Above the mage

Chapter 235 Sword in the Ice

Upon hearing this, Gao De raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Which mage doesn't treasure magic? Few would casually pass it on to others.

Firstly, it is often non-compliant with regulations, and secondly, the monks themselves are generally unwilling to do so.

Spells have always been the most expensive form of knowledge.

And now, Baruch actually claims he's willing to pass on [Wild Acumen] to me?

"Is this appropriate?" Gao De hesitated for a moment before asking.

It's not that I'm being pretentious or polite; it's just that I feel this matter is too illogical.

Baruch also saw through Gao De's thoughts and narrowed his eyes slightly.

His gaze drifted to the spirit that was diligently cleaning the cave. A tiny figure was flapping its little wings and circling around the spirit, looking very interested.

Flora has always been like this, full of curiosity.

Noticing that Baruch's gaze was fixed on Flora, God felt a slight sense of unease.

After all, given Flora's exceptional intelligence, anyone could tell she was no ordinary person.

"The Icemane Tiger is an extremely ferocious creature," Baruch said slowly.

At this moment, Flora, annoyed that Wild Spirit had ignored her, changed her target and flew towards the Icemane Tiger Ryan lying nearby. Like a mosquito, she flew around Ryan's head and occasionally tugged at its fur.

Ryan didn't react at all, he just yawned lazily.

Watching this scene, Baruch said softly, "Besides me, Ryan will instinctively reject other creatures. The reason it is willing to let you sit on its back is because I communicated with it beforehand."

"Only a creature born with a natural heart could do something like this, allowing other beings to approach and touch it without any reaction, without my request."

"The Heart of Nature?"

What is this? Gaode has never heard of it before.

"It means being close to nature and all things, and having a pure and kind heart."

"The fact that creatures with a natural heart are so close to you proves that you are a devout follower of the natural religion who stays true to yourself."

"I believe you will bring some positive changes to the North, even if not many, it will still be good. Therefore, as the guardian of the snowfields, I am willing to provide you with some assistance within my power," Baruch said sincerely.

There was one more thing he didn't mention: these past few days, while accompanying Gao De in pursuit of those fleeing snowfield hyenas, he could clearly sense that Gao De not only didn't complain at all, but was even quite enthusiastic.

This was especially true during battles. They did not stand idly by simply because they were not as strong as themselves. Instead, they took the initiative to do everything in their power to help deal with the ley line creatures.

With these two factors combined, Baruch had completely come to believe in Gaudí's "Naturalism" doctrine and trusted him implicitly, treating him as one of his own.

"If you weren't a follower of the Nature Cult, I would have recommended you to the Snowfield Guardians," he remarked.

"What difference does it make whether you're a member of the Nature Cult, the Snowfield Guardians, or any other faction, as long as you're contributing to the North?"

Gao De replied with a meaningful remark, while also mocking himself, "Besides, I don't have your lofty spiritual realm, so I'm not fit to be a guardian of the snowfield."

Over the past few days, although Baruch hadn't explicitly introduced it, he had a vague idea that the Snowfield Guardians were actually an organization similar to an ascetic cult.

Becoming a Snowfield Guardian means living alone year-round in the desolate and dangerous northern wilderness.

They cannot marry or have children, dedicating everything to the snowfields without any tangible reward.

The spirit of the snowfield guardians is truly admirable.

But as much as he admires him, Gao De would definitely not want to become one of them.

Baruch smiled at Gao De's words, because it was actually a form of affirmation for him.

"You don't need to idolize all of us who chose to become guardians of the snowfield. We are people who truly love this land. We don't feel bitter living this kind of life. On the contrary, we feel happy and our souls are elevated."

"So it's not that we can endure hardship, but that we can derive meaning from this way of life."

In the dark of night, the cold wind howled incessantly across the snow-covered plains.

The flickering firelight illuminated the small cave.

Baruch imparted Wild Agility to God by the fire, using an oral instruction method.

Gaode listened very attentively.

According to Baruch, the Wild Agility he taught Gaudre was not a core spell of the Snowfield Guardians.

Those core spells and knowledge can only be taught to those who become guardians of the snowfield, pass the test, and make contributions.

Moreover, after the instruction is given, it will be strictly forbidden to spread it outside the sect.

However, [Wild and Agile] does not have this restriction.

