Above the mage

Chapter 326 Taming Beasts

"A pet?" Gao De asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Melia explained, “this is also a perk for sea sentinels.”

"Our mission is to exterminate the water monsters, but think about it. Finding them in the vast expanse of water—is that an easy task?"

"After all, the water is the natural home ground of these aquatic beasts. Unless they attack us on their own initiative, it is really difficult to find their traces if they intentionally hide."

"Indeed." Gao De thought for a moment and immediately agreed.

"At this point, we need to rely on external forces, namely, pet beasts."

"The capybara, also known as our pet, is a unique aquatic beast that our Sea Sentinels have bred and domesticated over generations with painstaking effort."

"Looking across the entire Plantagenet dynasty, there are very few who can do this." Melia said this with a sense of pride.

To the average person, animal taming is not difficult.

A powerful mage can easily become a master beast tamer simply by using magic.

Therefore, some people may find it hard to understand how the matter of animal taming became so significant in Melia's words.

But Gaode understood the underlying reasons.

Because the animal taming here is a completely different concept from ordinary animal taming.

Most people's understanding of animal taming is simply taming one or two individuals to satisfy a temporary need.

However, for the Golden Flower Dynasty, taming beasts must include characteristics such as stable output, docile temperament, easy breeding, and powerful abilities.

In addition, a large amount of resources must be invested in all aspects such as introduction, breeding, mating, training and maintenance.

Just like in Gaode's previous life, there were thousands of animals in the world, most of which were theoretically edible, but in the end, only a few could become a stable source of meat for people.

The two concepts are the same.

"Incredible." Gao De nodded vigorously.

Meanwhile, as they were talking, Melia had already led God to the White Tower of the Abyss.

Haiyuan White Pagoda is its specific name.

Its true nature is obvious: it is a mage tower.

"We apprentice mage soldiers are only allowed to pass through the first floor of the White Tower of the Abyss."

"Even though it's only one floor, it's still quite large."

At the entrance of the White Pagoda in the Abyss, there is an exquisite magic array, which acts like an invisible guardian, silently blocking outsiders.

Melia expertly took out her identification tag and pressed it forward.

The next instant, a faint light flickered on the sign, and then the invisible barrier immediately dissipated.

Gao De quickly followed suit, taking out his newly received identity token and removing the barrier from the magic array.

Upon entering the White Tower of the Abyss, you are greeted by a spacious hall.

The hall's floor is paved with smooth white marble, each piece of which is polished to an extremely fine finish, so shiny it reflects light like a mirror.

The walls are adorned with exquisite oil paintings depicting magical scenes, which are both beautiful and create a sense of atmosphere.

On either side of the main entrance stood two iron golems made of fine iron.

The Iron Golem's surface was smooth, gleaming with a cold metallic luster under the hall's lights.

A faint glow of magic could be seen flowing at their joints.

The Iron Golem has a humanoid shape, and the proportions of its various body parts are designed to be more harmonious than those of most humans, making it look more like a fine work of art.

The Iron Golem's head was covered by an iron helmet, revealing only two dark eyes that coldly scrutinized everyone coming and going, devoid of any emotion.

In the very center of the hall stands a huge fountain.

The fountain's water is clear and transparent, constantly changing its shape, sometimes like blooming flowers, sometimes like a monk in a robe.

Behind the fountain is the exhibition stand, with a row of tables and a row of crystal panels hanging on the wall, displaying scattered information.

"You'll be accepting missions here from now on," Melia said, pointing to the row of crystal plates.

However, this was not the purpose of their trip, so Melia only gave a brief introduction. After passing the two iron golems, she turned left and led God into a long, narrow corridor.

The walls on both sides of the corridor are inlaid with magical crystals that emit a soft glow.

Melia pushed open a door to a room and went inside.

The room's furnishings had a worn-out feel, with bookshelves filled with heavy books and a faint scent of ancient texts lingering in the air.

"This is our Sea Sentinel's supply depot. Whether you want to register your military merits or exchange them for good items, you come here." Melia's voice echoed softly in the room.

After speaking with God, Melia turned to an old man sitting in the room and bowed slightly, her attitude respectful and sincere. "Mage Neil, this is the newcomer God. I brought him here to receive the spell recipe and potion for [Touch of the Ocean]."

The old man was dressed in a very retro, classic black robe. After hearing Melia's words, he raised his head slightly and glanced at Gao De with his cloudy brown eyes. "It's Melia. Another little one has come. She looks very energetic. Not bad."

