Above the mage

Chapter 425 Imminent Ring Ascension

"What's the difficulty?" Gao De raised an eyebrow and subconsciously replied, "One is the demonization. Before concocting a potion, you need to release the medicinal properties of the raw materials and make them more consistent with the needs of the potion through precise control."

Another aspect is formulation, which involves mixing various materials together to alter the medicinal properties according to the desired final form.

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

The difficulty of the first step lies in the fact that a single raw material possesses multiple medicinal properties.

Concocting potions often only requires one specific medicinal property. You need to accurately identify the medicinal property you need and "charge" it.

For example, even the lowest-grade snake tooth grass has seven or eight medicinal properties, while only one of the "poisonous" properties is needed to prepare a basic spider venom potion.

The high-level materials can possess dozens or even hundreds of medicinal properties, and the requirements for alchemists to accurately identify and transform them are extremely high.

The second step in the preparation process requires the potion master to concentrate their mental energy to observe the changes in the potion's properties, understand its current state, and determine what it is still lacking to reach the final product.

On the other hand, it requires potion masters to have an absolute understanding of the properties of materials, knowing how much material to add in the current situation to just make up for the missing medicinal properties and promote the transformation of the medicinal properties into the finished product.

is it hard?

Absolutely difficult.

But it seems that it might not be that difficult for Flora.

Because she possesses a certain innate talent.

"Like this, like this, then like that, like that, and that's it?" Flora continued to press.

Gao De nodded slightly.

"So, Lady Flora can identify all the medicinal properties in the raw materials and can accurately sense the state of the semi-finished product, and how much raw material needs to be added to supplement it, right?" He already had the answer in his mind, but still asked again to confirm.

"Isn't that simple?" Flora looked up at him.

"It's simple for Lady Flora, but not for others," Gaudy remarked.

When it comes to talent, where can you reason with that?

He knew Flora wasn't in Versailles; she genuinely didn't understand what the difficulty lay in.

Just as swimming is very simple for fish, they cannot understand why there are people who cannot swim.

It's not just animals; even humans often find it hard to imagine what it would feel like not to know a skill once they've learned it. The most typical example is riding a bicycle.

Why?

"Because Lady Flora is exceptionally intelligent."

Gao De looked at Flora and gave her a gentle smile.

But for some reason, facing Gao De's smile, Flora felt a chill down her spine, as if something bad was about to happen.

"If Lady Flora were given a potion and various ingredients, would she be able to determine what types of ingredients are needed and in what dosage to concoct the final potion?"

After thinking for a moment, Gao De couldn't help but ask.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Because Lady Flora hasn't tried it yet."

"Strict, huh... I'll give it a try next time."

"Alright."

Seeing that the little boy had no interest in answering his question and was craning his neck to look in the direction the crowd was moving, Gao De temporarily skipped the topic.

Since I brought Flora along for fun, let's talk less about work and more about our feelings.

He gently pushed aside the colorful ribbons fluttering in the crowd, leading Flora away from the hustle and bustle and towards the center of the market.

The crowd grew larger and larger.

Around the corner, three street performers dressed in shorts decorated with seashells were dancing around a copper hand drum, while the melody played on a flute leaped like waves.

Several little girls with seaweed-like braids held up sugar paintings of seahorses made of icing, jumping and skipping to the rhythm, the conch bells tied to the ends of their hair jingling.

A mouthwatering aroma filled the air.

On the iron rack at the corner, fried fish balls coated in a crispy shell sizzled in boiling oil, making an enticing sound.

At a nearby stall, a woman wearing a starfish apron was pressing shell-shaped cookies out of molds and sprinkling them with colored sugar powder made from edible flower petals.

"If Lady Flora has anything she wants or wants to eat, just tell me," God said softly to Flora, turning slightly to avoid the lavender wreath that was wafting towards her.

"What's that?" Flora suddenly asked, her eyes looking in one direction.

Gao De followed her bright, sparkling gaze.

A crowd gathered in front of a stall built of driftwood. Paper lanterns with patterns of swimming fish hung from ropes, and several strings of dried seaweed hung above the stall, swaying gently in the sea breeze.

It turned out to be a stall that made model ships.

