Chapter 644
His Chapter Arrives
Chapter 644 He's Back
Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Gao De got up and took his leave of the monk Theodore.
Theodore was a straightforward man and didn't stand on ceremony; he simply watched Gao De leave.
After Gao De's figure completely disappeared from sight, Theodore pondered for a moment.
Then, he used his magic to pick up a feather pen and a blank sheet of linen paper from the table and wrote down the news of Gao De's promotion to the third ring.
Then, Theodore tapped the table lightly: "Come in."
A young man dressed in a gray servant's uniform immediately entered through the door, bowing his head and waiting for instructions.
Theodore folded the letter and stuffed it into a wax-sealed leather envelope. "Send this letter to the city lord's mansion immediately."
"Yes, Your Excellency, Master." The servant respectfully accepted the envelope, turned around, and quietly retreated.
"This is truly a discerning eye! I have to show off a little!" The old monk walked to the window with his hands behind his back, a slight smile creeping onto his lips as he thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Gaode himself had already arrived at the Harland shipyard.
As the carriage drove along the stone causeway in southern Auckland, he could see a cluster of buildings taking shape in the distance.
That is the Harland shipyard.
It lay on the shore like a growing young animal.
With a sturdy oak and reinforced granite framework, it extends to two medium-sized docks, large enough to accommodate several two-masted sailing ships and small cruise ships.
A windproof tarpaulin is also hung at the entrance of the dock to prevent heavy rain from entering.
The trusses along the edge of the dock weren't particularly tall, but they were sturdy enough.
A thin layer of silver patterns, as thin as a cicada's wing, was wrapped around the oak main beam; these were storm-resistant runes drawn by a low-level rune artist.
In a cyclone-prone area like Auckland, this is a basic requirement for buildings.
Eight wooden lifting columns stand on the embankment, with simple gold refining machines embedded at the top, hoisting timber and ore.
The sounds of the pulleys turning and the ropes rubbing together, though not loud, are more than three times more efficient than manual labor.
With the status of an honorary mage, Gao De, as a "shareholder" of the shipyard, and with the protection of the city lord, Earl Roland, the Harland Shipyard enjoyed full policy support.
Not only did they avoid potential obstacles from officials, but they also had priority access to port utilities, and all approvals were granted smoothly.
The unexpectedly large bounty provided ample start-up capital for the shipyard's expansion.
The newly established shipping route between the North and the Blue Flame Islands has provided the shipyard with a stable supply of raw materials and trade channels.
With these multiple advantages, Haaland's shipyard has long since transformed from its former small workshop appearance:
Two slabs of heavy stone were laid along the shore, on which a two-masted trading ship that was about to be completed and a small patrol boat that was under maintenance were moored.
In the workshop area next to the shipyard, two furnaces are burning fiercely, forging ore into anchors and rivets.
The craftsmen nearby wielded their hammers, the clanging sounds echoing throughout the room.
Harland Shipyard is not yet a major taxpayer in Auckland.
Compared to those century-old shipyards, its scale and revenue are still significantly smaller.
But it is definitely a promising "seed company" with amazing potential, and it already has a certain reputation in the Auckland area.
Gao De strolled around the causeway for a while, observed the operation of the Harland shipyard, and then stopped looking.
Now that his businesses are growing and expanding, it's impossible for him to attend to everything.
The Harland shipyard is mainly overseen by Sunefa and Aisha, who are responsible for deciding its development direction and expansion strategy. As for its daily operations, Harland is in charge.
His main purpose in coming to the shipyard was to collect money, not to conduct an inspection.
After all, they would be continuing their nationwide campaign, and they were bound to encounter some good things along the way, so they should carry more money with them.
More importantly, after Gao De advanced to the third ring, in addition to the spells awakened by his bloodline, there were also some third-ring spells from the spell library of the Western Duchy that he urgently needed to master.
He had obtained the recipes for these third-circle spells, but lacked the corresponding spell potions.
The main and auxiliary materials for third-circle spell potions are far more expensive than those for second-circle spells; a single set of these materials costs around 800 Gold Sparrow Coins.
In other words, the magical awakening brought about by the Zhenbing bloodline alone has already saved Gaode 20,000 gold coin expenses.
Gaode didn't stand on ceremony and took 50,000 Golden Bird Coins directly, which were all the reward money.
Of course, what was withdrawn was not the heavy golden bird coin.
The 50,000 gold coin weighed over 100 kilograms and were so large that they could not be carried around at all.
The shipyard had already exchanged them for official gold notes from the Golden Bird Treasury, with a face value of five thousand Golden Bird coins.
Those were ten precious enchanted papers, printed with the dynasty's golden pheasant pattern, with tiny anti-counterfeiting runes embedded in the corners, and a faint magical fluctuation could be felt with a light touch.
With this ticket, you can exchange it for an equivalent amount of gold coins at any official treasury of the Plantagenet Dynasty. It's safe and convenient.
