Above the mage

Chapter 42 [Animal Conversation]

After returning to the herb garden with the damaged "Beast Language Ring," Gao De devoted himself to his new "work."

Repair the "Beast Language Ring", concoct potions, practice guidance techniques and meditation.

This is Gaode's top priority right now.

The thirteenth day of the Spring Bud Month.

The five green spider sacs were used up again, in exchange for five sets of high-quality, basic spider venom potions.

The quantity of goods was barely enough this time, so Gao De took the newly formulated 5 sets of basic spider venom potions directly to Phil's Potions Shop to ship them out.

The two parties have been cooperating for many years, and the transaction model has been established.

Therefore, this transaction proceeded very smoothly without any setbacks.

The only difference is that this time, Gaode immediately replaced the receipt with payment: 10 glittering Sean coins.

It's worth complaining that the price of green spider sacs, the main ingredient in basic spider venom potion, has increased by 20% due to the surge in sales of basic spider venom potion.

However, the purchase price offered by Phil's Potions Shop for basic spider venom potions remained unchanged at 2 gold per set.

However, these are all prices agreed upon beforehand. It's a favor if they're willing to raise the price for you, and it's also normal if they don't.

With a hint of resentment, Gao De didn't bother going far this time. Instead, he spent a fortune at Phil's Potions Shop, spending 9 gold coins to buy 15 Green Spider Pouches, enough for half a month.

He feared that if things continued like this, the price of green spider pods would rise even further.

The sixteenth day of the Spring Bud Month.

It was also the eighth day after receiving the "Beast Language Ring".

"alright!"

Looking at the "Beast Language Ring" with its green embroidery gone and its runes delicate and complete, which was placed on the table, Gao De revealed a satisfied smile.

He focused his mental energy on his body to make a final check.

The next instant, information flowed from the ring into his mind:

Wearing the ring will provide a slight sobering effect.

You can cast the first-level spell "Animal Talk" once a day without consuming any resources.

[Animal Conversation] (Prophecy, 1st Ring)

You can ask animals questions and get answers, but the spell cannot make them more friendly or cooperative.

Moreover, cunning and alert animals may give vague and brief answers, and if an animal is not very intelligent, it may say something foolish.

If an animal is friendly to you, it may help you or even be at your beck and call.

The presence of feedback indicates that the magic of the "Beast Language Ring" has been restored, signifying that Gaode has successfully repaired the damaged "Beast Language Ring".

The task was completed two days ahead of schedule.

Actually, Gao De was quite curious about how the "Animal Talk" spell, which describes "asking animals questions and getting answers," actually works.

Animals can't suddenly start talking, can they?

It's almost terrifying to think about; it's highly unlikely...

Now that the "Beast Language Ring" had been repaired, Gao De temporarily ended his "seclusion," tidied himself up a bit, and went out.

When he returned to the commercial district, he could clearly feel that the foot traffic had increased significantly compared to before.

Clearly, the increasing number of wild beasts and ley line creatures outside the city is having a growing impact on Hogan City.

At least for now, it appears to be having a positive effect, contributing to the economic prosperity of Hogan City to some extent.

Gao De shook his head, dismissing these matters that were not of much concern to him, and headed straight for Pierre's general store.

"Not bad, you can fix a level 1 magical item in less than ten days." The old man was always shrewd. Seeing that Gao De hadn't come for eight days, but came today, he guessed that the "Beast Language Ring" must have been repaired.

"Take a look." Gao De chuckled and handed the "Beast Language Ring" to Pierre.

Pierre first took a sip of tea, then put down his cup and accepted the "Beast Language Ring".

Gaode is a little envious.

You should know that even the lowest quality tea costs 2 copper coins per pot, but judging from the color of the tea in the cup, the quality is obviously not bad, it's a good product.

That old man is really rich!

Pierre had finished his inspection and nodded in satisfaction. He stroked the damaged and corroded parts of the "Beast Language Ring" and exclaimed, "Your craftsmanship is truly remarkable. You've managed to repair even this level of damage to such a perfect degree."

Gao De grinned. This was repaired with magic, how could it not be perfect!

