Chapter 182 Unpleasant Debriefing

The rapidly advancing team finally came to a halt at their destination after nearly half a magic hour of running. This military headquarters was noticeably larger than the branch where Shaoke had previously been stationed, with high-ranking officers constantly coming and going.

After escorting Shaoke and his group here, the Black-armored Cavalry quickly departed, as other tasks awaited them.

Soon, an officer greeted Shaoke and his companions. A Fifth Tier Mage inspected Shaoke's written credentials before leading him into the small castle that comprised the military headquarters, while also explaining the situation there. Of course, Shaoke merely nodded in response to the explanations, spending the rest of the time pulling his cloak tighter around himself and following along.

As for the cavalry escorting Shaoke, they also presented documents to the officer—a sheet of crimson paper. Shaoke noticed that upon seeing this paper, the officer's Aura suddenly fluctuated violently. All of this puzzled Shaoke, but he did not press for details.

The Fifth Tier Mage led Shaoke through several wide corridors before quickly arriving at a smaller courtyard. After infusing it with his mental and magical signature on the wooden door densely carved with magical arrays, he said to Shaoke, who stood nearby, "Go in by yourself in a moment; someone inside will guide you." With that, he stood aside and fell silent, clearly harboring no fondness for this mage from the Death Mage Corps, especially since the latter had not spoken a word to him along the way.

After emitting a faint magical fluctuation, the courtyard gate soon opened. A Fifth Tier Female Mage appeared before Shaoke and the others. After glancing at the two mages waiting outside, she quickly fixed her gaze on Shaoke, who was wrapped in a black robe. "Mage Xueye? Welcome." She then gestured for Shaoke to follow her inside. As for the mage who had led the way, he left at this point.

"When did you join the Blizzard Legion?" the Fifth Tier Female Mage asked as she led the way with her small staff, occasionally nodding to officers or mages they encountered in the courtyard.

"Nearly twenty years ago," Shaoke replied. After noticing the female mage's attractive appearance, he did not scrutinize her further. The female mage's few simple inquiries forced Shaoke to answer her questions repeatedly. Soon, the two arrived before a standalone pavilion. The female mage said a few words to the two white-armored warriors guarding the entrance, after which one warrior pushed the door open to inform the occupant inside of the guests' arrival.

A short while later, the warrior emerged and informed the two that the occupant inside had granted them permission to enter. The room was not large, and its furnishings were quite simple: aside from a long table and a few chairs, there were no other decorations.

Two individuals sat at the center: one was a black-robed mage, and the other was an officer in military uniform. After Shaoke and the Fifth Tier Female Mage took their seats as requested, the officer began asking Shaoke some questions and had the Fifth Tier Female Mage inspect the mark left by the covenant on Shaoke's body. Of course, once everything was verified, the conversation shifted to the main matter.

"Mage Xueye, you may rest here for a while before reporting to the Blizzard Legion's branch. Of course, this female mage beside you will accompany you." The officer then took out a blank sheet of paper and handed it to Shaoke. "I believe some basic information about you must be filled in here. After all, we cannot access your records from the Death Mage Corps."

Looking at the blank paper, Shaoke was momentarily unsure what to write. Just as the officer was about to remind him, Shaoke suddenly wrote down the number of missions he had undertaken in the Death Mage Corps and his proficiency in single-target attack Spells before handing the paper back to the officer.

"It seems your opponents weren't very strong," the officer remarked, glancing at the number of missions Shaoke had written. He forced a smile, surprised that Shaoke's mission count was so low—far less than half of what a Death Mage who had joined the Blizzard Legion decades ago had accomplished. And what that mission count represented was something the officer understood all too well.

The black-robed mage beside him took the paper Shaoke had filled out. Seeing the number written there also surprised him. From what he knew, this mage before him did not possess exceptionally high talent, only matching that of a typical high-talent mage. Yet, he had advanced to become a Fourth Tier Mage in such a short time, which compelled him to admire Shaoke's success.

The black-robed mage did not ask Shaoke anything further, merely sitting there and observing him carefully. Meanwhile, the officer continued his questioning. When discussing whether to assign Shaoke to the legion headquarters or a branch, Shaoke suddenly voiced his opinion. He quickly mentioned the legion branch where Mage Roman was stationed and emphasized, "I wish to be assigned to this branch."

