Chapter 346 Observing You All and Arrival

Perhaps due to the expansion of space, those silver lights could not fully quell the spatial disturbance, so he had to stop and take active measures to calm it.

The situation in this meditation space was somewhat dire; some plants had died on a large scale due to the turbulence. Fortunately, their remains, after decomposition, still produced a certain amount of magical and mental energy, thus replenishing some of the recent spellcasting consumption. The stars condensed from magical scripts in the sky had shifted from their positions, requiring the mage to spend a great deal of time repairing and realigning them. After completing all this, a full day had already passed.

After meditation, Shaoke quickly left the place to find a safe spot to rest. He had to extract some memories of that Gray-robed Mage as soon as possible to know why he had come here.

After two consecutive days of rapid flight, Shaoke deviated from his original route this time. He temporarily did not plan to return to the imperial capital, fearing the Mage Guild might discover the death of this mage and conduct investigations. In that case, returning to the imperial capital might provoke retaliation from the guild.

Shaoke carefully probed his spellbook with his mental energy, where a ball of golden light floated quietly in an empty space, occasionally sending out specks of light that merged into the space. He first used a special method to absorb the specks already integrated into the space, which were fragments of the mage's memories. These memories were those generated in a short period.

Fortunately, after a careful check, Shaoke quickly learned from those memories why the Gray-robed Mage had suddenly appeared in this remote town and why he had probed him.

It turned out that the Mage Guild had allied with some nobles and wealthy merchant families to dispatch a large number of Eighth-order Practitioners to attack the Fallen Imperial Capital. This mage was heading alone to the gathering point at the Fallen Imperial Capital. This time, they had gathered hundreds of Eighth-order Practitioners and even a few Ninth-order Practitioners to join the battle. According to this mage's memory, their action was approved by the military command.

After confirming the other's memory again, Shaoke used a special method to clear out those memories, and the specks slowly dissipated in his meditation space. As for the remaining memories, the mage did not rush to probe them, as extracting a person's memories in a short time was very difficult and would take time and waste energy.

After checking his meditation space once more, Shaoke exited and thought for a while, then took out the scepter given to him by the Blue-robed Female Mage to contact her.

After a series of complex gestures and spells, the image of the Blue-robed Mage soon appeared at the top of the scepter. She smiled, saluted him, and asked what he needed.

Looking at the Blue-robed Mage's smiling face and beautiful features, Shaoke paused for a moment before telling her the news he had just obtained, mentioning that in the past two days, he had encountered many lone Eighth-order Practitioners heading toward the Fallen Imperial Capital.

"I think you should gather now and first eliminate those who have already arrived at the Fallen Imperial Capital," Shaoke said, then fell silent, as he could not think of any other good way to deal with the coming invaders.

Shaoke's words made the Blue-robed Mage's expression look grim. Finally, she bit her lip and whispered a few locations to him, asking him to retrieve some treasured items from those places as compensation if she came to harm. She also asked Shaoke to help ensure her family's bloodline continued.

"You shouldn't have such thoughts," Shaoke frowned at the Blue-robed Female Mage. "You could simply leave that place. That way, those people won't be able to affect you."

"If I can't have it, no one else will," the Blue-robed Mage said calmly. "If they truly leave us no room to survive, I'll take the entire Fallen Imperial Capital down with me, and let those Death Mages guard the underground space alone!"

The Blue-robed Mage's words left Shaoke helpless, but he did not know how to persuade her, as he was well aware of a mage's stubbornness. After discussing some other matters with the Blue-robed Mage, the communication was cut off due to insufficient energy. Only after Shaoke replaced the crystal on the scepter did he organize his personal belongings and continue on his way. As for the Eighth-order Mage's spellbook, Shaoke carelessly tossed it into his magic bag. Since the mage had used a special casting method causing severe damage to the spellbook, it was not of much help.

