Above the mage

Chapter 315 [Heavy Burden Technique+] and Arrival

Leaving the town council, the citizenship process is now temporarily over; all that's left is to wait for the results.

Gao De turned to look at Bud, who had spent the whole morning with him, and said thank you: "Thank you for your help today."

If Bud hadn't mentioned the naturalization process and recommended Sir Gerald as his guarantor, the process wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

"What's the big deal!" Bud waved his hands repeatedly.

Gao De checked the time and realized it was lunchtime, so he took Bud to a nearby pub and treated him to lunch as a token of his gratitude.

The tavern was filled with the aroma of food and the fragrance of malt liquor. There were already many customers, and only two tables remained empty.

Gaode sat down at one of the empty tables and ordered two servings of "Shepherd's Pie," a local specialty of Holder Town: a pie made with minced lamb and vegetables as filling, topped with a thick layer of mashed potatoes and baked.

Such a sumptuous lunch only costs 1.5 silver dragon coins.

This also shows the wealth and abundance of resources of the Plantagenet Dynasty.

After lunch, the two said their goodbyes, and their interactions effectively ended there.

Gaode chose to return to the Swan Hotel.

He borrowed a pot from the hotel kitchen and returned to his room to begin mixing magical potions.

He felt uneasy until he had quickly concocted the magical materials he had purchased with 307 Golden Bird Coins into a potion.

Moreover, Gao De had no idea what the specifics of the Sea Sentinel's assessment were.

Joining the Sea Sentinels is crucial to his future establishment within the Plantagenet dynasty.

Therefore, he took this matter very seriously, and to be more confident, mastering more spells would definitely be a good idea.

Without further ado, since the magic potion only required one pot to cook and there were no operational details to pay attention to, Gao De quickly prepared all eight portions of magic potion and put them into potion bottles.

After thinking about it, he decided to start by building the spell model for [Heavy Burden].

This is still a utility spell.

However, its function is too practical: it increases the carrying capacity of living beings by 3 times.

In this world, from a tactile perspective, Gaode believes the most scientific point is that spatial storage equipment, or rather spatial storage capacity, is extremely precious.

So far, he has only seen so-called storage space on Flora, and it has many limitations and is extremely small.

The lack of storage equipment, while causing many inconveniences in life, is actually quite reasonable upon closer examination.

After all, time and space hold a supreme position in any system of extraordinary powers.

The power of the time realm has always been something that only the strongest can master, and any equipment that involves the time realm is revered as a "divine artifact" by the world, without exception.

Why are space storage devices, which are closely related to the space domain, so commonplace?

Moreover, if this world were truly like the novels he had read in his previous life, where every mage possessed a spatial ring, the world's commercial system would likely collapse instantly.

All sea and land transportation, trade routes, and border crossings will cease to exist.

The simplest example is that the Plantagenet dynasty relied on the passes of the Sword Bay and the three major rivers in the east, collecting countless customs duties from passing ships every year, which was an important source of wealth for the Plantagenet dynasty.

However, once spatial storage equipment becomes rampant, it becomes impossible to collect tariffs, because you simply have no way of knowing what's inside their spatial storage equipment.

In fact, let alone Gaode being a first-ring mage, even a fourth-ring mage like Sunaf still has to carry his own items.

Therefore, the [Heavy Burden Spell], which can increase carrying capacity, becomes extremely useful for mages in this situation.

Even if you don't have to carry a lot of stuff, at least you won't be slowed down or hindered by the weight.

With that in mind, Gao De had already taken the newly concocted [Heavy Burden] spell potion and begun constructing the spell model.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Gao De returned to the town council.

"Congratulations! From today onwards, you are an official resident of our town of Holder, a subject of the Plantagenet Dynasty."

The staff member, referred to as Lide, smiled and congratulated Gaode, while also handing him a beautifully crafted "citizenship certificate."

Just as the staff had said, he passed the citizenship application process smoothly after answering all the questions without any major problems and with a guarantor.

Gaode received the citizenship certificate.

The certificate is made of high-quality parchment with silver foil decorations around the edges, outlining a gorgeous and neat border.

The text on the parchment was written in exquisite handwritten cursive script, with glossy black ink.

