Chapter 654
The Glorious Colossus
Chapter 654 The Glorious Colossus
In the very center of the city wall of the City of Glory stands a stone statue that is far taller than the city wall itself and is unimaginably huge.
The statue is not an isolated decoration, but rather it is integrated with the city wall, as if it grew directly from the base of the wall.
It was several times taller than the surrounding towers, like an ancient giant guarding the city, standing there silently, overlooking the earth.
Its massive size even temporarily blocked the sunlight from the porthole.
The name of the stone statue flashed through Gao De's mind.
No one would not recognize it.
The copper coins of the Plantagenet dynasty were named after it.
At the same time, it is also the guardian symbol of the Plantagenet dynasty, the most representative building of the entire dynasty, and a belief engraved in the bones and blood of every Plantagenet citizen.
Why does a stone statue hold such a revered status? Is it merely because of its unparalleled size?
of course not.
This magnificent statue was carved from a single, massive, natural anti-magic stone.
It is a pure, unblemished anti-magic stone, without any other impurities, making it a unique anti-magic stone creation in the world.
Its ability to suppress magic ensures that the City of Glory will never fall under the spell.
Gao De's gaze involuntarily drifted over the magnificent statue.
The body of the Glorious Colossus combines the uprightness of a knight with the power of a bird. Its muscles are sculpted with sharp angles and full of power. There are no superfluous fancy decorations, and every engraving is solid and neat.
The anti-magic stone has a unique dark gray background with a cold, matte finish.
Having endured tens of thousands of years of wind and frost, the stone surface is covered with fine natural textures, yet there is no trace of weathering or decay.
Its shoulders extend into huge wing-like structures, not light feathers, but thick wing plates carved from a single piece of anti-magic stone.
The edges are sharp and the wing surface is engraved with layers of runes.
Under the sunlight, a faint silvery-white luster peeked through the gaps in the runes.
Its wings were not fully open, but slightly folded behind it, in a protective posture, as if they could unfold at any moment to transform into a giant shield that blots out the sky.
The head of the Glorious Colossus has a majestic outline, square lines, no elaborate crown, and a straight ridge on its forehead that extends all the way to the bridge of its nose.
His eyes were deep-set and unadorned with any gemstones, yet they appeared dark and sharp in the daylight, as if they could see through all the hypocrisy and magical tricks in the world.
His jawline was strong and his mouth was straight, exuding an unquestionable solemnity. He had no expression, but he possessed an aura that was unshakeable.
The breastplate is a layered armor carved from a single piece of antimagic stone, with patterns that mimic the plate armor of the royal knights of the Plantagenet dynasty, but enlarged to the scale of a mountain.
A golden pheasant relief is carved in the center of the chest of the colossal statue, with vigorous lines.
Its arms are as thick as giant pillars, and its elbows have a heavy elbow guard structure.
His hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles clearly defined, as if he could unleash a powerful punch capable of shattering the earth and crushing any invading enemy in the next second.
Its legs were firmly planted on the base of the city wall like a rock, completely integrated with the wall.
The kneecaps were layered with armor, and the feet were broad and thick, firmly rooted in the solid rock base, showing no sign of wavering.
The colossus is also covered with fine engravings that are difficult to see completely with the naked eye.
That was a protective magic array that ran through his entire body and was connected to the entire City of Glory.
It operated silently, spreading the suppressive force of the anti-magic stone in all directions, suppressing all disordered elemental fluctuations inside and outside the city.
The sunlight slanted across its magic-suppressing stone body, casting a huge and steady shadow on the earth, covering a large area beneath the city walls.
An overwhelming sense of epic scale and oppression washes over you.
The airship continued to descend, gradually approaching the airport of the City of Glory.
The airport is located on the eastern outskirts of the city. It is wide and flat, large enough to accommodate hundreds of large airships taking off and landing at the same time.
The guards, dressed in silver-white armor, stood in formation.
They stood tall and straight, with sharp eyes, and the light shield emblems on their armor gleamed in the sunlight. Every move they made exuded strict discipline.
The Light Shield is the royal emblem of the Plantagenet dynasty, symbolizing protection and glory.
At the center of the diamond-shaped shield entwined with broom flowers, a hammer of holy light is also engraved.
Inside the city in the distance, the architectural style still reflects the solemnity and order of the dynasty.
The low, white stone houses stand side by side in an orderly fashion.
In the center of the city, a magnificent castle can be vaguely seen; it was the residence of the royal family of the dynasty.
The castle's spire pierces the clouds, also constructed of anti-magic stone, exuding an aura of supreme imperial power.
