Above the mage!

Chapter 624 Preparations for Ring Enhancement
“Gordon, prepare well for your Ring Ascension. If you need any help, just ask. Lieutenant General Karen and I will do our best to support you. The Sea Sentinels never underestimate members with potential,” Lieutenant Colonel Graylin added.

"Thank you, Lieutenant General Karen! Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling!" God bowed again.

The saying "A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind" is indeed true.

However, at the same time, a tree that stands out in the forest will attract more care and fertilizer from tree planters.

Only after showcasing your talents and value can you gain more resources and support.

This has been his guiding principle ever since he joined the Sea Sentinels:

Within the Sea Sentinel system, he never deliberately concealed his talents; on the contrary, he tried his best to showcase his abilities and value.

Only by demonstrating your irreplaceable value to those in higher positions can you obtain resources and support far exceeding those of your peers.

The rewards of this "ostentatious" behavior are now becoming apparent.

Having been a member of the Marine Sentinel for just over a year, he rose from an unknown, grassroots sorcerer to warrant officer and then lieutenant.

Now he can even speak face-to-face with Karen, one of the twelve lieutenant generals, and even receive personal guidance from her.

Such a speed of advancement is something that even noble mages from prestigious families with abundant resources, let alone those grassroots mages with no background, can only dream of.

However, Gaode Maps doesn't "show off" without any scruples.

His confidence stemmed from the fact that he had the Astral Teleportation System and the Northern Territory as his backing.

Even if they are suppressed by force majeure because they "stand out from the crowd," they can simply pack up and run back to the North; they won't die!

Lieutenant General Karen waved her hand and said gently, "Go ahead and process your military merit exchange first. I'll have someone arrange the procedures for the training room as soon as possible."

Remember, steady progress and a solid advancement to the third ring level are the top priorities right now; don't rush things.

"The military merits you'll gain this time are quite substantial," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling added, a hint of teasing in his eyes. "Three magic hall badges are enough for you to pick and choose on your exchange list."

"Yes, Your subordinate takes his leave!" Gao De replied respectfully, giving another standard military salute before turning and steadily exiting the reception room.

After descending from the fourth floor to the first floor, Gao De first went to the military merit registration office to claim his military merits and have them recorded.

Although he had anticipated and prepared for it, Gao De was still delighted with the military merit he ultimately earned.

Three First-Class Merits!

Yes, every badge from the art museum is directly recognized by the sea sentinels as a first-class merit.

This means that if he can collect all twelve badges of the academy, he will directly receive twelve first-class merits.

What is this concept?
Not to mention captain, he has more than enough merit points to be promoted to major.

Adding to his two unused first-class merits, Gao De now has an astonishing five first-class merits.

However, the lack of second-class and third-class merit awards forced Gao De to do something extremely extravagant:

Take one first-class merit and split it into ten second-class merits for use.

Although this move can be described as a waste of resources, Gaode really didn't have time to take on those low-level tasks and slowly accumulate small military merits.

In addition, at least for now, earning a first-class merit is not a difficult task for Gaode, so he split it up almost without hesitation or heartache.

Although the staff were shocked by this extravagant operation, they quickly completed all the necessary procedures for Gaode.

Finally, Gao De used a first-class merit to exchange for seven spell recipes:
[Acid Arrow] (Curse Magic, Second Ring):
A magical acid arrow flies from your hand and swiftly shoots towards the target.

This arrow inflicts strong acid damage, and the residual acid will continue to corrode the target until it is neutralized or dissipated, but it has no splash effect, making it suitable for precise strikes against single targets.

[Aid] (Enchantment, Second Ring):
Using one's own magic as a medium, temporarily strengthens the target's mental barrier, increasing their chances of saving throws against mental attack spells such as [Charm] and [Fear]. The degree of strengthening is positively correlated with the caster's mental strength.

【Transformation [Rare]】(Transmutation type, second ring):
When you cast this spell, you can take on the form of any small or medium-sized humanoid creature.

If the form you present possesses any of the following abilities, then you will also gain those abilities: dark vision, dim vision, a keen sense of smell, and faster swimming speed.

[Corpse Preservation] (Necromancer, Second Ring):
Enchanting the remains of dead creatures (including detached limbs) with magic to prevent decay and decomposition, preserving them for months. This technique is often used to preserve important clues or high-value extraordinary materials.

