Above the mage!

Chapter 451: Academic and Practical

Solon County, Rockwind Guard.
Gao De's eyes flickered, and he quickly went through the relevant information in his mind.

The South Coast Governorate administers four counties: Forth, Byrow, Solon and Etherland.

In terms of economy alone, Forth County is the leader of the four counties, and is therefore also the hub of the southern coastal region.

Solon County is the most economically backward of the four counties.

The reason is very simple. Although it belongs to the southern coastal hub, it is the only county among the four counties that is not on the coast.

At the same time, Soran County is backed by the Sword Mountains, and most of its territory is composed of valleys, passes, and high hills formed by the mountains. The river valley plains only occupy half of the territory.

This is rare in the entire Plantagenet Dynasty, and it is not related to either side. Only the Riuge County, which is far to the north of the Plantagenet Dynasty, has a terrain similar to that of Solon County:
The territory of Liuge County is mainly concentrated in the northern mountain highlands, and the river valley plains account for less than 10% of the land area, which is even more "miserable" than Solon County.

But Liuge County belongs to the Wang Mian family, the most glorious family of the Plantagenet dynasty except the royal family of Liszt.

In addition, there are a large number of mithril veins in the high mountains in the north of Liuge County.

Mithril is the best magic conductor among all the minerals discovered so far.

Magical equipment made of mithril is extremely powerful and valuable.

Thanks to the specialty of the mithril mine, Liuge County will never be poor.

Not to mention, among the highlands of the northern mountains, there lives the silver dragon bird, one of the symbols of the Plantagenet dynasty.

The Sword Mountains behind Solon County not only lack these specialties, but also have frequently appearing underground creatures that attack surrounding towns from time to time, affecting the economic development of Solon County.

As for the Rock Wind Guard, it is equivalent to the Sea Sentinel in Byro County and is the elite official mage organization of Soren County.

In fact, the entire Plantagenet dynasty had a total of thirteen counties, and each county had a similar mage organization under the vertical management of the Plantagenet dynasty.

They have different names and perform different tasks, but their fundamental nature is the same.

Both are elite combat mage organizations of the Plantagenet Dynasty. They gather mage talents from various counties for the Plantagenet Dynasty. Through a similar task system, they guard the counties while training these mages.

The three top mage corps of the Plantagenet Dynasty: the Sentinels of Light, the Vanguards of Justice, and the Silver Dragoons. Most of the mages in them were selected from these thirteen elite mage organizations.

This shows the importance of these elite wizard organizations to the Plantagenet dynasty.

Although Soran County has the weakest economy and the least developed among the four counties, their Rock Wind Guards are ranked first in comprehensive strength among the elite mage organizations of the four counties.

The reason is not complicated.

"Poverty, bad mountains and bad waters produce unruly people."

With the Sword Mountains at its back and the frequent appearance of underground creatures, the frequency and intensity of missions of the mages in Soran County are much higher than those in the other three counties.

Over the years, they developed a fierce "martial style". Not to mention the elite mages, even the ordinary mages in Soran County were one level higher in combat power than the mages in the other three counties.

So, what kind of person and what kind of appointment would make this official from the South Coast so serious that he even rejected the invitation to stay for dinner just to avoid wasting time, and would make Captain Merrick, a sea sentinel wizard, hear about it and show a look of understanding?

Gao De pondered subconsciously.

But he was just thinking about it, he would not ask questions without knowing the situation - it had nothing to do with him anyway, and too much gossip was always bad.

Captain Merrick personally escorted the middle-aged official to the door, then returned to the Mage Tower and said to God, "Colonel Grayling's banquet has been set. It's useless if it's empty. If you have nothing to do, come with me to the banquet later."

As a big shot from the southern coastal area, he naturally had the confidence to refuse the colonel's banquet.

Firstly, he was in the Sea Sentinel system and had to care about the attitudes and opinions of the people above him. Secondly, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling had promoted him, so he naturally had no reason to refuse such an invitation.

Besides, he is indeed free.

So, Gao De nodded immediately.

"Go get your identity badge, seal, uniform and other miscellaneous items first." Captain Merrick waved his hand and said casually.

There is no special awarding ceremony for the rank of warrant officer, but the replacement and receipt of equipment is still necessary.

The first thing is to replace the identity plate.

The front of the new warrant officer nameplate has an embossed Sea Sentinel badge, while the back is engraved with Gao De's full name and the date of commissioning.

The original sergeant's identification badge was recycled.

