Above the mage

Chapter 407 The Call to Arms for the Mages

The turbid river water overflowed the banks, turning into a swamp on the open road.

Da da da!

The mirror-like puddles were shattered by footsteps, and the splashing water drew silvery arcs in the air before crashing back to the ground.

Two tall figures moved swiftly along the road, splashing water everywhere they went.

In the rain, a splash of red flickered between light and shadow, creating a truly stunning visual effect.

The rushing water cascaded down in a continuous stream, creating a sound as piercing as thunder.

Zuo Wen Burns sat upright on horseback, his sea sentry uniform fluttering in the gale.

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's as he surveyed the water: "Given the swiftness of this current, any mage who chooses to travel by water will likely have to stop halfway and wait for the current to recede before continuing their journey."

He was riding a large horse that resembled a cheetah.

This horse has a slender and agile body, with smooth and elastic muscle lines that gleam with an oily sheen in the rain.

Its back is slightly arched, like a fully drawn bow, containing tremendous explosive power.

In addition, its entire body is covered with a layer of smooth and tough black scales, which are tightly connected.

Like exquisite armor, raindrops bounce off it instantly.

What makes it most unique is the ring of flame-like hair growing around its neck. This mane is a bright red color and, when it flutters in the wind, it looks like a burning flame.

Flamemane Horse, a type of ley line creature that can reach a maximum tier of three.

In the Golden Flower Dynasty, the leyline creatures are mainly aquatic beasts, with the few terrestrial leyline creatures scattered throughout the three major mountain ranges, making them difficult to capture and tame.

Having such a magnificent creature as a mount is enough to demonstrate the immense wealth of Zuowen Burns.

Ul Newman, who was noticeably older than him, came to Zuowen Burns' side. "Young Master Zuowen's judgment was indeed accurate. He didn't choose the seemingly faster waterway, but instead came by land."

"Otherwise, it will take at least another day or two for the water to calm down, but by then, the daylilies will be too late."

call!call!

Heavy breathing could be heard.

His mount was certainly not a high-end horse like the Flamemane Horse, so he was working his butt off to keep up with Zuowen Burns. He was panting heavily and his voice was very agitated.

Ul Newman stroked its neck with a touch of tenderness.

Zuo Wen Burns glanced sideways at Ul's mount, but didn't take it seriously at all.

He took out the map from his pocket, glanced at it a few times, and then put it away again.

"About half an hour further on, we will reach Tyrrell. This town is considered a safe zone. Historically, there have been many floods along the Loire River, but Tyrrell has never been affected."

"The town produces a large amount of grain every year, which is transported to Auckland City by waterway. It is a relatively important grain-producing town in the Auckland area, hence there are a lot of cargo ships in the town."

"We'll go to Tyrell, borrow ships to form a fleet under the name of the Sea Sentinels, and then carry out disaster relief. That would be an immense achievement," Zuowen Burns said calmly, stating his thoughts.

Ur listened and nodded repeatedly.

This isn't just to flatter Zuo Wen; the plan is genuinely sound.

While monks may possess extraordinary powers, how many people can they truly save on their own in the face of natural disasters?

In the end, we still have to rely on leveraging existing resources.

"Young Master Zuo Wen, we are, after all, the second group to set off. What if the first group of sea sentinel mages arrive first and borrow the ship..." Ur hesitated for a moment before raising his question.

"Impossible," Zuowen Burns said confidently, patting his magnificent Flamemane horse under his buttocks. "I had already learned about the background of the first batch of mages before setting off. Most of them were low-level mages with no missions to do."

Given that they started an hour earlier than me, and considering their walking speed, I definitely overtook them long ago.

?

"And the only third-ring mage among them will definitely head straight for Auckland City, and won't come to Tyrael Town."

"I'm still young, and my mage level is only at the second ring. I can't do much in Auckland City, at most I can do odd jobs. But these disaster-stricken towns also need rescue, and that's where I can use my abilities."

"If this matter is handled well, and I work a little more back when I get back, a first-class merit is very likely. If I get the first-class merit, my military merit for promotion to warrant officer will be achieved." Zuo Wen Burns was full of vigor, his eyes gleaming.

"This fish is just in time!"

"Standing Fish" is the name of the massive cyclone that swept through the Auckland area.

In Zuo Wen's eyes, the "fish" was not a whirlwind that caused a natural disaster, but an opportunity.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, he would never have had the opportunity to receive a first-class merit award.

"Hurry up, the disaster victims are waiting for me to rescue them!"

