Above the mage

Chapter 233 Snowfield Guardians

At the first moment, Gaode's gaze followed the direction from which the whistling sound came.

Amidst the billowing snow mist, a "big worm" leaped out.

It was a tiger-like creature with snow-white fur.

Its fur is as smooth as fine silk, reflecting the sunlight. Just by looking at its color from a distance, you can imagine how soft and smooth it must feel to the touch.

But no matter how glamorous its appearance may be, it cannot change the fact that it is a tiger.

Tigers, on the other hand, have always been at the top of the food chain, ferocious and powerful.

So the moment Gaode saw the other party, his hair stood on end, and he entered a state of highest alert.

Most of the creatures I encountered on the snow-capped peaks of Dandong were dull-witted elemental beings.

This is because the total food resources in Dandong Xuefeng are limited and cannot accommodate too many carnivorous creatures.

Elemental creatures have lower food requirements, so they are the most common creatures in the Dandong Snow Mountain.

But the situation is different in the North, where the vast snowfields can accommodate a large number of carnivorous creatures.

Therefore, not long after entering the Northern Territory, Gao De had already encountered extremely dangerous creatures.

Moreover, this large insect was clearly coming for him; after leaping out of the snow hill, it charged straight in his direction.

"Master, don't be afraid."

Gao De glanced down at Flora beside him; she was reaching out her little hand to tug at his clothes.

Little Flora's calm and composed expression made Gao De subconsciously praise her in his heart as a true heroine who "maintains composure in the face of great events." Only a moment later did he suddenly realize what was going on.

"It's not a bad person?"

Not bad.

That being said, Gaode's vigilance won't disappear overnight.

His first instinct was to cast a shield spell on himself, suppressing his instincts and refraining from launching an attack.

The giant worm charged toward him, much faster than the first-ring ice wolf he had seen at the edge of Dor.

Snow wolves are inherently fast creatures of the earth veins, and this giant insect was six or seven meters long with high shoulder blades that looked as if they were about to bulge out of the skin, making it much stronger than the Snow Wolf Demon.

Given its size and speed, it's safe to assume that this giant insect is likely at least at the second ring level.

As the giant tiger drew closer, Gao De discovered that there was actually a person sitting on the white tiger.

He was a man in his forties with a full beard, wearing a crudely made animal skin coat, and was not particularly handsome.

But Gaode didn't dare to underestimate him at all.

Just kidding, his mount is a tiger, who would dare to underestimate him?

Gaode Maps is unsure of the opponent's strength, but it is certain that the opponent will at least reach the second ring level, while the upper limit is unknown.

Fortunately, Flora did not detect any hostility from the other party.

During the two months in the Erwinaya Mountains, Flora's abilities had been tested multiple times without any mishaps, so God was actually much more relaxed.

Roar!

The giant tiger, carrying the man on its back, came to an abrupt halt when it was still several meters away from Gao De, sending snow and dust billowing into the air.

Gao De's heart stirred, and he cast [Dancing Wind] to gently brush away the snow dust that was drifting towards him.

"Sorry, Ryan is always so reckless, no matter how much I teach him, he never learns." A stronger gust of wind rose, blowing the snow dust into the distance. The man smacked the giant tiger's head hard, then gave Gao De an apologetic look.

Roar!

The giant tiger named Ryan let out a disgruntled howl after being hit on the head.

So the man knocked its head down even harder.

Only then did it calm down.

"I didn't expect to meet a stranger here," the man said, glancing at Gao De and immediately making an accurate judgment about his identity. "This place is quite far from the coastline, so it seems you didn't cross the border by boat."

He thought for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Could it be that you crossed the Irwinaya Mountains to enter the North?"

Gao De nodded and said, "Yes."

A glint flashed in the man's eyes. "Judging from your young age, your mage level must not be high, and you've been traveling alone. You actually dared to challenge the Erwinraya Mountains by yourself and succeeded. It's unbelievable."

Gao De shrugged. "You've got guts and luck, I guess."