The certificate begins with Gao De's name, followed by his date and place of birth, accurate down to Hogan Town.

In addition, the date of submission of the citizenship application, the sponsor, and the date of approval of citizenship were recorded in detail: 4th of Frost Gold, Nolan Year 9657.

Finally, at the bottom of the certificate is the seal of the Holder Town Council, along with the highly recognizable signature of the relevant person in charge.

"From today onwards, you will be entitled to the rights that are due to the subjects of our Plantagenet Dynasty, such as the freedom to purchase land and property, and to start a business in all walks of life without any hindrance." After Gao De received his citizenship certificate, Li De also introduced Gao De to the rights he would enjoy.

During the Plantagenet dynasty, nationality was a strict requirement.

Without citizenship, he would be barred from entering many industries, including but not limited to those related to politics, the military, and education.

The Sea Sentinel that Gaode wants to join belongs to the military field.

"Thank you for your trouble." Gao De bowed to express his gratitude.

"No need, it's just my duty." Reed waved his hand, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Gord's extremely young face. After a moment's hesitation, he couldn't help but ask, "I remember you said you wanted to become a Dornish Sentinel?"

Gao De nodded slightly. "Yes, what's wrong?"

Lide sighed and revealed a secret to Gaode, "To be honest with you, although you have become a citizen and a subject of this country, and are said to have the rights that a subject of our Golden Flower Dynasty should have, you know that there are definitely still differences between native-born subjects and foreign naturalized persons."

"The Sea Sentinels hold an extremely high position here, and their status involves Dorne's security and secrets. So, it's not that we don't accept foreign naturalized citizens at all, but the difficulty of passing the test to become a Sea Sentinel is definitely much higher than that of a native-born citizen."

"You'd better be mentally prepared."

Upon hearing this, Gao De remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded, "I understand, I will try my best."

What Lid said was something he had actually thought of as well.

But we should always give it a try.

"I was initially not optimistic about you at all, but after learning about your background, I think you might have some hope," Reed said with a sigh.

The "origin" he referred to was the identity of a "homeless beggar" as mentioned by Gao De.

A first-ring mage of this age is not uncommon in the Golden Flower Dynasty, but given his humble origins, it's quite remarkable.

That means that Gao De has not enjoyed too many resources since he started cultivating, and his potential is limitless. If he gets the resources of the Sea Sentinels, he may be able to soar to great heights.

This is what makes Gaode Maps stand out.

Just like in Gaode's previous life, one student was born in the bustling capital city and enjoyed the best educational resources and environment; another student came from a remote mountain area and relied entirely on his own hard work to get into Peking University.

Although both are students from Peking University, how can the hardships and the value of their degrees be the same?

"As the Holy Empire grows stronger, in recent years, the Holy Empire's meritocratic ideology has also had some influence on our country. Gradually, some nobles have suggested that we should recruit more outstanding talents from abroad, which is good news for you," Reed added at the end.

"Thank you for your kind words," Gao De said gratefully, but in his heart he noticed the key information hidden in Li De's words.

Does this mean that the assessment of sea sentries is not a purely rigid assessment, but rather a comprehensive consideration of an individual's actual situation, including background, age, and other factors?

After leaving the town council and returning to the Swan Hotel, Gao De went straight to pack his luggage.

He did not extend his stay, but instead prepared to leave Holden immediately for Dorne.

A flawless version after careful inspection!

Although Holder is a town under the jurisdiction of Dorne, there is still a short distance between the two places.

However, unlike the Duchy of Xinen, in the Golden Flower Dynasty, apart from the three mountain ranges, all other territories within its borders have been fully developed.

Therefore, the dynasty's territory not only boasts a crisscrossing transportation network with flat and wide roads, busy and orderly waterways, and unobstructed air routes, making travel extremely convenient, but also offers a high level of security as there is little need to worry about sudden attacks from leyline creatures along the way.

There are three ways to travel from Holdertown to Dorne: by boat, by caravan, and by airship.

It encompasses the three realms of water, land, and air.

Indeed, even a small town within the Golden Flower Dynasty is equipped with airships, a "high-end" contraption typically found only in the capital of the Principality of Xinen.