People buy simple thin wood slabs from the stall owner, and then, under the guidance of the stall owner and adults, they assemble them into simple boat models. They write their wishes on the boats and then put the models into the river.

It is somewhat similar to the lanterns from my previous life.

"Let's go take a look."

Gao De led Flora over and discovered that in addition to providing raw materials, the stall also had quite a few uniquely shaped ship models that had already been made.

"Mage!" Flora looked around, scanning the model ships, and finally stared at one of them, pointing at it before turning back to look at Gao De.

It was a model ship made of light brown wood, with an extremely smooth surface.

The ship's gunwale is also entwined with lifelike vines, interspersed with colorful flowers, and carefully designed to intertwine and grow in clusters.

The sails are made of light green fabric, and a string of tassels made of dried lavender flowers hangs down from the stern.

Gao De naturally understood.

"Shopkeeper, how much is this model ship?" he asked, stepping forward.

The stall owner was an old craftsman. He looked up at Gao De, then at Flora on Gao De's shoulder, and immediately realized that the other party was a mage. His expression turned serious. "Mage, you have a good eye. It took me a whole day to make this model ship, but..."

He paused, hesitated for a moment, and then told the truth: "These ship models are only given away, not sold."

"Oh? How do you plan to deliver it?" Gao De raised an eyebrow.

Seeing that Gao De didn't show any displeasure, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained, "It's a riddle game. You just need to guess three correctly in a row to choose one of these ship models."

"The riddles are free, and each one is related to the ocean. I can also give you some hints, but you only get one chance. Also, if you don't guess three correctly, you'll need to buy a ship model kit from me. What do you think, Master?"

"That's interesting," Gao De smiled and said, "Please tell me the question."

As soon as someone wanted to solve a riddle, the attention of the people around was immediately drawn, and they came over to watch the fun.

The old craftsman thought for a moment and then said, "The first riddle: Born without parents, yet wearing flowery clothes, swimming in groups in the sea, with teeth as sharp as steel knives."

Those watching from the surrounding area, upon hearing the question, subconsciously put themselves in the question and began to think of the answer.

The first riddle is just an appetizer, so it's not difficult.

Gaode Maps doesn't even need to think about it; the answer is already there.

"shark."

"Your response is excellent, Master," the old craftsman praised.

Flora smiled.

Among the onlookers, some also wore smiles, clearly having guessed the answer correctly.

"Master, shall we continue?"

"Let's continue," Gao De nodded.

"Master, please listen to the second riddle: There is a strange creature, born to fear the sun. It is hard and unyielding when not exposed to the sun, but becomes tearful when exposed to it," the craftsman said with a smile.

This riddle is a bit more difficult than the first one.

Those watching all looked thoughtful, some even frowning.

Gao De, however, smiled.

If there were no specific limitations, this riddle would be quite difficult. However, knowing that the answer is limited to something related to the ocean, it becomes much easier to guess.

"kelp."

"As expected of the Venerable Master, you are indeed knowledgeable and quick-witted. I imagine the third riddle will not stump you either." The old craftsman smiled and subtly and naturally praised Gao De.

In his heart, he actually hoped that Gaode could answer the three questions so that he could successfully send the model ship away.

"Please give me a question."

The old craftsman thought for a moment, then began to recite again: "It has a head but no neck, its body is cold, it has wings but cannot fly, and it can walk even without feet."

Upon hearing the question, everyone subconsciously began to think about the answer.

Gao De knew the answer to the riddle as soon as he heard the first sentence.

But he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head to look at Flora, whose eyes were sparkling.

"Hmm?" Flora asked, puzzled.

"This is the ship model that Lady Flora wanted. Lady Flora should also contribute her own wisdom, doesn't she think?" God said persuasively.

"Maybe...?" Flora was silent for a moment before muttering to herself.

"Then Lady Flora will answer this question?" God looked at Flora.

Flora's eyes widened, and after a long while, she whispered, "I didn't understand."

"Lady Flora can ask the stall owner for help; you'll get one hint," Gao De reminded her.

Upon hearing this, the little boy's eyes lit up, and he looked at the old craftsman.

The old craftsman smiled again and reminded him, "Although it has no feet, it does have many hands."

Flora looked up at Gaode.

"Should I remind Lady Flora again?"

Just a reminder!

"It has eight arms."

