Mage And Wolf
Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Chapter 175

"So, what are your plans for the upcoming open tournament?" Elder Han asks me.

"I was thinking combat, since they will be overlapping the Inner Sect competition with the life skills competition this year. It’s a bit of a shame really, I had a lot of fun last year."

"True, but I think they just didn’t want you to win every single category this year, so they tweaked the schedule so a Sect other than the Shadowed Blade has a chance." Elder Han laughs.

"You can still do cooking though, it’s the day before the tournament properly starts again this year."

"Elder Song, who would be better for the combat category, me or Karl?" I ask, hoping for an honest opinion.

"Karl. Too many would forfeit or run away when they saw you. He could probably still win too, if you could manage another breakthrough before the tournament."

The Elders are all laughing at me now, telling stories of last years competition in a way that has Karl snorting in amusement and recording it with his phone.

"What is that device in your hand? I’ve seen Young Miss with one too." Elder Ye asks him.

"Oh, it’s a phone. Mostly intended as a communications device, it can also store books, take pictures and record videos." Everyone crowds around while Karl replays the last few minutes of the conversation for them.

"That’s amazing, and such realism. What are the chances there might be more of those magical devices? They would be perfect for recording cooking seminars and fights." Elder Han asks.

"In this world? Slim to none. In the one I came from? Everyone carries one in their pocket. You also can’t use them for long range voice communication here, they need special towers built to relay the signal. Plus, you would need an Arcane mage type cultivator to recharge them, or maybe an Immortal with good energy control."

"Shame that. But your world is said to be an extremely scary one, so such things might be necessary for everyone there." an Elder nods sagely.

"Elder Song, what would happen if you enchanted a phone with a communication token? Would you be able to refine it to only contact the person you want through the dial tone? If you can, we can likely get them working here. And with a bit more tweaking of the spell you might even be able to send images." I stick the idea in his mind, knowing he won’t be able to just let it rest until he’s found a way to make it work. I’m sure Karl can create a phone or two for him to experiment on, or we can send some next time we go home.

"I’ll add it to the list." Elder Song nods, taking out a physical notebook and noting it down. What do you know, he really does have a to do list he’s working from, and it’s not just a metaphor.

"How far is it from here to this year’s Open Tournament?" Karl asks, trying to establish how much time he’s got for experiments.

"Four days, but we’ll leave in the morning and get there a week early. That should give us time without worry of being interrupted and missing the fun."

"How about we all travel together then? We’re all going to the same place after all." One of the Elders asks.

"I don’t see why not, we can send most of the disciples back to the Sect in the morning though, as they’ve got other tasks and won’t be competing this year." Elder Song agrees.

Morning comes entirely too early, but something in my brain tells me it’s time to make breakfast, so I’m wide awake whether I like it or not.

"Stop torturing me when I’m trying to sleep!" Karl yells from the bedroom when the smell of bacon and coffee starts to fill the tent.

"Did you just complain about bacon? I can put it away if you would like." I tease him as everyone starts dragging themselves out of bed with the crack of dawn.

"Hey now, I wouldn’t go that far. What do we have today?"

"Open the serving trays and find out. It’s breakfast, what else would I make." I laugh as Karl starts piling scrambled eggs and salsa into a pancake to make an impromptu breakfast taco.

"How are you all not fat?" The rather portly Elder Hu asks.

"Strenuous exercise." Elder Song says without a hint of irony. That man hasn’t had an exercise program likely in centuries.

"I tried that, the young wife almost laughed herself to death. I guess I’m just going to stay heavy." Elder Hu jokes.

"You can do it, I have faith in you. But if you need some extra motivation, I know a really good pill recipe that will have you and the wife sweating away the pounds all night." I wink and his friends try to stifle their laughter.

"Did anyone ever tell you how evil you are?" The chef pouts.

"No, but they did tell me I’m not allowed to make judgements calls on what is or isn’t evil anymore. Minor technical difficulties taken way out of context I assure you."

"Alright, everyone finish up and let’s get a move on. If we don’t end this comedy skit now we’ll end up burning another whole day here." Elder Song commands and the disciples stop joking around and fill their plates one last time before we go, clearing out the serving dishes.

The trip to the city is completely uneventful. There’s not a traveler on the road going anywhere but the same direction we are, and nobody is looking for a fight with a large group of Elders from a half dozen different Sects and a handful of Inner Court disciples.

The host city this time is called Menon, a tidy city in a medieval European architectural style, but thankfully with indoor plumbing in every abode. The streets are exceedingly clean, despite the fact horses and oxen are used to bring much of the merchandise into town, so they must have either used a spell or spent a fortune hiring street cleaners to prepare for the event.

The hotel even has a natural hot spring, we’re living in true luxury this year. Sacred Thunder Sect will also be staying here, and we’ve reserved rooms for the High River Sect, who is only sending a small contingent again. Six outer disciples plus a Nanny.