Above the mage

Chapter 311 The Sentinels of Light

After a brief moment of distraction, Bard's heart was once again filled with fear.

Only now did he truly understand the wisdom the old man in town had spoken of:

There are countless paths in the world, but none of them are based on luck.

Many people know that there are acorns in this forest, but few dare to come here to pick them.

Is it that other people don't know the patrol times of the sentries?

surely not.

Everyone knows perfectly well what they shouldn't do.

However, some truths can only be understood by paying a price.

For example, Bud has now figured it out and is filled with remorse. If there is a future, he will never do something so risky to his life again.

But is there no future?

In a daze, Bard heard the boy who had suddenly appeared shout righteously.

"You beast, stop hurting people!"

Along with the shout, a flaming arrow also burst forth.

Before Bard could even see the trajectory of the fire arrow, the spider behind him let out a mournful cry.

The flaming arrow struck the spider's head precisely, and the flames exploded, creating a ball of fire that covered the spider's face.

The screams of the ground spider express both pain and aggression; they are hoarse and unpleasant, like sharp fingernails scraping against glass, making one dizzy and causing ringing in the ears.

At least Bard instinctively covered his ears, his face turning deathly pale.

However, the boy was completely unaffected. With a flick of his right hand, he launched another flaming arrow with effortless grace.

At this moment, Bard, his bloodshot eyes wide, finally saw the trajectory of the flames.

It brushed past me at an incredibly fast speed, leaving a burning sensation.

The next moment, the horrifying screams of the ground spider abruptly ceased.

Bard turned his head in a daze and found that the ground spider, which had been like a nightmare to him, was now a corpse, its charred body still emitting wisps of smoke, its long legs hanging limply.

This turn of events happened too quickly.

"Are you alright?" Gao De stepped forward and asked in a gentle tone.

The ground spider looked ferocious and was extremely terrifying to Bard. In reality, it was just a zero-ring ley line creature. The fact that it could withstand two of his fire arrows made it a "prodigy" among zero-ring creatures.

Upon hearing Gao De's question, Bud finally snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said, "I'm fine, thank you! If it weren't for you, I probably would already be..."

Gao De waved his hand, indicating that it was no trouble, "It was just a small thing."

He was in a very good mood at that moment, a wonderful mood.

Because Gaode can be certain that the man in front of him is just an ordinary person.

The presence of an ordinary person here indicates that there must be a human settlement nearby.

With the abilities of an ordinary person, it's impossible to go very far.

As he spoke, Gao De walked to the corpse of the ground spider, used the Mage's Hand, and with the Fang of Hidden Mist in hand, cut open the junction of the ground spider's cephalothorax and abdomen, revealing a pair of venom sacs with a sac-like structure hidden inside.

These venom sacs are the most valuable part of the ground spider, and are the extraordinary material it contains.

With the help of a sorcerer, Gao De was not afraid of the toxicity at all. He directly cut open the part of the venom sac connected to the surrounding tissue with his bare hands and removed the venom sac completely.

However, he frowned slightly as he looked at the pair of poison sacs.

This needs a container to hold and preserve it, but he didn't have one on him.

Seeing this, Bader instantly understood everything. He quickly rummaged through the basket on his back and pulled out a leaf that looked like a banana leaf.

"Use this to hold it; these are the lacquer leaves I use to preserve acorns." He handed the lacquer leaves to Gao De with a slightly nervous expression.

Gao De didn't stand on ceremony and took the lacquer leaf to wrap the poison sac.

Seeing that Gao De had accepted his offer of goodwill, Bard finally mustered up his courage and asked, "May I know your name? Although it's difficult to repay your life-saving grace, I will definitely find a way to repay you."

"My name is Gao De, no need to be so polite. What's your name?" Gao De needed to get some information from Bard, so he was naturally happy to accept the other party's initiative.

Moreover, as a mage, one undoubtedly has many psychological advantages when dealing with an ordinary person.

"My name is Bud!"

"Bard, where did you come from?" God stuffed the wrapped poison sac into his backpack.

The town is nearby, and these extraordinary materials are money, so we can't just throw them away like before.

