Above the mage

Chapter 380 New Ability: Enlightenment

As they were talking, Gao De and Flora arrived at the Walmart Magic Materials store.

Step into it.

The interior of the magic supplies store appeared somewhat empty, with not many items on the shelves.

"Sir." As soon as Gao De entered, Joel, the young employee in charge of the Walmart Magic Supplies store, quickly came up to greet him.

"Joel, bring out all the tree seeds and magic tree seeds that the store has acquired during this period," God nodded slightly and gave the order.

"Yes, sir," Joel replied, and walked toward the small storeroom at the back.

Gaode simply glanced at the shops.

It's noon now, but the shop is deserted, with not a single customer in sight.

"This is my shop here, specially opened to collect tree seeds for Lady Flora." Gao De didn't mind, but turned to Flora, who was looking at him curiously, and said softly.

"Specially~" Flora's eyes sparkled.

Lady Flora would repeat herself when she didn't understand or when she was happy.

As for whether they don't understand or are happy, you can tell from their tone of voice.

Clearly, they are happy now.

"Yes," Gao De confirmed.

"That's how it should be," Flora said.

"That's how it should be," Gao De said.

Flora began to look around with even greater curiosity.

"Master, is business very bad?" Flora, feeling a sense of ownership, became anxious when she realized there were no customers in the shop after learning that the shop was opened specifically to collect tree seeds for her.

"yes."

"Why?" Flora tilted her head and asked seriously.

"Because there's nothing in the store that can attract customers," Gao De said honestly after thinking for a moment.

"Then, Master, please invite that fish-frying man to the shop." Lady Flora thought about it carefully before coming up with an idea.

"Fish and chips are delicious, but they don't attract many customers." Understanding Flora's meaning, Gao De laughed and said that they only attract children and Flora.

"I see~"

"Don't worry, Lady Flora, I have a way," God reassured her.

"Oh~" Hearing Gao De say that, the little one secretly breathed a sigh of relief—because Lady Flora really couldn't think of a solution!

By this time, Joel had already placed the seeds, which had been divided into various containers and cloth bags, into a basket and taken it out of the warehouse.

"Sir," he handed the basket to Gao De, glanced at him cautiously, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively said, "The shop hasn't had any magical materials for a long time now. Apart from buying tree seeds, we haven't done any business, let alone made any money."

There was a hint of anxiety in his voice.

A typical magic material store mainly operates on two parts: acquiring and selling magic materials.

Generally, materials are purchased at half price, but sold at full price.

The main profit of the magic material store is the price difference between these items.

However, Walmart's Magic Materials Store business does not currently include the acquisition of Magic Materials.

Of course, there are reasons for this.

Unlike general stores, magic supplies stores have much higher requirements for the quality of their employees.

Reading, writing, and arithmetic skills are the most basic.

More importantly, one must possess some knowledge of magical materials and be able to make a preliminary judgment on the value of various magical materials.

Extreme accuracy is not required, but the ability to do so is essential.

But such talent is hard to find even in Dorne; they are a scarce resource.

The main problem is that this "Walmart Magic Material Store" on Gaode Maps is too small, and looks like it might close down at any time.

Regardless of the world or era, working people tend to prefer large companies.

First, it's a stable job with good benefits; second, there's room for advancement.

This is a consensus.

Why would truly talented people come to a small shop that hasn't even opened yet and whose future is bleak?

Therefore, the recruitment notice posted by Gaode Maps initially went unanswered for a long time.

After this continued for four or five days, Gao De finally realized what had happened and, after much painful reflection, understood the situation.

He directly adjusted the business scope of the magic supplies store to reduce the ability requirements for employees.

Before the stores expand, Walmart's Magic Materials Store business will only include the sale of magic materials, tree species, and the acquisition of magic tree species.

For the tree species acquisition business, Gaode has also set a clear standard.

He compiled a list of the tree species he already owned, and for any tree species not on the list, he would buy it for a uniform price of fifty copper coins and then add it to the list.

As for the magic tree species, we won't be picky about the varieties; we've set a uniform price: Tier 1 magic tree species are priced at 6 gold and 5 silver, Tier 2 magic tree species at 30 gold, and Tier 3 magic tree species at 140 gold.

We'll take as many as we can get.

After eliminating the business of acquiring special materials, and with standards to follow for acquiring tree species, the skill requirements for store staff have decreased dramatically.

