Chapter 395 Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas

"Mage Xueye, have you deciphered those books yet?" One day, after Shaoke had tested the power of his Death Will, the Blue-robed Female Mage found him. "It's been two years, and you haven't handed me a single deciphered book," she said, seeming somewhat dissatisfied.

Shaoke said nothing, directly handing her the book he had partially deciphered. "I don't recognize those characters. There are over a dozen languages in this book, and I've only learned three so far. The others are too obscure; few people study them." He pointed at the writing in the book and added, "Perhaps we should find some scholars. They know more about these characters than we mages do."

The Blue-robed Female Mage shook her head. "I've already looked for scholars in the Blue Feather Empire, but they also recognize the characters on it." She sighed as she looked at the incomplete book. "Maybe this is why the Maple Leaf Empire was so generous in giving us these books."

The mage thought for a moment and said, "We have plenty of time. I think we can send some mages to the Maple Leaf Empire or other super empires to study. There must be books on these characters there." Then Shaoke took out more books, all of which he had partially deciphered. Once they fully understood the unfamiliar scripts, the mages could correctly use the knowledge within.

Just as they were talking, the Blue-robed Female Mage's staff suddenly received a message. She took it out and read it. "Mage Xueye, let's go to the Hebrews' settlement together. Their female leader wants to discuss some matters with me." She quickly sent a magical reply through the staff, then motioned for Shaoke to come with her. But Shaoke shook his head and refused.

"I still have to decipher the remaining books. I don't have much time." He pointed to the dozens of other books and continued working. This made the Blue-robed Female Mage a bit awkward, but she said nothing, only nodded and left, teleporting to the Hebrews' alliance settlement.

Nearly a month later, the female mage returned, looking exhausted. She gathered all the Ninth-order beings and organized her thoughts and explained in detail what had happened with the Hebrews. After her explanation, Shaoke and the others were silent for a long time.

It turned out that at the Hebrews' settlement, she had obtained improved food that was only consumed by the great families of the super empires. After an open discussion with the Hebrews and representatives from several other super empires, they decided that in the future, they would begin large-scale construction on the Barbarian Empire. Once this construction was complete, all Ninth-order professionals would have to stay in their respective settlements unless there were special circumstances, only permitted to go to specific locations for secluded cultivation. Of course, the Eighth-order practitioners did not have this requirement.

"What if an organization or individual refuses to comply?" Mage Meigan frowned, not understanding why this situation had arisen. Wouldn't that end up like other empires?

The Blue-robed Female Mage twirled her staff and explained, "Secluded cultivation there is free; we can leave anytime. But we cannot stay in our own settlements for long periods. Generally, we cannot stay in our own settlements for more than ten years at a time. After that time, we must leave. Of course, after leaving for three to five years, we can return to our original settlement." She thought for a moment and added, "This is done to enhance communication among us Ninth-order beings. Our strength is still weak. Once this empire has a Legendary Being, I think we won't need this kind of secluded cultivation anymore."

Then the Blue-robed Female Mage explained other questions in detail and finally asked everyone to organize the Eighth-order mages in their families to start clearing the barren lands, planting enough trees and releasing low-level magical beasts. Only then could the newly established Barbarian Empire truly circulate. Of course, this was a very time-consuming task, so any idle Ninth-order mages would also participate. After obtaining everyone's agreement, the Blue-robed Female Mage divided the regions and tasks in detail, and the meeting temporarily ended.

As everyone was about to leave, the Blue-robed Female Mage stopped them again. "You haven't seen the prosperity of the Maple Leaf Empire. I think you should take a good look at what Mage Xueye recorded there." She then motioned for them to leave. Under the Blue-robed Female Mage's signal, Shaoke stayed behind alone. The other Ninth-order professionals gave them ambiguous looks, made a few teasing remarks, and left.

"Mage Xueye should take good care of his family. Perhaps marrying a Ninth-order mage would greatly benefit the family," teased the female warrior who used a horn as her weapon. But the male mage showed no embarrassment, so he found it boring and left with the others. She still had to discuss some matters with Mage Meigan, so she didn't waste too much time teasing Shaoke and the embarrassed Blue-robed Female Mage.

"We will build a new settlement here, but only after the trees in that area have recovered to a certain level." The female mage took out a map of the Barbarian Empire for Shaoke to examine. The Barbarian Empire was dozens of times larger than the Blue Feather Empire. The forest where Shaoke and Mage Roman had often rested during their battles with the gods long ago would become the future settlement.

After discussing a few other matters with the Blue-robed Female Mage, Shaoke left and returned to his mage tower. Lan Wei'er met him and led him to the living room.

Shaoke sat on a long, thick recliner, while Lan Wei'er took off her boots and lay on it, resting her head on the mage's legs. Although the male mage had scolded her many times, Lan Wei'er refused to sit up. Only when Anling brought Moyu'er in did she awkwardly sit up straight.