"I live in Holder, a town at the foot of the mountain."

"Holder Town?" Gao De thought for a moment, but naturally had no recollection of it, since it was just the name of a small town.

Seeing Gaud's expression, Bard quickly added, "Holder is a town under the city of Dorne."

I've never heard of "Dorn City" before, but the name Dorne City sounds familiar, though I can't quite place it.

"I am a wandering monk who has just arrived here from elsewhere. I am quite unfamiliar with this place. Could you please tell me about the surrounding area and the local customs?" After considering for a moment, he decided to speak directly.

For an ordinary person, there is no need to be so careful.

Moreover, this world isn't some kind of underworld; apart from the North, almost all human settlements are orderly.

The wandering monk was the identity he created for himself when he traveled.

"Wandering mage, hiss~" Bard was slightly startled upon hearing this.

Then, he suddenly realized that this was somewhat rude, and quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I just thought you were a sentry from another town because you are so young. I didn't expect you to be a wandering mage."

Wandering monks are usually older monks; it's rare to see someone as young as Gao De.

"It's nothing." Gao De waved his hand, his expression completely calm.

Bard composed himself, thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then spoke:

"I don't know where you're from, but it should be inland." He looked up at Gao De, his eyes filled with certainty.

"Although Dorne is not the richest or most prosperous of our Plantagenet dynasty's coastal cities, and may even be ranked last, it is one of the most famous. It is the oldest coastal city in our dynasty, and even the birthplace of the Sea Sentinels."

"The residents of the coastal area should all know about Dorne."

At this point, Bard glanced at Gaode cautiously again.

The Plantagenet Dynasty!

Gao De was startled.

He never expected that the location of this astral teleportation would actually be within the territory of the Golden Flower Dynasty.

The Golden Flower Dynasty, the last dynasty on the continent of Nolan, carries the longest and most profound history.

As a traditional ancient dynasty, it possesses formidable strength to rival the Holy Empire, thanks to its profound heritage, complete system, and unique magical lineage. It is also the greatest obstacle to the Holy Empire's unification of the Nolan continent.

Another point is that the Plantagenet Dynasty is also the country on this continent closest to the North, with only the Erwinaya Mountains separating the two.

No wonder he thought the name Dorne sounded familiar.

Dorne is not only the oldest coastal city of the Plantagenet dynasty, but also the oldest existing city in the world, with a history dating back to ancient times.

Just thinking about it makes you feel the weight and history of this city.

He had seen the name Dorne in some biographies, so it left a slight impression on him.

Gao De's heart was in turmoil, but he remained calm and said, "I've heard of it, but I didn't realize it at the moment."

He paused, then continued, "Also, you may have misunderstood. I am not from the Plantagenet Dynasty; I came from another country."

Aside from the general introductions, he knew virtually nothing about the Plantagenet dynasty.

If one insists on pretending to be a citizen of the Golden Flower Dynasty, it will surely be exposed by those with ulterior motives, making them even more suspicious of one's identity and intentions. It is better to tell the truth.

"Other countries? This is the westernmost point of the Nora continent." Bard was stunned for a moment, then looked at God with admiration, "You're amazing, you came all this way by yourself."

Gao De said frankly, "I have indeed experienced a lot along the way. It was not easy to finally arrive at the Golden Flower Dynasty, so I am ready to end my wandering and settle down here."

Upon hearing Gao De's explanation, Bard immediately understood.

The Plantagenet Dynasty was powerful, with opportunities and resources far exceeding those of other countries, and its foundation was even unmatched by the Holy Empire.

It was common for mages from other small countries to venture across borders to the Golden Flower Dynasty in pursuit of the path of magic.

Not to mention Dorne, even in their own town of Hold, there are many mages from other countries.

These mages couldn't afford the cost of living in Dorne, so they had no choice but to live in Holder Town.

"Although I know nothing about magic, you were able to kill such a ferocious ley line creature so easily, and you're so young. You must be exceptionally talented and outstanding among mages," Bard said, half flattering and half sincere.

"If you can find a guarantor and become a formal resident of Holder Town, you might have a chance to pass the Dorne City test, join the Sea Sentinels, and become a high-ranking Dorne Sea Sentinel." As he said this, his eyes were already shining with longing.

