Above the mage

Chapter 333 Recruiting

After finishing his visual training for the day, Gao De, as usual, had a free lunch in the "canteen" and then returned to his dormitory in Building "6".

But unlike usual, as Gao De was about to go upstairs, he suddenly noticed that there were two people standing at the corner of the steps, seemingly waiting for someone.

The moment they saw him, their eyes lit up slightly.

It looks like she was waiting for him on purpose.

Gao De's gaze quickly swept over the two people's clothing.

The carefully tailored fitted top is made of high-quality fabric, and the shoulders and elbows feature clever splicing techniques that allow for easy movement without compromising its aesthetic appeal.

The trousers were tight-fitting wool trousers, the color of which matched the top. On the outside of the trousers, there was a row of delicate buttons that extended from the waist to the ankle.

Paired with leather high boots, it looks very sleek and sophisticated.

Such attire is undoubtedly reserved for the nobility.

"Gaode?"

While Gaode was sizing up the two of them, the two of them were also sizing up Gaode.

One of the men, who looked gentle, was the first to speak.

"And who are you two?" Gao De raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in return.

"We are also sea sentinel mages living in this building, but we usually go home and don't stay here, so we haven't met even though you've been here for so long," the man said with a smile.

"My name is Zuo Wen Burns, and my current rank is corporal."

"Ul Newman, also a corporal."

The two introduced themselves one after the other.

Naul Newman appeared to be significantly older than Zuowen Burns, and although they held the same rank, he stood half a body length behind Zuowen Burns, as if he were in a superior position.

Gao De hesitated for a moment, then gave his name: "Gao De, Second-Class Apprentice Dharma Master."

After confirming Gao De's identity, Zuo Wen Burns asked with a smile, "Master Gao De, if I may ask, do you have any financial or resource difficulties or needs?"

Seeing that Gao De's expression seemed a little strange, Zuo Wen calmly explained, "It's like this, we know that you come from a poor background. The fact that you were able to get all the way from a small place like Sean to join the Sea Sentinels is entirely due to your outstanding talent. It's really remarkable."

"In a resource-scarce place like Sean, I heard that you were a homeless child. To achieve what you have today, even if you are exceptionally talented, you must have suffered a lot and paid a heavy price."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm actually fine," Gao De replied casually.

Zuo Wen didn't care about Gao De's reaction and continued, "No matter how high your talent is, you need enough resources to realize it. You are all alone in Dorne City, with no one to rely on. I imagine you are struggling in this regard."

"Take the most basic cultivation as an example. If one can drink magic potions to assist in cultivation for a long time, the level of a mage will definitely increase much faster."

"This amount of money for potions is nothing to us, but it must be a considerable expense for you, right?"

"Not to mention going out on missions, clearing out sea monsters is an extremely dangerous task, but if you can be equipped with extraordinary equipment, magic potions, and have corresponding intelligence support, you will definitely be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"There have always been many mages from commoner backgrounds among the Sea Sentinels. Because they lack resources, they are unable to fully utilize their talents despite their good abilities."

"There have even been cases where, due to insufficient resources, despite their best efforts, they still couldn't keep up with the pace of mission completion, resulting in them failing performance evaluations for three consecutive years and being dismissed from the Sea Sentinel."

"It's so difficult for us to be sent out of the sea; how painful must it be for us? Can we accept it?"

"We also find this situation very regrettable."

"In view of this, we noble children from relatively well-off families also hope to provide some assistance to talented commoner mages like you, so as to prevent you from wasting your talents. Therefore, we have jointly established a sponsorship association."

At this point, Zuo Wen smiled and said, "The so-called sponsorship association means that we are willing to provide you with sponsorship so that you no longer have to worry about resources."

"I am here on behalf of my family, the Burns family, to extend a sponsorship invitation to you."

"The Burns family is one of the top noble families in Dorne, possessing a deep foundation and wealth, and abundant magical resources."

He said slowly, "As long as you sign a sponsorship agreement with our Burns family, you will have a stable supply of resources and can focus on your cultivation."

"And we will not restrict you or force you to do anything. We simply need you to stand on the side of the Burns family and do things for us when we need them."

After hearing what the other party said, Gaode immediately understood what they meant.

