Above the mage!

Chapter 316: Haiyuan White Tower
After four hours, the airship departed from Holdentown and finally arrived at Dorne, Byrne County, Plantagenet Dynasty.

The Plantagenet dynasty used counties as the basic local administrative divisions, like a finely woven net, dividing this vast land into 18 counties.
The county where the city of Dorne is located is County Byrone.

At the same time, Dorne is also the county seat of Byro County and the political, economic and even cultural center of Byro County.

If the town of Holden had given Gode a sense of the power and wealth of the Plantagenet dynasty, then the city of Dorne directly refreshed Gode's understanding of the world.

After coming to this world, and before coming to the Plantagenet dynasty, Gode's footprints only wandered around the Principality of Sean and the North.

Needless to say, the environment in the north is harsh, and people live in tribes, leading a primitive life of eating raw meat and drinking blood.

As for the Principality of Sean, apart from airships and some special buildings like wizard towers, the city's appearance, cultural level, etc. combined gave him a feeling that was extremely similar to medieval Europe.

However, the city of Dorne before them, although located on the same continent as the Principality of Sean, its appearance seemed to have spanned a long gap in time and did not seem to be from the same era at all.

This is a city close to the sea, and the size of the entire city is at least ten times that of Saint Sean.

It is said that the population living in this city and the surrounding radiation areas has exceeded 10 million.

In addition, Dorne City also has the largest port in Byrone County. Even if we look at the entire Sword Coast, the cargo throughput of Dorne Port can be ranked among the top five.

But before this, Godd's impression of Dorne City was just based on these rough numbers and text descriptions, which was like seeing flowers in the fog, and it always lacked a sense of reality.

It was not until this moment, when he looked out of the porthole of the airship, that everything became vivid and concrete.

In the sky, all kinds of airships come and go like a stream of crucian carp. There are small but fast private airships, which speed along the way, leaving a clear trail in the sky. There are also large and solid cargo airships, which fly at a steady speed.
The "Hold 87" airship he was on was mixed in among them, as inconspicuous as a small fish.

Looking at the port in the distance, with the help of the farsightedness of Mandela's Magic Eye, God could clearly see the densely packed and deep-drafted large ships loaded with goods or passengers, connected together, which was a spectacular sight.

As Godd sighed, Holden 87 landed steadily at the airship base.

"Dear passengers, the airship has landed at the Dorne airship base. Thank you for choosing this airship. Please take all your belongings with you. I wish you a wonderful time in Dorne."

A gentle and pleasant female voice came out from the airship's sound amplification array at the right time.

Gao De came to his senses, took his simple bag, and followed the bustling crowd towards the cabin door.

The moment you step out of the airship, a different breath hits you in the face.

The oncoming air was slightly humid, with wisps of water vapor like an invisible veil, gently brushing across the face, with a hint of saltiness.

This is the unique flavor of a coastal city.

There were so many people traveling to and from Dorne by airship every day, so when Goder left the airship base along the spacious passage, he did not attract anyone's attention.

There were many parked carriages at the entrance of the airship base, some of which were ornately decorated private carriages that came to pick people up.

Some carriages were plain and simple, with scratches and bumps on their bodies. The drivers stood beside the carriages, shouting at the passengers filing out of the airship base: "Want to share a ride to Dorne? We'll leave when there are five people!"

"Little sister, where are you going? Do you want to take a bus to the city center? We are just two people short!"

"."

In addition, there are some young teenagers moving among the crowd, constantly attracting customers.

"Do you need a guide? I was born and raised in Dorne, and I know this area very well."

"Need a place to stay? My hotel room is clean and bright, reasonably priced, nearby, and offers free breakfast!"

The sounds came one after another, it was very lively.

Gao De looked at the guide boy in front of him who was about the same age as him and asked, "How much is the fee?"

When you go to an unfamiliar place, it is necessary to hire a local guide when there is no Internet like in the past to make travel plans and find navigation in advance.

In this regard, Gaode has never been stingy.

"3 silver dragons. It only costs 3 silver dragons to hire me for a day!" the young man said loudly.

"Then let's go," Goder looked at the sky. We set out from Holder Town at noon and took a four-hour airship. It was already evening now. "Take me to a hotel and a restaurant tonight, then give me a general introduction to Dorne City, and be my guide for a whole day tomorrow. Five silver dragons, okay?"

"Okay!" The young man looked delighted.

It must be admitted that outstanding rulers of any world or era possess wisdom and foresight that are difficult for ordinary people to achieve.

People in later generations, looking back hundreds or even thousands of years ago, always feel that those rulers or great men were just like that. But in fact, it is just an illusion because you are standing at the peak of the era and looking down.

If you come down from the mountain of the times and reach his position, you will find that the person you thought was just that kind of person is actually so high that you can't even see him.

As an ancient city, Dorne's beautiful environment and increasingly complete urban zoning planning with functional structures are proof of this.