A father and three daughters chatted happily by the fireplace. The youngest daughter, Moyu'er, who was nearly eight years old, had successfully cast her first spell with the help of many precious potions, becoming a formal spellcaster. Of course, that spell was the fireball spell commonly used by mages.

The little girl was now wearing a silver-white robe made by her mother, embroidered with dozens of patterns and some magic scripts, looking very beautiful. She imitated her two older sisters and sat upright, occasionally adding firewood. Meanwhile, Anling kept mixing wine for her father; although he didn't drink, it was Anling's joy. The fine wine would often end up being drunk by the mischievous Lan Wei'er.

When dinner time came, the busy Mage Roman and the White-robed Cleric joined the family for dinner after the servants had prepared the food. Here, the few female mages did not strictly follow the old rules, so they occasionally talked during the meal, and Shaoke no longer objected.

"Xueye, I remember you mentioned going to the Misty Forest a while ago?" Mage Roman nodded to thank Anling for passing her some meat, then started the topic. The others quietly watched Shaoke, waiting for his answer. Shaoke drank a glass of water and indicated that everyone should finish eating before they talked. This decision displeased the women, but they said nothing and ultimately obeyed Shaoke's decision. Of course, the women's chatter continued. At the dinner table, they usually talked about clothes and jewelry, occasionally mentioning new things in the settlement.

After dinner, Lan Wei'er and Anling instructed the maids to clear the leftovers and then brought out some wine for everyone. A delicate glass was set in front of the youngest daughter, for Moyu'er to drink water. At her age, she couldn't drink alcohol yet. Of course, Shaoke and the cleric also had water this time.

"Xueye, you should tell us when you're going to the Misty Forest and why," said Mage Roman, shaking her glass. She rarely drank red wine nowadays, preferring high-proof spirits. Of course, these drinks had no effect on her.

Shaoke thought for a moment and recounted what he had seen in the Maple Leaf Empire's library, finally adding, "I think we should raise those snow peak beasts and use their blood to exchange for those books and even other magic materials." He then detailed his plan but said he couldn't decide when to go, as the Barbarian Empire was facing large-scale construction again and he had to participate. Of course, all Eighth-order practitioners had to participate unless they had special circumstances. Mage Roman and the White-robed Cleric did not have to join because they had more important matters.

The mages did not use crystal lamps in the tower; instead, they lit candles. This was not only Shaoke's habit but also the habit of Mage Roman and the White-robed Cleric. They could not tolerate the slight magical fluctuations emitted by crystal lamps, which affected their experiments or other activities.

Moyu'er curiously stared at the golden lampstand in front of her, her big eyes quickly moving as if thinking about whether her fireball spell could light the candle. Of course, this was a normal thought for someone who had just learned to cast spells. When Shaoke first cast a spell, he often felt the urge to cast spells. At that time, it wasn't just feeling the spell but wanting to show off.

As their conversation continued, the family began to feel tired, especially young Moyu'er, who tried several times to sit upright but failed due to fatigue. Mage Roman and the White-robed Cleric were also tired, as today's experiments had been very energy-consuming. So everyone dispersed and went to their rooms to rest. Of course, Shaoke returned to his room and, as usual, began reading books by candlelight.

After this dinner, Shaoke became busy again. He and his two daughters began clearing the barren lands according to the areas designated by the Blue-robed Female Mage. In the sky, large numbers of Eighth-order spellcasters were engaged in the same task. Behind the mages, ordinary civilians planted trees and special grass in an orderly manner. Once these plants took root, they would scatter large amounts of medicinal herb seeds for them to grow. After a certain number of years, the civilians could come to harvest these herbs to supplement their household income. Of course, the release of low-level magical beasts would not take place yet.

This work lasted nearly five years, and by then, the barren lands around Shaoke's settlement were fully cleared. Over these five years, the entire Barbarian Empire looked more prosperous than before. Small cities had been established through the efforts of the young empress and her officials.

Smooth roads were built through the round-the-clock labor of slaves and criminals.

The empire's roads were constructed very solidly. Some young mages were dispatched, and under the mandatory requirements of major alliances, they all used spells to reinforce these roads. According to the Blue-robed Female Mage's suggestion, roads in the empire—whether in large cities, small cities, or those leading to towns—were all magically reinforced to a certain extent. Of course, this work would continue for many years. In Shaoke's view, every spellcaster was required to spend ten years reinforcing roads. As compensation, they would receive some low-grade auxiliary potions.

When the last deep pit was filled by Shaoke's spellcasting, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as this tedious work was finally over. Lan Wei'er even flew happily to Shaoke, hugging him tightly and kissing him. However, under the ambiguous gazes of the other Ninth-order spellcasters, she quickly flew back to her sister.

"Your daughter likes you," the Blue-robed Female Mage said softly as they slowly observed the results of their five years of work on the way back. "If you want, you can be with her. Even if she's your biological daughter, it doesn't matter. Such things happen in every family now; it's not strange." Then she glanced at Anling, opened her mouth, but said nothing more.

