Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

China’s Northwest…

A herd of sheep was moving slowly up a slope. Their white fur resembled the clouds floating in the sky, like reflections of the clouds.

A shepherd sat on a boulder, away from the sunlight. He was munching something, and seemed to be enjoying it. He was not in a rush to tend the sheep. He just let the sheep move on their own, as if he was not worried that they would stray away, or be eaten by the wolves in the wild.

He was about to take a nap when he suddenly sensed something behind him.

He turned around and saw a drawing appearing on the loose ground behind the boulder. The drawing formed a line of unknown characters.

The Shepherd smiled when he saw the magical characters. “You finally remembered me.”

It took the words some time to complete a sentence. Extradite Blue Deacon Eagle Eye from Mount Wuyi. She has just taken out an Elder of the Enforcement Union for the Cold Prince. She has merits.

The Shepherd read the sentence, acting as if he was having a conversation with them. He even bowed sincerely at the words.

“I’m willing to serve, but is it really necessary for me to do so for only a Blue Deacon? Where are the stupider, younger Extraditors?” the Shepherd asked.

The Cold Prince is in need of manpower. I’ve already sent out many of the Extraditors to retrieve capable disciples. The situation Blue Deacon Eagle Eye is in isn’t as simple as you imagine. The Enforcement Union might be keeping an eye on her still… appeared on the ground.

“I see. You want me to conveniently take out the pests tailing her, too. Hopefully, the Enforcement Union will send out someone capable. Otherwise, killing them is easier than killing sheep… which is why I would rather tend the sheep now,” the Shepherd replied.

There was no further response, since the Shepherd understood his mission.

The Shepherd blew a heavy whistle. The sheep scattered across the place immediately gathered to the Shepherd…

They seemed to be hurrying; not because they were well-trained, but because something terrible would happen to them if they were late…

“Let’s go. I bet you all are tired of eating grass, too! Time to change it up…” the Shepherd told them.

—

—

Nanping City…

A bus arrived from Mount Wuyi in the city. Cheng Ying, wearing a light blue sweatshirt, came down from the bus.

Behind her was an old man with a walking stick. He was a little scared when he was taking the stairs down the bus. Cheng Ying had a gentle smile and reached her hand out to help the old man.

The old man expressed his gratitude. He even gave Cheng Ying a mandarin peach and said, “Take it, it’s very sweet, I planted it myself!”

Cheng Ying took the mandarin and headed to the other side of the bus stop. She seemed to be switching to another bus here. She threw the mandarin into a bin she walked past with a disgusted face.

She hated pretending to be a friendly person. It felt as if she was stained by a disgusting thing, yet she had no choice but to wear the disguise as an authority of the Enforcement Union.

She took a deep breath. She could already smell freedom. She no longer had to wear a mask after today. She no longer had to drape a filthy human skin over her shoulders. She could just be herself; she could torture others and herself as she wished!

There was a bus parked in the corner of the bus station. It was a coach, heading to a different city.

Cheng Ying sat down in the last row. There were a few passengers on the coach. In front of her was a man wearing a gray hat and an outfit common in the northwest. His legs were on the seats in front of him as he leaned against the chair. His face was covered by the hat, fast asleep.

Members of the Black Vatican did not like meeting in suburban areas; it was unwise to do so. The Enforcement Union would never find them as long as they blended into the crowd and society.

“Blue Deacon Eagle Eye?” the man sleeping on the seat in front other spoke up. He did not purposely lower his voice.

Chen Ying was startled. She initially thought she would meet the Extraditor at her destination. She was surprised to see the Extraditor here on the coach.

“I am,” Cheng Ying knew that only someone from the Black Vatican would know her title.

“I am the Shepherd.”

“It’s you… Did the Chief Extraditor send you to me!?” Cheng Ying was overjoyed.

The Shepherd was famous among the Extraditors. It was a great honor for anyone in the Black Vatican to be extradited by him. She believed she had done a great job helping the Cold Prince take out the Elder of the Enforcement Union. She might be promoted to a Great Deacon after returning to the Black Vatican, and even become the right arm of a Red Cardinal!

“You are clearly not worthy enough to be extradited by me. I believe the Chief Extraditor has sent me here to make sure the Enforcement Union doesn’t mess with their plan… Master Cold Prince is up to something huge this time, I can feel it! The smile he had was wider than the one he had during the bloodbath of the Mediterranean Sea. I feel bad for China; they first lost their pride as a nation against Salan, and now, they will be trampled by Master Cold Prince again!” the Shepherd replied.

“I’m willing to take part! Mr. Shepherd, please extradite me, I will not let you down!” Cheng Ying said.

“There’s no rush; let’s see how many of the Enforcement Union are on your trail,” the Shepherd said.

“On my trail? That’s impossible. I used a perfect chess piece I had prepared as a decoy. There’s no way they will suspect me. I don’t think anyone is following me, either,” Cheng Ying said confidently.

“Is that so?” The Shepherd smiled and fell silent.

Cheng Ying was aware of the Shepherd’s capabilities. She remained quiet, too.

The coach soon left the city and went off on the highway…

——

The highway from Nanping to Jiangxi was along ridges and mountains with a meandering path. The highway either went along the middle of mountains or crossed tall bridges between two mountains and drove through tunnels through the huge mountains. The coach would drive from one mountain to another, so the journey was framed by never-ending mountains and faint mists…

“Here will do,” the Shepherd stated.

“What do you mean?” Cheng Ying was confused.

“So you’re an unqualified Blue Deacon? You should know what you’re supposed to do, a simple way to find out if anyone is on your trail,” the Shepherd said.

“You’re asking me to…” Cheng Ying soon realized what he was referring to…