Above the mage

Chapter 312 Golden Bird, Silver Dragon Bird, Glorious Colossus

We said we arrived in Holder, but we only really saw it.

Holder is a small town located at the foot of the Sword Mountain Range.

Yes, the place that Gaode arrived at through astral teleportation was the Sword Mountains of the Plantagenet Dynasty.

During a geography class at Cyrus Academy, Instructor Morsen used magic to demonstrate the terrain of the Nora continent. What impressed Gaode most about the Golden Flower Dynasty was its geographical advantage of being easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The territory of the Golden Flower Dynasty was not particularly vast on the expansive continent of Nolan; it was certainly no match for the Holy Empire.

Even comparing only the Holy Empire's territory on the continent of Nolan, the Plantagenet Dynasty's territory was only one-third the size of the Holy Empire's.

—And you should know that the Holy Empire's legions and cavalry have long been traversing the other two continents, constantly expanding their territory.

However, in terms of wealth and resources, the Plantagenet dynasty was in no way inferior to the Holy Empire.

The terrain of this dynasty resembles a "river valley plain" magnified countless times.

It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the towering Irwinaya Mountains to the north, which, as the first mountain range, keeps the harsh, biting blizzards of the north at bay.

To the east lies the Green Tooth Mountain Range, a mountain range that resembles the earth's menacing fangs, with sharp peaks arranged like jagged teeth, stretching across the land like an insurmountable chasm, blocking potential enemies from the east.

At the junction of the Green Tooth Mountains and the northern Irwinaya Mountains, in the middle section, and at the junction with the southern mountains, it is as if the creator god has split them apart, with a great river running through each section.

Through these three major rivers, the Plantagenet Dynasty was able to maintain ties and trade with many countries to the east, and even use its own strength to establish three passes, collecting high tariffs, which became one of the important sources of the dynasty's wealth.

The southern mountain range is the Sword Mountains, which resemble a sword as a whole, extending from the land to the Radiant Sea, cutting off the landing path of potential invaders from the continent of Terra.

On the south side of the mountain range are sheer cliffs, with surging waves crashing against them, the white spray resembling the waving of a sword.

The three mountain ranges converge, like three Great Walls, perfectly protecting the Golden Flower Dynasty in the middle.

They are like loyal guardians, protecting this land generation after generation.

The Golden Flower Dynasty, surrounded by three mountain ranges, possesses the most expansive river valley plain on the Nolan Continent.

From a high altitude, this flat and vast plain looks like a huge green carpet, nurturing countless lives and prosperity, as if it were a special gift from Mother Earth.

Apart from the three mountain ranges, the land territory of this dynasty consisted mainly of river valleys and plains, where the fertile land was used to grow the finest grains.

In addition to the three major rivers in the east, the Irwinaya Mountains in the north and the Sword Mountains in the south have many rivers that meander down from the mountain peaks like silver ribbons and into the valley plains.

They intertwined to form the extensive river network of the Plantagenet Dynasty.

These numerous river tributaries enabled the Plantagenet Dynasty to develop shipping, strengthen commerce, and facilitate abundant trade. They were the lifeblood of the economy, continuously transporting wealth and resources to every corner of the dynasty.

At the same time, these rivers are also the basic guarantee for agriculture.

Finally, these rivers converged into the southern bay of the Plantagenet dynasty—Sword Bay!

Although the first port on the Nolan continent is Linhai City, when it comes to the size and ideality of the bay, Sword Bay is undoubtedly the king.

Standing atop one of the hills in this Riverside Forest, looking down, the knowledge Gaode learned in geography class came to life in that instant.

Looking out, the vast plains stretch endlessly, extending infinitely towards the horizon.

Looking out from this hilltop, as far as the eye can see, there is nothing to obstruct the spread of the plain.

Moreover, it should be noted that this is still in the area near the coastline; the inland territory of the Plantagenet Dynasty is even more spectacular.

In his previous life, there was a saying about vying for control of the Central Plains. This was roughly equivalent to looking at Henan from the perspective of Shanxi. It was an endless expanse, and it was difficult to see even a small hill, let alone a mountain.

This plain, like a giant magnet, has attracted generations of outstanding individuals to launch their offensives.

No wonder it is said that the Holy Empire has always coveted the Plantagenet Dynasty.

This landscape is truly unique—in fact, strictly speaking, the plains of the North are far more vast and boundless.

However, the plains of the North are snowfields, and in a general sense, they are considered meaningless plains.

Only land that can be cultivated and used to grow crops can be called a plain.

The hill is not high. Following the path that has been carved out down the mountain, it only takes about half an hour to reach the gate of Holder Town.

