Above the mage

Chapter 788 Returning to the Northern Territory

High in the sky, the long, mournful cry of the Azure Mist echoed across the snow-covered plains.

On the ground, the expressions of Corwin and his mercenaries changed drastically, and a chill instantly ran through their hearts.

Everyone knew that the falcon's warning meant that people were coming soon.

At this point, they had no time to covet the hidden opportunities behind the wheat field.

Without any further command from Corwin, everyone in this team was a master of dangerous combat, and their reaction speed was far superior to that of ordinary mages.

Everyone quickly turned around and regrouped, their instinctive reactions kicking in.

A mercenary mage specializing in reconnaissance and logistics raised his hand to cast a spell.

A faint grayish-white light rippled from his fingertips, spreading gently and precisely covering the soles of everyone's boots.

[Escape Technique].

It's an unassuming spell with a simple effect: it temporarily prevents the recipient from leaving any footprints or trampling marks upon landing.

But for escaping across the snowy plains, this is a divine skill.

Once the [Disappearance Spell] took effect, everyone no longer hesitated. They used their supernatural abilities to activate various speed-enhancing spells and fled at full speed towards the previously designated northwest snowfield.

The soles of my boots made a dull thud as they stepped into the fresh snow.

Everyone was going at full speed, wanting to get out of this dangerous area as soon as possible.

Corwin took the lead and charged ahead.

As the leader of the regiment, his escape experience and sense of crisis far surpassed those of others.

But after running only a short distance, his steps suddenly stopped, and his expression changed drastically.

The smooth snowfield beneath my feet resonated with a steady, resonant vibration that grew stronger as it approached.

Along with this came a series of deep, fierce wolf howls, piercing through the wind and snow, approaching layer by layer.

What is that?!

Filled with horror and confusion, Corwin instinctively turned around to look.

On the snow-covered surface at the edge of the wheat field, some moving white shadows could be faintly seen.

The white figures moved much faster than them, cutting diagonally from the left rear with an almost straight trajectory.

The wind was strong in the North, but the outlines of those white figures maintained a neat spacing, clearly not scattered natural objects.

The white shadows are getting bigger and bigger, indicating that they are getting closer and closer.

Finally, Corwin was able to see what the white shadow was.

They were robust wolves, with shoulders nearly reaching an adult's waist, and long, muscular limbs.

It's a snow wolf!

Corwin's pupils contracted.

Before setting off, he had naturally learned about the situation in the North and recognized the iconic ley line creature of the North at a glance.

Even more terrifying, there were human figures on the backs of these snow wolves.

Dressed in uniform clothing, they crouched low, pressed close to the backs of the wolves, their ranks orderly and their postures as firm as nails. No matter how fast the war wolves charged, their formation remained perfectly intact.

Phew! !

The falcon Canglan, circling in the sky, suddenly flapped its wings and let out a longer, sharp cry.

The cry was different from the previous one; the final note carried a clear, regular magical fluctuation that pierced through the wind and snow and skimmed along the ground.

Corwin's expression changed when he heard the last note of the cry.

That wasn't an ordinary warning; it was a targeted, directional signal with coordinate information.

He had previously witnessed a similar pattern of cooperation from local troops stationed near Fort Delin:

The trained birds in the air are responsible for reconnaissance, locking coordinates, and transmitting information.

After receiving the information, the ground-based mages precisely executed the encirclement and siege.

This is not a scattered tribal patrol at all!

The Snow Wolf cavalry was led by a woman who uttered sharp, harsh syllables after hearing Cang Lan's signal.

With the brief command given, the Snow Wolf Cavalry, which had been charging in a straight line, instantly dispersed, with both flanks extending in unison and converging into a huge arc.

It's like a net that's closing in, about to catch them all.

The mage's movements on the wolf's back were perfectly synchronized, without any unnecessary shouts. The only sounds were the snow wolf's panting as it ran and the scratching of its claws against the icy surface, creating a sense of oppression.

"Spread out! Everyone spread out! Don't gather in groups!"

Corwin made a decisive move and roared sharply.

Once everyone is trapped in the same encirclement point, they will all be captured and have no chance of survival.

Only by breaking through separately can we seize a glimmer of hope.

The entire mercenary team immediately scattered and fled in different directions, east and west.

Each of them activated protective and speed-traveling spells, desperately trying to break free from the encirclement.

But it was all too late.

The speed of the Northern Snow Wolf far exceeds that of ordinary supernatural creatures. With the magical enhancement of the mage on its back, it can overwhelm the mage who is trying to escape at all costs.

The converging arc-shaped battle line compressed rapidly.

The previously open escape routes on both sides were instantly blocked, and the encirclement was now a foregone conclusion.

Within twenty or thirty breaths, the gaps on both sides will be completely sealed off.

Everyone in the mercenary group was very shrewd, and Colin was not the only one who understood the situation.

