Above the mage

Chapter 365 Upgrading, Changing Gear, and Fighting the Boss

"That's it. I've confessed everything, please let me go."

Because of the pain, the man's muscles were twitching uncontrollably, and his facial features were contorted.

Her voice trembled and slurred with sobs.

"Are you sure you've confessed everything? If I wake your companion later and he reveals something you didn't tell us, you can forget about your left leg," Gao De said expressionlessly.

"Let me think about it. Let me think about it," the man panicked, his eyes widening as he stammered incoherently.

His body trembled even more violently. He hurriedly thought for a moment and then added some scattered bits and pieces of information.

"Shut your mouth now." Seeing that the other party had nothing more to say, Gao De scolded.

Then he raised his foot again, randomly selected one of the unconscious men on the ground, and stomped hard on his chest.

With a slight cracking sound, the man arched his back like a shrimp, then immediately began to retch violently, vomiting up foul-smelling green liquid.

The man who had been pale from blood loss, whose body was still twitching slightly, turned even paler upon seeing this scene.

After he finished vomiting the sewage in his stomach and regained consciousness, Gao De pointed to his companion's mangled right leg:

"Answer whatever I ask, unless you want to be like him."

Upon hearing this, the former's facial muscles twitched involuntarily again.

Actually, he would rather be a monkey than a chicken.

With his companion's tragic fate before him, Gao De's interrogation of the second person went exceptionally smoothly.

He scrutinized certain details repeatedly, confirming that there were no logical contradictions in their testimonies. Only then did he take out the parchment he had prepared beforehand and write down the general outline of the whole incident based on their testimonies.

Then, Gao De repeated the process, "awakening" the remaining people and having all seven of them press their blood-red fingerprints on the statement before he was satisfied, rolled up the parchment, and put it back in his pocket.

Leaving a record of everything is a good work habit.

The whole thing is actually not complicated.

The seven were originally members of the Embroidery Nail Gang.

The so-called "Stained Nail Gang" was actually a profit-driven gang in Lagos, which used rusted nails as its gang symbol.

Such gangs can be found in almost any city, and they come in a variety of forms.

There are survival gangs composed of the poor, the homeless, and even the unemployed. These people struggle to survive at the bottom of society and have no choice but to stick together for warmth.

In addition, there are resistance gangs composed of the oppressed and idealists, faith-based gangs centered around a certain belief or mysterious power, and profit-driven gangs that aim to acquire wealth and power.

The reasons for the emergence of these gangs are basically centered around "economic inequality, aristocratic oppression, racial and cultural discrimination, power vacuum, and religion".

They typically engage in illicit trade, violent crime, intelligence trading, resistance activities, religious and ritual practices, protection and service.

The relationship between gangs and cities is particularly complex.

On the surface, the mages and nobles, as the ruling class of the city, should do their best to eliminate gangs, which are a cause of instability in public order.

They seem to be doing the same thing.

But the truth is that the nobles, as the ruling class, not only remained indifferent to these gangs, but even tacitly approved and supported them.

This is because these gangs often have intricate cooperative relationships with nobles and merchants.

They would provide the nobles with illegal services such as assassination and smuggling in exchange for the nobles' protection and funds.

Alternatively, they could make fixed annual tributes to establish a stable relationship of mutual benefit with the nobility.

The Embroidery and Nail Gang is an example of this.

It has cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships with many nobles and even merchant guilds in the city.

To put it bluntly, the Embroidery and Nail Gang is essentially the black gloves of big shots, handling dirty work for them that they themselves wouldn't be able to do due to their status.

The reason these seven men came to the Marco district to release juvenile carrion salamanders into the waters was because of a long-term deal the gang had received. They were only responsible for carrying out the order and were not clear about the specific details.

However, many things can be predicted.

The purpose of letting them release rotting salamander larvae was to create panic in the Marcoco district and force these poor people to move away.

The only beneficiaries who drove out the poor in the Marcoko district were the nobles and rulers of Lagos.

The existence of the Marco district has always been a malignant tumor that is difficult to eliminate and is growing ever larger in Lagos.