Pierre put away the "Beast Language Ring," reached into his pocket, took out a money pouch, counted out eight gold coins, and pushed it to God.

Gao De was slightly taken aback. "What's this?"

The client wouldn't pay the repair fee before seeing the "Beast Language Ring" successfully repaired.

That's the person who made the request, not someone who's being taken advantage of.

"I'm closing the shop in a couple of days and heading to Bremen. Before I leave, I'll give the 'Beast Language Ring' to the client. I'll prepay you for the repairs so you don't have to make another trip," Pierre explained.

"How long will it take?" Gao De asked.

"It's almost 200 kilometers from here to Bremen, and the round trip will take about ten days. Add in the time for business, and it will take about half a month. Don't make a wasted trip during this time," Pierre reminded him.

Because of the existence of mages who can use their supernatural powers to participate in the nation's infrastructure development, the road conditions in the Principality of Xin are actually quite good.

In addition, Pierre was well-off and would definitely rent a horse for long journeys.

So even though Pierre was quite old, he could still complete the 400-kilometer journey in about ten days.

"Go safely and return safely," Gao De said.

After leaving the general store, Gao De, who was carrying a "huge sum of money," thought for a moment and went to the "Pea and Lamb" market, where he spent 2 silver and 2 copper to buy four pounds of meat.

Extra treat today!

As time passed, Gao De's days were ordinary yet fulfilling: making medicine, selling medicine, and practicing spiritual cultivation.

On the third day after the "Beast Language Ring" was repaired, which was the nineteenth day of the Spring Sprout Month.

Gao De, who had recently manifested a six-petaled lotus, has made another small breakthrough in his meditation technique, successfully manifesting a seventh petal.

This speed surprised even Gaode itself.

It should be noted that meditation is inherently more difficult to practice than guided meditation. As a result, guided meditation has yet to achieve even a single level of breakthrough, while meditation has already broken through two levels.

He was just one step away from becoming a second-class apprentice with an eight-petaled lotus.

Gao De's magical power had long met the requirements of a second-class apprentice: to unleash five magic tricks in one go.

It's just that his predecessor's progress in meditation was lagging behind, which is why he has remained at the first-class apprentice level.

He is now trying to fill the gaps left by his predecessor.

Of course, this is not unique to Gaode. For 99% of monks, the progress of guided practice is higher than that of meditation.

The reason is that meditation is more difficult to practice than guided meditation, and that things that can help with meditation are extremely rare.

Every five days, Gao De would personally deliver five newly concocted basic spider venom potions to Phil's Potions Shop, charging 10 gold coins in return.

As their finances gradually improved, they began to "add extra food" to the herb garden more and more often.

This is because Gaode discovered that his body was severely depleted and abnormally weak due to malnutrition.

In addition, he has a lot of free time in the mornings now.

Therefore, Gaode developed a strict physical training plan for himself, which included both aerobic and anaerobic exercise to improve his physical fitness.

Despite having "Wind Spirit Moon Shadow" by his side, he is bound to rise to prominence in the future and master powerful supernatural abilities, barring any major surprises.

However, Gaode will not look down on the improvement that training can bring him.

He understood a principle well: only what you have in your hands can truly be considered yours.

Those who aspire to great heights often have lives as fragile as paper.

We'll talk about the future later.

Even if we can fly and teleport using magic in the future, that's a thing of the future, far beyond our reach.

Improving physical fitness through exercise is the most practical approach right now.

Being down-to-earth is the only way to succeed; being overly ambitious is not advisable.

There's a saying that goes, "Three parts training, seven parts diet."

The importance of eating is undeniable; it is essential to supplement protein intake.

Moreover, he is at the age of puberty, the golden period for growing taller. How can he not eat meat?

Gaode doesn't want to become a "level three disabled person".

With the combination of exercise and "extra meals," it is visibly clear that Gao De's body is getting stronger day by day.

The cost is that the previously budgeted minimum expenditure of 4 silver per day has increased to 5 silver per day.

Moreover, Gaode's appetite is getting better and better, and its demand for meat is also increasing.

It is conceivable that the daily expenses of the herb garden will rise again soon.

(End of this chapter)