Above the mage

Chapter 118 Going into the Water to Harvest Clams

"You mean this little shovel?" Candice took out the little shovel.

Obviously, this little shovel is not needed for mining.

"Yes, that's it. It's called a diving shovel," Instructor Shahu said casually.

"If you don't want to mine, there are other options."

"You can also go into the water to collect clams."

"In the waters below Coolie Cliff lives a rare creature, the maid clam."

"The Maid Clam is one of the magical ingredients for the potion corresponding to the first-circle spell [Language Proficiency]."

"And [Language Proficiency] is one of the spells that almost every first-ring mage learns and masters, so the potion-making department has always had a high demand for Maid Clams, and they will take as many as they can get."

"For every maid clam found, you can get 50 kilograms of water gold ore."

"However, I still want to remind you of something."

"So far, the average time taken for students to complete their enrollment tasks through mining is 61 days."

"The average time taken for students who complete their enrollment tasks through pearl harvesting is 103 days."

"Huh?!" Candice exclaimed, puzzled.

"The reason is quite simple," Instructor Shahu explained patiently to everyone, demonstrating his dedication.

"The maid clam only hides in the mud and sand at the bottom of the river, so if you want to harvest the clam, you have to dive down to the bottom of the river to find it."

"Firstly, it requires excellent swimming skills, which is not a skill everyone possesses."

In this world, there are far fewer people who can swim than in Gao De's previous life.

Because there are no physical education classes or extracurricular activities in this world, and most importantly, certain spells can completely replace the skill of "swimming".

Therefore, unless it's a profession that requires water for a living, very few people will specifically learn to swim.

"Secondly, the riverbed is cold and visibility is limited, and the riverbed itself is extremely murky. These three factors combined greatly increase the difficulty of finding maiden clams hidden in the mud and sand."

"The process of repeatedly surfacing to breathe and diving to find clams is just as physically demanding as mining."

"Most importantly, mining guarantees a reward as long as you mine."

"As for shellfish harvesting, you might spend a whole day searching and still come up empty-handed, or you might just make a fortune on your first descent."

"The choice is yours."

"My opinion is that everyone should just go and mine properly," Instructor Shahu suggested based on his own experience. Whether the others listened or not was none of his concern.

His task was to lead and supervise the team.

"Oh, there's one more thing I need to tell you."

"Although there is no time limit for completing this enrollment task, if you can complete it within 30 days, the college will give you an extra 1 credit, and if you break the record, you will be awarded 5 credits."

"Instructor Shahu," Royas raised his hand to ask a question.

"explain."

"What's the record?" Roas's question was also the question on the minds of all the new students present.

Instructor Shahu chuckled and gave the answer, "The current record holder for completing the enrollment task the fastest is Gavin Hogg, the previous dean of the Cyrus Magic Academy."

"It took him 25 days, and he took the mining route."

hiss--

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room gasped in shock.

It was not only shocking to see how long it took Dean Gavin Hogg, but also to realize that even the Dean of the House had been diligently mining at the foot of Creeper Cliff back in the day.

After explaining everything that needed to be explained, Instructor Shahu responsibly led everyone down the winding cliff path to the bottom of Kuli Cliff.

Below the steep cliffs, hundreds of meters high, lies a riverbank covered with boulders.

Just going down the mountain, without even carrying much weight, all six freshmen, except for Gao De who had been training for almost half a year, were more or less experiencing breathing difficulties.

One can imagine how much of a test it would be for these pampered "second-generation legal professionals" to carry dozens of kilograms of water gold ore up a mountain.

Upon reaching the bottom of the cliff, everyone saw a huge opening in the cliff face.

Some of the direct sunlight reached the cave entrance, allowing a faint glimmer of light to be seen at the entrance.

Sunlight and shadow intertwine, creating mysterious patterns of light and shadow.

But deep inside the mine, in places where light cannot reach, even during the day it is a dark and gloomy place, like a bottomless abyss, which is terrifying.

However, on the cliff face next to the cave entrance, you can see many specially made safety helmets hanging there. They are made of metal minerals and have some complex magical patterns on their surfaces.

Instructor Shahu picked up a specially made miner's hat and gently stroked the intricately carved magical patterns on it: "These miner's hats are all made with alchemy techniques, and they come with [Light] and an automatically triggered [Blade Protection]."

"The latter can protect you from potential falling rocks above the mine, while the former provides light within the mine."

He clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone, let's get to work!"

As Instructor Shahu finished speaking, everyone took a deep breath.

Luke and Kaplan exchanged a glance; sparks flew between these two second-generation mages from the Haynes family.

Both of them regarded each other as their rivals, and driven by their competitive spirit, they took the first step.

They each took a miner's hat from the cliff face, put it on their heads, and then walked through the entrance one after the other into the deep mine.

With Luke and Kaplan leading the way, the remaining boys, Roas, were not to be outdone and followed suit.

Next to enter the mine was Gerica. She waited for a moment, and when she saw that God was still standing there motionless and hadn't said anything, a hint of encouragement flashed in her deep eyes. Then she picked up a miner's hat from the cliff and put it on gently.

Then, with a firm and composed gait, he stepped into the mine, his figure quickly swallowed up by the shadows within.

When Candice saw this, a conflicted expression appeared on her face. After hesitating for a moment, she stomped her foot angrily, ran to the edge of the cliff, picked up a miner's hat, and followed him in.

Outside the mine, only Gao De remained unmoved.

"Why haven't we taken action yet?" Instructor Shahu was also slightly surprised.

Of the six, Gao De was dressed the most simply, but also the most capable. He seemed to be the most hardworking person, so why is he now the slowest?

"I don't want to mine," Gao De gave an answer that surprised Instructor Shahu.

"You have to mine to complete the enrollment task, so you don't want to enroll." Instructor Shahu's reminder came to an abrupt end.

Because Gaode Maps has already started to undress.

Seeing Gaode's actions, how could he not understand Gaode's intentions?

Soon, Gaode removed its outer garments, leaving only its underwear.

He strode quickly across the pebbly riverbank and then slowly waded into the water.

The sun was blazing overhead, but the river water was slightly cold.

As you dive deeper, in addition to the increased pressure, the water temperature will also decrease.

One can imagine how icy the water at the bottom of the river must be.

(End of this chapter)