Although it is not forbidden to spread it outside, this spell is still a rare spell and is rarely seen in the outside world. It is considered one of the exclusive spells of the Snowfield Guardians' sect.

[Wild Agility] (Transmutation, 1st Ring):

You summon the spirits of the wilderness to assist you.

When you cast this spell, choose one of the following effects:

If there are any traces on the ground within 120 feet, you will know where they are, and you can track them more easily for up to an hour or until you cast the spell again.

If there is edible food within range, you will know about it and where to find it.

If there is clean drinking water within a certain distance, you will know about it and where to find it.

If there is a suitable sanctuary for you and your allies within range, you will learn about it and know where to find it.

You can send the spirits to gather wood for a fire and use your supplies to build a camp in the area. The spirits will build a fire in the middle of the stone circle, set up tents, unpack blankets, and provide all the food and water for your meals.

You can also have spirits dismantle a campsite immediately, which includes putting out fires, packing up tents, packing backpacks, and burying any trash.

According to Gaode Maps, the so-called "wild and agile" can actually be seen as carrying a low-budget version of "Bear Grylls" with you.

As a first-level spell, its cost-effectiveness is extremely high.

Because it's a spell that, once mastered, can be used indefinitely, similar to the Mage's Hand.

Gao De listened attentively, and after half an hour, he had firmly memorized the spell model of [Wild Agility].

Unfortunately, as a first-order spell, the prerequisite for constructing a spell model is a spell potion.

Clearly, he doesn't currently have the [Wild Agility] spell potion, so he can't begin trying to construct a spell model.

Fortunately, as Baruch said, the main and auxiliary ingredients needed for the [Wild Agility] spell potion are all common items found on the snowfield.

So once you get to the Snowflakes clan, you can basically gather about 70-80% of the materials, and if you're lucky, you might even be able to gather all the materials.

The main and auxiliary materials required to craft the [Wild Agility] spell potion are not much different from those required for ordinary spell potions. It requires two Tier 1 main materials and four Tier 0 auxiliary materials.

The two required Tier 1 main materials are: one Tier 1 Ice Soul Stone and half an ounce of Blue Butterfly Crystal Powder.

Gao De happened to have some Tier 1 Ice Soul Stones readily available, and not just one; these were obtained by killing small ice elementals on the Dandong Snow Peak.

The only thing left to worry about is the blue butterfly crystal powder.

As for zero-tier auxiliary materials, they are generally not rare items.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone on the earth, God, Baruch, and Ryan all woke up from their sleep.

People who spend a lot of time traveling alone in the wilderness are generally very sensitive to unusual sounds from the outside world.

So when one person wakes up, the other person is naturally awakened as well.

After waking up, the two first cooked some simple food.

They ate snow wolf meat.

Although the taste of snow wolf meat isn't particularly good, it depends on what you're comparing it to.

The problem with snowfield hyena meat isn't just its taste; it also has a rotten smell, and unless someone is starving, most people wouldn't even consider eating it.

Afterwards, Baruch cast [Wild Agility], summoning the Wild Spirit. After quickly tidying up the temporary camp in the cave, the two mounted Ryan and galloped towards the direction of the Snowfarer Clan.

This time, there were no further unexpected twists and turns.

There are many dangers on the snowfield, but the snowfield is also very vast.

With this dilution, the probability of encountering creatures from high-level ley lines becomes extremely small.

As an Icemane Tiger, Ryan was a local strongman in the North.

It actively emits its aura, and under normal circumstances, no foolish creatures will approach it.

They set off at dawn, and before darkness fell, Baruch led God to the outskirts of the Snowfield clan.

As a medium-sized tribe, the Snowflakes' camp was a hundred times larger than that of the Dorn border region, and from a distance, it even resembled a small village.

Of course, the buildings inside the tribe are not much different from those on the edge of Dor, they are all tents, only more numerous and thus more spectacular.

The Snowflakes' camp was set up on an open snowfield, with smaller tents scattered around it, clearly for the ordinary members of the tribe to live in.

In the center of the tribe stand several large tents.

These tents have towering roofs made of thick animal hides and decorated with exquisite patterns and totems, making it clear that their owners must be people of high status.

As you can see, most families in this tribe raise reindeer.

These reindeer are enormous, with pure white fur and forked antlers, resembling exquisite works of art.

"Then I'll leave you here." Baruch said goodbye to God after they arrived at their destination.

