Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Zhao Manyan was stunned when he heard Mo Fan’s words. Mo Fan definitely did not sound like he was joking.

Before Zhao Manyan could ask why, Mo Fan had already hung up. He was likely very close to the Black Vatican, and any form of communication would alert them. Mo Fan did not dare be on the call for too long.

“Hey, hey, don’t run away!” Zhao Manyan blurted out, running after the female soldier.

The female soldier turned around, her face still scornful, glaring at Zhao Manyan. She did not seem to be in a good mood…

“We are currently leading the Preventive Committee! My partner has found out something serious, he’s asking the Northguard Fortress to be on full alert!”

The female soldier clearly had a high rank, Zhao Manyan could tell from her insignia. He had no clue where to look for the general who was in charge of the fortress, nor did he know anyone that had the right to see the general. He could only ask the person with the highest rank around!

“What do you think this place is!?” the female soldier snapped angrily.

She had no intent of wasting her time talking to a rascal who was disrespectful to the Great Wall!

“I’m not kidding! Hurry up, tell your general to place the fortress on red alert!” Zhao Manyan said sternly. He quickly showed them his identification as he was speaking. It might just be temporary, but it still proved how serious he was.

The other soldiers beside the woman burst out laughing.

A tall and handsome soldier said, “We’ve seen people trying to flirt with our boss with different excuses, but I have to say, it’s my first time seeing an excuse like yours. Do you know reporting false military intelligence is a serious offense? Take your words back, and we’ll pretend we didn’t hear it.”

“Damn it, are you blind? I told you I’m from the Preventive Committee!” Zhao Manyan was furious.

Was the title of the Preventive Committee a mere decoration? Why were the soldiers acting like they had never heard of it? What was the point of having the title if it did not give him any power?

“What’s your name?” the female soldier asked.

“Zhao Xiao…” Zhao Manyan was about to use his alias, but he realized how unconvincing it would be. He decisively showed the her his national team badge and said, “I’m Zhao Manyan, a representative of the national team during the World College Tournament. I’m currently the Vice Leader of the Preventive Committee. I’m not kidding, my partner Mo Fan wouldn’t joke around with his life at stake! Now, hurry up, tell the commander to put the fortress on red alert!”

Zhao Manyan’s voice was extremely loud. He was basically yelling at the soldiers now!

He trusted Mo Fan. It was unusual for Mo Fan to warn him without saying an extra word and showing any emotions.

The woman looked at Zhao Manyan before looking north.

Her subordinates were about to say something, but she raised her hand and stopped them from talking.

A moment later, the female soldier said, “Red Alert!”

“I’m asking you to tell your commander to place the fortress in red alert! Why the hell are you calling a red alert here for?” Zhao Manyan was infuriated. He had the urge to beat the proud woman up.

The female soldier looked at Zhao Manyan and said in an imperious voice, “I’m the Chief Commander here!”

—

Red alert meant that, every Battlemage, officer, and soldier that was on duty, off duty, or on standby, apart from those that were responsible for important tasks or jobs around the fortress, had to prepare for a battle right away.

The Northguard Fortress was a typical defensive city with a magic market. There were not many ordinary civilians here. Most of the people were businessmen, Hunters, soldiers, Mages on adventures, or members of a Magic Association. Since it was common for the Beijiang Savage Beasts to attack the fortress, there were constant battles happening here. It was rare to see the fortress being put on red alert just for a drill. Whenever the alarm was sounded, it meant a battle was about to break out. If anyone dared neglect their duty, they would be punished according to military law!

Up on the tower, Commander Bin Wei had changed into a battle robe. Her temperament changed significantly when she donned her full battle uniform. When Zhao Manyan saw her again, he realized he had stumbled into someone on par with General Fenna in Egypt. Most distractingly, the woman was young, and her skin was so smooth and fair that people would assume she was just a pretty face in the army.

“If it ends up being a false alarm, I’ll hang your head on the wall!” Bin Wei glanced at Zhao Manyan. Her first impression of him was that he was frivolous and ignorant.

However, Bin Wei had to treat his being on the Preventive Committee and the national team seriously. If something terrible ended up happening, even though she was biased against him, she would be neglecting her duty as the person in charge of the fortress.

