Above the mage

Chapter 288 Cultivation Methods Combined

"Where exactly are the seven ice caves that produce Ice Fiend that you know about?" Gao De asked again.

The Snowfield Guardian's inventory of Ice Fiends is only enough for Gaode to upgrade the Frozen Blade to Tier 1.

To go any further, we can only wait for new resources to be generated in the ice cave.

Upon hearing Gao De's question, Loych quickly took out a thick scroll from his pocket and handed it over, clearly having prepared it in advance.

"This map was found in Archbishop Rune's room."

Gaode took the scroll, unfolded it, and found that it was an incredibly detailed large map.

This map not only encompasses almost the entire western region of the North, but it is also covered with a variety of detailed markings.

This includes information on which minerals are found in which areas, what magical plants are present, and what ley line creatures gather there. Some dangerous areas are marked with skulls, and even the detailed locations of the three ley lines are indicated.

In addition, there are seven cave-like symbols marked in blue on the map.

These are the seven ice caves controlled by the Snowfield Guardians. The depth of color indicates the level of the ice cave; the darker the color, the higher the level.

The map provided by the Snowfield Guardians is unique in the North in terms of its level of detail.

The credit largely goes to the guardians who roam the snowfields year-round.

Their tireless exploration and recording, combined with the long history of the snowfield guardians, resulted in this map.

"Are these two gold mines?" Gao De glanced at the map and spotted two images of gold ore among the many mineral markers. He couldn't help but ask.

“Yes,” Loich nodded, “but both places are alluvial gold mines, gold particles brought in by snowmelt during the snow season on the snowfields.”

Gold particles in alluvial gold deposits typically originate from primary gold deposits upstream.

These primary gold deposits are located in rocks. After weathering, erosion, and water transport, the gold particles are carried to rivers, forming alluvial gold deposits.

If abundant alluvial gold deposits are discovered, then theoretically, tracing upstream will likely lead to primary gold deposits.

"Didn't you try to trace back to the original gold mine?" Gao De asked again.

"No." He shook his head.

"Firstly, the sect's doctrine is to protect the snowfields; our primary focus is on protecting the safety and balance of this land."

"Secondly, gold mines are not actually of much use on the snowfields."

"Thirdly, mining gold is a task that requires a lot of manpower and resources, let alone in an extreme environment like the snowfield, which is beyond the capacity of our sect," Loich explained honestly.

Upon hearing this, Gao De nodded slightly, understanding the implication.

There is no traditional currency in the North, so gold mines are not very significant.

Here, what is truly valuable are the resources necessary for survival and combat, not gold and silver treasures.

However, Gaode Maps still kept a close eye on things.

If Zhenbing Tribe wants to grow stronger, it will have to introduce the concept of currency sooner or later.

Money is the foundation of economic activity.

Without currency, there is no prosperous trade system. Although barter is feasible on a small scale, it is ultimately too primitive and inefficient. Once the scale of trade increases, it becomes flawed in every way.

If there's a gold mine, we can try minting coins. Gao De pondered to himself.

According to the map that Loich produced, in addition to these two alluvial gold mines, there are also silver and copper mines on the snowfield.

Although the number is small, consisting of only a few at a time, Gaode is well aware that these marked mineral information are just the tip of the iceberg of the mineral resources in the North.

Since the primary duty of the snowfield guardians is to protect the snowfield, these discovered mineral deposits are all open-pit mines that are visible at a glance.

Obviously, only a few mineral veins are exposed; most are hidden underground.

However, these are all things that happened a long time later, so Gaode only briefly explored the topic before skipping over it.

"Are these all branches of the Snowfield Guardians established in the North?" Gao De asked, tracing the building markers on the map.

These markers are widely distributed, spanning almost the entire western part of the North.

"Yes, sir," Loich dared not conceal the truth, "our sect has thirteen branches in the North, all of which are used to shelter orphans who have lost the protection of the tribes, and also to train the next generation of members of the sect."

Gao De nodded slightly. At least in this respect, the Snowfield Guardians were indeed "protecting the snowfield." Each of the thirteen branches represented a place of hope and refuge.

"My king, what are your plans for dealing with these branches?" Sunefa, who had been silent for a long time, finally asked.

"Let's keep them for now. Phoenix can't take in so many people without solving the food problem." God didn't act impulsively and saw Sunefa's worries.

Taking over these branches hastily would place a huge burden on Phoenix at present, so it is more appropriate to let them continue to operate in their original way for now.