The city lacks extravagance, yet it exudes a restrained yet powerful aura through its solid architecture, strict order, and omnipresent anti-magic power.
This is the core of the Plantagenet dynasty, a symbol of order and glory in the hearts of countless people.
Gao De leaned against the window, his gaze lingering on the majestic, anti-magic stone statue, a profound sense of awe washing over him.
Having traveled through eleven counties, he had seen many peculiar cities, but he had never seen a city that could evoke such a strong sense of oppression simply through its physical strength and the beauty of its order.
"This is the glorious city," Gao De murmured to himself.
He subconsciously gathered a wisp of ice elemental energy at his fingertips, and immediately felt the invisible force of order in the air and the suppressive effect of the anti-magic stone.
Gao De understood that the existence of the anti-magic stone in the City of Glory made elemental energy exceptionally docile.
Casting evocation spells here will likely be much more difficult than in other places, and the casting speed will be correspondingly slower.
The airship officially landed and came to a stop at the airport. The cabin door slowly opened, and a breeze carrying the fragrance of broom flowers wafted in.
Gao De stood up and stepped off the airship.
The airport was bustling with people.
The guards' eyes were sharp as eagles, sweeping over every traveler who stepped off the airship. There were no unnecessary questions, but they carried an air of strict discipline that made no one dare to be disrespectful in the slightest.
He followed the signs from the airport toward the main city of Glorious City and saw the main city gate of Glorious City in the distance.
The city gate was made from a single, thick piece of oak, covered with a layer of anti-magic stone slabs, and the lintel was carved with reliefs of broom flowers and light shields.
Two stone knight statues stand on either side, holding lances and gazing sternly at passersby.
To Gao De's surprise, the main city gates of the Golden Flower Dynasty, the core capital, did not have any complicated checkpoints.
The massive arched city gates were wide open, allowing pedestrians and vehicles to come and go freely.
Perhaps it was the presence of that magnificent colossal statue above their heads that gave the royal family a sense of security and confidence, Gao De pondered to himself.
Indeed, in the City of Glory, any act of rebellion is quelled instantly.
This was also the most difficult place for the Holy Empire to infiltrate. The power of the anti-magic stone made magical infiltration and disguise extremely difficult, almost impossible. The moment he stepped through the city gate, God immediately felt an atmosphere completely different from other county cities.
Even though the economy of his former county, Byro, was already very developed and the city was bustling, it was far less solemn and majestic than the capital of glory, which inexplicably inspired a sense of awe.
In this glorious city, even the carriages are extraordinary.
The chariot was not pulled by ordinary horses, but by heavily armored horses that were a head taller than ordinary horses.
These tamed ley line creatures are robust, standing over two meters tall at the shoulder, and covered with a layer of thick, natural bluish-gray armor, with layers upon layers of plates, as if forged from the finest steel.
Gao De raised his hand and summoned a passing heavy armored carriage, which headed towards the Glorious Art Museum.
It is clearly visible that there is at least one pot of broom on the windowsill of the buildings on both sides of the street.
Golden flowers bloom in the sunlight, contrasting beautifully with the white stone walls, and a sweet fragrance wafts into the car through the windows.
On the bus, Gao De observed the cityscape of Glorious City through the car window while sorting out information about the Glorious Art Museum.
Thanks to the long-term suppression of the magic-suppressing stone, the mage culture of Glorious County has always been the most distinctive among the thirteen counties.
Here, mages who rely solely on the abundant elemental power of the environment and readily unleash storms and flames are regarded as crude barbarians.
True elite mages must learn to precisely control magic in environments where mana and elements are suppressed.
Every ounce of magical power must be manipulated with utmost precision.
Therefore, most mages in Glorious County do not pursue the large-scale destruction of Evocation spells, but instead focus on strengthening themselves, their weapons, or their mounts, excelling at powerful close-to-mid-range attacks or using sophisticated spells to disrupt their opponents.
What's even more special is that many mages here undergo rigorous knight or warrior training, developing unique magical warrior or magical knight paths.
They can enhance their physical abilities and weapon sharpness with magic, and charge into battle with superb melee skills.
Once they are equipped with anti-magic supernatural gear, they will be called "anti-magic mages," also known as "magic hunters."
Their magic-suppressing weapons can cut through spells, and their magic-suppressing armor can resist spell attacks, making them specifically designed to counter all kinds of spellcasters and a nightmare for mages.
However, the Gym Challenge has strict restrictions on extraordinary equipment, so there's no need to worry about the Glorious Gym's mages taking advantage of their anti-magic equipment to bully others.
Even so, the Glorious Art Museum has yet to issue a single museum badge.
