Above the mage!

Chapter 447 The dust has settled
After Merrick said this, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling finally reacted. Even though he had seen many big scenes, he was still stunned.

I almost forgot about this.
At the meeting, he personally made the following resolution:
First, Gao De's rank will be promoted to sergeant. If he can be promoted to a second-ring mage before the age of 20, he will be promoted to warrant officer.

If Gao De is promoted to the second ring after he is twenty years old, he will be promoted to sergeant as soon as he succeeds in being promoted to the second ring.

This resolution had already caused considerable controversy at the time.

The ranks of the sea sentinels are as follows: trainee wizard (second class, first class), sergeant wizard (corporal, sergeant, staff sergeant), warrant officer wizard
Warrant officer is a dividing line. Before warrant officer, everyone is still a soldier and is managed.

When you reach the rank of warrant officer, although it has the word "quasi" in it and is the lowest rank of lieutenant, it is still the beginning of entering the "management" level, which means a qualitative change from "being managed" to "participating in management".

Therefore, there is a threshold for a sergeant-level mage to be promoted to a warrant officer-level mage.

Many sea sentinel mages are stuck at the rank of warrant officer for a dozen or even dozens of years, or even stop there for life.

A twenty-year-old Warrant Officer Mage was the first of its kind in the Sea Sentinels in decades, so naturally this caused a lot of opposition.

However, all the objections at that time were defeated by Grayling with his great achievements.

And now, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling understood what it meant to shoot oneself in the foot.

According to his expectation, with the level of 24 drops of liquid mana that Gode had when he entered the Sea Sentinel, he would have to be at least or years old to become a second-ring mage.

Although the twenty-year-old Warrant Officer Mage was stunning, it was still within the reasonable range.

But now, one month after Gao De made the decision, he was promoted to the second ring so easily.

If Gao De was promoted to warrant officer as he said at that time, he would be a sixteen-year-old warrant officer mage.

This is an exaggeration.

It was four years faster than he expected.

After the age of 30, the difference of three or four years is basically negligible.

But before the age of 20, a one-year difference is already very significant.

There is only a four-year difference between sixteen and twenty years old, but the nature of the difference is completely different.

To put it bluntly, the twenty-year-old Warrant Officer Mage is only the youngest Warrant Officer Mage in the Sea Sentinel in the past few decades.

The sixteen-year-old Warrant Officer Mage is the youngest Warrant Officer Mage in the history of the Sea Sentinel. He is a record-breaking existence.
Lieutenant Colonel Grayling recalled in his mind and confirmed that there had never been a warrant officer wizard older than this age in the history of the Sea Sentinel.

That's too much.

Given his status and position, promoting a warrant officer was not a big deal.

But Lieutenant Colonel Grayling felt uneasy when he thought about asking him to personally promote the youngest warrant officer wizard among the Sea Sentinels.

This is just like Gao De's previous life, when he had the youngest mayor in history. Not only would this young mayor himself attract public attention and questioning, but even the local organization department that promoted the mayor through his appointment would receive the same attention and questioning, suspected of "hidden rules" and "illegal promotion" and so on.

This is the situation today.

Moreover, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling immediately thought of a case that happened in the Sea Sentinel.

More than 32 years ago, Major Jaden, known as the "Silver Blade", was promoted to major at the age of , becoming the youngest major in the Sea Sentinel in a hundred years. However, he later stabbed the dynasty in the back, and eventually the mages who recommended and approved Jaden's promotion to major were held accountable.

If he personally promoted the youngest warrant officer wizard in the history of the Sea Sentinel, and Godde's subsequent performance was not as treasonous as Wizard Jaden's, even if it was just mediocre, he would be criticized as the promoter.

Breaking with tradition also requires the ability to bear the possible consequences.

This is from your own perspective.

From Gaode's perspective, this is not just a promotion, but also a way of putting him on the spot.

Once he becomes the youngest warrant officer magician in the history of the Sea Sentinel, he will take over the most controversial label of "genius" in the entire Sea Sentinel system.

This label is both an honor and an "alchemical bomb" that may explode at any time.

Once Gao De's performance fails to live up to everyone's expectations of the youngest warrant officer mage of the Sea Sentinel, public opinion will be ignited.

And it's not just within the Sea Sentinel system. With the influence of the Sea Sentinel, mages throughout the Dorne region will begin to know and pay attention to Gode.

In other words, it will "go out of the circle".

Even if he is willing to make such a promotion, the question is whether Gaode dares to take on such a "hot potato"? Can it take it?

All kinds of thoughts flash through my mind, but in fact, time only passes in a flash.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling quickly recovered from his daze and said to Captain Merrick, "The nature of this matter is different again. We need to consider it carefully."

