Of course, some people still attempted, though with little success. Most mages focused more on strengthening their mana cores.
"Kukk. My lord, perhaps you can ask Arya when we return. You can't force him to make such an important decision too hastily." said Arcem a bit hurt by the lord pointing out that he could not silent cast his light magic as well.
"Think about it carefully Arya. Who knows if you work for me long enough I might give you my ancestor's breathing technique." said the elderly man before refraining from his ploy to bait Arya in.
"The lord mentioned his bloodlines breathing technique? Does that mean he finds more value in a lower rank ice mage than in a high-level light mage." thought Arcem as he stared daggers at Arya.
It was true. Light mages although variants generally didn't have a lot of destructive offensive skills. The highest level light mage could use solid light structures but even Arcem hadn't unlocked that and there was little hope of him unlocking it in the future.
On the other hand, Ice mages had the ability to both lock down a whole army of enemy soldiers and cause widespread destructive damage if they were powerful enough. That was why ice-mages were the most sought-after mages together with lightning mages after necromancers. Lightning mages and ice mages were given even value due to their different but desirable qualities.
However, of all of them, necromancers were the most sought after and at the same time the most feared. After all, someone with the power to raise an army at will should both be revered and feared.
"I will think about your lordship," said Arya as he bowed to the elderly man and was excused from the conversation.
"What the hell is a breathing technique? And silent casting? How come I never heard Luna talk about those things when she was instructing Luca? I need to get to Belgard quickly and learn as much as possible. There's no way I'm accepting this old man's request. I don't want to be constantly monitored and controlled, but if I just outright reject him he might become hostile." thought Arya as he walked back to where he was standing before he was called.
"Pfft. Ancestor's breathing technique? Gold? Land? Titles? I don't need any of those. I can make my own breathing technique and amass my own riches." scoffed Arya as he watched Arcem and the old man continue their discussions.
Arya didn't know that the more ancient a breathing technique the more efficient it was. With each generation it was passed down to, it would be further refined making it better as time went by. But it was understandable since Arya didn't even know what a breathing technique was.
After several minutes Arcem finished talking to the old man and approached Arya. "What do you think you are doing trying to show off to the lord? Huh? Why didn't you tell me you were an ice mage?" asked Arcem in a low but angry voice.
"You never asked me what type of mage I was. And I wasn't trying to show off anything. The lord simply asked me to show my power and I did. You should be grateful that I got him to stop worrying. And I won't accept his offer anyways, I have better things to do." replied Arya with a detached expression. Almost as if he thought that Arcem's complaints were trivial.
"Once we reach Belgard I'll have Asphomel dispose of this mongrel. If I kill him myself I might anger the organization he is from. I don't know about the other members but I can't afford to have Asphomel as my enemy." thought Arcem as he snorted at Arya and walked away.
"I'll kill him as soon as he drops his guard." thought Arya as Arcem turned his back to him.
"But first I need to collect as much information as I can from him." thought Arya as a sinister smile appeared across his face.
***
After the stable hands had saddled the horses and packed the supplies, Arcem and Arya bid farewell to the elderly man. As they were leaving the elderly man once again tried persuading Arya to think about his proposition. Arya said he would think about it and the two set off.
It was in the afternoon so the sun was directly overhead. The terrain they were traveling on was an open plain with tall grass. It was the perfect fighting ground for a mage who could hide in the bushes and destroy a wide area with a single spell.
As the two went on their journey none of them said a word to each other for the first few hours. The only words that were said on that day were when Arcem told Arya that they would be sleeping in a nearby town when dawn was approaching.
After 7 hours of seeing the monotonous plains, they finally reached a town. A big wooden sign with the character spelling out 'Ermsworth' was at the front of the town.
The town seemed rather small compared to the one Arcem and Arya had just left from however it was still in a better state than Draquerth.
Arcem and Arya rode their horses to a nearby inn. As they entered the building the innkeeper came to greet them.
"How may I help you-" the innkeeper was about to say before he noticed Arcem's white robes.
"A m-mage. Sorry for my rudeness. Our best rooms are currently occupied but we will tell the tenants that an important guest has arrived. Marsha!" shouted the innkeeper.
"Leroy, why are you shouting!?" shouted Marsha back as she entered the room. She quickly covered her mouth when she saw Arcem's robe. "A m-mage. Please forgive me. I didn't know that there was someone as important as a mage here." said the woman as she bowed her head.
"Let me apologize for my incompetent wife. Marsha go tell the tenants on the top floor to leave. I'm sure they will understand if you explain to them the situation." said Leroy as he bowed to Arcem as well.
"Oh and your apprentice? Should I also get him a room as well?" asked Leroy as he looked over the counter to look at Arya.