Above the mage

Chapter 780 Dragon Magic

Perhaps it's because several years have passed and Du Wei has gotten a bit older.

Not only his voice, but Du Wei's physique and temperament have also undergone many changes.

Compared to the lean and slender feeling he had in the snow-capped mountains back then, he now possesses a much deeper and more composed presence.

Of course, it's also possible that it's not a change, but rather that the way of speaking in such formal settings is inherently different from the casual and relaxed manner on the snow-capped mountains, requiring one to maintain a certain "formality."

Amidst the deluge of distracting thoughts, Du Wei's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, clearly reached everyone's ears.

"In this year's Unparalleled Mage Tournament, you represented the new generation of mages of the Golden Flower Dynasty and defeated two formidable opponents, the Linhai City Mage Team and the Holy Empire Mage Team, winning the championship honor for the Golden Flower Dynasty."

Du Wei looked at the six people with level eyes, his tone calm but weighty: "This achievement does not only belong to you personally, but also demonstrates the talent of the dynasty's young mages to everyone on the entire continent, and proves to outsiders that even though the empire is currently at its peak, the Golden Flower's foundation is still superior."

"You have enhanced the prestige of the dynasty through your own efforts, and your achievements are outstanding. You deserve to be honored."

"This is the dynasty's recognition of you all, and also its expectation for your future."

After speaking, Du Wei slightly raised his hand, signaling to the etiquette officer who was waiting on the side.

Two royal protocol officers, dressed in formal gowns, slowly stepped forward, carrying trays covered with velvet.

Six medals with identical patterns are neatly arranged on the plate.

The medal is forged in gilded gold, with a broom flower motif engraved in the center, and a tiny dark gemstone set in the center of the flower.

Du Wei precisely picked up a medal with his fingertips, confirmed that the front was facing the right way, then walked up to Aria, moved the medal to the top of her clothes, and gently pressed it down.

The tiny clasp on the back of the medal closes automatically when it comes into contact with the fabric.

Then he withdrew his hand, took a half step back, met Arya's gaze for a moment, nodded slightly, and then turned to the next person.

After awarding medals to each person, he repeated the same process:

He bowed to receive the gift, adjusted his orientation, fastened the buttons precisely, took a half step back, and nodded in acknowledgment.

He repeated the same set of movements five times, with such precision that he was like a robot.

Gao De was the last person to receive the reward.

When it was Gaode's turn, the distance between the two suddenly closed.

Du Wei held the medal between his fingertips, his movements steady and fluid, precisely fastening it onto Gao De's lapel, just like the previous five times.

Then he withdrew his hand, took a half step back, raised his gaze to meet Gao De's eyes, and nodded slightly.

Gao De's gaze lingered on his face for about a moment.

Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, but neither of them said a word.

Gao De then lowered his eyes and stood up, displaying an impeccable posture of receiving a commendation.

At least to outsiders, the two appeared distant and well-behaved, showing no signs of anything unusual.

As for what the two of them are thinking, only they themselves probably know the answer.

All six medals were awarded.

Du Wei calmly straightened up and retreated to the center of the platform, his gaze sweeping over the six people again: "May you all take this as a stepping stone. You are all exceptionally talented and resolute, and have already shown the potential to become great masters. From now on, you should stay true to yourselves, strive diligently, and not let today's achievements become tomorrow's shackles."

"May you all become pillars of the dynasty and leave your mark on the history of the Golden Flower Master."

"The awarding ceremony is complete," the ceremonial officer announced calmly.

With that brief statement, the entire formal awarding ceremony came to a successful conclusion.

Everyone bowed slightly to Du Wei.

Du Wei left the field first.

He turned and walked back the way he came.

The ceremonial officials, guards, and attendants waiting around were also in an orderly fashion, ready to leave the venue.

Just as Du Wei's boot tip was about to cross the threshold of the side door, he suddenly stopped.

He stopped and turned around.

His gaze passed over the ceremonial officials who were clearing the stage, over the guards who stood at attention, and over the servants with their heads bowed, and landed on the six people below the stage.

To be precise, it fell on one of the six people.

Du Wei's voice rang out again, a soft sentence that seemed particularly abrupt in the silent conferment hall: "Master Gaode."

His gaze remained fixed on Gao De, unwavering.

"I have some personal matters to discuss with you. I'm waiting for you in the tea room. Could you please come in a moment?"

