Above the mage

Chapter 366 Middle Stage of the First Ring

"How are these rotting newt larvae usually given to you? How often are they exchanged?"

After making up his mind, Gao De actually felt relieved.

His gaze swept over the seven members of the Embroidered Nail Gang, and then he suddenly remembered this matter.

There must have been a handover process when the rotting water salamander larvae were transported to the Makoko area.

Once the handover time arrives, the Embroidery Nail Gang members will find that the seven people are nowhere to be found.

Gaode certainly couldn't let the Embroidered Nail Gang discover that their scheme had been exposed, so they had to launch a surprise attack on the unsuspecting.

However, he couldn't possibly deceive everyone with his current strength, so he had to act before the next infancy handover.

"You tell us," Gao De designated the first man to wake up.

The man's already pale face paled even more, and he said in a trembling voice, "Because this matter shouldn't be known by too many people, the usual handover is done by Boss Aldrich himself. He brings us the rotting salamander eggs along with the culture medium."

"We are responsible for hatching it, and then releasing it into the water once it has grown a bit."

"As for where Boss Aldrich got these putrid salamander eggs, I have no idea."

"Normally, every two weeks, Boss Aldridge sends over a batch of rotting salamander eggs. The last handover was five days ago."

Because of his injuries, the man spoke haltingly, catching his breath halfway through each sentence, but he managed to clearly explain all the important points.

He looked up somewhat timidly to observe Gao De's reaction, afraid that Gao De might be dissatisfied in some way.

However, it turned out that Gaode had strangely fallen into a state of deep thought.

What are they doing?

Gao De remained expressionless, but his heart was filled with joy.

Just a moment ago, he was thinking that it would be best to move the battleground to the water, but he didn't know how to do it.

In the water, even a small dumpling can contribute, making it a two-against-one situation.

Secondly, as a sea sentinel mage, even if he is only an apprentice mage, he is definitely more skilled in water combat.

Putting everything else aside, even if he really can't win, he still has a good chance of escaping safely thanks to the Sea Sentinel's exclusive spell, [Touch of the Ocean+].

Just like how without mastering [Touch of the Ocean] and the help of capybaras, it would be difficult for a Sea Sentinel Mage to complete the task of clearing out the water beasts.

Even if Aldrich is a second-circle mage, without mastering the corresponding spells, catching him in the water would not be an easy task.

And now.

There's no need to think about this issue too much.

Aldridge will come to you!

Moreover, there are still ten days until the next handover.

This time is enough for him to complete a series of preparations for upgrading and changing his clothes.

It has the advantage of favorable timing, location, and human factors.

It was an immense fortune tailor-made for him.

Under the dim, swaying lamplight.

Iron Embroidery Tavern is a small tavern belonging to the Embroidery Nail Gang.

Even though it was late at night, the Rusty Tavern was still filled with the strong smell of alcohol and a lot of noise.

Aldrich, the second-in-command of the Embroidered Stud Gang, was wearing a well-tailored black leather armor and leaned back lazily in the large chair that the tavern had specially prepared for him.

He crossed his left leg over his right, and toyed with a wine glass in one hand, the liquid inside swaying slightly with his movements.

These are the drinking vessels favored by nobles. To be honest, he still prefers to use a beer mug, fill it to the brim, and then drink it all in one gulp—that's what he calls truly enjoying himself.

I never feel like I can fully enjoy my drink when I use this kind of glass.

However, ever since he was promoted to a second-circle mage, even though he didn't like it and wasn't used to it, Aldrich still forced himself to "pretend to be cultured".

A second-ring mage is someone to be reckoned with! He really needs to watch his words and actions!

He was surrounded by a group of sycophantic followers, whose laughter and cheers rose and fell.

In the very center of the tavern, there was a simple stage.

A dancer in a thin dress was dancing gracefully to the sound of a lute, occasionally casting flirtatious glances at Aldridge.

Aldridge, however, seemed oblivious, casually sipping his drink.

Occasionally, he would tilt his head back and drink the entire glass in one gulp, then casually hand the empty glass to the bartender behind him who was always on standby, signaling for the bartender to refill it.

Suddenly, a burly man pushed his way through the crowd, approached Aldridge, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Aldridge raised his eyelids slightly, then abruptly stood up. "Come with me."

He led the burly man towards the back of the tavern, and then into one of the rooms.

As soon as the door closed, Aldridge's face darkened, and his previous ease and smugness vanished.

"You mean this time it's spirit essence, not spirit fuel?" he asked, suppressing his emotions as he confirmed.

