Above the mage

Chapter 321 The Second Round of Examinations and the Giant Octopus

【Light Feather Step+】(Transmutation type, 1st ring):

During the duration of this spell (10 minutes), the recipient will ignore the adverse effects of difficult terrain on movement.

Additional: During the duration of this spell, the target will consume less stamina when moving.

Frost Gold Moon, 16rd.

A slightly salty, fishy sea breeze was blowing in my face.

The surrounding area was filled with men wearing striped short-sleeved shirts, covered by dark but faded and worn-out tweed or canvas jackets.

Many of them braided their hair and decorated it with beads such as glass beads or beads made from fish bones, and most of them had messy beards.

They often wore headscarves that were red, gray, white, or black, and moved around the port like a swarm of industrious ants.

Not far away, there was a vast, surging sea, covered in white foam.

This is the harbor of Dorne, the city of Dorne.

The streets of the port were a bit crowded.

Gaode turned its gaze away from the sea level inside the port.

The cries of white seagulls on the harbor and the sea, mixed with the bagpipe tunes coming from the harbor taverns, were torn apart by the sea breeze and finally fell into the noisy clamor of the harbor.

In addition to the smell of seawater and fish, there was also a unique fragrance in the air.

It was a sweet and fragrant aroma, a blend of rum and alcohol, from the numerous taverns in the port that sold rum in large quantities.

Rum is a strong liquor made from fresh sugarcane juice rich in sugar and water through fermentation, distillation, and other processes.

The flavor is quite rich, but the price is very cheap. You can buy a large cup (about a pint) for 20 coppers and drink to your heart's content.

For these sailors who spend most of their time on the water doing manual labor, this is a highly cost-effective form of enjoyment.

The entire port area is paved with smooth stone slabs.

This is a necessary project for a harbor that is frequently exposed to wind and rain.

However, not all seaports can afford the construction and maintenance of such a massive project; only a small number of ports can witness such a sight.

Clearly, Dorn is one of these small ports.

The port was bustling with activity, with many large ships docked there, and all sorts of supplies could be seen along the way.

This is because many large ships dock at ports, often selling and restocking at the same time.

As Gaode walked along the bustling harbor road, he saw many novel and interesting things.

For example, there are porcelains from the distant Eastern continent of Zhongting, including blue and white porcelain with fresh and elegant colors and blue flowers on a white background, as well as famille rose porcelain with soft and bright colors, and painted porcelain that combines the painting styles of Zhongting and the Golden Flower Dynasty.

These exquisite items were fashion symbols of the Plantagenet dynasty nobility and precious decorations for their homes.

If you don't have one or two of these items at home, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself an aristocrat, so there's no worry about sales.

In addition, there are even small monkeys that are 20 to 30 centimeters long, with fur that is usually olive or gray.

They are said to have been transported from another continent across the ocean. They are intelligent, quick-witted, and have a human-like nature. They are also the exclusive pets of wealthy families.

There are countless similar gadgets, which broadened Gaode's horizons.

Finally, Gaode arrived at a corner of the port.

This area was specifically designated for official ships to dock, so there weren't many people around, making it much quieter and cleaner than other parts of Dorne Harbor.

At this moment, a large three-masted sailing ship from the North Sea was moored.

The hull is made entirely of hard and durable oak, with a seamless and streamlined design.

The sharp bow helps the ship cut through the waves, while the relatively wide, square stern provides better stability.

There is a black stripe at the waterline of the hull, like a black ribbon, tightly wrapped around the hull, separating the upper and lower parts of the hull.

The three tall masts are made of multiple pieces of wood, each piece tightly connected by iron hoops and ropes. Moreover, none of the wood is ordinary wood, but rather taken from the magic tree.

There is also a dedicated lookout tower on the mainmast.

In addition, sails made of the fur of ley line creatures are hung on the mast.

Compared to traditional and common linen sails, sails made from the fur of ley line creatures possess certain extraordinary properties, allowing them to better capture sea breezes, generate more powerful propulsion, be waterproof, and even have some unknown and peculiar abilities.