From the perspective of Lagos' overall development, the existence of the Marko district seriously hinders its ability to attract business investment and develop industries.

Because the image of the Marco district is a huge negative label for the overall environment and development potential of Lagos City.

The nobles owned a large number of properties in the city, which prevented Lagos from developing and thus prevented their wealth from growing, or even reduced it.

In addition, due to poverty and lack of opportunities, the poor in the Marco district often have a high crime rate and frequent criminal activities.

This seriously affects the security and social stability of Lagos. Not only does it require the nobles to invest more manpower, financial resources and materials to maintain security, but it also lowers the evaluation of them by the upper-class nobles and even the royal family.

In addition, the poor sanitation conditions in Marcoko not only affect the environment and deteriorate the water resources around Lagos, posing a potential threat to the safety of the city's drinking water sources, but also easily trigger large-scale outbreaks of diseases.

All of these factors will lead to a significant decrease in Lagos's attractiveness to newcomers and talent.

For the nobles of Lagos, the prosperity of the city was closely related to their wealth and status.

Therefore, they have always wanted to eliminate the cancer of Marcoco in order to improve the city image of Lagos and increase the value of urban land and investment.

But how easy is that?

Lagos officials have also tried.

For example, carrying out large-scale renovation projects, or implementing forced demolitions.

However, the large-scale renovation involved many parties, and it was difficult to reconcile their demands. In particular, it also involved the interests of many nobles, which hindered the progress of the project.

Furthermore, the funds required for such a large-scale renovation are astronomical and difficult to allocate.

Ultimately, it ended without any resolution, which was somewhat expected.

Forced demolitions can trigger violent conflicts and resistance.

If the conflict is small in scale, the nobles can indeed suppress it.

However, the poor population of Marco district is over 200,000, so even if these nobles have great power, they cannot control everything.

Thus, the Marco district continued to exist and grow stronger amidst the discontent of the nobles.

If the obvious methods don't work, then we'll resort to some underhanded tactics.

This was perfectly normal for the nobles.

Of course, these are all speculations.

Therefore, Gaode only briefly noted it down in his statement and did not elaborate further.

The entire Embroidery Gang has two major leaders.

The remaining eight were minor leaders, dozens of core members, and more than three hundred ordinary members, making it a medium-sized gang in Lagos.

The most powerful figure in the Embroidered Nail Gang is their gang leader, Ansel Biden, a seasoned second-ring mage.

Secondly, there's Aldrich Shaw, the second-in-command, who is also a second-ring mage, but according to their account, he only successfully advanced to the ring in the middle of this year.

To showcase their strength, the Embroidery and Nail Gang even held a grand celebration banquet for their promotion.

The remaining eight minor leaders were all first-ring mages.

The person who entrusted them with the task of raising the aquatic beasts was Aldrich Shaw, the second-in-command of the Embroidered Nail Gang.

Aldrich Shaw. Gord recalled the contents of his confession, pondering them for a long time.

Without a doubt, Aldrich was not the instigator, but merely someone who transferred the task.

The real mastermind behind it all, as these seven people guessed, is probably a nobleman from the city.

Although the Marco Polo district's water monster riots did not have a particularly large impact or cause great harm, the affected area was as large as 200,000 people. Even if they were just poor people, it was still a major event.

If Gao De can resolve this matter in one fell swoop, a first-class merit is a given.

However, this already involves the ruling class in Lagos, which is clearly beyond the scope of a mere sea sentinel apprentice mage like him.

Gaode did not attempt to investigate the matter thoroughly on its own.

His target was only Aldridge.

Take down Aldridge, then go back and report.

Aldrich's mage rank is second level.

In fact, among the Sea Sentinels, the reward for clearing out second-tier water beasts is only a third-class merit.

But don't forget, Gaode is still just a novice in the first ring.

In evaluating merit, the level of ability of the person who accomplished the task is also a very important indicator.

If a first-ring sea sentinel mage, while performing a normal mission, accidentally transforms a first-tier water beast into a second-tier one due to incorrect intelligence, even if he merely drives away the second-tier water beast, let alone exterminate it, considering the first-ring mage's level, he would likely receive a second-class merit.

