Above the mage

Chapter 783 Fifth-Order Mandora's Demon Eye

"What do you mean you can't interpret it either?" Gao De was speechless.

It's not surprising that we can't decipher it.

The main reason was that Du Wei's serious and confident demeanor beforehand had given him high hopes.

The result, however, was such a disappointing answer.

"It means exactly what it says." Du Wei said calmly, without the slightest embarrassment: "The magic runes on the fragment were locked by the mage Leomon. If you forcibly activate a deciphering spell to break it, the entire set of runes will be annihilated, leaving no trace."

"It is evident that when Master Leo Meng left these words, he did not intend for outsiders to forcibly peek at them."

Du Wei's gaze fell on the golden patterns on the edge of the fragment, and his expression became slightly more solemn: "The writing on this was most likely left to the mages of the dynasty back then, but it was only now that you discovered it."

"Because as a mage from the Plantagenet Dynasty, Mage Leomon's magical scripts should have been mastered by a very small number of mages in the dynasty at that time."

"Of course, those mages are long gone now, and the corresponding magical script has also been lost."

Du Wei paused for a moment, then continued, "Although many years have passed since that era, I think this fragment may be closely related to the disappearance of Master Leomon back then."

Du Wei gently pulled the fragment to his side and looked up at Gao De: "Give me this fragment for now."

"The royal family possesses a large number of Leo Monk's relics, including his manuscripts, notes, and some materials that have never been made public before."

"I will have the royal scholars compare the manuscripts word by word, and there should be a good chance of deciphering the text."

He paused, then continued, "Perhaps this can help unravel some of the mysteries surrounding the whereabouts of Master Leomon."

"However, it will take quite a while."

"Okay." Gao De nodded in agreement without much thought.

The text on the fragments was destined to be unreadable by external means, so keeping it in his possession wouldn't be of much use.

As Du Wei said, if anyone in the world could decipher these texts, it would only be the Liszt family, who possessed a large number of Leo Monk's artifacts.

He added, "If you successfully decipher the meaning of the text, please inform me immediately."

He wasn't a particularly curious person, but this fragment was, after all, something he had brought out from the depths of the Shadow Swamp.

Gao De remembers clearly that when he found it, there were still some faint traces of void energy remaining on the surface of the fragment.

This was exactly the same aura he had seen on the void creatures in the North.

Furthermore, this fragment is a relic left behind by the most powerful mage in the history of this plane.

With so many clues piled up, it's impossible to completely ignore them.

Du Wei nodded slightly, said nothing more, and simply rewrapped the fragment and put it away.

"Alright." He stood up, his tone lighter. "Liu Ying is still waiting for you. Don't keep her waiting too long."

Gaode was taken aback.

They were genuinely stunned.

"Is Liu Ying waiting for me?"

"Yes." Du Wei's expression was very natural as he confirmed, "She told me to take you to her after she bestowed the title upon you."

Gao De stared at him for a couple of moments, then asked again to confirm, "So you're only telling me now?"

Du Wei met his gaze with a matter-of-fact confidence: "Aren't we just catching up?"

He shrugged, his tone carrying just the right amount of innocence, "We haven't seen each other for so many years, I hope you won't mind taking up a little of your time together."

"————" Gao De paused for a moment, then squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, "No."

Du Wei smiled and nodded: "I knew you wouldn't."

Gao De strode quickly through the orderly stone corridor of the Royal Mage Corps.

A highly recognizable personal carriage was parked in the open space in front of the camp.

The carriage was made entirely of dark purple-gold wood, with densely packed runes engraved on the eaves.

The wheel hubs were meticulously polished, gleaming with a serene, ethereal light in the setting sun.

It was the same carriage that had taken Liu Ying away earlier.

The curtains in the carriage were half-drawn, and there was no one inside.

The girl was sitting on the roof of the carriage, her legs dangling over the edge, swinging them aimlessly.

The wind lifted her skirt slightly, revealing a glimpse of her slender ankles.

The twilight light shone from the side, casting a warm shadow on her face and making her nose appear even more prominent.

Those golden eyes were unfocused, staring blankly at the distant buildings, their eyelashes casting fine shadows beneath their eyelids.

Then she saw Gaode.

Her golden eyes lit up instantly.

The girl stood up from the car roof, facing the wind, and waved her hand lightly at Gaode. The section of her fair leg exposed by the evening breeze was particularly alluring.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Gao De quickly stepped forward and reached out to help her as she jumped down, saying apologetically.

The time that fireflies spend outside is extremely limited.

She had to return to her boudoir, which was equipped with a light-concealing rune array, located in the inner court of the Mithril City.