Seeing that he was about to be trapped, a mercenary mage hastily activated the [Flight] spell, and his figure soared into the air, trying to use the advantage of the high altitude to break through the encirclement and escape far away.

But just as he left the ground, the azure sky above transformed into a streak of silver lightning and swooped down.

The speed of the alien falcon is unparalleled in the snowfield, far surpassing the speed of a mage's aerial escape.

The frost-like claws of the Azure Mist precisely locked onto the mage's shoulder bone, while the sharp eagle beak instantly shattered him, forcefully slamming him down from mid-air and crashing heavily into the snow, completely eliminating any possibility of escape in the air.

The mercenary mage, who had fallen to the ground, let out a painful groan, completely losing his ability to escape.

Corwin, who witnessed this scene, stopped, his chest heaving violently, and white breaths rapidly exhaled from his mouth and nose.

He looked up at the sky.

The blue sky was still hovering overhead, and those cold, eagle eyes remained locked on the location of each of them.

No one can disappear from its sight for more than three breaths without being detected, thus thwarting any attempt to break through the encirclement by flying.

The sky is the domain of the falcon.

"Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

The leading female mage was already incredibly close to them, issuing a cold and chilling command that swept through the wind and snow.

Catherine stood tall and straight like a pine tree, her tailored outfit highlighting her sleek figure. Powerful magical energy swirled around her, giving her a cold and dignified aura.

Her gaze swept over the disheveled and desperate mercenary mages, her eyes showing no emotion, only absolute indifference.

At this moment, Catherine no longer spoke the ancient Ace language, but a fluent, pure, and clearly pronounced common language of the human race.

"Stop running." Corwin's voice trailed off as he looked at the impenetrable encirclement.

His eyes held a bitter glint, a sudden cooling from the excitement and greed of moments before. "There's no escaping it."

The panicked mercenaries gradually stopped, their breathing heavy and disordered.

Some people looked to both sides, still unwilling to give up, but all they could see were neat and orderly blockade formations, with no gaps to break through.

They recognized the reality of the situation.

"Raise your hands and place them above your head!"

Catherine stopped the car about ten steps away from the crowd and shouted.

The other personnel quickly took their positions, and dozens of snow wolves spread out at extremely regular intervals, precisely drawing a circular blockade array with a radius of fifteen steps, firmly trapping the entire mercenary group in the core.

Corwin sighed, slowly raised his arms, palms facing outward, and calmly made a gesture of surrender, giving up resistance.

Seeing that their leader had made the decision to surrender, the others followed suit and gave up their resistance.

Catherine patted the back of the snow wolf beneath her, and the wolf immediately pressed its front paws into the snow, lowered its center of gravity, and lay steadily on the ground.

With a graceful turn, she flipped off the wolf's back and landed, first raising her right hand in a pause gesture, then gently waving forward to issue the order to clear out the wolf.

In an instant, all the security guards simultaneously rolled over and fell, their movements perfectly synchronized and without the slightest hesitation.

The group quickly stepped forward and subdued all the mercenary mages, skillfully completing the entire process of escorting and disarming them.

One by one, the staffs and magical weapons were confiscated, and everyone's wrists were bound by frost shackles.

Immediately afterwards, another man appeared behind Catherine.

"Check it out, Loich," Catherine whispered.

Loich nodded slightly, then his nostrils twitched slightly as he caught the mixed scents wafting in the air.

Unlike conventional mages who rely on reconnaissance spells to find targets, he, as a former hunter, tracks targets by scent.

Soon, he twitched his nose slightly, and his gaze suddenly locked onto a slightly raised patch of frozen soil to the side.

It looked no different from the surrounding snowy landscape.

But Loich's gaze was absolutely certain.

"Are you going to come out on your own, or do I have to personally invite you out?" he asked, pointing to the frozen ground.

There was no immediate response.

"Then I won't hold back." Loich's tone turned sinister.

"No, no, no!" The next moment, a hurried voice came from the land, followed by a series of ripples and distortions, from which a figure was peeled away, revealing its true form.

It was Kana.

When he spotted the pursuers, he immediately realized he couldn't outrun the snow wolves and chose to hide.

The judgment was quite accurate, but unfortunately, it still couldn't escape Loich's search.

At this point, the entire mercenary squad was captured and killed without exception, and no one managed to escape.

On the snow-covered plains, the wind and snow were desolate.

Catherine stepped forward slowly, her cool gaze sweeping over the mixed feelings of fear, resentment, and extreme shock on everyone's faces, finally settling on the leader, Corwin.

Corwin's emotions were in turmoil; the shock he felt far outweighed his fear.

Throughout the encirclement and pursuit, the commands given by Catherine and the others were all in the ancient language of Ace, not the common language of the mainland.

This means that this group of extraordinary mages, dressed in uniform robes, skilled in combat, and with a well-established system, were actually natives of the Northern Ace.

