Chapter 61: After the Choice

The officer guiding him quickly brought Shaoke to a smaller stone house with a steeply pitched roof, then stood outside and said to Shaoke, "Mage Xueye, step forward and leave your mark on the door. Only then will the mages inside open it to let us in."

Shaoke nodded, hurriedly took a few steps forward, swiftly formed his mark on the steps, and pressed it onto the wooden door emitting pulses of magical energy. Then he stepped back a few paces, once again standing behind the officer, quietly waiting for a response from inside.

Before long, Shaoke felt waves of magical fluctuations sweep over him. He knew this was a routine detection method used by the mages inside, so he wasn't alarmed. The officer remained standing straight as if he hadn't felt a thing.

The door opened, and a young mage wearing a third-tier robe emerged. The mage slightly raised his head and glanced at the mage waiting below the steps. "Follow me," he said, turning and going back inside, leaving Shaoke momentarily confused. The officer turned his head to Shaoke and said, "Let's go. First, get what you're entitled to, then we'll talk about other things."

Shaoke had no choice but to follow the officer inside. The interior wasn't very large, with only a long table placed horizontally directly opposite the entrance. Behind the table sat the mage who had just opened the door for them. "What do you need?" the mage asked, scribbling away with a black quill on a long strip of paper.

The officer stopped Shaoke just as he was about to bow and said loudly, "Prepare a second-tier mage robe for this mage, along with three months' allowance. Also, the commander said to give an extra hundred common gold coins to this mage."

The mage scribbled a few more words on the paper, then stopped, handed it to the officer, and said, "Write your name here, and you too," pointing at Shaoke, indicating he should also come forward and write his name.

Shaoke glanced at the officer, who nodded, signaling that he should follow the mage's instructions. Shaoke quickly wrote his name in common magical language on the paper. The mage behind the table curled his lip slightly, gently rolled up the scroll, tied it with a silk ribbon, and then opened a small door behind him to go inside.

"Mage Xueye, the mages stationed here all have connections. They rely on their elders or influential nobles to secure good positions here. Don't mind them, because you are now under the direct jurisdiction of the military, not the Mage Corps," the officer said, pulling over two chairs. "Sit down. These people are bound to take their sweet time. I trust you have the patience to wait for him."

Shaoke nodded, unceremoniously sat down, leaned back in the chair, and waited with the officer for the mage to return.

"Mage Xueye, on the battlefield, the mages fighting alongside you are trustworthy. They are directly subordinate to the military, not the Mage Corps. I hope you understand this," the officer said after a short while, turning to Shaoke.

Shaoke felt rather helpless. "Sir, all I know is that I'm now a military mage and will only follow the correct orders of my superiors." After saying this, Shaoke felt he should add something more, but the officer shook his head.

"Mage Xueye, we actually don't know much about the small fortress you're being sent to, but the mages there were all assigned there after following the military's orders. You won't face exclusion there; in fact, you'll receive their help." After saying this, the officer looked intently at Shaoke, hoping he would understand his meaning.

Shaoke nodded to show he understood. Only then did the officer smile slightly, relax his tense body, lean back in the chair, and close his eyes to rest.

Shaoke felt like he waited a full magic hour before the mage who had left finally opened the door and returned, followed by two servants carrying the items the officer had requested.

The mage shooed away the servants, sat down, frowned, and looked at the two sitting opposite him. "Check it over, then take your things and go."

The officer stood up unhurriedly, stepped forward, and carefully inspected the items. He handed the mage robe to Shaoke and said, "See if it fits. You can still exchange it here, but not once you leave." As he spoke, he opened the money pouch on the tray, dumped the gold coins onto the table, and began counting them one by one.

