Above the mage!

Chapter 459 [The Art of Prophecy]

Who is behind this?

This is a question that Gaode has been pondering since the attack.

To be honest, after carefully reviewing his experiences after arriving at the Plantagenet Dynasty, he realized that there was really no one he could call a life-or-death feud.

The nobles in Lagos City, because of the water beast incident, certainly disliked him and had a grudge against him. They would definitely take any opportunity to kick him while he was down and trip him up.

But to say that he went to great lengths and took huge risks, crossing cities just to take his life, would be an exaggeration.

The Burns family also had a rift with him, but it wasn't to this extent.

Of course, some things are beyond reason.

Because human nature often cannot be measured by common sense.

Gaode quickly gave up thinking about it.

Often, attacks are not motivated by hatred, but rather by conflicts of interest.

Whether it's his performance as a Sea Sentinel or the title of Honorary Mage of Auckland that he's about to receive, there's a possibility that he might inadvertently create a significant conflict with the interests of certain individuals.

This conflict led them to take desperate measures.

In reality, it is very likely that he was a complete stranger to the mastermind behind the scenes.

Therefore, it is difficult to find the answer by simply guessing the mastermind behind the scenes based on one's own social circle.

The only thing we can do now is see if the mages in Auckland can make any progress in their tracking.

In addition, we need to start paying attention to concealing our whereabouts in future operations.

The Sea Sentinel uniform is so useful in Barrow County that when he goes out on missions, Godd wears it casually to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Perhaps we can't do that anymore in the future. We should be more discreet, like the protagonists in traditional novels, and "wear fine clothes and walk in the dark."

Despite having just experienced a terrifying attack and with danger still looming, Gao De quickly calmed down.

The fact that the other party chose the Killing Vine method and launched the attack on an empty street shows that the mastermind behind the scenes still has many concerns and has not yet reached the point of being completely insane.

Therefore, it is unlikely that they will strike again, at least in the midst of the uproar following the failed attack.

Especially in downtown Auckland, it would be even less likely that he would commit violence.

Since that's the case, Gaode might as well just relax and take it easy.

He first booked a standard suite at a hotel in the most bustling area of ​​downtown Auckland and carefully placed the magic tree seed given to him by Adrian. Because of the omen of the [Ninja Body], he had ample time to react, so the magic tree seed did not suffer any damage.

He then went to a nearby magic supplies shop.

He had not collected all the materials needed for the two second-circle spell potions, [Calm Mind] and [Bear's Resilience], in Dorne.

Now that I've come to Auckland, I naturally want to do some research.

Dorne is the county seat of Barrow County and is the most prosperous city.

However, magical materials are highly regional and cannot be determined solely by the prosperity of a city.

Just like many ice elemental materials, which are nowhere to be found in the bustling city of Dorne, but are commonplace in the backward city of Phoenix.

This time it went exceptionally smoothly. After visiting five or six magic material shops, he collected all the magic materials he needed without missing a single one.

Aside from being able to buy materials at the listed price in large magic material stores, Gaode still uses the "Perceive Emotion+" feature to negotiate prices in smaller magic material stores. This usually saves him dozens of Golden Flower Coins.

The final total cost was less than three hundred gold coin.

This immediately eased Gao De's slightly depressed mood caused by the Killer Vine attack.

After returning to the inn with the materials he had purchased, he brewed two spell potions in one pot and then began his daily practice and the construction of spell models.

Blacksmith need its own hardware.

Rather than hoping that Auckland would find out who was behind it as soon as possible, he felt that improving his own strength was a more prudent approach.

In a conference room in downtown Auckland.

The atmosphere was solemn.

At the head of the table sat Earl Roland, the lord of Auckland.

He looked at everyone present and slowly said, "The Venerable Master Gaode, who came to participate in tomorrow's Honorary Mage title conferment ceremony, was attacked today in our Auckland city by a Killing Vine at the early stage of the third tier."

"A level three early-stage Killing Vine, within the city?!"

Theodore, the chief mage of Auckland who shared the same name as Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's son, suddenly looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"Who is so audacious?"

One of the chief mage's major responsibilities is to guard the city of Auckland.

