Chapter 663
The Last Guild Badge
Chapter 663 The Last Guild Badge
Outside the airport, in the open square, a row of horse-drawn carriages were already waiting.
Gao De's gaze swept across the area before he walked straight toward a carriage pulled by ponies.
"Where are you going, sir?" The driver was a dark-skinned, muscular middle-aged man. When he saw Gao De approaching, he immediately rubbed his hands together and put on a hearty smile.
He wore a small badge on his lapel, the emblem of the Luge County Coachmen's Guild, which was said to be worn only by those familiar with all the mountain road routes.
"Ryukago Art Museum," Gao De announced his destination.
"Please get in!" The driver's eyes lit up, and he deftly lifted the carriage curtain. "But unfortunately, sir, today is the day of the Dragon Bird formation's training. The Silver Scale Avenue, which leads directly to the academy, has been blocked by the guards. You'll have to go around via Eagle Beak Cliff."
"Although it takes almost half an hour longer to walk, you get to witness the grand spectacle of the dragon bird training firsthand. Many mages from other places make a special detour to see it!"
"Dragon bird formation training?" Gao De's heart stirred slightly upon hearing the driver's words.
How could he not be curious about a species like a "dragon"?
Even after arriving in the mage plane, he had only seen records of dragons in ancient texts and had never seen one in person.
Of course, the silver dragon bird is not a real dragon.
They are merely sub-dragons containing dragon blood, essentially birds rather than dragons. Their abilities are significantly weakened compared to true dragons and silver dragons, yet they remain extremely rare.
True dragons and silver dragons reach the sixth rank upon adulthood, and elite individuals can even break through to the seventh rank, possessing earth-shattering power with every move they make.
While adult silver dragon birds are only at the fourth rank, elite individuals can reach the fifth rank, and the leaders of their clans can reach the sixth rank at their limit. Although they cannot compare with pure-blooded silver dragons, they are still top-tier aerial combatants.
"It's alright, let's take a detour." Gao De nodded slightly and bent down to get into the car.
The carriage slowly drove away from the square.
After settling into the carriage, Gao De casually lifted the small window on the side of the carriage to look at the street scene. Along the way, he could see monks in robes hurrying by from time to time.
Their robes varied in style, and some even had sword sheaths hanging from their waists.
This is because the local Buddhist practice system in Ruka County does not have a unified style or obvious bias.
Unlike other counties, it is not often focused on a single element or system.
The mages here are a mixed bag; there are mages who develop in all sorts of directions, without any obvious regional characteristics.
Or rather, the defining characteristic of the Ryukago-gun monks is that they have no defining characteristics.
"Master, we can see the dragon bird formation ahead!" The coachman suddenly pointed ahead, his tone full of undisguised pride.
Following the direction the driver pointed, Gao De saw dozens of silver dragon birds flying in neat wedge formations in the northwest sky.
Their outstretched wings, like silver-plated shields, reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight.
Each flap of its wings carries a powerful airflow, and its clear cry pierces the wind, carrying a majestic aura that chills the heart.
A mage dressed in heavy silver-white armor sat on the back of the dragon bird.
The mithril runes inlaid on their armor gleamed with a pale blue light, and the spears in their hands pointed straight to the sky, occasionally emitting a silver blade of light that intertwined with the pale golden aura exhaled by the dragon-bird, clearly indicating that they were practicing coordinated combat.
Several dragon birds suddenly accelerated, drawing graceful arcs in the air, while the mages adjusted their postures using the airflow, their movements fluid and perfectly coordinated.
"Impressive, isn't it?" the coachman clicked his tongue, his tone full of pride. "In our Mithril City, we organize one or two public dragon bird formation training sessions every month, which attract tens of thousands of tourists to watch and witness the splendor of the dragon birds."
Gaode nodded in agreement.
The carriage rounded a steep cliff, and the outline of Eagle's Beak Cliff suddenly appeared before them.
The cliff is shaped like an eagle's beak with outstretched wings, and the cliff face is carved with countless reliefs of dragons and birds.
Some soar into the sky, some fight alongside the mages, and others bend down to feed their young—all so lifelike.
On the open ground below the cliff, dozens of teenagers were carefully feeding the baby dragon bird with chopped pieces of meat using specially made feed baskets.
The little dragon birds were about half a person's height, their feathers were not yet fully grown, and they were pale silver. Their eyes were innocent yet lively.
They nuzzled the boy's palm affectionately with their heads, occasionally emitting soft, sweet cries, a stark contrast to the majestic presence of the adult dragon birds in the sky.
Dragon bird culture is the most important part of the culture of Ruka County.
In the laws of Luge County, the Silver Dragon Bird is regarded as a non-human intelligent creature citizen and enjoys the same rights as humans.