"Interesting. So, why did you go through all that trouble to cross the Ivenlaya Mountains and enter the North? Was it to escape your enemies, or to make a fortune in the North?"

Upon hearing this question, many thoughts flashed through Gao De's mind in an instant. In the end, his answer was "to tell the truth."

"No, actually, I went into the North to plant trees," he said calmly.

Clearly, this was an answer the man could never have anticipated. Upon hearing Gao De's reply, he immediately raised an eyebrow in surprise, repeated Gao De's answer, and confirmed, "Plant trees?"

"Yes, plant trees," Gao De nodded, having already confirmed the plan in his mind. "I am a follower of the Natural Church."

"Nature religion?"

"Yes, the Natural Cult. Our doctrine is that those who spread life to the world will receive the protection of nature. That's why I decided to come to the North and dedicate myself to planting trees there." A pious expression appeared on God's face.

Then he added, "Of course, the magical plant resources in the North are also extremely abundant. If possible, we could establish a branch in the North. With the abundant resources here, we would definitely be able to obtain enough money. It would be ideal to grow the sect while planting trees."

One should not be too "mystical" in one's conduct, because such a person lacks humanity, and ordinary people will not believe in him, always wondering about the motives behind his actions.

By proactively revealing the "ulterior motive," one can actually prevent others from overthinking.

Taking this into account, Gaode Maps added a slightly utilitarian perspective.

Sure enough, the man laughed when he heard this, because he realized that Gao De's claim that the purpose was to "plant trees" was true, and that Gao De's explanation was convincing.

Therefore, his attitude towards Gaode immediately became friendly.

"Although I've never heard of the Nature Cult, I like your sect. However, planting trees in the North is no easy feat," the man said.

"If it were easy, I wouldn't have bothered coming all the way to the North," God said.

Hearing Gao De say that, the man's expression changed again. "So, how do you plan to begin?"

"I am now preparing to travel 200 kilometers to the Snowford clan to buy a map from them so that I can find the most suitable initial planting site."

Gao De shrugged and said helplessly, "Just as you said, planting trees in the North is not an easy task. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and the choice of the initial planting site is very important."

"I see." The man looked at Gao De deeply, thought for a moment, then dismounted from the giant tiger, extended his hand to Gao De, and said, "I think we can formally introduce ourselves now. My name is Baruch, and I am the Snowfield Guardian."

"My name is God, and I'm a follower of the Natural Church." God extended his hand and shook hands with Baruch.

You can clearly feel that Baruch's hands are unusually rough, not like a mage at all, but more like a farmer who often does rough and heavy work.

"The Snowfield Guardians?" Gao De asked curiously.

This was a term he had never heard before.

Baruch calmly explained, "On the snowfield, many tribes perish every day for one reason or another. When a tribe perishes, some tribesmen always survive. If no one comes to their aid, these survivors will soon die on the snowfield."

"Or sometimes, if I happen to be there when small tribes are in danger, I will lend a hand."

"That's what we do."

No wonder he's called the Snowfield Guardian. Gao De noticed that the other party didn't explain his background, but only briefly introduced his "main responsibilities".

However, since the other party did not take the initiative to explain, it meant they did not want to say more, so Gaode did not tactlessly ask.

"Recently, there have been faint signs of a beast tide breaking out on the snowfield. My current task is to patrol this area, determine the probability and scale of the beast tide outbreak, and promptly alert the nearby tribes," Baruch added.

The North is vast and teeming with powerful creatures.

According to the laws of nature, every so often these species will reach a peak in population and then face food shortages.

In this situation, these starving wild beasts would frequently attack the northern tribes, a phenomenon known as beast tides.

After the beast tide, the population of biological species will fall into a trough, and after a very long period of rest and recuperation, it will reach its peak again, and so on.

This is a very natural thing, there's nothing strange about it.

But while it is natural, it is also true that each outbreak of beast tides means the annihilation of a large number of northern tribes.

What Baruch needs to do now is to investigate the specifics.

If a beast tide is really about to break out, giving nearby tribes a heads-up in advance will at least allow them to prepare.

