Above the mage!

Chapter 635 The Lost Fang
But what truly caught Gaode's attention was the thin layer of ice covering the teeth.

The thin ice has a cold yet beautiful sheen, and even from a distance, one can feel a gentle energy fluctuation.

More importantly, Gaode detected a faint yet exceptionally pure aura of pure ice on this thin layer of ice.

Gao De reached out and gently touched the ice, immediately feeling a cool but not cold sensation.

"Lady Flora, I'd like to try melting this thin layer of ice and taking out the teeth inside. Is that alright?" He thought for a moment and softly asked Flora for her opinion.

"Of course, mage, this is a gift from Lady Flora!"

Since it's a gift, you can do with it however you like.

That's what Lady Flora meant.

Gao De smiled, then placed the tooth in his palm and activated the spell model.

The next second, a ball of orange-red flame shot up from his palm, the temperature instantly soared, and the surrounding air became scorching.

He was only casting a trick, but with the enhancement of the Ascending Ring spell, it was enough to melt iron and should have been more than enough to deal with a thin layer of ice.

Flames tightly enveloped the ice-covered teeth, the orange-red flames intertwining with the eerie blue light of the ice, casting flickering light on Gao De's palm.

He could clearly feel the heat of the flames, and the skin on his palms was slightly hot, but the thin layer of ice remained unchanged.

There was no sign of melting, not even the ice crystals on the surface had melted, and the dark blue luster remained cold, as if it had blocked out all heat.

Gao De felt a chill run down his spine and increased his mana output.

The color of the flames instantly deepened, changing from orange-red to crimson.

The temperature soared again, and a faint smell of burning filled the air—the smell of flames scorching the air.

He continued to ignite the flames, scorching the ice in his palm for a full quarter of an hour, but the thin ice remained motionless, without even a trace of moisture rising.

This is exactly the same as Zhenbing in nature, but it doesn't exude the same bone-chilling coldness that makes it impossible for people to get close.

This made him keenly aware of something unusual.

Gao De dispelled the spell and turned to ask Flora about the origin of the tooth.

After some questioning, it was learned from Flora that the tooth was dug out of the frozen ground by the farm workers when they were clearing the farmland.

Because the pattern on the teeth was exceptionally beautiful, Lady Flora considered it a valuable item and took it into her possession.

"It was dug out." Gao De seemed to be thinking when he heard this.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Where was it dug up? Can you take me to see it?"

The little boy nodded repeatedly.

The tooth was unearthed when the farm was clearing land, so its original location is now a wheat field.

Gao De followed Flora to the farm, where busy farmers could be seen in the fields.

Both God and Flora stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully.

Flora waved her little hand back enthusiastically.

"Master, over here." After walking for a while, Flora suddenly stopped and pointed to a lush wheat field in front of her.

Gao De followed the direction she pointed and observed carefully.

The wheat seedlings in this field are no different from those in the surrounding area.

With a thought, he opened Mandora's Eye and then carefully examined the wheat field.

Soon, Gao De saw that a faint energy fluctuation occasionally emanated from beneath this land, exactly like Flora's tooth.

It was just that the energy fluctuations were much fainter than those on that tooth.

If it weren't for the divine skill of Mandora's Eye, it would be impossible to detect.

Gaode asked for more details about the situation at the time.

I learned that at the time this place was still a wasteland, a typical snowfield and permafrost, not much different from the surrounding area.

If I had to point out a difference, it would be that the permafrost in this area is colder than the surrounding land and freezes more solidly.

Therefore, it took farmers quite a bit more time to cultivate this frozen land.

Although it was only a subtle difference, combined with what Mandora's magic eye had seen, God was almost certain that something strange was probably hidden beneath the wheat field.

The main point is that the tooth clearly doesn't belong to an ordinary creature, and the fact that it's encased in such a peculiar layer of ice suggests it must have a significant history.

Gaode was eager to find out more, but he was also worried about the consequences of digging too deep.

Out of curiosity, he dug around and uncovered the plot of an entire movie episode, which he had seen many times in his previous life.

After hesitating for a moment in the field, Gao De suddenly clapped his hands, remembering that he still had the divine skill [Divination+] in his spell library.

Isn't this the perfect opportunity for magic to shine?

He took a deep breath and immediately used [Divination+].

He gestured for the curious Flora to wait a moment, then took two steps back, mobilized his internal magic power, and activated the [Divination+] spell model in the spell star sea.

As the magic flashed across the spell model, a faint silver-gray light gradually appeared in Gao De's eyes.

That was the unique energy glow of [Divination+], soft yet carrying a mysterious power to see into the future.

As the spell took effect, Gao De could clearly feel a strange power gathering between his eyebrows.

A thin mist seemed to appear before his eyes.

Beyond the fog, countless blurry images seemed to flash by rapidly.

Those are the possible trajectories of the future:
Perhaps the excavation uncovers a sleeping creature, or perhaps it yields nothing but a desolate wheat field, or perhaps the ice layer breaks, triggering an energy surge, or perhaps it is calm and still, with only a pile of useless rubble to be dug out.

