82 The Value of a Magic Disciple Part 1 (2/2)

”Narnia, what is it?”

Narnia had brown hair, and was small like the people of the Cloudflow Empire. She held her hands together and said, ”Do you have time to help me?”

Saleen looked with difficulty at Faerun’s laboratory. Narnia laughed and said, ”Sir will not be here for a while. He told me to let you know. You can still use the lab, and ingredients can be taken from the viscountess.”

Saleen suddenly realized that Faerun was about to level up and must have gone to the magic tower to train for a period of time. It was safe in the tower and his focus and the speed of recovery of his magic chords would be faster than usual.

”Give me a minute.” Saleen put on his robes. They were new and made of green silk. Even though they were not as good as the ones his teacher had given him, they were a rare item. The mages in the residence were treated well. Just like him, they were able to pick up a Grade 3 magic nucleus every day.

These magic nuclei were very small and were not worth as much as those sold in equipment stores outside. However, they had a similar effect. A mage’s training could not be compared to combat and there was no need for such expensive magic nuclei. However, this was not easy either. There were over two hundred mages within the residence and the daily expenses for these low-grade magic nuclei could amount to thousands of gold coins.

Saleen walked out of the room and asked, ”Narnia, what do you want me to do?”

Viscountess Lex had already discovered everything about Saleen in Ceylon City and was no longer secretly worried about him. This had allowed Saleen to relax himself and talk easily with the mages here.

Narnia’s face was slightly red, perhaps from the chill of the wind. She lowered her voice and said, ”The tailor cannot cope any longer. Would you go down with me for a trip? It will only take an afternoon.”

”Tailor?” Saleen found it odd. He was a mage and already found it difficult to create things for the viscountess. He was even more unfamiliar with tailoring.

”It’s for my brother. The people at the swordsmen’s camp are returning, and according to customs, the viscountess will inspect the troops on the sixth day of every new year. Hence, I’m in a rush to tailor a cotton robe. The rest of the mages have followed the viscountess on her winter hunt. I…”

It was only then that he remembered that since Sika’s weapon had been fixed, he had not requested to join the winter hunt and the viscountess’ residence had suddenly become empty yesterday. Narnia must also have been concerned for her brother to have missed out on the winter hunt.

Moreover, Faerun’s circle of friends was strange and Saleen did not like many of them. All of them had gathered in the courtyard and Narnia had also not been too familiar with them.

”Alright, let’s go.” Saleen contemplated things to himself. Since Faerun was not around, there was not much for him to learn anyway. Helping out would not require too much effort.

Narnia must have needed some magic help to have come looking for him.

Narnia smiled, showing off her white teeth. She happily left Faerun’s courtyard with Saleen.

Walking out of the courtyard, Saleen realized that apart from the surroundings of this location, the other places within the viscountess’ residence had been swept clean. There was a new sheet of snow covering the ground.

Having stayed at the viscountess’ residence for some time, Saleen was already used to its elegance. Seeing this architecture no longer left him in awe. Perhaps one’s elegance was brought up in a certain environment. If Saleen were to visit a wealthy person’s house now, he would likely not give off an expression of surprise any longer.

Thinking back to Viscount Gugger’s invitation, that residence had been… unimpressive.

As they moved past various courts, Saleen and Narnia walked side by side. Walking past a garden, they saw a few servants toiling the land.

”What are they doing?” Saleen asked curiously. Mages were all full of curiosity and even the actions of a servant could spark many questions.

”They’re burying bamboo shoots.”

”Bamboo? In this season?”

”Saleen, you’re from Sikeqinya. You have no idea what the Bitter Water Prefecture used to be like. The winters were cold and the summers were dry. The water from the wells used to all be bitter too. Before the viscountess came, this place could not have gotten any more barren. However, besides grains being difficult to grow here, the resources here are plentiful. What they are growing is a type of ice bamboo that can only grow in the winter. Now that everyone from the swordsmen’s camp will be returning, the viscountess will hold a banquet for them. These bamboo shoots are delicious, and to ensure their freshness, they have to be buried underground. They will be dug out just before cooking.”

”That’s elaborate...” Saleen did not finish his sentence. Even though he had been poor since the time he was young, he knew it was not possible for the viscountess to have lived out her days eating moldy bread. If she had eaten the same way he had while growing up, it would have been hilarious.

”How is this elaborate? If there is a battle, these swordsmen will be at the forefront. This is a small gesture from the viscountess. The food that we eat every day might not be any less elaborate than this,” Narnia explained to Saleen.

”Battle? There isn’t much of a need to fight here in the Bitter Water Prefecture, is there?” Saleen was careful as he asked this matter-of-factly.

”I am not sure either, but my brother has mentioned that the tailors are rushing an order of armor for a battle and have asked for the help of hundreds of magic disciples. If they were not so busy, I would not have asked for your help as well. Thank you so much.”

Saleen was shocked. Hundreds of magic disciples were being appointed to rush out an order of armor? Did that mean that these armors were to have magic adhered to them? Even if it was the lowest grade of magic, once a soldier put it on, their defensive abilities would multiply. A battle was not a personal feud and an armament effect on such a large-scale could make a great difference.

Was a war truly about to break out? However, Bitter Water Prefecture was nowhere near a border and was far from Loulan Duchy. There were hundreds of kilometers of mountain ridges separating the two, and would be impossible for armies to pass through.