A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 82 Farewell

Before going to work, Jiang Shuzhou planned to sell the dozens of bottles of magic water he had refined to alleviate his tight cash flow.

Jiang Shuzhou had spent a lot of money on potions and magical equipment, almost spending all the money he had saved up.

Carrying a box of fifty bottles of magic potion downstairs, Jiang Shuzhou handed it directly to the front desk and quickly received his due reward of five hundred gold coins, plus fifty new potion bottles as a bonus. This was probably to make it easier for mages to refine magic potion, saving them the trouble of buying new potion bottles.

"It's really convenient."

No matter how many times Jiang Shuzhou looked at it, he would always sigh like this. Because the mages didn't like to go out and preferred to be alone, the mage guild was very well-equipped, covering everything from clothing, food, housing, and transportation to even the trading function.

If you want to buy or sell something, you can simply place an order at the front desk; it's very convenient.

The only downside is that, unlike on Earth, we can't communicate directly online; we still need to meet face-to-face, and online transactions are not possible.

He instructed the receptionist to place the medicine bottle at the door; he didn't even consider adding such a worthless item to his inventory.

After flagging down a horse-drawn carriage, Jiang Shuzhou finally returned to the dock area he had been away from for so long.

The dock area was much the same as usual today. It was clear that Jiang Shuzhou's leave had no impact on the area. Soldiers patrolled the streets, and hardworking workers filled the docks. Everything was as before.

Of course, Jiang Shuzhou's office location has changed slightly.

"It's definitely good to have a private office."

Sitting in his large office on the second floor of the former Weasley Clinic, Jiang Shuzhou couldn't help but sigh.

He then took out alchemy tools from his inventory. He planned to study alchemy in the morning, learn magic in the afternoon, and finally practice meditation in the evening.

People always need to plan what they do. Jiang Shuzhou's time is not unlimited, so good planning can help him achieve twice the result with half the effort.

However, before that, Jiang Shuzhou planned to give some pointers to his dutiful subordinate.

Tell Chick, who is waiting at the door, to call Hayes over.

Just a few minutes later, before Jiang Shuzhou had even turned a few pages of his book, Hayes arrived at the office door in a flurry of activity.

"Come in."

Upon hearing the knock, Jiang Shuzhou spoke to the door.

"Sir, what brings you here?"

Jiang Shuzhou looked at Hayes with admiration in his eyes. Hayes was a talent. Although Hayes' strength was far inferior to Jiang Shuzhou's, he was quite capable. With Hayes leading the way, Jiang Shuzhou had much less trouble.

"grown ups?"

Hayes felt a chill run down his spine. After all, anyone would feel uneasy being stared at like that, especially since this mage was no benevolent person.

Although this monk was much younger than him, his behavior was just like most monks – cold and ruthless.

Of course, compared to other mages, this mage still had some humanity.

How are your parents lately? Have they been feeling unwell?

"This... sir, there shouldn't be one."

Jiang Shuzhou's first words left Hayes completely bewildered. Could it be that the adults called me here because they were concerned about me?

"You haven't even seen a doctor, how can you draw such a conclusion? Besides, research shows that living in a coastal city like Verisco, constantly exposed to sea breezes, can gradually worsen your health."

"I remember your parents were from the Ovi Empire?"

"Yes, sir."

"Go home and visit more often. After all, it's hard to leave one's hometown. Let your parents go back and rest more. Don't let them run around with you at their age."

There seemed to be a hidden meaning in those words. Hayes sensed something but couldn't quite grasp it, so he could only agree repeatedly.

"Have there been more patrols lately?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's normal, after all, the more you work, the more you earn."

"By the way, how much money have you saved?"

"My lord, I didn't save much. I used it all up when I bought the medicine from you a few days ago."

Shaking his head, Jiang Shuzhou didn't say anything more, but instead lowered his head and began to write something.

"Save up some money recently. Your position might change. Maybe I can pull some strings and get you a more relaxed job," Jiang Shuzhou said as he wrote.