Otherwise, the divine radiance within her would go out of control and burn her to ashes.

Just like Cinderella in the fairy tale that Gaode is familiar with, who had to get on the pumpkin carriage before the midnight bells.

The only difference might be that Cinderella needs magic to become a princess, while Luminous is a princess who has magic.

Therefore, it was destined that after the Unparalleled Magic Tournament ended, she would have very little time to spend with Gao De.

Because Gaode will no longer reside in Mithril City.

Liu Ying knew this deeply and accepted it.

She wanted to see God one last time before returning to Mithril City, to spend time together and say goodbye.

A young girl's thoughts are too pure, and too easy to guess.

Therefore, Gao De knew this perfectly well, and thus hated his friend even more.

"It didn't take long," Liu Ying said earnestly.

Without a second thought, Gao De took the girl's hand, which felt slightly cool yet burning hot, and pressed his palm against her knuckles: "Come on, let me take you for a walk around the streets."

"Your Highness Duvi, how did he do that?" Thranduil stood half a body length behind Duvi, looking at the two people holding hands.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the two people cast long shadows on the ground.

"I don't know either." Du Wei was silent for a moment before replying, "But it's fine, isn't it?"

"Liu Ying finally has someone she can trust, someone she can connect with, and someone she can confide in."

"Yes." Thranduil nodded, glanced at the young man he had watched grow up, paused, and then added, "You are too."

"I..." Du Wei chuckled, "Indeed."

He looked out the window again, but the two figures were no longer visible.

Du Wei gazed at the deserted streets in the twilight for a while, then suddenly murmured to himself, "But somehow, these are friends I acknowledge..."

""

He was somewhat puzzled: "Watching this scene, I still have a bad impulse... I really want to punch him."

Thranduil remained silent, his lips twitching slightly, but he did not reply.

As night falls, the city of glory is incredibly lively at night.

The streets and alleys were filled with the sounds of people, and the magic lights along the streets lit up one after another.

Deep in the alley, a small stall has an old-fashioned charcoal grill, its walls stained a dark brown by years of smoke.

This place serves a traditional delicacy from the glorious capital, a very special rye venison shortbread.

Liu Ying sat quietly on the wooden stool next to the oven. The warm light from inside the oven shone on her delicate face, making her cheeks look even more rosy and pleasing.

The stall owner skillfully kneads local rye into a thin, chewy pastry, then wraps it inside with a filling of mixed herbs, chopped mushrooms, and smoked venison.

After sealing the edges, lightly brush a layer of diluted honey syrup onto the surface of the pastry, then lift it up and place it against the inner wall of the charcoal oven to bake slowly with the even heat of the charcoal.

"This is a local specialty. Last time I came, I was too rushed to try it, so I'll show you how to try it today."

"One pancake is enough, just to taste it, don't fill your stomach. There are many other local delicacies in this street, I'll take you to try them one by one," Gao De explained, his tone incredibly gentle.

"Okay," Liu Ying replied obediently, without any objection, like a doll that could be directed at anyone.

Before long, the stall owner opened the oven door, and a wave of heat, along with the aroma of wheat, wafted out.

The shortbread is baked slowly, resulting in a flaky, puffy, and rounded crust.

The minced meat inside is braised to release a rich and savory broth, and its intense aroma spreads far and wide.

"It's fresh out of the oven, the outside and inside are both hot, hold it steady!" The stall owner handed it over, lining it with parchment paper.

The pastry is wrapped in parchment paper, and the temperature is just right to be held in the palm of your hand without burning your hands.

On the wooden table next to it was a small earthenware jar containing fermented sauerkraut bits, used to neutralize the heavy fat of the venison mince.

There is also a small porcelain bottle of honey malt syrup, which can be drizzled on as needed to balance the savory taste.

Gao De first scooped a small spoonful of tamarind onto the pastry, then lightly drizzled some malt paste on it before handing the pastry to Liu Ying.

The girl held the pastry in both hands, took a small bite, and the rich aroma of rye grains, along with the flavors of vanilla and smoked meat, unfolded layer by layer.

Her eyes lit up instantly, and she lowered her head to take several small bites, her cheeks puffing out slightly, like a little animal stealing food.

Halfway through her meal, she naturally raised her hand and offered the remaining half of the pastry to Gao De's mouth.

Gao De lowered his head slightly and finished the rest of the shortbread.

"There's a shop up ahead that makes grilled fish with bay leaves, let's hurry over there."

They turned a corner and came to the shop.

The shop was small, with a shallow iron pot set up at the entrance and charcoal burning underneath.

