Above the mage!

Chapter 210 Ella Heim
Naga River is the largest river with the largest flow and the widest basin in the Sean Province of the Principality of Sean.

It runs across the Principality of Sean and has dozens of tributaries, making it the mother river of the people of Sean.

The city of Saint Sean was built on the banks of the Naga River.

The source of the Naga River is the Dandong Snow Mountain, the main peak of the Evangelical Mountains.

The Erwenlaya Mountains are the highest mountains in the Norlan continent, and they single-handedly isolate the northern border from the ice and snow storms.

On the calm river surface, the morning light is just breaking and a veil-like mist is slowly lingering.

A cog carrying food was struggling forward.

The cog was built with lapped planks and a hull made of sturdy, durable wood. It was usually equipped with a single mast, a square sail, and a rudder at the stern to control its course.

Due to its large cargo capacity, the cog was suitable for long-distance trade.

Cog ships are roughly divided into two types: Nordic type and Esmeralda type.

The former is suitable for sailing in open sea areas.

The latter combines a flat-jointed structure of the ship's planks, performs better in shallow waters and complex waters, and is more suitable for sailing in inland rivers and offshore areas.

The cog ship in front of us is a typical Ishamel-type cog ship.

It seems that this transport cog ship has quite a bit of history, and the years have left traces of wear and tear on its hull.

The hull below the waterline has been soaked and has lost its original bright paint color, revealing a primitive and simple wood color.

Time is unforgiving to people, nor to ships.

The old ship, which was already in its twilight years, was still carrying a full boatload of grain and was somewhat unable to cope with the demands.

On the deck of the old ship.

"Boss, the Herring is too old. It has been running for more than 20 years and can't run anymore. It's time to get a new ship," the crew complained to the captain who was smoking a pipe.

"Change, change, change." The captain of the boat was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, his body weathered by the river breeze and sunshine.

He heard the crew's complaints, and patted the crew's head with his strong palm, dissatisfied: "The longest service life of the Aisha Meier Kirk ship is more than 30 years, and the Herring has only been running for 21 years and 71 days. How come it can't run anymore!"

For those who make a living on boats, they may not remember their date of birth or wedding date, but they will definitely remember the day their boat was launched.

"Boss, that's not the case. Although we usually take good care of the Herring, we are in the grain business of Ellaheim after all. That place is an icy hole with turbulent undercurrents. In another year or two, the Herring won't be able to withstand it."

The crew members were still discussing the matter earnestly.

The captain took a deep puff of the tobacco in his pipe and stared at the paint-peeling stern, but it seemed as if a brand new, beautiful new Kirk ship appeared in his eyes.

How could he not want to buy a new boat?

I wanted to change it last year, but my father in the family fell seriously ill, so I used up the money I had saved for changing the boat in advance.

However, the market conditions are good this year. It’s only the foggy and frosty month, but the money I’ve earned is already comparable to what I earned in the whole of last year.

And after the Holy Empire came, business became even better.

Although the captain didn't know the specific reason, after the Principality of Sean became the Province of Sean, those merchants became inexplicably much more active and bolder.

From this perspective, being recaptured by the Holy Empire is truly a great thing.

Next month. Next month I will be able to save enough money again and then order a new boat.

"Boss, the food in the cabin was stolen by rats last night," another crew member complained, "The Herring is too old, and there are a lot of rats hiding in it, and we can't find them."

"You are so resentful. Not to mention the Herring, even if a brand new ship is launched, it will not be able to stop those cunning rats." The captain spat.

"Anyway, it's time to change boats," the crew member muttered, adding, "But this time the rats were really cunning. They dug out all the goodies I hid in the cabinet. It was really amazing."

Amid the noise of the crew and the captain, the Herring, loaded with a shipload of grain, sailed north.

At nightfall.

Life on the ship is not very entertaining, and things usually get quiet quickly after dinner in the evening.

The same is true today.

There was only the occasional sound of the river water hitting the boat.

It is in this quietness.

There was a splashing sound of water, which was only fleeting and did not attract anyone's attention.

A black figure emerged silently from the water.

He stretched out one hand and grabbed the stern, like a nimble cat, and without any external support, he climbed up in an anti-intuitive way and finally flipped onto the deck.

Then, the figure walked into the cargo ship's kitchen and restaurant with ease, and after a while of groping, a big meal followed.

Then, the figure left the kitchen and restaurant and walked skillfully towards the warehouse where the grain was stored.

There is almost no light on the boat. If you don't turn on the lights at night, it's like walking in the dark.

But for Gaode, who has adapted to the ability to see in the dark, the night has become his best cover.

He entered the warehouse where the grain was stored, found the most comfortable and secluded position, lay down and prepared to rest.