Worried about reprisals from the Mage Guild, he traveled very slowly and cautiously. A journey that would normally take seven or eight days stretched to over ten days before he returned to the imperial capital. The moment he entered the capital, he finally relaxed, as no one there would dare to attack him.

Upon arriving at the capital, Shaoke did not immediately enter the city. Instead, after circling for a while, he pulled his cloak tight and took a carriage to the military cemetery of the Blizzard Legion. There, he would pay homage to his fallen comrades. He did not want those comrades from the past to be forgotten after death.

As he reached the small hill, the mage sensed dozens of powerful presences on it, all at the Eighth Tier, he estimated. Although he detected their presence, he did not fully release his mental energy to probe the surroundings. Instead, as on his first visit, he walked slowly along the mountain path toward his destination.

It was the same old man who received him this time. Again, Shaoke detected no energy like aura or magic in the old man, indicating the old man's rank was far above his; otherwise Shaoke would have noticed.

After greeting the old man according to protocol, Shaoke walked alone toward the Blizzard Legion's cemetery. Few people came to pay respects to their former comrades, making the place feel even more serene.

"Legion Commander," Shaoke said as he reached the cemetery, spotting the one-armed Legion Commander from the 33rd Corps of years ago. Now, the man had aged far beyond his former self. Even so, Shaoke could still sense from him a powerful aura and a unique murderous presence from years of killing.

The one-armed old man ignored Shaoke, slowly clearing weeds and dirt from the graves. Occasionally, he would bend down to wipe the tombstones with his hand, as if trying to wipe away the soil.

Shaoke watched him work in silence, then sighed softly. Following his memories, he quickly found the grave of the Sleazy Officer. The faint blue dagger was still firmly stuck in the base of the tombstone, the inscriptions still clear. After standing there for an unknown time, Shaoke took out a small jar of snow wine and placed it before the tombstone, then opened it. "I hope everything is well for you there," he said, nearly in tears. Only now did he realize how precious his carefree interactions with the Sleazy Officer had been.

Fortunately, his self-control was strong, so he did not lose his composure too much.

After standing there a while longer, he found the grave of the necromancer from back then. The staff made of hundreds of human skulls was still stuck diagonally in front of the grave. The inscriptions on it, perhaps due to the old legion commander's daily wiping, remained clear. Placing a small jar of wine there, Shaoke personally wiped the tombstone clean. The mage buried here was, in a true sense, his only friend. Although they had spoken little back then due to personality differences, their mutual understanding on the battlefield had left deep marks on their hearts.

"I've already collected several heads of Eighth-order mages. In the future, I'll definitely make you a staff entirely composed of Eighth-order mage heads. I think you'll like it then, and it will be of some help to you," Shaoke said, then touched the staff stuck in front of the grave. He remembered the price the other had paid to obtain a single head back then.

This time, Shaoke spent a whole day and night in the cemetery. Finally, he stood straight in the center of the 33rd Corps' burial ground, took out a large amount of fine wine, placed it before each grave, and then held a small barrel of wine, slowly savoring it. This continued until dawn.

One day and one night, the One-Armed Legion Commander repeatedly cleaned the cemetery here. Once he knew Shaoke had left, he crouched alone before the Sleazy Officer's grave, leaning sideways against the tombstone, closing his eyes and mumbling something under his breath. Finally, after cleaning the Sleazy Officer's tombstone once more, he stooped and slowly walked toward the small hut where he lived.

Leaving the cemetery, Shaoke once again encountered the old grave keeper. The old man sat under a tall, nameless tree, fiddling with his snow-white beard, as if searching for something in it. Shaoke's salute and departure didn't get any reaction from him.

After leaving the cemetery, Shaoke took a carriage into the city gate. Just as the mage entered the gate, he sensed the probing of seven or eight different Eighth-order Practitioners. Those people used their mental energy or Aura, to circle around him for a while before slowly dispersing. Shaoke also accepted the rules of the capital that they conveyed to him through special means. These rules he must now obey, as he lacked the strength to resist them.

