Above the mage

Chapter 421 First Reward: [Dragon Bird Blood Fungus]

The book's contents were very concise, with clear and to-the-point language, so everyone quickly finished reading it.

"Merrick, this Mage Gaode is considered your subordinate, and I see his rank is First-Class Apprentice Mage. He actually received such praise from Earl Roland. What's your assessment of him?"

Captain Merrick had just put down the parchment when Lieutenant Colonel Grayling called his name.

Captain Merrick thought for a moment before cautiously speaking, "Gaud is an apprentice mage who joined the Sea Sentinels last Frost Gold Month. I haven't had much contact with him."

However, he earned several second-class merits during his first mission, proving himself to be an exceptionally capable individual.

However, because he was not a native of the dynasty and was still in his probationary period, he was only promoted one minor rank at the time.

"I see." Lieutenant Colonel Grayling picked up the reward letter again and glanced at it a few more times.

"The affliction of wind collaterals is a major issue. In such a major issue, to be able to establish the greatest merit may involve some chance and coincidence, but one's ability is beyond doubt."

"The relocation of disaster victims in Yaxi Town is a small matter, but it involves many complex aspects. The fact that he was able to arrive at the scene immediately and handle the situation quite well shows his attitude."

"The subsequent extermination of the water beasts was a trivial matter. He and the mages ran around, working hard and busy, but the credit was not much. He had made great contributions, but he did not become arrogant or look down on these small tasks. His character was evident."

Big things reveal ability, small things reveal attitude, and trivial matters reveal character.

"Ability, attitude, and vision—all three must be present." Lieutenant Colonel Grayling tapped the table lightly with his knuckles, making a knocking sound.

After a moment's thought, he looked at Captain Merrick and asked, "What is this God's current mage level?"

How could someone of Captain Merrick's rank, who holds a high position, possibly know the specific mage level of an apprentice mage?

But God was different. When he was selecting a mentor mage, no one was willing to take on the role. Captain Merrick even held a small meeting specifically for this, which made him more impressed with God.

"When the Sea Sentinels were selected last year, he was in the mid-stage of the first ring, with 24 drops of liquid mana, and was only fifteen years old. Considering that he was a homeless beggar, he must not have enjoyed any good cultivation resources."

"Given his age, the fact that he can still reach this level of mage skill indicates that he must possess exceptionally outstanding magical talent," Captain Merrick replied.

"At the mid-stage of the first ring, that mage's level is indeed a bit low, and he's only sixteen this year, too young. His probation period hasn't even ended yet. But with such merits, it wouldn't be right not to promote him out of turn," Lieutenant Colonel Graylin said slowly.

As for Gao De himself, in order to promote him to a higher rank, in addition to the three negative buffs mentioned by Lieutenant Colonel Grayling, there is also the hurdle of not being a native of the dynasty.

These are all obstacles on Gaode's path to promotion.

But if you are good enough, all the barriers will disappear.

Moreover, Count Roland specifically emphasized in his letter of request for the reward that Roland possessed a noble character, demonstrating his humble and unassuming demeanor.

Possessing both virtue and talent, or both virtue and talent, may seem the same, but they are not. This perfectly reflects the "cultural differences" between the two most powerful nations on the Nolan continent.

In the Holy Empire, talent precedes virtue, and both talent and virtue are essential.

However, in the Plantagenet dynasty, virtue and talent were both valued, with virtue preceding talent.

In the Golden Flower Dynasty, instances of virtuous conduct are a significant advantage for a mage's advancement.

Count Roland, holding a high position, was naturally well aware of the intricacies of the dynasty's internal affairs. His emphasis on this point in his petition for recognition precisely demonstrated his genuine desire to help Gord gain credit.

"Let's promote him to sergeant first. If he can be promoted to second-ring mage before he turns twenty, then we'll promote him to warrant officer."

"If someone is promoted to the second ring after the age of twenty, they will be promoted to sergeant as soon as they successfully reach the ring." In the end, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling made the decision.

Upon hearing this, Captain Merrick raised an eyebrow.

Gao De is still in his probationary period, yet he has skipped two ranks, jumping from First-Class Probationary Mage to Sergeant instead of Corporal. This kind of treatment is extremely rare!

But what's truly rare is the next sentence: He was promoted to Second Ring Mage before the age of twenty, and then to Warrant Officer.

A twenty-year-old warrant officer mage—it would be an exaggeration to say that this is unprecedented, but in the history of the Sea Sentinel over the past few decades, there has absolutely never been a warrant officer mage of this age!

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Sure enough, someone raised a question on the spot.

"What's wrong with that? Considering his performance and contributions in this disaster relief mission, how much military merit do you think he deserves?" Lieutenant Colonel Graylin's attitude was very firm, and he immediately asked the mage who raised the question.

The man thought for a moment, realizing that this wasn't the place to play dumb. After careful consideration, he tentatively asked, "A first-class merit?"

