Farmer Mage

Chapter 64: [Mage]

Chapter 64: [Mage]

“Not that I’m in a rush, but when will the carriage arrive?”

Cal expected some sort of transportation to be waiting for them, but there was nothing of the sort. He couldn’t see the Overseer running around to travel through the territory, hence the assumption about the carriage.

“Who said anything about a carriage?” The Overseer apparently enjoyed being unnecessarily cryptic.

I should have learned by now that my assumptions are too often wrong.

Cal shifted as they waited in silence. It hadn’t been longer than a few seconds in total, but when the Overseer was his waiting companion, even a few seconds felt too long.

“So, are we going to the training grounds for this?” Cal honestly didn’t care where they went. He just wanted to fill the silence.

“No. There is nothing usable there at the moment. We’ll be going to the Central Sanctum.”

“The core guild?” He asked with surprise. “Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of me staying beneath the guild’s notice?:”

The Overseer glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t get confused about the extent of your secrecy. The ones that need to know in the Celestial Order are aware of your developments, so there’s no reason to fear getting close to the Celestial Sanctum as long as you don’t draw the attention of the Masters.”

... Just when I thought I had a handle on the Overseer, it is proven wrong when he releases som new information.

“Since the Masters and the Elder Council are unaware, I’m guessing the guildmaster knows of me?” Cal couldn’t think of another possibility. After all, the incident in the Great Market was suppressed to avoid letting the council know.

The only issue was that the guildmaster was a... dumbass. There was no other way to put it politely. Cal had only seen him a couple times from a distance in his previous life, but he was almost certain the man was the main cause of the Celestial Order’s downfall.

The Overseer—now known for being cryptic—hummed noncommittally.

Cal didn’t get the chance to probe the matter further. The ground started to glow softly before an unfamiliar runic circle appeared. It was large enough to comfortably fit up to three people within its borders.

“Let’s not delay any further, Apprentice Cal,” the Overseer had already stepped inside the circle and motioned for him to do the same.

Cal switched between eyeing the runic circle and the Overseer. It wasn’t hard to figure out what the runic circle was for, but he was having a difficult time accepting someone in the Celestial Order was capable of it.

“This is going to take us to the Central Sanctum?” Cal didn’t try to hide the doubt he felt.

“As I mentioned, it’s not an issue for me to travel inside the guild’s territory. I commissioned this circle when I realized the Northern Wastes would become a place I must visit frequently. It’s unfortunate that it is so weak, but we must accept what we can possess.”

Is this a nudge for me to choose [Rune Scribe]? It won’t work.

Cal didn’t respond to what the Overseer said, but he did step into the circle. It immediately lit up and flashed a bright white.

It was almost shocking how seamless the whole process was. One moment, Cal was staring at a dirt path with trees on both sides; the next, he was staring at the sprawling city that was informally called the core guild.

“Follow.”

Cal turned in surprise when the Overseer didn’t go towards the core guild. He was walking in the opposite direction.

“Er, the core guild is that way,” Cal had to comment even though it felt redundant.

“Do you want to reveal yourself?” The Overseer’s reply was rhetorical and directly contradicted what he said less than a minute ago.

... The Overseer said I shouldn’t fear getting close to the Central Sanctum. Not the core guild. So, the man is fond of misdirection in addition to being cryptic.

Cal followed the Overseer silently before stopping where the land rapidly sloped down into a cliff. There was a deep pit where he could see several golems with massive proportions mining the land. The pit was filled with deposits of purple rock, which were clawed out of the ground by the golems.

“That color looks familiar,” Cal muttered as he pulled out a guildmark. The coin had the same shade of purple and the rock being mined below.

“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s the best. Rune Scribe is far better, in my opinion.” The Overseer’s overly genuine expression didn’t convince Cal.

“I choose Mage.” He ignored how the Overseer let out a small sigh.

[Mage] selected.

WARNING

[Mage] is a principal [Class]. This cannot be overwritten in the future and will be permanent once selected.

Are you sure this is the secondary [Class] you want to select?

Cal didn’t dawdle and confirmed it.

[Mage] has been applied as your secondary [Class].

He didn’t feel much change within him. In fact, the little that he thought was ‘change’ could be an illusion since he was looking for it. It made sense when he saw his interface.

Name: Cal Maddox

Primary Class: Farmer (Special)

Primary Tier: Apprentice 5

Secondary Class: Mage

Secondary Tier: Initiate 1

Elemental Affinity:

Lightning (None)

Water (High)

Earth (High)

[Mage] had a separate advancement [Tier], and it was at the lowest rank and level possible. The natural benefits that [Farmer] provided far outstripped what [Mage] could currently offer.

Cal’s expectation of a larger capacity mana core was gone for now, but it was still something he looked forward to in the near future. Unfortunately, the other disappointment didn’t look like it would change.

He still had no affinity for lightning, and it seemed like it would stay that way unless he went to extreme lengths and spent far too much time in an attempt to raise the affinity. It wasn't worth it.

“Finished?”

Cal was brought out of his thoughts and saw the Overseer staring at him curiously. He nodded and said, “It was far simpler than I assumed. Almost anticlimactic.”

“Hm,” the Overseer narrowed his eyes before tilting his head curiously. “I find it interesting that Mage has been suppressed this intensely. I honestly thought the opposite would happen. If I didn’t study you closely, I would assume you were just a Farmer. A strong one, no doubt, but still just a Farmer.”

“All I’m hearing is that I can still hide effectively.”

The Overseer rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Of course, that’s the first thing you think of. It isn’t nearly—” He snapped his head to look up.

Cal tried to follow his gaze but saw nothing worth the intense worry the man had in his eyes. “Is there something wrong?”

“... It seems that I miscalculated. Be prepared to meet the guildmaster, Apprentice Cal.”