Chapter 277: Post-Incident Discussion

After the maid nervously opened the courtyard gate and saw her master, the still-awake servants finally relaxed. They couldn't help but whisper softly, but under Shaoke's somewhat impatient gesture, these young maids quickly returned to their rooms. After all, it was close to midnight, and the young girls needed ample time to rest.

That night, the mages said nothing more. After Shaoke prepared a room for the White-robed Cleric, they each returned to their own rooms to rest. The entire night, Shaoke spent in meditation. Thanks to the unique nature of the silver light, the spatial disturbances caused by prolonged meditation didn’t concern him at all. He had an abundance of high-grade energy-restoring potions, which, barring accidents, could sustain him for decades of such consumption.

Consecutive spellcasting had consumed less than half of Shaoke's mana, and even less of his mental energy.

The next day, the maids prepared a large amount of fine food and some wine and delivered it to the dining hall. After waiting there for a short while and still not seeing the White-robed Cleric appear, Shaoke decided to go to her room to look for her.

A few knocks and gentle calls failed to wake the Cleric inside. Sensing her steady mental fluctuations, Shaoke patiently waited outside. After a magic hour had passed, the White-robed Cleric inside woke up, and with some slight movements, she quickly opened the door.

Seeing Shaoke waiting nearby, the White-robed Cleric blushed and apologized. "I just slept a bit late," she said, then suddenly curled her lips into a smile. "It's been a long time since I've slept like this. It feels very comfortable." As she spoke, she noticed Shaoke staring intently at her, so she turned her head away and changed the subject. "Is there breakfast? I think I'm a bit hungry." She reached out and touched her flat stomach, then realizing this was inappropriate, awkwardly stepped back from Shaoke.

The mage smiled slightly, then gestured for the Cleric to follow him to the dining hall. At Shaoke's request, the maids prepared a fresh breakfast for the mages. Shaoke didn't care about the cost; he felt it was his duty to provide the best conditions possible for his companions with his current abilities, and he had always done so.

In accordance with the ancient traditions of mages, they began their conversation after the meal. The White-robed Cleric, after tasting the snow honey water Shaoke had specially prepared for her, broke the silence. "Mage Xueye, the warriors guarding my former residence last night belonged to a mercenary company of the Blue Feather Empire. They completely control all the dwellings on that street." She added, "And the young mage later on belongs to a Wandering Mage Alliance, where his family holds considerable influence."

"None of that matters," Shaoke said, taking a sip of fine snow grape wine. "What matters is the name of that mercenary company. I think I should seek revenge for their past mistreatment of you, or else they'll never respect us mages." As he spoke, he recalled the middle-aged mage from the previous night who had died, insisting on punishing a Cleric according to some so-called rules—a Cleric who was once his companion. This was something he could not accept. When he killed that middle-aged Sixth Tier Mage last night, he had already decided the fate of that so-called mercenary company. Of course, this was just his own idea; its success would depend on future circumstances.

"Frostwind Mercenary Company," the female Cleric said softly. "They also have connections with some Wandering Mage Alliances in the Desasi Empire." She sighed lightly, wanting to remind the mage that their enemy was too powerful for him to handle alone, but she didn't know how to say it.

As they talked, Shaoke gradually gained a general understanding of the so-called power alliances in Fallen Imperial Capital. Overall, it was controlled by wandering mage alliances from five empires, along with some mercenary companies and even a few mage families. The Mage Guild had also established a branch here, and individually, it was the most powerful. More importantly, no high-level armies from the five empires were stationed here; only a few ordinary soldiers were sent to maintain order, doing nothing else. Of course, they still collected some simple taxes, and no merchant could refuse.

Shaoke didn’t take the female Cleric's explanations to heart, as he found such matters troubling. For the rest of the time, Shaoke and the White-robed Cleric stayed in this small estate, never leaving even at night. However, during the night, Shaoke would extend his mental detection and detect many mental fluctuations, magical fluctuations, or even Infiltrators monitoring them. Faced with this situation, apart from occasionally blasting a few unlucky ones, Shaoke had no other recourse.

Here, the White-robed Cleric once again enjoyed the treatment she had previously received in the military, including various auxiliary drugs. Shaoke even had the maids purchase large quantities of body-care drugs for her use. In the face of his care, the White-robed Cleric silently remembered it, as she had no way to repay him yet, so she only worked harder to understand and master those support spells.

That day, it was time for the transaction with the mages again. After some consideration, Shaoke decided to inform the White-robed Cleric of his plans for that night. He didn’t want to hide anything from her about this matter, especially since he hoped she would join his organization.

After quietly listening to Shaoke’s explanation, the White-robed Cleric turned to look at the black cloak placed aside, then said softly, "I don’t want to wear a cloak, is that alright?" She shifted her gaze back to Shaoke. "And I want to go with you tonight. I don’t want to stay here alone." She reached out and touched the cloak, then fell silent.

Without hesitation, Shaoke agreed, as he could find no reason to oppose her decision. Of course, he still needed to explain some basic matters. The Cleric didn’t ask why Shaoke had established such an organization, because everyone has their own secrets.

Late night came quickly. After sufficient rest, the mage and the White-robed Cleric quickly packed necessary items and set off. Street fights had noticeably decreased, and occasional passersby caused no conflict. However, just before reaching the city gate, three Fifth-rank Warriors emerged from the darkness, their swords and spears clearly indicating their intentions.

Without any inquiry or dialogue, as the warriors’ threatening words were still unfinished, Shaoke instantly cast a spell. It was a pity for these warriors—overconfident and without activating their Aura, they never expected the mage to launch a spell attack so simply and quickly. Thus, they were struck down without any resistance, their heads shattered, forever remaining in Fallen Imperial Capital.

"Maybe you should have let them finish their words," the Cleric, having regained her former military composure, joked. "Maybe they were just being friendly." She moved closer to Shaoke, a habit she had developed on the battlefield.

"I don’t need their goodwill," Shaoke said, scattering magic powder to ignite the three warriors’ bodies, then continued on his way. "Not before, not now, and certainly not in the future." He added, "especially from people with zero combat awareness."

"This will make your path difficult from now on," the White-robed Cleric said, noticing Shaoke walking too fast. She took a few quick steps and grabbed the edge of his cloak, but the powerful magic script on it quickly burned her small hand. Thus, Shaoke had to slow down and gestured for her to let go, as sudden combat would slow his spellcasting speed if she held on.

"Life and death make no difference to me," Shaoke suddenly turned to the Cleric and sighed. "I am just a passerby in this world. When it’s time to die, no one can stop it. No one can defy the laws of life. No matter how long one lives, they will eventually disappear permanently due to various reasons." He sighed softly.

"What about the Legendary Beings recorded in books?" the White-robed Cleric couldn’t help but retort. "And he once told me that our Blue Feather Empire still has two Legendary existences who should be able to live forever." As she spoke, she seemed to recall past events, and the corners of her mouth lifted, making her look even more beautiful.

"But more Legendary Beings have disappeared," the mage said, looking at the Cleric’s beautiful face, slightly stunned. "I remember records in books that the previous empire once had seven Legendary existences, but after the empire fell, they all vanished." He stared at the empty city gate, sensing over a dozen mental fluctuations about a kilometer away, most of which were Fifth Tier, with only a few being Fourth Tier mages. However, sensing the four somewhat familiar calm mental fluctuations, he relaxed a little.