He slowly got up, and somehow the wall behind him slowly opened, revealing a hidden door. "Please wait a moment."

After saying that, the mage Neil walked straight into the door.

The room fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, the hidden door slowly opened again, and the mage Neil emerged from it, now carrying a roll of parchment and a bottle of dark blue potion.

"Alright, here are your spell recipes and potions," said the mage Neil.

"Thank you." Gao De stepped forward, wanting to take the item from the mage Neil's hand.

Unexpectedly, the other party withdrew their hand, then patted the table, on which lay a blank supplies requisition form. "Sign first."

"Among the Sea Sentinels, you need to sign for any supplies you receive. Otherwise, when the accounts don't match up during the year-end review, Mage Neil will be in trouble," Melia quickly reminded him.

"I see." Gao De suddenly realized, and quickly picked up a quill pen to write down the relevant information on the supplies requisition form according to the corresponding format, including the requisition time, specific supplies, and the person receiving them.

Once everything was complete, the mage Neil handed over the spell recipes and potions.

Next, led by Melia, Gaode toured the studio, library, archives and even the storeroom on the first floor, finally stopping in front of a brightly lit room with its door open.

"Just a heads up, although the staff here are just our clerical workers, not Sea Sentinel Mages, you should still try your best to get along with them." Melia's expression hardened.

"Why?" Gao De raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that the person inside is...?"

He pointed upwards.

"No, that's not it," Melia laughed. "Because this is our Sea Sentinel's financial office."

"Your salary will be paid and received by the finance office. Of course, that's secondary. The important thing is..."

Melia paused, teasing Gao De a bit, "They also handle the reimbursement of your expenses for missions outside the office."

"Expense reimbursement?!" Upon hearing this term, Gaode paused for a moment, not quite understanding.

"Of course," Melia explained matter-of-factly, "Our missions come from various regions of Barro County. The travel expenses incurred during the journey from Dorne City to carry out these missions will definitely be reimbursed by the Sea Sentinels. We can't expect them to pay for the missions themselves."

That's what I said, but I really didn't expect to hear the word "reimbursement" in another world. Gao De secretly complained in his heart.

At the same time, he understood the meaning behind Melia's reminder.

Never offend those who "manage money," anywhere or at any time; this is a universal truth.

Melia went in first, and before her foot even stepped across the threshold, her cheerful voice rang out:

"Good day, Miss Rosanne. You look radiant today. Is there a ball tonight?"

Miss Rosanne was a young girl with brown hair and freckles on her face. She wore a light green dress with pretty lace trim at the hem, which made her face look lovely.

This is a deduction made by Gao De in his mind by a young lady from a good family.

And that is indeed the case. Although they were just civilian staff, they were still working in the sea sentry unit, so they were essentially getting a government job.

To outsiders, this is an extremely stable and respectable job; without a certain amount of family assets, it's really difficult to get in.

Upon hearing Melia's voice, Miss Rosanne sat up abruptly, then blushed. "Mage Melia, what brings you here?"

"Master Gaode, this is a new recruit who was selected this quarter," Melia said, pointing to Gaode beside her. "I brought him here to learn about the reimbursement process and the precautions for reimbursement."

Luo Shan looked up at Gao De, her light brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.

She also knew something about the newcomers who were about to join, and had heard some rumors.

Whether it's their performance in the re-examination or their background, Gaode still has a lot of gossip to offer.

"Okay," Gao De said, looking over at the same time. Their eyes met, and Gao De, like a startled rabbit, quickly responded and looked away, frantically searching the table.

She quickly pulled out a document and began explaining it to Gaode:

"For all reimbursements, you need to provide corresponding vouchers. Please pay attention to the reimbursement standards for missions outside the area. First, for airship tickets, only economy class tickets are reimbursed; luxury class tickets are not reimbursed at all. Then, for accommodation, as a novice mage, the standard is 3 silver dragons per day, plus an additional 1 silver dragon for transportation and 1 silver dragon for meals per day."

She spent about ten minutes explaining Gaode Maps in bits and pieces until she had clearly explained all the key points before she finished.

"Venerable Master Gaode, if you can't remember, you can always come and consult me ​​again." Finally, she said to Gaode with a smile.

"Okay, thank you, Miss Rosanne," Gao De said politely.

