Above the mage

Chapter 704 The Language of Nature

Evan and Cedric have been here for a while.

During this time, the two of them were not idle and had already gathered a lot of useful intelligence.

"Judging from the direction of the claw marks, the location of the fallen feathers, and these remaining clues, they did not stay here for long after attacking the village, and flew directly towards the coast."

Evan said, "Before you arrived, Cedric and I had already tracked down the Ironfeathered Eagles."

"But these claw marks became fainter and fainter, and almost blurred near the cliffs close to the coast, which clearly indicates that they flew away from Valles Island from there."

"Then the traces disappeared completely." Cedric Morgen, who was standing to the side, immediately nodded.

His magnificent staff hung casually at his side, making his exquisite and noble face appear even more aloof.

The tracking work was all done by Evan.

He was a typical aristocratic battle mage who never participated in, nor was he good at, tracking work that required bending over and meticulous investigation.

"Ordinary tracking techniques and ground tracking can only pinpoint traces left before takeoff or after landing," Evan explained.

"These eagle-beasts are skilled at high-altitude flight. Once they take off, the sea breeze and air currents will instantly disperse their scent."

"There are no traces left on the sea surface, and with our current methods, we simply cannot track down their habitat."

"However, I've looked into it, and there are quite a few scattered uninhabited islands outside of Valles Island," Cedric suddenly said, his tone still carrying a hint of arrogance, but with a touch more seriousness.

He slightly raised his chin and said, "Based on the existing clues, we can boldly infer that their habitat is most likely not on this Valles Island, but on an uninhabited deserted island in the nearby sea."

"After attacking the village, they took off and flew back to the uninhabited island to rest, which explains why the claw marks were only pointing towards the coast, not inland."

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned slightly.

Everyone knew that finding those scattered uninhabited islands hiding the nests of eagles in the vast ocean was even more difficult than searching Vales Island.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's get moving and search them one by one to find the lair of these Ironfeathered Eagle Beasts as soon as possible." Evan glanced at everyone and made the suggestion first, his tone urgent.

"Not really." Surprisingly, Cedric immediately shook his head, expressing his objection.

"Why?" Evan asked instinctively.

"We have limited time," Cedric said seriously. "If their nest is indeed on an uninhabited island in the ocean, the search area will be greatly expanded."

"Those deserted islands are scattered in the sea. Some are small in size and hidden in the sea fog, making them difficult to find. Moreover, we cannot track their flight paths and can only explore blindly."

"It really depends on luck. If you're lucky, you might find it right away, but if you're unlucky, it might take two or three days to find it."

"Master Fritz only gave us seven days. If anything goes wrong, we won't have enough time. We can't afford to take that risk."

"I don't want to fail at such a simple task," Cedric said expressionlessly, glancing indifferently at God and Arya.

If it weren't for this, he would have already gone out to sea alone to search.

Why would they be waiting here for Gao De and Alyssa, those two burdens, and Gareth and Feng Lin, who insisted on bringing their burdens along?

In his view, these two substitute spots were completely useless and were just there to make up the numbers.

Putting everything else aside, both Evan and Feng Lin successfully advanced to the fourth-circle mage level in the past six months in preparation for this magic duel tournament.

Although he has just been promoted, he may not even have had time to master fourth-circle spells yet.

But a fourth-ring mage is a fourth-ring mage; their rank is what it is, and they are worlds apart from third-ring mages.

In other words, all five official team members are genuine fourth-ring mages.

What can two level 3 mages replace?

Even a fourth-ring mage who is depleted of mana and in a weakened state is still far stronger than a third-ring mage.

Gao De and Ailiya had no chance to appear at all during the entire Magic Tournament, so it was meaningless.

Gareth and Feng Lin's decision to accompany them was a foolish act of kindness.

In his mind, the only ones who could be called a team were the five fourth-ring mages.

These two substitutes from the third ring are not worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

Goddard was naturally aware of the look Cedric was giving him.

Gao De was even fully aware of what he was thinking.

Strictly speaking, Cedric's view is not wrong.

There is indeed a significant difference in strength between a fourth-ring mage and a third-ring mage.

In terms of both mana reserves and spell power, a third-circle mage is far inferior to a fourth-circle mage.