After withdrawing the money, Gao De took the airship back to Dorn.
This is because there is currently no direct flight from Auckland to Avalon County; passengers must first transit through Dorn.
It is worth mentioning that the application submitted before returning to the North regarding Melia's semi-full-time clerkship has been approved.
So before heading to Auckland, Gao De entrusted Melia with two tasks:
First, we need to gather information on the guardian mages of the remaining eight county magic academies, including their cultivation level, preferred factions, personality preferences, and even past battle records.
Despite its promotion to the third ring road, Gaode Maps did not become complacent and neglect its preliminary preparations.
Secondly, a detailed patrol itinerary must be formulated, taking into account the convenience of the routes between counties to avoid detours and backtracking, as well as the weather conditions and festival customs of the towns along the way.
He didn't want to repeat the mistake of Etherland County, only to find out upon arrival that the "Cleansing of the Sea" festival was in full swing and the art gallery was closed for challenges, wasting his time.
—A semi-full-time clerk is often no different from a personal assistant.
This was Melia's first official job after taking office, and she did not disappoint Gao De.
In just one day, preliminary information was compiled, with clear categorization, key points highlighted, and even suggestions for accommodation and transportation along the route.
"We are about to arrive at Fog Shadow City Airport. Passengers, please gather your belongings." The loudspeaker on the airship emitted a slightly buzzing announcement.
Gao De stood up, straightened the wrinkles in his clothes, and walked towards the cabin door.
The moment the hatch opened, a thick, humid smell rushed out, carrying the earthy odor and a faint, sweet scent.
The information Melia had gathered about Avalon County flashed through his mind subconsciously.
The most distinctive feature of Avalon County is its abundance of swamps and mist.
This directly affected the strengths and mainstream systems of the mages in the county: the mages mainly practiced methods based on the poison, wood, and earth elements, with the poison element being the most distinctive.
As for spells, besides these three schools of spells, one should specialize in enchanting spells.
They excel at using the combination of environment and magic to form a control chain, and then use illusions to confuse and control their opponents.
The local military mages organization is the Mirage Guard, which has developed regional characteristics to the extreme and is the most skilled in ambush and reconnaissance among the military mages of the Golden Flower Dynasty.
The third level of the Avalon Magic Hall is guarded by two mages. The stronger one is Virian, who practices poison magic. His main spells are [Swamp Acid Arrow], [Poisonous Cloud], [Poison Illusion], and [Mud Spell].
Gao De snapped out of his thoughts and looked around.
He did not stay in the city, but followed the route marked by Melia and headed out of the city.
Like most gyms, Avalon Gym is located far from the city center, on a wide, open plateau on the edge of a huge swamp outside Fog Village.
It avoids residential areas and uses the natural swamp as an extension of the spellcasting field, perfectly meeting the core requirement of open space for magic combat.
Compared to other magic academies, the Avalon Magic Academy is quite far from the city center. Gaode hailed a horse-drawn carriage, and after nearly two hours of travel, they finally arrived at the academy.
From a distance, the art museum appears to have grown out of the swamp.
The main building uses swamp hardwood as beams and columns, and is wrapped with reinforced rammed earth. The walls are covered with dark green vines with a metallic sheen.
One who is near vermilion becomes red, and one who is near lotus becomes wise.
Gao De is quite knowledgeable about plants; he recognized them at a glance as either maidenhair vine or poison ivy.
The entrance to the art museum is devoid of elaborate decorations; two swamp iron pillars, each requiring three people to encircle, stand upright in the ground.
The pillar is carved with patterns of entwined poisonous vines and swirling mist, and a heavy wooden plaque hangs at the top, with the words "Avalon Academy" engraved in gold-stamped Common Language.
It's now the end of June, unlike the beginning of the year, which is when the challenges at the art museum are at their most intense.
Therefore, no one had much of an emotional reaction to Gaode's arrival and challenge. After he explained his purpose, he was led into the art museum by the staff.
No one associates Gaode with the name of the person who broke through three medical clinics and created a miracle of leaping over the second ring road three months ago.
That initial fervor has long been overshadowed by the intense art museum challenges and his three-month hiatus.
“雾沼边缘1号法斗场、3号法斗场、5号法斗场、7号法斗场都是第一关的法斗场，守馆法师已就位，目前3号与7号都是空的，你自己挑一个。”
Gao De nodded slightly, "Then let's go with number 3."
The staff pointed to the passage on the right and led Gaode inside.
The No. 3 Fighting Arena at the edge of the Misty Swamp was an open muddy area with nutrient solution tanks embedded in the walls to nourish poison vines. A few spectators stood scattered around the edge of the fighting arena.
The nun who guards the temple is a very young-looking female nun.
Staff members, along with Gaode Maps, completed the necessary pre-challenge checks and put on guard badges, officially marking the start of the challenge.
