Above the mage

Chapter 336 Preparations for Purchasing a Shop

The footwork training for enchanting spells is basically an enlarged version of the previous training. Apart from the increased speed and the need for a period of time to become proficient and adapt, there is nothing new.

But while it sounds easy, adapting to it still requires a lot of hard work.

Just like if a person's strength suddenly doubles, they often can't even carry out normal life, and will have funny situations like accidentally breaking a cup.

The same applies to footwork training.

Since the training was for actual combat, Gaode didn't hold back and simulated real combat situations by adding [Big Stride], [Wolf Speed], and [Jump Technique] together.

Speed ​​and agility increased several times over, and when you start using footwork, you might even feel like you can't walk at first.

However, after two days of practice, Gaode gradually mastered the skills.

After practicing for two more days, this phase of training was completely finished, and we began practicing on the stakes.

The difficulty of the stake training is different again, and the complexity is several times greater, all in order to improve the mage's combat ability in complex environments.

After getting through the initial adaptation period and falling again and again, Gaode gradually mastered the skills. His footwork on the metal stakes became more and more agile and skillful, and he could hold the position for longer and longer.

When moving around on metal stakes becomes second nature, you can fight with ease in any scenario.

Fifteen more days passed.

"With this, the general course for battle mages is essentially over," the mage Naxi informed God.

"That's it?" Gao De's first reaction upon hearing the news was one of astonishment.

The Collingwood Academy has many training areas, each with different training content. He clearly still has so much training content to do, so how did it end?

Moreover, the battle mage training he had received during this period had indeed benefited him greatly, so he was still somewhat reluctant to leave when he heard that it was time to end.

"There are many training methods for battle mages, but there are actually only three common ones: psychological stress resistance training and breathing techniques, visual reaction training, and movement training. These three training methods are the basic skills that battle mages of any system must master."

"The rest is about customizing training based on each mage's own preferred combat system."

"For example, mages who master weapon summoning spells will undergo specialized weapon handling and melee combat training; mages who primarily use ranged spells will receive additional accuracy training and mobile casting training; and those mages skilled in transformation spells will even undergo some melee combat training."

"Each mage will have their own ideas, and the sea sentinels will not interfere, so you can choose and arrange these training sessions yourselves."

"In addition, you need to find the most suitable balance between your favorite combat system and the combat system that suits you through continuous battles, and then carry out specialized training according to your own needs."

"For example, if you're training in melee combat now, but later, after completing many missions, you decide to pursue a pure ranged mage combat path, then wouldn't all the time and effort spent on melee training be wasted?"

"That's how it is." Gao De nodded silently upon hearing this. He had just subconsciously put himself into the education system of his previous life: first choose a major to study, and then find a job after graduation.

The drawbacks are obvious: many people end up with jobs that have nothing to do with the majors they've studied for years.

This approach to employment is acceptable, but it's inappropriate for training mages.

The Sea Sentinel's method is undoubtedly more reasonable.

"You're very hardworking, but there's no need to rush. You've only been a Sea Sentinel for less than two months. You should prepare for your initial training and assessment first," Master Naxi reminded him.

"Naxi Master, was the initial training and assessment difficult?" Gao De asked.

"It's simpler than the selection interview," Master Naxi seemed to be in a good mood today, with a smile on his face. "The format is similar to the interview. After I submit your application for the assessment, the higher-ups will select one of the first-class apprentice monks from the Sea Sentinels to conduct a practical test with you."

"The examiners will score you based on your performance in the actual test. You just need to perform well."

"The first-class apprentice mages among our Sea Sentinels are far less powerful than Paul," he said.

Gao De nodded in deep agreement.

Paul is the most powerful creature he has ever seen. At least for now, he has no chance of winning against Paul in the ocean.

After leaving Collingwood Academy, God thought for a moment and then went to a nearby store to spend 4 Goldfinch coins to buy two boxes of Tier 0 Rainbow Trout Mackerel containing a small amount of magic.

He then hailed a carriage and headed toward Bluewater Court outside Dorne.

Gao De adopted a capybara named "Tuanzi," which he then fostered at Biboting.

Although the zookeepers at Biboting are very professional, he still takes time every few days to go and check on "Tuanzi".

Firstly, it's about cultivating a bond and deepening the connection with the "ball" (a type of food), and secondly, it's about providing the ball with some "nutrients" to help it grow and evolve.

