After a moment's thought, Shaoke recalled that the thick book of rules indeed contained such a regulation. Of course, even if such minor rules were broken, no one would enforce them, as no mage would waste time on such trivial matters.

Seeing Shaoke withdraw the reward, the maidservant relaxed slightly. She apologized once more to the mage and informed him, "Respected Mage Xueye, I will be serving you for the foreseeable future. If you need anything, you can pull that rope, and I will come immediately." She then lowered her head again, her face flushed, and added softly, "Anything." She stood there quietly, awaiting the mage's instructions.

Shaoke nodded. "Alright, you may leave now. If I need anything, I will call for you as you said." He then gestured for the maidservant to clear the dishes and leave.

Underground, there was no distinction between day and night, as the corridors and halls were always illuminated by numerous crystal lamps. Since there were no magical timepieces in the rooms Shaoke and the others occupied, they could only gauge the passage of time by the maidservants' meal deliveries.

The maidservant assigned to Shaoke always brought food at regular intervals and, after each meal, gave him a massage to enhance the effects of the medicines. In this way, Shaoke not only read and memorized the entire book of rules in the stone room but also finished reading the many books in the wall niche that introduced third-level spells.

These books detailing third-level spells meticulously recorded the casting conditions, power, and other fundamental aspects of each spell. Even the knowledge of third-level spells unique to the military was documented in detail. Through these books, Shaoke gradually began selecting the third-level spells he would later copy and learn.

He memorized each spell, visualized it in his mind, and speculated on its practical combat effectiveness. Most of this work was done with the maidservant present, as prolonged simulation and speculation consumed a great deal of his mental energy, leading to headaches that only her massage could alleviate. Shaoke even complained for a while about how the silver light in his mind failed to relieve the pain caused by memorization and simulation.

From the maidservant, he learned that he had already stayed in the stone room for over a month without stepping outside once. Much of his time had been spent meticulously selecting spells. Many of the mages who had arrived with him had already begun copying spells, though some, like him, remained in their rooms, still busy.

After hearing the maidservant's explanation, Shaoke nodded lightly. He decided to simulate the effects of the spells he had selected one more time in his mind, as described in the books, and then choose a few from among them to learn and copy into his spellbook.

One day, Shaoke lay quietly on the bed, resting his head on the maidservant's lap. Under her massage, he began simulating and speculating on the specific effects of the final few spells.

The continuous heavy consumption of mental energy over the past days, though recoverable through meditation and sleep, had still taken a toll on his body, making him noticeably thinner again. This was only mitigated by his regular exercise and the aid of auxiliary drugs. Fortunately, he did not feel his physical strength had declined too much. He sensed that, as before, the silver light had independently prevented a significant deterioration in his constitution.

When he withdrew from the simulations in his consciousness space, he closed his eyes wearily and said to the maidservant with exhaustion, "Wake me in one magic hour and prepare some simple food." He then shifted position, resting his head on the maidservant's soft thigh, and fell into natural sleep. The maidservant, with a complex expression, continued gently massaging Shaoke's head to ease his fatigue.

When Shaoke was awakened by the maidservant, he still felt waves of headache. He knew this was the aftereffect of days of intense mental exertion from deduction and simulation. Even though his mental energy had recovered, the pain would persist for quite some time before gradually subsiding.

The maidservant carefully took some pastries with her small hands and fed Shaoke. Then, at his command, she blushed and opened a hidden door in the stone wall, accompanying Shaoke to the medicinal bath area to alleviate physical fatigue through the medicinal waters.

After walking for less than half a magic hour, they reached their destination. The spacious area was filled with numerous small pools, most of which were already occupied. Though somewhat embarrassed by the scene, Shaoke and his maidservant chose a relatively secluded pool. He did not yet have the privilege of enjoying a private small medicinal bath chamber. According to the rules here, only if he became a Fifth Tier Mage and remained at the base would he qualify for more advanced services.

The maidservant quickly turned on the switch beside the pool, and a large amount of milky-white medicinal liquid filled it.

Taking advantage of the rapidly rising steam, the maidservant swiftly removed Shaoke's clothes.

After undressing and seeing his somewhat emaciated body, Shaoke couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow. He wondered what further price he would have to pay for learning spells. Was it truly enough, like other mages, to simply spend a little time selecting a few spells?