Above the mage

Chapter 310 Encounter

Due to the randomness of astral teleportation, Gaode had made advance guesses and mental preparations regarding the "spawn point" he might randomly receive.

Of the many scenarios he envisioned, the primitive mountain range happened to be one of the worst.

His main purpose in leaving the North via astral teleportation was to make contact with outsiders, establish connections, and thus facilitate the exchange of resources between the North and the outside world, becoming a happy middleman.

From this perspective, the best scenario would definitely be to teleport to the vicinity of a town, so as to start his plan as quickly as possible. Teleporting directly to the town would also be bad, since suddenly having an extra person in full view of everyone, even if it could be explained by magic, would still be too conspicuous.

As for the pristine mountains, that would be terrible.

Firstly, as is well known, after the convergence of ley lines, almost every undeveloped, pristine mountain range in the world is inhabited by various kinds of ley line creatures.

Furthermore, the larger the primeval mountain range, the stronger the ley line creatures that exist there, making the danger factor extremely high.

In addition, the primeval mountain range is too large, covering an area of ​​boundless expanse.

Gaode was randomly teleported here, so he has no idea where this mountain range is or what its name is.

Not to mention knowing detailed route planning; maps and such are simply wishful thinking.

Therefore, the only feasible way Gao De can think of to get out of this mountain range is to choose a direction using the [Northward Guidance] and walk blindly down it.

The problem is that if you're unlucky, you might not be able to get out of this mountain range even after three or four months.

However, given the circumstances, it's not entirely impossible to find some redeeming qualities in this terrible situation.

As far as the eye can see, there are towering trees reaching into the clouds, their lush branches layered upon each other, cutting the sky into tiny specks of light.

These are all large trees.

Where there are trees, there are seeds.

In such a densely wooded place, all kinds of tree species can be seen everywhere and easily collected.

If we really can't get out of this primeval mountain range in the end, then we might as well collect a large number of tree seeds and send them back. That way, the trip won't have been in vain, and we'll have accomplished at least half of our predetermined goal.

Anyway, Yugathira can accumulate enough energy for one astral teleportation every two months.

At worst, it can wait four months until it has recharged for two more astral teleportations and then embark on another astral journey.

It's only four months, there's no rush at all. I'm just worried about how to use my 190-year lifespan!

After a period of self-comforting, Ah Q-like mentality, Gaode quickly adjusted his mindset.

The most important thing right now is not to get out of this primeval mountain range, but to be extremely careful and not put ourselves in any danger.

While astral teleportation is incredibly magical, it is not instantaneous; it requires approximately ten seconds to activate.

Therefore, it cannot be used as a last resort for escape if an immediate danger is encountered.

Gao De opened his Mandela Magic Eye, and at the same time, a faint light flashed in both of his eyes.

【Detect Magic+】.

With the double blessing, he slowly turned around and looked around with keen eyes to conduct a preliminary environmental investigation.

A moment later, Gao De confirmed that there were no wild beasts or leyline creatures hiding around him, nor any magical auras.

He then let out a soft breath, turned off the Mandela Eye, ended the casting of [Detection Magic+], and sat down on the spot to rest.

After all, the discomfort caused by the astral teleportation still lingered in his mind like a persistent ailment.

After a brief respite, the dizziness in his head finally subsided completely, and Gao De slowly got up, ready to take action.

He remained calm, silently activating the spell model in his mind.

In the blink of an eye, accompanied by a slight, imperceptible surge of magic, a small, exquisite compass-shaped light and shadow appeared out of thin air in front of him.

After a rapid swing, the compass needle steadily pointed in one direction.

north.

【The Art of Northward Journey】.

With the north identified, the remaining three directions—east, south, and west—are naturally known as well.

He definitely can't go north, since he originally came from the northernmost part of this plane.

After pondering for a moment, Gao De finally set off in the south, the exact opposite direction from the north.

And Mandela's Eye has silently opened once more.

Of course, only the most basic far-sightedness ability was used, which ensures that dangers in the distance can be detected in advance, and there is basically no energy consumption - for mages, distance is often the source of damage, so anticipation is very important.

A towering tree rises from the ground, standing majestically. Its trunk is so thick that it would take several people to encircle it to measure its size.

At the base of the tree lies a massive hollow, resembling a naturally formed dark cave, exuding an air of mystery and having become the dwelling place of monsters.

A wild boar monster with six sharp tusks and covered in coarse, messy black hair was moving around at the entrance of a tree hole, using its thick snout to root around in the ground covered with decaying leaves.

It rummaged through the tender roots hidden under the fallen leaves and soil, panting heavily.