"Aren't you going in to rest for a bit?" Gao De couldn't help but ask.

Baruch shook his head. "We Snowfield Guardians will not easily enter human tribes unless absolutely necessary. The snowfield is our home."

It's a strange habit, but just like every religion has doctrines that outsiders can't understand, Gao De expressed his understanding.

"So where are you going next?" Gao De asked again.

"I plan to continue patrolling this area to confirm the scale of the nearby leyline biomes. If I come across anything I can handle, I'll deal with it," Baruch laughed heartily. "If you ever find a place to plant trees in the future, I'll definitely come and visit."

"Welcome!" Gao De replied with a smile.

Since their goals were different, they naturally had to part ways.

"Be careful and don't be reckless," Gao De cautioned. After all, the other party's bold fighting style was cool, but if he got into danger, he would usually have a hard time escaping.

"Don't worry, the snowfield will protect me," Baruch said.

Both of them were decisive and didn't say much about parting; they separated outside the Snowfield clan.

Watching Baruch and Ryan disappear from sight, God turned around and headed toward the Snowflakes' camp.

Although it was a temporary camp, the Snowfarer clan still enclosed it with a wall made of ice spikes.

These ice spikes, with their sharp tips and neat arrangement, served both a defensive purpose and added to the camp's imposing presence. The height of the walls was also sufficient to deter most wild animals.

To enter the camp, one must go through the main gate.

Members of the Snowfield clan guarded the gate.

There were two burly guards dressed in heavy bearskin clothing, who were responsible for maintaining order and also for identifying outsiders.

A few minutes later, God arrived at the gates of the Snowford clan and joined the queue.

Yes, there's a queue.

As the largest tribe in the area, the Snowfar clan's camp is also the only "trading zone" in the vicinity, attracting many people from other tribes to come here and exchange for the supplies they need.

Meanwhile, some lone travelers scattered across the snowfields would also choose to rest in the Snowflake clan camp.

Therefore, there are actually quite a few outsiders entering the Snowver tribe camp every day.

This made the Snowflake clan camp, while not as bustling as the commercial districts of the outside city, at least more lively, and there were even queues.

While waiting in line, Gao De noticed that the two Snowfield guards at the gate seemed to pay special attention to outsiders with "pets".

Their gazes lingered on outsiders carrying "pets," and when it came to those people, they would approach them and question them in detail.

For example, the young hunter who was only two positions ahead of him had a large snow dog, a breed unique to the snowfields.

This is very common in the North.

In particular, the young hunter had come with the intention of trading supplies.

Given the barter-based trade system in the North, he brought a considerable amount of supplies from the tribes, which he would later exchange for supplies of equal value to take back to his own tribe.

It's easy to imagine that the load would be considerable both ways, and it would be quite strenuous to carry it all by oneself.

These large snow dogs possess exceptional strength and stamina, making them ideal for dragging heavy loads. Coupled with their friendly and gentle nature, they naturally became one of the most beloved companions of the Northerners.

It's perfectly normal to bring a snow dog when going out to trade.

But here, the young hunter was subjected to detailed questioning by the two Snowflake tribe guards.

"Is this a snow dog?" one of the older Snowfield guards asked first.

His expression was intimidating, but his tone was relatively mild.

"Yes, it's a snow dog," the young hunter nodded.

Having received confirmation, the two Snowfield guards did not give up.

They crouched down again and examined the snow dog carefully several times, even reaching out to stroke its fur.

This commotion made the young hunter nervous, and he began to wonder if there was something wrong with his snow dog.

"Is this your first time visiting Snowver?" Finally, the two Snowver guards finished their inspection, stood up, and asked the young hunter.

"right."

"where u from?"

"Anse Tribe"

"Anse Tribe." The Snowford guard thought for a moment, seemingly remembering the location of the Anse Tribe, and nodded, saying, "Then let's go in."

The previous stance, followed by the sudden, effortless movement, left the young hunter momentarily stunned before he nodded in a daze.

"Oh, by the way, the Zhenbing tribe recently held an Ice Sword Challenge. Anyone who can pull out the Zhenbing Sword stuck in the ice platform can get a lot of Ice Marrow as a reward and become a guest of honor of the Zhenbing tribe."

Just as the young hunter was about to enter the Snowver clan camp, the older Snowver guard suddenly spoke again.

(End of this chapter)