Following the recommendation of the young guide, Gode boarded a public carriage to the city.

The old but fairly clean carriage exuded a faint wood fragrance, and the wheels rolled and bumped on the stone road, making rhythmic sounds.

The cityscape along the way is like a slowly unfolding painting. There are many townhouses standing on the street, and the brown exterior walls are covered with vines and purple plum blossoms.

The windows are inlaid with stained glass, which reflects colorful light in the afterglow of the setting sun.

The towering bell tower emits melodious bell sounds from time to time.

Tonight, Gaode didn't plan too much for himself. He just wanted to have a simple dinner, find a place to stay, and get a rough understanding of the local situation.

"It's close to the city center, the price is around 5 silver royals per night, and the environment is better." Gaode put forward his needs.

The young guide was also very efficient and led God directly to a hotel called "Okwier".

This is a striking red brick building with a simple and elegant overall design without too many redundant decorations.

The regular rectangular shape is matched with a flat roof. Several rows of symmetrically distributed windows are like the eyes of the building. The rustic wooden window frames are painted dark brown.

The price for an ordinary room is 4 silver royals per night, which is a bit expensive, but the interior is clean and tidy, the bed is soft, the white sheets are starched and washed hard, the wooden tables and chairs are wiped to a shine, and there is a heater thoughtfully placed in the corner for cold nights.

After checking into the room and simply putting down his belongings, the young guide took Gao De to a small restaurant that was said to be very popular with the locals.

The interior space of the restaurant is not large, with a few wooden tables placed randomly.

Godard found an empty table and sat down. Based on the young guide's recommendation, he ordered oysters, a specialty of Dorne.

In fact, this is a kind of seafood similar to oysters, and it is extremely similar in appearance and taste.

There are many ways to eat it, from raw to roasted.

This small restaurant serves it raw.

Fresh oysters just caught from the sea, pry open their shells, place them on a plate, and serve with a few slices of lemon on the side.

Just squeeze lemon juice on the oyster meat, and the fine juice will instantly seep into the plump meat of the oyster, not only removing the fishy smell, but the sour taste can also cleverly stimulate the sweetness of the oyster. It is refreshing, smooth and tender in one bite.

Gao De couldn't quite accept this way of eating. In the country where he lived in his previous life, the diet was still mainly based on cooked food.

However, adhering to the idea of ​​"since I'm here", he still gave it a small try - he did taste the original flavor of the oysters, but he really couldn't stand the raw, cold and fishy smell.

Finally, he ordered another serving of oyster stew.

"Is that tall tower the White Tower of the Sea Sentinel?" Godde ate his stew while looking out the window at the white tower standing in the center of Dorne.

"Yes." The young guide nodded, and then, as if he had discovered something, "Are you also here to participate in the selection of Sea Sentinels this quarter?"

This was not a secret. After all, every time a selection was held, there would definitely be many wizards like him who came specially to Dorne, so Gode just nodded casually.

"Then I wish you success!" The guide was very clever and immediately said something nice with a sincere smile on his face. "How many mages have successfully passed the Sea Sentinel selection and joined the Sea Sentinel this year?" Gao De asked curiously.

"I heard that they only accepted three or four people this year," the young guide shook his head, and then said, "But it was about the same number in previous years. The threshold for becoming a sea sentinel is very high!"

"The application fee alone is 5 Plantagenet coins per person. With so many people signing up, we only accept so few people in the end. We can make a lot from the application fees alone!" He couldn't help but sigh again.

Ordinary people are often more sensitive about money matters in their daily lives.

"Is the assessment so difficult?" Gao De asked again.

With so many people participating in the selection of Sea Sentinels every year, it is impossible to keep their mouths shut. Therefore, Gaode believes that many people should know the specific assessment content of the Sea Sentinels.

"It's nothing more than those three items: mage level, spell mastery, and water ability. But it is said that if you have special skills, as long as you have reached the basic level in the first three items, you can be specially recruited into the Sea Sentinel."

"Water ability? Special skills?" Gao De raised his eyebrows slightly, a little surprised.

"The main duty of a sea sentinel is to patrol the sea and even the waters to ensure that there are no leyline creatures causing trouble within their jurisdiction. The main combat environment is the waters, so naturally they must be able to navigate the waters. This is a basic requirement."

"And it must be the water-passing ability itself, not the help of magic." At this point, the young guide looked at God in surprise, "You don't even know this, do you?"

"I just found out that I came from another country and only officially became a citizen of the Plantagenet dynasty a few days ago." Gode said with a smile.

But this didn't have much of an impact on him.

He is not good at swimming, but with the help of [Adaptation], his body can be said to be gifted. His ability to absorb oxygen in water and resist cold are beyond the reach of others.

This is called: not enough operation, but overwhelming numbers.

"Then you might suffer a loss," but the young guide didn't know this.

In his understanding, in the entire Nolan continent, except for the Holy Empire and their Plantagenet Dynasty which have vast coastlines, other countries are basically landlocked countries.