"Eight hands?"

It also sprays out a black liquid.

"Black sap." Flora continued to look at God, her eyes clear.

With this hint, those around had already guessed the answer and were now watching the amusing scene unfold with smiles.

Gaode Maps is also somewhat helpless.

"This black liquid is usually called ink," he continued.

"Ink." Flora's eyes finally changed.

"It's an octopus!"

"Shopkeeper, is my Lady Flora's answer correct?" Gao De asked the old craftsman, looking up at him.

"Of course it's right." The old craftsman

"With just a slight hint, Lady Flora was able to guess the answer. She is indeed exceptionally intelligent!" Gao De clapped.

"Indeed, this riddle is no simple matter; it would be quite remarkable to be able to answer it," the old craftsman added.

"real?"

"real."

Flora smiled with satisfaction.

The old craftsman looked up and exchanged a smile with Gao De.

He then handed the model ship that Flora had chosen to Gao De with both hands.

—Although it's a model ship, it's a behemoth in Flora, so only Gaode can handle it.

"This ship model was won by Lady Flora herself through her intelligence and ingenuity," Gao De exclaimed.

"Yes."

"Will Lady Flora still release it?"

"Do you want it?" Flora hesitated.

"I think it's still necessary, because it was won by Flora's own intelligence and wisdom, which makes it more meaningful. The wish she wrote down will definitely come true."

"That's right." The little boy nodded repeatedly.

Gao De borrowed a pen from the stall owner.

"What wish does Lady Flora wish to write down?" he asked softly.

Flora gazed at the scattered boats floating on the river, her eyes shining like stars.

"Lady Flora wants Phoenix to be as lively as this place someday."

Looking down at Flora's serious face, Gao De felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

He nodded, wrote the four characters "Daxing Northwest" on the side of the boat, thought for a moment, and then signed the three characters "Flora" below.

"It would be even more meaningful if Lady Flora could write by herself," God handed the pen back to the stall owner, adding, "Lady Flora only needs to spend a little time learning to write, and she will be able to write by herself."

"However, I think Lady Flora must have thought about this herself, but she's just too busy with work to have the time. Once she has a little more free time in the future, she'll definitely make time to learn to write."

"Is that what Lady Flora thinks?" The little girl asked hesitantly, looking confused.

"Yes, as intelligent as Lady Flora is, that's what she must be thinking."

"Yes!"

In the process, Gaode had already squatted down and placed the model boat on the riverbank.

The river surface had long since transformed into a floating galaxy, with countless model boats, each lit by a candle, carrying wishes downstream.

He had Flora place her fingers on the edge of the model ship, and the two of them let go together.

The model boat drifted slowly downstream with the river.

The vines hanging from the boat gently touched the ripples on the river.

"Where will it drift to?" Flora stared wide-eyed into the distance, as if trying to see its destination.

"All wishes will eventually drift away to their own distant places," Gao De replied.

As the festival drew to a close, Flora was still somewhat reluctant to leave, but the crowds had already begun to disperse.

Gao De also took her back to the Walmart Magic Materials store.

Upon reaching the second floor, Gao De found his luggage already packed. He carried it on his back and silently activated "Astral Teleportation".

Temperatures dropped sharply.

The air became cold and fresh.

The familiar scent of the North wafts through the air.

As always, the first thing Gaudí did upon returning to the North was to check on Yggdrasil's condition.

【Yogathhira】

Rank: Tier 2 Magical Plant (171/5568 months)

Growth gain coefficient: 4.04

Astral Teleportation: 0 (29/45 days)

Enlightenment: 0/0

Lifespan: (1/16704 years)

Area developed (land redevelopment): 85 mu

Height: 22 feet

Land magic concentration: 50-77 (basic spiritual land)

The sacred tree is still in a period of rapid and stable growth.

It will take another sixteen days for the next astral teleportation to fully recharge.

In other words, Gaode will stay in the northern region for at least sixteen days this time.

In fact, in his own expectations, this stay in the North might actually be more than sixteen days.

Because there are many things to do when I return to the North.

Firstly, the gains he brought back to the North this time far surpassed any previous ones, and he needs time to process them.

Secondly, Gaode is preparing to complete its second-ring upgrade in the northern region!

(End of this chapter)