Badge in Azure
Badge in Azure - Chapter 97: Entering the Imperial Capital Part 2

However, Saleen could not sleep. He took out his family badge and began to caress it. Saleen had left Ceylon City almost one year ago, and so many thrilling events had happened since then.

Saleen could no longer return home, but staying with the viscountess was not a long term solution either. Also, he did not have the power to look for his teacher yet. His teacher had outright offended the royals and mages of Sikeqinya, so his teacher must have returned to the Qin Empire. But Saleen did not know where to start looking for him since the empire was enormous.

Saleen had originally thought that once he became a mage, he would have everything. But when he saw the numerous mages around the viscountess, he realized that his original thinking had been incredibly naïve and laughable. If he had never left Ceylon City, he would have never learned this lesson.

The moonlight shone through the window into the room. This room was so much like Saleen’s ancestral home with its stone walls. However, it did not seem as cold and lonely now that Nailisi was sleeping beside him.

Sika’s problems also needed to be settled as soon as possible. Sika’s intention in following Saleen had been to earn some money to support the people back in her village. But now that she had money, Saleen had caused her to be afraid of returning home. They would not have been in so much distress if it had not been for the Holy See. Damn that Holy See.

The more Saleen thought about the past, the more he could not sleep. He decided to sit up and practice magic instead.

Since the time that Saleen had come to know the sorcerer, he had learned the technique for dissipating magic. It was used to dissipate magic after a spell had been completely cast. This technique had no purpose in combat, and was only used to increase a mage’s ability to control magic more precisely.

Saleen was a perfectionist when it came to the practice of magic. After grasping a technique, he would always revise it whenever he started training again. Saleen started from Grade 0 magic and went through the spells one by one. He carefully controlled the speed of their castings and then dissipated them.

Saleen only knew less than ten Grade 0 spells. They were Reading Magic, Toxin Detection, Magic Alarm, Underwater Breathing, Fluorescence, Fog of Confusion, Acid Sputtering, and Cleaning. He was not able to cast burns using Fire Magic or the Invisible Shield of Wind Magic. His magic chords only supported Water Magic.

Saleen had a great comprehension of his Grade 1 spells. These spells were Icicle, Frost Array, Restorative Water, Ice Bomb, Ice Ring, and Water Shield.

From that point on, Saleen had learned Grade 2 and Grade 3 magic at the same time. Of the spells in Grade 2 magic, Saleen had only mastered Ice Arrow. Then he had moved on to control spells such as Winding Water and prolonged damage spells such as Poisonous Fog. There was not much Grade 2 and Grade 3 Water Magic that could be learned together, so Saleen had spent most of his energy on three Grade 3 spells.

They were Ice Blade spell, Swamp Illusion, and Acid Rain.

These three spells demonstrated the toughness, versatility, and sustainability of Water Magic. In the hands of a sorcerer, an ice blade could counter a Grade 6 fireball. Swamp Illusion could be sustained for more than half an hour. Even though the spell’s effective area was not big, its containment capabilities were better than that of some high-grade spells. For Saleen, he could prolong Swamp Illusion for more than an hour.

Acid Rain was a spell that could cause damage over a large area. It was a spell that was rarely found in Grade 3 magic, as it usually only appeared in Grade 4 magic. At first, Saleen had learned this spell because he had limited choices, but he later realized the importance of having coordination with warriors during battle. Thus, he had begun learning this spell more seriously.

A white magic light flashed continuously in Saleen’s hand, causing the room which had been in pitch black darkness to light up. Saleen knew that he possessed no talent, so he needed to work more and work harder than the others to win the race against time and become a sorcerer. When his magic chords had been drained, Saleen channeled his mental power into the Myers Goddess’ necklace and began studying the Figaro formula. When his mental power had also nearly been fully exhausted, he then used his family badge to completely drain his body of energy.

The negative effects resulting from the use of his family badge lasted for only half an hour before disappearing. Then, Saleen held onto a Grade 3 magic nucleus and began meditating.

Saleen spent the night undergoing many cycles of training followed by meditation to regain his mental power. Before he knew it, it was already the next morning. He opened his eyes and water for washing up had already been delivered to the door. Nailisi stood guard by the door and prevented anyone from entering.

"Master, the rest of the people have started eating," Nailisi said and licked her lips. She was feeling hungry.

Saleen slapped his forehead. He had been so engrossed in practice that he had forgotten his manners. Fortunately, he knew that the convoy would only be entering the capital in the afternoon. Saleen quickly washed his face and wiped his hands dry before having the soldiers lead him and Nailisi to the canteen.

The canteen had never been a small place to begin with as it was the place where the commanders ate their meals. Viscountess Lex was in charge of one hundred combat mages and had filled up the entire canteen. The mages had already finished their main courses, and Scott was talking to the viscountess. When Viscountess Lex saw Saleen entering the canteen, she waved at him.

Saleen smiled and walked over calmly.

"Have a seat." Viscountess Lex pointed to the space beside her, and someone immediately brought over two chairs.

"Where’s Sika?" Saleen and Nailisi sat down. Ever since Nailisi had managed to get the information out of the silver grand swordmaster, no one regarded her as a maidservant anymore. Saleen did not see Sika, and could not help but ask the viscountess about it.

Viscountess Lex laughed when she heard Saleen’s question. Scott could only lower his head as he was shaken by the viscountess’ laugh.

"Sika was so bored that she went to practice with the soldiers."

Saleen frowned, but then he remembered that nothing would happen to Sika. Saleen could tell that Scott was trying to get into the good books of the viscountess. It was just that he was able to hide his motives very well. Although there were many skilled people in the imperial capital, the laws in the capital were very strict as well, and it seemed like Saleen was already making himself too nervous.