The appearance of such a ferocious creature within the city is a provocation against him.

With his knowledge, he could tell in an instant that this was no accident; the Killer Vine could not have quietly infiltrated the Auckland city area, it could only have been placed there by someone.

"We can't know for now. The Killer Vine has no intelligence. Even if it's still alive, let alone completely dead, we can't get much information from it," Earl Roland said.

"How is Master Gaode now? Is his injury serious?" Chief Theodore asked with a furrowed brow.

“It’s not serious,” Earl Roland said, spreading his hands. To be honest, he was indeed shocked by his subordinate’s report, and even after some time, he still felt it was too exaggerated. “Because he wasn’t injured at all. By the time our guardian mages arrived, the killer vine had already been killed by the high-ranking mage.”

"Killed by a high-ranking mage? This is a level three early-stage killing vine, are you sure?!"

Chief Theodore was already aware of Gao De's past achievements, who was about to become the Honorary Mage of Auckland. He knew that Gao De's combat power was astonishing, and that he had the incredible feat of defeating a second-ring mage when he was a first-ring mage.

I also know that Gaode successfully advanced to the second ring road at the age of sixteen half a month ago.

But this is a level three Killer Vine!
His questions were twofold: to confirm whether the Killing Vine was killed by Gao De, and to confirm whether the Killing Vine was indeed of the third rank.

“Yes, I’m even more certain that we can’t possibly be mistaken about the grade of this Killing Vine,” Earl Roland affirmed.

At that moment, not only Chief Theodore, but everyone present exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with astonishment.

They were all prominent figures in Auckland, with high-level mages and great self-confidence, considering themselves to be among the best of their kind.

However, having just entered the second ring, he slew a Killing Vine at the early stage of the third tier. I ask you, who among those present would dare say they could have done such a thing at their current mage level?

Is this the youngest warrant officer mage in the history of the Sea Sentinels?
Many people initially thought this title was nothing special.

The main reason Gao De was able to obtain this title was due to the remarkable effect of his phantom spirits when he went to conquer the secondary plane.

However, this was not due to his strength, nor could his strength be discerned. It can only be said that his phantom spirit was extremely peculiar, and it just so happened to coincide with the special circumstances at the time, which can be considered a bit of a coincidence.

Furthermore, the title of warrant officer is neither low nor high. Being the youngest in history sounds impressive, but with the qualifier "warrant officer," the prestige of these important figures drops significantly.

It's like in the world of basketball, a junior high school student who is the strongest ever has emerged.

This title is incredibly intimidating to junior high and even high school students in the same grade, but for professional basketball players, it's nothing to worry about; they're simply not on the same level.

But now that they know Gaode's latest achievements, they dare not underestimate Gaode anymore.

The Killer Vine is indeed devoid of intelligence, making it one of the weakest of the third-tier creatures.

Even if it's weak, it's still a third-tier creature!

Gao De, however, is a rookie second-ring mage who has only been promoted for less than a month.

With such a huge level difference, how did Gaode manage to turn the tables?
Moreover, according to the monks guarding the scene, Master Gaode didn't even have any injuries.

Not just a victory, but a complete triumph?

"How can his combat power be so strong?" Someone at the scene finally couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, a mixture of question and praise.

“According to the Guardian Mage, the Killing Vine died from the damage caused by the extreme cold. That extreme cold was beyond the capabilities of a second-circle spell; it must have been a gift from his specialization when he advanced to the second circle,” Earl Roland made the most reasonable judgment, and then steered the conversation back on track.

"The focus now is not on marveling at Master Gaode's achievements, but on figuring out how to find the mastermind behind the attack on the Killing Vine."

"In Auckland, they ambushed Master Gao De, whom I personally invited. This has seriously crossed the line and is a provocation against our government."

"If we can't find the mastermind behind this as soon as possible and give Master Gaode an explanation, what will become of Auckland's reputation?" Earl Roland's expression was very serious, stating that this matter was not only related to Gaode, but also to the reputation of the entire city of Auckland.

“But this is a killer vine! There’s no way we can get any information from it. The person behind this must have known this before using the killer vine to launch the attack,” a mage said helplessly.

