Chapter 365 All for the Family

The situation was like this. In the following year or two, Shaoke remained in the mage tower, patiently teaching Lan Wei'er some magical knowledge. Occasionally, some Eighth Tier Mages stationed at the Bloody Fortress would seek him out to discuss knowledge about eighth-tier spells, in order to enhance each other's understanding.

One day, after once again explaining several spell structure issues to Lan Wei'er, Shaoke temporarily bid farewell to Mage Roman and the others after dinner. He now needed to go and find the Blue-robed Mage and obtain those ancient books from her, hoping to discover a method for advancing to the Ninth Rank.

Although reluctant, the female spellcasters understood the importance of what Shaoke was doing. After lingering for a few more days, Shaoke finally flew out of the Bloody Fortress, heading toward the Blue-robed Mage's homeland.

The Blue-robed Mage's family resided in a remote small city. When Shaoke arrived, he quickly tracked down her residence with his scepter. The female mage did not live within the city but in a wooded area some distance away. There, she was also teaching the younger members of her family magical knowledge and other subjects. Since not everyone in the family possessed magical talent, every mage family put great effort into nurturing talents in other fields. They were not looked down upon for lacking combat ability, as a family's strength relied on support from all kinds of expertise.

The Blue-robed Mage lived in a house built atop several interconnected large trees. There, she received Shaoke. The male mage's purpose was already known to her; she took out three or four spatial rings that contained all the books she could not decipher. She now hoped that Shaoke, while studying these texts, might discover an alternative path to advancement.

"Can you tell me about what happened during this time?" When Shaoke had finished collecting the books and was about to leave, the Blue-robed Mage suddenly asked him. She simply wished to increase their mutual understanding and closeness through conversation, as the passage of years had made them somewhat strangers to each other.

Holding the clear tea the female mage had poured for him, Shaoke briefly recounted his experiences over that period, including his encounter with a Transmigrator in the Misty Forest.

"Oh! It seems this is the first time you've encountered such a situation." The Blue-robed Mage chuckled softly, adjusting her long blue hair with her remaining right hand. "In fact, Descenders from various worlds often come to this world, but they are always hunted down by beings like us right away."

Shaoke looked puzzled. He did not understand why the empire fully wiped out these Transmigrators. Could they cause great harm to the empire? Thinking this, he voiced his confusion.

The Blue-robed Mage shook her head. "I don't know the exact reasons, but I think these Descenders might bring changes to the empire. That's probably why the empire fears they are scouts from other planes, sent to gather intelligence." She smiled again. "Actually, some Descenders arrive in this world without the notice of those Legends. They bring some strange ideas and inventions, and I find them quite interesting." With that, she ended the topic and took Shaoke to observe her experiments.

Spread out before Shaoke were thousands of acres of flat land, densely planted with magical plants and crops. Many young people and elders were busy there, carefully collecting plant leaves and storing them, then heading to a nearby twelve-story mage tower for research.

"When did you build this mage tower?" Shaoke asked curiously. He had already seen several such towers along the way.

The Blue-robed Mage laughed softly. "When the war ended, I found some companions to build this tower. Well, it looks quite nice, doesn't it?" Her face darkened momentarily, then returned to normal. She had once said she would build a hundred-story mage tower, but due to various reasons, only twelve stories were constructed. Of course, there were a few underground floors, but she did not mention them to Shaoke.

Although the Blue-robed Mage invited Shaoke to tour the tower, he declined. He was now very interested in the crops, as many were improved grain varieties he had seen in the Fallen Capital. Seeing his interest, the Blue-robed Mage happily explained in detail, as she had spent over a hundred years on these plants.

Over the past century, the Blue-robed Mage had used various methods to optimize and mutate the crops. The wheat ears had been bred to the size of fists. Within these large kernels, Shaoke detected a strange substance using his mental power. After her explanation, he learned it was specifically used to enhance ordinary people's physique. While it could not increase talent, long-term consumption could extend lifespan to some extent.

The Blue-robed Mage pointed to the young people busy tending to various medicinal herbs and recording crop conditions. "They are all members of my family. Although they cannot become spellcasters or warriors, they are now an indispensable part of our family." Turning to Shaoke, she added, "Everyone has their talents; it's just a matter of discovering them. When you establish your own family in the future, you must pay attention to this issue. Many people make mistakes in the early days of building a family, which slows their development."

Although Shaoke still had no children and so could not yet establish a family, he thanked the Blue-robed Mage. She then explained the benefits of these crops. Over the past hundred years, newborns had stronger physical constitutions than their parents at the same age.

As the two were talking, a Seventh Tier Mage ran over from a distance. He wore the family emblem of the Blue-robed Mage, but his robe was gray, indicating he belonged to the Mage Guild.

"Respected Ruler, Honorable Mage." Upon seeing Shaoke and the Blue-robed Mage, the mage quickened his pace, then bowed. The Blue-robed Mage, somewhat displeased, asked his purpose. After hearing him out, she frowned and stood silently, lost in thought. A moment later, she sighed softly and invited Shaoke to accompany her to deal with the matter.

It turned out that a female spellcaster from the Blue-robed Mage's family had fallen in love with a young man from a minor noble family. This situation was not permitted by the Blue-robed Mage, the current ruler, nor by family rules. The female spellcaster had eloped with him some time ago, but had now been captured and brought back. She returned with some unfamiliar guests, some of whom were acquaintances of the young nobleman. Moreover, those guests belonged to a powerful family, far stronger than the Blue-robed Mage's family, which had only been established for a few thousand years.

The headquarters of the Blue-robed Mage's family was located in the distant mage tower. Now, the guests, the young female spellcaster, and the minor noble were waiting in the third-floor meeting hall for the final decision of the clan leader or the ruler.

"I think such matters should not be brought to me. Follow the family rules; no one can defy the correct clan rules." As soon as the Blue-robed Mage entered with Shaoke, she loudly scolded the Seventh Tier Mage sitting in the center. "Remember, you are the clan leader of this generation. Many matters require your judgment." After speaking, she sat in a nearby chair, and Shaoke took another seat.

"Ruler, I think the clan rules are now outdated. We cannot reject marriages with others simply because of differences in status." Surrounded by dozens of family members, the female spellcaster who had fled the city retorted loudly. "Although he is only a minor noble, I believe he will one day become a duke." She argued vehemently.

Only then did Shaoke take a close look at the young female spellcaster. She appeared about twenty years old, wearing a light blue mage robe without any family or organizational insignia, indicating she had not joined any mage organization. Beside her stood a young nobleman, confident, with a fearless expression on his youthful face.

"A duke? Does he have a thousand-year lifespan?" The Blue-robed Mage said nothing, merely closing her eyes to rest.

The clan leader, however, retorted loudly. "You are a spellcaster of the family. In certain matters, you must consider the strength of our family, not impulsively stay with someone whose life is short. I do not want to see you living alone centuries from now." The clan leader said no more, turning his gaze to the Blue-robed Mage, waiting for the ruler's decision.