Above the mage!

Chapter 376 A Dazzling Variety
"Okay, thank you for your help." Gao De took the parchment and the thick list of military merit exchange.

It is said to be one book, but in fact it should be two books, just packaged together.

"You're welcome." After handing the item to Gao De, the staff member left in a hurry.

Standing at the door, Gao De could not wait to open the parchment, the letter, and start to check.

The content is simple and clear:
"Second-class trainee wizard Gao De, during the mission to expel the water beasts in the Makoko area, discovered the truth behind the water beast incident and was awarded first-class merit;
After that, as a first-ring wizard, he bravely captured the second-ring wizard Aldridge, who was closely related to the water beast incident, and won the first and second-class merits again;
Considering that this is your first mission and you have performed so outstandingly, after comprehensive consideration, you will be awarded first- and second-class merit as an encouragement."

Just as Lieutenant Lei Sen said, there were three second-class merits.

After waiting for five days, I finally got it!
Gao De felt slightly happy and turned his gaze to the thick list of military merit redemption.

The military merit exchange list is officially produced by Sea Sentinel, which lists in detail the treasures that can be exchanged for military merits and the military merits required for exchange.

It is divided into three books, namely the first-class merit exchange list, the second-class merit exchange list and the third-class merit exchange list.

As the name suggests, the items on the first-class merit exchange list can only be exchanged for first-class merit, and so on.

These three military merit exchange lists are not given to you all at once. You will only "unlock" the corresponding military merit exchange list after you have obtained military merits of a certain level.

In addition, these three military merit redemption lists will be updated once a year.

The military merits required to redeem some of the more popular treasures may increase in price next year, while the prices of unpopular treasures that no one redeems may decrease.

Gao De obtained three second-class merits and two third-class merits in one mission this time, so he directly unlocked two redemption lists of second-class and third-class merits in one go.

He didn't even bother to go to Old Harlem Grocery Store. He immediately returned to his room and living room, closed the door, sat down, and opened the list of third-class merit exchanges with great interest.

The first page is the catalog and classification, and the categories are very detailed: magic plants, magic potions, spell formulas, extraordinary materials, extraordinary equipment, books, and miscellaneous items.
It has everything you need.

But most of them are low-end.

Because Gaode first turned to the spell recipe page that interested him the most, he took a quick glance and found that they were all common spell recipes, without a single rare spell recipe.

From this we can see the levels of the treasures listed on the third-class merit exchange list.

However, although they are all ordinary spell recipes, they happen to be the offensive spells that Gaode needs most.

——The authorities never sell combat spell formulas, so even though Gaode has mastered 27 first-ring spells so far, even if [Mage Armor] and [Shield] are included, there are only five combat-related spells in total.

Among them, there is only one attack spell, [Frozen Blade], and [Hunter's Mark] is a damage-enhancing spell and does not have the ability to directly cause damage.

This is considered to be extremely "biased".

The greatest strength of a mage lies in his omnipotence, not in fighting and destruction.

But as a sea sentinel mage, combat power is definitely the top priority, and I have to make up for my weak "subjects" as soon as possible.

Therefore, Gaode focused on the first ring of attack spells:

[Arrow of Pressure] (Transmutation, 1st level):

For the spell's duration (1 minute), this increases the weight and density of arrows fired from your bow or crossbow before they hit their target, then returns them to normal.

While you are affected by this spell, damage you deal with a bow or crossbow is treated as damage from a weapon that is more powerful than it actually is, as if it had fired an arrow one category larger than it actually is.

Only you benefit from this spell; if someone else attacks with your bow, the arrows will only deal damage appropriate to their size.

[Military merit required for exchange: Third-class merit*2]

[Arrow of Pressure] Gaode merely glanced at the spell effect and skipped it.

Obviously, this spell is suitable for mages who are good at archery.

And he didn't even have a bow, let alone archery.

Of course, it is not difficult to buy a bow. The key point is that archery requires hard practice and accumulation of time, as well as a certain level of talent. The threshold is too high.

For the sake of a first-level spell, would you spend a lot of time learning archery skills that you may not be able to master?
I can only say that there is no need for this.

Look down again.

[Blade of Pressure] (Transmutation, 1st Ring):

When you strike enemies with melee weapons, Pressure Blades increases their momentum and density.

When you cast this spell, the damage of all melee weapons you carry will be increased by one level compared to their actual size. For example, a medium-sized longsword will deal the damage of a greatsword due to the effect of Heavy Blade.

Only you can benefit from this spell.

Others using your weapon deal damage equal to the normal amount of damage dealt to them when they attack.