After replacing the new nameplate, the second floor area of ​​Haiyuan White Tower will also be open to him.

For Gaode, what is more important is that it can unlock more books.

In addition, new uniforms will be collected.

Of course, you can’t collect it immediately, but you have to measure and register at the supplies department first.

The fabric used for warrant officer uniforms is a more advanced water-rippled cloth, which has further improved waterproof and windproof properties and also has a certain protective effect. It can be said to be both beautiful and practical.

Such precious fabrics are used, and the uniforms are definitely not made in a few fixed sizes and then distributed according to height, but are tailor-made according to the different body sizes of different Sea Sentinel mages.

Gao De had his measurements taken by the old tailor and went to receive his warrant officer seal.

This is a new thing. Neither the trainee wizard nor the sergeant wizard has such a thing as a seal.

However, after the rank is promoted to warrant officer, one will have certain management rights, so he will be equipped with a seal.

However, because he is only the lowest level of lieutenant wizard, the seal he is equipped with is only the most basic conch seal, which can only be used for ordinary documents.

Although it is the most basic conch seal, the workmanship is not simple. It can even be said that the technical content is extremely high. It looks ordinary, but it is equipped with the Sea Sentinel's unique anti-counterfeiting mark, which ensures that no outsiders can make their own seals and use them for fraud.

The last step is to register and compile the files.

"Warrant Officer Gode, your salary will be adjusted to 100 Plantagenet coins per year. In addition, when the Warrant Officer Mage is out on a mission, the daily accommodation standard will be increased to 5 silver royalties, and there will also be an additional transportation allowance of 2 silver royalties and a meal allowance of 2 silver royalties per day."

After the staff member in charge of managing the archives finished making the list, he congratulated Gao De with a smile on his face.

When one reaches the rank of warrant officer, the salary that was originally just a token of appreciation suddenly becomes considerable.

A salary of 100 Plantagenet coins was equivalent to an annual salary of in the previous life.

It doesn’t sound like much, but the point is, this is a “guaranteed salary.” What is a guaranteed salary?

Even if you do nothing for a year, this salary will still be paid, which is equivalent to giving it for free.

It is in line with the nature of working within the system. The salary and benefits seem ordinary at first, and the cost performance is not high, but it gets better and better as you move up.

Although all the procedures went smoothly, it still took quite a while, and before I knew it, it was almost time for dinner.

Godard looked at the time and didn't dare to delay any longer. He left the White Tower of Haiyuan, hailed a carriage on the roadside, and rushed to Colonel Grayling's residence.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's residence was actually located in the Van Derlen district, rather than the Kensington district where the aristocrats gathered.

This was somewhat beyond Gao De's expectations.

But it is definitely not because they can't afford it. Even though the housing prices in Kensington are not cheap, it is not difficult for a sea sentinel wizard with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel Grayling to buy a mansion. It can only be said that everyone has different preferences.

Of course, the specific location of the mansion is in the best area of ​​​​the Fanzhuolun District, adjacent to the Yadan River.

The embankments on both sides of the Yadan River are continuous. On the left is the most famous wizard academy in Bailuo County, the Vanzhuolun School of Magic.

On the right bank are many luxury townhouses surrounded by carved iron fences.

From this perspective, the price of a mansion here may not be lower than that in the aristocratic area.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's residence is a three-story building with the exterior walls painted in classic Dorne red. There is a triangular pediment decoration above the main entrance and acanthus leaf patterns carved on the lintel.

A small Sea Sentinel badge was embedded above the bronze door knocker - the only symbol in the entire building that indicated the owner's identity as a Sea Sentinel mage.

Gao De got off the carriage in front of the mansion's gate, explained his identity and purpose to the servant who had been waiting at the door for a long time, and was then led into the mansion.

"The master is waiting for you in the study, please follow me." Walking through the gravel corridor, a butler in black uniform stood at the door.

His voice was low and restrained, and he took over the servant's work, leading Gode through the lobby covered with exquisite carpets, up the stairs, and to the study on the second floor.

The door of the study was half-open. The butler knocked gently on the door and then pushed open the carved wooden door.

In the study, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling and Captain Merrick were both there, drinking tea.

Also in the room was a beautiful lady in an ivory taffeta dress and a young man in a fitted blue bodysuit.

The tall floor-to-ceiling windows of the study face the Yadan River. At this moment, the setting sun dyes the river surface golden red. The sparkling light shines into the study through the hollow patterns of the lace curtains, and weaves into tiny spots of light on the precious carpet.