Anyone who harms a dragon bird, regardless of their status, will face extremely severe punishment, usually a life-or-death trial and duel with a dragon bird mage.
Every dragon bird that forms a pact with a mage will have its name engraved on the Dragon Scale Stele Forest in the Silver Highlands, and those who die in battle will enjoy the same funeral and commemoration as human heroes.
Therefore, there are hundreds of thousands of commoners in Liuge County who are engaged in professions related to dragons and birds.
There are trainers, veterinarians, and even butchers who specialize in making feed for dragon birds, all of which reveal the high regard for dragon birds.
As they spoke, the carriage had already rounded Eagle's Beak Cliff, and the road ahead gradually widened.
In the distance, halfway up the mountain, a cluster of buildings built against the mountainside comes into view.
That is the Ryukyu Art Museum.
The carriage stopped at the main entrance of the art gallery.
The guards at the gate, clad in silver-white armor, stepped forward upon seeing Gao De approach, their eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and respect: "Are you the Venerable Gao De of Bailuo County?"
At this point, putting everything else aside, Gao De is already a top celebrity in the art world, so it's not surprising that he's recognized.
“That’s right, I’ve come to the academy to take on the challenge.” Gao De nodded, stating his purpose.
"I've long admired your name!" The guard's respect deepened, and he immediately stepped aside to lead the way.
"Please follow me. The Silverwing Nest, the arena for the third round of magic duels, is ready. Everyone knows you will be arriving in Mithril City today, and many mages are waiting to watch."
Gaode's whereabouts are no secret.
His habit of heading straight to the gym upon arrival is well-known, so it's not surprising that the local gym received the news in advance.
Gao De followed the guard into the art gallery, passed through several winding passages, and suddenly the view opened up before him.
A huge, semi-open-air arena appeared before them; this was the main fighting arena of the Ryuga Magic Hall, "Silverwing Nest".
It was built on a natural circular rock pit with a diameter of several hundred meters. The pit walls were flattened into tiered spectator stands, layer upon layer, which could accommodate thousands of people.
At this moment, the stands were already quite full, mostly with local mages.
Gao De followed the guard down the steps to the edge of the fighting arena at the bottom of the pit.
The ground beneath your feet is an unpolished silver-gray slab, retaining the original texture left by crustal movements millions of years ago.
The uneven surface is covered with fine lines.
The trace amounts of mithril seeping from the rock slab shimmered with a cold, star-like light when illuminated.
Stepping on it, you can feel a faint energy fluctuation, which obviously has a certain amplifying effect on spells.
There is no roof over the fighting arena; looking up, one can see the steep cliffs of the Silver Heights.
Sparse, hardy shrubs grow on the rock face, and occasionally a few dragon birds perch in the crevices of the rocks, curiously observing the crowd below.
Further up, you reach the snow-capped peaks of the Irwinkle Mountains. The pristine white snow gleams silver in the sunlight, echoing the Silverwing Nest below and creating a magnificent scene.
Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew in from the natural holes in the rock wall, carrying a biting chill that made Gao De's robes flutter.
The wind came suddenly and unexpectedly, blowing from the front and then turning to the side in the next second. The wind was strong and weak, with no discernible pattern.
Immediately afterwards, several more turbulent currents surged in from the side, stirring up rubble from the ground and striking the rock face with crackling sounds.
This is the most unique advantage of the Ryukyu Art Museum.
The mountainous terrain creates a variable wind field inside the Silverwing Nest, with strong and turbulent winds, often accompanied by sudden updrafts or lateral turbulence.
Local mages have been trained in this environment since childhood and are already familiar with the changes in wind. They can even use airflow to assist their flight techniques, making aerial combat more flexible.
When they cast wind elemental spells, they can also use natural wind fields to amplify their power, making the spells faster and stronger.
However, when monks from other places come here, they are often disturbed by these chaotic winds, and their flying techniques are easily out of control, causing them to be blown off course by the wind.
When casting a spell, the airflow may interrupt the casting rhythm, causing the spell to fail and resulting in a messy situation.
For mages at the third ring and above, the [Flight] spell is essential, and aerial combat is unavoidable.
Therefore, the wind field of Silverwing Nest has become a natural advantage for local mages in gym challenges, and has even been called by many people "the most unfair gym advantage".
However, Gaode remained calm in the face of this unpredictable turbulence, as if he were completely unaffected.
Those around them saw it as Gaode's strength and confidence, and no one thought Gaode was arrogant.
Gaode's continuous brilliant achievements have long made its confidence a matter of course.
The guardian monk had not yet arrived, so Gao De had to wait for a while at the edge of the Dharma arena.
He looked up at the circular spectator stands, his gaze slowly sweeping over the densely packed crowd.