"Zoven Burns spurred his feet and mounted the Flamemane Horse. The Flamemane Horse shot out like an arrow, its fiery mane leaving a long trail of light behind it, and disappeared into the depths of the rain in an instant."

Ul watched the red dot shrink ahead, gritted his teeth, and urged his exhausted mount to continue the chase.

Going against the current, Gaode Maps is getting closer and closer to Auckland.

His hair was already disheveled by the wind, rainwater kept sliding down his cheeks, and his physical strength was greatly depleted.

Passing a pointed building that emerges from the water, which should be a local church, only a denominational emblem remains, swaying in the current.

A strange combination appeared in Gaode's view.

A large black water buffalo is floating on the water, its body bobbing up and down with difficulty in the waves.

On the back of the water buffalo, a little boy of about five or six years old was tightly gripping the buffalo's horn with one hand, his knuckles already white, while he was holding a yellow mongrel dog in his other hand.

Both the dog and the person were trembling uncontrollably, their soaked fur clinging to their skin, and their lips were purple; it was unclear how long they had been in the water.

As for the big black water buffalo, it was already nearly exhausted and was panting heavily.

It struggled to swim toward the shore not far away, but it seemed to have exhausted itself and could no longer swim. No matter how hard it struggled, it did not move much and could only make a weak "whoosh" sound.

"Big Black, Big Black, Big Black!" the little boy kept cheering for the big black water buffalo.

Wang Wang Wang!

The same applies to stray dogs.

But the big black water buffalo had indeed reached its physical limit and could no longer swim. After several attempts, its body began to slowly sink.

Seeing that the big black ox remained motionless, the little boy gradually quieted down as well.

He didn't say anything more, he just hugged the mongrel in his arms tightly.

But at this moment.

The large black bull, which had been motionless, suddenly seemed to be refueled and paddled towards the shore in a rather unscientific manner.

The little boy, whose eyes had dimmed, suddenly became excited. "Big Black, I knew you were awesome!"

Waves surged up in the muddy water.

The big black ox, along with the little boy and the mongrel, approached the shore at an extremely fast speed.

The dog first stepped on the water buffalo's head and jumped onto the shore. After shaking off the water, it turned around and barked at its little master.

The little boy also struggled to climb ashore, his clothes covered in mud and water, but his face was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

Finally, there was the big black water buffalo, its neck stretched into a stiff arc, its front hooves desperately gripping the rubble on the bank.

Mud mixed with gravel churned between its toes, and with each exertion it caused the mud on the bank to slip away, its hind legs kicking desperately in the water.

Its weak limbs prevented it from climbing ashore.

Upon seeing this, the little boy rushed forward and grabbed the water buffalo.

With his limited strength, how could he possibly pull a water buffalo?

Just then, a wave suddenly surged up in the water, providing the big black water buffalo with an extra push.

With that push, it pushed off with its two hind legs and finally knelt and lunged forward two steps to get ashore.

As soon as it reached the shore, its massive body collapsed to the ground with a thud, its ribs and abdomen heaving violently as it gasped for breath and its eyes rolled back.

It had been soaking in the water for almost two days and was exhausted.

Even though it was exhausted, the big black water buffalo still raised its eyes to look at the murky river.

Its gaze was filled with profoundly human gratitude and reluctance to part.

A round head flashed across the water's surface.

Tuanzi, who had done a small favor for Gaode, returned to his side.

"Once we pass this town, we'll reach Auckland," Gao De said, wiping the rain from his face and gazing at the overcast horizon.

We're almost at our destination, so there's no need to let Tuanzi patrol around anymore.

Sure enough, the wooden boat cut through the foamy, turbid waves and rowed with difficulty for about half an hour.

Through the rain, a dark gray outline gradually became clear—it was the towering city wall of Auckland.

The city wall was built of mottled stones, and its base was covered with mud from being washed away by floods. The flags on the battlements fluttered in the wind, like a wounded beast standing silently in the torrent.

A large amount of debris floated on the river in front of the city gate, forming a messy barrier.

Many city guards are standing on makeshift rafts, working hard to clear the waterway with long trenches.

As Gaode's ship approached, guard mages immediately came over.

"Are you a Sea Sentinel Mage?"

"Yes." Gao De nodded and handed over his identity badge.

The guardian mage's gaze swept over Gao De's sea sentinel uniform.

A first-class apprentice mage, that means the mage level should be at the first stage.

Why would a first-circle mage arrive in Auckland at this time?

"Where are you from?" he couldn't help but ask.