"petty bourgeoisie".

In this situation, Gao De subconsciously popped up a word that did not exist in the current world in his mind.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling sat in the center seat, and Captain Merrick sat in a slightly lower seat on the left, maintaining just the right angle of humility.

The beautiful lady's chair was at a 45-degree angle to the main seat, which allowed her to not overshadow the main seat while allowing her to naturally participate in the conversation. The young man leaned casually against the desk.

Judging from their seating arrangement and posture, the identities of the woman and the young man were obvious: they must be the wife and son of Lieutenant Colonel Grayling.

"Have you completed the process?" When Lieutenant Colonel Grayling saw Godd come in, he put the bone china teacup back on the silver tray, and the cup and saucer made a clear sound when they touched each other.

"We're done." Gao De replied while greeting.

"Sit down," he pointed to a seat nearby, "Don't be shy, you are a guest in my house."

"Let me introduce you, this is my beloved wife, Emily Laurent." After seeing Gode sit down, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling nodded to the side.

Madam Emily kept a perfectly distant smile on her face and nodded gently to Gode. The arc of her lips was precise and elegant. "Warrant Officer Gode, nice to meet you."

Then Lieutenant Colonel Grayling looked at the young man leaning against the desk and said, "This is my son, Theodore Laurent. He is currently studying at the Vanzolen School of Magic. You are four years younger than him."

Before the lieutenant colonel finished speaking, Theodore had already stood up, raised his chin, and raised the corners of his lips. His carefully groomed curly hair fell in front of his forehead, and he did not conceal the sharpness of his eyes.

"I have long heard of Warrant Officer Gao De's name. After all, it is rare for someone to be personally recommended by my father."

Godd did not care about the slight "hostility" revealed by Theodore, but was more concerned about his last name - Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's full name should be Grayling Poole, which means that Theodore actually took his mother's last name?

This is quite rare.

"Don't be rude," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling seemed dissatisfied with Theodore's words. He frowned slightly and reprimanded him. Then he explained to God, "Theodore has been studying at the Vanzolen School of Magic. His grades are quite good, so he is a little arrogant."

"Not just excellent, but in the top three." Theodore corrected seriously.

That should be the third one, Gao De thought in his heart.

"Yes, yes, but although Warrant Officer Gao De is younger than you, his ability is much stronger than yours."

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's tone was slightly doting, but his words were mainly for teaching: "Not only was Warrant Officer Goder promoted to a second-ring mage at the age of sixteen, but he also made many great achievements. When he was a first-ring mage, he defeated a second-ring mage. This kind of combat ability is not something that mages like you who graduated from an academy can compare to. Don't treat him like this just because he is younger than you."

"Sixteen-year-old second ring" Theodore was speechless when he heard this. He was promoted to the second ring just two or three months ago, and he was indeed not as talented as Gao De.

But he was still a little dissatisfied with the second half of the sentence, and muttered: "Who said that our academic mages can't beat your Sea Sentinel mages in actual combat."

Before Lieutenant Colonel Grayling could say anything, Lady Emily, who was stirring the tea in the cup with a silver spoon, paused for a moment and glanced at Goder's young face.

She spoke slowly, with a unique calm and noble tone: "Since you are so unconvinced, Warrant Officer Gode, if you don't mind, why don't you do me the honor of having a magic duel with Theodore before dinner starts, so that he can understand the gap between academic mages and practical mages like you."

"To prevent him from spending all day studying in the tiny space of Vanzolen School of Magic, and then becoming oblivious to the world outside after achieving some success."

There is actually such a scene waiting for me here. Gao De couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's eyes lit up slightly when he heard his wife's suggestion. He seemed to find it interesting and added, "Theodore was promoted to the second ring just three months ago, which means he was two months ahead of you, Warrant Officer Godd. We are evenly matched in terms of the mage level. It would be a good idea to have a sparring match with him. Just help me curb his arrogance."

Having said that, Gao De felt embarrassed to refuse.

Besides, it was just a playful exchange, not a big deal.

Therefore, he nodded and agreed immediately, looking around and asked, "I just don't know where is the best place to go for a fight?"

Not to mention a second-ring wizard, even a first-ring wizard's magic battle is capable of turning Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's mansion into ruins.

"I have a special French fighting arena in my mansion. The place is not very big, but it should be enough for a French fight of this level." Lieutenant Colonel Grayling stood up and laughed heartily.

(End of this chapter)