Above the mage!

Chapter 418: Oakland Honorary Mage

The wind network disappeared, and the howling gale was no longer there.

But the capsized warship could not be saved.

There were nearly fifty warships when they set out, but now, only twenty-seven warships are still safe and sound. Nearly half of the warships were destroyed in the previous battle.

These sunken ships were all warships. They were incomparable to ordinary cargo ships in terms of labor, materials and scale, and were extremely expensive to build.

More than twenty ships were lost at once, and the economic losses were difficult to bear even for the city of Auckland.

This is still second.

Compared with the economic losses, the sacrifice of the mages was what really hurt the vitality of the city of Oakland.

Although the wind elemental creatures did not have much killing intent towards the mages, and did not chase them when the boat capsized, the casualty rate of the mages was still extremely high in such a large-scale battle.

It is not possible to calculate the exact figures at the moment, but a rough estimate is that the casualty rate is probably between one quarter and one third.

Although the effect of the Mage Assembly Call is mandatory and free of charge, when the mission is over, the authorities must provide corresponding pensions and compensation to the injured or killed mages.

Even necessary rewards are indispensable, otherwise the official reputation will be ruined in the future.

However, this is all after returning to Auckland.

The mages who were still alive on the warships acted quickly and first pulled the mages who had fallen into the water onto the boats.

This means that the carrying capacity of each ship exceeds the theoretical capacity by more than half, and the warships suddenly become crowded.

However, it is only less than 200 kilometers away from Auckland City, so it is not a big deal to squeeze in for half a day.

After "rescuing" the wizard who fell into the water, the official wizards jumped into the water again to search for expensive accessories on the sunken warship, such as power alchemy machines.

Gaode put the dumpling back into the capybara bag, went with the flow, and followed the crowd to a nearby warship.

The salty sea water dripped down the corners of my clothes.

Gao De quickly cast [Dancing Wind] to quickly dry his clothes, otherwise they would be wet and stick to his body, which would be really uncomfortable.

Unexpectedly, just as my underwear was drying, a high-level wizard from the Crown of Thorns came over.

Water was still dripping from the other person's cuffs embroidered with silver runes.

"Are you Master Gaode?" Under the guidance of the mage on the boat, he came to Gaode and asked in a low voice.

Gao De was puzzled, but nodded anyway.

"Please follow me, someone is here to see you." After confirming Gao De's identity, the Mage Gao Huan said politely.

The other party was so polite that Gao De couldn't find any reason to refuse the summons and could only nod again.

The high-level mage stretched out his right hand and gently patted Gaode's shoulder.

Rich magical power flowed out from the palm of his hand and instantly enveloped Gode's entire body.

A feeling of lightness arises spontaneously, as if the whole person has turned into a feather, and even the breathing gives the illusion of rising bubbles.

【Flying technique】

"You come with me."

Then, the high-level wizard rose into the air, his robes rustling in the wind, and flew towards the Crown of Thorns not far away.

His body was slightly leaning forward, his legs together, his posture graceful and smooth.

Gao De tried to let go of his body and float upwards, and he actually flew up.

But the sudden feeling of weightlessness still made him feel a little uncomfortable. His body tilted backwards uncontrollably and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Gao De quickly took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and felt the magic flowing through his body.

Then, he followed the movement of the magic power to control his body, imitating the posture of a high-level wizard, leaning forward slightly, and quickly pulled his body back.

The shaking deck below quickly became smaller, and the sound of whistling wind filled my ears.

Gao De caught up with the high-level mage who was waiting for him in front. His tense body quickly relaxed and was replaced by excitement.

The novelty brought by flying made his heart beat faster, and overlooking the vast ocean and warships below, he had an even more strange feeling.

When he reached the sky above the Crown of Thorns, the high-level mage placed his arms tightly against his sides and dived down at an extremely fast speed, his body drawing a straight trajectory in the air.

When he was still several meters away from the deck, he spread his arms, adjusted his body posture, and dramatically slowed down his descent, and finally landed steadily on the deck.

Gao De dived down imitating his posture and movements.

The scenery in front of him quickly moved up and enlarged, and the strong acceleration brought a greater sense of excitement. Finally, he landed on the deck like a high-level wizard.

However, because it was my first time flying, I didn't feel so relaxed. I didn't control my speed well enough when landing, which brought a certain impact force and caused my knees to bend slightly.

