Above the mage!

Chapter 475 Return
Back on the Columbus, the first thing God did was to have the captain take out the parchment map and mark the location of the deserted island on it with ink.

“It’s marked as Ice Silk Island,” he said in a deep voice.

This is an important resource point with enormous potential.

The island is highly likely to develop a fourth-tier ice cave that even the Snowfield Guardians have not yet mastered, so naturally we must find a way to control it.

Moreover, although Ice Silk Island is located in the sea, it is also situated on the shipping route between the North and the Plantagenet Dynasty.

If we could take control of this island, it would be extremely convenient for us to regularly collect ice energy or use it as an emergency supply point.

After these arrangements were made, and as the Columbus lowered its anchor and set sail again, Gao De returned to his cabin with the newly acquired Spiral Unicorn and Ice Fiend.

Spiral horn is a superior material for crafting fifth-tier water or ice-attribute staves. Whether he keeps it for his own use or sells it in Black Sails City, it's a good choice. He hasn't made up his mind yet.

As for those four third-tier ice demons...
With the night long and many things to do, and since he had some free time, Gao De immediately took out the Ice Crystal Bottle and began to upgrade his [Frozen Blade+].

He removed the stored ice crystal fragments from his ear.

The cyan-blue ice needles exuded a mysterious and powerful aura.

As a second-tier Frozen Blade, it already possessed 20 degrees of piercing damage and 40 degrees of cold damage when Gaode was still a first-level mage.

This is the base power value.

After Gaode advances to the second-ring mage, casting [Frozen Blade+] through ring-up casting will further enhance its power.

In addition, the intermediate-level Ice Protection Body also provides a certain power boost to [Frozen Blade+].

In addition, if the ice elemental magic cultivated through "The Secret of True Ice" is used to cast [Frozen Blade+], its power can be further enhanced.

Of course, given Gao De's current progress in cultivating "The Secret Transmission of Zhenbing" as a second-level mage apprentice, his magical power is not enough to support him in casting the spell.

But in the foreseeable future, this is only a matter of time.

With so many bonuses, there is no doubt that [Frozen Blade+] will maintain its position as the top-tier damage-dealing spell in the Highlord's spell library for a long time to come.

In this situation, upgrading the rank of the Ice Crystal Shard and increasing its base spell damage is undoubtedly a very cost-effective thing.

With a click, Gaode opened the bottle.

A blue aura representing ice shattered.

Gao De placed the ice needle-shaped ice crystal fragments in the center of the airflow, and the dark blue ice energy immediately surged forward like a tide, completely enveloping the blue ice needles and forming a constantly rotating cocoon of light.

Then, he closed his eyes slightly, and his mental power of 299, like countless delicate hands, began to peel away the third-order ice aura as if it were an onion, and then guided it to merge into his own ice crystal fragments.

Although Ice Fiend's rank has increased by another level, Gao De's mental strength has increased even more.

Therefore, compared to the last time the Ice Blade was strengthened, this time it was even easier, and the peeling process was as smooth as flowing water.

In less than half an hour, Gaode had completely dissected the three ice demons and integrated them into the ice crystal fragments.

After incorporating three third-tier ice demons, this cyan-blue ice needle naturally upgraded to a third-tier ice-sealing blade.

A major upgrade brings about incredibly significant changes to the ice crystal fragments.

Firstly, in terms of appearance, the color of the entire ice needle changed from the crystal clear cyan-blue of the second stage to a deep indigo blue, like solidified deep-sea ice.

The needle body surface shows spiraling dark patterns.

Most striking is the tip of the needle—the originally smooth tip splits into three sharp barbs, the inside of which is covered with serrated ridges, gleaming with a cold light capable of cutting through the air.

The changes in appearance are so obvious, and the improvement in power is even more immediate.

Because of Mandora's Eye's ability to "see," God could determine the power of spells without needing a trial puppet.

He cast the upgraded [Frozen Blade+] once and quickly obtained the precise values.

First, the piercing damage of the first stage has been increased from 20 degrees in the second stage to 30 degrees.

Then the second stage of cold damage increased from 40 degrees in the second stage to 76 degrees.

Its total power has already exceeded 100, and with the addition of other various enhancements, the actual power it can unleash far exceeds that of a second-ring mage.

The voyage continued without any further unexpected twists or adventures. With everyone proceeding cautiously, the Columbus continued its journey toward the Plantagenet dynasty.

Seven days after leaving Ice Silk Island, the lookout suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Irwinray Ridge, we've reached the boundary!"

Others might not find it strange, but it was Gao De and Lan Wen's first time experiencing a transoceanic voyage, so they rushed to the deck to check the situation as soon as they heard the sound.

At this moment, the chill had not yet dissipated, and a few icicles even clung to the edge of the ship's gunwale.