The oil in the pan was just beginning to smoke.

The owner was an elderly woman wearing a faded apron, who was using long chopsticks to stir the fish pieces in the pot.

Next to the stove was a large, rough earthenware bowl filled with a thick, dark brown secret sauce.

The liquid surface is covered with fine dried flowers and green fragrant leaves, and its unique herbal aroma can be smelled from afar.

"One order of grilled fish with bay leaves, please," Gao De said to the woman as he led Liu Ying to sit down on the low wooden stool in front of the stall.

The woman looked up at them, her gaze lingering for a moment on Liu Ying's golden eyes before shifting away.

She responded and took out a palm-sized, silvery-white slender fish from under the cutting board, deftly gutting and deboning it.

Stuff the fish belly with a handful of dark green chopped leaves and a few dark red dried fruits, then seal the fish belly with thin bamboo skewers and immerse it in the bowl of dark brown sauce.

After hastily seeing off Liuying, who was about to "light up," Gaode needed to stay in the City of Glory for a few more days.

He was waiting for Du Wei to send over the two scrolls of dragon magic spells he had deciphered, along with the corresponding dragon magic potions.

Having witnessed the power of dragon magic, Du Wei was eagerly anticipating the two silver dragon magic spells that Du Wei had deciphered and was unwilling to miss them.

Gaode Maps didn't waste the waiting time either.

He took out the small bottle he had just received, provided by the Holy Empire.

The small bottle contained a high-grade ice element essence of excellent quality.

Gao De raised his hand and pulled out the bottle cork.

The moment the bottle was opened, no icy mist poured out, and no biting cold air rushed out.

The bottle's design is extremely ingenious. Pulling out the stopper only opens a narrow vent at the bottle's opening, allowing the liquid inside to be poured out without letting the contained ice element energy spill out unchecked.

Gao De tilted the glass bottle slightly.

A drop of blue liquid, thicker and heavier than a normal drop of water, fell from the bottle, leaving a thin, silvery trail in the air before landing in his left eye.

The first impression it gives is its coolness.

This high-level ice element essence fully unfolded the moment it came into contact with the surface of his eyeball.

The ice elemental power that was originally confined within the droplet suddenly dissipated.

Like a piece of silk suddenly unfurled in a confined space, spreading outwards from the center of the pupil.

At that moment, Gaode's left eye looked as if it were covered by an extremely thin layer of ice.

He blinked, and the ice film didn't shatter. Instead, it adhered perfectly to the contours of his eyeballs and began to penetrate inwards.

It didn't pierce his eyeball, but rather spread out in strands from beneath his eyelids, within the magical veins inside his eye socket.

Gao De could clearly sense that the energy in this drop of high-level ice element essence was rapidly merging into his Mandora Demon Eye.

Deep within the pupil of his left eye, a singularity of interwoven gold and blue lit up.

That's the mark of a fourth-order Mandora's Eye.

The moment that energy came into contact with the singularity, the singularity, like a living creature awakened from its slumber, suddenly opened a tiny "mouth" and swallowed that portion of energy.

With each swallow and retraction, an extremely subtle tremor emanated from deep within the eye sockets, spreading along the inner wall of the skull to the entire head.

Gentle ripples spread across the inside of Gaode's eyes.

The singularity, interwoven with gold and blue, was spinning rapidly, expanding, and splitting into rays of light.

Furthermore, a touch of silver gradually appeared during the rotational differentiation.

As it spins at high speed, the silver color intensifies, elongating into silver lines that eventually rival the gold and blue lines in color.

The three-colored lines twist, merge, and recombine like liquid metal.

The intricate lines gradually blurred and merged into a round and translucent sphere of light.

The sphere of light continued to collapse inward, its volume narrowing, yet the light within grew ever deeper and more intense.

A moment later, the sphere of light compressed again to an even smaller singularity than before, completely disappearing into the deepest part of Gao De's pupil.

The singularity is so small that it is completely undetectable.

Only by getting extremely close and examining it closely can one glimpse the singularity deep within Gaode's pupils, like a fine, thread-like line.

Even if one notices this fine line, outsiders would only regard it as a natural pupil mark. At this moment, all the strange phenomena disappeared, and Gao De's left eye returned to normal, but he was still in a daze.

However, this divine manifestation only lasted for a brief moment before his mind returned to normal.

Gao De let out a long breath, feeling satisfied.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a high-grade ice element essence of exceptional quality provided by the Empire.

With just one dose, his Mandora's Eye underwent another transformation and advanced.

The fifth-order Mandora's Eye is complete!