Chapter 149 Farewell Meeting

The maid did not leave Shaoke's room as was customary, but instead lay down, removed her clothes, and began massaging him.

As the maid massaged him in a skilled manner, Shaoke could no longer suppress his physical urges. He abruptly flipped over, pinning the young maid beneath him, and began his first sexual encounter in this otherworld. The woman's unique moans, the man's heavy panting, and the sound of their bodies colliding continued for a long time before Shaoke weakly stopped his movements, lying on the bed as the maid ground against him. Although he ultimately did not satisfy the maid, he found reasons to console himself, after all, this body was experiencing its first time and likely couldn't last long.

When Shaoke was awakened by the maid again, he found that she had already prepared food for him, and his clothes were neatly laid out at the head of the bed. Thinking about what had happened the night before, Shaoke couldn't help but feel aroused again. Fortunately, he knew he wasn't in a condition to engage in such activities again, so he shook his head, trying hard to dispel the lust in his heart.

The maid quickly noticed Shaoke's change and, blushing, gently attended to him once more. This time, it was the maid who took the initiative. After distracting himself and holding out for a while, Shaoke finally stopped moaning, weakly lying on the mage as the maid carefully wiped the sweat from his face.

After holding and caressing the maid for a while, Shaoke tidied up with her help and prepared to leave at any moment.

The maid once again arranged Shaoke's belongings and, following his wishes, leaned half against him, silently waiting for the mage's departure.

The crystal lamp on the writing desk blinked again, indicating that someone outside was looking for the room's occupant. Shaoke gently kissed the maid on the forehead, took his belongings, and went out.

A number of mages were gathered outside the door. Shaoke nodded to the mage who had called him and followed the crowd toward the great hall where they were staying.

All the mages who had come here with Shaoke were gathered there. Everyone was huddled in their cloaks. Although Shaoke couldn't see their expressions, he sensed that these mages, like him, were reluctant to leave now, as many tasks remained unfinished. No mage feared having copied too few spells, especially with a period ahead when they wouldn't be able to copy spells.

The mages waited quietly. The mage who had brought them there earlier shouted loudly, "Follow me out of here. The six-month copying period has ended. I believe you have all copied some spells. I hope that after your first mission, most of you will be able to return here. I believe you can do it." He then blessed Shaoke and the others, verified the mages' names, and led the way out.

They departed at a far slower pace than they had arrived. Shaoke chose to follow at the back this time. As he was about to leave the room, he turned his head and saw the maid who had served him, along with several other maids, standing at the entrance to his room's passageway, watching the departing group. Shaoke sighed inwardly, wondering if, after two more years had passed, he would still remember the maid who had just given her body to him. Thinking this, he raised his staff, gave it a slight shake, and without a backward glance, continued following the group.

As the group, led by the mage, passed through the hall where they had first arrived, Shaoke and the others encountered another group—a contingent of twenty or thirty mages. The leading mage, upon seeing Shaoke's group, snorted softly, then tapped his staff toward the mage leading Shaoke's group. In a voice that sounded like broken glass grinding together, he said, "I don't know how long you'll avoid me, but I know that the next time you leave this Death Garrison will be the time of your death." With that, he waved his pale staff and, without looking back, led his group deeper into the underground outpost.

The mage leading Shaoke's group betrayed no reaction to the other's rude behavior. Instead, he calmly reminded Shaoke and the others to pick up their pace. Of course, Shaoke and the others dared not ask about what had just happened.

Following the path they had taken earlier, the leading mage escorted them to the final stone chamber and stopped. Pointing to the passage ahead lit by crystal lamps, he said, "Leave here. I hope to see you again in the future—of course, if you survive your first mission." After blessing Shaoke and the others once more, he stood aside, silently watching the group depart.

Standing at the very back, Shaoke used the light to glance at the leading mage. He appeared to be in his fifties or sixties by his previous world's standards, with no wrinkles on his face. His blue eyes occasionally flashed with a dark light, and his lips were tightly pressed into a thin line. The mage quickly noticed Shaoke's gaze. He merely frowned but did not stop Shaoke from looking. Instead, he nodded at him and continued focusing on the other mages as they filed out.