In fact, airships were no longer a rarity for the subjects of the Plantagenet Dynasty; most ordinary people had experienced riding one or two of them.

Gaode is usually frugal, but he won't skimp on necessary expenses like this, so he decisively chose the most comfortable and fastest option: the airship.

Airship bases require a huge amount of land, and takeoffs and landings generate noise, so the airship base in Holder was built in a remote corner of the suburbs.

Gaode stood on the street and boarded a "fast carriage" specifically for the airship base. Half an hour later, he arrived directly at the airship base.

Following the bustling crowd, Gaode arrived at the ticket office located on one side of the airship base gate and bought an airship ticket to Dorne.

Dorne is the most prosperous city in this region, and there are seven airship "flights" departing from Holder alone every day.

The air route from Holdertown to Dorne is 655 kilometers long and takes four hours, costing 4 Goldfinch coins, which is equivalent to 6 copper coins per kilometer.

Of course, this is the price for economy class.

If you want to fly in the luxury class, the price will be several times higher.

I honestly spent 4 Golden Bird Coins to buy a standard class airship ticket, and then followed the flow of people to the boarding inspection area.

Several stern-faced guards stood there, dressed in crisp uniforms, their leather boots gleaming. The inspection, however, was quite simple:

First, they check the identification documents and tickets. After confirming that everything is correct, they scan each passenger with an alchemy machine that detects magical auras.

While Gao De was being examined, the extraordinary materials in his backpack that had not yet been used and the North Wind, which was worn at his waist and tightly wrapped in a sword sheath, simultaneously emitted magical light.

The other party simply let Gao De open his backpack and show it to them before letting him pass. Bei Feng could tell the form at a glance, so he didn't even ask Gao De to draw his sword and show it.

After successfully passing the inspection and boarding, we waited another half hour before the airship, named "Holder 87," slowly took off with the wind, accompanied by the sound of its propellers turning.

Compared to the old-fashioned airship I had ridden in the Principality of Sean, this "Holder 87" was not exactly new either, but the riding experience was much better.

The most striking contrast is that the launch of "Holder 87" caused him almost no physical discomfort, unlike before when he experienced a rush of blood to his head and tinnitus.

As the airship ascended into the sky, Gaode looked down at the earth below, and the scenery was completely different from what he had seen before.

Instead of continuous mountain ranges, there are vast plains stretching as far as the eye can see, with golden waves of wheat rippling across the land; crisscrossing river networks, like silver veins spreading across the earth, shimmer with light, on which large ships laden with cargo or passengers weave back and forth.

The image left Gao De with just two words: prosperous.

After admiring the scenery for a while, Gaode returned to his seat and closed his eyes to construct the spell model.

The existence of the [Dharma Ninja Body] allows him to easily enter a state of cultivation in any environment.

His mind was instantly immersed in the sea of ​​magical stars.

Soon, Gao De opened his eyes again, a smile appearing on his face.

In the quiet, undisturbed environment of the inn, the [Heavy Burden] spell model, which had been impossible to construct for so long, was finally successfully completed on the first try aboard the noisy airship.

However, for Gaode, the successful construction of the spell model is only the beginning.

He focused his mind on the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow and gently tapped the yellow "+" sign after the newly appeared [Heavy Burden] spell entry.

A moment later:

[Heavy Burden+] (Alteration, 1st Ring):

The target's carrying capacity is tripled for the duration of the spell (two hours).

However, under the spell's effect, apart from the weight the creature can bear, its actual strength is not affected in any way.

Additional effects: This spell's duration is doubled, its cost is halved, and it also applies to armor that hinders movement except for weighted armor.

After adding points, Gao De checked the time and realized there was still a long way to go before arriving in Dorne. So he focused his mind and began practicing the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

"Dear passengers, our airship has safely arrived over Dorne. We are currently preparing for landing. Please do not rush to get up. Wait until the airship has come to a complete stop before disembarking in an orderly manner."

It wasn't until a loud and clear arrival announcement suddenly came from the loudspeaker in the airship that Gao De snapped out of his focused meditation.

Dorne, here we come!

(End of this chapter)