Chapter 288: Consequences of Testing

When Shaoke was making his records, he suddenly felt the scepter the Eighth Tier Female Mage had given him shake with a series of rapid tremors. He quickly took it out and found the pale blue scepter suddenly transmitting the voice of the Eighth Tier Female Mage.

"Mage Xueye, head outside the city." With that, the Blue-robed Female Mage's voice faded, and instead a few words slowly appeared on the gem at the top of the scepter, showing the direction the mage should go. After a moment's hesitation, Shaoke quickly grabbed his staff and crept out of the room. Just after he left, Mage Roman, who was sleeping nearby, suddenly opened her eyes, looked in the direction Shaoke had disappeared, sighed softly, and then closed her eyes to rest again. The White-robed Cleric beside her did the same, just frowning with her eyes closed.

After telling the mages on guard in the manor where he was going, Shaoke took a carriage and headed to the location shown on the gem.

The north gate of the Fallen Imperial Capital connected to the territory of the Blue Feather Empire, and it was here that Shaoke and the members of the Wandering Mage Alliance did their trading. When the carriage arrived at the north gate, the driver stopped, because the area outside the city was unsafe even during the day, with bandits lurking everywhere, and he feared for his life. The mage said nothing and set off alone down the road toward his destination.

After walking for about a "magic hour," Shaoke suddenly felt a faint wisp of mental energy wrap around him. Sensing the information it carried, he left the main road and headed toward the wilderness. There, the Eighth Tier Female Mage was waiting for him not far away.

After traveling another seven or eight li, Shaoke finally saw the Eighth Tier Blue-robed Mage in a depression. When she saw him, she motioned for him to come over and talk.

"Mage Xueye, your actions last night were very inappropriate," the female mage said, giving Shaoke a disapproving look before asking him the specific purpose of his visit. She could clearly tell that the mages around Shaoke were all Sixth Tier Mages from the military, which made her suspect his situation here wasn't so simple.

The Eighth Tier Female Mage's questions put Shaoke in a difficult spot. After a moment of silence, he finally told her why he was here, along with the tasks given to him by the Death Mage Corps and the newly received Blizzard Legion. After saying this, he fell silent again. Finally, the Female Mage broke the silence, saying, "I hope you'll be careful here. The situation in the Fallen Imperial Capital isn't what you think. If the killing gets too bad, someone will step in to stop it." With that, she took out a golden book and said, "According to the agreement between the Death Mage Corps and me, this book is yours." She handed the slim book to Shaoke and then fell silent.

Shaoke didn't look at the book, since it wasn't the right time. He simply took it and stored it in his ring. "Respected Mage, can you tell me how many practitioners above Eighth Tier are here?" he asked, then added, "I'd like to be prepared for future actions."

"I don't know," the Eighth Tier Female Mage replied without hesitation. "At least forty or fifty various Eighth-order Practitioners. Remember, don't fully carry out the tasks from the Blizzard Legion and the Death Mage Corps. If you actually try to carry them out, I believe you'll be wiped from this world before you even reach Eighth Tier." After a pause, she continued, "If you want to do those tasks, I suggest you wait until you become Eighth Tier—that would be safer."

The Eighth Tier Mage then gave Shaoke some specific details about the Fallen Imperial Capital—details ordinary people wouldn't know. She also explained why the Death Mage Corps hadn't entered here and why the empire's legions didn't come to do garrison duty. All of it was because of the completely sealed underground city beneath this city.

It turned out that during the war that destroyed nations, the most elite armies and practitioners of the major empires fought fiercely here, and even top-tier practitioners appeared. At that time, an Eighth Tier practitioner was just cannon fodder in the battle. The vast imperial capital of the Esuoer Empire was destroyed by the residual effects of the top-tier practitioners' fights. And during the battles with the Esuoer Empire's Ritualists, three or five Eleventh Tier practitioners were permanently erased from this world.

After the top-tier practitioners' battles ended, the major empires began to divide the destroyed capital. The wealth gathered here had all disappeared, but the massive underground city remained untouched. That was why other countries coveted it—it was like the Death Mage Corps' settlement in the Bloody Fortress, but much larger and even bigger than the capital of the Blue Feather Empire.

"The books stored inside have become the main target for many empires. If we obtain those things, the empire could become a medium-sized nation," the Eighth Tier Female Mage said with a bitter smile. "And we Eighth-order Practitioners, according to the final agreement among the empires, are to compete for that existence." She then toyed with her small staff and said no more.

The Female Mage's explanation shocked Shaoke. "So if the empire completely controls this capital, it qualifies to occupy the underground city?" he asked, but the Eighth Tier Female Mage shook her head.

"It's not that simple," she said. "It also depends on the struggles between the Death Mages, the empire's Bloody Legion, other practitioner legions, and the top organizations of other empires. Completely occupying this capital is just a prerequisite. If no empire or organization fully controls this capital, their struggles will never end." She smirked. "Maybe this struggle will go on for tens of thousands of years before it ends."

"Here's a list of the organizations from our Blue Feather Empire. Try to avoid conflicts with them as much as possible. Our main enemies are still those from other empires and the Mage Guild," the Eighth Tier Female Mage said, handing a scroll to Shaoke. It listed the major organizations stationed here by the Blue Feather Empire. "If anything comes up, I'll send you a message through that scepter."

After taking the scroll, Shaoke asked the Blue-robed Mage a few more questions before she left. The male mage stood there for a long time, until dusk fell. Then he tightened his cloak and slowly walked back toward the Fallen Imperial Capital. He had already figured out his plans, and he had the Eighth Tier Female Mage's assurance that the Orpheus Family in the empire would stop bothering him. Of course, he didn't take that assurance to heart—relying on others' help was never reliable. Only by becoming truly strong himself could he ensure his own safety. This wasn't just true in this world—the people in his previous life did the same.

After returning to the manor in the Fallen Imperial Capital, Shaoke saw a worried-looking Mage Roman. She was teaching little Lan Wei'er some basic writing. When she saw Shaoke return, she examined him and then relaxed. She didn't ask where he had been, as it was a private matter beyond her concern.

After exchanging a few words with Mage Roman, Shaoke turned his attention to Lan Wei'er, who was learning to write. He quickly took over the Female Mage's work. The little girl loved all kinds of strange characters, believing that if she learned them, she'd have a chance to practice spells.

Before long, the White-robed Cleric and Mage Yisier gathered in Shaoke's room for a collective dinner. Lan Wei'er also stopped studying, as she was still too young for such intense work. Dinner ended quickly. At Shaoke's request, Lan Wei'er had to return alone to Mage Roman's room to rest. In her view, her mother's room would probably become hers from now on, because the man she was supposed to call father had told her that her mother wouldn't sleep with her anymore. That upset the little girl, but after some persuasion from Shaoke, she pouted and left.

"Doing this will easily make Lan Wei'er unhappy," Mage Roman said, blushing at Shaoke's explanation to the girl. She hadn't stopped him earlier, but now she was complaining. This made Mage Yisier and the White-robed Cleric start teasing her, but they soon stopped, because Mage Roman seemed to have something to say to Shaoke.

After the playful banter, Mage Roman broke the silence first. "Xueye, what should we do next?" She glanced at the two Female Spellcasters beside her and added, "Should we also try to take control of some streets here, like the other organizations and alliances?"