Above the mage!

Chapter 628 Spell Point Allocation (Part 2)

【Alchemical Rumination [Rare]】(Change type, 2nd Ring):
Make your mouth emit a white glow, allowing you to spit out potions (second tier and below) back into their original container.
Additional: When you spit out a potion, it will automatically remove impurities and side effects (if any). If the potion is reused (by someone else or for other purposes), its effects will become purer and will not trigger any side effects.

The same potion can only be used once by this spell, and the aura cannot react to a purified potion again.

[Divination Skill [Rare]] (Prophecy, Second Ring):
Divination can tell you whether a specific action you take in the near future will have a good or bad outcome for you.
Additional: After a successful divination (excluding the ambiguous result of "neutral"), a faint silver moon-like mark will remain on your retina for half an hour, which will not affect your vision.

During this period, if you make adjustments to a detail of the same action (for example, changing the original plan of "push open the door" to "break in through the window"), there is no need to cast the spell again; the Moonshadow Mark will automatically blink.

The flashing twice and the brief brightening of the silver light indicate that the adjusted result is more auspicious.

A slow flash followed by the mark fading indicates an ominous tendency.

If there is no movement, it means that the adjustments are only minor changes, and the final result will still be consistent with the initial divination.

This mark can only be judged once for the detailed adjustments of the same behavior, and no matter how it is adjusted, it cannot break through the limitation of "only being able to predict the future within half an hour".

Once it exceeds the time frame, the mark will turn into stardust and dissipate.

【Monster Immobilize [Rare]+】 (Enchantment, Second Ring):
The spell functions as...
Additional: In the instant when the target is completely paralyzed and their consciousness is trapped inside the body, their surface thoughts become easier to capture due to intense psychological conflict.

In the first few seconds before the target is paralyzed, you can try to read its strongest thought, emotion, or a simple memory fragment (such as "fear", "anger", "I'm going to tear your ass apart with my sharp claws").

Looking at the extra effect from [Alchemy Rumination [Rare]+], Gao De was speechless for a moment, his lips twitching twice.

So he's not a sorcerer, but a walking potion purifier?

It's absorbed well when you drink it, and it even purifies the body when you spit it out, filtering out all the side effects.

If this person worked at a potion shop, they'd probably have more potions than they could drink every day.

If you go on adventures as a team in the future, your teammates might even line up to offer you potions for purification.

The thought of this sent a chill down Gao De's spine.

Good guy.
The additional effect of [Divination [Rare]+] is ridiculously powerful.

The original spell effect was already incredibly overpowered; if successful, it was like a super-youthful version of predicting the future. Now, it can even adjust details and provide real-time feedback?

The feedback regarding the "auspicious" result is not very useful, because generally, once you know it's "auspicious," there's no need to recklessly change your plans.

However, the "inauspicious" outcome is tantamount to giving one a chance to change one's fate.

The key is that this mark doesn't require casting another spell; a single divination can include a detailed adjustment and judgment.

For the ever-changing battles and negotiations, it's an absolutely invaluable aid.

It's easy to imagine just how overpowered the [Divination Skill [Rare]+] becomes after adding points.

Let alone the ceiling of second-circle spells, at least among the third-circle spells that Gaode currently knows, none can surpass [Divination [Rare]+] in terms of practicality.

As for the additional effects of [Monster Freeze [Rare]+], it may seem like a trivial feature, but its actual value is far more profound than it appears.

From a tactical perspective, this additional ability to capture thought is a truly powerful tool for decision-making.

When facing an unknown monster, the most terrifying thing is never the monster's attack power, but the information gap:
You don't know its weaknesses, whether it has allies to support it, or whether it has a trump card for a last-ditch counterattack.
[Monster Immobilization [Rare]+] Once the monster is successfully immobilized, key information can be quickly obtained:
If you detect fear, it means the monster is already feeling scared, and you can press your advantage and expand your gains.

If you sense anger, it means the monster is very powerful, and you might even be able to predict its subsequent attack direction...

This ability to control the pace of instantaneous intelligence gathering allows for targeted tactical adjustments and significantly reduces combat risks.

Gao De excitedly pumped his fist.

Although he has two remaining source points and a rare spell called "Transformation," Gao De's observation is that its applicability is too narrow.