"Where is this place?" Gao De suddenly noticed a very unique building-like marker on the map.

Unlike the white markings of other buildings, this one is red, making it stand out. Moreover, it is not located in the western region, but in the central region of the North, which is considered a forbidden area and almost uninhabited.

"That was once the site of our sect's sanctuary," Loich's voice was somewhat bitter. "After the Iceborn bloodline began to weaken, the extreme environment of the central region became unsuitable for us, so the sect moved the sanctuary from the central region to this place."

"It is said that not everything was brought out during the migration, and many ancient artifacts are still hidden in the ancient temple," Loich continued.

Gao De's heart skipped a beat.

Although Loich used the phrase "it is said," it is most likely true.

The reason is simple: the highest level spell recipes in the Icefield Temple are only fourth-level spells, while the Snowfield Guardians, as an ancient sect, must have produced many mages with higher than fourth-level spells a long time ago.

The existence of these high-ring mages implies that they once possessed far more powerful magic and knowledge.

Since those high-level spell recipes are not available in the Icefield Temple, they were most likely left in the Ancient Temple.

However, exploring this ancient temple is not something he can do right now; he can only leave it for later.

Anyway, there's no rush. Even if we find those high-level spell recipes and knowledge now, we won't be able to use them.

Putting away the large map, Gaode's gaze then wandered over the treasure vault.

Aside from the numerous magical materials, he noticed that in the very center of the treasure vault, there was a high platform with an irregularly shaped block of ice about the size of two fists.

The ice block emitted a faint blue light and exuded an extreme cold that could be detected even from such a distance.

Zhenbing!

Without hesitation, Gao De stepped forward and, to Loych's slightly shocked gaze, picked up the piece of pure ice without changing his expression. "I'll take care of bringing it back to Phoenix."

Within the entire Zhenbing tribe, only Gaode and Sunafa should be able to directly touch this piece of Zhenbing.

Therefore, Gaode Maps took on this task of relocation itself.

After inventorying, organizing, and packing all the supplies and books in the Icefield Temple, the main force of the Zhenbing Tribe prepared to return to Phoenix.

"My king, what should we do with these people?" Elder Kahn, who had come along, asked God's opinion.

He was referring to the Icefield Temple mages who had submitted, as well as the necromancers who had followed Ryan in practicing forbidden necromancy and had been captured by the Icefield Temple mages—a total of more than a dozen people.

These people were being held captive, their knees pressed to the cold ground, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear, resentment, and a sliver of lingering hope.

Gao De glanced at the necromancers, his gaze turning cold.

He walked expressionlessly to the necromancers, drew his [North Wind] sword with a clang, and its cold light flashed.

A head has already fallen to the ground.

Each swing of the sword was accompanied by a dull thud, followed by a head hitting the ground, blood splattering everywhere and staining the cold snow red.

Moments later, all the necromancers were decapitated.

Origin: Second Ring - Humanity (7/7).

The Three Rings – Humanity (4/7)

In an instant, the essence of a second ring was fully gathered.

"As for the others," Gao De shifted his gaze from the corpses of the necromancers to the faces of the Icefield Temple mages.

At this moment, these people, having just witnessed Gao De's beheading, had complex emotions written all over their faces.

"Since you have chosen to submit, come back to Phoenix with us. From now on, you will no longer be the mages of the Snowfield Guardians. I will give you a chance. If you can prove your worth and loyalty, you can become members of the Zhenbing Tribe."

It took eight days to travel from Phoenix to the Icefield Sanctuary, but the return journey from the Icefield Sanctuary to Phoenix was much slower, taking a full eleven days.

This back-and-forth took more than half a month.

When the main force of the Zhenbing team returned fully loaded, their return was like a storm, quickly creating huge waves in Phoenix.

The news of the Snowfield Guardians' annihilation quickly caught the attention of those in Phoenix who were interested in the matter.

Actually, there's no need to pay special attention to it.

Because Gao De had Ryan and the ice sculpture formed by the zombie behemoth he summoned brought back, and proactively spread the news that Ryan had practiced forbidden necromancy and slaughtered the northern tribes, he directly positioned the Zhenbing tribe on the side of eliminating evil for the snowfield and upholding justice.

The giant ice sculpture was the evidence, and Gao De placed it directly in the square where the Ice Sword Challenge had been held previously.

Everyone who saw the zombie behemoth would no longer doubt the veracity of the news.

However, due to the conditions in the North, this news will likely take some time to spread and develop before it finally resonates throughout the entire Northern tribes.

