Above the mage

Chapter 318 Poison

Gaode was surprised, and there were reasons for it.

When he first arrived in this world, he had already confirmed that even in the small Duchy of Xinen, his mage talent could only be considered average, or even below average.

Not to mention, we are still in the Plantagenet Dynasty.

In this environment, Gao De knew that his mage level was quite ordinary, and his only outstanding skill was his magic.

However, it's difficult to demonstrate one's magical talents.

Of course, the "ordinary" level of a mage is only temporary.

In another year or two, once the resources he possessed in the North were converted into concrete strength, Gao De believed he would be able to become a so-called mage genius.

The problem is, how come this sea sentinel mage says that I already have top-tier mage talent?

"A mental strength of 133 is the threshold for the middle stage of the first ring, 166 is the threshold for the late stage of the first ring, and 199 is the limit of the first ring. You are only at the early stage of the first ring, but your mental strength is already as high as 186, which means you have already passed the thresholds of the middle and late stages of the first ring."

"This means that as long as you continue your cultivation normally, it is almost certain that your mental strength will break through the first ring limit."

"As long as one can break through the limits, whether it's magical power or mental strength, it's considered top-tier mage talent!" The sea sentinel mage explained directly to Gao De's astonishment.

It was only after this introduction that Gao De realized the true value of his mental strength.

Of course, in his mind, this could not be considered his talent, because Gao De knew that his mental strength came from the fifth-order ice jade parasol leaf and the feedback from Yugathira.

He originally thought that with his decent mage level and his background, he might be able to barely make it into the Sea Sentinels. If that didn't work, he could try the special recruitment route of "Tier 1 Rune Constructor".

To everyone's surprise, his mental strength instantly made him a top genius in the eyes of the examiners.

It was immediately apparent that as the other party delivered their verdict, the gazes of the other three examiners, and even the remaining nine applicants in the examination room, became intensely fixed on them.

"The second test will be held on the 16th of this month in Dorn Harbor. Here is the specific address and time. Don't be late." After making the decision that Gaode had passed the first test, the elderly sea sentinel mage handed Gaode a scroll of parchment through the mage's hand.

Gao De quickly accepted it, a joyful smile on his face, and bowed to the sea sentinel mage, saying, "Thank you, sir."

Because there were so many mages who wanted to join the Sea Sentinels, the selection and registration period for the Sea Sentinels was a full fifteen days, starting from the 1st of Frostgold Moon and ending on the 15th of Frostgold Moon, giving everyone plenty of time.

This period is both for registration and preliminary testing.

Those who pass the preliminary test will gather together on the 16th of Frosty Gold Month for a unified second test.

After carefully putting away the "North Wind" he had temporarily placed on the table, and taking the parchment given to him by the Elder Sea Sentinel Mage, Gao De turned and left the "examination room".

However, as one of the candidates who passed the initial test, he was guided by staff to exit through another passage, avoiding the crowds in the plaza outside.

As I walked out of the "exam room," the sun was shining brightly, just like Gaode's mood at that moment.

"Gaode." Just then, a strong female voice came from behind.

When Gao De turned around, he saw that it was the female mage from the two young sea sentinel mages who had come out to open the show earlier.

He stopped and asked politely, "Is there anything else?"

The female mage walked over and said generously, "Congratulations on passing the preliminary test. Judging from what Mage Vander said, the second test should not be a big problem for you either. Your joining the Sea Sentinels is basically a done deal."

"Let's get to know each other first. My name is Melia, and I'm currently a first-class apprentice mage in the Sea Sentinel." Melia extended her right hand.

"Mage Melia, hello. I hope I can truly join the Sea Sentinels as you said." Gao De also extended his hand and lightly shook hers before parting ways.

"The second round of tests is actually just a battle between you and the creatures of the ley lines at sea. There will be senior mages from the sea sentinels observing and evaluating the contest. The main focus is on your ability to use spells, your mental fortitude, and your swimming skills, rather than on who wins or loses."

"It's understandable that you don't come from a particularly good background and don't know many spells, but don't worry, the adults watching will take that into account, so you don't need to feel too much pressure."

Gao De smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Mage Melia."

Melia smiled at him and said nothing more.

The reason she stopped Gao De and told him all this was because she had just witnessed the preliminary test and heard what the warrant officer-level sea sentinel mage said. She knew that Gao De was most likely going to join the sea sentinels, so she wanted to give him a heads-up in advance and make a good connection.

