Above the mage!

Chapter 460 The Final Reward

The clock tower next to the city square has already rung its bells.

The bell tolled melodiously and solemnly, unlike the rhythmic chimes of the past, announcing the special significance of today.

A crowd had already gathered in the square, with the front row reserved for nobles and the back area divided up for commoners.

On the east side of the city square, a guard of honor dressed in black velvet uniforms trimmed with silver stood in neat formation.

They held flags embroidered with the Auckland city emblem, which fluttered in the breeze.

At the front of the procession were six men dressed in brocade robes embroidered with dancing musical notes.

Each person also held an ivory horn in their hand.

The leading man raised his hand in a gesture, and magical fluctuations began to flow subtly, causing ripples to spread through the air.

Six men together pressed the horn to their lips.

In an instant, a melodious and stirring tune burst forth from the bugle. Wherever the sound waves passed, the civilians present felt a surge of passion rise in their hearts, and their spirits were lifted, as if they had taken some kind of stimulant.

The power of music is certainly not that great.

These people don't idolize celebrities.

This is mainly because it is not just simple music, but contains the power of magic: [to boost morale].

These ordinary people, naturally, were not exempt from the spells, and under the buff of the beneficial spells, their emotions became high.

The carriage that Gao De was riding in had now arrived at the entrance to the city square.

On each side of the carriage stood four attendants in red uniforms, holding silver halberds whose tips gleamed faintly. They stood neatly around the carriage, protecting Gao De, who was about to be conferred his title.

The six men in the magic band were still playing their carefully arranged music.

The stirring melody transformed into tangible sound waves that spread outwards.

As the music reached its climax, the accompanying ceremonial officer guided Gao De down from the carriage.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he slowly stepped onto the passageway covered with a red velvet carpet.

On both sides of the passageway stood two rows of girls dressed in white cotton dresses, wearing flower wreaths and white ribbons symbolizing the purity of spring in their hair. Following Gao De's footsteps, they gently scattered flower petals from silver trays onto the red velvet carpet.

At the end of the passage is a high platform.

On the high platform, Count Roland, dressed in a jewel-encrusted gown, stood shoulder to shoulder with the chief mage, Theodore.

The ceremony was presided over by the two of them.

It can be said that neither the scale nor the formality of the ceremony was perfunctory; Gaode was indeed being promoted as a hero of Auckland.

As Gaode stepped onto the steps, light and shadow began to appear above the platform.

This is a specialized mage using magic to depict the various thrilling scenes during the conquest of the wind elemental secondary plane.

This included the expanding wind network, the ferocious appearance of the wind elemental dragon, magic crystal cannons soaring into the sky, numerous high-level mages attacking the wind network together, wind elemental creatures swarming out, tornadoes filling the sky, seawater overflowing, warships capsizing, and other thrilling scenes.

As the lights and shadows shifted, the audience couldn't help but gasp in amazement, completely absorbed in the spectacle.

The final scene shows Gao De appearing, from whose body a "phantom spirit" suddenly rushes towards the wind dragon in the wind network.
Of course, the actual situation was not like that. Instead, Storm Spirit, like a thief, sneaked into the secondary plane while the High Ring Mage was confronting the Wind Elemental Dragon.
However, when it comes to "promotion," appropriate embellishment and beautification are very important.

You know everything.

When Gaode finally reached the top of the platform, the image stopped changing and froze, displaying a huge full-body portrait of Gaode.

Count Roland took the parchment scroll from the master of ceremonies, cleared his throat, and read the citation into the specially made amplified alchemical machine: "Gentlemen, today we gather in this solemn place to honor a hero who, with fearless courage and outstanding wisdom, turned the tide in bygone days."

"In the darkest hour of the battle, at the critical moment, Master Gaode displayed extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice, painfully offering up his own phantom spirit. The light of victory shone on the sea."

"The disaster has caused great damage to Auckland, but the shadow of destruction has dissipated, and our homes have been protected. Auckland will soon rise from its wounds and become stronger. Master Gao De's selfless dedication and courageous decision in this disaster will be forever engraved in Auckland's Hall of Fame."

"In the name of all the citizens of Auckland, we hereby confer upon Mr. Gao the title of Honorary Master, granting him the privileges of nobility. May this title bear witness to his heroic deeds!"

The voice of Count Roland traveled through the alchemy device to every corner of the town square.

As he finished speaking, the mages who had been waiting nearby quickly moved their hands, and waves of magic surged forth.

