Chapter 244: Incident and Conclusion

The young noble's defensive movements were still quite effective; a portion of his aura was activated to protect him, but he managed to turn his body in time, so Shaoke's staff only struck his shoulder with a thud. Since Shaoke hadn't activated any spells on his staff here, the aura easily deflected the staff's attack.

The eruption of aura was clearly felt by the guests here. The graceful music came to an abrupt halt, and nearly all the guests turned their gazes toward Shaoke and the others. The young noble, struck by the mage's staff, wore a grim expression. Pale white aura tightly enveloped him as he spun his noble scepter a few times and said, "Do you not realize how rude your actions just now were? I was merely inviting this lady mage. If you disagree, why embarrass me like this?" He took a step closer to Shaoke, as if expecting an explanation; otherwise, he might resort to violence here.

Such incidents were common at many banquets, so the host remained unflustered. According to the usual rules, conflicting parties could engage in a fair duel here. Of course, such duels did not restrict death, but the challenged party could refuse.

It was at this moment that Mage Roland hurried over. He quickly pushed through the crowd and stood beside Mage Roman, glaring fiercely at the young noble. The noble was also a viscount. Given the banquet's invitation standards, nobles of this rank were typically not invited unless under special circumstances—such as representing their family or being brought by a family member—which granted them entry here.

"Can you offer up your son for others to use?" Shaoke glared at the noble, unwilling to kill him here to avoid embarrassing the host. Otherwise, it would embarrass the host. Of course, this was mainly because he was unfamiliar with the local customs. Shaoke's words excited and shocked the guests.

Excitement arose because such a verbal taunt would surely prevent the noble from letting the matter rest easily. Shock came from the mage's inappropriate remark in such a setting, which hardly befitted a mage's status. Shaoke paid no heed to the guests' discussions, but he could not accept the noble inviting Mage Roman to leave and sleep with him. Few men could tolerate such a thing, though there were exceptions.

Shaoke's counterattack not only pleased Mage Roman but also brought a hint of joy to Mage Francis Dun. She hadn't expected the once somewhat shy mage to now actually as a wandering mage, engage in such a conflict with this noble. Mage Roland, however, was not surprised by Shaoke's actions, as he understood Shaoke's character somewhat.

"Mage, if you're willing, I hope to duel with you here according to the rules," the young noble said, tapping the family emblem on his chest and adding, "I am a viscount of the Mist Trade Guild. The loser will forever stay away from this lady mage."

The young noble's words excited the guests, even drawing the host's attention. However, since such incidents were common at banquets, the host didn't take it too seriously. After all, he had invited some young nobles and mages tonight to foster connections for his children's future development.

Mage Yija, who had been conversing with a group of young nobles and mages in the distance, hurried over. If he could perfectly resolve this conflict, he would gain even more recognition from his family. The young mages and nobles he had been talking with also followed to watch the spectacle, indifferent to the outcome—they merely sought topics for future conversation.

Mage Yija's arrival temporarily calmed the noble's anger, but when he saw the other party involved in the conflict, his head ached. He knew something of this mage's stubbornness.

"Mage Xueye, I think this matter should end here. After all, this viscount didn't realize your relationship with Mage Roman," Mage Yija said in a pleading tone. Shaoke agreed without hesitation, as he didn't want to clash with others here.

The young noble, persuaded by Mage Yija, gave up the idea of dueling here. But as he left, he said to Shaoke, "Mage Xueye? This isn't finished. If we meet again, you'll suffer severe punishment for today's actions." He bowed to Mage Roman and was pulled away by some young nobles.

Shaoke said nothing, quietly twirling his staff and tightening his cloak, calmly watching until the noble disappeared from sight. Mage Yija stood awkwardly nearby, repeatedly advising Shaoke not to take the matter to heart. His persuasion seemed effective, at least for now. After Shaoke nodded to indicate he was fine, Mage Yija chatted a bit more before leaving to console the noble, as the Mist Trade Guild was quite powerful.

"You shouldn't have argued with him," Mage Francis Payton said to Shaoke. "He's from the Mist Trade Guild and a viscount. If you clash with him..." Before she could finish, Mage Roman interrupted.

"Why not? Just a small trade guild. If they still remember the Blizzard Legion's affairs, the time for retaliation is coming." She sneered, regretting not having struck the noble with her staff earlier—preferably on his head.

The noble mage beside her looked at Mage Roman, squinting as if indifferent. But his slow twirling of the staff revealed his mood. If not for the rule forbidding mages from using mental or magical force to probe others, he would have already assessed Shaoke's strength to see if he had advanced further since their last encounter.

After a brief pause, the dance resumed. This time, the host, with most guests' consent, extended the event by half a magic hour, giving dance enthusiasts a good opportunity.

When the banquet ended, the host stood in the center again, loudly announcing several matters in the Ancient Magic Language. Most concerned the Yija Family's future development and thanks to those who had helped them. Shaoke found this uninteresting, but the nobles were keenly attentive, gleaning the host's intended meanings from his words.

Finally, the middle-aged mage summoned a woman from his family—the young cleric who had earlier conversed with the so-called genius mage. He loudly introduced her to the guests, then called forth a young noble with beautiful golden hair and a tall stature, who seemed well-matched with the slightly shorter female cleric with silver, slightly curly hair.

What followed resembled scenes from novels Shaoke had read in his past life: the genius mage and his companions rushed up, trying to prevent the event. They engaged in verbal conflict with the noble, but unlike in novels, the low-level cleric with silver hair was still betrothed to the noble. Despite the genius mage repeatedly vowing revenge and citing his genius status, the ancient mage family, with tens of thousands of years of history, had seen all kinds of geniuses and paid no heed, treating him as a source of amusement.

Shaoke quietly observed everything until an elderly mage forcibly led the genius mage and his companions away, signaling the banquet's end. However, young mages and nobles could stay in the hall for another magic hour to converse and build connections for their futures. Adult nobles and mages, unless they had other matters, would leave to avoid gossip by staying at the host's residence after the banquet.

Shaoke declined Mage Yija's invitation to stay. Mage Roman, who had been conversing with Mage Roland, quickly ended their talk, as the Blizzard Legion mages were all leaving here and had no interest in lingering.

"Xueye, come back with us. We can find an inn to rest tonight," Mage Roman whispered, inviting Shaoke. Mage Yisier, temporarily separated from her husband, approached and warmly took Shaoke's arm, hoping he would stay at the Blizzard camp for the night.

"No need. I still have spells to copy," Shaoke replied softly to the two female mages. "I've already spent a lot of time today, and there's much work left." He withdrew his arm, hugged Mage Roman and Mage Yisier, and kissed their foreheads. "Come find me when you have time. I'll be there for a while until the copying is done."