To say that someone would fawn over Gaode because of their so-called "top-tier mage talent" is simply wishful thinking.

Which mage who can become a sea sentinel is not exceptionally talented, and which one is not proud?

Even if we only look at the reviews, Gaode's talent is superior to ours, so what?

In the path of a mage, talent alone is not enough to determine everything.

Besides, even if Gao De is incredibly talented, he's only a mage at the early stage of the first ring, and he hasn't even entered the sea as a sentinel yet!

Even if Gaode Maps does eventually surpass it, we'll see when that happens.

After circling around, Gaode returned to the side entrance of the Haiyuan White Pagoda.

The young guide had been waiting there for a long time. He leaned against the wall across the street from the gate, glancing into the gate from time to time.

The moment he saw Gao De appear, he was startled, and his gaze immediately fell on Gao De's face, trying to glean some information from his expression.

However, Gao De had already calmed down, so his expression was completely calm, and the young director couldn't tell anything from him.

Seeing the other party's cautious attitude, Gao De smiled slightly, "Come on, let's have lunch first, and then you can tell me about Dorn."

The young director quickly responded.

This time, the young guide took Gaode to another, slightly larger restaurant, which still specialized in local dishes.

However, this restaurant's specialty dishes don't revolve around oysters; instead, they feature more substantial dishes. It's clear that he could tell Gaode wasn't very fond of oysters.

Before long, a marinated and smoked salmon was served on a large plate, accompanied by fresh fish meat coated in batter and fried until golden and crispy, thick-cut fries, and a special sauce, filling the air with aroma.

While enjoying his lunch, Gaode asked about the things he was concerned about.

"You mean, every seventh day of the month, the White Fish Potion Shop puts on a batch of alfalfa syrup. Alfalfa syrup is a first-tier potion that can increase the rate at which a first-ring mage absorbs and converts magic power. After drinking it, if you cultivate in a place with abundant magic power, one day can be as efficient as ten days?" Gao De couldn't help but ask in surprise when he heard what the other party said.

The young guide nodded vigorously. "Alfalfa juice is very popular among mages. A bottle only costs 10 gold coin at the White Fish Potions Shop, but if you can snatch it and resell it, you can easily make a 30% or 40% profit."

"Unfortunately, the White Fish Potion Shop has set restrictions, allowing only mages to buy alfalfa syrup, and each person can only buy a maximum of five bottles at a time." As he said this, the young guide looked regretful, clearly having considered scalping, but was stopped by the rule.

"This White Fish Potions Shop is a new shop that has only been open for less than half a month. It is said that it has a powerful noble family in the city behind it. With such a strong backer, it can obtain the resources of alfalfa pulp. Moreover, since it has just opened, it is necessary to put such a sought-after alfalfa pulp on the shelves for sale in order to attract customers."

The young guide said mysteriously, "This kind of magic potion is a best-selling product. I heard that the raw materials are very rare, so the production is extremely limited. Basically, once it is prepared, it is consumed internally and will not enter the market."

"White Fish Potion Shop just stocked alfalfa pulp on the 27th of last month, and it worked well, so they're planning to stock it one or two more times. Not many people in the city know about it yet, and everyone is trying to keep it a secret, wanting to enjoy the next batch of alfalfa pulp all to themselves."

"But even if they don't say it, the shops will actively promote it, so I estimate that after this, the news should spread widely, and there will be a huge influx of people," he kindly reminded them.

"I understand." Gao De nodded slightly, quite satisfied.

The reason he hired a guide at a high price was not only because he needed them to lead the way, but also because he hoped to learn about the general situation of Dorne, including some secrets, from local people like them.

For example, news like this one.

Otherwise, earning 5 silver dragons in just a day and a half would be far too easy.

Some things are nothing unusual for locals, but for outsiders who are new to the area and have no idea what to do, it is easy to experience an information gap.

Just like how Gaode wouldn't have been able to complete the citizenship process so quickly and just in time for the Sea Sentinel's third-quarter selection this year if he hadn't coincidentally saved Bud's life.

After hearing what the young guide said, Gao De was naturally tempted. He asked for the address of the White Fish Potion Shop in detail, and planned to wait two days to queue up and grab the potion.

"Tree species?" Upon hearing Gao De's new question, the young guide was stunned and fell into thought.

Although he was very familiar with the situation in Dorne, which is why he took up the profession of guide, unfortunately, the questions from God were quite obscure and tricky.

