Chapter 301: The First Mage (2)

"What is your name?"

Just as Luo Qi was still standing there in disbelief, he suddenly heard Pei Shu ask this. Luo Qi was startled again; Pei Shu had just called his name a moment ago, only to forget it in the blink of an eye—was this not senile dementia?

But just as he was dazed, Guan Xinyue answered Pei Shu's question from behind him, "My name is Guan Xinyue."

Oh, so that was it. Luo Qi felt a bit embarrassed; he might have been half a beat behind again. He was prone to distraction anyway, and it seemed that spending too much time in the Mental World had exacerbated this "ailment" of his. He only had one brain, and it was already struggling to keep up; he had been pondering aimlessly and hadn't even noticed that Pei Shu had already turned his gaze toward Guan Xinyue behind them, nor did he know if he looked particularly dull.

Behind him, the young girl answered the Old Mage's question. Although she was somewhat reluctant, her upbringing did not allow her to stay so far from the person speaking, so she braced herself and walked to the Old Mage's side.

Luo Qi suddenly remembered that Guan Xinyue actually did not like Pei Shu. The Qionglin had handled the incident of her grandfather's passing too coldly; Mages were always arrogant, and the authorities would never truly treat a Mage's human family members as family. Pei Shu, of course, represented the Mage authorities, and Guan Xinyue had long held grievances against this head of the Qionglin whom she had never met.

Pei Shu looked Guan Xinyue over carefully. "You look very much like your grandfather."

Guan Xinyue was stunned for a moment. "I am a human."

"I know." Pei Shu smiled slightly, his eyes appearing somewhat mischievous for a fleeting moment. "Did they not tell you that people do not necessarily resemble one another because of blood ties?"

Luo Qi did not want to admit that his heart felt warm and somewhat touched; he saw the defensiveness on Guan Xinyue's face soften as well. "Someone has said that," she said, then suddenly thinking of the word "they," she quickly added, "The three of them all said so, too."

"Oh, the three of them are good children." Pei Shu laughed. His laughter was low and soft, reminding Luo Qi of those old men who sang jazz, who often had such a rich, warm timbre.

Pei Shu was very candid; he did not seem to be pretending, nor was he feigning kindness. He spoke very slowly, his eyes warm, and being by his side was like being wrapped in a faded old blanket from his grandfather's house. Luo Qi's grandfather had already passed away, and there was already a rift between him and his parents; even though his initial intent was one of caution and suspicion, the deep-seated yearning in his heart was ultimately gently awakened. He could not blame Du Zhengyi for his trust in Pei Shu; he recalled how Pei Shu had organized Du Zhengyi's manuscript during their first meeting, slowly pressing down the curled edges of the paper with his hand, and he, too, had once believed that the Old Mage cherished his student.

But he had watched Du Zhengyi go to his death with his own eyes.

This thought surged through Luo Qi's heart, like the bitter aftertaste that lingers on the tongue for a long time. Another thought emerged vaguely: perhaps they were all right—Pei Shu was right, and Du Zhengyi was right; they were truly selfless, and Luo Qi was the inferior human who could not escape base interests.

But that was Du Zhengyi, his friend, and it was his friend who was going to die. Luo Qi could not help but lean toward Du Zhengyi. Du Zhengyi gave him an inquiring look, and only then did he come to his senses and move away.

"Zhengyi, take them and come with me. I need to find a place for you all to avoid the current trouble."

"But Fan Shi is right here; are we really not going to look for him?" Du Zhengyi asked. "You can settle them first, and I will stay behind to help you."

Pei Shu showed an expression of being amused. "Child, Fan Shi is right there; he isn't going to run away. He is a Venerable, not a Lotus Burner; he won't just walk away, he will only go to the Committee to accuse me."

"But, do you not need my help? Preparing materials for the Committee will also take a lot of effort."

"You need to rest. What follows is indeed a time-consuming war of attrition, even more troublesome than solving problems with force; I may have to attend dozens of meetings. The power struggles of the Qionglin always burn through countless hours and resources, but this is my trouble, not your battlefield; you should not be dragged into this any further. I have other things to entrust to you, and I presume you have many questions you wish to ask." He smiled slightly and turned his head to look at Luo Qi.

"Alright." Du Zhengyi was reluctantly persuaded.

Luo Qi suspected he was persuaded by the mention of having other things for them to do; Du Zhengyi was practically a human spinning top, and a highly automated one at that—he would spin even without being whipped.

As if sensing his silent criticism, Du Zhengyi turned his head and glared at him.

Pei Shu had already turned around and stretched out a hand toward the empty space. It was as if he were stroking an invisible outline—Luo Qi could see it was likely an arc—and then an arched doorway gradually manifested before them.

Luo Qi roughly knew how he had arrived here, how he had suddenly appeared on the bridge outside the town. He had only ever heard of such High-level Magic.

Guan Xinyue widened her eyes in surprise and muttered, "My god, the Mage opened a door."