In addition, Gaode offered a relatively high salary, so they were able to recruit employees, namely Joel, quite easily.

An apprentice who previously worked at a large magical supplies shop in Dorne, a very ambitious "country boy".

Joel's parents were farmers in a small town near Dorne, making a living from their meager farmland.

Joel, unwilling to spend his life farming like his parents, ventured to Dorne at the age of sixteen and became an apprentice at a magic supply shop.

During his apprenticeship, he gradually mastered skills such as product classification, weighing, inventory management, and interpersonal skills. He also gained a slight understanding of magical materials through this exposure.

Although it was only a superficial understanding, it benefited him greatly and also gave rise to certain "ambitions" for the future.

He wants to delve deeper into this field.

Joel's rented house was located in the East End, and he passed by the Old Harlem Grocery Store every day.

That day, as he was passing by as usual, he saw an employee recruitment notice posted by Gaode at the entrance of the Magic Materials store, which had been renamed Walmart.

Large magic material stores are relatively stable, but their drawbacks are also obvious. The division of labor is too clear, so there is very little for them to learn, and the chances of getting ahead are too small.

For example, if a rural boy like him, who has no background or skills, wants to become a full-time shop assistant, he would have to be an apprentice for at least five or six years to have a chance.

Although Gaode's Walmart Magic Material Store is small in scale and its future is uncertain, it is a door to new opportunities for him and an excellent platform for training and growth.

So he made another decision that was just as important as the one he made when he was sixteen and chose to come to Dorne.

Joel decides to quit his apprenticeship at the magic supplies store and come to Walmart's magic supplies store in Gaode.

However, he is too young, and even a small shop like Walmart's Magic Supplies Store might not be interested in him.

Joel proactively offered Gaode a pay cut in order to work at Walmart's Magic Materials store.

This impressed Gaode.

It wasn't that he was short of the salary; it was mainly Joel's proactive attitude and willingness to work hard for opportunities that made him feel that Joel had great potential and he was willing to give him a chance.

In this world, ordinary people like Joel, with their strong ambition and initiative, are extremely rare.

"I've already contacted someone I know, and they'll be bringing a batch of magical materials over in a few days," Gao De said.

Then, carrying the basket full of tree seeds, he walked upstairs to the living area.

I also took Flora around Dorne for half a day; it was time to return to the North.

in the room.

"Lady Flora will have to stay in the dark room for a while longer," Gao De said softly.

"Okay~" Lady Flora was very understanding.

Gaode Maps has once again removed the "Summon Pets" feature.

Then, in the blink of an eye, multicolored light flowed out from the silver runes on the back of his hand like mercury spilling onto the ground.

These rays of light gradually coalesced into an astral portal.

Gao De stepped inside, and his figure quickly disappeared.

The astral portal vanished without a trace.

Dangdang Dangdang!

The melodious rustling of leaves, like the sound of wind chimes, rang out the moment Gaode appeared.

Yugathira immediately welcomed Gaode's return.

Ignoring his still somewhat confused body, Gao De immediately cast [Summon Familiar] to pull Flora out of the "dark room".

If it gets any later, Lady Flora might throw a little tantrum.

Then, Gao De raised his head and looked up at Yugathhira.

In Lagos, he received feedback from Yogg-Sarah, thus breaking through the mental power limit of a first-ring mage.

At that time, Gao De knew that Yugathira must have advanced to a higher level, and that the changes were significant.

The same is true.

Originally no more than sixteen feet tall, Yugathira has grown even taller.

The trunk also became thicker, and the bark was tightly interlocked like ancient dragon scales.

The leaves were also a bit larger, swirling with mysterious astral energy.

On the surface, a small portion of the roots of Yugathira can still be seen, like the giant claws of a dragon bird, deeply embedded in the soil, extending in all directions, absorbing nutrients from the earth while also transforming this land.

These are merely visible changes in appearance, but many more changes are subtle and difficult to detect at a deeper level.

Gao De placed his hand on the trunk of the tree called Yugathira, and in an instant, a very deep connection was established.

He quickly grasped the specific changes of Yogathira.