【Monster Immobilization [Rare]】 (Enchantment, Second Ring):
The spell functions like a human immobilization spell, but it affects any living being that has failed a will immunity, paralyzing and freezing the target in place. The target's senses and breathing remain normal, but it cannot perform any actions, not even speaking.

Paralyzed winged creatures will fall because they cannot flap their wings, and swimmers will be unable to swim and may drown. It is an extremely powerful crowd control spell.

[Eagle Eye] (Prophecy, Second Ring):
Eagle Eye will create an invisible magical sensor directly above you.

The sensor can appear anywhere above you, up to the range of a spell.

The caster can observe the scene through a 360-degree rotating view using the sensor, unaffected by distance or light. It can penetrate thin obstructions such as leaves, but cannot penetrate solid surfaces, making it suitable for reconnaissance and battlefield observation.

[Elemental Words] (Prophecy, Second Ring):
This spell allows you to communicate with creatures associated with a selected element, including but not limited to actual elemental creatures.

This spell obtains a descriptor for the corresponding element based on the type of spell you cast.

The Elemental Spell does not guarantee a friendly exchange; it only gives you the possibility of communication.

When casting an air spell, you can communicate with air subspecies or creatures with flight speed in the Windfolk language.

When casting a ground spell, you can communicate with earth-based subspecies or creatures with burrowing speed in the Earth language.

When casting a fire spell, you can communicate with fire-type subspecies creatures in the Firefolk language.

When casting a water spell, you can communicate with aquatic subspecies or creatures with swimming speed using the water language.

The seven spell recipes each have their own focus, including offensive, defensive, and control spells, as well as scouting and support spells. However, Gao De is not picky; he wants all of them as long as he has not yet mastered them.

The military merit required to exchange for a second-level spell recipe is still one second-class merit.

However, the [Monster Freeze] and [Transformation] spells are rare and require two second-class merits.

Therefore, Gao De spent a total of nine second-class merits, leaving a surplus of one second-class merit.

If he masters all seven spells, and adds the five spell recipes he previously obtained from Etherland County, Goddard will have a total of 46 second-circle spells.

His skill level is already several times higher than that of other mages of the same rank, which is enough to support him in awakening even more powerful specializations when he advances to the next level.

Even someone as "greedy" as Gaode would be satisfied with this number.

After carefully storing the exchanged spell recipes, Gao De left the Sea Abyss White Tower satisfied, only to unexpectedly run into Melia. "Lieutenant Gao De," Melia, dressed in a Sea Sentinel uniform, greeted him warmly upon seeing him.
"You know that?" Gao De asked in surprise, as he had only just learned that his rank had been promoted to lieutenant.

"Who among the sea sentinels doesn't know this now?"

Melia glanced at him, her eyes full of emotion, "You are not only the youngest warrant officer in the history of the Sea Sentinels, but now you have broken your own record and become the youngest lieutenant."

"In just two years, you've risen from a novice mage who just entered the sea as a sentinel to a lieutenant. Nobody would believe it if you told them."

She paused, recalling the scene when she brought Gaode to the sea sentinels. At that time, Gaode was still a "clueless" foreign wild mage.

"How did you end up here?" Melia looked him over curiously.

"Why can't I be here?" Gao De asked with a smile.

"Your record of conquering three military academies in succession has already spread throughout the entire Sea Sentinel."

Melia explained, "You're currently the hottest rising star in our Sea Sentinels. You should be striking while the iron is hot and continuing to challenge the remaining guilds in the counties. Why did you suddenly return to Dorne?"

"I came back to upgrade my ring." Gao De shrugged, and could only pull out the "bragging" trick that he had already shown off several times before, and show it off again.

As expected, Melia Adam immediately showed a face full of amazement: "So fast? You only advanced to the second ring last year, and you're already aiming for the third ring in just one year? Your cultivation speed is simply too heaven-defying!"

Gao De smiled and didn't continue the topic.

His gaze then fell on the silver star on Melia's uniform cuff.

This means she holds the rank of sergeant.

When he first joined the Sea Sentinels, Melia was still a first-class apprentice mage, just about to be promoted to corporal. In less than two years, she has already been promoted to sergeant.