After thinking for a long time, he replied hesitantly, "The North District is where most of the magical plant shops are located. Most of the magical plant gardens in Dorne City are there. Perhaps you could go and take a look."

"But remember to avoid the Muddy Garden and Mushroom Flat," he solemnly warned. "These two plant farms are large in scale, but their reputations aren't very good. There are often rumors that they take advantage of their size and rip off out-of-towners."

"Selling extraordinary materials?"

Faced with the new question posed by Gaode, the young guide paused for a moment before quickly replying, "You can go to the Alley Magic Material Shop or the Blue Magic Material Shop. These two magic material shops are only of medium size, but they are both well-established shops that have been in business for over a hundred years."

"Moreover, they don't have any noble backing; they're run by sea sentinel mages. Their main selling point is fair prices and honest dealings with everyone, which is why they've been in business for so long."

"Sea Sentinel Mages can open shops and do business?" Gao De exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this.

In his preconceived notion, military and business should be separate. Sea Sentinels are undoubtedly a type of military, and a high-ranking one at that. How could they possibly get involved in business?

"Of course, as long as it doesn't interfere with your duties, it's fine. Besides, I heard that the rewards for the Sea Sentinels include direct store openings!" The young guide raised his voice slightly.

"I see." Gao De pondered, increasingly convinced that his decision was right.

"Spell recipe?" Upon hearing Gao De's new question, the young guide immediately perked up and became excited.

He was very familiar with this.

"If you want to buy those regular spell recipes, just look for the Dorne Mage Association. They have the most complete collection of spell recipes of all the mage organizations, and the prices are also the most reasonable. They have never fluctuated over the years."

"However, if you'd like to purchase some rare or even exceptional spell recipes..."

At this point, the young guide paused, first cautiously looking around, then approaching Gao De and lowering his voice to say, "You can go to Troll Skull Alley on the street in Dezo. They often sell supernatural items, materials, and even spell recipes of unknown origin there. If you're lucky, you might even find a great bargain."

Gao De gave the young director a deep look.

Although the other party didn't say it outright, he could easily understand that this Troll Skull Alley must be the so-called "black market," a place for selling stolen goods.

This single piece of information is already worth "5 Silver Dragons".

Gao De's gaze toward the young director grew increasingly satisfied.

After lunch, Gao De felt he had gained a lot and had a basic understanding of Dorne City.

In the afternoon, he simply had the young guide take him on a tour of several of the larger districts in Dorne, and also learned about the general situation of Dorne's upper-class rulers.

Before dinner, he readily paid the wages and sent the youth guide away.

Before joining the Sea Sentinels, Goddard wasn't planning on making any big moves.

Time slipped away quietly while waiting for the Sea Sentinel's second test. Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now the 7th of Frost Gold Month.

As instructed by the young guide, Gao Dejin got up very early and arrived at the door before the White Fish Potions Shop opened for business.

It turned out he wasn't even the first one; there were already more than a dozen people in line.

"Who says other worlds aren't chaotic?" Gao De scoffed at this, but still obediently joined the team.

After waiting for about half an hour, and as the line grew from a dozen people to nearly thirty, the White Fish Potion Shop finally opened its doors.

The long line immediately surged in.

Without exception, they were all there to snap up alfalfa pulp.

"Look, I'm the first customer today, can I buy a few more bottles?" The monk at the top of the line, being rather thick-skinned, tried to bargain.

The pharmacist glanced at him, then at the others, knowing that his thoughts were actually shared by most of the others present.

He cleared his throat and said loudly, "It's not that we're stingy, we're only selling you five bottles of alfalfa juice."

"Firstly, everyone wants this stuff. If there's no purchase limit, it's very likely that a few people will monopolize it, and you won't get a chance at all. You won't even be able to buy one bottle, let alone five."

That's the truth, Gaode nodded slightly.

"Another point..."

"You should know that all potions contain poison."

"Although the content is not high, and normal consumption of potions can be easily neutralized by one's own magical power, this alfalfa juice has a particularly strong medicinal effect, so its toxicity content is higher than that of other first-tier potions."

"Alfalfa juice should be consumed no more than five bottles within six months. Once this number is exceeded, the effect will remain the same, but the drug toxins will not be neutralized and will accumulate in the body."

"If too much of the medicinal toxins accumulate, it will negatively impact your subsequent cultivation, especially during the advancement stage... You wouldn't want to lose more than you gain, would you?"

(End of this chapter)