After leaving the finance office, I had basically finished exploring the first floor of Haiyuan White Pagoda.

"Let's go, we'll go to the Azure Wave Pavilion." Melia led God away from the White Tower of the Abyss to retrieve their pets.

Biboting, the base where the Sea Sentinels raise aquatic beasts, is located on an inland river and is quite far from the White Tower of the Sea Abyss.

As soon as you step outside, a private carriage is already waiting at the door.

The carriage was made of dark wood, with a rustic sheen.

The wheels were tall and sturdy, and were carved with exquisite patterns.

Two strong, sturdy foals stood in front of the carriage, their coats glossy and smooth, leisurely swishing their tails.

"This is the property of our Sea Sentinels, and the driver's salary is also paid by the Sea Sentinels. We can use it for free, but we need to apply one day in advance," Melia explained.

Even buses are available.

The carriage passed through wide streets and bustling city, leaving Dorne, and then slowly made its way along a winding path to a river in the suburbs.

A gentle breeze blew across the river, the sky shone brightly, and the shimmering waves sparkled and danced like a large sheet of crumpled silver foil.

Along the shore of the water, many single-masted sailboats were neatly moored.

On the water, a dozen or so canoes, resembling single-person racing boats, can be seen paddling around.

Each canoe has a person on board, skillfully maneuvering the oars with agile movements.

There were also three or four wooden barrels on the boat, filled with small shrimp such as prawns and mysids.

The person in the canoe was holding a large ladle, steadily dipping it into the wooden bucket, and then scooping it up, filling the ladle with lively little shrimp.

Immediately afterwards, they swung their arms and scattered the small shrimp from the large ladles onto the water's surface.

As they moved, seven or eight pointed heads suddenly emerged from the seemingly calm water—capybaras.

The capybaras became instantly excited upon seeing food, huddling together and squabbling as they fought for it.

In an instant, the water surface was splashed with blue waves.

The person on the canoe should be the so-called keeper.

"Mage Melia." There were also sea sentinel staff members on the shore. One of them was a dark-skinned middle-aged man wearing a simple but sturdy cloth shirt. He immediately came over to greet Melia upon seeing her.

"I've brought a newcomer to pick up the capybara, thank you for your help," Melia said directly.

"Okay!" the middle-aged man immediately responded loudly, then took a small whistle from his neck and blew it softly.

The whistle immediately emitted a strange squeaking sound.

The sound was sharp yet not harsh, carrying a unique rhythm as it pierced the water's surface and traveled far into the distance.

Upon hearing the sound, the capybaras that were feeding in the water reacted instantly.

Suddenly, a capybara poked its head out, seemingly trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Once it determined the direction, it swam swiftly towards the shore like an arrow, leaving a long, ribbon-like trail on the water's surface.

Clearly, this whistle is a special token, precisely corresponding to a specific capybara, like a unique summoning command.

The capybara, summoned by the call, seemed very excited. After reaching the shore, its body rose and fell in the water, leaping high and then crashing down, splashing up glistening droplets of water.

Capybaras are not large, only a little over a meter long. Their skin is smooth and elastic, and is light gray in color, shimmering with a soft luster under the sunlight.

It has a low-lying fin on its back, which, like a slightly raised willow leaf, sways nimbly in the water.

The color of the abdomen is relatively light, almost white.

"It's a very energetic capybara, you're lucky," Melia congratulated from the side.

"This is a token. As long as you blow the whistle, it will obey your commands. Of course, this is only necessary in the initial stage when you are not yet familiar with it."

As the middle-aged man spoke, he handed the whistle to Gao De, his tone carrying a slight hint of admonition: "After you spend a lot of time with it and develop a deep bond, it will obey your commands even without a token. Capybaras are very intelligent aquatic creatures."

"No need." However, Gao De waved his hand and did not take the whistle, but instead strolled to the shore.

He slowly bent down and reached out his palm toward the capybara's head that was above the water.

The capybara has a blunt, rounded head without a prominent snout. Its small eyes are bright and mischievous as it looks at Gao De's outstretched hand, seemingly deep in thought.

"Capybaras are docile, but they are very wary of strangers," the middle-aged man instinctively reminded him.

But he abruptly stopped halfway through his sentence.

Both of them, including Melia, had their pupils slightly constricted at that moment.

The capybara, which is usually very wary, actually poked its head up and gently rubbed its head against Gaode's palm, a very affectionate gesture.

(End of this chapter)