Shaoke was the last to step into the passage. As he entered, a stone door carved with countless magic scripts and magic circles slowly descended, blocking all light from the space behind.

The mages slowed their pace considerably as they ascended. After losing the guidance of the leading mage, some mages could no longer suppress their doubts and began asking their peers. A mage ahead of Shaoke, for instance, voiced his question.

"Can we talk about how many spells you managed to copy? I think we could exchange some copies of spells after leaving here." The mage's question and suggestion quickly received responses and agreement from some mages. They shared how many spells they had copied and agreed to exchange some spellbooks for copying once they returned to the barracks, as they hadn't been able to copy all the spell knowledge they wanted during their time there.

Shaoke and a small group of mages did not accept this suggestion. Instead, they remained silent and quickened their pace upward.

As the passage narrowed, Shaoke knew they were nearing the military camp. Just as he thought, after walking a bit longer, he finally emerged from underground.

As soon as he exited the passage, Shaoke noticed two male mages wearing Fourth Rank robes standing on either side. They glanced at him briefly, then pointed to a seat not far away, signaling him to go there. A handful of other mages were already seated there, while the rest, under the orders of a Seventh Tier Mage, had already left for their own courtyards.

After hesitating, Shaoke followed the mages' instructions and found a seat. Once no more mages remained in the room, the Seventh Tier Mage seated at the long table began explaining some matters. However, for once, Shaoke didn't listen to his words. Instead, he sat there, thinking about Mage Roman, eager to know how she was doing.

"Mage Xueye, do you agree to this matter?" When Shaoke snapped back to attention, he found the Seventh Tier Mage standing up, asking each mage the same question one by one. Upon hearing their names, the mages stood up and answered—some agreed, others disagreed. Soon, it was his turn.

Shaoke stood up and replied, "I'd like to think about it a bit more." He then waited uneasily for the response. Although the Seventh Tier Mage was dissatisfied with Shaoke's answer, he nodded and gestured for him to sit down. Most of the mages after him agreed.

After completing this, the Seventh Tier Mage nodded in satisfaction and allowed Shaoke and the others to leave.

After leaving the military headquarters, Shaoke tightened his cloak, picked up his staff, and hurried toward the tavern. He was eager to see Mage Roman and discuss the events of this period with her.

When Shaoke arrived at the tavern, he found Mage Roman calmly explaining something to several Second Tier Mages gathered around her. Seeing the female mage looking somewhat haggard, Shaoke quickened his pace.

Soon, the mages in the tavern noticed this cloaked guest, as the staff he carried was quite unusual. Those familiar with the Death Mage Corps quickly recognized his new identity and informed their less-informed companions with tones of jealousy and fear.

"Xueye?" Mage Roman quickly noticed Shaoke. The joy of seeing her beloved swiftly took over her face. "Can't you take off that cloak? It's blocking my view." Seeing Shaoke standing opposite her, the female mage pretended to be casual as she softly complained to him.

The Second Tier Mages who had been listening to Mage Roman quickly understood the situation and promptly made room for Shaoke, allowing the two to talk. At the female mage's signal, they moved a bit farther away.

After hearing the female mage's complaint, Shaoke hesitated but still pulled off his hood, revealing a not-so-pleasant smile. "I haven't been feeling well these past few days. I wanted to recover before seeing you, but I..."

Before he could finish, Female Mage Roman stopped his explanation. Her face tightened. "Too much energy expended? You should pay more attention to this. Recovery this time won't be as easy as before." She took Shaoke's still-unrecovered hand and gently touched it. "Was it worth it, for those spells?"

"I didn't expect copying those spells to be so difficult," Shaoke said with a helpless smile, withdrawing his still-thin hand into his cloak. He changed the subject. "Can you tell me about these mages?" He glanced at the Second Tier Mages still gathered around.