She was not familiar with the Preventive Committee, but her superiors had told them to treat every piece of information provided by the Preventive Committee seriously, and act accordingly.

“General, are we overreacting here? Even if he’s from the Preventive Committee, isn’t it enough to just add an extra layer of defense, instead of placing the entire fortress on red alert? If it turns out to be a false alarm, it’s going to seriously damage your reputation. The captains will pick on you because of your misjudgment…” the tall and handsome aide-de-camp murmured to her.

“That’s right, many people are interested in your role. Maybe your opposition purposely sent that kid here so you would make a mistake, giving them a reason to replace you…”

“I agree that it’s more appropriate to add an extra layer of defense, or perhaps two. They won’t say we are neglecting our duty that way. Most importantly, if anything happens, you won’t be blamed, either,” another advisor agreed.

——

“There isn’t a single sound. How is there still no movement if the threat is huge enough for the city to be placed on red alert? What is that woman whose brains have grown on her chest thinking? Is she playing with us, like we are her lackeys?” a captain grumbled on the wall.

“I knew it was stupid to place her in charge of the fortress. We’ve been on patrol the whole night. We finally had a chance to get some rest, but she just had to wake us up!”

“I can’t believe it; we have to think of some way to get rid of her. They always mentioned what she did to get to her current rank; I didn’t believe it before, but I’m a little convinced now!”

The guard towers, walls, watchtowers, and city were filled with complaints. A worthy Commander would make the right call according to the information gathered, the situation, and the enemy’s numbers. Red alert was the highest security level in the military. It was similar to the Blood Alert of a city. Even though most people in the fortress were Mages, it was still a very serious thing to declare!

The allocation of manpower, the activation of the defensive barriers and equipment, the expense of resources… the costs were huge, even if it was only a drill!

—

Feedback was soon relayed back to Commander Bin Wei. However, she was still staring tinto the distance to the north.

Her subordinates were already discussing how to minimize the loss. It was obviously a ridiculous order.

“I still don’t understand why you are doing this,” the aide-de-camp with a deep voice beside Bin Wei asked.

“This place is called the Northguard Fortress. Our eyes are always fixed on the north, but do we actually care more about the north, or what’s behind us?” Bin Wei asked.

“But…” The aide-de-camp was lost for words.

“You are worried about the enemy and your rank, but I’m concerned about the safety of Yulin City, Anqing City, Feihuang City, and Ningcheng County… people that have no fighting capacity beyond this line of defense! Perhaps that is the reason why it’s necessary to have female Generals in the army; the men always place their attention on killing the enemy and making contributions, but they neglect their actual duty!

“You keep saying how ridiculous it is, what if there was no enemy… but what if the fortress is really in danger? I can’t afford to risk so many lives for it! It’s not just this time, but I’ll do the same thing in similar situations in the future, too! They can scold me and replace me all they want, but as long as I’m the Commander, I will not allow any threat to befall the Central Plain behind this Northguard Fortress!” Bin Wei declared.

Zhao Manyan was touched by her words. His view of his Commander changed thoroughly.

The fortress was in Red Alert status. The walls were crowded with Mages. The Wind Mages and Light Mages were relaying orders. The captains, squad leaders, and defending troops were staring to the north with full focus. Even the Great Wall, standing there like a ridge felt more imperious than usual!

Silence…

Both the vast yellow land and the bustling fortress were dead silent. Despite the grudge and biased opinions, the soldiers could only complain and murmur in their hearts. No one dared to doubt the Commander’s decision when the fortress was on Red Alert.

Zhao Manyan was extremely nervous, too. He could not help but wonder what the danger that Mo Fan was warning them about was. On the other hand, the icy atmosphere lingering in the fortress when it was placed in Red Alert was more intense than the atmosphere when a city was under attack. It showed that the fortress was used to constant fighting!

“General…” The aide-de-camp had run out of patience.

“Stop talking!” Bin Wei was staring at the land beyond the Great Wall. She was like a leopardess about to pounce on her prey, her hair standing on end.

She had noticed something. She was extremely focused, her aura sharp and stern!

Her subordinates soon felt it too. Something was coming…

Something with an overwhelming presence!