This large sailboat has three decks.

At the boarding gate, officials in naval uniforms were conducting checks.

Yes, this large ship is the location for the Sea Sentinel's retest.

As soon as we entered this area, Gaode was stopped.

He handed over the parchment he had received during the preliminary examination, which not only listed the time and place of the second-round examination but also served as an "admission ticket."

After verifying that the "admission ticket" was valid, Gaode was led onto the deck of a large ship called the "Interception".

The deck is made of planks from oak trees that are at least fifty years old, and unlike ordinary merchant ships or cargo ships, it is kept very clean.

A clean deck, aside from safety concerns, offers a very pleasant visual experience.

When Gao De arrived, there were already nearly twenty young mages on the deck, their expressions a mixture of tension and anticipation.

Clearly, they were all people who, like him, had passed the preliminary selection test and were now participating in the final test.

The moment Gaode boarded the ship, these people all cast scrutinizing glances at him, but there wasn't much hostility in their eyes.

Because the Sea Sentinel assessment is not a competitive mechanism, meaning that as long as you meet their requirements, you can be recruited as a Sea Sentinel.

If it doesn't meet the requirements, I won't settle for anything, even if I don't want any of them.

After waiting for about ten more minutes, more than ten people arrived one after another, and it was time to go.

Such an important event naturally meant that no one was late.

In other words, after nearly half a month of selection for sea sentinels, only about thirty mages passed the preliminary test, averaging two and a half a day.

In the second round of interviews, a large portion, or even more, will be eliminated.

This is the threshold for the Sea Sentinel.

Although the time had come, the examiner from the Sea Sentinel side had not yet appeared.

As time passed, the thirty-odd people on the deck gradually became restless and began to whisper among themselves.

Gaode didn't seem to notice much—come on, is it really that strange that the "leader" is slow to appear?

Fortunately, the wait didn't last too long.

Ten minutes later, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties and had a long, narrow face emerged from the cabin on the deck.

He wore the imposing uniform of a Sea Sentinel mage, the soft black leather inlaid with ornate metal buckles bearing the insignia of the Sea Sentinel, and the striking gold epaulets on his shoulders.

It was a crown design, representing his rank as a warrant officer mage.

Behind him followed three younger, lower-ranking sea sentinel mages.

"Warrant Lieutenant Xilin." A logistics staff member brought over a stack of documents and handed them over respectfully one by one.

Meanwhile, two other people worked together to carry up a somewhat complicated alchemy machine. On this machine was a transparent panel, the purpose of which was unknown.

The man known as Warrant Officer Xilin casually took the parchment. "I'm not late, am I?"

"It's exactly the appointed time. Warrant Officer Xilin is always punctual, we all know that." The staff member had a perfectly timed smile on his face, his tone full of flattery.

"That's good." Lieutenant Xilin smiled slightly, while his gaze swept across the parchment.

He is the chief examiner in charge of today's second-round examination.

The parchment handed over by the staff contained the list of mages who had passed the preliminary examination, along with brief personal information and comments from the preliminary examiners.

"Then let's start the assessment right away, don't waste any more time." Lieutenant Xilin said calmly and firmly while focusing on the information, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.

"receive."

The staff member immediately responded loudly.

Then, he straightened his back, took a step forward, and addressed the thirty-odd monks on the deck who were participating in the second round of examinations.

"The monks whose names I am about to call out, please prepare yourselves."

"Born Mack".

The staff called out the name of the first monk to participate in the second round of testing.

The sound traveled far on the sea breeze.

Then, a young male mage with a square face, who looked to be about twenty years old, stepped forward from the crowd.

The staff member clapped his hands and looked out at the seawater outside the deck.

The next instant, with a splash, a huge creature burst out of the sea.

A giant octopus leaps out of the seawater.

It was a giant octopus, its body resembling a small hill, with a large number of thick tentacles extending and dancing wildly from its leathery body.

