Chapter 65 – You Look Good

Light Mages, compared to others, always carry a certain air of arrogance. Although the faith in the Goddess of Light, Astherea, is no longer as steadfast as in legends, mages still revere her as a sacred deity, and Light Mages are considered her apostles on Earth. This is evident from the massive statue of the goddess that stands in the very center of the Floating Sky Capital.

However, Miss Tiki received a rather lukewarm response. Haitie, still feeling down after the conversation at sea, didn’t greet her with much enthusiasm. Duan Yu merely gave her a cold nod, while Lin Wei—he greeted Tiki with a faint smile and then turned to leave.

Before leaving, Lin Wei took a moment to observe Tiki’s expression. The girl pouted slightly, her dissatisfaction evident. Her eyes were beautiful, her lips full, and this small gesture added a touch of adorable haughtiness to her demeanor.

Lin Wei’s thoughts wandered, recalling her on the battlefield—an impulsive mage with flames of hatred and killing intent burning in her eyes, wielding a massive, blazing light sword. She was ruthless, even more troublesome than the Leader. In terms of pure strength, she couldn’t match Lin Wei, but she always managed to survive the latter half of the war under the Leader’s protection.

Lin Wei headed to the Tidis family’s harbor in Siren Bay, where letters to His Majesty the Emperor were dispatched. The letter emphasized the mages’ contributions, and whether out of genuine gratitude or mere courtesy, the Empire would soon officially express its thanks to the Magic World. This would provide a chance to ease the strained relationship between the two—something that would undoubtedly make Gregory uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do about it.

As for the letter to the Duke, Lin Wei summoned a small wind-element flying magical beast to carry the envelope to the Imperial Capital at top speed. Through soul communication, he would immediately know his father’s response.

The round trip took him half a day, and when he returned to the original location, the others were in a tavern by the harbor.

The tavern was empty except for them. A few plates of fruit were placed on the brown wooden table, and the owner stood nervously nearby, occasionally stealing glances at these mages who seemed to have stepped out of legends.

Two of the new first-years had already arrived. Besides the Light Mage Tiki, there was a flaxen-haired boy dressed in ordinary clothes, with a clean and refined appearance, clearly not from a magical family.

While Lin Wei didn’t exactly dislike Tiki, he didn’t have much fondness for her either. Instead, he was more interested in talking to this magic apprentice from the mainland.

The boy, who was about to become an Earth Mage, was named Lucas. He came from Greenstone County in the south, the only child of a common family. New to the Magic World, he still seemed a bit reserved, speaking with a southern accent.

After learning that Lin Wei was also from the mainland, Lucas gradually became more talkative.

“My father is a tailor… I’ve always dreamed of becoming a mercenary. My mother often told me stories about the leader of the Finkel Mercenary Group—that old mercenary who always returned empty-handed. He was penniless, but he still angrily threw away the silver coins people gave him as charity. In the end, he finally became a famous mercenary leader,” Lucas’s cheeks flushed with excitement, but then his expression dimmed. “But I was tested for magical talent. I don’t know what I’ll do in the future.”

Beside him, his classmate Tiki frowned at his words and retorted, “That’s your good fortune—you’ll never have to live among those crude mainlanders again!”

This was indeed the impression most mages had of the mainland… Miss Tiki was undoubtedly a straightforward mage, but her words weren’t exactly endearing. Lucas still hadn’t developed any sense of belonging to the Magic World, and Lin Wei was also one of those “mainlanders,” so the conversation lulled into silence.

At that moment, Haitie noticed something outside the window. “Master Xipo and the others are here.”

On the dock, a group of mages in robes of various colors were discussing something as they looked at the dark clouds rolling in the distance, clearly unsure of how to return.

Haitie opened the dark brown window frame and waved at Xipo in his light blue robe. “Master Xipo!”

The already anxious tavern owner grew even more nervous—his humble little tavern, with only seven tables, was about to welcome even more mages!

The silver-haired owner resignedly opened the door to greet these special guests, silently praying that his tavern—his only property—wouldn’t be accidentally shattered by the “mystical powers” these mages carried.

There were two empty seats at Lin Wei’s table, and Xipo took one of them. “Why are you all at the dock? Are you also looking for a way back?”

“We just came back from Siren Island,” Lin Wei replied.