"After receiving orders in Dorn, I traveled here by water. Once I reached the Oakland area, I went upstream along Tyrrell and Yarbroke."

I also assembled a fleet in Tyrael to rescue the stranded survivors in Yabir, and scouted out the surrounding disaster area along the way.

Gao De briefly recounted his experience, then asked, "What's the current situation in Auckland?"

Is there anything I can do for you?

The guardian mage glanced at Gao De from afar.

Gao De spoke casually, but he was no layman and naturally knew the value of the information Gao De conveyed in just a few words.

It had only been two days since the fish landed, and it would take time for the news to spread.

In other words, in less than a day, this first-class apprentice mage had actually traveled from Dorne to Oakland under such terrible weather and water conditions, and even provided relief to the disaster victims of a town along the way.

What kind of efficiency and capability is this?

"Come in first." After checking the identity badge and confirming that everything was correct, the guard mage said to Gao De.

His attitude has become very mild.

Capable people are respected everywhere.

The Royal River is the largest river in the Auckland region and an important waterway for transportation. Its tributary, the Teva River, also flows directly through the city of Auckland.

Boats can sail along the Tawar River into Auckland and then into the city center, provided they are permitted to do so.

The Teva River played a crucial role in making Auckland the economic center of the Auckland region.

However, what Gaode saw after passing through the arched city gate was not a prosperous scene.

The stone-paved roads on both sides of the river are full of cracks, and broken lampshades and twisted wrought iron railings float in the puddles.

Many of the three-story red brick buildings along the street have lost their roofs, and the exposed beams and pillars sway precariously in the wind and rain.

Several residents wrapped in tarpaulins were dragging moldy flour sacks out of the collapsed bakery. Beside them lay a body pinned down by beams, with only half of a leg wearing leather boots showing.

"How could it be so serious?" Gao De frowned.

Auckland is located in a cyclone belt and experiences several cyclone strikes each year. It has ample experience and preparedness in dealing with cyclones, including but not limited to towering windbreaks, sophisticated drainage systems, and abundant emergency supplies.

Therefore, even when faced with a super whirlwind that only occurs once every fifty-six years, we should not act this way.

"Something's really off about these fish." The guardian mage, naturally understanding what Gao De meant, offered his explanation.

"Not only were the speed and timing of the onset extremely unusual, but after it passed through, three smaller whirlwinds appeared in succession."

"Huh?" Gao De was quite surprised.

Earthquakes have aftershocks, but a cyclone is essentially just a tropical cyclone that brings strong winds and heavy rain as it passes through.

However, once the typhoon moves away, its impact gradually weakens, and there is no such thing as lingering wind.

"In addition, the number of aquatic beasts that gathered after the fish landed this time far exceeded any previous occurrence."

"Is there some unnatural factor at play?" Gao De asked subconsciously.

The appearance of too many unusual signs greatly increases the likelihood of this possibility.

"Yes, the mages in the city also have the same suspicions, so after the second whirlwind landed yesterday, Count Roland sent mages out to sea to investigate the situation."

Gao De nodded, just as he was about to speak.

Buzz! !

Buzz! !

Buzz! !

Suddenly, an incredibly long chime rang out, its deep and resonant sound seeming to shake the entire city.

The chimes spread from the clock tower in the city square, their sound waves shattering the rain curtain in the air.

Gaode was still somewhat confused.

The guard mage's expression changed drastically; his hands clenched tightly, veins bulging.

"What's going on?" Gao De quickly asked, realizing something serious had happened from his expression.

"Something terrible has happened!" The guardian mage's voice was almost squeezed out of his throat.

"This is the rallying cry for the monks."

"A call to arms for the mages?"

"If it's a sound, it means there's an emergency, and all the official mages in the city are being summoned."

If it's a second tone, then the situation is a bit more complicated. There might not be enough manpower, and other mages would need to be called upon for support. However, this is on a voluntary basis, and generally only mages under noble demons would respond to the call.

The guardian mage spoke very quickly, as if afraid he wouldn't have time to finish explaining.

"But if three shots are fired in succession, that would be a major incident, indicating a severe shortage of manpower and an extremely urgent situation."

All officially registered mages of the Golden Bird clan within the city are required to assemble at the City Hall Square. Anyone found deliberately failing to attend will be punished afterwards.

"In all the years since Auckland was built, the three rallying cries have never been heard more than three times!"

As the guardian mage hastily explained the meaning of the rallying cry, Gao De's expression froze, and he felt a throbbing pain in his temples.

I've only been in town for less than a minute!

Am I perhaps a front-loading washing machine?