[Military merit required for exchange: Third-class merit*3]

A spell from the “Pressure” series with the same number as [Arrow of Pressure].

But Gaode did not glance over it like he did with the [Arrow of Pressure].

He really doesn't know how to use a sword.

But the problem is, he has the North Wind.

The original seventh-level Zhenbing Magic Weapon was placed there, and Gaode couldn't possibly abandon it.

He would not learn archery for the sake of a first-level spell, but he had no problem learning swordsmanship for the sake of [North Wind].

Besides, even if you don't know swordsmanship, using [North Wind] as a stun baton is a bit crude, but it is also a way to use it. At this time, you can add the spell effect of [Blade of Heavy Pressure].

You must learn this spell!
However, when Gaode glanced at the military merit exchange requirements, he was speechless for a moment.

Both belong to the heavy pressure series, the only difference is one arrow and one blade, but the military merit required to exchange the latter is one more third-class merit than the former.

Although it is understandable if you think about it carefully - it is obvious that the applicability of [Blade of Pressure] is far greater than [Arrow of Pressure]. Melee weapons are easier to get started with than bows and arrows, and their range is much larger than bows and arrows.

And even if you have not learned anything, you can at least chop and hammer people with melee weapons. But if you have not learned archery, you probably won't even know how to shoot an arrow with a bow, let alone be accurate.

Look again and look again.

The reward for the water beast expulsion mission in the Makoko area is only two third-class merits, which is exactly one third-class merit short of exchanging for the [Blade of Heavy Pressure].

Although he had three second-class merits, it was equivalent to thirty third-class merits.

But I haven’t looked at the second-class merit exchange list yet, and there is a high probability that there are rare spells on it.

Rare spells are definitely prioritized.

Besides, maybe there are more favorable options among the ordinary first-level attack spells?
Gao De folded the page recording [Blade of Heavy Pressure] as a mark and put it on the shortlist first. If there was any time left, he would go back and redeem it.

[Stone Fist] (Transmutation [Earth], 1st level):

This spell turns your hands into living stone for the spell's duration.

While you are under the effect of a spell, your unarmed strikes deal lethal bludgeoning damage, and your unarmed strikes ignore the hardness of an object to a certain extent.

[Military merit required for exchange: Third-class merit*2]

Gaode was deeply impressed by this spell, as it was exactly the spell used by Metis during the assessment.

This is just an ordinary spell, but in the hands of the opponent, it has an extremely powerful effect.

The strength of spells varies, but the same spell can have very different strengths in the hands of different mages. I will skip this. It is the bottom line for mages to use swords. Going into battle bare-chested is not a mage, but a warrior!

How could magic be such an inconvenient thing?

[Magic Missile] (Evocation, 1st Ring):

You create three shimmering darts of magical force, each striking a creature of your choice that you can see within range.

Each dart deals force damage to the target. All darts will hit the target at the same time, and you can specify that they hit the same target or hit several targets separately.

[Military merit required for exchange: Third-class merit*4]

Gao De took a deep breath.

The other spells are still worth discussing, but [Magic Missile] is a must-learn.

This spell is really too classic.

[Magic Missile] is to a first-level spell what [Fireball] is to a third-level spell.

Any mage of any combat school will not miss these two spells.

It can be called a "national-level" spell.

Just like no matter how picky an eater is, they won’t refuse a bowl of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

The military merits required for this exchange are really exorbitant.

Gaode knew that [Magic Missile] was extremely universal and had a wide audience, so many people would definitely redeem it.

According to the rules of the Sea Sentinel exchange list, it is an unspoken rule that popular treasures will increase in price next year.

But the problem is, it is reasonable for consumable items such as magic plants and magic potions to increase in price according to demand, but spell formulas are free of charge and can be copied hundreds of times in one go, so why do they do this?
Complaints may be complaints, but the redemption still needs to be done.

Looking down, [Electric Claw], [Water Stream], [Flash Blast], [Screech], [Burning Hands].
There are several pages full of evocation attack spells.

When it comes to dealing damage, evocation spells are second to none.

In addition, there are some scattered attack spells belonging to the necromancy system, illusion system, etc., such as [Weakness Ray] and [Colorful Jet].

After finishing the attack spells, Gaode looked at other spells.

Even if you don't necessarily want to exchange it now, it's good to learn about it first.

One good thing about spell recipes is that they are never out of stock.

As long as it appears on the military merit exchange list, unless there are special circumstances, the spell formula will continue to exist, unlike extraordinary materials and extraordinary equipment, which are often limited in time and quantity.

Not to mention, after quickly flipping through it, I did find some common first-level spells that interested me.