Xipo looked puzzled.

“It’s like this, Master Xipo,” Haitie took over, briefly explaining what had happened over the past few days.

Xipo smiled. “Then I must congratulate you on escaping death—you actually rode a Magic Wheel back to the academy during the Seasonal Tide.”

“You almost didn’t get to see us,” Haitie said. “But now we can all return to the island together. Teacher Ansel sent out his most powerful sea beast to bring the new first-years back.”

Xipo nodded, greeting Tiki and Lucas and exchanging names. Then, he looked around the tavern and said, “I’ve never been in a place like this before.”

“We’ll probably have lunch here—it’s a good chance for you to experience mainland food,” Lin Wei said with a smile.

The owner, when asked by the guests, looked troubled. “Respected mage lords, the storm came too suddenly. We haven’t had any business for days, and we haven’t bought any fresh ingredients…”

“So, what do you have now?”

The owner wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered, “Right now, we have bread, meat stew, and strong liquor.”

Sailors, after finishing their season at sea, longed for mainland food, strong liquor, and women. Thus, the small taverns by the docks mostly sold food and alcohol.

Lin Wei admitted he was being a bit mischievous because, in addition to the golden bread and steaming, fragrant stew, a pewter jug of liquor was also placed on the table.

He poured a cup for himself and Lucas, then looked at the others. “Would you like to try it?”

Haitie sniffed the pungent aroma and shook her head. While the smell of mainland food was a delightful novelty for mages, the strong liquor was far too intense.

Tiki, seeing Lin Wei and Lucas drinking without hesitation and finding the stew and bread delicious, decisively poured herself half a cup. However, after taking a sip, she grimaced, struggling to swallow it down, her face paling. She glared at Lucas, clearly having suffered a significant assault on her delicate mage’s palate.

Seeing Tiki’s reaction, Xipo decisively declined this “mainlander” offer.

Mages didn’t seem as mysterious, eccentric, or aloof as the legends suggested—this scene finally made Lucas laugh, easing the atmosphere at the table. The humid southern climate made its residents fond of strong drinks, so Lucas was quite accustomed to the spicy kick. As for Lin Wei, while the liquor was far from “mild,” he could handle it, as drinking was part of the etiquette taught to nobles in the Imperial Capital.

Lin Wei, still smiling, handed his half-filled cup to Duan Yu. “You drink.”

Though he had witnessed the potency of this translucent yellow liquid from Tiki’s reaction, it was hard to refuse when faced with those slightly curved, deep violet eyes—even if they clearly sparkled with mischief and ulterior motives.

Fortunately, the guy still had a tiny shred of conscience and reminded Duan Yu as he brought the cup to his lips, “Just a little. Don’t swallow it right away.”

Lin Wei was familiar with the sensation of alcohol. Ordinary, oat-brewed liquor like this was initially cool and bitter on the tongue, then gradually warmed and even burned, continuing to scorch the throat long after being swallowed.

He watched intently as the blond mage brought the silver cup to his pale lips. His thick lashes lowered as the yellow liquid flowed into his slightly parted mouth, releasing its spicy aroma.

Lin Wei had initially just wanted to see the usually aloof mage’s reaction to strong liquor, but he ended up ensnared himself—watching this scene, he felt the half cup he’d drunk earlier finally hit him, the burning sensation rising and taking a strange detour to his heart, making it pound wildly.

—He had to admit it once again: he was indeed smitten.

As Lin Wei had advised, Duan Yu only took a small sip, frowning slightly as he slowly swallowed the liquor, managing it far more smoothly than Tiki.

He set the cup down and immediately noticed Lin Wei’s bright gaze, resembling Haitie’s when she saw pretty clothes or Daniel’s when he spotted a Magic Wheel ready for dismantling.

“What’s wrong?” Duan Yu asked, slightly puzzled.

“Nothing,” Lin Wei replied, still smiling, but he suddenly leaned in and quickly kissed Duan Yu’s right cheek. “You look good.”

Everyone at the table, who had been focused on their food, suddenly stopped, feeling like they’d caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of their eyes.

Lin Wei, unfazed by their strange expressions and pretending not to have seen anything, said calmly, “This is a mainland custom—right, Lucas?”

Lucas paused briefly before replying, “…Seems like it.”