Following the direction of the lookout's hand, Gao De saw a huge, bluish-gray shadow arching up from the horizon in the distance. It was the remnant of the Erwinia Mountains that had sunk into the sea, the natural boundary between the Northern Seas and the Sword Sea.

The top of the ridge is only a few dozen meters above the water, and the waves crashing against it break into snow-white foam, like a silver rim around this natural boundary marker.

What's even more amazing is the boundary between the sea and the ocean: on the left, the sea is a deep indigo color that is almost dark blue, and you can see scattered floating ice; on the right, however, it suddenly turns into a clear turquoise green, and you can vaguely see the coral reefs swaying underwater.

As the Columbus carefully navigated through the crest of the ridge, the ship suddenly swayed.

It wasn't wind or waves, but rather a disturbance in the water flow caused by a rapid change in water temperature.

This signifies that the Columbus has officially crossed the Irwinaya Mountains and entered the waters belonging to the Plantagenet dynasty, namely the Sword Sea.

Once you enter the Sword Sea, it's like entering a completely different world; the entire voyage and the experiences become entirely different.

First, the climates are completely different.

The temperature rose sharply, and within half an hour, the thin frost on the deck melted into water droplets, dripping through the cracks in the wooden planks.

The crew members took off their heavy wool coats, revealing linen shirts soaked with sweat underneath.

The hardy seabirds that had been perched on the mast suddenly began to flutter restlessly, skimming over the mast and circling northward—they couldn't bear the sudden rise in temperature and wanted to escape back to their familiar cold territory.

The rise in temperature has also brought about changes in the species of organisms in the sea and the sky.

A flock of seabirds with feathers like those of a gold-dusted bird chased after the stern of the ship. Their beaks were sharp and long, and they would occasionally plunge into the water to snatch up glittering fish.

Those are golden gulls unique to the Sword Sea, which feed exclusively on rainbow trout in warm waters.

On both sides of the ship, patches of coral reef shadows gradually emerged in the seawater, with schools of palm-sized fish swimming among them, their scales reflecting colorful hues.

Compared to the ice-clad crabs and the blackback whales covered in spikes in the North, the creatures here seem to have been painted with more colors by the Creator.

In addition, it is no longer a remote and sparsely populated area.

An hour later. "Whoosh—"

A long, drawn-out ship's horn sounded from ahead, and three giant ships were seen sailing past in formation. Their hulls were nearly three times wider than the Columbus, and flags embroidered with compasses hung on their mainmasts.

The Plantagenet dynasty had an extremely developed maritime and commercial industry.

Therefore, on the Sword Sea, one can see many merchant ships loaded with goods or commodities from various regions, flying the flags of various chambers of commerce, every day.

Moreover, most of them were large ships, and compared to these merchant ships, the Columbus was like a shrimp compared to a big fish.

Upon reaching the waters of the Golden Flower Dynasty, both the captain and the sailors were noticeably more relaxed.

Compared to the lurking dangers of the North, the waters of the Plantagenet Dynasty are less prone to extreme weather and there is less concern about attacks from sea monsters and leyline creatures.

In addition, there were numerous lighthouses, the nautical charts were drawn with exceptional clarity, and there were patrolling dynasty fleets.

It's like entering a safe zone from the wild.

At the captain's signal, the sailors hoisted both sails to their fullest extent, increased the ship's speed to maximum, and the hull cleaved through the turquoise waters, leaving a trail like an ever-extending silver ribbon as it sailed toward Lagos Port in Lagos City.

There, the Columbus will resupply and prepare for its next departure for Black Sails.

Of course, the journey from entering the Sea of ​​Swords to arriving at Lagos Port takes half a month to a month due to various factors such as wind conditions, ocean current speed, and ship performance, and passes through dozens of large ports along the way.

This demonstrates the vast territory of the Golden Plantagenet Dynasty, its extensive development of the Sword Sea, and its advanced economy.

However, the only port that the Columbus could dock at was Lagos.

This is because the Plantagenet dynasty had an extremely sophisticated system. Merchant ships could not stop at ports for supplies at will, but needed a series of specific documents and had to strictly follow the regulations.

First is the ship's nationality certificate, which is equivalent to a merchant ship's "identity certificate." It is issued by the country of registry and is used to indicate the ship's nationality.

The Plantagenet dynasty had strict regulations on ship nationality. Merchant ships had to hold this certificate for ports to confirm their legal status, know which country the ship came from, and then decide whether to allow it to enter the port.

Without this certificate, the vessel will be considered an unidentified vessel and refused entry by the port.

The Columbus was genuinely built by the Harland Shipyard in Lagos, with all the necessary paperwork. It was a genuine Plantagenet-registered merchant ship, and naturally had the corresponding nationality certificate.

The main documents are the other two: the logbook and the cargo manifest.