Suddenly, as if it had discovered something, it raised its head with a slightly bewildered expression.

Just now, it seemed to catch a glimpse of a human figure among the scattered tree trunks out of the corner of its eye?

But when it looked in the direction of the figure, what it saw was a silver-blue flash of lightning.

The electric spark was as thin as a thread and moved with lightning speed, making it exceptionally bright and dazzling in the dim forest.

The moment the boar monster saw it, the silvery-white lightning bolt struck from the sky.

It was only at this moment that the wild boar monster realized that what appeared to be lightning was not actually lightning.

Because along with the light came a bone-chilling cold that made its pores stand on end, like the fiercest winter wind.

laugh!

With a muffled thud, the lightning bolt, incredibly sharp and unstoppable, pierced directly into the wild boar monster's seemingly rough yet tough outer skin.

Before the warm blood could even splatter out, accompanied by a slight cracking sound of ice crystals, a burst of intense cold air erupted at the point of contact.

The swift cold current froze the blood that was about to gush out, and then spread rapidly.

A series of bright, icy rays appeared in the air.

The wild boar monster, located at the center of the cold wave, was covered in a layer of frost.

The cold air flowed along the wound, directly entering its bloodstream and then eroding its internal organs.

The fragile internal organs could not withstand such stimulation and damage, and instantly lost their ability to function.

Therefore, this seemingly ferocious wild boar monster didn't even have time to let out an angry roar or show its strength and ferocity before it turned into an ice sculpture and died.

"I think I underestimated the power of the Frozen Blade."

Gao De emerged from the dense forest, looked at the carcass of the wild boar monster, which was as big as a calf, and couldn't help but sigh.

Although I have a very good understanding of the specific numerical values ​​of the Frozen Blade's attack power, it is still only in theory, and I have never personally experienced its damage.

Therefore, after seeing the wild boar monster from afar through the Mandela Eye and using the [Insight] ability to confirm that the energy fluctuations on its body were not particularly strong, Gao De made a bold move, directly unleashing his only first-level attack spell [Frozen Blade+] as a trial run.

Unexpectedly, it was so fierce that it killed the wild boar monster instantly with just one spell.

Gao De focused his attention and looked at Feng Lingyueying.

Origin: 1st Ring -- [Black-maned Pig].

Yes, this boar monster is actually a first-level ley line creature, yet it is so easily defeated in front of [Frozen Blade+].

Although Gao De was able to construct a model of the black-maned boar using the [Insight] ability of the third-tier Mandela Magic Eye and observe that its body's energy flow was at its weakest point, thus striking directly at its vital point, the sheer power of [Frozen Blade+] itself remains undeniable.

A 15-degree puncture injury and a 32-degree cold injury are no joke.

After Gao De cast [Detect Poison] and confirmed that the black-bristled boar's flesh and blood were not poisonous, he casually cut off the plum blossom meat from its shoulder blade.

This cut of meat has a fine texture and evenly distributed fat, making it ideal for grilling.

With limited load capacity, Gao De only took this one piece of meat, and didn't even bother to remove its six tusks—the energy flow contained in them was extremely high, clearly an extraordinary material from the black-maned boar, which could fetch a high price in the outside world.

While reluctantly giving up this invaluable extraordinary material, Gao De began to observe the towering tree where the black-maned boar's den was located.

Verifying the power of [Frozen Blade+] was secondary; the towering tree was the main reason he took action.

The moss spreads and grows along the tree trunk like a velvet carpet, and the vines, like its long hair hanging down, meander and spiral down from the top, some still hanging with crystal dewdrops.

But what Gaode was really concerned about was that there were fruits that looked very much like walnuts hanging on the branches.

Compared to ordinary walnuts, these are ridiculously large, about the size of a person's fist, and hang heavily on the branches.

Although he didn't recognize what kind of tree it was, Gao De was almost certain that the fruit was usable.

With a sudden thought, he used his magician's hand to pluck a fruit from among the branches.

Peel back the hard outer shell to reveal the plump kernel inside.

Just to be on the safe side, Gao De only tentatively broke off a small piece and put it in his mouth after confirming that the kernel was not poisonous through the "toxicity detection" function.

—At this moment, Gaode especially missed Flora.

If Flora were here, there would be no need for him to impersonate Shennong and taste hundreds of herbs.

However, on this astral journey, God did not bring Flora with him, but left her in Phoenix.

In Phoenix, whether it's the continued breeding of Northwest Barley No. 1 or the tree planting project, they all need her to oversee things.

Flora herself lacks combat power, and having her by his side wouldn't be of much help to him.