After receiving the mage robe from the officer, Shaoke examined it carefully. The robe was different from those worn by the mages staying in the manor. It was made of jet-black silk with minimal decorative patterns, only a simple silver-threaded design embroidered along the edges. A magic array was embedded on the chest of the robe. Shaoke carefully sensed it with his spiritual power and realized it was a first-tier "Elemental Protection." Seeing this magic on a second-tier robe thrilled Shaoke, as spells embedded in robes could be released instantly in emergencies. The duration depended on the caster's mana supply, without the usual spell limitations, which was crucial for a mage about to go to the battlefield.

The third-tier mage sitting behind the table curled his lip at Shaoke's excited expression. "What's so great about it? It's just a first-tier 'Elemental Protection.' It won't do much to protect you on the battlefield. Every mage going to the battlefield gets one. Hmph! Feels like a final memento."

After counting the coins in the money pouch, the officer said to Shaoke, "Mage Xueye, let's go. If there's a problem with the robe, the commander will have him posted on the wall." Without paying attention to the third-tier mage's displeased expression, he led Shaoke out.

Recalling what had just happened, Shaoke asked, "Sir, that mage won't cause trouble for us, will he?" After saying this, Shaoke felt his face flush, but he quickly justified it to himself: "You're only a second-rank mage; it's normal to have such worries."

The officer guiding the way placed the money pouch in Shaoke's arms and said, "Mage Xueye, a thousand common gold coins should be enough for your expenses in the capital, as long as you're careful with your money." The officer straightened his already neat uniform and continued, "Mage Xueye, don't worry. That little mage wouldn't dare do anything to me, let alone to you. We military personnel are different from the Mage Corps. If you live for another ten years or become a third-tier mage, I think you'll understand how things really work. Right now, what you need to do most is go to the library to copy spells and familiarize yourself with them as quickly as possible in the next three months. I think you understand the reasons better than I do."

After bidding farewell to the officer, Shaoke returned to his room from memory. Excitedly, he put on the newly received jet-black mage robe and immediately activated the defensive magic array on the robe. A grayish light shield enveloped him. Shaoke carefully sensed the strength of the array and felt it was slightly stronger than the "Elemental Protection" he could cast himself. It seemed the mage who embedded this array was at least two ranks higher than Shaoke.

He carefully stored the money pouch in his strongbox, tucked a hundred common gold coins into his pocket, and left his room. He headed to the manor's entrance to check if the female mage had already arrived.

The officer who had checked him in yesterday, Ulfat, happened to be in the small room by the entrance. Seeing the mage approach, he excitedly ran out, saluted, and said, "Honorable Mage, how may I assist you?"

"Ulfat, have you seen a female mage come here today?" Shaoke hesitated for a moment, lowered his voice, and asked the officer after his companion.

The officer thought carefully and replied, "Honorable Mage, I haven't seen any female mage come in. Let me ask the others if they've seen one."

Shaoke nodded and handed the officer a gold coin. "Thank you for your help. I won't forget it."

This time, the officer didn't refuse. He took the coin and went to ask his soldiers. After waiting a short while, the officer came back looking apologetic. "Honorable Mage, since the gate opened today, no female mage has come. In fact, it's been a long time since any female mage has reported here."

Shaoke frowned and handed the officer another gold coin. "Thank you. What do you mean by 'it's been a long time since any female mage reported here'?"

The officer hesitated before taking the coin, quickly pocketed it, cautiously looked around, and lowered his voice. "Honorable Mage, I've heard—just heard—that when female mages return to report, most of them go to other places. Word is the Mage Corps makes them do it."

Shaoke's expression changed slightly, and he frowned. "Most female mages? Why are there still female mages reporting here?" Shaoke nervously adjusted his cloak, pulling the brim down. He didn't want the officer to see his troubled expression.

"Yes, the female mages who report here are almost all those with connections to the high-rank mages here or to some nobles." The officer kept his eyes on Shaoke and noticed the jet-black robe he was wearing, different from other mages' robes. His expression changed slightly.

Shaoke asked worriedly, "What about those connected to the Mage Guild?"