Winter Snow, Sudden Thunder (Part 2)

Protect Bitter Water Prefecture?

Saleen could not quite understand. Who would have the audacity to cause trouble in Bitter Water Prefecture? However, this request was in line with Saleen’s thoughts. He would not have wanted to be tasked with protecting or following someone.

Magic training was greatly related to how pure a person’s mind was.

"I’m willing to stay and be Faerun’s assistant. If someday Bitter Water Prefecture is met with an assault, I will protect it together with all of the other mages in this city," Saleen replied carefully.

If one wanted to gain something, he would need to pay something of the same value.

Saleen thought about this saying and he put aside any worries he had in the past. If he wished to receive help from someone, he certainly needed to give something. He believed in this wholeheartedly.

"Yes, Saleen. Come." Viscountess Lex smiled as she took out a silver badge.

Saleen took two steps forward and received the badge in his hands. The badge was cold and heavy, the viscountess’ hands warm and soft.

"This badge does not have many uses. By the time you reach Grade 4 and want to leave Bitter Water Prefecture, you will have better grasped the essence of magic. With this badge and your identity as a grand mage, you’ll be pardoned for any mistakes you make."

Viscountess Lex blew on her fingers. Her smile was so innocent, almost like a wealthy teenager who had no idea of the atrocities happening around them.

"Viscountess…"

"Saleen, if you have any other questions, ask Faerun. I have told him everything I have gathered. What you need now is rest. Do not interrupt your magic training because of this. If you need anything else in the future, you can find me. However, the mages in the residence cannot help you take revenge. I will not allow that."

"Thank you, viscountess." Saleen gave a mage’s bow and swallowed whatever he was about to say.

He really had wanted help from the mages in the residence. Even though he wanted to dispose of Earl Sufonso himself, he wanted to hire someone to kill the mage in Yaoyang City. With his wealth, he definitely had enough money to hire a few mages. However, since Viscountess Lex hadn’t forced him to do anything, the other mages must have received the same treatment.

If the viscountess did not say anything, these mages would not want to leave this place no matter how much money Saleen offered.

"Saleen, I admire your teacher a lot, to actually challenge a grand mage in his magic tower. You need to work hard and not disappoint your teacher." Viscountess Lex possessed no air of authority as she said this, her eyes even gleaming with yearning.

She was a mage too, and upon hearing the news from Bain’s men, her heart had swelled. If it had been her, would she have had the courage to challenge a Grade 6 mage with a magic tower?

A feeling of warmth coursed through Saleen. Jason had done something so shocking for his sake. It was a pity that he had fallen into Earl Sufonso’s trap and had been taken advantage of.

Saleen left the room. From the shadows of the window, Bain slowly appeared.

The snow continued blowing into the room. Just before it reached Bain, it would silently disappear.

"Bain, chaos is descending. Call back all the people from the swordsmen’s camp. Their training is over." Viscountess Lex spoke with a heavy tone. She knew far more than what she had told Saleen.

Seeing how determined Earl Sufonso was this time, it seemed that he was fully prepared to side with the Holy See. Sikeqinya would plunge into chaos and the black mages in Phoenix Duchy had not yet been wiped out. There were only two roads leading from the Phoenix Duchy to the Qin Empire and they were easy to defend. Even if the situation in Phoenix were to worsen, it would not affect the Qin Empire directly.

However, there were many small roads from Phoenix to Loulan Duchy, and it would be hard to stop the spread of black mages. Loulan Duchy was the first line of defense for the Qin Empire and if chaos were to ensue there, it would affect the surrounding duchies. These duchies were the buffer zones for the four empires and if a conflict were to break out, every country would be involved.

The news from the Cloudflow Empire had not been positive either. The emperor was determined to strive for the well-being of his citizens and had being thinking up of ways to expand the number of grand mages they had. Now they were taking up a more active position and had started chasing away pastors from the sacred Holy See like the Qin Empire.

All of these things had not happened by chance. It was almost as if an invisible hand was controlling everything.

"How about the team of mages?"

"There’s no rush. If Bitter Water Prefecture is in danger, they will return." Viscountess Lex said confidently.

"But you’re turning eighteen next year…"

"Bain, if I were to give an order, they would return immediately. However, this would interrupt some of their training. With all of you around, I am relieved. What’s more, I am a grand mage as well." Viscountess Lex stopped whatever Bain had been about to say.

Saleen returned to Faerun’s court and took a look at the lab. He did not knock on the door and went back to his room instead to wake up Nailisi. "Go prepare. I want to take a shower."