After all, the decision to promote Gao De was made in a formal meeting in front of everyone, so it was not easy for him to just say that it did not count.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling thought for a moment and then said, "Call Goder over here and let me see what he thinks."

"Okay." Captain Merrick nodded and left the room.

He was a smart man and roughly understood the other party's thoughts from Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's reply.

after an hour.

Captain Merrick brought Gold to the door of Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's office again.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door, and instructions came from inside.

Captain Merrick pushed open the door, turned slightly, and motioned for God to follow him in.

The office is filled with the scent of cedar incense and high-end ink.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling sat behind a long walnut table, with a crossed staff embroidered on his collar. He was reviewing documents, and the rustling sound of his pen tip scratching across the paper could be clearly heard.

He quickly put down the last stroke, then raised his head and looked at Gao De in front of him.

"Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling." As soon as he entered the office, Gode saluted Lieutenant Colonel Grayling.

On the way here, Captain Merrick had already given Gold a preliminary introduction to Lieutenant Colonel Grayling, including the fact that he was able to become a sergeant due to Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's promotion.

Knowing this relationship, Goder still had a good impression of Lieutenant Colonel Grayling when he met him for the first time.

"You've been promoted to the second ring at the age of sixteen. Not bad, not bad. I'm lucky to have a talented mage like you appear under my command."

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling praised Gao De as soon as he opened his mouth. Without waiting for Gao De's reply, he gestured, "Take a seat first."

Goder sat down beside Captain Merrick.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling did not rush to speak, but took out a silver-plated tea can from an ebony cabinet beside him. The can was embossed with the coat of arms of the Dorne Chamber of Commerce.

"This is Darjeeling spring-picked tea shipped from the Central Plains." He tapped the can with his fingertips and only introduced the name of the tea without elaborating on how precious it was.

But God noticed that when Lieutenant Colonel Grayling scooped out the tea leaves with a copper tea spoon, there were tiny golden buds among the dark brown leaves - this was the "gold tip" grade that only nobles had in their private collections. Lieutenant Colonel Grayling put the tea leaves into a pure silver teapot, the spout of which was designed in the shape of a lion, which was extremely extraordinary.

Then take boiling water from the kettle beside and slowly pour it into the teapot. The water flows in the form of thin silver lines, stirring up amber foam.

"A wizard needs to stay mentally sharp, so tea is more suitable than cocoa." Grayling also sat down and said as he used a silver filter spoon to serve the tea.

He filled each cup of tea to exactly 70% full - this was the Plantagenet nobles' code of hospitality of "neither too much nor too little".

The edge of the porcelain cup is painted with the Sea Sentinel emblem and the cup holder is made of walnut.

"Would you like some sugar?" Lieutenant Colonel Grayling pushed over a sugar bowl inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which contained cubes of sugar and a silver plate of fresh cream.

Merrick nodded, added two lumps of sugar to his glass, and stirred it with his gilded key.

Tea, an imported product from the Middle Court Continent, quickly became popular among the upper class on the Norlan Continent for its unique and excellent taste.

However, the method of drinking has also been localized. According to the local people's taste, it is often necessary to add sugar, cream and even salt to the tea.

The original way of drinking it does not suit the taste of people in Nolan Continent.

But the country where Gao De lived in his previous life also happened to be the birthplace of tea, and the way of drinking it was the purest way of drinking it in the Central Courtyard Continent. This kind of tea with a lot of seasonings added was naturally heresy in his eyes.

So he shook his head, took the porcelain cup, raised it and took a sip.

The tea soup tastes slightly astringent at first, with a hint of smokiness in the aftertaste, which is a bit weird.

But Gaode didn't have time to savor the strange taste.

Because a refreshing fragrance rushed straight into his nostrils, and a sense of clarity fell into his stomach, as if brushing away all the restlessness in his heart, making his whole body feel a little lighter.

"Good tea." Gao De couldn't help but sigh, feeling refreshed and his energy and spirit were nourished.

"Drinking this Darjeeling spring-picked tea can restore energy without any side effects. It is really a great thing to deal with the hard work of paperwork." Captain Merrick said half-sighing and half-explanatory.

Gao De's heart moved slightly.

Tea tree, it’s also a tree!
If we can get the Darjeeling spring-picked tea tree species, why not try to develop the tea industry in the north?
As far as he knew, tea from the Central Courtyard Continent was very valuable on the Nolan Continent.

Transporting tea from the Zhongting Continent to the Nolan Continent requires crossing the ocean. Not only is the traffic and transportation cost extremely high, but it also has to pass through the Noliujia Strait controlled by Linhai City and pay customs duties to Linhai City.

