Above the mage!

Chapter 373: Heart of Xidian
Gao De couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard this.

The Sea Sentinel Mage is an official member of the Plantagenet Dynasty.

This identity has many advantages.

First of all, it is backed by the official authorities. Whether it is resources or knowledge system, they are all extremely complete and rich, and the entire system is orderly and lawful.

As long as he makes enough contributions, he can get anything in return.

In addition, the status of the Sea Sentinel Mage is extremely high. When he goes out, others will give him some face, and few people dare to have any bad thoughts about him, which can save him a lot of possible trouble.

There are many other benefits, which I will not list one by one for now.

But if we talk about disadvantages, there are some.

For example, as an official system mage, one needs to act justly and in accordance with procedural procedures.

After a normal mage kills an enemy, the next step is to naturally take the opponent's wealth for himself.

The gold belt for murder and arson.

But in the Sea Sentinel system, this behavior is not allowed.

If the water beasts are wiped out, the corpses of the water beasts will naturally belong to the mage personally, there is no doubt about this.

But if Gao De wants to "punish the wicked and eliminate evil" like he does, he cannot directly seize the evildoers' property, but must hand it over and confiscate it.

To a certain extent, this is actually to prevent the Sea Sentinel Mage from abusing his power.

Otherwise, if it is possible to directly confiscate the other party's property after eliminating the evil, who knows how many "power corruption" and "false and wrongful convictions" incidents will arise due to the greed for profit.

Of course, most of the confiscated property will belong to the Sea Sentinel, but a small portion of it will be given to Gaode as a reward.

However, the process must be that all of them must be handed in and registered first, and then the sea sentinels will reward them based on their merits, rather than Gaode picking a few he likes first and then handing in the rest.

What Aldridge said now is that he has grasped this pain point and hopes to make a deal with AutoNavi.

"You have some ideas." Goder looked at Aldridge and said.

"Sir, what do you mean?" Seeing that Goder's tone seemed promising, Aldridge cautiously probed further.

"Very tempting," Goder nodded, ignoring Aldridge's gradually brightening eyes, and said regretfully: "It's a pity that I'm not interested."

He has the North behind him and the largest tribe in the North, the Zhenbing Tribe, fully supporting him. How could he lack the wealth of a second-ring wizard?

Although one can never have too much money, and Aldridge has repeatedly said that he will keep it absolutely confidential, it is still unclear whether he means it.

Besides, even if Aldrich really kept it a secret, as long as the Sea Sentinel wanted to ask, wouldn't he have to tell the truth under the spell?

Then he will be the unlucky one.

It is absolutely not worth it to violate the rules and regulations of the Sea Sentinel for such a small amount of "little money" that is not very important to oneself, and leave hidden dangers for one's future development in the Sea Sentinel.

Even if he hadn't had the North on his side, he wouldn't have made this deal with Aldridge.

He still knows clearly which is bigger, sesame or watermelon.

Gode ​​was very sober, so he refused decisively, and didn't even listen to Aldridge's conditions and specific treasures.

All the arguments that Aldridge had prepared were stuck after Gode's flat refusal, and he could no longer say them.

His strong spirit collapsed in an instant.

That's normal. A wizard who is so young but has such means, strength, and bearing must be from an extraordinary background. How could he be interested in the treasure of a small person like him?

It is foolish of me to use my little stock to seduce others. This is just like pushing a mill with bare ass. It is shameful!

There is nothing to talk about. There is nothing to talk about!
He who plays with fire will get burned.

To be honest, would anyone who does his job never think about this day?

But when this day really comes, even if you think you have been mentally prepared, you will still find it so unexpected.

"It was Viscount McKinley, but it's useless for me to tell him. He never entrusted me with any tasks personally. Instead, he found an intermediary agent. All transactions were conducted through the agent. I only knew it was him, but I didn't have any evidence."

Aldridge's head suddenly drooped and he answered weakly.

"These big shots are very careful in what they do and will not leave any evidence that could harm them."

"I don't care about that," Goddard said as he recorded Aldridge's confession on parchment. He shook his head calmly and said, "I will arrest you and take the credit. My business ends here. What happens next has nothing to do with a mere trainee wizard like me."

If you are not in your position, you will not seek your government.

The water beasts in the Makoko area are closely related to the nobles in Lagos city.

Matters of the upper level should be resolved by the upper level.

"Apprentice Mage?!" Aldridge was obviously stunned for a moment, and then he noticed that the Sea Sentinel uniform that Goder was wearing was indeed that of an apprentice mage, and a second-class apprentice mage at that.