The prosperity of the capital had not diminished compared to when he left many years ago, but it had not increased much either. Patrol teams passed by at regular intervals on the wide streets, and the residents showed no signs of panic.

After briefly observing the basic situation in the capital, Shaoke pulled his cloak tight and headed alone toward the small castle where the Blizzard Legion was stationed. Perhaps due to his eagerness to see Mage Roman, a journey of three or four magic hours took him less than one magic hour to complete.

The gatekeeper was no longer the Fourth Tier Mage he had met years ago but had been replaced. After learning his name and basic identity, the gatekeeper led him to the reception hall to wait, as he needed to inform Mage Roman and let her decide whether to see him or not.

The wait wasn't long. Soon, a young mage reported to Shaoke, "Honorable Mage, Mage Roman is currently conducting research. You may wait a little longer." The young mage then received a small tip from Shaoke, prepared some pastries for him, and left. The Cleric was assisting Mage Roman with her experiments and could not come at this time.

The boring wait didn't bother Shaoke. He sat quietly on the soft-backed chair, took out his spell record, and began reading it in detail, drawing experience from past battles once again. This ensured the possibility of his continuous improvement. Of course, he did not do this often, only at intervals.

After more than one magic hour, more guests arrived at the reception hall. Led by a young mage, three or four guests entered.

The leader was a strikingly handsome young man with peculiar ears indicating elven blood. He wore traditional warrior attire, though ornate, with a slender one-handed sword at his waist. Behind him were two middle-aged mages and a tall warrior. Judging by their demeanor, they were guards, so Shaoke paid them little attention.

"Master, why do we have to wait here every time? I don't like this place," the tall warrior said, seemingly on good terms with the young warrior, disregarding the master-servant relationship and speaking casually.

The young warrior did not respond to his servant's words but waved his hand, signaling him to sit. The two middle-aged mages stood behind the young man with elven blood, gripping their staffs tightly and watching Shaoke warily. Their behavior made Shaoke quite uncomfortable.

Just half a magic hour after these unfamiliar guests had settled in, another guest was led in by the young mage. This time, the guest was a young man dressed like a noble. Since he wore no professional attire, it was not easy to determine his class. However, Shaoke sensed the unique aura of Archers from him, though he did not say anything.

The young noble elegantly bowed to the man with elven blood, then turned his gaze to Shaoke. After a brief pause, he gave Shaoke a noble's salute. The mage nodded, made an ancient Mage Etiquette gesture, put away his spell record, and closed his eyes to rest. He now considered whether to change to a different reception hall.

The reception hall didn't get any livelier with more people; instead, the atmosphere grew more tense. After an unknown period, the door opened again, and a familiar mental fluctuation entered the hall, startling Shaoke from his rest. This mental fluctuation belonged to Lan Wei'er.

"Can you all stop coming here? I'm not used to you waiting for me here," Lan Wei'er's crisp voice reached Shaoke's ears. After years apart, Shaoke felt a slight stir of emotion. But he quickly calmed himself, as a mage's emotions should not fluctuate too violently. This was especially important to Shaoke.

"Lan Wei'er, who allowed you to wear such clothes?" Shaoke opened his eyes and quickly saw Lan Wei'er standing at the door. His words not only interrupted the two young men's conversation with Lan Wei'er but also caught the female mage's attention.

Lan Wei'er, dressed in a splendid silver outfit, turned her head in surprise, unable to believe the words of this Black-robed Mage. "Mage Xueye, how did you come back?" Lan Wei'er quickly ran to Shaoke, hugged him tightly, then lowered her head to kiss his cheek and forehead, tilting her head up, waiting for Shaoke's kiss.

After gently kissing Lan Wei'er's forehead and blessing her, Shaoke once again reminded the female mage to address him as father, as this was a fact that could not be changed by Lan Wei'er's own thoughts.