The former records in detail a great deal of key information during the merchant ship's voyage, such as the route, departure and expected arrival times, ports visited, weather conditions encountered, cargo loading and unloading, and the daily activities of the crew.

When a merchant ship applies to dock for supplies, port officials will carefully review the ship's log to assess whether the ship's navigation status is normal and whether there are any potential risks.

If the log records are chaotic or suspicious, such as deviations from the usual route or contradictions in the time records, the port may conduct a more in-depth investigation of the merchant ship or even refuse it to dock, in order to prevent illegal activities from using the merchant ship as cover.

The latter requires a detailed list of the types, quantities, origins, and destinations of the cargo carried on board.

This document is crucial because different ports have different regulations for import and export goods, and some goods may be restricted or prohibited by certain ports, which is also an important way to prevent smuggling.

Merchant ships must provide an accurate cargo manifest so that port officials can quickly verify it, determine whether the cargo meets the port entry requirements, and decide whether to grant a berthing and resupply permit.

The Columbus certainly had both of these things, but they were mixed with a lot of dubious information.

As a merchant ship traveling between Lagos and Vallar Bay, the Columbus recorded its route in its logbook as Lagos to Oro Island in order to conceal the existence of the North.

Oro Island is a large island located in the Sword Sea, belonging to the island nation of the Principality of Oro.

Although the Plantagenet Dynasty had always adhered to the principle of non-expansion and non-aggression since its founding.

However, for various reasons, a considerable number of duchies surrendered to the Plantagenet dynasty and sought its protection, becoming its vassal states.

The Principality of Oro is one of them.

As an island nation, the Principality of Oro has relatively limited resources, a backward economy, and insufficient national strength. In addition, it suffers from attacks by sea monsters and ley line creatures that fly around the land year after year, making life extremely difficult for its people.

In this situation, the Principality of Oro ultimately chose to submit to the Plantagenet Dynasty, voluntarily becoming a vassal state in exchange for the Dynasty's protection.

In return, the Principality of Oro had to pay tribute to the Plantagenet Dynasty every year, regularly providing financial and resource contributions, including Oro Sea Rock, one of the Principality's most famous minerals.

Furthermore, the Duchy of Oro also needed to clarify through a treaty that it regarded the Plantagenet Dynasty as its suzerain state and recognized the Plantagenet Dynasty's suzerainty.

From then on, any change of monarch in the Duchy of Oro required the approval and recognition of the Plantagenet Dynasty.

Finally, they were forbidden from forming alliances with other countries and could only conduct diplomatic activities with the consent of the Plantagenet dynasty.

However, with the protection of the Plantagenet Dynasty, the Duchy of Oro finally stopped suffering from the unpredictable attacks of leyline creatures and gained limited economic cooperation, being allowed to participate in the Plantagenet Dynasty's maritime network.

As a result of these two factors, the country's overall strength and even the living standards of its people have suddenly risen several levels.

Because it was a vassal state of the Plantagenet Dynasty, the Plantagenet Dynasty was relatively lenient in its inspection of merchant ships traveling between the Duchy of Oro and the Plantagenet Dynasty.

Furthermore, because the Principality of Oro retains autonomy, the port information between the two is independent, which gives Gaode a loophole to exploit.

The entire operation was not complicated. In the name of Harland Shipyard, a shell company was first established in the Principality of Oro. The voyage route written in the logbook was Lagos Port to Oro Island, in order to cover up the actual route from Lagos Port to Vallar Bay.

To be honest, the whole "forgery" process was not perfect.

But this world is not like Gaode's previous world, where the internet existed and various information could be easily shared after being connected. Instead, it is relatively closed, with each entity managing its own affairs.

So as long as Harland Shipyard doesn't stand out too much and attract too much attention, it's not that difficult to deceive everyone.

But the premise is that you can't do anything reckless.

As a long-established shipyard in Lagos, Harland Shipyard, with its connections built on bribery, has received very lenient scrutiny from port officials regarding its vessels, making the inspections almost a formality.

However, in other ports, where one is unfamiliar with the area, such treatment is not available. If one enters the port rashly, the ship's log and cargo manifest cannot withstand close scrutiny.

To be honest, even if you can withstand a thorough investigation, those port officials will still find some trivial issues just to extort money from you.

Therefore, there is an unspoken axiom in the industry: reducing the number of times a port is stopped for resupply means saving a lot of costs.

This was both to save costs and to avoid being exposed. In any case, the Columbus had brought enough supplies in Vallar Bay to support it all the way south to Lagos.

For the next ten days, the Columbus traversed the busy Sword Sea route.

During the day, they followed the caravan's tracks and used ocean currents to accelerate; at night, they relied on the lighthouses in the distance to navigate.

On the evening of the tenth day, the port of Lagos came into view.

"Lower half the sails and prepare to enter the harbor!" the captain shouted.

(End of this chapter)