If even one more person can survive the beast tide, that's a good thing.

This is what Baruch meant.

"The snowfield is still very dangerous. If you walk there, you might encounter a herd of beasts."

Baruch thought for a moment, then said, "The snow wolf packs in the area have been unusually active lately. It wouldn't be good to run into them. I happen to be passing through the Snowver clan's camp anyway, so how about I give you a ride?"

"With pleasure," Gao De laughed.

Baruch nodded in satisfaction, jumped back onto the giant tiger's back, patted its spine, and introduced it to God: "This is my partner, Icemane Tiger Ryan."

Then, he reached out his hand to Gao De, "Come on up."

Without hesitation, Gao De grabbed the outstretched hand, used the leverage to leap, and landed steadily on the back of the Icemane Tiger.

Baruch glanced back at God, and after confirming that God was seated properly, he leaned down next to the Icemane Tiger and said a few words that only they could understand.

The next moment, the Icemane Tiger let out a low growl, its limbs slightly bent, and then it charged forward like a white lightning bolt.

The cold wind on the snowfield suddenly rushed towards us.

However, for Gao De, who had already evolved a rudimentary Ice Body, it was not bone-chilling.

He felt only a sense of exhilaration.

"If you feel too cold and can't hold on, let me know and I'll tell Ryan to slow down," Baruch's voice drifted from ahead.

"Okay," Gao De replied.

The faster the speed, the more biting the cold wind becomes, which is unbearable for most people.

At first, Baruch wanted to take care of God, so he deliberately made Ryan slow down a bit.

But later, when he found that God was still speaking to him in a completely steady voice, Baruch was surprised and became interested in God's limits, so he slowly asked Ryan to speed up.

Even when Ryan had pushed the speed to its maximum, Gao De remained unfazed.

At that moment, while Baruch looked at Gao De with newfound respect, he also became certain that Gao De's "Nature Cult" must have mastered some unique method of keeping warm.

No wonder Gao De was able to cross the Irvine Mountains alone.

"Gao De, I need to check out a snowfield hyena colony nearby first. Don't worry, the snowfield hyenas are only first-ring leyline creatures. Even the leader is only a second-ring leyline creature. With Ryan's speed, he can easily shake them off."

The word "community" stirred something in Gaode's mind; perhaps he could even glean a bit of its essence?

He naturally had no objection to this, saying, "My business isn't urgent; yours is more important."

Upon hearing this, Baruch couldn't help but nod slightly, feeling even more satisfied with Gao De.

Half an hour later.

Ryan led the two up a snow hill, below which lay a small valley.

More than a hundred snowfield hyenas gathered in the valley, and the pungent smell of their stench filled the air.

These snowfield hyenas kept emitting piercing cries.

Baruch frowned instinctively.

"What's wrong?" Gao De noticed Baruch's micro-expression.

"These snow hyenas are very hungry, extremely hungry, and that hunger makes them very aggressive," Baruch said.

Hunger and rage mean they are likely to attack nearby northern tribes.

“The nearby tribes are all small tribes. If they were attacked by this pack of snow hyenas, I'm afraid none of them would survive,” he added. “I’m going to try to take care of them. I’ll take you to a safe place first.”

Gao De frowned slightly, and after thinking about it for a while, he said with a righteous air, "Two people are always stronger than one. Although I am not as strong as you, I can still be of some help. Let me stay."

"This is dangerous. Although they are not of high rank, their numbers are considerable. If a real fight breaks out, I may not be able to protect you." Baruch seemed very surprised by God's decision.

"To stand idly by in the face of such a thing out of cowardice is not in accordance with the doctrines of the Natural Church," Gao Deyi said righteously.

Baruch paused for a moment, then carefully looked Gao De up and down, a smile appearing on his face.

Before this, even though God's words were incredibly eloquent, and even though his magic revealed that God's words were credible, Baruch still harbored some doubts about what God said.

But now, that doubt has almost completely disappeared.

To understand a person, don't listen to what they say, but look at what they do.

"Then let's fight together," Baruch said.

(End of this chapter)