"A second-class trainee wizard. I actually fell into the hands of a second-class trainee wizard." After a long while, he seemed to be talking to himself.

"When did you start releasing water beasts into the Makoko area? How often did you do it? What was the specific process? Who was involved? What were the details of the transaction? Please explain everything clearly one by one." God didn't care about Aldridge's psychological activities. He got back to the point and asked very detailed questions.

This is his achievement, so naturally he has to do it to perfection.

Aldridge bit his cracked lips and explained everything honestly according to God's request.

The entire interrogation process went unusually smoothly, and was nothing like what is often described in novels and biographies, where the villains are as stubborn as iron.

First, this is the reality. Most people are ordinary people, and the so-called "hard bones" are ultimately a minority.

The second is that in a world with extraordinary powers like magic, everyone understands that there is not much point in lying unless you are determined to die.

Mage, there are many ways to make you speak.

To exaggerate a little, even if it is a corpse, the wizard can make it come back to life temporarily and speak.

After recording the whole story of the water beast incident in Makoko District, Gao De rolled up the parchment with satisfaction and put it in his arms.

"Sir." Seeing Gode preparing to leave, Aldridge suddenly called out to Gode.

"Ok?"

"Tell me." A faint light flashed in Aldridge's eyes, "Can I survive?"

"It's difficult." Gao De said calmly.

Gao De is still unsure whether the nobles involved in this incident will receive the punishment they deserve in the end.

But as an obvious evildoer, it is unlikely that Aldridge will survive.

Whether he is taking the blame or enforcing the law normally, his crimes are too serious and there is no special turn of events, so there is almost no possibility of survival.

Lagos city port.

Although the fishing industry is in decline and the economy is depressed, there are still many ships here, large and small. The hulls rise and fall slightly with the waves, and there are slight collisions between the ships from time to time, making dull noises.

The masts stand in rows, like a wooden forest.

There were also people coming and going on the shore, and it was noisy and bustling.

Porters carried heavy loads and vendors shouted at the top of their lungs, selling all kinds of items.

Today is the day when the two-masted sailing ship of Harland Shipyard officially sets sail.

A new ship goes out to sea generally following this process:
First, preparations and ceremonies related to the launching of the ship are carried out. After launching, inspection, debugging, and material provision are carried out. Then, crew members are recruited and trained. Finally, only after the preparations for going to sea are completed can the ship officially set sail.

Depending on the size of the ship, the distance of the destination, the complexity of the route, and the efficiency of the officials, this preparation time generally takes from several weeks to several months.

The comprehensive inspection and debugging of the hull and the purchase of reserve materials were carried out at the same time as the recruitment of crew members. Because it is a traditional fishing city, coupled with the "layoff wave" after the spiritual marrow fever, there are many unemployed crew members in Lagos.

Plus, since it was just a two-masted sailing ship, not many crew members were needed.

Therefore, the crew recruitment and training work, which should have been the most time-consuming, went smoothly, and everything was prepared and completed in just two weeks.

As for the procedures for going overseas, Haaland used the connections and money he had built up in Lagos for most of his life, and all the licensing documents were completed within two weeks.

The port management officials, dressed in neat uniforms, carefully checked the relevant documents of the ship with registration books in hand, from the ship's construction license and registration certificate to the crew's list and identity documents, without missing anything.

They then boarded the ship in person for inspection, carried out random checks based on the types and quantities of cargo listed on the cargo manifest, and checked the trade license to ensure that the ship was not engaged in illegal smuggling and illegal immigration activities and was in compliance with regulations.

Only after completing this series of rigorous inspections will officials stamp the official Lagos seal on the sea permit.

Everything is ready, it's time to set sail.

However, according to local customs, there is a set of ceremonies to be performed before the new ship goes out to sea, which carries people's wishes for safe and successful sailing.

Maybe many people think this is superstition, but for those who make a living on the boat, they believe it.

The beginning of the ceremony, and an extremely important part, is naming the new ship.

The namer is usually a woman of high moral character or close relationship with the ship owner.

Elsa is not suitable to show up in public, so the person who named her was finally Danica.

She was dressed in a solemn nun's dress, standing at the bow, holding a bottle of Murantan champagne, and solemnly announced the name of the ship.

"I hereby declare that this two-masted sailing ship, which carries the gifts and favors of the ocean and will bring abundant wealth, is named - Columbus!"

Of course, this is the name given to it by Gaode himself.

Although Danica could not understand its specific meaning, she certainly would not raise any objections. She was just responsible for announcing the name.