"Master, you don’t seem to be in a good mood." Nailisi still spoke the ancient Myers language when she was alone with Saleen. For some reason, she still stuttered when she spoke any other language.

"It’s nothing. I will be fine after a few days." Saleen found it strange as well. Since the chill from the necklace had coursed through his body, he felt his mind clearing up and his anger was easier to suppress.

The three items in the Ring of Gifts were very cryptic and he had no idea what purpose the calabash served. If he could figure it out, it could help tremendously in advancing his skills.

Saleen took off the glove on his left hand, revealing it.

The hand was whiter and more tender than Viscountess Lex’s hand. If the veins did not feel as connected as they did, Saleen might even have mistaken it for someone else’s hand.

Saleen was not clear what use this hand was of, and as of now, it could store two strange looking magic shields. These magic shields could be summoned with just a single thought and even after a few months, they had not disappeared. Having gone up against Faerun’s fireball previously, these water shields had become much smaller. Since then, they had been returning to their original size.

Earl Sufonso was a swordmaster and his water shields were low-grade magic at best. They would not be able to defend against a swordmaster’s sword aura. Did he really have to wait until he was a sorcerer to exact his revenge?

If only his water shields could be upgraded like the Fireball spell. Saleen thought back to the blue fireball from Faerun. Besides being envious, he had a vague idea. If he used the Figaro formula to make some calculations, the Water Shield spell could be tweaked. Could he use this method to upgrade his water shields?

The water shield itself was strange on its own. It was a Grade 1 magic prop, yet it possessed Grade 2 defenses.

While Saleen was thinking about it, a servant had already prepared a hot water bath for Saleen under the instructions of Nailisi. Saleen removed his clothing and dipped himself into the water.

"Everyone… get out." Nailisi chased the servant away and left Saleen alone. She sat by the doorway, looking at the snow outside the courtyard.

Master is in a bad mood. He must be thinking about home. Home…

She had no home. Since the day she could first form memories, she had been living a life of chasing and killing. Capturing weak magic insects and spirits, and hiding from devils and demons. That had been her life.

Nailisi extended her hand and caught a snowflake. It melted rapidly in her hand and turned into a cool droplet of water.

This was a good universe. And yet, why was she missing the demon universe with its volcanoes? The air in the demon universe had always been filled with smoke and dust. Corrosive gases accumulated and were everywhere. Sturdy plants had usually been poisonous and even demons needed to be careful.

The fondest memory she had was the moment she tore open a magic insect’s case and the smell of the flesh wafted into her nostrils. Nailisi withdrew a piece of fresh meat from the bracelet and began to chew on it, but she could not taste anything no matter how hard she tried.

The wooden tub used for showering was large and if it had not been in a place like the viscountess’ residence, it would have taken forever to prepare this much hot water. Saleen immersed himself in the tub. He did not follow the order of magic training.

The temperature was a bit high and the chill within his body did not go away. Saleen gathered up his senses and focused on the black necklace. The black necklace was made up of twenty-four black crystals. Saleen had tried experimenting countless times but he had not found any secrets to the necklace. This time, the necklace released its aura on its own and joined to his body, letting its energy spread.

This was an unbelievably pure crystal. Without much effort from Saleen, he had finished probing the twenty-four black crystals. There was nothing in the crystals. No space, no magic symbols, and no signs of it being processed.

So why had this crystal automatically balanced his body’s condition? Saleen remembered clearly that his magic chords had been nearly out of control. His focus had been chaotic, he could not release any magic, and he had only been able to wait for death.

Only now did he understand that the flaws of his magic chords were not solely limited to the fact that he could only cast Water Magic, but they were unstable as well. Once his focus became chaotic, these magic chords would start behaving erratically. This was a fatal flaw, and without this necklace, he would be in constant danger.

High-grade magic could attack a person’s focus and cause an enemy to lose their consciousness. However, if he were to be attacked by this magic, he would die. After much searching, Saleen still could not find anything hidden within the necklace. Was his grade too low?

Saleen recalled closely that moment when he had lost control. The coolness from the necklace had coursed through his entire body immediately. It did not seem like divinity nor magic. There were no clues and the elemental energy was unusually balanced. There was no beginning and no way for him to calculate anything using the Figaro formula.

Saleen directed his senses entirely onto the necklace and stopped trying to search for anything. He rested quietly, and after a while, the low voice of thunder sounded outside the window.

This sound of thunder struck Saleen’s heart directly, and with a loud boom, the space within the necklace opened up entirely.