Chapter 184 A Slightly Better Situation

Even if you are from the Death Mage Corps, we are within our rights to demand the contract you personally signed." The female mage's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Being threatened by a low-rank mage was not something most mages would take lightly. "Unless you return to the Death Mage Corps once more." With that, the female mage stopped paying any mind to Shaoke, who had clearly forgotten his manners as a mage, and left with the black-armored knights.

Watching the female mage's disappearing figure, Shaoke merely tightened his grip on his staff and muttered to himself, "Without being able to break the contract, I just wanted to make a few small changes. Is that not allowed?" Of course, this was merely self-consolation and had no real effect.

When Shaoke appeared at an inn, the staff welcomed him warily. Although they had seen many mages before, this was the first time they had hosted one shrouded in gray-black smoke and accompanied by a ball of green flame.

That night, Shaoke couldn't sleep peacefully. After his scheduled meditation time ended, he leaned back, silently staring at the firewood in the fireplace, repeatedly pondering the events of the day. In this way, Shaoke got through what was left of the short night.

Thinking of the last address of a mage he knew in the capital, Shaoke was unsure whether he should go. He feared that not finding a familiar person would lead to disappointment once again. After hesitating for a long time, under the strange looks from the inn staff and some guests, Shaoke finally left the inn and took a carriage to the address previously provided by Mage Roland. Originally, he had considered going to Mage Yija's place, but considering the other's noble status, Shaoke ultimately dismissed the idea.

The Blue Feather Legion, where Mage Roland was stationed, was located in the very center of the capital, clustered tightly around the seat of the Blue Feather government. There were far fewer people here compared to other places, but most of those walking on the streets were low-rank nobles and merchants, with the rest being soldiers in military uniforms and a few mages.

After extinguishing the flame at the tip of his staff, Shaoke got off the carriage. When he stated his purpose to the several high-rank warriors guarding the entrance of the Blue Feather Legion, they welcomed him warmly.

A young-looking officer smiled kindly at Shaoke and said, "Mage Xueye, please wait a moment. I have already sent soldiers to find Mage Roland." To pass the time for Shaoke, he then engaged him in conversation about other matters. With the officer's superb conversational skills, Shaoke and he had a rather pleasant discussion. However, Shaoke still noticed the passage of time. It wasn't until two magic hours later that a low-rank officer, somewhat out of breath, arrived with news of Mage Roland.

"Sir, Mage Roland is on his way here from the rear. He was very happy upon hearing this news." The messenger officer secretly glanced at Shaoke, who was shrouded in gray-black mist, and continued, "However, he was just meditating, which caused some delay."

After dismissing the low-rank messenger officer, the young officer once again engaged Shaoke in conversation. However, it was clear that Shaoke was not in much of a mood to converse this time; he only responded with simple words to the young officer's remarks. Clearly, Shaoke's thoughts were already leaning toward the upcoming meeting. Therefore, the officer did not appear too embarrassed. After all, leaving a good impression on this mage might lead him to join their legion, which would earn the officer a substantial reward.

Not long after the conversation between the young officer and Shaoke ended, a slightly hurried knock interrupted their silence. "Mage Xueye?" As the officer opened the door, a male mage who appeared to be in his thirties stood before Shaoke. He wore a black third-rank robe and tightly gripped a staff as thick as a baby's arm.

"Yes, Mage Roland." Looking at the now mature Mage Roland before him, Shaoke hesitated slightly but ultimately dispelled the Shadow Spell on himself, revealing his appearance.

Mage Roland, seeing the somewhat unhealthy-looking mage before him, truly confirmed the other's identity. After all, he had seen Shaoke's appearance after excessive mental exertion in the past.

The two mages excitedly exchanged greetings, after which the young officer tactfully left, allowing the two mages to converse.