Bard visibly breathed a long sigh of relief.

For Gaode, it was the first time he had experienced what a dynasty was like.

Although this place is nominally just a town, its size and prosperity are several times that of his "birthplace" Hogan City, and more than ten times that of Phoenix. Calling it a city is not a problem at all.

If Gaode's impression of the Plantagenet Dynasty was based on introductions, then seeing Holder Town in person gave him a clear understanding of the dynasty's power and heritage.

Bard, accompanied by Gaode, excitedly processed Gaode's entry into the town, while also giving him a brief introduction:

"Ordinary people are fine, there aren't too many requirements. But if it's a mage coming to the Golden Flower Dynasty for the first time, you generally have to do the registration properly. If you neglect this step, you might be mistaken for a spy. Don't think it's too much trouble."

"Of course, this registration is universal. Once you register with us, you won't have to go through the hassle of registering again when you go to other towns."

Gaode nodded slightly, indicating good acceptance—it's basically like a visa on arrival.

Led by Bud, God arrived at a small house near the entrance to the town.

The small house is not large and has an ordinary exterior. Inside, the furnishings are even more minimalist.

A few ordinary-looking tables and chairs were arranged neatly, and in the corner was a set of utensils that were obviously used for boiling water and making tea. Other than that, there was nothing else.

In the very center of the room sat a middle-aged, overweight man in a uniform, the fabric of which was somewhat worn.

At this moment, he was sitting leisurely in a chair, holding a curled-edge book in his left hand, and occasionally picking up the teacup next to him with his right hand to take a sip of hot tea.

Hearing Bud and Gao De push open the door and enter, the fat man slowly put down the book in his hand, raised his eyelids, and slowly moved his gaze over.

He completely ignored Bard and instead kept glancing at God.

"My lord, I've brought him here to register as a sorcerer," Bard said respectfully.

"Come here." The man nodded, then pulled out a milky-white jade pendant from a box under the table.

A blooming golden pheasant is also engraved on the top of the jade plaque, with the texture of the petals clearly visible, as if it is about to bloom on the jade plaque at any moment.

"What's your name?" The "adult" picked up the quill pen on the table and gently tapped something that looked like a button on the table.

Then, some patterns on the ground and walls began to glow.

The light flashed and disappeared in an instant, followed by a faint magical fluctuation that rippled through the small room.

Gao De's expression changed slightly, and he instantly understood something.

"The Realm of Honesty".

I have been drawn into the realm of honesty.

It wasn't a spell, but a small magic circle, a realm of honesty activated by the magic circle.

"Gaode," he said calmly, composing himself.

In fact, Gaode was not planning to lie.

Aside from the fact that it's from the North and can't be revealed, the rest isn't really a secret.

"Mage level?" the fat man asked without looking up as he wrote on the jade tablet.

"The first ring road," Gaode answered truthfully.

Upon hearing Gao De's reply, the man writing looked up at Gao De with slight surprise and said, "Not bad, you look so young, yet you're already a first-level ring."

But that's all.

A first-ring mage of this age is an exceptional figure in the Duchy of Xinen.

In the Plantagenet Dynasty, even in just an ordinary small town, it was nothing unusual or surprising.

It's roughly like how a village celebrating the birth of a college student is a big deal, while in small counties under the jurisdiction of a big city, college students are everywhere, which is not surprising.

"Where are you from?" the man continued to ask.

"Duke of Xien" Gao De paused, then realized his mistake and corrected himself, "The Xien Province of the Holy Empire."

"Oh, that place is quite a distance from here," he remarked casually.

After saying that, he put down his pen and placed the jade pendant into a "refining machine" next to him.

A flawless version after careful inspection!

The machine had an ancient design, its surface was covered with runes, and there was a groove in the very center that fit perfectly with the outline of the jade pendant, as if it were custom-made.

The man skillfully started the machine, and in an instant, a burst of light flashed, enveloping the jade pendant.

A moment later, the light faded, and some new patterns appeared on the jade tablet.

Then, the jade tablet was taken out and floated towards Gaode.

"Alright, the material fee is 1 gold. Also, keep the sign safe. If you lose it, you need to replace it as soon as possible. That will also cost 1 gold. Otherwise, if you encounter an inspection and can't produce the sign, you will be treated as an illegal trespasser."

The fat man gave his instructions expertly, then extended his palm upwards, the meaning of which was self-evident.

The material used in this jade pendant is clearly extraordinary, and the processing also involves magical transformations.

Therefore, even if you make a small profit from this gold, it's definitely not a rip-off and is well within an acceptable range.

After a moment's thought, Gao De took out a Sean gold coin from his pocket and handed it over.

