Above the mage

Chapter 121 Cliff Top

Another quarter of an hour later.

Following behind Candice, Gao De left the last step of the cliffside staircase and returned to the top of Coolie Cliff.

The other four had been at the top of the cliff for some time and were resting.

Luca, who was at the very front and carrying the heaviest weight of the water gold ore, was so exhausted that he lay motionless on the ground, panting heavily, like a dried fish.

Seeing that Candice and God had also climbed up, the others just glanced at them listlessly, not even having the strength to speak.

Once she reached the top of the cliff, Candice disregarded all ladylike manners and aristocratic etiquette, and sat cross-legged on the ground without any regard for appearances, completely exhausted.

Roas, who had been resting for some time, hesitated for a moment before standing up.

He walked over to Candice and handed her a bottle of orange potion.

"As for stamina recovery potions, I asked Instructor Shahu, and drinking recovery potions is permitted and not against the rules," Roas said.

Candice glanced up at Rojas, then waved her hand and said softly, "Thank you, but I don't need it for now."

Rojas's face seemed to turn even paler after being rejected by "Candice".

Luca, who had already sat up from the ground, caught a glimpse of this scene and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

In his view, Rojas's attempt to "please" Candice but being rejected was both childish and a loss of face.

Candice is indeed quite beautiful, with delicate and petite features and smooth, dazzling brown hair.

Even now, though she is pale and covered in sweat, one can still sense the noble air about her that cannot be concealed by her exhaustion.

"Brother Kaplan, how was your harvest this morning?" he suddenly asked Kaplan loudly. "I dug up a good thirty kilograms this morning. If I work hard this afternoon, another thirty kilograms shouldn't be a problem."

Kaplan was startled when he was suddenly called out, but he quickly understood what his "good brother" was thinking.

Was he trying to attract Candice's attention and show off his "muscles" using this method?

He naturally didn't want Luke to succeed in his scheme.

The problem was that the water gold ore Luke carried actually weighed significantly more than him, and he couldn't argue with that.

With a quick glance around his eyes, Kaplan decided to change the subject.

"God, look, we've all made some gains, even Candice has about ten kilograms of water gold ore." He looked at God, pretending not to hear Luke's question, and "kindly" advised God.

"You've wasted your whole morning. You should face reality, abandon your unrealistic fantasies, and come down to the mine like us."

The others nodded slightly upon hearing this, clearly agreeing with Kaplan's words.

"It's okay, I'll try again. I was so busy practicing my swimming this morning that I didn't have time to look for clams," Gao De said with a smile.

It wasn't that he couldn't see through their "ulterior motives," but he was too lazy to bother with them.

Gao De, who traveled from another era, has a mindset that doesn't match his age.

As for these tricks of deliberately speaking loudly to attract girls' attention, which are only seen in junior and senior high school, he just thought that boys in every world are really just as "cute"!

Kaplan had only intended to change the subject, but seeing that Gaode wasn't responding, he actually got anxious:

"Didn't you hear what Instructor Shahu said? Harvesting clams is harder than mining, not to mention you're a half-baked scuba diver who had to learn on the spot."

"Dredging for clams is a dead end!"

"How will you know if you don't try?" Gao De replied with a smile, looking much more relaxed and at ease than the others who were panting heavily.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Kaplan was inexplicably exasperated. "I bet you, even in another week, you'll still have nothing!"

"Then you've already lost the bet." Candice suddenly spoke up before Gao De could say anything.

"Huh?" Kaplan looked at Candice, not understanding what she meant.

"Look at Gaode's basket," Candice whispered.

Upon hearing Candice's words, everyone instinctively looked at Gao De's basket.

It was only upon this glance that they realized that Gaode's basket was not empty as they had thought!

"This...this is a maid clam?!" Kaplan exclaimed in disbelief.

"I was lucky on my last trip into the water and caught one," Gao De said with a shy smile.

This maid clam is actually fifty kilograms of water gold ore.

Kaplan worked himself to the bone all morning, but only managed to carry about 25 kilograms of water gold ore up the mountain.

"You can't always be this lucky." Kaplan blushed and blurted out those words.

Gao De pretended not to hear, chuckled, and said, "I'm going back to eat now."

After all that commotion this morning, he was starving, and it was lunchtime.

It wasn't just him; it was the same for everyone else.

