Chapter 650
Angmar Flame Tree
Chapter 650 Angmar Flame Tree
The Prophecy skill [Arcane Vision] allows spells to continuously see through magical auras, illusions, and the true nature of magical items.
The typical uses are for detecting traps and secret doors, and for studying magical phenomena.
For its duration, it grants the caster a perception dimension beyond the ordinary, but for Gaode, this spell is far too useless.
Because his Mandora's Eye is a high-end version of [Arcane Vision].
Therefore, this spell can basically be sealed away.
The Art of Eloquence allows a mage to temporarily become fluent and proficient in all languages, including basic communication with animals.
Similar to "fluent in languages," but more advanced, it is often used for inter-species negotiations, interrogating prisoners, deciphering ancient texts, and communicating with the spirits of nature.
The [Food Creation] spell in the spellcasting system is a survival spell that Gaode desperately wanted during his apprenticeship as a mage. It can create enough simple food and water for enough people out of thin air.
This is a spell that can change the rules of logistics, meaning that mages will be essentially freed from the constraints of survival resources.
The problem is that Gaode already mastered the rare spell "Divine Berry" when he reached the first level of the game, and its effect is completely equivalent to "Grain Creation". It can only be considered as a spell to change things up when you get tired of Divine Berry.
【Snowstorm】is a signature spell of the Iceborn mage. It can unleash a blizzard over a wide area, affecting visibility and movement, and causing continuous frost damage.
It is not only a damaging spell, but also a miracle that changes the weather and environment of the entire battlefield.
It can control a large area of the battlefield, hinder long-range attacks, and even create environmental advantages.
The last three True Ice spells, like the previously awakened True Ice spells, possess power and effects that can be described as bugged, far surpassing spells of the same level.
Among them, the [Ice Barrier] allows the Iceborn Mage to instantly seal themselves in an invincible block of ice, isolating them from all damage, but also rendering them unable to move.
Of course, the so-called "all damage" doesn't actually mean "all damage," it just indicates that defensive capabilities will increase significantly.
It allows a third-circle mage to withstand damage from fourth-circle spells, but it's definitely useless against fifth-circle spells.
The Ice Barrier can be used to avoid a fatal blow.
This is the ultimate instantaneous absolute defense, with enormous strategic significance.
However, it is also a double-edged sword, requiring mages to have extremely precise judgment on when to use it, since being unable to move is a huge debuff.
The spell effect of [Evocation] is to temporarily change the damage attribute of the spells cast by the caster, converting them into frost damage.
An incredibly brutal yet incredibly powerful spell effect.
Because the damage of ice spells cast by Iceborn mages is greatly amplified.
Its existence allows most of the Iceborn Mage's spells to benefit from this bonus, resulting in a significant increase in their damage output.
It can be described as the universal key for Iceborn mages.
【Flash】 grants the Frost Mage unparalleled survivability and mobility.
It allows the mage's material plane and etheric plane to flash at high speed, making them difficult to aim at or attack.
In addition to enhancing survivability, it can also be used to traverse physical obstacles and perform unpredictable movements.
Of course, it is not completely invincible, but it certainly provides a very high probability of evasion.
The higher a mage's magical combat skills, the more powerful this spell can be, allowing him to dance gracefully on the edge of a knife.
Twenty-four third-ring spells and three exclusive to the Frostfire spells constitute Gaode's current magical foundation.
After gathering all the main and auxiliary ingredients for the [Fireball] spell potion, Gao De immediately mixed them together in one pot, created the spell potion, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Next, I need to use the travel time to build the spell model," Gao De thought to himself, wiping the remaining medicine stains from the corner of his mouth.
The territory of the Golden Plantagenet Dynasty spans tens of thousands of miles. Even traveling from one prefecture to another by the fastest airship would take nearly two days.
This long journey is the perfect opportunity to develop new spell models, making the most of the relatively safe environment on the airship without wasting time.
And Gaode's next stop is Morrison County, known as the "County of Fire".
A county rich in elements, which is extremely rare in the Plantagenet Dynasty.
Logically speaking, over 80% of the territory of the Golden Flower Dynasty consists of fertile river valleys and plains. Plains lack natural volcanoes and lava landforms, so they should not have formed a Fire County rich in fire elements.
But what makes Morrison County special is that it has a network of unusually active ancient fire veins deep within its crust.
Morrison County is situated precisely in the area closest to the surface of this dormant volcanic vein, creating a non-volcanic fire element-rich zone on the plains.
The area above the fire veins is an uninhabitable place, like being in an elemental earthquake zone that could erupt at any moment. The surging fire elemental energy underground could break through the surface at any time, causing a devastating lava disaster.
But such common sense failed completely in the face of the Plantagenet dynasty.