Majiang looked at her in confusion; she seemed to have received a huge shock, but logically speaking, she should have been used to it by now.

Luo Qi understood what was going on. "Mages opening portals is a classic game scenario—the otherworldly mages in games, like in the Magic Continent."

Majiang did not seem to quite understand, but he did not really want to ask for clarification either; there was indeed a cultural barrier here.

Du Zhengyi explained the principle to them. "In reality, it still utilizes the basic Pendragon Orbital System. It is just that some Great Mages who are proficient in Space Magic can use a Secret Language combined with their own energy to create a temporary base station, connecting to the Pendragon Orbital System to complete the transport of personnel."

"Oh..." Luo Qi suddenly had a flash of realization. "I have been wondering how you summoned your Psychic Beast. This is the method you used to call the lion and the dog, isn't it?"

"Yes," Du Zhengyi said. "But I cannot open this door myself right now; after I notified the laboratory, it was the Mages there who opened the door to send them over."

"Sent accurately to your side? Not to a nearby orbital station?" Luo Qi asked, pondering the complexity involved.

"The lion is my Psychic Beast and has a simple Entanglement with me; it can share my geographic Coordinate, which helps the technician on the other side correct the opening position," Du Zhengyi explained further. "The principle is actually very simple and not worth mentioning, though it does look a bit like the Summoning described by humans."

"Damn it!" Luo Qi said loudly, displeased, and Du Zhengyi was startled.

"What is wrong?"

"You would rather share an Entanglement with a lion than with me?" Luo Qi asked in disbelief.

"Shut up," Du Zhengyi said, his face darkening. "Idiot."

"Zhengyi?" Pei Shu called Du Zhengyi's name gently but with disapproval.

Du Zhengyi played deaf and dumb.

"Where are we going?" Luo Qi asked, sulking.

Because his attitude was not great, he was slapped on the back of the head again; by then, he had already stepped into the door Pei Shu had opened. Crossing through in one step, the lingering ache from the slap remained on the back of his head.

Stepping out, Luo Qi immediately felt a wave of heat wash over him, carrying the scent of burning wood and pine resin. The air seemed somewhat stagnant; he took a suspicious, deep breath and smelled other strange aromas in the burning air.

He was in a room; there was no one inside, and the lights were not on. However, a ball of Mage Fire was burning quietly, illuminating the surrounding red wooden furniture; the tall cabinets had a kind of rustic beauty. Luo Qi looked up and could see a bit of the exquisite painting on the ceiling.

Before he could see clearly, he was shoved from behind. "Tsk, don't you know you're blocking the way?"

Luo Qi moved aside to give some distance; he knew only Du Zhengyi would shove him like that. For some reason, seeing his dear mentor again seemed to make him feel a bit troubled. "Child abuse! Have you no shame?"

Du Zhengyi gave him a warning look. But, heaven and earth be my witness—Luo Qi muttered silently to himself—what exactly are you trying to warn me about?

Du Zhengyi said in a low voice, "Behave yourself, don't draw too much attention."

"What does that mean? You make it sound like I'm a wild child," Luo Qi said in a low voice.

They had no more time to say anything else; Guan Xinyue, Majiang, and Pei Shu soon walked in one after another.

Luo Qi stood as straight as he could, trying to be well-behaved; Du Zhengyi seemed particularly keen for him to act like a disciplined and sensible promising youth. Judging by the current situation, doing as Du Zhengyi intended was certainly not a bad idea.

He soon recalled what Du Zhengyi and Majiang had said: being a Mind Mage for the Qionglin was not a good job. Du Zhengyi might hope he could make Pei Shu think he was a dwarf, so as to avoid being drafted to take on heavy responsibilities.

Yet Du Zhengyi himself was quite satisfied with charging into battle for the Qionglin.

Majiang looked around curiously and was the first to ask a question, "What place is this?"

Pei Shu's answer made Luo Qi startle. "This is the secluded residence of the Highland Mage."

Luo Qi could not have been more confused, and he felt a bit ashamed, plus a little dazed.

"The Highland Mage can ensure you are not disturbed," Pei Shu said. "Power struggles should not involve children like you; when everything is over, I will call for you to return. Zhengyi also needs to find a quiet place to recuperate for a while; this mission must have drained you quite a bit, and this is a quiet, good place."

Luo Qi listened silently. Just as the Old Mage had almost finished speaking, Guan Xinyue unexpectedly chimed in. "Highland Mage? Highland? Is it the Wushan Mountains? Are there goddesses here? Will I be able to see a goddess later?"

Several men froze at the same time.

The Old Mage turned his head and looked gently at the little girl, but Luo Qi still felt his gaze was very sharp. "Child," the old man asked kindly, "which one of them told you such things?"

Luo Qi was greatly alarmed. Fortunately, Guan Xinyue observed his expression and did not speak the name, but the three of them were still swept by the old man's sharp gaze, and all three felt a bit awkward.