Above the mage

Chapter 247 The Heart of Nature

"Let's take him back first," Catherine said, withdrawing her gaze from God.

Despite their surprise, Loich and Catherine did not change their plans.

"Okay," Loich replied.

Then, Loich came to Gao De's side, reached out and quickly groped Gao De's body.

Even though God was just a first-level mage whose magic power was restricted by the Ice Needle spell, Loych was still very cautious and had to search God before taking him on the road.

Fortunately, Gaode had already instructed Flora to put away "Breath of the Wild" in advance.

The things he had left, though some were valuable, were nothing to two hunters who were at least second-ring mages.

Even the remaining two drops of first-tier ice marrow, Luo Yiqi only glanced at them, let out a sound of surprise, and then returned them to Gao De.

"This is my magical pet."

Later, Loich discovered Flora hiding in God's pocket.

Hearing Gao De's reply, he glanced at Flora again with some surprise.

Clearly, this was the first time he had ever seen such a magical pet.

It was new as it was, but he didn't say much, nor did he have any ulterior motives.

First, he's not that kind of person. Second, magical pets are a type of summoned creature, and they can't be taken away.

In the end, Loich only took away the bone dagger that God carried with him and the "Hidden Mist Fang" that could be used as a weapon.

"Alright." After doing all that, Loich nodded to Catherine, who was wearing a mask.

Immediately afterwards, the two of them each made a strange casting gesture, and a dense wave of magical energy arose.

This spell lasted for an extremely long time.

About a minute later.

The magical energy permeating the air was so intense that it was almost visible, and the air itself seemed to become slightly heavier due to the accumulation of magic.

Then, a dazzling light flashed.

Guided by this powerful magic, two lifelike spirits of different shapes appeared out of thin air and stood steadily in front of Loich and Catherine.

Loich summoned a magnificent and powerful warhorse-shaped spirit, its eyes gleaming with spiritual light.

However, Catherine summoned a lithe snow wolf spirit, its eyes revealing its indomitable and wild nature.

Although they are all spirits, they seem to possess the spirituality and wisdom that normal living beings should have.

[Summon Mount], a 2nd-level conjuration spell.

While Baruch had an Icemane Tiger as his mount, the two hunters' mounts on the snowfield were obtained through magic.

Mounts summoned through magic are certainly far inferior to the Icemane Tiger in both strength and speed, and maintaining their existence requires additional mana.

However, it's not without its advantages. Its main advantage is its portability, allowing you to dismount at any time by canceling the spell.

The latter is obviously very important for hunters who need to perform various tasks.

Almost simultaneously, Loich and Catherine nimbly flipped and leaped onto the backs of their respective mounts.

As for Gaode

Loich glanced at him and actually extended his hand to him, "Come on up."

Without hesitation, Gao De took Roychi's hand and climbed onto the broad back of the warhorse spirit, sitting behind Roychi.

Loich didn't seem worried at all about Gaode, who was standing so close to him, making any underhanded moves.

"Hold on tight," Loich called out. Without him making any move, the warhorse spirit naturally chose a direction and began to gallop.

A fierce, cold wind blew in my face.

"Where are we going?" Gao De sighed inwardly and asked.

His voice sounded unusually faint in the howling wind, and was not clearly audible.

But Loich quickly replied to Gaode, "Go back to headquarters. We're only responsible for bringing you back. The rest is not our concern."

Upon hearing what Loych said, Gao De's heart sank even further.

Loich and Catherine both appear cold on the surface, especially Catherine, who wears a bronze mask and seems rather ruthless.

However, Gao De could still clearly sense that the two had their own bottom lines and their work style was rather orderly.

But if they arrive at the Snowfield Guardians' headquarters and a different group of people arrives, then things could change.

After all, it has been confirmed that there are high-ranking members of the Snowfield Guardians who are practicing forbidden necromancy.

If the higher-ups are like this, the people below certainly won't be completely clean either.

Moreover, Gaode believes that among the group of people who were replaced, there is a high probability that there will be someone behind the scenes.

You're lucky if you don't ruin yourself, so what's the point of having a bottom line?

"How long will it take?" Gao De asked again.

"It will arrive soon, in about two weeks," Loich replied to Gaode.

On the snow-covered plains, time seems to be shortened.