Regardless of his slightly numb legs, Gao De was still immersed in excitement.

The feeling of flying into the sky on a means of transportation is completely different from flying naked into the sky by yourself. It makes your adrenaline surge and the experience is so good that you will be addicted after just one experience.

It’s a pity that [Flying] is a third-level spell.

But he is still only a first-ring mage, and he still has a long way to go before he can fly by his own ability.

After landing on the deck of the Crown of Thorns, before Gode could take a close look at the layout of this giant Auckland warship, the high-level mage who was leading the way had already taken Gode inside.

Pass through the middle deck filled with the smell of gunfire and go down along the spiral staircase.

After turning a few more arched hatches, the planks underfoot turned into polished black walnut, and a mixed scent of ink and beeswax wafted in the air.

Finally, the two stopped in front of an oak door.

The Guide Wizard raised his hand and touched the knocker on the door.

"Come in."

A voice that Godel was slightly familiar with was heard from inside.

Before he could think about it, the guiding wizard opened the door for him and made a gesture of invitation.

Gao De stepped in subconsciously, but the wizard who led the way did not follow him in, but closed the door again.

There is a large space inside the door. In the center is an oval oak conference table with a movable sand table embedded in the center of the table.

There was a blue light mist above the sand table, and the shadows of miniature warships were swaying in the light mist.

Gao De took a quick look and came up with the number 27, which exactly matched the number of surviving warships in the fleet.

There were two people sitting in front of the conference table.

Gao De was very familiar with both of them. They were Earl Roland who issued the call for the mages to assemble and Auckland's chief mage Theodore.

"That green spirit that entered the wind network, is it your phantom spirit?" Count Roland, who had been in a high position for a long time and had an extraordinary bearing, looked extremely kind at this moment. When he saw Gode coming in, he said in an extremely gentle voice.

Gao De, who had just been welcomed aboard the Crown of Thorns, found that the people who summoned him were the two most powerful people in Auckland. He was a little confused and could not figure out the situation, so he could only nod.

The phantom's excuse came from his own mouth and could not be denied.

Although I am a little confused about their intentions, they will not destroy the bridge after crossing it, right?
Seeing Gode nod, Count Roland and Master Theodore looked at each other, and then nodded in tacit understanding.

"This time the Fengluo crisis was resolved without any danger, and it was really thanks to your phantom." Count Roland continued.

There is no politeness in this sentence.

If the Storm Soul had not appeared, the final winner would definitely be the Wind Dragon.

When he thought of this, Count Roland felt a little scared.

Faced with Count Roland's solemn attitude, Gode didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Could it be that I am really the protagonist? Even at the first moment, this thought inappropriately crossed his mind.

Not only others, he himself did not expect that the final victory or failure of a war of this magnitude would not only be related to him, a first-ring mage, but also to a heavyweight relationship.

When Goder was silent, Count Roland's eyes showed that it was just as he expected. He paused and said softly, "Master Goder, Master Theodore and I both know that you must be feeling bad right now."

Gaode actually still didn’t react: We won the war, why should I feel bad?
"The phantom must be extremely important to a mage, but now it has been annihilated in the energy torrent along with the wind elemental dragon. This must be a huge blow to you."

Here, Count Roland continued to speak: "But don't worry, your phantom sacrificed himself for the city of Auckland. We will all remember this."

"You are the biggest contributor to Auckland's safe passage through the Fengluo crisis this time. We will never let you shed blood and tears and disappoint you."

"We will give you the greatest compensation and gratitude. After preliminary discussions between Master Theodore and I, we plan to grant you the title of Honorary Master of Auckland after we return to Auckland. With this title, you will enjoy the most honorable treatment in the Auckland area.

In addition, Master Theodore and I will jointly report your contribution in this mission to the Sea Sentinel, and apply for as many military merits as possible for you in the Sea Sentinel."

Now Gao De finally understood everything.

It turned out that Count Roland and Mage Theodore mistakenly believed that the Storm Soul had died in the final outburst of energy.

It’s no wonder that Gaode’s response was slow.

If the Storm Soul was really a phantom, it would definitely die in the energy torrent.

The problem is that the Storm Soul is not an apparition, but just a wilderness soul summoned by [Wild Alertness+].