The next moment, blinding beams of light shot straight into the sky, then burst out in the high sky, turning into colorful orbs of light.

Red like a burning flame, blue like a deep ocean, green like a vibrant jungle, orange like the dawn's first light, the ball of light trailed a bright tail as it streaked across the sky like a shooting star before slowly dissipating, the whole process lasting several tens of seconds.

[Pyrotechnics].

On the other side, the mage musicians carrying horns also played a new, cheerful march.

The etiquette officer, dressed in a demure manner, ascended the platform with an exquisite box in both hands.

Count Roland opened the box and took out the pure gold medal inside, with a sapphire set in the center.

In the mage plane, all gems are not simple gems. They possess outstanding magical properties for different elements, rather than being mere ornaments. Therefore, their value far surpasses that of gems in the previous life.

This sapphire, with its flawless, deep blue color, is of extremely high purity. It was cut using the classic rose cut and is surrounded by a layer of gold-plated patterns, making it exquisitely beautiful.

Most importantly, there is a layer of magical runes engraved on the surface of the gem.

Gao De glanced at it and recognized it as a high-level composite magic storage rune, whose main function was to store magic power.

Count Roland pinned the medal to Goddard's chest himself.

The cannons roared in unison.

At the same time, petals rained down like a waterfall.

The entire square was instantly filled with enthusiastic cheers.

"Master Gaode, this medal of honor was made using a third-tier aquamarine and was handcrafted by Auckland's top alchemist. It utilizes his most famous and skilled tidal circuit technique and can hold the equivalent of a late-stage second-ring mage's peak magic power."

"When you are facing a situation of mana depletion, simply recite the incantation to activate the Medal of Honor, and the power of the tide will, like the receding waves, quickly replenish your mana crystals with magic."

"However, the magic within can only be preserved for a month at most before it begins to deplete, requiring you to replenish it frequently."

Count Roland introduced Gaudí to him in a low voice.

In short, it's essentially the so-called "fast mana regeneration" equipment.

In other words, this is both a medal representing the title of Honorary Mage of Auckland and an extraordinary piece of jewelry.

The craft of "returning to blue" is an extremely profound field in alchemy. Many people study it, but very few can achieve mastery, and even fewer can do it well. This is because the field of "energy" is a cutting-edge technology, whether in the supernatural or technological world.

Both the flow and storage of "energy" inevitably involve significant losses, and overcoming or minimizing these losses is undoubtedly extremely difficult.

Even now, with the use of Tier 3 magic-guiding materials and the assistance of a top alchemist, this Tier 3 honor medal can only restore mana for a second-circle mage.

And this can already be considered as producing "gold".

If you replace the alchemist who is not skilled in this art, or replace the core material aquamarine with a third-tier material with poorer magic conductivity, the resulting third-tier extraordinary accessory would probably only be able to store the magic power of a mid-second-ring mage.

With the gun salutes ending, the public aspect of the title conferment ceremony was considered complete.

The citizens who had gathered in the city square began to leave one after another.

But for Gaode, the real ceremony of awarding the title has only just begun.

After the ceremony ended, the common people dispersed and went home, while the nobles also left in their respective palanquins, but not to go home; instead, they went to another event.

Because there is a second "ceremony" to attend.

……

The main character is still Gaode, who was just awarded the title of Honorary Mage of Auckland.

However, the venue was moved from the town square to a manor owned by the Earl of Roland.

The manor gates were open.

The gilded door knocker is entwined with laurel branches, a symbol of glory.

"A gift from the Windsorting family, a 1-pound can of Bi Tan Yun Wu, presented by Isalien Windsorting."

In the hall, as the master of ceremonies’ loud voice rang out, a noblewoman dressed in a light blue silk dress stepped forward and gracefully curtsied to Gao De. Behind her, a servant carried an exquisite silver jar.

Since they had just met and eaten together yesterday, Gaode was quite familiar with Isalien Windsor and expressed his gratitude in the same manner.

Bi Tan Yun Wu is a precious tea from the Central Plains, said to grow in the magically rich and misty Bi Tan.

The mist nourishes the tea trees, causing them to sprout the freshest buds. The tea leaves are curled and covered with fine hairs, with a soft halo on the surface, as if they are wrapped in mist.

When brewed, the tea soup is emerald green and clear, like pool water, while exuding the fresh aroma of the mountains and fields and a faint medicinal fragrance, with an excellent taste.