If the tea industry can be developed in the North, given the distance between the North and the Plantagenet Dynasty, the traffic and transportation costs can be reduced to one-third of the original, or even lower.

And they don’t have to go through the “Gate of the Sun” of Linhai City, and don’t have to let Linhai City take a share of the profits.

With such cost advantage in hand, why worry about lack of sales?
Thinking of this, Gao De seemed to have seen a shining path to wealth.

But now he was just thinking about it.

Although it is feasible in theory, there are still many shackles, and now is not the time to fantasize about business opportunities.

A dignified lieutenant colonel wizard treated him with such high-quality tea, which obviously meant something important.

Thinking of this, Gao De was already sitting upright.

"The main reason I called you here is that I have something to tell you." On this side, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling also took a sip of tea, put down the porcelain cup, and finally got to the point.

He did not hide anything. He explained the whole process and his concerns to Gao De one by one, but he selectively omitted the pressure and worry that he had to bear as a promoter.

Big shots also need it, or should be said to need face more.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling wanted to "go back on his word", but the reason could not be that he was a "turtle", but that Gode was afraid and he was considering Gode.

"That's the situation. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. A sixteen-year-old warrant officer wizard is too conspicuous. You will be under a lot of pressure. Many people will focus on you, paying attention to your every move, and have unreasonable demands and expectations of you."

"With your talent, you will definitely have a bright future as a sea sentinel. There is really no need to rush for promotion."

"So, if you need, I can postpone your promotion for a few years. When you are nineteen or twenty years old, I will start the promotion. By then, your pressure will not be as great as it is now."

"What do you think?" Lieutenant Colonel Grayling told Goder his thoughts as well as the pros and cons.

This is the best solution. Postponing the promotion to warrant officer for a few years will not be considered a slip of the tongue, nor will it cause Gao De to suffer any loss, and it will also avoid the huge pressure of that day.

Born a wandering beggar, Gao De has worked hard all the way to achieve what he has today. He must be very cautious and steady in dealing with things. Knowing the pros and cons, he will definitely agree without hesitation.

As he thought, Gao De answered without even a moment's hesitation.

But the answer was completely opposite to what he thought.

"Thank you for your care, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling, but I have never been afraid of pressure, so there is no need to go through so much trouble." Gode said.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling opened his lips. He didn't expect the plot to develop like this.

He was surprised, but for a person like him, not showing his emotions is a basic quality, so he immediately nodded with a very calm emotion, "Okay, I understand."

Then he waved his hand and let Gao De leave.

When Godel left, Captain Merrick couldn't help asking, "Lieutenant Colonel Grayling, what?"

"Since he is not afraid, then we should follow the original decision," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling seemed to have figured something out and said calmly, "His military merits are more than enough to be promoted to a warrant officer. His strength of a sixteen-year-old second ring also meets the requirements. Everything is in accordance with procedures and rules."

Captain Merrick was stunned for a moment, then he understood what was going on.

"What do you think of him?" Colonel Grayling asked again with interest.

“I didn’t have much contact with him, but I was impressed by his resume.

His origin and experience are extremely bizarre. He was able to walk all the way from a small local medicine garden to our Plantagenet Dynasty as a wandering beggar. Needless to say, his determination is strong, so it is not surprising that he would answer like this today. "

Captain Merrick carefully recalled the background check on Godd at that time, and then said: "In our investigation at that time, Godd was adopted by an old wizard when he was a beggar and used for drug testing. His life and death were not in his own hands. Later, the old wizard suddenly disappeared, and he was lucky to escape this disaster. At that time, we all thought that it was likely that the old wizard died of old age."

"After all, he was just a young apprentice at the time. How could he have the ability to resist an old wizard?"

"But now, considering his performance after joining the Sea Sentinels, I think it is more likely that the old wizard died in the resistance of Gord."

"This kid's use and understanding of magic, as well as his combat power are beyond the reach of ordinary mages. He may be able to defeat the strong with the weak." He sighed.

"I haven't thought enough about it. When he was a child, he had already faced the pressure of life and death. How could he be afraid of such pressure now?" Lieutenant Colonel Grayling also thought that he had seen through God's character and felt that his decision was very reasonable.

"That's good. For someone with a strong character like him, this kind of pressure will actually promote his progress."

"Just promote him to warrant officer as I said. Here is the promotion document. I have already signed it."

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling used the magician's hand to take the document he had reviewed when Godd and Merrick just came in, and handed it to Merrick.

"Yes." Captain Merrick took the document and responded quickly.

(End of this chapter)