"Great Mage, what would you like to eat?" Scott asked Saleen warmly. He had noticed that Saleen was sitting nearby the viscountess and thought that it would be good to get to know him too.

"There are rules in the army camp. I will just have some dim sum," Saleen said, as he pointed to a plate that belonged to a mage sitting opposite him. Saleen did not want any preferential treatment. Mages were respected not because of their pride, but because of their powers and knowledge. Since everyone had finished eating, Saleen felt that it was fine to simply eat dim sum and drink some tea.

"Scott, please tell me more about the Monitor Lizard Business. What happened after that?" Viscountess Lex continued with her question, interrupting Scott’s greetings to Saleen.

Scott coughed awkwardly and replied, "The Monitor Lizard Business has managed to spread to the imperial capital. Naturally, the four big clans couldn’t tolerate them. As you know, violence wouldn’t have solved any problems in the imperial capital. Then, in a rare turn of events, the four big clans teamed up and organized the biggest auction in the history of the capital. The purpose was to cause the Monitor Lizard Business’ auction to fail. In the end, no one turned up to the Monitor Lizard Business auction."

Saleen’s ears perked up when he heard Scott’s words. The four big clans? The Clyde family, which Aini was in, was one of the four big clans Scott was talking about. So even families of businessmen could call the shots in the Holy Rock City?

"The people who were bribed by the Monitor Lizard businesspeople let them cause so much trouble?" Viscountess Lex asked.

"Of course not. This matter eventually went up to His Majesty."

"What did my father say?"

"His Majesty said that the capital wasn’t like Sikeqinya, and that the Monitor Lizard businesspeople shouldn’t interfere with business in the capital. These businessmen eventually left the imperial capital in shame, and lost everything."

"Lost everything? I don’t think so. The Monitor Lizard businesspeople had already made the necessary connections to the lower house. In less than five years, the clan behind these people will be conferred royal titles. There is an advantage to dealing with people in the lower house. As long as they are paid, they will finish the job. On the surface, my father may have seemed like he was protecting the four big clans, but in his heart, he was actually secretly unhappy with them. The four big clans have profited too much from the spending sprees on weapons these past few years. They have forgotten who has been supporting them all along," Viscountess Lex rebutted.

"Actually, the sale of weapons hasn’t been that important. In the past few years, the four big clans have groomed many mages."

"They had no choice. The empire forbids the keeping of private armies. Furthermore, the businessmen needed to roam the mainland to do business. If they wanted to compete with the people from Sikeqinya, then they would need some combat power for protection. After this incident, were there any changes in the seats of the lower house?"

"The Duke of Burgundy has died, leaving an empty seat in the lower house, but there are no nominations so far. Rumors have said that there were a few nominations, but His Majesty was not pleased with them."

"My father doesn’t interfere with the affairs of the lower house. It must be my uncle. He wants to use this seat to attract indecisive people. Scott, if you want to survive in the imperial capital, you must learn to look beyond the surface."

Scott simply laughed but did not reply. Viscountess Lex could say these words, but he could not. It was taboo for military personnel to be involved in politics. Even if he were to inherit his father’s title and become a baron, he still would not be considered anyone important in the capital.

Saleen had listened in on the conversation but had gotten very confused. He only possessed a rough understanding that not everyone could survive in the imperial capital.

As Scott and the viscountess were speaking, a commotion could be heard outside. Scott shouted for a soldier, and a soldier came. Scott asked, "What is happening outside?"

"The female warrior who was traveling with the viscountess is pitting her strength against Wild Bear."

"Atrocious!" Scott was a little angry. He had met with Sika yesterday and had gained a good impression of this petite female warrior. He thought that she was a bed warmer for the mages. Pitting her strength against Wild Bear? If Sika got hurt, he would have trouble explaining this to the viscountess.

"It’s fine. Saleen, go and take a look once you are done eating." Viscountess Lex did not let Scott continue berating the soldier. She knew that Sika had immense strength, but this soldier called Wild Bear must have been the strongman amongst all of the soldiers. It would be a rare sight to see a petite beauty sparring against a strongman. The viscountess’ agenda for going to the capital this time around was to influence people into being loyal to her. She could use this opportunity to familiarize herself with the troops guarding the empire.

The spar took place in the square where soldiers usually did their drills. Now, there were thousands of people surrounding the square. When the viscountess arrived, the soldiers quickly made room for her. In the square, Sika was sparring with a warrior who was two heads taller than her.

Sika was already considered tall compared to other females. Saleen had grown quite a bit, but he was still about the same height as Sika. The burly warrior called Wild Bear was half naked and his hands were empty. His hands were placed on Sika’s arms. Sika and this warrior were purely pitting their brute strength against one another. The warrior had bulging muscles, wore a pair of shiny leather shorts, and was barefooted, resembling a chef.

At first, the soldiers were roaring and cheering for both parties, but when Viscountess Lex arrived, everyone immediately quieted down. That warrior became distracted and took a glance outside the square. Sika did not care why and exerted her strength. The warrior lost his balance and Sika took a step forward. She raised his arms and went under his armpits, and with just one punch, the burly warrior flew out of the square.

Sika had not executed her finishing move. That warrior had landed and struck the ground with a great amount of force and said angrily, "This doesn’t count!"

Sika arched her eyebrows and asked, "Why not?"

"I… I will never lose to you!" This burly warrior was obviously not eloquent, and the soldiers who were watching burst out into laughter. Viscountess Lex also laughed. Sika was good at managing her strength. Not bad. But she did not know that Saleen had reminded Sika to rein herself in. Otherwise, Sika’s punch would have caused Wild Bear to vomit blood.

"The man called Wild Bear, come over," Viscountess Lex said gently, as she gestured to the burly warrior who was lying on the ground.