"Sir, I will."

Hayes had already realized that something was wrong, but Jiang Shuzhou's next words made his expression change drastically.

"After all, now is the time for exploration, just like the first Storm Sea War."

Returning home, increased patrols, job changes, pioneering, the Storm Sea War—these words echoed in Hayes's mind. Finally, Hayes's face gradually turned pale. He understood what the mage in front of him was implying.

War is coming!

"My lord... this..."

"Pay more attention to your family. I'm giving you the day off this morning, and this is an advance on your salary. Don't let your family suffer. Let them go somewhere where they won't be blown away by the sea."

As he spoke, Jiang Shuzhou handed Hayes a letter and a small bag containing dozens of gold coins.

"This letter is a letter of introduction; otherwise, tickets for the ferry would be extremely difficult to buy these days."

Hayes accepted the letter of introduction, bowed deeply to Jiang Shuzhou, and then quickly walked out of the office.

Sure enough, she's quite capable, but her emotional intelligence is lacking.

The hints were so obvious that if Jiang Shuzhou hadn't practically made it explicit at the end, Hayes would still only have sensed something was wrong, and by the time he realized it, the war would have already begun.

It's relatively safe for now, since even the most outrageous mages wouldn't casually spread news of the war.

However, don't expect to keep it a secret for long. After all, this news was announced in front of 10,000 people, so they probably made preparations long ago and never intended to keep it a secret.

Seeing Hayes downstairs, who had gone from walking briskly to sprinting, Jiang Shuzhou chuckled to himself, never expecting that this composed soldier could be so reckless.

Next was Chick. Jiang Shuzhou only mentioned this foreman he met as soon as he landed, hinting that something big might happen to him, but he didn't give him any specific instructions like Hayes did.

After all, he's just an ordinary person with average abilities. His emotional intelligence is indeed quite good, but that's about it. If it weren't for Jiang Shuzhou's appreciation of his hard work, he wouldn't have even mentioned this to him. As for whether he could understand it or not, that wasn't Jiang Shuzhou's concern.

After giving his two only trusted confidants some pointers, Jiang Shuzhou prepared to continue studying pharmacology. There was no need for the remaining soldiers to know this information, since they were not only incompetent but also lacked loyalty. After all this time, not a single one of them had left an impression on him.

And so, while Hayes was incredibly busy, Jiang Shuzhou leisurely studied pharmacy in his office.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Mom and Dad, wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

At the port ticket office, Hayes anxiously gave instructions to his parents. Then, holding the letter of introduction written by Jiang Shuzhou, he found the ticket seller who had just said there were no tickets available.

"Sir, there are really no tickets left. Please don't make things difficult for me."

The ticket seller looked quite helpless as Hayes returned.

"I have a letter of introduction from the Venerable Master. Please be lenient with me."

As he spoke, Hayes took out a small bag of gold coins and handed it to the ticket seller.

The ticket seller calmly accepted the gold coins and carefully examined the letter of introduction. Finding nothing wrong with it, and even noting that it bore Jiang Shuzhou's mage mark, making it virtually impossible to forge, he sighed and then said...

"You have truly met a kind sir. Here are your parents' boat tickets, which cost ten gold coins in total."

What used to cost only one or two gold coins for a ticket now costs twice as much. Hayes understands that times have changed and the high price is normal.

"Son, I believe in the choice you made."

Hayes' father, Old Derby, said this, before changing the subject and offering further advice.

"Sometimes choice is more important than effort, son. Remember, if you don't take action now, this will be the last thing that monk will do for you."

Hayes knew that his father was probably telling him not to refuse the sorcerer's offer.

"I understand, Father. I will consider it carefully."

Old Derby glanced at his son, sighed deeply, and finally left with his wife, who was waiting in the distance.

Hayes watched his parents board the ship, and even after the ship's bells rang and the sails were raised, he lingered, reluctant to leave.