However, Gao De did not belittle himself because of his low mage rank, nor was he disturbed by the contempt of others.

He knows his own methods very well and has the confidence and assurance to back them up.

"This is assuming that the nests of these Ironfeathered Eagle Beasts are really on those deserted islands. If we had misjudged, we would have wasted more than just two or three days."

Arya, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to Cedric's gaze and went on to offer her own opinion.

She spoke earnestly, with a hint of worry, "Indeed." Gareth nodded in agreement.

While this judgment is likely correct, what if it is wrong?

Their limited time cannot afford such a mishap.

Everyone fell silent for a moment, a solemn expression crossing their faces.

This conversation made everyone realize the difficulty of the mission.

This is a comprehensive task, not just a simple matter of killing monsters.

"Let's go to the place where the traces last disappeared first." As everyone fell into deep thought, Gao De finally spoke slowly.

"What, do you have a way?" Cedric looked at God.

"Perhaps," Gao De said, not giving a definitive answer.

"Come with me." He was very straightforward, and did not completely deny or question Gao De because he felt that Gao De's level was too low.

Moreover, there really isn't a better option right now.

If Gaode Maps really has a solution, it can save a lot of time and allow the task to be completed as quickly as possible.

Cedric took to the air, followed closely by the others.

Before long, a steep cliff appeared before everyone's eyes.

The cliff face is steep and towering, covered with lush green vines and unidentified low shrubs with thick leaves.

This is the place where the Ironfeathered Eagle Beast's tracks last disappeared.

Dark red bloodstains were clearly visible on the ground of the cliff face.

There were also some broken pieces of flesh and bone scattered among them, long since dried by the sea breeze, making them look particularly gruesome and terrifying.

It is obvious that these Ironfeathered Eagles had brought the fishermen they hunted to this place, and only after they had finished eating the fishermen's flesh and blood did they spread their wings and fly away.

This is their "feeding ground".

A nauseating, putrid, and bloody stench permeated the air, mixed with the salty smell of the sea, making it unbearably pungent.

Arya instinctively covered her mouth and nose, her brows furrowed tightly, her eyes filled with reluctance.

Gareth clenched his fists, his aura becoming sharp, clearly enraged by the cruel scene.

Feng Lin also put away her smile, and a hint of seriousness flashed in her eyes.

"This is it." Cedric landed first, then looked at God, as if to say, "Let's see what you can do."

The others did the same, all turning their gazes toward Gaode.

They were all curious about what methods and means Gaode had to break the deadlock.

Gao De stopped and slowly scanned the plants on the cliff face.

From the lush green vines to the low shrubs, I carefully examined every detail.

He then nodded slightly, stepped forward, and came to one of the low bushes that was still stained with dark red blood.

The shrub was about half a person's height, and the few drops of blood on its leaves were dark red and had not yet completely congealed.

Gao De slowly extended his palm and gently stroked the leaves of the shrub, his expression focused.

His aura suddenly softened, a stark contrast to his previous composure and restraint.

At the same time, his mental energy slowly seeped into the leaves of the shrub, spreading along the branches and to the entire root system of the plant.

In an instant, a strange feeling swept over Gao De's mind.

He seemed to have formed an invisible connection with the shrub.

The howling sea wind and crashing waves were no longer in my ears; instead, there was an extremely faint and vague fluctuation of thought.

That is the consciousness of plants—simple, pure, without complex logic, only the most basic perceptions and responses.

This is the ability he gained from the second stage of the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture": the Words of Nature.

Have any large birds ever stopped here?

Gao De didn't speak, but instead used his thoughts to convey the simplest question to the shrub.

A faint fluctuation of consciousness soon came from the other side of the bushes.

Vague and fragmented, yet clearly conveying the meaning of "yes," mixed with a faint trace of fear.

Clearly, the Ironfeathered Eagle Beasts were enormous and possessed a fierce aura. Their arrival posed a deadly threat to the defenseless shrub.

This fear was deeply imprinted in its primal consciousness, and even after the eagle beast left, it could not completely dissipate.

Gao De's heart stirred slightly, and a look of understanding flashed in his eyes. He knew he had found the right direction and continued to ask questions with his mind.

The question remains the simplest and most straightforward, catering to the limited understanding of shrubs: [Where do they come from?]