Most mages wore simple gray or white robes, in a style similar to the architecture of Mithril City, emphasizing practicality and lacking ornate decorations.
They huddled together in twos and threes, whispering amongst themselves, occasionally pointing towards the fighting arena, clearly predicting what the upcoming challenges would bring.
Just then, Gao De's gaze was drawn to a small area on the east side of the spectator stands.
There sat a group of about seven or eight mages, their appearance and style completely out of place with the mages around them, as if they were from another world.
These mages were all tall and robust, a head taller than ordinary mages of the Golden Flower Dynasty, with broad shoulders and thick backs, and their muscle lines were clearly visible even under their clothes.
They wore black and dark red leather armor studded with sharp metal rivets, and heavy metal bracers with ferocious beast head patterns engraved on their shoulders and elbows.
The robes were short to allow for easy movement, with the hem revealing strong calves, and heavy leather boots were worn on the feet.
What's even stranger is that, despite being a group of people, they barely communicated with each other.
Most of the time, he simply sat silently, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire Silverwing Nest.
The leader was a middle-aged monk with a stern expression.
He had a buzz cut, dark brown eyes, and a sharp, eagle-like gaze that was now fixed on him, scrutinizing him as he looked past the crowd.
Gao De narrowed his eyes, a subtle alarm bell ringing in his mind.
He could feel the oppressive aura emanating from the group of mages.
It was an aggressive aura, completely different from the mages of the Golden Flower Dynasty, and even different from most mages. They were more like a group of warriors who were used to fighting on the battlefield.
“Those are people from the Holy Empire.” The guard beside him noticed Gao De’s gaze and explained to him in a low voice, his tone tinged with apprehension.
"Their magic fighting team arrived in Liuge County half a month ago, supposedly to familiarize themselves with the environment and prepare for the upcoming Unparalleled Magic Fighting Tournament."
"In addition to the five official members and two substitutes, the Holy Empire also has a small squad of Legion Mages accompanying us. Since arriving in Mithril City, they have frequently come to observe the challenges at the Magic Hall."
"Logically speaking, they shouldn't be very interested in French fighting at this level. I wonder what their intentions are. Maybe they're just bored and want to come and watch the fun?"
Just then, a commotion broke out in the stands.
"They're here, they're here, the monk guarding the temple is here."
"It is Master Xiao Lun."
"Go, Master Xiao Lun! Defend the honor of our Liuge Magic Hall!"
"Even Master Xiao Lun won't be of any use, will he? This Master Gao De has already swept through eleven magic halls."
Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, a steady footstep echoed from the depths of the passage, growing clearer and clearer.
Gao De took a deep breath, suppressed his thoughts, and turned his gaze to the entrance of the passage.
An elderly man in a dark robe stepped out first; he was the guardian of the academy, and his expression was solemn.
Behind him, a young mage strode out, tall and upright, about twenty years old, with a silver short staff hanging at his waist.
The staff head is a polished dragon claw bone, with a pale blue wind element crystal inlaid in the claw bone.
As you walk, the crystal sways gently with each step, shimmering with a soft glow.
The young mage stopped about ten meters away from Gao De, his gaze falling on Gao De. He said solemnly, "Mage Gao De of Bailuo County? I have long admired your name. I am Xiao Lun, the guardian mage of the third gate of the Liuge Magic Academy."
Gaode nodded in response.
The guard stepped forward, glanced at the two men, and then announced the rules in a deep voice.
Then came a brief but necessary procedure.
Then, the guard of the dojo retreated to the sidelines, his voice amplified throughout the arena: "The third challenge of the Ryuga Dojo, Baro County God versus the dojo mage Xiao Lun—now, begin!"
The final Gaode Art Museum Challenge has begun.
As soon as the word "begin" was uttered, two figures rose from the ground almost simultaneously and entered the fighting arena.
A faint blue light emanated from Xiao Lun's body. The aura of the [Flight] spell intertwined with the wind, and he was like an arrow lifted by the air currents, steadily suspended in mid-air.
He stared intently at Gao De, but did not make a move immediately, as if preparing to remain calm and wait for any eventuality.
Of course, that's a relatively nice way of putting it.
The truth is that they were shocked by Gaode's record and realized that a rash attack could easily become a fatal flaw, so they prepared to play the safest defensive counterattack from the beginning.
This tactic is not necessarily wrong.
"Shoren's tactics are solid enough," a local mage in the stands had already figured out Shoren's thoughts: "Golden's attack is too fierce, we can only defend first!"
"I'm afraid we won't be able to defend against it. Have you forgotten how outrageous his fireball spell is?" someone nearby replied worriedly.
On the other side, facing Xiao Lun's defensive stance, Gao De's eyes remained completely calm, and a faint smile even appeared on his lips.
Counter-attack? You need to be able to defend against that first!
(End of this chapter)