Having not seen each other for a long time, the two mages fell silent after exchanging greetings. Finally, the more talkative Mage Roland initiated the conversation. "Mage Xueye, when did you arrive in the capital? Can you tell me about your current situation? It's been a long time since we last corresponded."

With this simple yet practical topic, the slight unfamiliarity between them quickly dissipated. Shaoke briefly recounted recent events and couldn't help but tell Mage Roland about what had happened the previous day, hoping the other could provide new solutions.

"Yes, what you did wasn't really a major fault." Mage Roland unhesitatingly supported Shaoke's actions and emphasized similar occurrences around him. "Mage Xueye, I've seen many mages here who came from other sub-corps, but they never faced any punishment." He then added, "That mage is too rigid. I suggest you go there again in a few days."

"I won't go there again," Shaoke refused Mage Roland's suggestion and explained, "I don't necessarily have to join the military."

"No mage who accepts a contract fails to fulfill it." Mage Roland shrugged; he understood this mage's temperament quite well. "You can rest here for a while and relax." Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, "Mage Xueye, have you seen Mage Roman?"

"No." Shaoke simply explained why he hadn't seen Mage Roman and asked, "Do you have any news of Mage Roman? I haven't heard from her in a while." At this, Shaoke sighed inwardly, wondering why Mage Roman hadn't replied to any of his letters the year he was promoted.

After giving Shaoke a puzzled look for a moment, Mage Roland said, a bit awkwardly, "Mage Roman's legion is currently stationed in the capital. I think we can go look for her now." Then, as if thinking of something, he added uncertainly, "Mage Xueye, when did you get promoted to third-tier mage? You never mentioned this in detail in your letters."

Shaoke's mouth twitched. He remembered telling the other about his promotion, but he repeated the specific time. Hearing this, Mage Roland secretly let out a sigh of relief. "Mage Roman has already become a fourth-tier mage. I was a little worried about how things stood between you two." Seeing Shaoke's indifferent expression, he didn't continue. Instead, he went outside to speak with the officer about some matters, then signaled Shaoke to follow him to find Mage Roman.

"I think Mage Roman will be very happy to see you." After boarding the carriage, Mage Roland continued the topic, as he had many things he wanted to discuss with Shaoke. Choosing this relatively pleasant topic, he once again initiated their conversation. However, Shaoke only briefly mentioned the Death Mage Corps, which he had been part of, without going into detail, as he felt it unnecessary.

Mage Roland had never heard of this mage corps' name but kept it in mind. Their conversation soon shifted to spellcasting. Shaoke detailed some spellcasting techniques he understood, offering very pertinent suggestions for the other's spellcasting. Of course, through this exchange, Shaoke also learned some spell knowledge from Mage Roland, though not much.

The military camp where Female Mage Roman was stationed wasn't far from the capital's center. However, due to the many pedestrians on the road, the carriage moved rather slowly. Immersed in discussions of spell knowledge, the two mages, including Shaoke, didn't mind this at all.

Shaoke climbed down from the carriage, looked at the small castle before him, and couldn't help but rub his head. He wondered why there were so many small castles inside the capital itself. Wasn't the royal family afraid they might rebel here? This troubling thought lingered in Shaoke's mind for a long time but was eventually selectively forgotten. After all, he was just a small fourth-tier mage. Even if the empire faced rebellion, mages like him could only serve as cannon fodder and play no other role. Of course, this was merely his own thought.

The warriors guarding the gate warmly received Shaoke and his companion. Upon learning their purpose, they cheerfully agreed to help. Of course, this only happened after Shaoke paid over a dozen common gold coins. After all, these warriors weren't dedicated messengers; they could only ask other resting warriors to deliver messages after receiving payment, while they themselves had to fulfill their gate-guarding duties.

When a messenger soldier returned, Shaoke and his companion received relatively good news. Mage Roman was indeed in the castle but was currently busy in the laboratory and couldn't leave temporarily. Therefore, Shaoke and his companion would have to wait a while longer before they could see her.