"Mage, are we stealing now?" A clear but doubtful voice sounded.

"Hush." ​​Gao De first signaled the little ancestor to keep his voice down, and then explained softly: "This should be called a transaction, because we will pay in the end."

"But we didn't inform them in advance. Maybe they are not willing to do business with us?"

"Lady Flora is so smart." Goder praised.

"So what I said was right, wasn't it?"

"Lady Flora, you need to know one more thing," God thought for a moment and said to Flora, "When you are in the arena, you have no choice."

"When you are in the rivers and lakes, you have no choice." Lady Flora thought for a moment and nodded seriously, "Remember, we are on the river now, so we can do this, but we can't do this once we get on the shore, right?"

"Lady Flora, you can understand it this way." God said lazily.

Fifteen days ago, after taking out the "Breath of the Wilderness" rune construct from the Saint Sean City branch in Oakenley, Gode left Saint Sean City as soon as possible.

Wherever people walk, there are traces.

So, how can we ensure that nothing goes wrong and that we cannot be tracked?

Gao De thought for a long time and finally chose a very special method.

He did not take any means of transportation, nor did he take the main road.

Instead, he directly chose a cargo ship heading north at the port of Saint Sean City, and swam under the ship while the crew were not paying attention.

Gao De first used the [Cat Claw Technique] to dig a dent in the bottom of the boat, then tied a rope to it, and then used the [Repair Technique] to restore the dent, thereby fixing the rope to the bottom of the boat.

The other end of the rope is tied to yourself.

In this way, he could move along with the ship silently.

It is also another way of taking a boat.

Of course, this is something only Gaode can do.

At least among the first-ring mages, only Gaode should be able to do it.

The undercurrents in the river, the thin oxygen, and the possible existence of sea beasts are secondary.

Learning to go with the current created by the boat to avoid injury is also a skill.

The most difficult thing is that as the ship moves north, the river water will only get colder and colder until it finally reaches below freezing point.

With water of this temperature, let alone soaking in it for a whole day, one would probably freeze to death if he fell into the water for half an hour.

But Gaode has [Adaptive].

This kind of environment where the temperature gradually decreases and there is an obvious change process is precisely the environment to which [adaptation] is most adaptable.

[Cold resistance increased by 53%, sensitivity to water flow increased by 36%, and oxygen uptake in water increased by 34%].

[The ability to see in the dark is improved by 36%].

This is the adaptation progress currently displayed by Gaode.

The reason why the cold resistance adaptation progress is much faster than the other two is that Gaode successfully constructed the spell model of [Endure Environment] on the third day after entering the water. [Endure Environment] (Protection, 1st ring):

A subject protected by a tolerable environment is not harmed by cold or heat, and can comfortably stay in an environment between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (-45.6 and 60 degrees Celsius). The subject's equipment is also protected.

After giving himself the ability to [endure the environment], he would often take the initiative to dive into deeper waters, and quickly improve his adaptation to the cold by going through even more extremely cold environments.

During the day, you will follow the boat underwater and brush up on the progress of [Adaptive]. At night, when it is quiet, you will go on board to eat and rest.

For Gao De, this special journey is both a journey and a practice.

No one would know where he went.

Because even Gaode himself doesn't know his specific destination.

He just had a general direction:

north.

Yes, it is the isolated northern border that Mr. Mossen talked about in geography class.

What Gaode values ​​is precisely this “isolation from the world”.

First of all, due to its isolation and environment, there are many high-level magical plants and underground biological resources in the North that are difficult to see in the outside world.

In Gaode's view, this is simply the best hunting ground for him to obtain the origin.

As long as he obtains enough origin and adds points to his spells through Wind Spirit and Moon Shadow, Gao De will be confident that he can create a big enough gap between himself and the mages of the same level.

Another point is that he and Flora both need to find an ideal site to plant trees.

According to Flora, Yugathira's growth is not picky about the environment.

Not only is it not picky about the external environment, it can also transform nearby land into a magical spiritual land to plant more trees.

This means that the more uninhabited and extreme the environment, the more suitable it is for planting trees.

If you plant trees in a prosperous area, there is the risk of being found by your enemies and having to "capture the leader first, and chop down the trees first" as the saying goes.

The spiritual land after being transformed by Yugath-Shira alone is enough to attract countless coveted eyes from the outside world.

Besides, in a truly prosperous place, where would there be space for him to plant trees?
Gao De did not have a title, let alone a fiefdom.

Even if there were, he would not dare to plant trees on his fiefdom easily.

Even a country can change hands within an hour, let alone a mere fiefdom?

Gao De thought about it carefully and found that there were actually two best places for him to plant trees:

Terra, a continent dominated by deserts;

The North is a land of ice and snow storms, isolated from the world, with harsh environment and cruel land.