Countless top mages from the twelve counties came to challenge them, but all of them returned empty-handed.
Despite such frequent challenges from other gyms, the Glorious Gym maintains its undefeated record.
It's easy to imagine that the Glory Academy's guardian mage was incredibly powerful, making him the strongest opponent he would encounter on this trip.
The Glorious Art Museum is located in the inner city of the Glorious Capital.
Opposite it is the Golden Flower Royal Magic Academy, which ranks among the three major magic academies on the Nolan Continent, alongside the Imperial War Academy of the Holy Empire and the Sun Never Sets Magic Academy of Linhai City.
The heavily armored carriage came to a steady stop in front of the Glorious Art Museum.
Gao De paid the fare, opened the car door, and got out.
The Glory Museum is a magnificent square, stepped building.
The exterior walls are constructed using alternating stripes of white tuff and dark gray anti-magic stone, forming a solemn striped pattern.
The building has towering obelisks at its four corners, topped with a golden crown sculpture. Below the crown is a circle of openwork broom flowers that shimmer brilliantly in the sunlight.
The entrance is a huge archway with the words "Glorious Art Museum" written on it.
Below the characters is a complete broom flower totem.
The overall style is heavy, oppressive, and full of authority, with no superfluous decorations.
As Gao De approached, the two guards at the front of the art gallery stepped forward. The guard on the left spoke in a calm yet authoritative tone: "Visitors, please stop."
Gao De nodded slightly: "My name is Gao De. I come from Bailu County and have come here to challenge the Glorious Arts Academy."
As soon as he finished speaking, he did not elicit the shock or awe of the guards that he had in other county towns.
The guard on the left withdrew his gaze, his tone still calm, "So it is Master Gaode. We have heard of your deeds. You have defeated ten martial arts schools in a row. Your strength is outstanding."
“Lord Deacon Mage has instructed us that, given your past achievements, if you come, you can directly advance to the third stage without having to participate in the first two stages of the assessment.”
"This is the academy's respect and recognition of the strong."
"Thank you." Gao De nodded in response, while secretly pondering to himself.
This Glorious Museum truly exudes an extraordinary aura from the very beginning.
It neither made a big fuss like other martial arts schools, nor did it put on airs with arrogance; it simply and decisively provided the preferential treatment it deserved.
It was as if they were simply following a set rule, neither trying to please nor showing disrespect or contempt; they had a very good grasp of the proper measure.
"Please follow me." The guard on the left stepped aside to lead the way, and we entered through the arched gate.
Passing through the entrance hall, there is a wide stone passageway inside, with the walls still featuring patterns of white tuff and anti-magic stone.
At the end of the passage lies the third level of the Glorious Arts Arena: the Magic-Suppressing Ring.
This was a huge circular arena, with tiered seating around the perimeter. At this moment, only a few mages dressed in dark robes were seated.
Six huge reliefs are hung on the walls around the circular area.
Each painting is three meters high and two meters wide, depicting scenes of the Golden Plantagenet Dynasty's sorcerers fighting against foreign enemies and passing on their magical arts.
The figures have different expressions, the lines are bold and powerful, and they exude a strong sense of history. The relief frame is made of gold-plated broom vines, which is understated yet luxurious.
"The deacon and the guardian monk will be here shortly. Please wait here, Venerable Master Gaode." Ian stopped, gestured for them to enter, and then stepped back to the side of the stone gate, standing still.
Gao De stood at the edge of the circle, his gaze sweeping across the audience seats around him.
At first there were only eight or nine mages watching the battle, but before long, the number of people in the audience increased.
He keenly noticed that many of them were not dressed in the uniform robes of the sorcerers of the academy, but in luxurious clothes embroidered with their family crests. Most of them were in their twenties and had scrutinizing and curious eyes.
Clearly, this French battle was not as uneventful as it appeared on the surface.
Even in the glorious capital city where he held his own status, his record of ten consecutive victories in ten counties attracted the attention of many.
Soon, the number of spectators surged to dozens, and low conversations gradually arose in the audience, mostly revolving around Gaode and the upcoming guardian mage.
"Is this the mage from Bairo County who swept through ten counties? I heard that he defeated all the county magic schools with just one fireball spell?"
"That's what the news said, but what I didn't expect was that he would be so young."
"However, in our Glorious County, Evocation spells are not so useful."
"Furthermore, Karen is the third-best in our academy's graduating class. If this Unparalleled Magic Tournament had been held two years earlier, Karen would most likely be a full member, and he probably wouldn't have had a chance to get the Glorious Magic Hall badge."
(End of this chapter)