With a clear moral high ground, it can ensure that other tribes will not feel insecure or perceive the Zhenbing tribe as warlike.

Sunafa's residence.

"My king, what brings you here?" Sunafa welcomed God in and brewed a cup of iced jade parasol leaf water.

Gao De smiled slightly, took out a book, and handed it to Sunafa.

Upon looking at the book, the latter discovered that it was written in a common language he did not recognize, and quickly demonstrated his linguistic proficiency.

Then, Sunafa softly read out the five large words on the book:

The Green Wood Longevity Classic.

"What is this?" Sunefa was even more puzzled.

"This is my cultivation method. It requires choosing a specific plant as a sacred object, forming a bond with it, and then using that plant to extend one's lifespan. In addition, it can also accelerate the cultivation speed by absorbing the essence of plants." Gao De briefly introduced the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

"A very powerful cultivation method." Sunafa pondered for a moment and gave a fair assessment.

Although the Northern Mage's lineage of knowledge was rather meager, she still possessed a basic ability to judge the methods of cultivation.

A cultivation method that can increase lifespan and cultivation speed naturally deserves the title of "powerful".

"That's true, but there are also many limitations. The lifespan extended by the sacred object will disappear completely after the sacred object dies, and the conversion rate of lifespan extension is also very low. Therefore, you must find high-level magical plants that already have a large lifespan." Gao De pointed out the limitations of the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

"My king, how did you come to the Northern Territory if you practice this kind of cultivation method?" Sunafa asked, puzzled.

There are more snow wolves than vegetation in the North.

No matter how you look at it, this is not a suitable place for Gaode Maps.

"Because Lady Flora has a high-level magical plant seed that can germinate and grow regardless of the environment, I need to find a place to plant it, form a pact with it, and treat it as a sacred object."

"But this seed..." God then told Sunefah all about the wonders of Yugathira and his reasons for choosing the North.

By this point, he had enough trust in Sunefa.

"I see." Sunefa's eyes sparkled, filled with amazement at Yugathira's abilities.

"Yogathhira is the seed of life for Lady Flora!" Flora exclaimed, feeling proud of Sunefa's amazement.

"So, I need you to help me choose a suitable place to plant trees." Gao De smiled slightly and then stated his purpose.

Although he has many other things to do, planting trees is definitely his top priority.

In the extraordinary world, the foundation of everything is still one's own extraordinary power.

The sooner the tree is planted, the faster his strength will increase, so God is no longer going to delay planting it.

"Ideally, it should be an ideal port location on the northern coastline." He took out a map from the Snowfield Guardians and spread it out on the table.

Gao De had long ago conceived of the direction for choosing the planting site, and even now that he has become the king of the Zhenbing tribe, his thinking has not changed, and has even become more determined.

If the Zhenbing tribe wants to grow stronger, it must break the inherent isolation of the northern border, establish connections with the outside world, and conduct necessary trade and exchanges.

History has proven that closing oneself off from the world only leads to backwardness.

The Irwinaya Mountains, however, form an insurmountable barrier, isolating the North from the outside world.

Therefore, the only way for the North to contact the outside world was by sea.

The port must be built; it must belong to the people of the North. First, build the port, then construct ships, making it a bridge connecting the North to the outside world.

"An ideal port location?" Sunafa's eyes flickered slightly as her fair fingers slowly slid across the map. Without much thought, she spoke up, "My king, there is indeed a place that perfectly meets your requirements."

"This is it." She pointed to a point on the map.

It was a bay located in the middle of the northern coastline, its outline somewhat resembling a giant arm extending inland from the coastline, flanked by towering valleys.

"This bay has an extremely advantageous geographical location, and it's not too far from Phoenix as the crow flies, which makes it easier for us to take care of the sacred tree for you." This was the point that Sunefa valued most.

She understood the importance of Yugathira to God, and the Zhenbing tribe had to send forces to take care of her.

Furthermore, Gao De noticed that there were large tracts of flat land on both sides and at the end of the bay, enough to support his grand vision of afforestation.

"Okay," Gao De nodded slightly, quite satisfied with Sunefa's recommendation. "I still need to go and see it in person before I can make a decision."

He paused, then suddenly spoke again: "However, besides needing your recommendation for a tree-planting site, there's another matter that concerns you."

"My king, please speak." Sunafa's voice was still cold, but very gentle.

"I want you to also study the 'Green Wood Longevity Scripture'."

(End of this chapter)