Following Danica's announcement, the crew on the Columbus burst into warm cheers.

Then, amid cheers, Danika raised the bottle of Mulantan champagne in her hands high in both hands and smashed it against the bow with all her strength.

With a crisp and pleasant sound of the bottle breaking, the wine splashed like fireworks, covering every corner of the bow.

This is meant to bless the new ship, giving it a unique identity and good luck.

After this step is completed, the crew members on the ship, including the captain, will hang their own mascots in various places on the ship.

These mascots come in various shapes, including small and exquisite horseshoes, amulets with mysterious patterns, and...
These mascots are very old and have stood the test of time.

Because since they became crew members, these mascots have accompanied them on countless sea voyages and have become old friends.

According to the saying among the sailors, the more times a mascot has sailed, the more luck it will bring. Hanging it on the boat can turn misfortune into good fortune.

This being done, the captain lost no time in shouting out his orders.

"Attention all crew members, prepare to sail!"

After receiving the order, the sailors acted quickly and started turning the capstan.

As the capstan turned, the iron chain connected to the anchor made a "clattering" sound, and the heavy anchor slowly rose from the bottom of the sea.

At the same time, the crew members responsible for raising the sail quickly climbed up the mast, untied the ropes that fixed the sail, and pulled the sail ropes hard. The huge sail slowly unfolded under the blowing of the sea breeze.

The sailor in charge of the helm held the steering wheel tightly with both hands. Under the captain's command, he slowly turned the steering wheel and sailed out of the Lagos port along the prescribed channel.

The rudder rotates underwater, causing the ship to slowly turn.

Godard watched the Columbus gradually disappear into the distance under the golden sunlight and the azure blue sea, and he slowly let out a breath.

"I hope everything goes well." He said to himself.

This voyage is very important for the development of the North.

Because Columbus actually had the important mission of opening up the Lagos-Warral Bay waterway.

As long as this voyage goes smoothly, this waterway will be opened up and the North will have initial contact with the outside world.

After that, resources can be exchanged with each other and it will no longer be a problem.

In addition, the Columbus also carried the wood and craftsmen that Phoenix was in urgent need of, as well as two princesses in distress.

——Everything was unknown on the first voyage, and Godard did not allow the orphans from the orphanage to board the ship.

Keep it first.

Anyway, with his current financial resources, running an orphanage is not too difficult.

"It's time to go back." Gao De let out a long breath and said to himself.

He received the mission on the 11th of the Frozen Month and came to Lagos City.

Now it is the 5th of the winter solstice, and 25 days have passed.

This task took almost a month to complete.

But there is no doubt that the gains are huge.

When not on a mission, the Sea Sentinels generally do not supervise where the mages go or what they are doing.

However, if you are away for too long while on a mission, it will still attract attention.

So on the 15th of the Frozen Moon, after completing the task of expelling the water beasts, God wrote a brief report and sent it back to the White Tower of the Abyss in Dorne.

The gist of it is that he has completed the task of expelling the water beasts, but due to personal matters, he needs to delay for some time before returning to complete the task.

Although there were complications, the gains were huge.

This unexpected gain for Aldridge was enough to put him at the top of the Sea Sentinel's year-end evaluation in his first year.

Go and get the credit!
Gao De was in high spirits and turned to leave the port.

But after taking just a few steps, his gaze suddenly fixed.

A familiar figure appeared in his sight.

It was a man wearing a black robe. He looked a little gloomy, with his head slightly lowered, and his face was not clear.

But Gao De still recognized the other person at a glance.

It was the same wizard from the Principality of Ovoga who was looking for Elsa that I met at the front desk of the Palm Tree Hotel.

The other person's unusually long ears slightly showed from under the brim of his hat, which was so memorable and easy to recognize.

Gao De's heart was slightly moved, but his expression remained calm. He just smiled slightly, walked past the man without stopping.

Apparently, the wizard from the Principality of Ovoga no longer remembered Gao De.

He just looked around, searching for something, with barely perceptible anxiety and fatigue in his eyes.

"She clearly asked the hotel staff for information about the shipyards in the city. She must have wanted to escape to the sea. But why couldn't we get any information about her after asking around in all the shipyards in the city?" The man frowned.

"I have been squatting at the port for several days, but I have found nothing."

He raised his head again and looked at the sea full of ships: "Could it be that I am too late and she has already gone out to sea?"

"If she has really gone out to sea and left here, how can we find her again?"

"The [Heart of Xidian] is too important. How can I explain to the monarch if I cannot take it back?"

(End of this chapter)