Above the mage!

Chapter 209: Breath of the Wilderness (Final Chapter)
The Mage Prison in Saint Sean City.

Since being sent here, Gao De seemed to have been forgotten and has stayed in the dark prison for a whole day.

During this day, the interrogator did not come, and even the prison staff who delivered meals did not come.

Gaode didn't know what happened.

Maybe he was planning to starve himself for a few days so that he wouldn't be able to hold on any longer and beg for mercy?
maybe.

Gao De didn't think too much, but instead focused all his attention on the rune patterns on the four walls of the prison.

With enough focus, even hunger can be blocked.

In the dark cell, the concept of time becomes blurred.

I don’t know how long it took.

"Bang!"

The door of the cell where Gao De was suddenly opened.

Two prison staff members followed a young wizard in a well-tailored military robe and walked in like stars surrounding the moon.

"What is this man's crime?" asked the young wizard.

Amnesty has never meant pardoning all crimes regardless of their severity.

Some crimes are not covered by amnesty.

"He doesn't have any prison documents. This person was just imprisoned yesterday. It seems that he was sent here because he offended the noble ministers above." The prison officer answered respectfully and flatteringly.

"Poor guy who offended the noble minister, but he was lucky enough to meet us." The man smiled, then waved his hand and said casually: "Let him go!"

"What's going on?" Gao De hadn't reacted at all, but the alchemical items in his hands that restricted the flow of mana had been quickly removed by the prison staff.

"Congratulations, you are free," the prison officer said, "Why don't you thank the adults of the Holy Empire?"

Free? Holy Empire?

Gao De was completely stunned.

Walking out of the dark wizard prison, fresh sunlight bathes me again.

Gao De did not feel much joy in his heart, but rather calmness.

No one knows what he figured out during those two days in prison.

Godard had only been to Saint-Sien twice.

One time was more than a year ago, when, with the help of Jessica, he took an airship from Bremen to Saint-Sien.

The second time was this time when he was taken to Saint Sean’s Mage Prison.

But Gao De could clearly feel that the current Saint Sean City was somewhat different from before.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the city.

It seems that nothing has changed, but it also seems that everything has changed.

Soon, Gao De understood what had changed.

The flag that was originally hung high on the flagpole, representing the Principality of Sean and the Jellos royal family, has disappeared.

Instead, there was a flag with a burning heart of fire and a black eagle flag half a pole taller in black and gold.

Gaode did not recognize the previous flag.

But in the latter case, Gao De, who had taken geography classes, was very familiar with it.

That is the flag of the most powerful country on this continent, the Holy Empire.

"A black eagle on a gold background."

Gaode walks on the street.

It is obvious that this once prosperous city is much more depressed today. There are far fewer pedestrians on the streets than before, and even many surrounding shops are closed.

In sharp contrast to this desolation:
In all the residential buildings in the residential area, and in front of the windows and doors of almost every household, there are miniature versions of the black and gold eagle flag of the Holy Empire hung, making it look as if it were a festival.

Most of those flags looked very rough, only those hung in front of single-family houses that were obviously owned by wealthy families were more refined.

Obviously, these flags were made overnight by the people of Saint Sean.

Some residential buildings even have exaggerated slogans like this:
"Warmly celebrate the Principality of Sean joining the Holy Empire and becoming the Sean Province under the jurisdiction of the Governor of the Western Territory of the Holy Empire", "Long live the Holy Empire", "Long live the Ice Flame Legion".
There is no need for anyone to give special instructions, nor is there any need for anyone to teach.

After the Sean royal family announced its surrender, the residents of Saint Sean accepted this fact as quickly as possible and tried their best to please the new ruler of the country with the utmost sincerity.

Gao De asked around a bit and quickly found out the details.

After just one day in prison, the world outside changed.

But for him, this change was like "pie in the sky".

Gao De couldn't help but think of the teacher Mossen in the "Geography of the Norland Continent and War Geography" course, who was in high spirits and highly praised the political system of the Holy Empire.

He smiled in his heart.

I think Teacher Mossen would never have imagined at that time that just one year later, he would become a citizen of the Holy Empire as he wished.

Soldiers from the Holy Empire can occasionally be seen on the road.

These soldiers have tough faces, are well-equipped, and have an air of iron-blooded bravery and confidence.

There is a saying that goes, "The temperament of the soldiers is the temperament of the country."

From these soldiers, Gao De could catch a glimpse of the unique temperament that belonged only to the Holy Empire.

There is a reason why so many people admire this country.

There must be reasons why the Holy Empire was able to transform from a barbarian country into the most powerful empire in the world, and it was not just luck.