This human dynasty, which once held a long-standing dominance in the mage realm and is the most powerful nation on the continent, still holds a top-tier (T0) status and is never short of mage power capable of defying fate.
As early as the Middle Ages, the Golden Flower Dynasty summoned many powerful mages and spent ten years performing a grand ritual spell worthy of being recorded in history, completely sealing off the eruption channel of the entire fire vein.
Later, with the emergence of runic literature, a powerful runic array called the Elemental Guiding Array was used to guide the surging fire elemental energy from underground to specific areas on the surface, transforming it into a stable energy source that could be utilized.
It was precisely these transformative methods that allowed Morrison County to rise from a perilous place into a vital source of elemental resources at the heart of the dynasty.
Morrison County today remains a plain, yet it is dotted with unique geographical wonders:
Geothermal vents emitting white steam are visible everywhere, and clusters of high-temperature hot springs shimmer with mist under the sunlight.
In addition, there are countless intermittently erupting hot gas fissures, the scorching heat of which gives the air a faint smell of sulfur.
Due to the influence of the fire vein, the average surface temperature in the county is five to eight degrees higher than in other areas of the dynasty.
Winters are warm like spring, requiring no winter protection, but summers are exceptionally hot, with air so dry it could ignite a spark.
As the airship slowly entered the airspace over Morrisonshire, God looked down through the porthole and a fantastical scene unfolded before his eyes:
The ground is dotted with many low, reddish-brown hills.
These hills were not formed naturally, but were formed over thousands of years by the accumulation of slag, ash, and soil left behind after the ancient Plantagenet dynasty's giant magical furnace was abandoned.
They are no more than 100 meters high and are known locally as the Furnace Hills. They are both landmarks of Morrisonshire and witnesses to the county's history.
Even more striking is the river, which gleams with a golden-red luster under the sunlight, resembling a ribbon of flame winding across the land.
This is the Fire Vein River.
Several rivers flow through the county, and as they pass through the high-temperature underground rock layers, the river water is continuously heated, maintaining a warm state year-round.
The riverbed contains a large number of fine metallic particles that have been refined by the energy of the fire element. When the sunlight shines on it, the river water will appear golden-red, similar to flowing magma.
As counties in the central part of the dynasty, Morrison and Avalon counties may not be as economically prosperous as the four coastal counties, but their area is much larger, with vast territory and abundant resources.
For this reason, the airship flew for a full day and a half before finally arriving at Molten City, the county town of Morrison County.
The airship slowly landed at the Molten City's airport. The moment the cabin door opened, a wave of heat carrying the smell of sulfur rushed out, causing Gao De to unconsciously frown.
This temperature naturally wouldn't cause him any physical discomfort.
However, the dry, scorching heat still made Gao De, the King of the North, feel slightly uncomfortable. Stepping off the airship, the landscape of Molten Core unfolded before his eyes.
This city truly lives up to its name of being a melting pot, with most of its buildings constructed using locally sourced obsidian, basalt, and calcined bricks, resulting in a deep and somber overall color scheme.
The walls are carved with numerous reliefs of flames, furnaces, and elemental creatures, exuding a sense of power and elemental aura.
The streetlights on both sides of the street were not magic lamps, but wall lamps inlaid with small pieces of fire crystals, emitting a warm and bright orange-red light, illuminating the street as if it were daytime.
When Gaode arrived in Molten City, it was already evening.
But Molten City remained brightly lit, showing no signs of the quiet of the night.
This was because it was a renowned "industrial" city throughout the entire dynasty, with numerous workshops dedicated to forging.
Many forging processes require continuous operation for days, weeks, or even months. If interrupted, all previous forging efforts may be wasted.
This is why the residents of Molten City have extremely flexible schedules.
However, workshops can operate day and night, while art galleries have fixed rest periods.
After all, the number of guardian mages is relatively limited, and it is impossible for them to wait for challenging mages to come 24 hours a day, and they also cannot keep up with the energy.
Gao De glanced at the sky and knew that going to the art museum at this moment would be futile.
He immediately decided to find an inn in Molten Core to stay in, rest and recuperate, and then challenge them again the next day.
But before that, he had two more things to do.
The first thing to do is find a restaurant and sample the local cuisine of Morrisonshire.
As a region rich in local elements, Morrisonshire's local cuisine is unique throughout the entire dynasty.
For example, the Flamescale Fish, which is raised in geothermal hot springs, has tender flesh and a faint fire-attribute energy. Eating it can also slightly nourish the fire element affinity.
There's also the charred wheat that grows in the hot sand, which, when ground into flour, makes bread with a natural charred aroma and warmth, and is the staple food of the residents of Molten City.
If possible, Gaode wouldn't mind taking some burnt wheat seeds back with him.