"Honorable Mage," the young noble quickly bowed to Shaoke after he blessed Lan Wei'er. He had not expected that this seemingly frail young mage was Lan Wei'er's father. The other man with elven blood also stood and bowed to Shaoke, as he was a friend of Lan Wei'er and had to respect her father.

"Alright, Father," Lan Wei'er shrugged and made a helpless expression, as she used to. Then she took Shaoke's arm and said to the two young men, "You two go play. I need to accompany my father. I can't be with everyone today. Apologize to them for me." After saying this, Lan Wei'er glanced secretly at Shaoke and then signaled the two to leave.

The two hesitated briefly, bowed to Shaoke and Lan Wei'er, and left. As soon as they were gone, Lan Wei'er hugged Shaoke tightly and kissed his cheek repeatedly. Sometimes she even pressed her small mouth to his. If the mage hadn't turned his head away, Lan Wei'er might have done something even more passionate.

"Why did you take so long to come find us?" Lan Wei'er finally rested her head on Shaoke's shoulder, opened her small mouth, and bit his neck hard. "Mother and I thought you had abandoned us." Saying this, Lan Wei'er couldn't help but cry.

Holding Lan Wei'er on the chair, Shaoke patiently wiped away her tears and comforted her repeatedly, hoping she would stop crying. This separation had not been long, only a little over ten years. Of course, this was mainly because Lan Wei'er had not experienced many partings.

After a while, Lan Wei'er stopped crying, but she still sat in Shaoke's lap, resting her head on his shoulder, mischievously kissing his cheek and ear with her small mouth.

"Why are you wearing such clothes?" Shaoke asked the female mage with some dissatisfaction. Lan Wei'er's silver outfit exposed nearly half of her snow-white chest, the soft whiteness tightly drawing Shaoke's gaze. He managed to calm himself and suppress those improper thoughts.

At this moment, he did not know that Lan Wei'er, beside him, curled her lips into a satisfied expression. Then the female mage slightly twisted her body, pressing herself even closer to Shaoke.

"I was just attending a wine party. Many friends were there, so I dressed like this," Lan Wei'er explained, adding that the two men just now had come to urge her to the party. "Mother didn't come?" Her puzzled question made Shaoke focus on her again, as he now felt that the hands holding her waist were tighter than before, which secretly pleased her.

"She is working," Shaoke said, reaching out to touch Lan Wei'er's neatly arranged white hair. At this moment, Lan Wei'er changed her sitting position, sliding down a bit, placing her head completely under Shaoke's chin, letting the whiteness of her chest fully exposed before Shaoke's eyes.

The two then chatted quietly, mentioning the current situation of Mage Roman and some things about the White-robed Cleric. Of course, they talked most about Lan Wei'er's current situation. Shaoke quietly listened to Lan Wei'er talking about these matters, and finally, his entire body relaxed completely, lying back on the chair. Lan Wei'er also fully lay back on him, carefully moving Shaoke's hand upward a bit, stopping beneath her soft chest, and then she began to explain in detail their experiences in the capital city over the years.

After more than one magic hour, the door of the reception room opened again, and this time it was a weary-looking Mage Roman and the White-robed Cleric, both looking tired, who entered. Although both appeared very tired, the joy between their brows was not hidden.

"Xueye, when did you arrive?" Mage Roman seemed not to notice Lan Wei'er clinging to Shaoke; she walked straight behind the mage and wrapped her arms around his head. The Cleric hesitated for a moment, but still came to Shaoke's side, standing quietly and looking at him. Lan Wei'er suddenly blushed like a child, jumped off Shaoke, slightly adjusted her clothes, and stood by the side.

In response to Mage Roman's question, Shaoke answered quickly, then gestured for Mage Roman to come in front of him. He also pulled the Cleric into his arms. He sensed that both of them were already very tired.

First posted.