Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The soldiers under his command moved very quickly.
They acted as if they had received professional training.
Drawing greatswords from behind their backs or removing shields, they began to dig into the ground.
In a moment, they had dug a deep pit.
Once it was shaped into a right angle, (Player Name) (M) led everyone into the man-made cave and then had the sole Star Mage present use earth magic to seal the ceiling.
Earth magic generally uses materials at hand.
The drawn earth element came from the gray rubble around them.
So after the cave was sealed.
If one didn’t come over to look carefully, they wouldn’t be able to tell that it had been dug.
The reason (Player Name) (M) wanted to take immediate cover was that the Orc Shaman was clearly being pursued, and the enemy might track the Orc Shaman’s position again, ultimately affecting them.
To observe the situation on the surface, (Player Name) (M) used a mirror carried by Claudia to create a simple periscope.
When the periscope was finished, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. Relying on the powerful control of a mage, he had fashioned the periscope structure out of earth, and fixed the mirror in place.
This invention,
in this game world, would surely have epoch-making significance.
He could already imagine the adoring expressions on the faces of the surrounding warriors and his wife, Claudia.
“Moyu, what is this?”
Seeing (Player Name) (M)’s smug expression as he peered at an unknown object, Claudia’s curiosity was piqued.
And (Player Name) (M) was waiting for this moment!
After all this posturing and preening, wasn’t it just to attract the attention of Claudia and the others?
With Claudia’s question, the others also cast curious glances.
The smugness on (Player Name) (M)’s face lessened, but more of it reflected in his eyes. He cleared his throat and began to seriously explain the periscope’s function.
“Don’t underestimate this mud tube; it can help us see the situation on the surface. If you don’t believe me, Claudia, you can try it.”
“That magical? But…”
Claudia bit her lip and glanced at (Player Name) (M), unsure whether to speak or not.
“No ‘buts,’ come and see. I guarantee you’ll be amazed by this great invention!”
(Player Name) (M) patted his chest, making a solemn promise.
Seeing how excited (Player Name) (M) was, Claudia didn’t want to dampen his spirits, so she patiently approached the periscope and took a look.
She could indeed see the situation on the surface, but the field of vision was greatly limited, and the angle couldn’t be adjusted freely, only rotating 360 degrees horizontally.
“How is it? Isn’t my invention amazing?”
(Player Name) (M) stood tall and proud, ready to receive Claudia’s praise.
“It’s indeed wonderful,” Claudia said with a smile, covering her mouth.
(Player Name) (M)’s head lifted even higher.
“However, Moyu, I need to tell you something. You… Never mind. Actually, we mages have a very subtle magic called ‘Scouting.’ It can show the situation of a designated location outside of our visible range.”
At this point,
Claudia noticed that
(Player Name) (M)’s expression visibly darkened. His upturned face became somewhat pale, and even his hands trembled slightly.
Seeing that (Player Name) (M) was about to collapse, Claudia quickly tried to smooth things over, comforting him:
“But it has a critical flaw, which is that the caster cannot be too far from the designated location. There’s a severe distance limitation… Uh, it seems that compared to the periscope, this isn’t much of a flaw at all…”
“Haha…”
Claudia gave an awkward laugh.
(Player Name) (M) stiffened for a moment, then wiped his face.
He felt as if something inside him had shattered.
“Actually, aside from ‘Scouting,’ we Star Mages also have a similar spell called ‘Eye of Vigilance.’ This is a completely invisible spell. After casting, it forms an ‘Eye of Vigilance’ at the target location to monitor and observe the surrounding situation.”
The sole Star Mage in the group said this while casually conjuring a silver eyeball.
The eyeball floated in mid-air, playfully blinked its eye, and then gradually became invisible, completely blending into the surrounding environment.
At the same time,
the Star Mage’s words delivered the final blow to (Player Name) (M)’s fragmented mind:
“What you’ve made, uh… What’s it called again… Oh right, the periscope, is indeed ingeniously and elaborately constructed, filled with whimsical ideas. However, for a mage, its usefulness is somewhat redundant.”
“Alright, stop talking. I understand now.”
(Player Name) (M) sighed powerlessly.
He wasn’t a mage and had no idea about all these intricacies.
Usually, his discussions with Claudia were about clothes and poses, never about magic.
Now, he realized he had underestimated the versatility of magic in this game world.
Magic is amazing!
With magic, you can do whatever you want.
Today, he, being Moyu, admitted defeat.
“Moyu, your periscope is actually still useful. At the very least, it can allow this Star Magus to send an ‘Eye of Vigilance’ through the periscope’s tube to the surface. This way, we can easily observe the situation of the plane.”
Claudia affectionately patted the dejected (Player Name) (M)’s head, as if comforting a bullied child.
She forgot that the person who had just dealt the blow to (Player Name) (M) was the one she hated the most.
“Okay, now that you say that, it seems feasible.”
After being comforted, and seeing that his periscope wasn’t entirely useless, (Player Name) (M) finally felt a bit better.
He had a good disposition to begin with. Almost instantly, he emerged from his psychological shadow and became re-energized.
The Star Mage beside him didn’t hesitate.
The ‘Eye of Vigilance’ he had just conjured reappeared before everyone.
It then drilled through the narrow periscope tube to the surface.
And gradually rose into the sky.
Inside the cave, the Star Magus spread his hands, and a silver screen instantly appeared before everyone. The high-definition picture showed the surface situation directly above their cave.
What’s the difference between this and a high-definition camera?
Looking at the mages’ various magical techniques, (Player Name) (M) couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
However, in Frost City, the Star Magus was the only mage profession.
And changing to the Star Magus profession required considerable sacrifice.
It was much more expensive than changing to a Venom Dragon.
If one didn’t rely on mission rewards to obtain a slot, it would take at least a month for a player to gather the materials and costs required for the job change, and that’s assuming they were an elite player.
Perhaps, after completing this mission, he could make a request to the King of Winter?
After all, this mission was quite dangerous.
As (Player Name) (M) was lost in thought, the Star Magus suddenly frowned and whispered,
“There’s movement!”