The burly man quickly took out a bottle made of psionic crystal from his pocket and handed it over.

"Boss, this is what they gave us."

The bottle contained three full drops of a viscous, silvery-blue gelatinous substance.

"They said that two of the auxiliary medicines needed to prepare the Spirit Burning Liquid are out of supply, so they can no longer provide the Spirit Burning Liquid. They can only offer you Spirit Essence as payment. However, as compensation, they will give you an extra drop of Spirit Essence," the burly man said with difficulty, glancing at Aldrich's increasingly grim face.

"Extra... extra!" Aldrich almost laughed in exasperation. "Yes, a drop of spirit marrow as the main ingredient can be used to prepare one dose of spirit-burning liquid, but the problem is, we can't turn the spirit marrow into spirit-burning liquid. What's the use of giving us an extra drop?"

"Does that mean I can swallow spiritual marrow whole? I can't possibly withstand the toxicity it contains!"

Aldridge paced back and forth in the room, seemingly deep in thought, as he cursed.

There's no other reason than that the Spirit Flame Liquid was far too important to him.

Without the help of the Spirit Flame Liquid, he would not have been able to successfully advance to the second ring and become a second-ring mage.

After reaching the next level, Aldrich felt increasingly that his talent was limited, and his progress in cultivation became increasingly difficult, almost imperceptible. He could only rely on the Spirit Flame Liquid.

The result was that after waiting for half a year, what arrived was not the Spirit Burning Liquid, but the Spirit Marrow?

How could he not be angry and anxious?

"I've worked myself to the bone for them, done countless dirty jobs, and waded through countless murky waters. I've even given them gifts every year, and now the promised Spirit Burning Liquid has turned into Spirit Marrow. The auxiliary medicines aren't being supplied. Ha, what a joke! Even if they really can't supply it, they stockpiled so much Spirit Burning Liquid during those years of Spirit Marrow craze. Do you think they'd be short of my two portions?"

"Boss, could it be that they're afraid of raising a tiger that will become a threat?" the burly man said cautiously.

Aldridge was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Look, they were all giving you Spirit Flame Liquid as promised, but after you advanced to the second-ring mage, it turned into Spirit Essence." The burly man didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Upon hearing this, Aldridge stopped pacing and stood still, squinting as if deep in thought.

Much later.

He came to his senses, sat down at the table in the room, and waved to the burly man, "You can leave now."

After the burly man left, Aldridge was lost in thought for a moment before slamming his fist hard on the table.

"Damn it, I've done so much dirty work for you, and you're making such a fuss over just two bottles of Spirit Flame Liquid? If you really push me too far, I'll risk going to jail and expose everything you've done. Let's see if you regret what you've done today!"

After venting his frustrations, Aldridge felt utterly exhausted.

Because he knew he would never do such a thing.

And it is precisely because the other party has taken this into account that they are so unscrupulous.

The intense sunlight added a touch of warmth to the cold moon.

Gao De walked out of a potion shop located in the center of Lagos.

He was carrying a set of three small bottles of newly purchased potions, which cost him 40 Goldfinch coins.

This is not cheap.

However, he is currently quite well-off, so Gaode paid the money very easily.

The study of potions actually requires a lot of adaptability and flexibility.

Because the extraordinary materials and magical plants that are abundant in different regions are all different, and even very different.

If a potion master sticks to a single formula, he will only be heading down a dead end.

Therefore, the potion systems in different regions are like different art styles, often exhibiting significant regional differences.

Even within the same county of Byro, the differences in potions between Lagos and Dorne, cities that can be reached by airship in half a day, are quite significant.

In Dorne, the most famous cultivation aids are alfalfa juice and green vine magic potion, both made from two locally abundant magical plants.

In Lagos, the most renowned cultivation aid is "Glimmering Moss Elixir".

A magic potion made primarily from locally unique luminous moss.

These are the three small bottles in his hand.

Compared to alfalfa pulp, the effect of luminous moss liquid in aiding cultivation is not as good, but the price is higher.

Of course, this is also partly due to the fact that White Fish Potion Shop sells at low prices to attract customers.

However, Glimmering Moss Liquid also has its own advantages—the raw material yield is relatively high, so the potion itself is not subject to purchase limits, and basically anyone with money can buy it.

Unlike alfalfa pulp, which requires panic buying and purchase limits.

For Gao De, who currently has a need for this, this is undoubtedly a boon; otherwise, he would still be struggling to find magic potions to aid his cultivation.

