Above the mage

Chapter 376 A Dazzling Display

"Okay, thank you." Gao De took the parchment and the thick list of military merits for redemption.

Although it's called one book, it should actually be two books, but they're packaged together.

"You're too kind." The staff member handed the items to Gaode and then left in a hurry.

Gao De stood at the door and couldn't wait to open the parchment, which was the notice, and begin to read it.

The content is very simple and clear:

"Second-class apprentice monk Gao De discovered the truth behind the water beast incident during the mission to expel the water beast in the Makoko district and was awarded first- or second-class merit."

After that, as a first-ring mage, he bravely captured Aldrich, a second-ring mage who was closely related to the Water Beast incident, and was awarded a first or second-class merit.

Given that this was your first mission and you performed so outstandingly, after comprehensive consideration, you are hereby awarded an additional first or second-class merit as encouragement.

Just as Lieutenant Rayson said, it was three second-class merits.

After waiting for five days, it's finally here!

While Gao De was slightly pleased, he turned his gaze to the thick list of military merits redemption.

The Military Merit Exchange List, created by the official Sea Sentinel team, details the treasures that can be exchanged for military merits and the military merits required for each exchange.

It consists of three books: the list of first-class merit awards, the list of second-class merit awards, and the list of third-class merit awards.

As the name suggests, the items on the First-Class Merit Redemption List can only be redeemed with a First-Class Merit, and so on.

These three lists of military merits are not given to you all at once. You will "unlock" the corresponding list of military merits only after you have obtained a certain level of military merits.

Furthermore, these three lists of military merits are updated annually.

The military merits required to exchange for some popular treasures may "increase" next year, while those unpopular treasures that no one exchanges for may "decrease" in price.

Gaode earned three second-class merits and two third-class merits from one mission, thus unlocking the two redemption lists for second-class and third-class merits in one go.

He didn't bother going to Old Harlin's General Store anymore. He immediately returned to the living room of his room, closed the door, sat down, and opened the list of third-class merit awards with great interest.

The first page contains the table of contents and categories, which are divided into very detailed categories: magical plants, magical potions, spell recipes, extraordinary materials, extraordinary equipment, books, and miscellaneous items.

It has everything it should have.

However, most of them are relatively low-end.

Because Gaode first flipped to the page of spell recipes that he was most interested in, and after scanning it at a glance, he found that they were all common spell recipes, and there was not a single rare spell recipe.

This shows what level of treasures are listed on the Third-Class Merit Exchange List.

However, although they are all ordinary spell recipes, they happen to contain one of the attack spells that Gaode needs most.

—The official team never sells combat spell recipes, so although Gaode has mastered 27 first-level spells so far, even including [Mage Armor] and [Shield], there are only five combat-related spells in total.

Among them, there is only one offensive spell, [Frozen Blade], and [Hunter's Mark] is a damage-boosting spell that does not have the ability to directly deal damage.

This is considered extremely "unbalanced".

The greatest strength of a mage lies in their "omnipotence," not in combat and destruction.

As a sea sentinel mage, combat strength is definitely the most important aspect, and we need to quickly make up for our weak "subjects".

Therefore, Gaode focused its attention on first-round attack spells:

【Arrow of Pressure】(Change type, Level 1):

This spell increases the weight and density of arrows you fire with a bow or crossbow for 1 minute before they hit a target, and then returns them to normal afterward.

When you are affected by this spell, the damage you deal with a bow or crossbow is treated as damage from a weapon that is more powerful than it actually is, as if it fired an arrow that is one size larger than it actually is.

Only you can benefit from this spell; if others continue to attack with your bow, the arrows will only cause damage equal to their normal size.

[Military Merit Required for Exchange: 2 Third-Class Merit]

[Arrow of Pressure] Gao De merely glanced at the spell's effect and then skipped over it.

Clearly, this spell is suitable for mages who are skilled in archery.

He didn't even own a bow, let alone an arrow.

Of course, bows are not hard to buy, but the key is that archery skills require hard work and time to accumulate, as well as a certain amount of talent, making the threshold too high.

Why spend a lot of time learning archery, which you might not even be able to master, just for a first-level spell?

It's simply unnecessary.

Look down again.

【Blade of Pressure】(Transmutation, Level 1):

When you use melee weapons to attack enemies, the Heavy Blade will increase their momentum and density.

After you cast this spell, all melee weapons you carry will deal one unit more damage than their actual size. For example, a medium-sized longsword will deal the damage of a greatsword due to the effect of the Overpowering Blade.

Only you can benefit from this spell.

Others using your weapon will deal damage equal to the weapon's normal damage when attacking.