With limited Origin Points, he did not blindly believe in so-called rare spells. Instead, he chose to use those two Origin Points on spells that he thought would be used more frequently or that would be more meaningful to add points to.

【Earthbind+】(Transmutation, 2nd Ring):
Select a creature you can see within range; yellow magical energy lines will wrap around that creature.
Additional: The energy lines will also keenly interfere with the target's most proficient physical movements.

When the target save fails, in addition to the original effect, the target's next action will become sluggish.

[Icethorns+] (Conjuration, Second Ring):
The ground within a 20-foot radius of a point within the spell's range twisted and deformed, and large swathes of hard ice spikes burst forth from the earth.
Additional: You can actively detonate the generated ice spikes, which will cause piercing and cold damage to creatures within the area and create an ice environment.

Yes, they are all combat spells.

Gao De did not choose more "practical" spells such as [Suggestion] or [Invisibility].

The reason is simple: for him, the current "main" task is the gym challenge and the future Unparalleled Magic Fighting Tournament; the main focus is on the battle.

The most urgent task is to strengthen combat magic.

As a result, the two fundamental expenses were well worth the money.

【Earthbind+】is essentially an additional control effect.

In addition to restricting the opponent's flight ability, it can also interfere with the opponent's next attack or spellcasting action after it takes effect.

This is the ultimate suppression in a single round.

In French fighting, failing to maintain control but then applying pressure is often the direct cause of a comeback loss.
Although you used control spells to restrict the opponent, the opponent can launch a counterattack spell the moment they are controlled, rendering the control effect useless.

In a game, this move is called control cancellation.

The additional interference from [Ground Bind+] can largely prevent this from happening.

After receiving skill points from Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, 【Ice Thorns】 has become a multi-functional composite combat spell.

The two spells share a common point in their stat allocation: pure combat adaptability. They lack any fancy or complex functions, and their additional effects are entirely geared towards direct magic combat.

And that's exactly what Gaode Maps needs right now.

Abandoning the rare spell [Transformation], which has limited applicability, and instead choosing [Earthbind] and [Icethorns], was indeed the right choice, Gao De was certain of.

While the reward of ten Purple Jade Gold and ten Silver Frost Coins is substantial, the First Market offers even more valuable items.

The bustle of the First Market never subsided, but Barov's pockets were already empty.

As one of the first people to receive an award for proposing a road improvement plan, he was the most prominent figure in his neighborhood during that period.

But as he watched his money dwindle, he couldn't help but feel a little empty. And the thought that once he ran out of money, he would never be able to buy the good stuff in the First Market again made him feel very uneasy.

From frugality to luxury is easy, from luxury to frugality.

Once a person has money, it's hard to imagine what life would be like without it.

Barov was eager to generate revenue, but so far, there were only two known ways to acquire currency.

One way to earn a generous reward is to exceed the required work quota, as he did before, or to propose valuable improvements and make additional contributions to the project.

The other option is to take on extra labor tasks assigned by the city hall and earn money by selling one's physical labor.

But the former is too difficult and too dependent on luck. No one can say for sure whether such an opportunity will come again in the future.

The latter is due to insufficient rewards and a shortage of available resources.

The bulletin board at the city hall is always packed with people.

Those tasks were often snapped up as soon as they were posted. He went several times, but he never even got a chance to touch the task register.

Does this mean I'll never have the chance to shop at the First Market again?
Barov strolled through the First Market, feeling a pang of regret; he shouldn't have been so extravagant back then.
Just as he was frowning in worry, a deafening commotion suddenly erupted from the distant city square, with the faint sound of cheers mixed in.

"What's going on?" Barov suddenly snapped back to reality, his heart skipping a beat.

Could it be that the city hall has issued some kind of high-reward mission?
Without thinking twice, he ran towards the square with the flow of people, clinging to a sliver of hope.

When he arrived, the square was already packed with people, even more crowded than the First Market at its busiest.

Among the crowd, layer upon layer, some people stood on tiptoe to look around, some whispered among themselves, and others waved their arms excitedly.

Barov struggled to squeeze through the crowd to the front row, where he immediately spotted a huge stone monument standing in the square.

It was carved from a single block of hard granite, standing two meters tall, with a surface polished smooth as a mirror, gleaming with a calm luster even under the northern sun.

At the top of the stone tablet, five large characters are engraved in bold gold foil in both Es and Common: “Official Affordable Price Sign”.