Its entire body is covered with black grooves, which meander and twist, and at first glance, they look somewhat like the folds on the scrotum of the genitals.

"This is your test subject, Paul, a late-stage first-ring mutant giant octopus. You don't need to defeat it, and of course, you can't. It has already utterly defeated all the first-ring mages of our Sea Sentinels; it is truly invincible."

"You just need to demonstrate your greatest abilities and fight it. The examiners will give you a score based on your performance in the fight. If you reach the passing score, you will pass the second test."

The staff briefly explained the retest process and rules, then looked at the mage named Born Mack.

"Get ready and go into the water."

He then added, "Leaving the deck marks the start of the battle, and Paul will launch his attack. As a friendly reminder, you can cast some time-consuming buff spells on yourself beforehand."

The mage named Born Mack took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

Knowing the importance of this retest, under everyone's watchful eyes, Born began to cast a first-circle spell, Mage Armor, and Trick to increase his resistances.

These are all very conventional choices.

Actually, that's not all, because two more bursts of magical energy surged from his body.

However, compared to [Mage Armor] and [Increased Resistance], it is impossible to tell what kind of spell these two fluctuations are with the naked eye.

Then, having prepared himself, a resolute glint flashed in Bonn's eyes, and with a burst of magical power, he leaped from the deck toward the sea.

This jump covered a distance of five or six meters, drawing a clean arc in mid-air.

[Jumping Technique].

Seeing this, Gao De deduced that it was one of the two additional spells cast by Bonn.

flutter!

Just as Gao De's thoughts began to wander, a loud thud rang out, like a thunderclap clearing the sky.

One of Paul's tentacles, which looked thick and wet, was not bulky at all. Like a whip, it lashed out with lightning speed, accompanied by a whooshing sound, and struck Bonn squarely in the waist.

This swift strike not only interrupted the attack spell that Born was about to cast, but also pulled him into the water.

Pass!

Immediately following was a deafening crash of water, accompanied by a massive spray of water that created a white mist.

After the white mist dissipated, both Born and Paul vanished instantly, leaving only ripples spreading outwards.

No wonder Gao De thought to himself, "No wonder no one else needs to avoid seeing this scene."

He had just been thinking that there was a clear flaw in this second round of testing: those who were drawn later could prepare some countermeasures in advance based on the battle between the mage and Paul, which was obviously unfair to the mages who took the test first.

As it turned out, apart from the initial whipping, the rest of the battle took place underwater.

Even if the onlookers craned their necks and widened their eyes, they could only catch a few occasional splashes of water. As for the actual battle situation underwater, they had no way of knowing.

The problem is, even if they can't see it, what about the examiners?

If the examiners cannot see the specific combat process, how can they give a score?

With this question in mind, Gao De looked towards the examiners and found that the four examiners were intently looking at the transparent panel of the alchemy machine.

At that moment, the transparent panel was emitting a soft, faint light.

Although he couldn't see what the screen looked like from his angle, Gaode realized it must be a refining machine similar to an "underwater monitoring" system, broadcasting underwater footage in real time.

Gaode was still immersed in this discovery, his thoughts not yet returning to normal, when a loud "whoosh" sounded, like a thunderclap.

The giant octopus named Paul broke out of the water once again, its enormous body carrying a massive amount of seawater that reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight.

One of its tentacles was tightly wrapped around and gripping Bornmac.

Bonn was soaked through by the seawater, his hair plastered to his face, looking utterly disheveled.

With a flick of his tentacles, Paul sent Born flying onto the deck like a rag doll.

Fortunately, since it was just a test, Paul didn't hit hard, so after Bonn landed, he quickly got up using both hands and feet.

His complexion was rather unpleasant.

He knew his performance was so poor that he would definitely not pass the second round of interviews.

that's the truth.

With a calm expression, Warrant Officer Sirin put an X next to Born Mack's name on the parchment.

The movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"Next," he said.

"Next up is Pao Locke," the staff member quickly stepped forward to read out the name.

(End of this chapter)