[Military Merit Required for Exchange: 3 Third-Class Merit]

A spell in the same "Pressure" family as "Pressure Arrow".

However, Gaode Maps did not skip over it like they did with "Arrow Under Pressure".

He really doesn't know swordsmanship.

But the problem is, he has the North Wind.

With the original seventh-tier True Ice Magic Weapon already in hand, Gao De couldn't possibly abandon it.

He wouldn't learn archery for a first-level spell, but learning swordsmanship for [North Wind] would be no problem.

Besides, even if you don't know swordsmanship, using [North Wind] as a stun gun is a bit crude, but it's still a valid method. At this point, you can stack the spell effect of [Heavy Blade].

I must learn this spell!

However, the search results for military merit redemption requirements on Gaode Maps left him speechless for a moment.

Both belong to the Heavy Pressure series, differing only in whether they are arrows or blades, but the latter requires one more third-class merit to redeem than the former.

While it's understandable upon closer examination—the [Heavy Blade] is clearly more applicable than the [Heavy Arrow], as melee weapons are inherently easier to learn than bows and arrows, and their range is also much larger.

Moreover, even if you haven't learned anything, you can at least slash and hammer people when you pick up a melee weapon, but if you haven't learned archery, you probably won't even know how to shoot an arrow, let alone be accurate.

Let me take another look.

The reward for the Marco district water beast extermination mission is only two third-class merits, which is exactly one third-class merit short of redeeming the [Blade of Heavy Pressure].

Although he has three second-class merits, which is equivalent to thirty third-class merits.

But I haven't looked at the list of second-class merit rewards yet, and there's a high probability that rare spells are on it.

Rare spells should definitely be prioritized.

In addition, there might be more preferred options among the ordinary first-level attack spells?

Gao De folded a small fold into the page that recorded "Blade of Heavy Pressure" as a marker, and added it to the shortlist. If there were any remaining merits, he would go back and exchange for it.

[Stone Fist Technique] (Transformation [Earth], Level 1):

This spell turns your hands into living stones for the duration of the spell.

When you are affected by spell effects, your unarmed attacks will cause fatal blunt damage. In addition, your unarmed strikes can ignore the hardness of objects to some extent when damaging them.

[Military Merit Required for Exchange: 2 Third-Class Merit]

This spell left a deep impression on God; it was the very spell Metis used during the assessment.

This was just an ordinary spell, but in the hands of the opponent, it had an extremely powerful effect.

The power of spells themselves varies, but the same spell can have vastly different power in the hands of different mages.

We'll skip that again. A mage wielding a sword is already the bare minimum in Gaode. Going into battle bare-chested isn't a mage, it's a brute!

Magic is not such an inconvenient thing.

[Magic Missile] (Evocation, Level 1):

You create three shimmering darts formed from magical fields, and each dart is designed to hit a designated creature within your casting range that you can see.

Each dart deals force field damage to the target. All darts will hit the target simultaneously, and you can also specify that they hit the same target or hit several targets separately.

[Military Merit Required for Exchange: 4 Third-Class Merit]

Gao De took a deep breath.

Other spells are debatable, but [Magic Missile] is a must-learn.

This spell is truly a classic.

[Magic Missile] is a first-level spell, just like [Fireball] is a third-level spell.

No mage, regardless of their combat style, would miss out on these two spells.

It can be described as a "national-level" spell.

Just like even the pickiest eater wouldn't refuse a bowl of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

The military merits required for this exchange are being ridiculously overpriced.

Gaode knows that the [Magic Missile] has a very wide range of applications and a very broad audience, and that many people will definitely redeem it.

According to the rules of the Sea Sentinel Exchange List, it's an unspoken rule that popular treasures will increase in price the following year.

The problem is that it's reasonable for consumable items like magical plants and potions to increase in price based on demand, but spell recipes are free and can be copied hundreds of times in one go, so why is this happening to them too?

Despite the complaints, you still have to redeem the rewards.

Further down, you'll find [Electric Claw], [Water Stream Impact], [Flash Blast], [Piercing Scream], and [Burning Hand].

Several pages in a row were filled with Evocation-based attack spells.

In terms of inflicting damage, Evocation spells are second to none.

In addition, there are some scattered attack spells belonging to the necromancy and illusion schools, such as [Weakening Ray] and [Rainbow Jet].

After finishing off the attack spells, Gao De turned his attention to the other spells.

Even if you don't necessarily redeem it now, it's good to learn about it first.

One good thing about spell recipes is that they're never out of stock.

Once a spell recipe appears on the merit exchange list, it will remain there indefinitely unless there are special circumstances, unlike extraordinary materials and equipment, which are often limited in time and quantity.