In this case, it is actually not very likely to become proficient in water.

"As for special skills, although the main responsibility of the Sea Sentinels is to patrol the sea, in addition to combat, they also need talents in various aspects. So if you are good at fields such as potions and alchemy, you will have the opportunity to join the Sea Sentinels with these abilities." The young guide added.

The selection of sea sentinels is held four times a year. After so many years, a lot of information has already been known to everyone.

"I see." Gao De nodded thoughtfully, but he had other ideas in his mind.

If you cannot pass the formal assessment, you can try the "special recruitment" route.

I just don't know if the first-level Rune Constructor has reached the special skill standards of the Sea Sentinel?

After dinner, Gao De had no other plans, so he let the young guide go back first.

Frostgold Moon, the 5th, the second day that Gode arrived in Dorne.

After enjoying the free breakfast in the hotel restaurant, he left the hotel and prepared to go to the Sea Sentinel Headquarters, which was the Haiyuan White Tower he saw when he had dinner yesterday, to register.

The young guide had already been waiting for him at the hotel entrance as agreed yesterday, and was very enthusiastic.

——He had to be proactive. Gaode was paid by the day he worked. He hadn’t received today’s 3 silver dragon coins yet!
Led by the guide, Gaode crossed several streets and finally arrived at the city center.

Most of the tallest and largest buildings in Dorne are concentrated here.

However, even among all these tall buildings, the Haiyuan White Tower belonging to the Sea Sentinel is the most outstanding.

The tower is pure white and is built of a glowing coral stone that reflects holy light under the sunlight.

It is called the White Pagoda, but in fact it is a group of buildings built around the White Pagoda, surrounded by a wall.

The main gate is located in the center of the wall, with three sections in total, and is a hundred steps wide.

Above the widest gate in the middle, the words "Haiyuan White Tower" are written in ancient characters.

Next to the side door on the right, there is a sign.

It says "Applicants for selection should start from here".

At this time, young men and women were walking into the side door one after another.

Most people had a look of nervousness and excitement in their eyes. One could tell at a glance that they were mages who had come to sign up for the Sea Sentinel selection.

Before coming to Dorne, Godard had already confirmed that every quarter, the Sea Sentinel would hold a large selection at the end of the quarter to recruit qualified mages into the Sea Sentinel.

It is now the Frost Gold Moon, which happens to be the last month of the third quarter of this year, so he doesn't have to worry about running out of time or waiting.

The registration period is a full half month, from the beginning of the Frost Gold Month to the middle of the month, which is plenty of time.

"You go in first, I'll wait for you outside." The young guide looked at the gate of Haiyuan White Tower in awe, and said cautiously.

Gao De nodded slightly and walked straight towards the side door.

After passing through the gate, the first thing that comes into view is an extremely spacious square.

At this time, many people had gathered in the square, and it was very lively.

Next to the side door, there was a row of tables that had been moved out temporarily, with some staff sitting behind them. When they saw Gao De coming in, they greeted him, "Those who want to participate in the selection should line up here to pay the fee and register."

The line wasn't that long and Gaode got his seat after waiting in line for a short while.

The staff behind the desk pushed a piece of parchment over and handed over a quill pen dipped in ink: "Fill in the information first."

Gao De took a closer look and found that it was just some basic identity information, including name, age, origin, and mage level.

He filled it up quickly.

After filling in the information, the other party checked his identity information again.

As a naturalized person, what you need to check are the jade identity card and the naturalization certificate.

After all this is done, you have to pay a registration fee of 5 Plantagenet coins, which is already one and a half months' salary for many civilians.

Gao De paid the money obediently, got his number plate, and joined the waiting crowd in the square.

The application fee is 5 Plantagenet coins. The same person can only participate in the selection once a year, and the age limit is under years old.

Even with so many restrictions, the number of people in the square continued to increase and it became increasingly crowded.

But Gaode can also understand this situation.

The history of the Plantagenet dynasty can be traced back to ancient times.

On the one hand, the long history represents the terrifying background of the dynasty, and on the other hand, it also causes the solidification of classes.

Within the dynasty, there are clear class divisions between the upper and lower classes. The dynasty nobles, who also have a heritage of at least a thousand years, firmly occupy the most precious resources of the Plantagenet family and control the most important positions.

Under such circumstances, ordinary civilians have very few ways to advance.

Whether within the dynasty or in the entire plane, the path of a mage is the most effective way for the lower class to achieve class crossing.

As the number one wizard force in Dorne and even in Byrow County, the Sea Sentinels are also one of the few paths open to ordinary civilians with clear promotion channels. It can be said that countless wild wizards are trying their best to get in.

That is why every quarterly selection of Sea Sentinel is so lively.

However, the recruitment threshold of the Sea Sentinel is too high. There are only a handful of mages who can successfully join the Sea Sentinel in each selection, and it is not uncommon for there to be no mages at all.

(End of this chapter)