"Do I need a guarantor to become a resident of Holder Town? Do I need to become a resident to join the Sea Sentinels? And what exactly are the Sea Sentinels?" Gao De asked in quick succession.

"Yes, as an ancient dynasty, our Golden Plantagenet Dynasty has always had very strict restrictions on the influx of people from outside the country in order to protect and pass on its traditions," Bard said proudly, showing a strong sense of identity with his country.

This is a powerful dynasty that believes in classical traditions. The description of the Plantagenet Dynasty by Instructor Morsen in geography class has now come true.

However, Gao De inexplicably thought of his country in his previous life, a country that also carries the world's oldest history and culture, and is also considered one of the most difficult countries in the world to obtain citizenship.

In this respect, it is similar to the Plantagenet dynasty.

"Therefore, in order to become a formal resident of the Plantagenet dynasty, one must have a local nobleman as a guarantor."

Bard continued, "Of course, if no nobleman is willing to act as your guarantor, there is another way."

"If you can live in the Plantagenet Dynasty for more than fifty years and maintain a stable life and livelihood during this period, you can apply to become a formal resident of the Plantagenet Dynasty. As long as you meet these two conditions, your application will generally be approved."

Upon hearing this, Gao De, who had been in the industry for fifty years, secretly clicked his tongue in amazement; he couldn't afford to wait that long.

However, it is not necessary to become a formal resident of the Plantagenet dynasty.

It's not impossible to be a visitor.

After all, his goal was just to be a middleman.

Gao De pondered to himself.

"As for the Sea Sentinels, they are the most elite official mage organization in Dorne. Once you are fortunate enough to become a Sea Sentinel, your status and position will immediately rise, and you will also gain access to many mage resources that are unimaginable to outsiders, including various ancient spell recipes, powerful spell equipment, and so on."

"Anyway, as far as I know, almost all the mages in the area around Dorne aim to join the Sea Sentinels." Bard became more and more excited as he spoke, and his tone unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"Moreover, you may not know that the three most famous mage legions of the Golden Flower Dynasty are the Light Sentinels, the Vanguard of Justice, and the Silver Dragon Cavalry. Among them, the Light Sentinels were derived from the Sea Sentinels."

"So, if you perform well enough after joining the Sea Sentinels, and even have the opportunity to join the Light Sentinels, then you've truly reached the top in one step."

"In the Plantagenet Dynasty, if you join the Sentinels of Light, even if you are just an ordinary member, your status is equivalent to that of a viscount."

Gao De wasn't particularly interested in this sea sentinel at first, but after hearing Bard's words, he was intrigued.

If a Light Sentinel truly joins the Light Sentinel, they should have a chance to obtain the spell recipe for [Spell Permanence], right?

Although the [Spell of Constantity] is rare and precious, it is impossible for the Golden Flower Dynasty to lack this spell recipe.

As one of the three major mage legions of the Golden Flower Dynasty, the members of the Light Sentinels undoubtedly have access to it.

Furthermore, according to Bard, even a mere sea sentinel has an extremely high status and position.

This is a talisman.

As the saying goes, it's good to have a big tree to lean on for shade.

Having such a status also makes it convenient for him to do business as a middleman between the two worlds. Even if his wealth attracts the covetous eyes of those with ulterior motives, they will be wary of his status and dare not have any wicked thoughts—just like in his previous life, few people dared to assault the police.

"Are you getting ready to go back?" Gao De looked up at the sky and asked, his thoughts racing.

"Yes," Bard said, still shaken, "I was lucky to run into you this time, but I might not be so lucky next time. I need to get out of here quickly."

"There are some dangers in the wild. You might encounter ley line creatures again on your way back."

"I was just about to find a place to stay, so I'll give you a ride. You can show me the way and tell me about the local customs, which will also help you avoid any accidents," Gao De suggested.

"That's wonderful!" Hearing Gao De say that, Bard's feelings intensified even more.

Before sunset, Gaud followed Bud through the mountains and forests to the town of Hold, where Bud lived.