[Relentless Chase] (Transmutation, 1st Ring):

You enhance your body's ability to travel long distances. You expend half as much stamina during forced marches and rapid marches.

In addition, you ignore any fatigue from travel for the duration of the spell.

When the spell ends, you become fatigued. If already fatigued, you become exhausted.

[Military merit required for exchange: Third-class merit*2]

After temporarily marking the first-level spell formulas that interested him, Gao De did not look at any more high-level spells, but instead turned to the pages of the magic plant book.

Within this category of magical plants, the subdivisions are much more complex and diverse.

But in general, there are two main categories. One is the magical plants needed to refine potions, which are the cornerstones of potions. The other is the magical plants that can be eaten directly or used externally.

The second category of magic plants are actually somewhat similar to magic potions, and can bring various magic potion-like effects to the consumers.

In Gaode's opinion, the difference between it and magic potion is actually somewhat like the difference between Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

Magic Plant is a traditional Chinese medicine, which is often not as powerful and immediate as Western medicine. It has a long production cycle and is relatively expensive, but its medicinal properties are relatively mild and it will not be toxic.

Magic potion is Western medicine. Its main feature is that it has a strong effect and is easy to mass-produce. Its price is relatively much cheaper. Its disadvantage is that it has a strong medicinal property and will cause drug poisoning.

However, compared to magic potions, magic plants have a unique and incomparable advantage.

Those are some top-level magical plants that can truly be called "treasures from heaven and earth". They often contain mysterious and unique powers and have special effects that cannot be replicated by magic potions.

For example, the tears of Mandola, a fourth-level magic plant from the snow region that Gaode discovered on the Dandong Snow Peak, allowed him to awaken the Mandola Magic Eyes.

For example, the wolf-blood ginseng allowed him to condense a dozen drops of liquid mana in one breath.

These are things that potions cannot do.

Needless to say, the magic plants that appear on the third-class merit exchange list are mostly first-class magic plants, and the second-class magic plants are also mediocre and unremarkable varieties:

[Mermaid Comb] (First-level Magic Plant):

A kind of magical seaweed that exists in the sea, exuding vigorous vitality. Anyone who takes a portion of Mermaid Comb can temporarily gain the ability to breathe underwater like a mermaid, as if they were in the air, for 8 hours.

[Military merit required for exchange: Third-class merit*2]

[Observation Slime] (First-level Magic Plant):

Purple clay fungi grow deep in the lightless earth. If you apply their mucus to your eyes, you gain darkvision for 24 hours. If you already have darkvision, the range of your darkvision increases by 30 feet.

Be aware that frequent use of this magical plant can cause permanent purple spots to form on the skin around the user's eyes.

[Military merit required for exchange: Third-class merit*1]

The military merits required to exchange for a first-level magic plant generally range from third-level merit*1 to third-level merit*5. If you flip through the pages further, you will find higher-level second-level magic plants, third-level magic plants, fourth-level magic plants, and even fifth-level magic plants.

The military merit required for redemption is an astonishing third-class merit*500, which is quite exaggerated.

There are even more potions, some to assist in cultivation, some to heal injuries, some to cure diseases, some to detoxify, some to restore mana, some to increase status, and even some to enhance sexual performance.
The same is true for extraordinary materials. There are so many types that it is dizzying. They range from materials such as eyeballs and bones taken from earth vein creatures to naturally occurring minerals.

There are fewer extraordinary equipment, and even for the lowest level first-class extraordinary equipment, the military merits required to exchange it start from 5 third-class merits.

As for books and miscellaneous items, there are some curiosity-oriented ones, such as some ancient relics and ancient books of unknown purpose. They are not very practical, but it is possible to find treasures. They are more suitable for mages who have made great military achievements and have the leisure time to explore.

There are also high-level blood food for the growth of pets, unique secrets for breeding pets, analysis of earth vein creatures, and other miscellaneous books and items.

It is worth mentioning that it is estimated that only the Plantagenet Dynasty can provide so many ancient items for the Sea Sentinel Mages to exchange.

Because the Plantagenet dynasty is the oldest dynasty in the world.

The entire history of the human race begins with the appearance of the first eight-ring wizard, marking the dividing point between the ancient and medieval times.

The emergence of the first human dynasty, the Plantagenet dynasty, is used to distinguish the Middle Ages from the Modern Period.

Over the long years, the Plantagenet dynasty accumulated countless treasures and antiques. In terms of antiquities, it naturally owned the most and the most complete.

After quickly browsing the list of exchanges for third-class merit, Gao De immediately turned to the list of exchanges for second-class merit.

He wanted to see what good stuff was in here!

(End of this chapter)