This time, the fluctuations in his thoughts became even more vague, intermittent, and chaotic, without any clear direction.

Shrubs have no concept of direction; they cannot distinguish east from west, north from south, or describe the distance between them.

They could only vaguely sense that the large birds came from "a place with water," but they couldn't accurately convey more information.

Gaode was not discouraged at all; such were the limitations of the natural language.

Plants have limited intelligence and cannot provide complex information; we can only patiently guide them and gradually narrow down the scope.

He paused briefly, adjusting his thoughts: [Which direction do they fly in each time they come?]

This time, the shrub's mental fluctuations became clearer, conveying information about the direction of the rising sun.

Most plants exhibit phototropism, and this shrub is no exception. It can clearly sense the direction in which the sun rises, which is the direction from which it obtains sunlight and depends on for survival.

The direction in which the sun rises is east.

At this point, he had determined the general flight direction of the Ironfeathered Eagle Beast, but having a direction alone was not enough.

A thought struck Gao De, and he looked up at Evan: "Could I have that Ironfeather Eagle feather?"

Evan immediately handed the feather to God, asking curiously, "What, is there a clue on this feather?"

"Yes." Gao De nodded, flipping the feather over and gently picking up a bit of the grayish-green moss fragments clinging to it with his fingertips.

Then he stretched out his palm again and gently touched the leaves of the bush beside him, reconnecting with the language of nature.

He telepathically conveyed his third question to the bush: "Have you seen this kind of moss before? Does it grow on this island?"

This question is obviously much easier to answer for a shrub than describing its location.

Mosses are plants of the same genus as it, and it can clearly sense the scent of its own kind and distinguish whether such mosses are growing around it.

A moment later, the bushes emitted a very clear wave of consciousness, without any ambiguity, clearly conveying the meaning of "nothing".

At the same time, there were also a few vague but discernible sensations: [sticky, black, damp, salty].

This is the shrub describing to him the environment and soil that this moss needs to grow.

Gao De was originally a half-baked plant magician, and by following Flora, he learned a great deal about the field of plant magic.

From the description of the shrubs, he quickly derived specific soil information.

At this point, all the key information has been obtained.

Gao De withdrew his hand and then looked up at the crowd.

"Evan's judgment is correct. I have obtained a crucial clue from the bushes: this group of Ironfeathered Eagles all came from the east."

"In addition," Gao De showed everyone the gray-green moss on the back of the feathers.

"The grayish-green fragments on this feather are not plants from Vales Island. They should be moss that the Ironfeathered Eagle accidentally picked up while it was active near its nest and then brought here."

"This type of moss has very limited growth potential; it can only grow in marl clay soil."

"This type of soil is not found on Valles Island. The soil here is mostly sandy, which is not compatible with marl clay."

"From this, we can infer that their nests must be in the eastern seas, on those uninhabited islands with marl clay."

A glint of light flashed in Evan's eyes: "If we just head east and look for uninhabited islands with marl clay, we can find our nest?"

"That's true in theory, but there's still one problem." Gao De changed the subject, his tone remaining calm, showing no impatience despite finding a clue.

"There are still quite a few uninhabited islands in the eastern sea. Although we know the general direction of the nest and the soil characteristics, blindly exploring will still waste time."

He paused, then continued, "Besides that, there's another practical problem: if we rely on flying magic to travel between the various uninhabited islands, it will consume a lot of mana."

"We don't yet know how long the battle will last, so mana reserves are crucial. It would be unwise to waste mana recklessly."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Gao De continued to explain his complete idea: "The local residents of Valles Island have made a living by fishing for generations and go out to sea all year round. They must know about the uninhabited islands near Valles Island and know which islands have the characteristics of marl clay."

"We can ask them for relevant information, accurately pinpoint the target island, and then conduct targeted investigations. This will minimize the search area and save time and mana."

"In addition, we can take this opportunity to borrow a boat from the local authorities for our journey."

"Going out to sea by boat can save a lot of mana and avoid being discovered by the Ironfeathered Eagle Beast while flying, making it more stealthy."

"More importantly, after we complete our mission, we must return to the Plantagenet Kingdom."

With the help of local officials, return transportation can be arranged in advance, saving later trouble—a win-win situation.

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