The others nodded in agreement with his opinion.

Compared to other ley line creatures of the same level, the Killer Vine has almost no advantages. Its combat power is at the bottom of its level, and it cannot distinguish between friend and foe. It will only attack any creature within its range without thinking, and it has no combat intelligence. Even if it succeeds, it will not run away.

However, its lack of intelligence ensures that it will never reveal information about the mastermind behind the scenes.

Therefore, finding the real culprit behind this is extremely difficult.

"The only way is to rely on the [Prophecy] spell." Chief Theodore pondered for a moment before slowly offering his opinion.

“[Prophecy] is a good idea, but it seems that no one among our Auckland mages knows this spell?” Earl Roland’s face lit up slightly upon hearing this, and then he thought of this matter again.

[Prophecy] Although it is only a fourth-circle spell, it is an extremely rare spell.

More importantly, one of the main ingredients required for its spell potions is even rarer than its spell recipe.

Its spell model is also among the most difficult to construct in the fourth-circle spells.

These factors combined have resulted in very few people possessing the spell of divination.

“I know a mage who has mastered the art of divination. I’ll try to see if I can ask him to come and help,” Chief Theodore said slowly.

Since he proposed this plan, he must have been prepared for it.

“Then I’ll have to trouble Mage Theodore,” Earl Roland said hastily.

Gao De was naturally unaware that Auckland would take his attack so seriously and hold such a high-level discussion about it.

He had already temporarily put the attack behind him and focused on his own affairs.

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the title conferment ceremony arrived.

After washing up and putting on his crisp sea ward warrant officer uniform, he had breakfast at the hotel. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw the Auckland officials who had been waiting at the door for a long time.

“Master Gaode, we are sent by Earl Roland to take you to the title conferment ceremony. Please follow me; the carriage is waiting.” The leading official stepped forward and said. He had shiny curly hair and wore a silver chain badge with the emblem of Auckland.

When Gaode looked up, he saw a three-horse carriage decorated with gold leaf parked on the road.

The ceremony for bestowing the title of Honorary Mage in Auckland is of extremely high caliber.

A week earlier, Count Roland had already issued a proclamation to the whole city, announcing the name and achievements of the recipient, Gaudí, and posting it in the town square and at the entrance of the town hall, and sending a messenger to ring the bell and read it aloud.

The main venue for the title conferment ceremony was chosen to be the municipal square.

The city square has enough space to accommodate four to five thousand people to watch the ceremony.

Gaode itself doesn't really want to be so high-profile and show its face in front of so many people.

However, Auckland suffered heavy losses after being hit by Cyclone Megi, and the death toll in nearby villages and towns was also extremely high, leaving people somewhat uneasy.

In this context, holding a grand title awarding ceremony for Gaode, who has demonstrated outstanding performance in both disaster relief and expeditions to secondary dimensions, is a good way to boost morale and should naturally be a major undertaking.

This is a common practice. Just like in the previous version of Gaode, once a major disaster occurred, the authorities would also give high praise to the "heroes" who performed outstandingly or made sacrifices in the disaster, bestowing upon them extremely high honors. The one who needs this honor the most is not the "hero" themselves, but the authorities.

The emergence of heroes can always bring great encouragement to people in the midst of disaster.

Gaode Maps was aware of this, so it cooperated fully.

After it was confirmed that the title conferment ceremony would be held today, and that Gao De would be present to receive the title, the staff in Auckland had already begun preparations for it.

The venue was decorated in an extremely formal manner.

The city square has been transformed into a sea of ​​red and gold.

Red velvet carpets were laid all the way from the steps of the square to the high platform, and the fountains at the edge of the square no longer sprayed clear water today, but were mixed with some blessed potions.

The list of invitees was also filled with powerful and influential figures.

In addition to the confirmed attendance of Lord Roland, the city lord, and Theodore, the chief mage of Auckland, many hereditary nobles and archmages from the Auckland region received gold-embossed invitations three days ago.

In addition, all Auckland residents are welcome to attend the ceremony.

Of course, the space is limited, so it's first-come, first-served. People who arrive later will not be able to see anything if there are no seats available.

(End of this chapter)