Shaoke just shook his head. His mind was now entirely on spell research, and he rarely paid attention to other matters. Of course, some necessary physiological needs were taken care of by his wives.

Looking at the busy figures below, Shaoke sighed, tore space, and returned to his settlement. Although some were puzzled, the mage's eccentric temperament was well known, so they didn't complain much about his lack of social interaction.

As soon as Shaoke returned to the settlement, young Moyu'er ran out of her room and clung to Shaoke like an octopus. Because Shaoke had been busy, she hadn't seen her father for nearly a year, and she had other news to tell him.

"Father, I've become a Third-order spellcaster!" Moyu'er shouted loudly. Then she widened her eyes and looked at Shaoke, expecting some reward. Of course, the reward was mainly spiritual; she lacked nothing materially, as Mage Roman was an Eighth-order alchemist. Many magic items she had were ones even Seventh-order mages couldn't possess.

The mage released his spiritual power, breaking through her protective items to check, and found that, as she said, she had become a Third-order spellcaster—a twelve-year-old Third-order spellcaster. He rewarded her by kissing her forehead, then pulled his daughter off, as clinging like that was not proper for a spellcaster. But after doing so, Moyu'er still tightly grabbed Shaoke's cloak.

"Father, I want you to kiss me like you kiss mother," Moyu'er said, looking up at him.

"That's not appropriate for you," Shaoke said, rubbing his daughter's head and explaining, "That kind of behavior is only for wives. After you marry, your husband will do that to you." He then headed toward his mage tower, with Moyu'er following, still gripping his cloak.

"I'll marry you in the future," Moyu'er said, her eyes wide with certainty. "I want to be your wife. I won't let anyone else be my husband!" She saw her father's face darken and laughed, saying, "Take me up into the air. I want to be like my sisters in the sky." She tugged on his arm a little harder, looking pitiful.

The mage had no choice but to nod, then picked her up and floated into the air. At her request, he circled the mage tower a few times and said, "In the future, you must train hard. Once you become an Eighth-order spellcaster, you can do this yourself." He then brushed her hair, and flew into the mage tower.

After finishing the barren lands, the mage became busy again. To prepare for the construction of another settlement for Ninth-order beings, every alliance was busy gathering enough magic materials and necessary tools. Of course, Shaoke spent most of his time in the mage tower filled with countless magical plants. There, he would use arcane secrets with Lan Wei'er and others to accelerate the plants' growth. This work was very tedious, but fortunately, young Moyu'er often came to play, which kept Lan Wei'er and the others from getting too bored.

One day, while Shaoke was carving a formation into a magical plant, Mage Roman and the White-robed Cleric came to find him. "Xueye, I think we should reward you well," said Mage Roman, hugging Shaoke tightly. She was so excited that she didn't care about interrupting his work. "You've worked hard lately. Now the cleric is pregnant. I've checked; it's a boy." She kissed the male mage several times, making Moyu'er, who was identifying magical plants with her sisters, happy. She also ran over and hugged Shaoke, kissing him. Lan Wei'er watched closely from the side; this younger sister reminded her of her younger self.

"I have a little brother? Can I see?" Moyu'er ran to the White-robed Cleric, staring intently at her belly as if her eyes had special spells that could see inside. "I will teach my brother in the future, so he can learn spells from me." She placed her little hand on the female mage's abdomen, trying to feel the life inside.

The White-robed Cleric felt very awkward but liked Moyu'er and couldn't bear to send her away. She patted the little girl's head and said, "Your brother is still small. He'll be able to meet you after a while. When the aunt is busy, you can help me take care of him." She bent down and kissed Moyu'er.

"How did brother get into your belly?" Moyu'er asked with wide eyes, making both Mage Roman and the cleric embarrassed. Mage Roman in particular felt she had been an inadequate mother. Finally, Shaoke broke the awkwardness. He had Mage Roman take Moyu'er away, so her mother could teach her some necessary physiological knowledge. Lan Wei'er giggled from the side. "Father, I also want to know how brother got into aunt's belly. Can..." Before she finished, Anling, blushing, pulled her away.

The White-robed Cleric, also blushing, sat beside Shaoke, leaning against him. She took his hand and placed it on her belly, letting him feel the tiny life inside.

"I'll have Mage Roman prepare some potions for you. Perhaps the family's strength will begin with him," Shaoke said somewhat helplessly. "Lan Wei'er and the others don't plan to marry now. I wonder how many years it will be before they have children." He hugged the White-robed Cleric tightly. "I think I should find some young spellcasters for them to choose from."

The White-robed Cleric shot him a glance and then said softly, "I don't think they'll agree. Lan Wei'er likes you; you should be able to tell. Anling doesn't seem interested in marriage now either. Maybe she'll change after some time." She thought of something and chuckled softly.