Below, several lines of slightly smaller characters are engraved side by side in equally clear gold lettering, with strong and powerful strokes that can be clearly seen even from ten steps away.

The first thing that catches the eye is: 10 copper coins = 1.5 jin of Northwest Barley No. 1, with a note in smaller print next to it: "Official guidance price and purchase price, unlimited exchange".

Barov's gaze swept upwards again, and he saw this line of large characters: 1 Purple Jade Gold = 10 Silver Frost Coins = 1000 Copper Ear Coins = 150 Jin of Northwest Barley No. 1.

Similarly, there is a label next to it: "Official full redemption, supporting two-way circulation of grain for currency and currency for grain."

Barov's eyes widened instantly.

He pondered the problem in his mind for a long time before finally figuring it out.

The reward I received earlier could actually be exchanged for 1650 jin of Northwest Barley No. 1?!
His family consists of four people, including his parents and sister, and they consume about 150 jin (75 catties) of Northwest Barley No. 1 every month.
These coins are so practical!

"As long as you bring the coins, the Ministry of Agriculture will immediately redeem clean, impurity-free, and plump Northwest Barley No. 1 at the price shown on the stone tablet!"

The city hall staff member in charge of interpreting the stone tablet shouted loudly: "And there's no limit! As long as you have enough money, you can exchange as many as you want!"

These words were like a thunderclap, reigniting the crowd's enthusiasm.

More importantly, it dispelled the doubts and concerns that some people had about whether the currency would become valuable or whether they would not have enough to eat after the currency reform.

Instead, there was an unprecedented excitement.

This coin is not an intangible metal, but a real hard currency that can be exchanged for food.

Moreover, judging from the price, it's not too expensive. Perhaps there will be enough money left over to buy some nice things at the First Market and improve our lives!
While the city square was bustling with activity, inside the city hall, in Gao De's office, he stood by the window with Sunafa and Aisha, watching the lively scene outside.

"Your Majesty, as you predicted, once the official price list was set up, most of the people's doubts about the currency disappeared."

"We have already injected the most basic purchasing power expectations into the currency, making it clear to the public and avoiding value confusion in the early stages of currency issuance."

Furthermore, the two-way exchange mechanism stabilized confidence, thus the first phase of monetary reform was successfully implemented.

Elsa, holding the newly compiled public opinion briefing, added, "More importantly, over the past month, the public's desire for money has been completely ignited."

Now, everyone on the street is talking about how to earn more coins and what to exchange them for; nobody mentions bartering anymore.

Gao De nodded, turned around and sat back down behind his oak desk, his fingertip drawing a circle on the surface: "The core of the first stage is 'establishing awareness and inspiring desire,' which we have achieved now, but this is only the foundation."

He changed the subject, his eyes sharpening: "Next comes the most crucial step before currency issuance."

Gao De paused for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Creating rigid demand forces money to circulate."

Elsa paused slightly: "A rigid demand? Isn't food exchange enough? But people are already willing to accept money."

“Willing to use it and having to use it are two different things,” Gao De laughed.

“There will always be conservative people who are willing to use money now because they can exchange it for food and buy good things. But the credibility of money cannot be maintained by benefits alone; it must also be tied to basic needs.”

Elsa frowned: "But people's basic need is food, and we've already linked money to food..."

“If there is no real demand, then create new real demand,” Gao De shook his head, his tone resolute: “I will clearly stipulate through law that Ziqiong Gold, Silver Frost Coins, and Copper Earl Coins are the only legal debt repayment and transaction tools in the Northern Territory.”

“In particular, all taxes, fines, and the compensation for the labor service that the people are obligated to perform must be paid in these three currencies and cannot be compensated with any goods.”

"In this way, even the most conservative person, even someone who distrusts money, must earn money in order to pay taxes and avoid fines."

"If he wants to make money, he must participate in labor and transactions, and money will naturally circulate."

"Taxation is the most important thing after the currency reform, and it is something that everyone must bear."

Taxation is a manifestation of the state's coercive power. When taxes must be paid in currency, currency acquires irreplaceable value.

When people earn money to pay taxes, and businesses are willing to accept money to pay taxes, the entire transaction chain is opened up, and currency can truly take root instead of being a fleeting phenomenon.

This is the core practice of modern monetary theory: taxation drives the circulation of money.

(End of this chapter)