For a long time, the common perception of the Northern Ace tribe among people on the mainland has been that they are a primitive nomadic group scattered across the snowy plains and fighting their own battles.

Their civilization was isolated, their military strength was scattered, and they lacked unified regulations and order, making it difficult for them to even maintain stable city-states.

Not to mention standardized military forces, regular security systems, and sophisticated combat tactics.

But what he saw today completely overturned his preconceived notions.

When did this wild, frozen land transform into a new region with order, formidable combat power, and a formal system?

"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely." Catherine didn't care what they were thinking at the moment, and looked at Corwin coldly, speaking in fluent Common.

This is actually one of the results of Gaode's promotion of general education in the northern region.

To avoid stagnation and to connect with the mainland and break down communication barriers with the outside world, Gaode has included the common language of humankind in its compulsory courses.

As a "high-ranking official" in the city hall and head of the security bureau, she naturally had to have a long-term vision and respond to His Highness's plans.

Furthermore, recognizing that the North would inevitably need to establish connections with the outside world in the future, he diligently began to learn the Common Language on his own.

Thanks to the Venerable Master's extraordinary mental strength and memory, learning a language is effortless, and he is now completely proficient in Common Tongue.

As for this opening line, it also comes from Gaode Maps.

After hearing it, Catherine found it very useful, concise and intimidating, so she used it as the opening line for the police interrogation.

"You must answer my questions. Those who lie or refuse to answer will not be given a second chance," Catherine said in a chilling tone.

At the same time, she raised her hand to cast a spell.

Two spells were cast.

One is the [Domain of Honesty].

This is the most common interrogation technique, but it has loopholes. The Realm of Honesty cannot prevent silence, downplaying the seriousness of the matter, or making vague excuses, nor can it restrain the trap of using half-truths and half-lies.

A seasoned mage could easily use words and ambiguity to conceal core information and circumvent the constraints of the Realm of Honesty.

Therefore, Catherine also has a second spell: [Detect Lies].

[Detecting Lies] By observing the other person's emotional fluctuations, you can directly identify deliberate concealment, semantic evasion, and sophistry that is half-truth and half-lies.

The combination of these two factors, to a certain extent, ensures the effectiveness of the interrogation.

"What's this?!" Gao De looked at the thin card Lieutenant Colonel Grayling handed him and asked uncertainly, "A gold card from the Plantagenet Dynasty Royal Gold Shop?"

The card was gilded, and it looked somewhat like the gold card that Liu Ying had given him before.

However, the gold card that Liu Ying gave her was made of crystal.

"Of course not. There are only a handful of gold cards in the entire dynasty. I've never seen one in my life, let alone one in your hands," Lieutenant Colonel Graylin glanced at him and said irritably.

Never seen it before... Well, you're not doing so well. I've not only seen it, I've used it too... Gaode thought to himself.

"This is a Royal Gold Exchange certificate, not for public circulation. With this certificate, you can unconditionally exchange 150,000 Gold Finch coins at any Royal Gold Exchange."

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling paused deliberately at this point, his gaze falling on Gao De's face, as if expecting to see something.

150,000 gold coins were an astonishing fortune for him.

He has never had so much "cash" in his hands before.

Not to mention a mage like Gaode who came from humble beginnings.

However, Gaode remained completely calm, as still as a deep well.

"You've got some self-control, kid..." Seeing this, Grayling could only mutter to himself in resentment.

He withdrew his gaze and continued casually, "This is the Sea Sentinel's reward for you securing the top ranking among the Thirteen Counties' Military Mages for us this time."

"Compared to your contributions, it's not particularly significant, considering that our budget allocations all require approval, but it's definitely not insignificant either."

"I'll take it." Gao De accepted the thin card without any hesitation.

This is what he deserves; the benefits he secured for the Sea Sentinels are far more than 150,000 gold coins.

"The three major military mage organizations should have all approached you by now, have you decided which one to join?" After giving the reward, Grell asked "casually" again.

"I've thought it through..." Gao De paused deliberately, just like Lieutenant Colonel Grayling had done earlier.

"Which one?" Lieutenant Colonel Grayling didn't react immediately and asked instinctively.

Then, he suddenly came to his senses, looked up at Gao De who was looking at him with a half-smile, and instantly realized that he had been slightly outmaneuvered by this kid.

Seeing that the other party seemed somewhat "embarrassed and annoyed," Gao De finally spoke up: "Sentinel of Light."

"Good! Good! Excellent!" Upon hearing this answer, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling disregarded his embarrassment and praised him twice.

"I actually have another request, I wonder if the Sea Sentinel would be willing to grant it?" Gao De made a request in a low voice at the right time.

"Go ahead," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling said, his tone particularly cheerful as he was in a good mood.

"I want to take Melia to the Sentinels of Light."