After walking several blocks, Gao De arrived at the door of a magnificent Chamber of Commerce.

This Chamber of Commerce did not temporarily stop operating due to the entry of the Holy Empire, and its doors remained open.

On the top of the door, there is a conspicuous wrought gold emblem hanging, and the overall color is mainly gold and dark red.

The badge adopts a circular design, with an exquisite alchemical furnace pattern in the center. There is a blazing flame in the furnace and starlight rising above it. The edge of the badge is surrounded by a circle of mysterious alchemical runes.

And just below the furnace pattern is the abbreviation of O'Kenley written in the human language.

Yes, this is where the Saint Sean City branch of the Oakenley Chamber of Commerce is located.

Even though it was just a small branch in a small principality, it was very grand, fully demonstrating the strength and financial resources of the Oakenley family as one of the four major chamber of commerce families in Linhai City.

Long nights and many dreams.

Although Gaode was lucky enough to escape from the cage thanks to the Holy Empire.

The rulers of this city and even the country also changed.

But Gode did not plan to stay in Saint-Sien for long.

To be precise, he was not planning to stay in the Principality of Sean any longer.

First, although the nobles of this country, including the Usher family and Dean Shell, have temporarily lost their status.

But their power and wealth are still there, not to mention that under the Holy Empire's concept of meritocracy, Shell Ian is very likely to restore the position of Dean Ceres.

Gaode did not dare to guarantee that he could rest assured if Sean changed his ruler.

Secondly, during the days in prison, he had already planned his future development path.

The most urgent task is to find a suitable piece of land.

Then, plant trees!
Sean, it's no longer suitable for him.

He had to leave as soon as possible and would not return to Sean in the short term.

In other words, the next time I come back, it will be time to settle accounts with these people.

Therefore, before leaving, Gao De needed to take away the things that He Xi had stored in the Oakenley Chamber of Commerce and left for him.

The Oakenley Saint Sean City branch is just a low-level branch.

In addition to purchasing unique minerals and raw materials in the local area and selling some lower-end alchemical items, it also engages in businesses similar to paid vaults and lending.

Backed by the O'Kenley family, they have extremely high credibility in this field, so they have always been the first choice for people in Saint Sean who have such needs.

Gao De walked in confidently and said softly to the receptionist who came up to him, "Hello, I want to take out the items stored in cabinet No. 666 in the bronze warehouse."

"Okay, sir, follow me."

Under the guidance of the receptionist, Gao De entered the bronze vault.

The light in the warehouse is soft, and rows of cabinets made of deep metal are arranged in an orderly manner.

There was a faint scent of magic in the air.

Gao De came to cabinet No. 666.

At this point, the Chamber of Commerce's receptionist tactfully left, leaving Gao De alone.

The Chamber of Commerce's treasury does not verify identity, but if you want to take out items, you must have the corresponding secret command.

Of course, He Xi had already informed him of the secret order.

Gao De entered a complex and precise secret command into cabinet No. 666, which also contained an alchemical item.

With a slight click, the cabinet's locking device was triggered.

The cabinet door made of precious magic-conducting metal opened automatically, revealing the things inside.

After experiencing what happened in the past two days, Gao De actually had some guesses about what was inside, and was 90% sure that it should be a rune construct.

In fact, his guess was correct.

But it is not a multiple rune build.

There is one and only one set.

A set of stacked, gleaming rune constructs lay quietly inside.

It is composed of multiple parts and is made of materials with excellent magic conduction properties.

These magical materials can not only perfectly carry runes, but also conduct and enhance the wearer's magic power.

On these parts, silver and white light are interwoven, and the surface is covered with complex runes and patterns.

They are as delicate as silk, tiny yet surprising, their arrangement follows specific logic and rules, and they possess great power.

The whole is similar to a traditional battle robe, consisting of multiple parts including the head, body, and limbs.

Each part carries different rune attributes and effects, but is more abstract, streamlined, and smaller.

According to common sense, rune constructs need to be customized according to the wearer's body shape and needs to ensure optimal comfort and combat effectiveness, but the rune construct in front of him obviously does not have a so-called customizer.

Therefore, in order to make it suitable for future users to wear, some of the precious runes must be left free for adaptive design.

Gao De reached in and took out a set of obviously much smaller battle robe-like rune structures.

He focused his mental power on it. In an instant, a layer of brilliant light flowed from the surface of this set of rune structures, and some information was instantly transmitted into Gao De's mind.