That's especially true when God discovered the inside story of the mission while carrying out the water beast expulsion mission, and captured Aldrich, a second-circle mage.

There's a high probability that he'll receive more than just a second-class merit award.

However, it's too risky for a first-level mage to fight a second-level mage.

Don't be fooled by Sunefa's ability to fight against fifth-tier monsters with fourth-tier monsters; she is Sunefa, a formidable being with a series of titles including "Master of Blizzard," "Awakener of True Ice Spells," "Daughter of Boreas," "The Last Pureblood Iceborn," and "Born of Ice."

In the vast North, Sunefah is the only one.

Gao De was merely a sea sentinel apprentice mage.

Although he also has the title of "King of the North," which is quite prestigious, this title has nothing to do with his strength.

Gaode knows his own limitations.

Given his current strength, under normal circumstances, he would have no hope of defeating a second-ring mage.

Therefore, if the opponent were Ansel, the leader of the Embroidered Nails gang, God would definitely not think about anything, and would just go back to Dorn and report the signed confession.

No matter how great your achievements are, you still need to be alive to receive them.

Under normal circumstances, these gangs would certainly not dare to offend the Sea Sentinel Mage easily, and would not cause him trouble.

But if he actually goes to their doorstep, they are definitely not pushovers; they will really try to kill him.

But Aldrich is not a normal second-ring mage.

He was promoted to the Second Ring Road in the middle of this year.

It is currently mid-November, less than six months after Aldrich's Ascension.

A mage's strength is determined by many factors. Apart from mage level and specializations, the most important factors are spells, experience, and equipment.

Spells accounted for the largest proportion.

Other mages don't learn spells as easily as Gao De.

Unless one is exceptionally gifted, it takes at least half a year to construct a spell model.

How talented could Aldridge be to become the leader of a gang with no future?

In other words, Aldrich, who has only been a Ring-Ascending cultivator for a little over half a year, has at most mastered one second-ring spell, which may not even be a combat spell, and he may not have mastered a single second-ring spell yet.

This is equivalent to a second-level mage who has not yet changed jobs and learned new skills.

Compared to a first-ring mage, Aldrich has the three abilities that come with a higher level: "Facts", "Ascension Casting", and "Elemental Body", as well as more abundant magical power and stronger mental strength.

To be honest, these skills alone are enough to absolutely crush a first-level mage.

However, although Gao De is not as powerful as Sunafa at the same level, he is by no means an ordinary first-level mage.

Leaving aside his unfathomable arsenal of spells.

Firstly, the power of [Frozen Blade+] is already very close to that of a second-level spell. With the further enhancement of [Intermediate Ice Protection], it is enough to threaten a second-level mage.

Secondly, his [North Wind] was once a seventh-tier perfect ice magic weapon. Even though its power has greatly decreased over time, it still retains some of its former might.

After consuming Wolf Blood Ginseng, Gao De's magical power surged to 39 drops of liquid, which allowed him to barely use [North Wind].

In addition, the third-tier Mandora's Eye also has a strong auxiliary effect in battle.

More importantly, Gaode Maps allows users to upgrade their accounts and equip themselves with "new gear" before "fighting the boss."

His current magical power is 39 drops of liquid.

Although the progress of the 40th drop of liquid mana had not completely solidified under the medicinal power of the wolf blood ginseng, it had still advanced by more than half.

Based on the current progress, with the appropriate use of magical potions, it should be able to completely solidify in just three or four days.

Once he condenses the 40th drop of liquid mana, he can break through to the mid-stage of the first ring.

The first-level mage is divided into three sub-levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Each small level breakthrough can significantly improve a mage's strength.

Then there's the first-tier rune construct that Gaode prepared for himself; the design blueprints had already been drawn up.

Now that he has money, he only needs to buy the necessary materials to turn the design drawings into a physical object.

Once he puts on the first-tier rune construct that he tailored himself, his combat power can soar to a whole new level.

If we could move the battlefield to the water, we would be even more confident.

However, this requires careful planning and may not be feasible.

After taking stock, Gaode gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

There are risks, but it's worth the risk!

(End of this chapter)