"Not only that," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling shook his head, not letting him guess any further, "Leaving aside the second-class merits for now, there are three first-class merits alone."

"Three?!" *N.

Everyone gasped involuntarily.

It wasn't that the people present were making a fuss; the sea sentinels had extremely strict requirements for evaluating first-class merits. Among the mages present, many didn't even have two first-class merits on their resumes.

"That's settled," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling said calmly.

"The requirements for awarding the First-Class Merit to sea sentries are: first, to play a decisive role in large-scale combat missions and directly affect the outcome of the battle, such as killing or capturing key enemy figures, destroying key targets, or winning with fewer troops and saving their own side from danger, and their performance is far beyond that of ordinary people, such as covering the retreat of the main force."

"Secondly, in non-combat missions such as disaster relief and rescue, it saves a large number of lives or prevents major losses."

"Third, they made revolutionary contributions to the dynasty, such as the development of cutting-edge weapons of war and breakthroughs in magic."

Fourth, the individual must have been injured or disabled while performing a mission, or paid a heavy price, and their actions must meet the criteria of "outstanding merit and exemplary conduct."

"The Wind Dragon's attack undoubtedly falls under the category of large-scale combat missions. According to Count Roland, God's Phantom Spirit destroyed the Wind Dragon's energy core, which constitutes the destruction of a key target and directly affects the outcome of the battle. This meets the first requirement and is the first First-Class Merit."

"This aid mission to Auckland is also a disaster relief mission. Gaode made a significant contribution to destroying the wind network, thus saving Auckland from further disasters and avoiding losses that are self-evident. This meets the second requirement and is the second first-class merit."

"In order to destroy the Wind Dragon's energy core, Gao De sacrificed his special phantom spirit, which meets the fourth requirement, namely the third first-class merit."

"You can calculate it like that?" the monk who spoke first said, still somewhat indignant.

Is it reasonable to repeatedly calculate the same thing and then award it three first-class merits?

“It’s reasonable to award him three First-Class Merits according to the rules and regulations, and it’s also reasonable to award him one First-Class Merit,” Lieutenant Colonel Grayling naturally understood his opinion and said calmly, “But he is still young, so the higher-ups have decided to award him his military merits in the former way.”

After Lieutenant Colonel Grayling finished speaking, no one present had any objections, regardless of what they thought in their hearts.

That's just the way it is; no matter where you are, young people are always treated more leniently.

Because they are young, they have potential and are worth nurturing.

The military merit assessment of sea sentries is mostly very flexible, fluctuating within a certain range.

For example, Gao De's achievements in the Fengluo incident will ultimately earn him between one and three first-class merits.

If Gaode Maps were a centuries-old sage, its potential would have been almost fully exploited. A little more or less resources wouldn't make much difference. Investing resources in it wouldn't be a waste, but the cost-effectiveness would always be lower than investing in younger developers.

In this situation, the sea sentry would most likely only award him one first-class merit, or at most two.

However, Gao De happens to be a sixteen-year-old first-ring mage, and he has not enjoyed many cultivation resources before.

The sea sentinels are naturally willing to invest more resources in such young people with obvious unlimited potential, and when evaluating military merits, they will tend to evaluate them according to the upper limit of the rules and regulations.

Walmart Magic Supplies Store.

Gaode stepped inside.

The shop assistant, Joel, quickly came over to greet him.

Because of disaster relief efforts, Gaode hasn't been to the store for a long time.

The Walmart supply store's business is still not improving.

However, with the help of the goods from the North brought by Gaode Maps, they managed to get some business and gain a little bit of fame.

Some mages in the vicinity knew that this unassuming magic material shop sold some rare ice-type magic materials and bought tree species and magic tree species at high prices.

Gao De glanced at the ledger briefly, unconcerned about the dismal transaction volume, put down the ledger, and inquired about the tree seed acquisition situation during this period.

In this regard, Walmart's Magic Material Store is thriving, having collected nearly twenty new tree species recently.

In addition, there were two more Demon Tree Seeds. Although they were only of the first rank, they were still a pleasant surprise for Gao De.

After reviewing the current situation of Walmart's Magic Supplies store, Gaode went upstairs.

The astral teleportation system has already finished charging, but the rewards and military merit assessments from above will be released in a couple of days.

So even though he had accumulated many valuable items that he wanted to bring back to the North as soon as possible, he restrained himself and chose to wait quietly in Dorne.

Otherwise, if others can't find him, it would be impolite, which wouldn't be good.

More importantly, there's a fear that this slight delay might cause changes to the reward.

The reward hasn't been announced yet, but Gaode Maps has already roughly guessed what it will be.

If nothing unexpected happens, it should be a combination of Sea Sentinel First Class Merit and Cultivation Potion/Plant, with a small chance of also including some extraordinary equipment.

Because he is still young, he is considered to have unlimited potential to be explored by the Sea Sentinels. Cultivating magical potions/plants is the "weapon" to develop his potential.

For the next three days, Gaode resumed his normal life and spiritual practice routine in Dorn.