However, since it was everyone's first time on a mission and they had no experience, not a single person had brought any dry rations.

After a morning of physical labor, if you don't replenish your energy through meals in time, your body won't be able to keep up.

Therefore, the most urgent thing is to go back and eat, rather than "fighting over love" here.

Gaode left his morning "harvest" on the cliff top, then, dressed lightly, headed towards his "dormitory".

He moved swiftly and quickly walked away.

With Gaode's departure, the atmosphere on the field became somewhat subtle due to the previous conversation.

The remaining five people had different thoughts. Some were simply envious of Gaode's good luck, while others felt embarrassed and awkward.

Finally, Gerica staggered to her feet and whispered to Candice, who was still sitting on the ground, "Let's go too. If we don't eat something soon, it will be even harder to complete the afternoon's mission."

She could see that Candice's legs were weak and she was having some difficulty walking, so she wanted to take her along out of kindness.

Upon hearing this, Candice snapped out of her daze, nodded, and, with Gerald's help, left the cliff top together.

Kaplan was still standing there, his face not fully recovered. He took a deep breath and suppressed the resentment and shame in his heart.

He knew that what he had just blurted out was too impulsive and made him seem petty.

But seeing how easily Gaode got good luck, he felt unbalanced.

"I don't believe you'll be this lucky this afternoon!" Kaplan thought to himself, then turned and walked heavily toward the academy.

Gao De first went back to No. 30 in Zone 1, took a shower, and changed into clean clothes.

I washed the clothes from this morning again, hung them on the balcony to dry, and then left the "dormitory" and went to the restaurant.

Even after all this commotion, and it being past lunchtime, the restaurant was still packed with people.

Clearly, many students in the academy do not strictly adhere to a fixed mealtime.

Meanwhile, Gaode Maps noticed that the wording on the sign at the restaurant entrance had changed compared to yesterday.

Today's featured dish: "Charcoal Grilled Centipede", 8 silver dollars per serving.

Wow—Having already seen and tried "grilled tarantula" yesterday, Gaode couldn't help but gasp when he saw the name "grilled centipede."

Is it really that extreme? Okay, okay.

And it's so expensive, 8 silver coins a serving. With that money, I could eat anything, even a lousy centipede. This price seems cheaper than yesterday's "grilled tarantula." Gao De fell into deep thought.

Five minutes later.

"Sir, here is your charcoal-grilled centipede, carefully prepared, please enjoy!" The waiter brought a large plate of "charcoal-grilled centipede" to Gaode's table.

A small bottle of wine is also served with the meal.

Driven by curiosity, Gao De once again suppressed his rationality and silently examined the unique delicacy in front of him.

His gaze was initially slightly puzzled.

Because at first glance, there was no sign of the so-called "centipede".

What he saw were five plump, round onions, golden in color and slightly charred on the outside, arranged in a ring on the plate.

Of course, it's not a scam.

The real star of the show—the grilled centipede—is cleverly hidden inside the onion wrapper.

Gao De used a knife and fork to cut the onion from the top.

A complex aroma, a blend of charcoal, honey, spices, and the centipede's own unique flavor, instantly wafts up, making one's mouth water.

Each centipede encased inside an onion is carefully processed, with inedible parts removed, leaving only the most tender and flavorful parts, displaying an enticing amber color.

They are covered with a thin layer of coating made from honey, spices and a special sauce.

Gao De forked a centipede and a small piece of onion, and stuffed them into his mouth together.

The first bite is an explosion of sweet and slightly spicy onion flavors in your mouth.

Immediately following, the deliciousness and unique texture of the charcoal-grilled centipede arrived.

After being slowly roasted over charcoal, the centipede's outer skin becomes crispy and golden brown, while the meat inside remains perfectly tender and juicy.

The crispy outer layer contrasts sharply with the tender inside, and the subtle flavor of the spices adds a rich texture to the dish, making it unforgettable.

The complimentary bottle of wine was an onion wine, whose unique flavor was the perfect finishing touch, perfectly neutralizing the slight fishy smell of the centipede and making the overall taste of the dish more harmonious and unified.

After finishing the grilled centipede, Gao De once again felt a slight warmth emanating from his body.

His body was constantly chilled while he was diving, and even after he got ashore, a biting chill lingered inside him.

Now, the chill is dispelled by the heat from this "grilled centipede".

(End of this chapter)