Taking these two points into consideration, Gaode ultimately chose to set off alone.

With a crunch, the nuts are crisp and fragrant, with a hint of milky aroma that blends perfectly with the rich and mellow fruit and wood flavor.

Gao De's eyes lit up instantly. Without hesitation, he used the Mage's Hand technique again, and the invisible ghostly hand moved among the branches and leaves.

In a short while, he picked seven or eight more plump fruits that were free from obvious damage or pests.

Of course, he didn't pick these fruits to satisfy his appetite, but to keep them as seeds to take back to Vallar Bay for planting.

Large trees that can bear edible fruit are not only significant for providing some growth boost to Yugathira, but are also suitable for large-scale planting to enrich Phoenix's food composition.

However, the fruits were too big, and Gaode couldn't pick too many, so in the end he only picked seven or eight of the best-looking fruits.

Thinking this, Gao De opened his backpack and put the seven or eight things that were both seeds and fruits inside.

Inside his bag, there were already fifty or sixty tree species of varying sizes and shapes piled up.

These seeds are quite small and represent the fruits of Gaode's efforts over this period.

And less than an hour has passed since he arrived here, yet he has already achieved such results.

"The variety of trees here is so rich; you can encounter an unknown species every few steps," Gao De exclaimed, his tone filled with surprise.

His thirst for new tree species is inexhaustible.

After all, Gaode and Yugathira are already firmly bound together.

Yugathira is powerful, that's why he's powerful.

So along the way, whenever Gaode saw a large tree he had never seen before, he would stop without hesitation, collect a certain number of tree seeds, and prepare to take them back to Vallar Bay to plant later.

But there are just too many unknown tree species; even Gaode Maps is having trouble keeping up.

"Something feels off." He also vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

He had encountered very few ley line creatures and wild beasts along the way.

Logically speaking, in such a vast and boundless primeval forest, one should at least encounter several ferocious beasts from time to time, if not everywhere.

But now, this black-maned boar with a ring is the first beast that Gaode has seen in a long time.

"This environment doesn't seem like a primeval forest," he murmured.

call!call!call!

Bard, panting heavily, ran as fast as he could through the forest.

He paid no heed to the overgrown vines and knee-high weeds, taking each step hurried and frantic, displaying a disheveled and desperate state.

The terror on his face was almost palpable, and his eyes revealed extreme fear and panic.

Not far behind him was a huge ground spider with an eerie green glow around it.

Its body was as big as a carriage, its eight long, hairy legs were like thick iron pillars, and its two fist-sized eyes gleamed with a fierce and greedy light, locked on Bard who was fleeing ahead.

"How could we encounter ley line creatures? The sentinels in the city clearly patrolled the area just two weeks ago!"

Bard couldn't help but scream wildly in his heart.

He went into the mountains to pick mushrooms.

This is the growing season for acorn mushrooms.

Compared to common fungi, acorns have a growth cycle of five to six years, so the annual output is extremely limited and the supply is scarce.

Furthermore, acorns have a natural, indescribable rich and savory flavor, making them very popular among the nobility in the city and commanding high prices.

However, oak mushrooms have extremely demanding growing conditions and only grow under oak trees that are over a hundred years old.

To harvest the acorns, Bud had no choice but to risk venturing deep into the mountains and forests.

But he dared to do this because he had something to rely on—the sentinels in the city would regularly patrol this mountain area and exterminate any creatures found in the ley lines.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, one will not encounter any danger if they enter the mountains within a month of the sentry's patrol.

This is based on Bader's experience. In the past two years, he went into the mountains to pick acorns at this time and was safe and sound, even making a small profit.

This made him increasingly hopeful.

Who would have thought that this year, instead of good luck, we would encounter such a terrifying spider.

Feeling his strength rapidly draining away, Bard felt increasingly desperate.

suddenly!

Before he could react, a living person suddenly jumped out from the gaps in the trees in front of him.

"Who?!"

Bard was nearly scared out of his wits. The tension that had been holding him up as he sprinted was instantly released by this sudden turn of events.

He felt his legs go weak and he almost collapsed to the ground. His mind went blank, and only one thought echoed wildly in his head: "It's over, it's over, it's all over this time."

Even as he was convinced he was going to die, Bard's gaze unconsciously fell on the living person in front of him.

He was a very young boy.

Strangely, the other person's gaze showed no trace of panic at the sight of the leyline monster; instead, it held an inexplicable joy.

His eyes shone as if he had discovered some treasure.

Where are the treasures? They can't be mine, can they?

(End of this chapter)