Rainbow trout and mackerel were recommended to him by the keeper of the Biboting. They can be bought in bulk in the city at a reasonable price and are beneficial to the growth of capybaras.

Clumps of aquatic plants grow in the crevices of the rocks along the shore.

These aquatic plants are lush and green, with slender leaves that droop naturally, their tips slightly curled and intertwined.

Sunlight refracts through the water's surface, turning into scattered gold fragments. Tiny bubbles rise slowly from the stems in the dappled light that dances among the blades of grass.

This is a type of grass specially grown by the zookeepers at Biboting, called Timothy grass.

Timothy grass is rich in fiber, which helps capybaras maintain good digestive function and prevent intestinal diseases, making it an important component of their diet.

At that moment, amidst the water plants, tiny eddies stirred the blades of grass, causing ripples to spread across the water's surface, and a round, pointed head emerged from the water.

The head approached a Timothy grass, gently biting a tuft of leaves with its teeth. As the head tilted slightly upward, the grass stem was pulled out of the water, creating a string of pearl-like water droplets.

It puffed out its cheeks and chewed slowly, its whole head trembling slightly with the chewing motion, occasionally making a crunching sound.

Suddenly, its tiny, black bean-like eyes started darting around, as if it had discovered something, and its wet nose turned towards the shore.

On the shore, Gao De appeared carrying two boxes of rainbow trout and mackerel, their silvery-blue tails peeking out from the gaps in the boxes.

His voice, full of praise, came through: "Good, very obedient. You just need to eat more vegetables to grow faster."

That round, pointed head is the dumpling.

Upon hearing Gao De's praise, Tuanzi was overjoyed and darted to the shore like an arrow.

Half of its body was above the water, its front paws gripping the moss-covered rocks, while its hind limbs splashed joyfully in the water. Then it arched its body, its two fins waving up and down like two little hands, full of excitement.

Gao De smiled and squatted down, gently stroking Tuanzi's head with his palm, while simultaneously using [Beast Link+] to communicate with it.

A strong desire for credit and a thirst for reward were palpable.

The zookeepers at Bibo Garden told Gao De that Tuanzi was a picky eater and didn't like to eat "vegetables".

Upon hearing this, Gaode immediately thought, "This won't do!"

Immediately, they communicated with Tuanzi and asked her to eat a sufficient amount of Timothy grass every day.

However, Gaode has always advocated encouragement and guidance in education, so during the communication process, he did not force the child to eat grass, but instead adopted a reward mechanism.

As long as Tuanzi eats enough grass every day, he will bring him "nutritional supplements".

The two sides immediately hit it off.

Gao De used his magic to open the box and grabbed two rainbow trout to feed Tuanzi.

The fish excitedly grabbed the gills, pressed down on the tail with its front fin, and used its incisors to precisely remove the fine bones like a scalpel, making gurgling sounds as it ate.

Meanwhile, it looked at the two boxes of rainbow trout and mackerel with some confusion.

There used to be only one box, why is it doubled today?

"I brought you an extra box today because in a few days, after I pass the training assessment, you'll be ready to go out on missions with me," Gao De explained.

Upon hearing Gao De say this, Tuanzi immediately arched its body again and patted its "chest" with its fins to show that there was absolutely no problem.

At this age, it is at its most active and energetic, and it has long since found Bibo Garden too small and boring, treating missions as "going out for fun".

With a smile, Gao De fed both boxes of rainbow trout and mackerel to Tuanzi.

Don't let its small size fool you; this little dumpling has an amazing appetite. It devoured two boxes of rainbow trout and mackerel without showing any signs of being full.

After returning to Dorne from Bluewater, Goddard actually had one more thing to do.

He needs to buy a shop in Dorne.

One purpose is to purchase the tree species we need.

This is of utmost importance, as it concerns his progress in cultivation and the growth of Yugathira.

In addition, he planned to use the shop as his own territory and warehouse to store the supplies and materials he planned to bring from the North.

If we could run the shop well, that would be even better, then we wouldn't have to painfully sell the extraordinary materials at half price to those merchants anymore.

Having been immersed in training for some time and not expected to return to the North anytime soon, Gao De wasn't in a hurry.

Now that training is over, purchasing a shop should naturally be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

However, buying a good shop in Dorne is not a simple matter. The difficulty lies not in the high price, but in the fact that the whole process is very troublesome.

The first step is to find a suitable shop.