[Breath of the Wilderness] (Level 4 Rune Construction):
Rune effects: Level 4 elemental resistance, level 4 firmness, level 4 agility, level 4 spell damage increase, and adaptability and tolerance.

Construct effect: The wearer's physical strength recovery rate increases by 57%, mana recovery rate increases by 62%, and the mana consumption of casting spells is reduced by 31%.

When the construct wearer's feet are on the ground, the above effects are doubled.

……

Gao De was stunned for several seconds before he gradually came to his senses.

What He Xi left for him was indeed a rune construction, but it was not a third-level rune construction, but a fourth-level one.

Unexpected, yet reasonable.

He Xi said that he used up all his savings to verify the interference constant.

Once the interference constant is correct, the complete six basic rules of runes will be established and correct.

Once the six basic rules of runes are established, it means that constructing a magic array no longer requires "rune adjustment", and the magic array can be constructed entirely by relying on logic and calculation.

This also means that the entire rune system will be completely subverted.

How to prove the correctness of the interference constant and the six basic rules of runes?

According to the above logic, the answer is obvious:
Just subvert the existing rune system.

He Xi did the same.

And he did.

With the level of a three-ring wizard, He Xi created a set of fourth-level rune constructs.

The first and only set of fourth-level rune constructs made by a three-ring mage in the entire world.

In the field of rune construction, where precision is most required, the six basic rules of runes can all be applied.

Not to mention in other rune fields.

Since then, a new system of runes has been born.

Although, at present, only Gaode knows about this matter.

******
******
On the fourth day after the Holy Empire Ice Flame Legion occupied the city of Saint Sean.

The 25th day of the month of fog and frost.

Another airship, like a sword cutting through the sky, gracefully shuttled through the clouds and appeared above the city of Saint Sean.

This is a strange airship that no one has ever seen. It is not very big.

But the flat and streamlined hull sparkled silver in the sun, like a carefully carved giant silver fish, shining brightly, full of beauty and speed.

The most eye-catching thing is the propulsion device at the tail of the airship.

It was an unprecedented design, with several slender tail pipes emitting brilliant light blue flames, which formed a sharp contrast with the common airship tail propellers.

All in all, this is an airship that is definitely high-end at first glance.

The airship flew all the way into the city of Saint Sean and finally stopped over the airship base in the city of Saint Sean.

It just stood there quietly, not moving.

Many citizens in the city also looked up and saw the airship.

However, in their eyes, they all assumed that this should be the Holy Empire's airship, carrying important figures from the Holy Empire.

Such a high-end airship can only come from the Holy Empire.

At least before the Holy Empire occupied the city of Saint Sean, they had never seen such an airship.

Until a large number of fully armed Holy Empire soldiers rushed to the airship base.

The serious-looking officer of the Holy Empire ordered the evacuation of the surrounding people and isolation of the area. Only then did the natives of Saint Sean City vaguely feel that something was wrong.

The middle-level officer of the Ice Flame Legion who arrived in a hurry was also extremely surprised when he saw the airship in the sky.

This airship is really fast.

By the time their reconnaissance wizard spotted it from afar and sent back the news, it had already entered the city of Saint Sean.

Considering the O'Kenley emblem on the airship and its advanced design, the senior officers did not order the legion's air defense forces to take action.

"Send a signal to contact the people on the airship and inquire about their identities and purpose." The Holy Empire officer who arrived gave the order.

Soon, the legionnaires had brought in a special machine for air-to-air communications.

It was a set of magical equipment, called airship magic communicator, which could transmit magic signals of special frequencies through the air. As long as the other airship had matching magic equipment, it could receive the signal and respond.

The airship magic communicator has become standard equipment on all airships.

Soon, the message was conveyed smoothly and a reply was received quickly.

"The O'Kenley family is here to pick us up."

The mid-level officer of the Ice Flame Legion couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after receiving the reply.

Although the Holy Empire is powerful, it does not mean that it is completely invincible.

At least the Plantagenet Dynasty in the west and the coastal city in the south are still worth being wary of.

Another ten minutes passed.

Upon receiving the news, Deputy Commander Helen of the Ice Flame Legion arrived in person.

The Ice Flame Legion showed great respect to this airship.

Deputy Commander Helen also thought it was natural.

Because the airship above is the newest model of airship in Linhai City.

There is no doubt that those who can ride this kind of airship are among the top few even in the O'Kenley family.

At least, the private airships of all the officers of the Ice Flame Legion, including Commander Fleming's private airship, were not as magnificent and advanced as the one in front of them, and could not compare with it.

Deputy Commander Helen was puzzled.