For people from the North, traveling for one or two months is actually quite normal.

Half a month.

After finishing his conversation with Loych, Gao De began to consider his current situation.

First and foremost, restricting the use of ice needles is an urgent priority.

Whatever your thoughts may be, you must first eliminate the threat posed by it.

Fortunately, the solution was already in front of us.

Next, all he needs to do is continuously and actively trigger the forbidden ice needles to adapt to the extreme cold of ice.

But we can't be too reckless.

Although the triggering of the forbidden ice needles occurred inside his body and was difficult for outsiders to see, the intense pain brought by the extreme cold of the ice would allow Gao De to show what he was doing in another way.

Unless one can remain completely unfazed, one must never trigger the forbidden ice needle technique in person and must avoid the presence of two people.

However, this is not a difficult task.

He would wait until the two of them were resting before activating the forbidden ice needle technique.

In addition, the headquarters of the Snowfield Guardians is absolutely off-limits.

We must find a way to change the minds of these two hunters.

It was already evening when Loich and Catherine found God.

However, as high-ranking monks, the two were skilled and daring, and did not need to be as cautious as Gao De, so they could still travel at night.

But people still need rest eventually.

So in the latter half of the night, the two of them used [Wild Agility] to quickly set up a camp and rest there for the time being.

The only advantage of being controlled by others is that Gaode no longer has to worry about food issues.

Standing around the newly lit fire, Loich took out three frozen rats, their skins already peeled off and now hard as rocks, from his package.

He skillfully brought the food close to the fire, thawed it slightly, skewered it with a stick, and then handed one of the skewers to Gao De.

"Do it yourself."

Gao De nimbly took it and sat down next to Luo Yiqi, skillfully flipping the wooden stick in his hand to ensure the rat meat was heated evenly and reached its best flavor.

"What is this?" he asked casually while busy with his work.

"Snow guinea pig, one of the most delicious foods on the permafrost tundra."

"Although snow guinea pigs are only first-tier leyline creatures, they live in underground burrows year-round and are very elusive, making them difficult for ordinary people to catch. Even we have to rely on luck to get a few. You're in luck this time."

Although Gao De was their "captive," Loich did not act superior because of it, but introduced Gao De to him in a very friendly manner.

"Then I'll have to taste it properly to see what it's like," Gao De laughed, showing no resentment at being captured by the two.

He gradually realized that these two were essentially "good people," even the seemingly cold Catherine.

sizzle.

As the flames blaze, oil gradually seeps out of the snow guinea pig meat, releasing a unique meaty aroma and even a hint of herbal fragrance, making it incredibly tempting.

Seeing that the time was right, Loich picked up one of the strings and handed it to Catherine, who had been silent all along.

This made Gao De subconsciously glance at Catherine.

She wore that bronze mask the whole time; she should take it off to eat now, right?

To Gao De's surprise, after Catherine took the skewer of roasted snow guinea pig, she did not take off her mask, but instead looked up at the sky, her gaze fixed on the distant night sky.

A moment later, the sound of flapping wings rang out.

In the darkness of night, a jet-black owl with glossy feathers descended from the sky and landed obediently on Catherine's shoulder.

Its eyes, which still seemed bright and alert even in the night, darted around, and it would occasionally lower its head to gently rub against Catherine's shoulder, appearing unusually affectionate.

"This is Catherine's pet, a Seven Nights Owl with magical affinity and extraordinary intelligence. It can keep watch for us while we rest," Loich said, noticing God's surprised look.

"Similarly, if you try to sneak away at night while we're resting, just like you do in the branch, it will alert us immediately."

He then gave Gao De a meaningful "reminder": "Of course, I don't think that you, who are hit by the forbidden ice needles and have magic but can't use your power, can survive in this dangerous snowfield without us."

"I think you're a smart person; you wouldn't have such an unwise idea, would you?"

Gao De grinned. "Of course."

He would definitely wait until the forbidden ice needles wore off before making his escape, he added to himself.

Meanwhile, Catherine slowly tore off a piece of snow guinea pig meat from her hand and fed it to the Seven Night Owl on her shoulder.

The owl seemed to be used to this treatment. It slightly opened its sharp beak, deftly took the piece of meat, and then slowly and methodically began to savor it, occasionally letting out a satisfied cooing sound.