Needless to say, the former is not much different from the desert in the previous life:
In the desert, except for the oasis near the water source, other places are basically uninhabited, with large areas of useless sand.

The same is true for the latter, which is vast and sparsely populated, with large areas of extremely cold land that no one has ever set foot on.

The common feature of both is that the environment is extreme and harsh, which is enough to isolate most people with ulterior motives.

Moreover, if Gao De did not take the initiative to expose himself by planting trees in these two places, how many people would be able to find the places where he planted trees?

As for which one to choose, the answer is very simple, choose the one that is closer.

Part of the territory of the Province of Sean is adjacent to the Erwenraya Mountains, which isolate the northern border from the wind and snow.

However, traveling from the Principality of Sean to the Terra Continent requires crossing most of the Nolan Continent, which is not realistic.

Therefore, Gaode’s only choice was to go to the north to find a suitable place to plant trees.

The way to enter the North is usually by sea.

However, there is no coastline in Sean. If you want to reach the seaside, you need to cross the river west into the Plantagenet Dynasty. This process is not only time-consuming, but also too easy to leave traces.

Besides, even during the Plantagenet dynasty, finding a ship to enter the North was not an easy task.

Therefore, this method was directly excluded by Gaode.

There was only one way left: to hike over the Erwenraya Mountains into the north.

For others, the Erwen Raya Mountains are an absolute chasm.

Extreme cold, high altitude, and thin oxygen.
In short, a bunch of bad factors.

But for Gode, the extreme factors such as the Erwen Raya Mountains that isolate outsiders from entering can be gradually adapted through [adaptation], and then turn the natural barriers into smooth roads.

There were no maps and no one to ask.

So Gaode didn't know exactly where he was.

He could only use the [Northward Compass Technique] from time to time to confirm that the cargo ship was heading north.

However, Gaode could judge that the destination of this trip was almost reached.

Because after passing a certain dividing line, both the temperature in the river water and the temperature on the river surface begin to drop sharply.

Moreover, underwater undercurrents began to become more and more frequent, and even floating ice appeared.

It was obvious that we were approaching the Irving Raya Mountains.

Fortunately, he had mastered the [Tolerance Environment] in advance, otherwise even with the [Adaptive] specialty, he would not be able to suddenly adapt to such a sudden drop in water temperature.

However, what is visible to the naked eye is that the cold resistance, which had almost stopped improving, has begun to rise again at an extremely fast rate.

On the fourth day when the water temperature dropped sharply, the 21-year-old old Kirk finally sailed into a small dock lined with fishing boats.

After arriving at the destination safely, the crew on Old Kirk's ship breathed a sigh of relief, and then ordered to start unloading.

After several hours of busy work and unloading the cargo, the ship temporarily docked at the pier and the crew members disembarked one after another.

They were going to go to the pub in town to have a few glasses of dark beer and have a good night's rest.

The days are short here.

Soon after the crew left, it became completely dark.

There were fewer and fewer people on the dock, and it soon became quiet.

At this time, Gode emerged from the water again and came to the deserted old Kirk's ship.

He first went to the crew cabin to find a set of warm clothes, quickly changed himself into them, and then left five shining Sean gold coins on the table, which included not only the cost of the clothes, but also the food expenses on the ship for these days.

Flora blinked her "big" eyes the whole time as she watched Gode changing his clothes.

"Aren't you cold, Lady Flora?" Goder asked curiously while changing clothes.

"No, Yugatshira is not afraid of the cold, so Lady Flora is not afraid of the cold either."

"But, new clothes, I like them."

Gao De remained calm on the surface and did not dare to respond.

Although Flora is small, it doesn't take much fabric to make a new dress.

But those who know the business know that the prices of "figure" clothing are often much more expensive than normal clothes.

Mainly, where can I find craftsmen who can make clothes for action figures?
"Humph!"

With the ability to see in the dark, Gode clearly saw that a small green leaf appeared in Flora's hand and she began to gesture quickly.

"What is Lady Flora humming?" Gao De felt a little guilty.

"Hmph, Master, you are playing dumb. Lady Flora will remember this grudge."

After changing his clothes, Gaode got off the boat and entered the city where the dock was located.

This is a small city with an environment similar to Iceland in the previous life. The light on the streets is very dim, the flow of people is even sparse, and for most of the year, there are only 4-6 hours of daylight.

The buildings in this city are also relatively low, made of the most primitive stones, with almost no decoration, heavy, rough and wind-resistant.

This is a city located at the foot of the Dandong Snow Mountain in the Ewenlaya Mountains.

here it is:
Ella Heim.

(End of this chapter)