The magic supplies store, the sea sentinel dormitory, and the Collingwood Magic Museum are all in a straight line.

Cultivation methods, rune practice, and sword skills classes are the three main courses that never stop. In his spare time, he runs to the library of the Sea Sentinel Mage Tower.

On the fourth day, the Sea Sentinel's reward still hadn't arrived, but an unexpected visitor from Gaode arrived first.

Gao De, who was still practicing rune drawing in his dormitory, quickly went downstairs after receiving a notification that someone was requesting an audience.

A lavishly decorated carriage was quietly parked downstairs, its surface meticulously painted with intricate gilded scroll patterns that shimmered in the sunlight.

What truly caught Gaode's attention was the striking gold feather badge on the side of the carriage.

Having lived in Dorne for almost half a year, he was no longer the clueless newcomer he had just arrived. He immediately recognized that this was the unique mark of the Drake family, the Lords of Dorne and Marquis of Byrne County.

People from the City Lord's Mansion? Why would people from the City Lord's Mansion be looking for me?

Gao De pondered to himself.

At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark purple brocade robe gracefully stepped down from the carriage.

The man had a resolute face. After alighting from the carriage, he looked at Gao De descending the stairs and first asked to confirm, "Are you Master Gao De, a subordinate of the Sea Sentinels?"

Gaode nodded slightly in response.

After confirming Gao De's identity, the middle-aged man immediately pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket without hesitation.

"I am York, the steward of the Marquis's mansion. I have come to see you to convey the Marquis Drake's message."

"At the time of the sudden appearance of the secondary plane, Auckland suffered a disaster." Lord York first recited a lot of official jargon before getting to the point and began to explain the origin, time, place, and specific process of the Wind Network mission, as well as Gao De's actions and corresponding achievements in it.

Then comes a round of praise, followed by the process of discussing merits and awarding prizes.

"Gordon, a resident of Dornholde, County of Barrow, and a first-class apprentice mage of the Sea Sentinels, is hereby awarded a prime shop in the Vantoren district and a 30-year-old Dragon Bird Blood Fungus by the Marquis Drake in recognition of your outstanding contributions."

A thought suddenly struck Gao De.

The Vandrolen district, which includes the Sea Sentinel Quarter and Collingwood Sorcerer's Guild, is the mage district of Dorne, home to many mage-related industries.

The land prices here are only one level lower than those in Kensington, a predominantly aristocratic area.

In such areas, regardless of whether the claim of shops being prime locations is exaggerated or not, and regardless of size, as long as they fall under the category of shops, their value starts at thousands of gold coins, and they are often available but not in demand.

This is a real, substantial material reward, direct and brutal.

Whether others like Gaode Maps or not is unknown, but he certainly likes it very much.

As for the second reward, Dragon Bird Blood Fungus, you can tell from the name that it's a magical plant, but Gaode really doesn't know its specific effects.

He had never heard of this magical plant before.

After deacon York finished reading the rewards, he beckoned back, and two servants in matching uniforms immediately came running up carrying two boxes, respectfully handing them to God.

Gao De quickly took the box.

The touch revealed that the box on the left was engraved with exquisite cloud patterns, had a delicate wood texture, and was inlaid with small copper pieces at the corners, exuding an ancient and elegant atmosphere.

The box on the right is clearly different. It is dark brown overall, and the material seems special. The surface is covered with fine pores, and it feels slightly cool to the touch. You can also faintly smell a medicinal fragrance. It is obviously specially made to preserve the medicinal properties of the magical plant.

"The box on the left contains the land deed and house deed for the shop, and the box on the right contains the Dragon Bird Blood Fungus," Deacon York explained, following God's gaze. "Why don't you open them and take a look?"

Gao De followed instructions and opened the box on the left first. Inside, two parchment scrolls were neatly stacked.

One is the land title deed for the shop, and the other is the house title deed.

The parchment scrolls contained detailed information about the shops, such as their location and size, written in ornate cursive script. The edges were also stamped with bright red seals, exuding a sense of solemnity and authority.

Then, Gaode turned his attention to the box on the right and slowly lifted the lid.

Suddenly, a strange fragrance wafted over, a unique scent that blended animal aromas with the fresh scent of herbs, instantly invigorating the senses.

Inside the box, a uniquely shaped fungus lay quietly. Its cap was translucent white, covered with fine silver patterns, like dragon scales, shimmering faintly in the light.

"Dragon Bird Blood Fungus, this is a magical plant unique to our Golden Bird Dynasty. It grows on cliffs, the habitat of silver dragon birds, and is imbued with the aura of dragon birds." Deacon York had already given God a detailed introduction.

"The blood bacteria contain pure, unadulterated silver dragon magic. Taking it directly can help you condense your magic power and increase your mage level without any side effects. In addition, it can also improve your physique and extend your lifespan to a certain extent."

Thirty-year-old Dragon Bird Blood Fungus is perfect for a first-ring mage like you.

(End of this chapter)