Gao De no longer hesitated and took a bite of the snow guinea pig meat in his hand.

No seasonings were added, but in an instant, a herbal aroma mixed with the meaty fragrance exploded in his mouth, creating an indescribable and wonderful taste.

No wonder Loich called it one of the most delicious foods on the permafrost tundra; it really is something special.

Gao De also tore off a tiny piece from the golden-brown, crispy snow guinea pig meat and handed it to Flora, who was peeking out of his pocket and curiously examining the Seven Nights Owl.

Flora took the snow guinea pig meat that God handed her, but instead of eating it, she flapped her little wings and flew to the Seven Nights Owl, handing it the piece of meat with great interest.

"Wait." Catherine was about to say something when the owl glanced at the snow guinea pig meat Flora handed over. Without complaining that it was too small, it lowered its head, picked it up with its beak, and swallowed it in one gulp.

"Coo-coo!" the owl clucked contentedly.

Upon hearing the owl's hooting, Flora immediately squinted her eyes with delight, like a child who had discovered a fun toy.

Catherine, who was about to speak, was taken aback when she saw this scene. She stared blankly at little Flora for a long time without saying a word.

Even Loich, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment. His gaze swept back and forth between Seven Nights Owl and Flora, and his expression became extremely strange.

After a long while, he turned his head and looked at Gao De intently, his eyes shining with a strange light.

"You just said that Guardian Baruch was seriously injured while saving the Snowflakes and is recuperating in the Snowflakes?" Loich asked.

"Yes," Gao De shrugged, saying helplessly, "Unfortunately, the Snowfarer clan is gone now, so I have no proof."

Loich looked up at Catherine, who nodded slightly at him. He immediately understood and turned to God, saying, "Although the Snowfar clan is gone, they still leave some traces."

"Tomorrow, let's go take a look at the original site of the Snowfield clan."

"Huh?!?!" Now it was Gaode's turn to be stunned.

He didn't understand why the two people who had previously refused to believe his story and were eager to take him back to the Snowfield Guardian Headquarters to report had suddenly changed their minds.

"Is she your magical pet?" Loich asked, gesturing angrily at Flora.

"right."

“Catherine’s Seven Night Owl won’t eat anything anyone throws to it except Catherine, including me,” Loich pointed to the Seven Night Owl on Catherine’s shoulder, “but now, it has eaten what your pet gave it without any warning.”

"This shows that your pet possesses a rare and precious natural heart."

"I believe that as the owner of the Heart of Nature, you shouldn't be a bad person. Perhaps there really is some misunderstanding here."

Gao De was stunned.

This wasn't the first time he'd heard the term "Heart of Nature."

When he first met Baruch, he said the same thing about Flora, but God didn't take it too seriously.

After all, this thing is too mysterious and doesn't offer any real benefits.

Unexpectedly, this time he gained the trust of Loich and Catherine because of Flora's "Heart of Nature", which brought a glimmer of hope to what was an almost unsolvable predicament.

Although Loich said he somewhat believed God, he never mentioned the five forbidden ice needles inside God's body.

He didn't mention it, so Gaode didn't say anything either.

Moreover, even if Loich were to remove the forbidden ice needles for him, he might not be very happy.

After dinner, Loich and Catherine went to rest.

On the snowy plains, being able to fall asleep quickly anytime, anywhere is an essential survival skill, because only in this way can one recover physical strength and condition as quickly as possible.

But as Loich warned him, the Seven Night Owl kept staring at him with its bright eyes.

However, Gaode Maps didn't seem to care.

He lay down and waited a while. After confirming that the two were fast asleep, he quietly began to circulate his magic power.

The next instant, a chill swept over, followed by unimaginable pain.

Gao De's face turned pale instantly, and his muscles tensed up.

At this moment, he clearly felt extreme cold, but large drops of cold sweat were already seeping from his forehead.

Gao De gritted his teeth, controlling himself to not make a sound, and kept his body completely still.

[By withstanding the extreme cold, your cold resistance increases by 100.4% 100.6% 101.2%]

[Endurance of extreme cold increases pain tolerance by 67.6%, 67.9%, and 68.5%]

[You are currently suffering from the effects of extreme cold; your body's recovery ability has increased by 3.1%].

(End of this chapter)