But only Gaode himself knows the truth about this matter.

This also led to the difference in his cognition with others.

"Alas," Gao De sighed, trying to hold back his discomfort, and said righteously, "I just did what every Sea Sentinel Mage should do in that situation."

"The situation was urgent at the time and I didn't have time to think too much. I just wanted to do my best to help. I believe that if others had the ability, they would definitely lend a hand like me."

"Fortunately, the special expertise I awakened when I was promoted to the first ring gave my phantom some special abilities, so I can help in this battle."

"Although the price was high, I don't regret my decision. If I had to do it again, I would still do it the same way."

Count Roland and Master Theodore were both stunned for a moment by Gode's "righteousness".

It always feels like something is wrong, but it also feels like it's so right.
"Master Gaode is indeed worthy of being a Sea Sentinel Mage. I admire your beliefs, spirit, and moral qualities."

"You are too kind, Lord Roland," Goder said modestly. After a moment of "hesitation," he asked, "What duties does this honorary mage of Oakland have to perform?"

Count Roland smiled slightly and said, "Master Gaode, don't worry. Honorary Mage is just a title. There will be no restrictions on you."

He raised his voice a little: "But there are many benefits, including the right to vote on some major policies of Oakland, such as the expansion plan of the port, the implementation of urban planning, and the opening of the mine.
Of course, you are not required to attend the meeting and vote. If you are not available to attend the meeting, you can delegate your vote to someone else. If you do not delegate your vote, we will assume that you have abstained from voting. "

Gao De nodded slightly.

It may seem like just a simple voting right and insignificant, but he understands that this power is actually very important.

Because under the Plantagenet dynasty, the voting rights for major city policies were only in the hands of a few nobles and high-ranking wizards.

And these policies often involve huge interests.

Therefore, in order to win his vote, one can foresee "treatment" from other nobles, including but not limited to means of wooing and exchange of interests.

These are implicit and long-term benefits.

“Also, in terms of commerce, as an honorary mage, your merchant ships are exempt from paying customs duties within Auckland;

You can be exempted from stamp duty when purchasing a shop; we will give priority to providing you with the best quality raw materials including oak, iron ore, etc.

Even with the title of Honorary Mage, you can get a large unsecured loan from our Oakland Gold Bank."

“In short, although Honorary Mage is just a title and cannot give you substantial property or title rewards, you can enjoy treatment that is basically equivalent to that of local nobles in all areas of Auckland with this title.

In addition, you do not need to fulfill too many duties and obligations, just make sure you do not do anything that would bring disgrace to Auckland as the Honorary Mage of Auckland. "

"I am really excited and terrified by the Earl's kindness. The title of honorary mage is so precious. Will you grant me a first-ring mage?" Gao De had already agreed in his heart, but he still frowned with a little "worry" on the surface.

"Master Gode, there is no need to refuse." Count Roland raised his hand to interrupt Gode's words, the ruby ​​ring on his finger sparkling. "Your contribution in the defense of Oakland this time is worthy of any praise."

"The honorary mage is given to you based on your contribution, and has nothing to do with your own mage level."

Gao De lowered his head in contemplation, then slowly raised his head after a moment, his eyes flashing with determination, "In that case, I am willing to accept this honor."

As soon as these words were spoken, smiles appeared on the faces of the two dignitaries at the same time.

What followed was a round of meaningless greetings and courtesies, and then, seeing that the atmosphere had cooled, Gao De took his leave.

They did not let Gode return to his original warship, but directly arranged a single room for Gode on the Crown of Thorns.

There were no further setbacks and the fleet returned safely to the Port of Auckland.

The authorities still needed to count the losses and consumption, so these recruited mages had nothing else to do and were disbanded on the spot.

After a busy day of such high-intensity marching and fighting, everyone was exhausted and needed a good rest, even Gaode was no exception.

So even if the disaster is not over yet, that will be tomorrow's matter. The most important thing now is to get a good night's sleep and recuperate.

Because Typhoon Megi had just ended, many hotels suffered losses or closed down. Gao De searched for a long time before he found a hotel that was open and booked a single room.

After closing the door, Gaode did not wash up and rest the first thing, but activated the spell model of [Wild Alertness +].

A wave of magical power flashed by.

A green figure appeared in the room.

(End of this chapter)