Upon hearing Shaoke's request, the black-robed mage expressed displeasure. "Back then, you signed the covenant at that subordinate military office. Now, you will return to that subordinate legion. I believe this rule has not been changed." He then glared at Shaoke disapprovingly, demanding that he abandon his earlier idea.

In response to the mage's words, Shaoke merely reiterated his own opinion. Of course, the mage refused once again. Finally, the mage waved his hand, dismissing Shaoke. "If you cannot accept the Blizzard Legion's assignment, then there is no need for you to join the Blizzard Legion. Have you forgotten the most basic rule of obeying orders? We have no need for a mage like you here." He waved his hand again, signaling for Shaoke to leave. It seemed he was quite displeased with Shaoke's dissatisfaction over the assignment.

The atmosphere in the room fell into silence. Shaoke quickly twirled the peculiar staff in his hand a few times before suddenly standing up. With a slight nod to the officer and the mage—without even the most basic courtesy—he turned and left.

"Mage Xueye, I believe the officer will persuade the mage. We can wait a little longer," the female mage who had brought Shaoke into the room quickly caught up with him and offered a rather reasonable suggestion. She did not wish for this mage to have conflicts with certain individuals in the Blizzard Legion. At the moment, she was doing her utmost to retain this mage from the Death Mage Corps. After all, in decades, the Blizzard Legion had only recruited two Death Mages, including Shaoke.

"I don't have much time to waste here," Shaoke said, his expression calm, but two purple diamond-shaped planar magic arrays appeared in his eyes. Moreover, his magical power uncontrollably radiated from his body. "Can you tell me where the Blizzard 33rd Corps is located? I'd like to go and see for myself." He then tried to calm his agitated emotions and reduce the fluctuations of his magical power, as many officers and mages in the area had already noticed them.

"That is not something I am aware of," the female mage replied, smoothing her black hair. "That mage is too rigid, so we can wait for the superior officer to persuade him." The Fifth Tier Female Mage then emphasized, "Yes, the superior officer will definitely be able to persuade that mage. We can wait here for a short while; it won't delay us much."

Despite the Fifth Tier Female Mage's repeated advice, Shaoke paid no heed. Instead, he picked up his staff and headed outside, following the path from memory. The Fifth Tier Female Mage gritted her teeth and continued to follow. She did not want a mage who had advanced from the Death Mage Corps to leave the Blizzard Legion like this. The reasons behind this were not something a mage like Shaoke, wholly immersed in spells, could understand.

"Mage Xueye, you can stay here for a while. If you make a new decision, we will notify you immediately. What do you think?" The Fifth Tier Female Mage felt quite helpless about this mage's temperament and thus proposed another suggestion, hoping Shaoke would accept it.

"I will stay in the capital for a while," Shaoke stopped and turned to stare intently at the Fifth Tier Female Mage. "Perhaps accepting the agreement to join the Blizzard Legion was a grave mistake." With that, he quickened his pace and left. Of course, the warriors guarding the entrance did not stop this mage from leaving, as without orders from high-ranking officers, they would not refuse any mage or warrior belonging to the military headquarters from departing.

Feeling quite frustrated, Shaoke stood at the entrance of the small castle housing the military headquarters and rubbed his aching head forcefully. He realized that whenever his mood soured recently, his head would inevitably ache, his mind filled entirely with spell incantations and Spellcasting Techniques. This almost made him lose control and want to cast spells. After taking several deep breaths, Shaoke felt slightly better, but seeing the bustling crowd before him, his irritation flared up once again.

Shaoke quickly hailed a four-wheeled carriage. When the coachman heard that Shaoke wanted to go to the Mist Academy, he happily drove the carriage forward. The journey to the Mist Academy was quite far, and navigating through such a lively environment would take nearly three magic hours. This meant he would earn a substantial sum, as no mage in the capital was stingy.

Of course, the coachman's long-held belief held true, at least for now. After Shaoke tossed him a gold coin, the coachman gratefully thanked him before heading off to find new passengers.

Gazing at the academy whose name was written in modern magic script, Shaoke felt a wave of emotion. He never imagined that after so many years, he would return to seek out Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki, who had helped him in the Mist Forest back then. Shaking his head, Shaoke, under the watchful eyes of several young mage apprentices, made his way toward the small hut where the Elder Mage had once resided.