Invitation

As a qualified spellcaster, one not only had to be able to read, speak, and chant in many languages, but also needed to understand the various hand signs used in casting spells, in order to speed up the formation of magic and stabilize its structure.

Likewise, knowledge of different materials, geographical environments, and history was required coursework for spellcasters. It could be said that mages learned more, and more varied subjects, than anyone in any other profession.

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They were linguists, historians, geographers, biologists, even alchemists, apothecaries, and more.

Inside the cabin, Jialan was carefully examining a vial of white potion. It had been concocted with Moonlight Grass, which he had purchased at the tavern in town that day, as its main ingredient.

It was called Moonlight Potion, a potion capable of increasing magical power for a short time. With it, one could cast several more spells on the battlefield. It was very useful to Jialan.

Suddenly, his expression shifted as he looked outside the cabin. A spellcaster's exceptionally high mental power could cover an area thirty or forty meters around him even without using magic, and he sensed someone approaching his cabin.

A set of footsteps drew nearer from outside, boots striking the frozen earth with dull thuds. They stopped abruptly before the door, followed by several faint rustles of cloth as the visitor adjusted his appearance. After a brief silence, three restrained knocks sounded on the door.

"Greetings to you, Lord Mage! Soldier Ike pays his respects!" A deliberately lowered male voice pierced the wooden door, sounding especially clear amid the cold wind.

A response soon came from inside. "What is it? Ike, come in and speak."

"Yes, thank you for receiving me." Ike's voice carried unconcealed nervousness.

He stomped his feet hard, his boot heels striking the bluestone slabs before the door with low thumps as snow and clumps of mud fell away. After taking off his leather helmet and tucking it beneath his left arm, he instinctively smoothed the wrinkles in the front of his uniform, though it was still stained with grime from the march.

This was his first time entering a mage's residence. In the entire Barracks, only the stern and rigid captain and several squad leaders had ever been fortunate enough to visit another mage's home. Though it was said that meeting had lasted only half an hour, it had been enough to make every soldier envious ever since.

Ike took a deep breath. As he pushed open the door, he could even feel his heartbeat quickening. This would definitely become the most boast-worthy tale at the tavern in the future.

"Forgive the intrusion, Lord Mage." As the old hinges let out a creaking groan, Ike stepped inside, bringing in a gust of cold air. He quickly shut the door behind him, afraid of letting in even a trace more chill.

Mage Jialan lifted his eyes and examined the uninvited guest.

The young soldier's figure cast a straight, upright silhouette in the candlelight, while melted snow from his fur boots spread into dark stains across the floorboards.

Ice crystals still clung to the edge of the helmet in his arms. The single-handed sword at his waist swayed lightly with his movements, its leather scabbard brushing against his chainmail with soft, fragmented sounds. On his face, reddened by the cold wind, his tightly pressed lips revealed how hard he was pretending to remain calm.

"The captain sent me to deliver a message." Ike placed his right fist over his chest in a standard military salute, his voice unconsciously dropping even lower. "Someone claiming to be a member of the Hurricane Mercenary Group has come seeking an audience. Would you be willing to receive him, my lord?"

Jialan understood at once. It seemed they were going to hunt that Ice Leopard.

"Go back first. Tell the captain that I will head over shortly."

Ike secretly glanced around the mage's dwelling once more. Even though he could not see everything clearly, he still felt extremely excited.

After saluting the mage in farewell again, he hurried through the bitter cold toward the nearby Barracks, eager to report the completion of his task to the captain. As for whom he would boast to afterward, and how he would boast, that was not something he could consider now.

After Ike left, Jialan packed several spellcasting materials and various potions into his Spatial Bag. Once he had finished preparing, he left his cabin and headed toward the Barracks.

Kendy Lawrence was the highest-ranking officer of this border Barracks, commanding more than a hundred soldiers stationed there. Though only in his forties, his beard was already half gray. He was rigid, resolute, and conscientious.

When he heard that Jialan was going to help the mercenary group hunt the Ice Leopard, he had initially objected. There was only one spellcaster in the entire Barracks. If anything happened to him, Kendy Lawrence would never be able to answer to the military authorities.

However, when he learned from Jialan about the effects of Nishang Grass, he began to waver. It was a spiritual herb that could allow a spellcaster to advance in rank. An increase in Jialan's strength would also increase the strength of the entire Barracks, so in the end, he agreed.

To guard against any unforeseen circumstances, he assigned his two most capable personal guards to protect Jialan and ordered them to ensure his safety at all costs. One of them was the soldier named Ike, who had delivered Jialan's message.

The sky was covered in dark, leaden clouds. Gusts of north wind swept through as raindrops mixed with grayish-white pellets of snow fell from above.

The rain and snow were fine and dense, turning the road muddy. The temperature had already dropped to a very low point. A faint glow flickered over Jialan's body, so subtle that it was impossible to notice without looking carefully through the rain and snow.

"Once we get over that hill ahead, we'll be there." The plump Tavern Owner turned back and smiled at Jialan.

After two days of travel, Jialan and his two companions, along with more than a dozen members of the Hurricane Mercenary Group—the organization to which the plump Tavern Owner belonged—had finally arrived near the Ice Leopard's lair.

The road ahead became even muddier and more rugged, forcing everyone to abandon their horses and continue on foot. Some stretches were narrow and dangerous, running along sheer cliffs that horses simply could not cross.

An assassin from the Hurricane Mercenary Group scouted ahead, while Jialan and his two companions remained in the middle of the group. At first, the Tavern Owner had worried that Jialan would not be able to keep up, but he later discovered that Jialan was not as frail as other mages, and his speed increased as well.

Near dusk, a mountain range appeared ahead. The assassin suddenly stopped and let out two short birdcalls, and the entire group swiftly concealed themselves.

"We're here!" The plump Tavern Owner pointed at a cave beneath a massive boulder ahead and whispered to Jialan.

Jialan nodded. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he softly chanted a few words and cast the support spell Mental Revelation on himself. Then he closed his eyes and slowly extended his mental power into the cave.

The stone cave was three or four zhang wide in diameter. Its interior twisted deep into the darkness and was overgrown with ferns, with exposed edges of ore visible in some places.

After winding around several bends, the space inside suddenly widened, revealing a clear spring. On the rock wall beside it, a plant wreathed in fluorescent light swayed gently. The moment Jialan's mental power surged inside, a snow-white leopard lying atop a huge boulder suddenly opened its eyes.