Of course, these are all secondary.

The true value of Bitan Yunwu tea lies in the fact that after drinking it, the drinker's spiritual power will be temporarily enhanced, and their mind will be clear and bright, which can improve the efficiency of a mage's practice and the success rate of constructing spell models.

According to the classification of the Nolan Continent, the Jade Pool Cloud Mist belongs to the third-tier magical plant category.

However, in the Central Plains, tea is more commonly referred to as "spirit tea".

The saying "the grass is always greener on the other side" applies to any world.
To highlight the preciousness of Bitan Yunwu and increase its "value," merchants also adopted the name "Spirit Tea," which is the third-grade Spirit Tea.

Although they were still somewhat familiar with each other, the two did not reminisce. After presenting their gifts, Isalienne Windsordin stepped aside.

Because there are many other people lining up to give gifts!
"A gift from the Beaumont family: ten Tier 3 'Shining Fluorites' presented by Eleanor Beaumont!"

Another young girl wearing a pearl hair ornament stepped forward gracefully.

Behind her, an attendant carried a velvet cushion upon which ten fist-sized minerals were neatly arranged, their surfaces gleaming with a soft, pale purple light, like fireflies gathered together.

"A gift from the Lockwood family, five bottles of 'Oak Potion,' presented by Lucius Lockwood!" A young man dressed in dark gray stepped forward, followed by an attendant carrying an oak box.

He waved his hand, and the servant opened the box, revealing five transparent glass bottles filled with pale blue liquid.

Oak Potion is a Tier 3 healing potion that can be used both externally and internally. Compared to the [Healing Spell], which can only treat external injuries, Oak Potion has a much wider range of healing effects, and it has a significant healing effect on various elemental damage caused by spells.

"A gift from the Peverell family: a pair of Tier 3 Mermaid Tears."

"."

Gao De stood in the hall watching as one noble family after another presented their congratulatory gifts.

The master of ceremonies, arranged by Count Roland, would call out the names of the gift-givers and the gifts one by one, so that he, as an outsider, would not be unaware of the value of the gifts or the origin of the gift-givers.

All the gift-givers were young masters and ladies from noble families, because Gao De was ultimately too young, and his mage level was not yet up to par; he was considered a junior.

As the saying goes, "when kings meet kings," it is certainly most appropriate and proper to send a congratulatory gift from someone of the same age.

All the congratulatory gifts, from ores to magical plants to magical potions, were basically at the third tier level.

The gift itself is quite valuable, perhaps even a bit too expensive.

After all, it was just a congratulatory gift, not a request for Gaode to do anything for them.

In fact, the reason why Gaode was able to receive such a high-level congratulatory gift is thanks to the attack he suffered yesterday.

Originally, the gifts prepared by the various nobles were only second-tier items, just a token gesture. Gao De claimed to be an honorary mage, but after all, he was just a minor mage from humble origins with no background, so it wasn't worth them "spending money" on him.

However, following yesterday's attack on the Killing Vine, these nobles, with their influence in Auckland, quickly received specific information.

A sixteen-year-old second-ring mage is already a top-tier mage with talent that cannot be underestimated, but he also has the heaven-defying ability to kill a third-tier killing vine!

His talent is already heaven-defying, his combat power is even more heaven-defying, and he has no background whatsoever. If you don't befriend such a mage now, when will you?
Therefore, almost all the nobles changed their congratulatory gifts immediately after learning the news, raising the standard by one level, which led to the current situation where the congratulatory gifts are mostly third-tier treasures.

"A gift from the Leon family: a third-tier magical tree seed, Starmoss Oak, presented by Adrian Leon!"

At this moment, Adrian strode forward; naturally, the Leon family would be present at such an occasion.

He did indeed give Gaode a gift yesterday, a bag of low-level magic tree seeds that perfectly suited Gaode's taste.

However, this gift was merely a personal gift from Adrian to thank God for his help when the ship capsized.

The gift he presented today, however, represents the Leon family, and the two have completely different meanings.

However, what they have in common is that they both "cater to their preferences".

After yesterday, Adrian confirmed that, for reasons unknown, God did indeed have an extreme fondness for the Magic Tree Seed.

So when his father wanted to upgrade the gift, he decisively suggested: send a magic tree seed.

Sure enough, he noticed that Gao De's eyes lit up when he heard about Starmoss Oak.

(End of this chapter)