This is essentially angel investing, where nobles provide resources to individuals they believe have potential, and then receive a return after the individuals achieve success.

From this perspective, the sponsorship agreement seems quite good, as if it were a timely help and a perfect opportunity to change one's fate.

But this is not the case.

In most cases, the sponsored party often ends up becoming a tool of the aristocracy, controlled by them.

To put it bluntly, they are likely to become the "lackeys" of the nobility.

"He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's money is bound to him"—this is a universal truth.

Once you accept sponsorship, it's like being shackled by an invisible chain, and your actions and decisions become restricted by the powerful aristocratic forces behind you.

Regarding this matter, putting aside the fact that Gaode is not actually as lacking in resources as Zuo Wen believes, even if he were, he would not agree to such a thing.

To be controlled by others is truly unwise.

He nodded slightly and then replied, "Thank you for your concern, but I don't need any sponsorship at the moment."

Zuo Wen Burns was not surprised by Gao De's reaction.

Those who can pass the rigorous selection and retest to enter the Sea Sentinels, even if they are commoner mages, how could they not be arrogant?

But so what?

No matter how arrogant they are, in the end they will all choose to sign sponsorship contracts with the nobles. Bowing to reality is the inevitable trend.

He didn't try to persuade Gao De any further, but instead took a roll of parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Gao De.

"This is the military merit points of the mages below the warrant officer rank in the Sea Sentinels this year, including the warrant officer rank mages. Although new members do not need to participate in the assessment and grading before completing their initial training, you can take a look first, so that you have a general idea, right?"

Upon hearing this, Gao De did not refuse the other party. He took the parchment, untied the drawstring, and began to look through it.

The information above is somewhat like a table, divided into three main pieces of information: name, rank, and accumulated military merits, arranged in descending order of the amount of military merits.

Gaode's gaze swept downwards, finally landing on the last few names listed.

It was only then that he noticed that an "X" had been deliberately crossed out after those names.

Gao De, of course, realized the problem and looked up at Zuo Wen Burns, "What does this mean?"

With a calm smile on his face, Zuo Wen Burns said in a subtle tone, "These are all commoner mages who have not accepted our sponsorship."

"Does this mean that if we don't accept your sponsorship, we'll be targeted and suppressed?" Gao De put down the parchment and asked the two men.

Zuo Wen Burns gave an exaggerated look and shook his head repeatedly, "How could that be? We nobles believe in classical doctrines and value honor more than life. How could we do such a despicable and shameless thing?"

"However," he smiled slightly, but there was a hint of coldness in his smile, "mutual support is also part of the classical doctrine. As long as they accept our sponsorship, they are one of us. In that case, we will not sit idly by and watch our people fail the assessment."

"The mission of a sea sentinel is simply to complete it; they don't investigate how it was completed, and there's no such thing as you having to complete it alone."

"As long as you accept the mission and submit it, the Sea Sentinel will accept it."

"If you sign a sponsorship agreement with us, we will help you complete some tasks when your military achievements fall behind. We can't guarantee that you will be at the top, but at least we can ensure that you won't fall into the unqualified range."

Zuo Wen Burns put it in a very tactful way, but the meaning was obvious, and Gao De understood it instantly.

To put it bluntly, it's essentially a small, closely-knit group, a community of interests dominated by the nobility.

While claiming not to suppress commoner mages who refuse sponsorship, helping those who sign sponsorship agreements is tantamount to suppressing those who refuse to submit.

Seeing that Gao De remained silent, he adopted a conciliatory posture and said very "sincerely," "Gao De, to be honest, we are not willing to sponsor every commoner mage who enters the Sea Sentinel."

He shrugged and said helplessly, "The rules for sea sentinels are what they are; every year, someone will inevitably be deemed unqualified."

"Your talent has already been initially recognized among the Sea Sentinels, which is why I came here personally to extend an invitation to you. Not everyone receives this kind of treatment."

This means it even more directly.

Someone always has to be cannon fodder.

It certainly wasn't one of those noble-born mages, nor was it one of those commoner mages who had signed sponsorship contracts with them.

It goes without saying who will be the cannon fodder.