Carrying the Glowing Moss Liquid, Gao De went to a nearby art gallery and spent 10 gold coins to rent a level 3 training room for two hours.

This price is the same as in Dorne.

— Runecraft emphasizes consistency, so the price of a training room built around a magic circle will naturally not differ much.

After paying and entering the room, Gao De activated the cultivation room's magic array, took out a bottle of luminous moss liquid, and drank it all.

He then immediately sat cross-legged, with his palms facing upwards, and entered a meditative state, activating the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

The purest and most potent magic flowed through his body as if it were a tangible substance.

These magical energies did not run wildly, but rather moved slowly along Gao De's various meridians. As the Green Wood Longevity Scripture circulated, they finally gathered in his lower abdomen, above the pool of magical energy, forming a vortex that kept spinning.

The vortex has a powerful gravitational pull.

Each rotation draws in more magical energy, helping Gaode condense the 40th drop of liquid magic.

Compared to the magic power that is naturally introduced into the body, the magic power from the potion is not only more concentrated, but also purer, gentler, and free of impurities, requiring less effort to refine.

Gao De concentrated his mental energy to absorb as much of the medicine's power as possible before its effects dissipated.

Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Suddenly, Gao De's expression changed slightly, revealing a hint of barely suppressed joy.

He keenly sensed the signs that the 40th drop of liquid mana was about to solidify.

According to his original plan, even with the aid of magic potions, it would still take four or five days to break through.

But unexpectedly, the wolf blood ginseng was exceptionally potent. After the previous absorption, a very small portion of it remained in some hidden and inconspicuous magical meridians in his body.

Because the location where they were hidden was too secretive and enclosed, Gao De was unable to detect or absorb them under normal circumstances, and the medicinal power would slowly dissipate over time.

However, under the powerful siphon effect of the magic vortex formed by the luminous moss liquid, they were awakened and introduced into the magic vortex, injecting a new and powerful force into Gao De's breakthrough, thus saving him three or four days.

Go all out.

Half an hour later.

The magical vortex within Gao De's body gradually stopped spinning and returned to calm.

But at the very bottom of the magic vortex, a drop of liquid mana, condensed from pure magic, had appeared, crystal clear and shimmering with a clear light.

A ticking sound.

The drop of liquid mana fell lightly into the mana pool below, which already contained 39 drops of liquid mana.

Forty drops of liquid mana gathered together, and in an instant, the mana pool shimmered with light.

The first phase of the project is complete!

At that very moment, a strange, new force surged into Gao De's mind from the bottom up.

Like a thunderclap, it jolted him awake, leaving his mind reeling.

This is a breakthrough in mental power brought about by the increase in a mage's level, and it is also one of the extremely limited channels for a mage to increase the upper limit of mental power.

Nourish, blend.

This new force, like a gentle spring rain after the Awakening of Insects, seeped into his soul.

grow.

His soul, under the influence of this power, became increasingly resilient and stronger.

The whole process sounds mysterious, but it actually happens in an instant, unlike the process of condensing liquid magic, which requires a lot of time and effort.

The next second, the new energy was completely integrated into the soul.

The increase in the upper limit of mental power has been completed.

Gao De calmed his excited emotions and used his "precise perception" ability to confirm his current state.

Mental Power: 199

It increased from 186 to 199.

In fact, when a mage progresses from the early stage of the first ring to the middle stage, their maximum mental strength increases by 33, that is, from 100 to 133.

However, Gao De's situation was special. In the early stages of the first ring, his mental strength had reached 186 thanks to drinking the Ice Jade Wutong Water and experiencing the feedback from Yugathira twice.

It is even stronger than the mental power of a mage in the late stage of the first ring.

199 is the mental strength limit of a first-ring mage.

Therefore, this time his mental strength value only increased by 13, getting stuck at the limit of 199.

It might seem like a loss, but Gao De understood that improving mental strength is just like improving physical strength; the higher you go, the more difficult it becomes.

It's always better to encounter this bottleneck as early as possible, as it increases the chances of overcoming it.

After calming his excited emotions, Gao De opened his eyes, feeling refreshed.

On the 20th of the Frosty Moon (October) in the year 9656 of the Nolan calendar, the ring was successfully raised.

In the year 9657 of the Nolan calendar, on the 24th of the Frozen Moon (November), the first ring was broken through to the middle stage.

It took a total of 394 days.

This progress is top-notch, even in the Golden Flower Dynasty!

(End of this chapter)