"If you succeed in the challenge, other staff members will take you to the second arena," the gym staff member in charge of guiding you explained to Gao De.
In his view, even if the first checkpoint is done quickly, it will still take several minutes, so there is no need to wait here. It is more reasonable to go back to the post and wait for orders.
The monk guarding the temple was dressed in a light green robe, with delicate features and a somewhat youthful appearance.
Seeing that Gao De had completed the test and put on his guard badge, she gave a slight bow and said in a soft yet measured voice, "Please enlighten me."
But she stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.
The politeness in her eyes was instantly replaced by astonishment, her pupils shrinking as she stared at Gao De's palm.
This is the first level of the Art Museum Challenge, which is basically equivalent to a cutscene in a game for Gaode Maps.
If it's the first time, out of novelty, one might be interested in watching carefully, but once the novelty wears off, it will definitely be skipped with one click.
Therefore, before the female mage could finish speaking, Gao De had already mobilized his magical power.
Spell Fusion, [Magic Ice Bullet]!
Three fusion missiles, entirely ice-blue with silver patterns flowing across their surfaces, hovered stably in Gaode's palm.
It exudes both a bone-chilling cold and a powerful, intimidating aura.
The female mage realized something was wrong and hastily formed hand seals, quickly activating her spell.
Three thick, thorny poisonous vines instantly sprouted from the wall, intertwining in front of him to form an impenetrable vine wall, the surface of the vines gleaming with a faint green light.
But Gao De simply ignored him, raised his hand, and shouted, "Go!"
Three magical ice bullets shot towards the vine wall like arrows released from a bow, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound.
The silver force field patterns made the missile's trajectory exceptionally stable.
The spectators on the sidelines instantly composed themselves, instinctively leaning forward, their eyes filled with astonishment: "What kind of spell is that? It looks like a magic missile, but it's completely different."
"boom!"
As they discussed and pondered, three loud explosions erupted almost simultaneously, and the magical ice bullets accurately struck the Poison Ivy Barrier.
The force field energy detonated first, slamming into the vine wall like an invisible hammer.
A violent shockwave spread instantly, and the thick poison vine snapped in two. Before the toxins on the vine could evaporate, they were frozen solid by the ensuing ice energy.
The pale blue freezing wave spread out from the point of impact, instantly freezing the broken vines into brittle ice, along with the remaining toxins.
The female mage guarding the temple turned pale; her proud poison vine barrier hadn't even lasted a moment!
She instinctively took a half step back, wanting to activate her magic defense again, but the residual power of the magic ice bullet had already struck.
Just then, the guard badge on her chest suddenly lit up with a pale golden light, and a semi-transparent shield appeared out of thin air.
That's the [Shield] spell that comes with the badge, designed specifically for the guardian mage to protect against fatal damage, serving as a safety net for gym challenges.
hum.
The moment the shield lit up, it was hit by the combined shock of the residual force field from the ice bullet and the icy energy.
The pale golden shield trembled violently, its surface cracking with fine fissures, blocking all energy impacts.
The female mage guarding the dojo, though unharmed, found her breathing quickening, her eyes filled with disbelief and terror: "What...what kind of magic is this? And how could you attack me directly?"
The sidelines fell into complete silence, and the mages watching the battle stared wide-eyed, speechless for a long time.
The staff member guiding the way at the entrance was still in a turned-around position, his face blank.
He paused for only a few seconds, and then heard a loud bang signaling the end of the battle.
When I turned around again, I saw Gaode standing there, having finished its work.
He was somewhat blank: "Is it over?"
The professional aloofness on the staff member's face was completely replaced by shock; his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.
He subconsciously looked at Gao De and suddenly realized that the face looked familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
Gao De ignored the commotion in the arena, cupped his hands in greeting to the female mage guarding the hall, and said in a calm tone, "Thank you for your kind offer."
Even at the second level, he was able to challenge third-level mages.
Now that I'm a third-ring mage, defeating a second-ring mage is a piece of cake.
The reason for going to such lengths and using [Resonance of All Laws] is mainly to test the power of the fusion spell.
Although the other party is only a second-ring mage, being chosen as the guardian mage of the dojo means that they must be an elite among second-ring mages.
A second-circle mage of this caliber can still achieve a one-hit kill with [Frost Bolt], which speaks volumes about their power.
The female mage raised her head and looked at Gao De, who had a calm expression, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
There was a slight sense of resentment, but mostly a sense of awe.
She nodded gently, her voice still trembling slightly: "I lost."
Gao De nodded, then his gaze fell on the staff member who was about to leave, and he said indifferently, "Then I'll have to trouble you to take me to the second level's fighting arena. I won't bother anyone else."
The staff member then barely came to his senses, quickly stepped forward, and said respectfully, "No problem, please follow me."
Without realizing it, he had started using honorifics.
(End of this chapter)