【Yogathhira】

Rank: Tier 2 Magical Plant (19/5568 months)

Growth gain coefficient: 1.42 → 3.96

Astral Teleportation: 1 (29/45 days)

Lifespan: (1/16704 years)

Land reclamation area (land transformation): 29 mu --> 70 mu

Height: 16 feet --> 22 feet

Land magic concentration: 24-35 (basic spiritual land) --> 46-72 (first-tier spiritual land)

The most noticeable change is that it has been upgraded from a Tier 1 magical plant to a Tier 2 magical plant.

Then, changes in growth gain coefficient and lifetime increase were all expected, so I won't go into details.

To Gaode's surprise, the charging time required for interplanetary teleportation was reduced from 60 days to 45 days.

It should be that as the rank of Yugathira increases, the rate at which it absorbs astral energy also increases.

This means that Gaode will be able to travel more frequently between the Plantagenet Kingdom and the North.

Moreover, as Yugathira's rank continues to increase, the charging time for Astral Teleportation is constantly shortened. Perhaps one day in the future he will be able to use Astral Teleportation multiple times in a single day.

This bright prospect gave Gaode a sense of encouragement.

As for the increase in the area of ​​the newly opened territory and the fact that the land's magic concentration has officially reached the level of a first-tier spiritual land, although these are also happy events, they were all within Gao De's expectations, so they are not exactly surprises.

So he thought that was the end of it.

However, Yugathira delivered a message that initially startled God, but then made his eyes light up:

After advancing to become a second-tier magical plant, Yugathira awakened a special ability.

A special ability similar to astral teleportation.

However, this special ability cannot be used yet, which is why Gaode was unable to sense it.

[Enlightenment].

This is the new ability that Yugathira has awakened.

Its specific function is also very simple and straightforward:

Yoghathira can enlighten trees over five hundred years old within the opened realm, giving them the opportunity to awaken their spirituality, gain wisdom, and become tree people.

Its power is comparable to that of a supermodel.

This is almost equivalent to creating a race.

Unfortunately, within the territory opened up by Yugathira, there isn't a single tree that's even fifty years old, let alone a five-hundred-year-old one.

Clearly, this is a late-game skill, which also aligns with the longevity of trees.

However, it's not entirely true that we'll see the Enlightenment take effect in 500 years.

Because the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" still exists.

By cultivating the "Azure Wood Longevity Scripture," one can gain the ability of natural arts, consuming one's own magical power to promote the growth of plants.

This perfectly synergizes with Yugathira's [Enlightenment] ability.

The natural arts brought the tree to a height of five hundred years, and then Yugathira enlightened it.

Thinking about this, Gaode couldn't help but marvel at the ingenuity of fate.

The complementarity between the "Green Wood Longevity Sutra" and Yugathira is like a match made in heaven.

"My King!" Elder Gain had already arrived.

Gao De shifted his attention away from Yugathira and looked around.

Not only has Yugathira undergone tremendous changes, but this temporary camp has also changed significantly.

First, many new saplings sprouted around, and some of them even seemed to be imbued with magic.

These are the same batch of tree species that Gaode brought back from his last trip to the North.

Secondly, the outermost ring of saplings had already sprung up and grown into mature trees over thirty feet tall.

Without Gao De even asking, Elder Gain, with his keen eye, took the initiative to introduce the situation to Gao De.

"These trees were planted at the order of the War Mother, who said that outsiders would begin to arrive in Valar Bay and that the sacred trees must be protected."

Therefore, while expanding the camp and building fences, it is also necessary to encourage the growth of saplings on the outermost edge. Once they grow, they will be able to conceal the sacred tree, preventing others from seeing Yogathira from the outside.

Sunafa's meticulousness earned Gao De's slight praise.

"Shouldn't some ships be arriving in Vallar Bay by now?" Gao De asked, inquiring about the matter that was of most concern to him at the moment.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Just half a month ago, a two-masted sailing ship entered Valar Bay."

We arrived safely!

While Gaode was delighted, he also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

There are too many unexpected things that can happen at sea, let alone when it is on a route without a clear map. Gao De was never sure whether the Columbus could reach Vallar Bay safely.

"Where are the people on the ship now?" Gao De asked again.

"My king, the two women and the craftsman you entrusted have been taken to Phoenix. As for the other crew members, they are temporarily staying on the ship. The War Mother does not allow them to go ashore, saying that arrangements will be made after you return."

"I understand." Gao De nodded again.

Sunafa's work is truly reassuring.

(End of this chapter)