After leaving this private invitation, he didn't offer any further explanation, turned around, stepped over the threshold, and disappeared completely into the corridor behind the side door.

The silence in the hall lasted for a moment.

The ceremonial officers and guards on standby exchanged brief glances in a very discreet area.

They glanced out of the corner of their eyes at Gao De, who stood still with no change in expression.

Gao De's teammates, on the other hand, were not so reserved or had many reservations.

Their eyes all turned to him.

Everyone comes here to receive blessings, so why is it that in the end, it's you, a grassroots monk with no background, who gets "favor"?

Feng Lin seemed lost in thought, Alyssa was curious and surprised, and Evan was pondering and puzzled.

They couldn't figure out what private business Du Wei had with Gao De.

Everyone has similarities in their emotions, yet also differences, and their perspectives on these emotions vary, but one thing is common to all:

This scene... it seems so familiar. It's like I've experienced it before?

Faced with Du Wei's invitation, Gao De did not hesitate for a moment, turned to his teammates and quietly gestured: "Then I'll go first."

""

After speaking, he took a step forward and followed the royal attendant who was leading the way, walking along the carved corridor on the side of the conferment hall.

Leave this building and head to the royal villa located deep within the Royal Mage Corps' residence.

The entire Royal Mage Corps headquarters was originally the core magical institution directly under the control of the Golden Plantage Royal Family, and was completely subordinate to the Lister family.

All maintenance expenses, magical material reserves, and book supplies are allocated by the royal treasury, fundamentally bearing the unique mark of royal authority.

For this reason, a separate, well-maintained villa was set aside in the heart of the royal residence, exclusively for the core members of the royal family to rest, receive guests, conduct research, and practice their skills; it was not open to the public.

Ordinary monks are not allowed to enter at will; its privacy and status far exceed those of other areas of the residence.

The villa was not large and had no extravagant or superfluous decorations.

The carved columns are arranged in an orderly manner, and the window sills are wrapped with retro vine reliefs. The design is simple yet extremely luxurious and restrained, revealing the dignified elegance of the Liszt family.

The attendant led the way with his head bowed the entire time. The two passed through the carved archway, stepped across the front courtyard, and walked around the neatly trimmed green plants before finally arriving at the innermost room on the first floor of the villa.

The servant stopped at the door and gestured for Gao De to enter.

Gao De pushed open the door and entered; the interior layout was elegant and tranquil.

A rustic solid wood bookshelf stands against the wall, displaying numerous handwritten notes.

A set of rounded, well-proportioned solid wood tables and chairs was placed in the center, where Du Wei was already sitting quietly.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and said, "They're here."

Du Wei smiled slightly and pointed to the chair next to him, saying to Gao De, "Please sit down first."

He extended the invitation in a very equal manner.

Even though his tone was gentle, the words he spoke carried a sense of command and certainty, though not necessarily forceful.

Gao De raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Because the Du Wei of today is clearly different from the Du Wei of the snow mountain.

Du Wei on the snow-capped mountain had a cold and aloof demeanor, spoke little, and appeared distant, aloof, and unapproachable.

But even after just one day of getting to know him, one can sense the warmth and kindness hidden within him.

For someone like him whom he had just met, Du Wei would casually leave food and would set up camp early specifically for him.

Typical of someone who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

The Du Wei of today is a far cry from the aloofness she displayed when we first met; she is now warm and approachable in her interactions with others.

However, Gao De could sense the calm and indifference beneath his outwardly friendly demeanor.

This is completely opposite to the Du Wei that Gaode remembers.

However, Gao De accepted Du Wei's invitation, suppressed his chaotic thoughts, and sat down in the chair.

The next moment, the room fell into a long and eerie silence.

No one spoke, no one broke the deadlock.

Only the occasional rustling of the wind outside the window made the room even more tranquil.

Both of them were filled with complicated emotions.

We met by chance in the snowy mountains back then, and our time together lasted only a few days.

Without status or interests, they supported each other through the wind and snow, forging a special bond that could never have been formed in any other time or place.

At the moment of parting, both of them believed that the other was just a passerby in their lives.

They are two completely different groups of people with vastly different backgrounds, drastically different futures, and worlds far removed from each other. They are people who have nothing in common.

Once we part ways at the snow-capped mountains, we will likely never meet again.

The truth should be this way, but fate is full of twists and turns. Crossing mountains and snow, class barriers, and the chasm of life trajectories, two strangers meet again in the most unexpected way.