At this point, Zuo Wen Burns stopped trying to persuade Gao De and calmly said, "Of course, if you are confident that you can surpass those mages who have received our help and rank at the top in the assessment, you can also choose to refuse our sponsorship."

"I understand that you have reservations and don't want to accept our sponsorship, but the sponsorship we provide goes beyond just resources and mission assistance."

"We can also help you with your future promotions and other matters. These benefits are hard to explain in detail, but you will understand once you sign a sponsorship agreement with us."

Gao De gave Zuo Wen Burns a deep look, then slowly said, "I'll think about it."

This is actually a polite way of declining.

The other party naturally understood Gaode's meaning, but did not get angry or embarrassed. Instead, he nodded in agreement and said, "This is a big matter and we do need to think about it carefully."

"If you have any ideas, go find me at the Burns family."

"Of course," he said, raising his chin slightly with a hint of superiority, "I can only give you three days. If you contact me within three days, it will be considered that I invited you. After that, it will be considered that you are asking us for sponsorship."

"The treatment will be completely different; you should understand."

After uttering these last words, Zuo Wen Burns leisurely left with Ul Newman beside him.

"I was once just as arrogant as you, unwilling to accept sponsorship from nobles. However, I fell into the lower half of the assessment for two consecutive years and was almost dismissed by the Sea Sentinels. Fortunately, I woke up in time and went to them to accept sponsorship."

"You can't fight city hall. Look at me now, what's wrong with me?"

As Ur Newman brushed past him, God heard the advice sent by Newman through [Telecommunications] in his mind.

Looking at the other person's impeccably dressed clothes, which were only worn by nobles, Gao De remained silent, lost in thought.

"Ur, when do you think he'll come looking for me?"

After leaving the "dormitory building," Zuo Wen Burns suddenly asked a question, his tone slightly teasing, as if it were some kind of interesting game.

Ul Newman paused, lowered his head, thought for a moment, and then said respectfully, "I think we should wait until next year's assessment results are out before he can face reality."

"Haha, it seems you're the most courageous one. You endured it for two whole years back then."

Zuo Wen Burns laughed heartily, "That's precisely why I chose you from among so many sea sentinel mages sponsored by the family."

The more principled a person is, the more satisfying it is to order them around.

Ul Newman awkwardly smiled and said, "Young Master Zuo Wen, you flatter me. It's just that I was too proud and wasted two precious years of my life. I also have two unsatisfactory evaluation records, which has delayed my current rank promotion."

"Haha!" Zuowen Burns patted Ul Newman on the shoulder. The gesture seemed intimate, but it carried a condescending air of superiority. "It's good that you have this awareness. Don't worry, as long as you work hard for the Burns family, promotion in military rank won't be a big deal."

After saying this, Zuo Wen Burns got into the waiting luxury carriage and left.

Watching the carriage disappear into the distance until it vanished from sight, Ur Newman looked away, lowered his head, and involuntarily clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white from the force, before slowly relaxing it.

Who would willingly become a nobleman's "lackey" and be controlled by the nobleman?

They acquired exceptional skills and then sold them to powerful and wealthy families.

But he had no choice. You see, so many people want to be a nobleman's lackey but can't get the job. At least he had a choice.

The Plantagenet dynasty has developed to such a point that its social hierarchy is so fixed that it is beyond the imagination of outsiders.

Even the Sea Sentinels, whose promotion channels appear to be the fairest and most transparent, and the best path for ordinary people to rise, are actually largely controlled by nobles in reality.

Yes, there are explicit rules for promotion among sea sentinels. If you perform well enough, no one can stop you from rising.

The problem is that the powerful and wealthy can completely manipulate these rules.

They can use their resources and connections to pave the way for their own people, making it difficult for ordinary mages, no matter how talented or hardworking, to compete with them.

Therefore, for most people, the choice was either to sell themselves to these powerful figures or to leave the Sea Sentinels in a sorry state, carrying their pride and dignity with them.

Unless your fists are strong enough to break through the impenetrable walls built by the powerful and wealthy.

But is that even possible?

Ul Newman shook his head, his heart filled with bitterness.

But deep down, he always held a sliver of hope that such a person would appear.

Even if it's for no other reason than to set an example for future commoner mages, having a direction is a good thing.

(End of this chapter)