Although it cannot replace Northwest Barley No. 1, it can enrich the diet of the people of the North.
Just like how if you eat too much rice, you'll eventually need to eat some whole grains or noodles, right?
The second thing was to go to the Walmart Magic Materials store in Morrison County.
Walmart's Magic Materials stores are still in their early stages, and even the layout in Barlowshire is not yet fully completed.
However, when discussing development strategies with Eli, Gao De specifically requested that Eli prioritize establishing a branch in Morrison County, even going so far as to invest additional resources to accelerate the process.
The reason behind this is actually quite simple.
Searching for the last of the four elemental magical plants: the fire elemental magical plant, the Angmar Flame Spell Tree.
Previously, he obtained the wind elemental plant, the Azus Feather Whistle Tree, in Black Sails City, and the earth elemental plant, the Rock Ridge Giant Oak, in Soren County. Now, he only lacks a fire elemental plant.
Morrison County, being the only county of fire within the dynasty, is rich in fire elemental energy and is undoubtedly the most likely place to find clues about the Angmar Flame Tree, and may even be able to find the plant or seeds directly.
By setting up branch stores in advance, you can not only gather information through local channels, but also acquire relevant materials in a timely manner, thus avoiding missing opportunities.
Instead of deliberately looking for famous restaurants, Gaode Maps chose a small, lively restaurant on the roadside.
The facade is made of basalt, and a blackened cast iron sign hangs at the entrance.
As I pushed open the door, a wave of heat, a mixture of the aroma of wheat, roasted meat, and sulfur, hit me, instantly dispelling the night's chill.
He casually ordered the signature charred bread and grilled flamefish, and soon discovered that there was a good reason why Morrisonshire's local cuisine was so famous.
The charred bread resembles a forging anvil. It is made with charred wheat flour and yeast, and is baked to a hard crust and a soft interior. It is a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, and also has an element of novelty.
After being grilled, the flamefish is brushed with honey and a local specialty, firethorn jam. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, juicy and fresh, with no fishy smell at all.
As expected, Gao De savored the wheat, becoming even more determined to bring the scorched wheat seeds back to the North.
Cultural promotion is also very important to the strength of a country, and roasted wheat is undoubtedly a good thing to enrich the food culture of the North.
More importantly, the "genes" in his blood give Gaode an innate collecting habit.
Upon seeing the distinctive wheat variety, I naturally felt the urge to bring it back to the North to cultivate.
Immediately after finishing his meal, Gao De went to a grain store and bought a large truckload of roasted wheat to transport back to the North for trial planting. He also instructed the store to first deliver it to Walmart's Magic Materials store.
After the grain store owner patted his chest and assured him that everything was correct, Gao De turned around and walked towards the Walmart Magic Materials store.
Although Walmart's Magic Materials Stores employ a strategy of encircling the cities from the countryside, focusing on establishing a presence in towns and villages across various counties.
However, as the core hub, the branch stores in the county seat naturally cannot be shabby.
So Eli also spent a lot of money to buy a large storefront in the local business district.
Upon arriving at the Molten City branch, Gaode pushed open the door and entered.
The interior layout is consistent with the main store, and is divided into two sections.
A young shop assistant approached, his attitude respectful but not obsequious, clearly showing he had received professional training.
Gaode didn't try to be mysterious; it revealed its identity and got straight to the point.
One task was to have the roasted wheat I ordered shipped to Harland Shipyard in Auckland, Barrowshire, through the store's channels. The other task was to inquire about the news and progress of the Angmar Flame Tree.
His original idea was that if there were any leads or clues, he wouldn't mind spending some time on them.
The response he received was unexpected.
“Mr. Gao De,” the young shop assistant said, his face lighting up with excitement at the mention of the Angmar Flame Tree.
“Just last week, a mage hunter, knowing that we had posted a bounty for any items related to the Angmar Flame Tree at a high price, came to us with a bag of Flame Fruit.”
“We immediately tested the fruit and, after confirming there were no problems, bought it at a high price and sent it to the main store in Barlow County. According to the schedule, the fruit should have arrived at the main store by now.”
Last week, Gao De mentally calculated the time, which was exactly when he left Barlow County for Avalon County, so he perfectly missed the news.
But none of that matters.
Most importantly, we've already got the fruit of the Angmar Flame Tree!
With that, the four elemental magic trees were now complete.
Gao De felt a slight joy in his heart.
Compared to the acquisition process of the Feather Whistle Tree of Argus and the Giant Oak of Rock Ridge, the acquisition process of the Flamebringer Tree of Angmar is surprisingly easy.
However, Gao De knew in his heart that this was by no means due to luck, but rather the inevitable result of his spending a lot of energy and money to build up his industry and influence.
(End of this chapter)