People who are completely unrelated are being linked together.

A long silence followed.

Du Wei finally broke the silence: "Do you remember what we said to each other before we parted ways on the mountaintop?"

"If we meet again in the future, don't forget me," Gao De quickly thought.

"Of course, we are friends." Du Wei looked at Gao De quietly and repeated the same solemn promise he had made before.

The room fell silent again.

However, this time it only lasted for a very short moment.

Du Wei smiled gently at Gao De, extended his hand, and said, "Let's get to know each other again, Gao De. My name is Du Wei Lister."

Gao De looked at Du Wei's outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally reached out his own hand.

They clasped hands together. "I'll still call myself Gaode," he said.

Gaode has always been Gaode; it hasn't hidden anything.

But Duve Lister was just Duve at first.

That prestigious surname was deliberately ignored by the owner of the name.

That's the difference.

"I'm sorry," Du Wei apologized sincerely and explained his reasons seriously: "At the time, I thought we would never cross paths again. Since that's the case, let Du Wei just be Du Wei."

This was a very convincing reason, and Gaode chose to accept it.

"I never expected that we would meet again under these circumstances." But Gao De was still a little unaccustomed to suddenly learning Du Wei's identity.

From a worldly perspective, Du Wei is the bright moon hanging high in the sky, while he is at most a fragrant osmanthus tree, not even the one on the moon.

Of course, Gaode didn't wallow in self-pity.

If we're really going to go into detail, who isn't a king?

Or rather, of the two, it is actually Du Wei who is not the king.

"You are my first friend, and so far, my only one."

Since Gao De entered, Du Wei had been observing Gao De's reaction: "I'm worried that after you know my identity, you won't be able to interact with me normally."

On the snowy mountain, unaware of his identity, the two formed a bond.

However, he was unsure whether Gao De's attitude or thoughts towards him after his identity was revealed would cause him any displeasure or sadness.

I'm glad, no.

"You're such a show-off." Gao De curled his lip, giving his friend's behavior an extremely fair assessment.

"Are you faking it?" Du Wei asked to confirm.

"It's an act," Gao De affirmed. "Especially during the medal awarding ceremony just now, no matter how approachable you tried to appear, you couldn't hide that aloof air about you."

Hearing this, Du Wei couldn't help but chuckle: "I didn't expect you to be so calm on the surface just now, but that's what you were really thinking about me."

"Given your status, you should naturally be high above others," Gao De explained.

A king is a king, and he should act like one.

"But the you I remember isn't like this, so I'm not used to it."

"Where is Lady Flora?" After a moment of silence, Du Wei looked at Gao De's handsome face, as if he had remembered something, and looked him up and down. "I haven't gotten to know Lady Flora again yet."

The atmosphere in the room finally relaxed completely after that sentence.

"Lady Flora has some missions to attend to and is not with me at the moment." Changing the subject, and still referring to that little adult who would make anyone smile when they thought of her, Gao De's mood improved considerably, and he spoke the truth.

It must be said that Du Wei, as the sole heir to the dynasty, had an excellent grasp of the rhythm and atmosphere of the conversation.

After Lady Flora, the awkwardness caused by not seeing each other for so long and the barrier between their identities gradually disappeared.

Both of them unconsciously returned to the state they were in when the two adults and one child climbed the snow mountain together.

On the snow-capped peaks of Dandong, there are no desires, no burdens, no need to consider anything; all that is needed is water, food, and warmth.

Every day when I wake up, all I need to do is climb up and walk forward.

The simpler it is, the purer it is.

Stay away from crowds, and you'll get closer to yourself.

Therefore, what seemed like just a few days of casual acquaintance resulted in a friendship between the two that was far deeper than they had imagined.

"Liu Ying keeps talking about you, but it's rare to see her. She doesn't seem to care much about her brother, the king," Du Wei said with a smile, looking at Gao De.

Even though Gao De could remain calm even after suddenly learning Du Wei's identity, he suddenly felt inexplicably guilty in front of this friend.

"You are my friend. Although Liu Ying is not related to me by blood, I have always regarded her as my own sister. I have no objection to your good relationship," Du Wei continued.

"But General Richard is not as easy to talk to as I am."

"This is not an easy task."

Gaode pretended not to notice the sarcasm in the other person's words.

"In the decisive game, the key spell that won the final victory was a dragon spell, right?" Du Wei's expression turned serious as he changed the subject and looked up to ask.

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