"Is this okay?"

Different countries have different monetary systems, but in most cases, gold coins are universally accepted.

The fat man took the Sean gold coin, extended his short, stubby fingers, and steadily accepted it. Then he took out an object resembling a weight from a box under the table.

This weight-shaped utensil looks quite old; the surface of the bronze has a mottled green patina, yet it is still polished to a shine, showing that it has been used frequently.

With a gentle flick of his wrist, he tossed the Sean gold coin onto the scale pan. The weight wobbled slightly, making a soft creaking sound.

The fat man squinted and examined it for a moment before slowly saying, "The purity is 95%, which meets the standard. The weight is a little off, but not by much, so it's not a big problem."

The fat man did not make things difficult for Gao De.

"After entering the town, walk straight down one street, then turn left and go to the first shop. There, you can exchange your currency for ours. It's fine for me, but most people in the town only accept the Golden Bird coin," he kindly reminded Gao De.

"I understand, thank you for reminding me," Gao De said gratefully.

After leaving the cabin, there was no hindrance at the door, and we entered Holder Town without any problems.

Upon entering the town, a sense of bustling activity immediately overwhelms you, with crowds of people thronging the streets and houses stretching as far as the eye can see.

In the Principality of Xinen, apart from a few special buildings, the houses along the streets that Gaode saw were generally two stories high, and there were even many low bungalows.

Here, the houses along the roadside are mostly three stories or higher, one next to another, and the layout of the streets and buildings is quite well-organized.

After walking through the first street, we arrived at the shop the fat man had told us about.

Calling it a shop is actually an understatement.

This is a large building with five floors, built in a very grand style. The gold-plated signboard hanging at the entrance tells Gaode Maps that its full name is "Hold Town Gold Shop".

Judging from the name, it should be the official store of Holder Town.

"I'm going in to exchange some money," Gao De said to Bud.

"Okay, I'll wait for you outside."

As Gao De stepped into the gold shop, a unique smell, a mixture of paper, ink, and metal, wafted towards him.

The layout of the gold shop in Holder Town was strikingly similar to the banks in his memories before he transmigrated.

Upon entering, one is greeted by a spacious and bright hall. Outside the hall is a waiting area with several rows of wooden benches neatly arranged. Several customers are already sitting on them, some chatting quietly, others waiting patiently.

Further inside, there are windows, each framed with exquisite brass and gleaming with a soft sheen.

At each window, staff members dressed in uniform dark colors sat upright, busily handling their tasks.

As soon as you enter Gaode, a staff member in a dark uniform greets you.

"What do you need?" he asked politely.

"Exchange currency."

"Okay, please follow me." The clerk led Gao De to one of the windows that was not currently occupied.

Gao De handed over all the remaining coins he had on him, a total of 18 Sean gold coins and 6 clover silver coins.

The coins made a crisp clinking sound on the wooden counter.

The pretty female staff member in charge of reception stretched out her fair and slender hand, collected the coins one by one, and gently placed them on a machine that resembled a balance scale.

However, this machine is much more sophisticated than the one the fat man used before. The metal body is polished to a shine, and the scale markings are crystal clear.

Various delicate small parts gleamed with the cool light characteristic of metal in the dim light, presumably for more precise weighing and identification.

On the way here, Gao De had already learned about the monetary system of the Plantagenet Dynasty from Bard.

The three-tier system of "gold coins - silver coins - bronze coins" will remain unchanged, and the purchasing power of the Golden Plantagenet Dynasty gold coins is roughly equal to that of the Sean gold coins.

It should be said that the purchasing power of gold coins across the entire continent is within a roughly equal range, which is why gold coins are generally accepted.

However, the gold coins of the Plantagenet dynasty were called Plantagenet coins. The obverse featured a bust of the first Plantagenet monarch, Liszt I, while the reverse featured the Plantagenet dynasty's coat of arms, a blooming plantagenet.

The silver coins of the Plantagenet dynasty were known as silver dragon coins. The obverse featured a half-length portrait of the ancestor of the most glorious family of the dynasty, the royal family, while the reverse featured a silver dragon bird with outstretched wings, hence the name silver dragon coins.

The copper coins here are called copper stone coins. They are named after the statue of the Plantagenet dynasty, a glorious colossus, which is engraved on the front.

What pleased Gao De greatly was that the currency system of the Plantagenet Dynasty was a touching "10-100" system, rather than the lousy "20-12" system of the Principality of Sien.

In the Golden Flower Dynasty, 1 Golden Flower Coin = 10 Silver Dragon Coins, and 1 Silver Dragon Coin = 100 Copper Stone Coins.