This world is not like the previous version of Gaode Maps, which was filled with a large amount of information.

Here, truly high-quality shops are generally not publicly listed.

Therefore, Gaode, being an outsider, was stuck at the very first step.

After some thought, Gao De decided to seek help from Melia, the only person he knew among the Sea Sentinels.

"You're planning to buy a shop in Dorne?" Melia's first reaction upon hearing God's purpose was disbelief.

It's like a poor relative from the countryside who comes to the city to work suddenly asking you for advice on buying a house; anyone would react the same way.

However, Melia has high emotional intelligence. After instinctively blurting out the question, she immediately realized it was impolite and quickly skipped over it, giving her own answer:

"If you want to obtain information about these shops, it's actually very difficult if you're not a local or a nobleman, but it's not entirely impossible."

"Besides on-site reconnaissance, there are two other practical methods."

"First, you can pay a membership fee to join the Dorne Grocers' Guild in Dorne City. Through the guild's intelligence network, you can quickly obtain internal quotes for shops that are about to be resold."

"Also, the information is sometimes hidden in the hands of brokers who make a living from this. You should be able to find these brokers if you look around in the taverns."

"The former method is more official, as it provides information on available properties. While these properties are not bad, they are not the best either."

"The latter method is more private, making it easier to be scammed, and the cost is relatively higher. The advantage is that you have a chance to get information about truly high-quality shops."

"It depends on which one you're prepared to choose."

Melia simply presented the two methods objectively, without making any subjective recommendations that would influence Gaode's judgment.

"Well, although I've never bought a shop before, I still want to remind you that there are many potential risks involved in buying a shop. You'd better be careful in your judgment, otherwise you might fall into a trap."

"How so?" Gao De frowned and asked curiously upon hearing this.

"Potential issues such as property rights disputes and fraud are the most common pitfalls, but there are also some hidden ones."

"For example, there was a scandal in the Whitechapel neighborhood where a buyer purchased a shop without checking the drains. Only after taking over did he discover that the entire street's sewers led directly to the shop's cellar. Ultimately, due to the outbreak of the plague, he lost everything."

"Similar examples are not numerous, but they are not few either."

"."

"Thank you for reminding me, I understand now," Gao De said earnestly.

Finally, of the two methods recommended by Melia, Gaode chose the former.

The latter approach is more suitable for locals who are familiar with the local culture and characteristics.

As an outsider, he could easily be swindled if he rashly negotiated with those cunning brokers.

However, by using official channels, his identity as a sea sentinel mage can still play some role.

Taking all these factors into consideration, Gaode decided to take a direct bus to the [Dorn Grocers Association] located in the city center.

After identifying himself as a Sea Sentinel Mage and paying a membership fee of 5 Gold Sparrow Coins, he successfully joined the group without any setbacks and obtained a detailed list of internal shop prices.

In this list of shops, Gaode first filtered the shops based on price: his expectation was between 300 and 800 gold coin.

The shops in this area are mostly located in "middle-class neighborhoods," and are ordinary brick and stone shops, usually equipped with brass doorbells, carved shelves, and even a basement that can be used as a warehouse.

If Gaode intends to develop in the direction of magic material stores, it should actually choose a store located in the "Noble District" or "Mage District".

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but the shops there were just too expensive.

In these areas, shops start at 1500 Golden Bird Coins, with no upper limit.

This is something Gaode should not be considering at all.

Dorne is too big.

So even with such a narrow price range, he still had eleven shops available for resale recently.

After the initial screening, Gaode still has a lot to do before making a final decision.

As Melia had warned, there are many potential risks involved in shop transactions, so he needed to scout out the location beforehand.

This task requires a great deal of time and effort, and Gaode is not prepared to waste its time on it.

He chose to solve the problem with money.

He listed eleven shops on the list, and then went to the Whitechapel district to hire eleven "errand runners".

The so-called "errand runners" are actually children from poor families who look for temporary jobs on the street to supplement their family income, such as running errands, cleaning, and carrying things.

The cost of hiring them is extremely low, only 50 copper or 1 silver dragon coin per job.

Gaode hired them for a week at a fixed price of 7 silver coins.

Their task was simple: for the next week, each of them would keep a close eye on the shop assigned to them by Gaode Maps, mainly focusing on three things:

Record the number of times the shop smokes, check the shop's sewers at night, and measure customer flow.

(End of this chapter)