The speed at which she was promoted in her military rank is quite astonishing, which is enough to demonstrate her ability.

More importantly, Melia showed him kindness when he first joined the Sea Sentinels, making her one of the few acquaintances among the Sea Sentinels.

He pondered for a moment, his gaze becoming serious, and said, "Melia, after I am promoted to lieutenant, I can apply for a semi-full-time clerk position to assist me with the affairs of the Sea Sentinel. I think you are very suitable. Do you think you are interested?"

In the rank system of naval sentries, only those who reach the rank of colonel are qualified to be assigned full-time clerical staff.

Although a lieutenant is an officer, he has not yet reached this authority threshold.

The lieutenant's daily paperwork and orders are usually handled by the staff of the Sea Sentinel, who provide Gaode with standardized services such as document delivery, without any personal exclusive service attributes.

However, there is a flexible provision on this basis.

Outstanding junior officers with exceptional magical talent can apply for a semi-dedicated clerk position to save time dealing with complex matters.

Of course, this is just an expression of intent; both parties must have the willingness to submit an application.

Whether the application will be approved in the end depends on the decision made by higher authorities.

Under normal circumstances, if Gao De is promoted to the rank of colonel in the future, then this semi-full-time clerk will be promoted to full-time clerk.

The clerks of field-grade officers can reach the rank of warrant officer at the very least, and after accumulating merits, they can even be promoted to lieutenant, which is much faster than the promotion of ordinary military magistrates through the conventional path.

It's like riding on Gaode's coattails; the faster Gaode's rank rises, the more this semi-professional clerk can advance along with it.

Furthermore, a normal sergeant-level military magistrate would not have much contact with high-ranking officers among the naval sentries.

However, if one works as a semi-full-time clerk, one will frequently come into contact with Gao De's network of connections within the Sea Sentinel, and will be able to contact officers at the colonel level or even the general level.

These are all connections she's built, which will definitely be of great help to Melia's future development within the Sea Sentinels.

Of course, everything has two sides.

The downsides are also clear.

Firstly, the workload will increase significantly.

Semi-full-time clerks need to balance their duties as military mages with their additional tasks as high-ranking officials, which may take up a lot of their private cultivation and mission time, slowing down their cultivation progress and military merit accumulation in the short term.

Secondly, she has to bear the risk of being tied to the company. Once she becomes a semi-full-time clerk at Gaode, it means that her future is tied to Gaode's resume.

If Gao De makes a major mistake in the mission or his promotion is hindered, Melia's development will also be affected.
This is essentially an investment.

So after Gaode made the suggestion, Melia immediately lowered her head and fell into a state of deep thought.

Gao De knew very well that this decision was not easy to make.

Because there is another crucial and sensitive point: although Melia was not born into a noble family, she is definitely a noble mage, a native of the Golden Flower Dynasty, with a solid foundation.

He, however, was a wild mage who had just joined the dynasty's citizenship from a border duchy and had no background whatsoever.

The two came from vastly different backgrounds.

This difference in status meant that if Melia chose to serve as a semi-full-time clerk for God, it would attract discussion among some mages and might even affect Melia's reputation within her family and even among noble circles.

It's not a good thing to be talked about for "rising to power by attaching yourself to a wild monk".

After Gao De finished speaking, he said no more and waited quietly for Melia's decision.

However, Melia's thoughts did not last long. Soon she raised her head again, looking intently at God: "Lieutenant God, I am willing to serve as your part-time clerk."

Gao De raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised by her quick decision, but didn't say anything more:
“Okay, then we will submit a joint application. I will explain the situation to Lieutenant Colonel Grayling and ask him to help coordinate.”

You should also prepare a resume, highlighting your experience in coordination and collaboration; this will increase the chances of approval.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Lieutenant Gao De!" Melia bowed deeply, her voice full of gratitude.

She knew very well that the path to advancement for ordinary noble mages, though seemingly smooth, was actually locked at its limit, and her talent was not particularly outstanding.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she will most likely only be able to grind her way up to the rank of lieutenant in her lifetime.

However, Gao De rose through the ranks from an unknown wild mage to a lieutenant in just two years, and his future was full of endless possibilities.

She had a vague feeling that choosing to become a semi-full-time clerk at Gaode was very likely a decision that would completely change the trajectory of her life.

(End of this chapter)