To be honest, after quickly flipping through it, I did find some ordinary first-level spells that interested me.

[Relentless Pursuit] (Change Type, First Ring):

You enhance your body's ability to travel long distances. Your stamina expenditure during forced marches and hard marches is reduced by half.

Furthermore, you can ignore any fatigue from traveling during the spell's duration.

After the spell ends, you will become tired. If you are already tired, you will be exhausted.

[Military Merit Required for Exchange: 2 Third-Class Merit]

After marking the recipes for the first-level spells that interested Gao De, he didn't look at the higher-level spells anymore, but instead opened the book on magical plants.

Within this category of magical plants, the subcategories are numerous and varied.

In general, they mainly fall into two categories: one is the magical plants needed to make potions, which are the foundation of potions; the other is magical plants that can be eaten directly or used externally.

The second category of magical plants is actually quite similar to magical potions, and can bring various effects similar to magical potions to the consumer.

In Gao De's view, the difference between it and magic potions is actually somewhat like the difference between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

Magic plants are a type of traditional Chinese medicine. Their effects are often not as strong or immediate as those of Western medicine, and they have a longer production cycle and are more expensive. However, they are milder and do not have any toxicity.

Magic potions are essentially Western medicine, characterized by their potent effects, ease of mass production, and relatively low price. However, their drawbacks include their strong potency and the potential for drug residue buildup.

However, compared to potions, magical plants have a unique and unparalleled advantage.

Those are top-tier magical plants that can truly be called "heavenly treasures," which often contain mysterious and unique powers and possess special effects that cannot be replicated by magical potions.

For example, the fourth-tier magical plant Mandora's Tears that Gaode discovered in Dandong Snow Peak awakened Mandora's Demon Eye in him.

For example, the Wolf Blood Ginseng made him condense about ten drops of liquid mana in one go.

These are things that potions can't do.

Needless to say, most of the magical plants appearing on the third-class merit redemption list are of the first category, while the second category consists of varieties with mediocre and unremarkable effects.

[Mermaid's Comb] (Tier 1 Magical Plant):

A magical seaweed exists in the sea, radiating vibrant energy. Those who consume a portion of the Mermaid's Comb can temporarily gain the ability to breathe underwater like a mermaid, as if they were in the air, for a duration of 8 hours.

[Military Merit Required for Exchange: 2 Third-Class Merit]

[Observe the Slime] (Tier 1 Magical Plant):

A purple clay fungus that grows deep underground in the darkness. Applying its mucus to the eyes will grant dark vision for 24 hours. If you already have dark vision, the range of your dark vision will increase by 30 feet.

Note that frequent application of this magical plant can cause permanent purple spots to form on the skin around the user's eyes.

[Military Merit Required for Exchange: 1 Third-Class Merit]

The military merits required to exchange for a Tier 1 magical plant generally range from 1 to 5 third-class merits. Further on, there are even higher-tier Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4, and Tier 5 magical plants.

The required military merits for redemption are an astonishing 500 third-class merits, which is quite outrageous.

There were even more potions available, including those to aid in cultivation, heal injuries, cure diseases, detoxify, restore mana, buff, and even enhance male potions.

The same goes for extraordinary materials; they come in a dazzling array of varieties, ranging from materials such as eyeballs and bones taken from ley line creatures to naturally formed minerals.

There are fewer extraordinary equipment options, and even the lowest-level Tier 1 extraordinary equipment requires at least 5 third-class merits to exchange for.

The section on books and miscellaneous items tends to be more about curiosity, including ancient relics and books of unknown purpose. These may not be very practical, but there is a chance to find treasures. They are more suitable for mages who have accumulated military merits and have the leisure to explore.

There are also various books and items such as high-level blood food for pet growth, unique pet breeding manuals, and analysis of ley line creatures.

It's worth mentioning that it's estimated that only the Golden Flower Dynasty could provide so many ancient items for the Sea Sentinel Mage to exchange.

Because the Plantagenet dynasty is the oldest dynasty in the world.

The entire history of the human race begins with the appearance of the first human eighth-ring mage, marking the dividing line between the ancient and medieval periods.

The emergence of the first human dynasty, the Plantagenet Dynasty, distinguishes the Middle Ages from the Early Modern Period.

Over the long years, the Plantagenet dynasty accumulated countless treasures and antiquities, and in terms of antiquities, it naturally possessed the most and the most complete collection.

After quickly reviewing the list of third-class merit awards, Gao De immediately turned to the list of second-class merit awards.

He wanted to see what good stuff was inside!

(End of this chapter)