In a small place like Saint Sean City, who is worthy of the Oakenley family, which is thousands of miles away, sending a big shot from the family to come and greet them in person?
After obtaining the consent of the superior, the airship above finally began to land.

But several mages appeared before the airship.

Before anyone could react, above the ground, in front of them, in the originally empty space, a bright light suddenly burst out, like a falling star, illuminating everything around them like a dream.

The light quickly gathered and rotated, eventually condensing into a huge circular portal.

It quietly hovers several feet above the ground, neither touching the ground nor floating too high.
The edge of the portal is a circle of flickering two-dimensional circular runes that are constantly flowing and changing.

The inside of the portal is filled with fog.

The next moment, several mages in gorgeous robes walked out of the fog.

They walked steadily and looked calm, as if they were already accustomed to such scenes.

Leading the group was an elderly but vigorous man, wearing an extremely gorgeous magic robe embroidered with intricate rune patterns.

When Deputy Commander Helen saw this scene, her heart skipped a beat.

He understood what the portal in front of him was:
6th-level energy-shaping spell [Arcane Gate].

Even in the Holy Empire, the Six-Ring Mage is the absolute core force.

Among the human race, the number of six-ring mages is one of the important indicators to measure a country or force.

There is no doubt that there is at least one six-ring wizard among this group of people from the O'Kenley family.

Faced with such a lineup, Deputy Commander Helen did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

He puffed out his chest, walked up to the group of people, and saluted in the order of the Holy Empire.

"I am Helen, deputy commander of the Holy Empire's Ice Flame Legion temporarily stationed in Saint Sean City. Saint Sean City, including the Principality of Sean, joined the Holy Empire three days ago and became a province under the Holy Empire. Your airship has entered the martial law airspace of this city. I wonder what your specific purpose is for visiting this city?"

Hearing Deputy Legion Commander Helen's question, the old man in the lead nodded calmly at first, and then one of the mages behind him stepped forward and handed a document to Helen.

When Helen took the document, the first thing that caught his eye was the black and gold eagle pattern that symbolized the empire. He was immediately alert and began to read it carefully.

It turned out that this was a special pass issued by the empire.

With this pass, the airship from the O'Kenley family can legally enter and pass through any airspace within the empire except the first-level airspace, and can land and leave freely.

In addition, there is a special note that the local garrisons of the empire who receive this document should try their best to cooperate with the other party's pick-up operations.

The authenticity of the document can be verified at a glance through the magic mark at the bottom.

But Deputy Commander Helen became even more confused.

——Who on earth was this big shot from the distant Linhai City coming to Saint Sean City to pick up? Was it worth such a big show?

As usual, Shel Ian was at the top floor of the Seres Mage Tower, overlooking the academy below.

The sudden arrival of the Holy Empire caused him to temporarily lose his position as the president of Seres College.

But he has adjusted his mindset as quickly as possible, and is confident that with his talent and performance over the years, it is only a matter of time before he is restored to his original position under the empire's meritocracy.

After all, for the Principality of Sean, Seres College is a holy place for all mages, but for the mages of the Holy Empire, it is just a "country school".

How could those high-ranking figures be interested in the position of "rural school principal"?
And in his opinion, the incorporation of the Principality of Sean into the Holy Empire might be a good thing.

Unlike those noble ministers, Sher is a truly talented person, and he did not rely solely on his ancestors to achieve his current status.

Leaning against the big tree is good for the coolness.

For him, becoming a citizen of the Holy Empire is actually equivalent to changing to a larger platform.

While Shell was still immersed in thinking about the future, the door of the room was knocked hurriedly.

Shell Ian frowned slightly, somewhat dissatisfied with the visitor who disturbed his interest, but he quickly adjusted his mentality and expression.

Now is different from other times, so try to keep a low profile.

But before he could nod, the door was pushed open.

A group of people walked in.

The leader was an energetic old man whom Shell Ian did not recognize.

But he was very familiar with the person accompanying the old man.

Ice Flame Legion, Deputy Commander Helen.

"This is the former dean of Ceres College." Deputy Commander Helen introduced him to the old man next to him.

After the old man nodded slightly, Deputy Commander Helen took a step forward and said to Shell in a serious and commanding tone without waiting for Shell to speak:
"Shel Ian, this is Master Dunlai O'Kenley from the O'Kenley family in Linhai City. He came to Saint Sean City this time to pick up Hexi O'Kenley, an important member of the O'Kenley family who has been teaching at Ceres College for many years and is now living abroad."

The respectful expression that Shell Ian had just made on his face froze at that moment.

(End of this chapter)