He concentrated, clarifying the question for divination in his mind: "Will it be auspicious or inauspicious for me to dig under this wheat field later, to find the owner of the ice-covered teeth and the hidden secrets?"

The question is clear and specific, specifying the time, place, and action, making it a meaningful question that meets the basic conditions for successful divination.

The next instant, Gao De felt the energy between his eyebrows tremble slightly, as if it were establishing a connection with some kind of mysterious force.

According to the spell effect of [Divination+], the basic success rate of divination is 70%. With his own luck bonus, the success rate should not be low. Gao De believed that even if his luck was not top-notch, it should still be above average.

Unless the problem is really too big, there is a small chance of it failing.

However, this judgment process was conducted in secret, and he had no way of knowing what the success rate was at that moment.

Gao De was completely absorbed in it.

The sounds of the wind, the rustling of wheat leaves, and the distant conversations of farmers all faded away in an instant, leaving only the flow of magical energy within his body and the question in his mind.

It was an indescribable, mysterious feeling, as if a pair of eyes were examining the possibilities of the future from behind the mist, and each choice corresponded to a different outcome.

The magic is filtering out the most likely auspicious or inauspicious responses from these.

The next instant, the fog in Gaode's eyes suddenly dissipated.

There was no strong energy surge, nor any clear visual cues; only a faint, neutral sensation spread through my mind.

It wasn't the sense of relief brought by a good omen, nor the palpitation brought by an ominous sign, nor the complex feeling of contradictions between good and bad. It was just a calm, uneventful response, like a still pond, without the slightest ripple.

"Ping?" Gao De frowned slightly.

This result puzzled him.

A neutral outcome means that it will not bring about particularly good or particularly bad results.

However, it could also be a case of spell failure.

So even if the spell succeeds, the act of digging itself doesn't necessarily bring about a particularly good or bad result?

It's like digging up an ordinary stone in a wheat field; you neither gain anything nor suffer any loss.

Or did the spell fail?
He couldn't distinguish between the two possibilities.

The result of "flatness" is like a fog, obscuring the true future.

After receiving the divination results, Gao De came to his senses.

The wind was still blowing in the wheat field, the wheat leaves were still swaying, and the farmers were still busy. Everything seemed so peaceful, as if the spell had never been cast.

Seeing him standing still, Flora curiously approached him, circling around him with an eager look on her face.

Gao De looked down at the vibrant wheat field at his feet, quickly weighing his options.

The faint energy fluctuations lingered around him, making it impossible for him to ignore the secrets that might exist beneath the wheat field.

The divination gave a "neutral" result, but that doesn't mean he doesn't need to do anything.

After all, even if the spell fails and there is a "draw," there may be an unexpected surprise hidden inside.

Moreover, if there are indeed ancient creatures slumbering beneath this wheat field, leaving it unattended might sow the seeds of future problems.

Gao De has always been a cautious person, but after careful consideration, he becomes exceptionally decisive.

"Dig!" he decided immediately.

However, there are rules to digging; you can't just dig randomly.

Dig slowly, dig gradually, and dig in an orderly manner.

Before digging, the most important thing was to bring in Sunefa to oversee the operation.

That way, even if they unearth some monsters, Sunefa can take timely action to deal with them.

“It really does taste like Zhenbing.” Sunafa, who had been invited, carefully examined the strange tooth that Gaode had taken out, which was wrapped in a thin layer of ice.

She gently brushed her fingertips across the surface of the ice, feeling the familiar, icy, yet ancient and profound energy, and gave an affirmative answer.

"This ice is so pure and free of impurities; it feels like the work of an ancient Iceborn mage, whose level is at least at the fifth rank." Furthermore, Sunafa provided even more information.

"An ancient Iceborn mage, above the fifth ring." Upon hearing this, Gao De raised an eyebrow slightly.

With Sunefa's second confirmation, he became even more certain of his guess.

After learning the whole story and its details, Sunafa made the same decision as Gaode.

dig!
Given her personality, how could she possibly sit idly by and watch a potential bomb be planted next to Phoenix?

Then, the surrounding crowd was evacuated, and the area was sealed off.

Firstly, there's the fear of uncovering something harmful that could harm innocent people; secondly, it's also for the sake of secrecy, to prevent the discovery of anything truly extraordinary.

After all the preliminary work was done, Gaode took matters into its own hands.

Of course, it wasn't about actually "taking action".

Gao De raised his hand and aimed it at the spot where Flora had mentioned digging out teeth. A soft, earthy yellow light emanated from his fingertips, activating the [Quick Dig] spell model.

The earthy yellow light suddenly spread, covering an area five feet square below.

Wherever the light touched, the soil suddenly became as smooth as flowing water.

The spell precisely locked onto the target area, enveloping and drawing in the soil, hidden rubble, and even the underground moisture.

The land sank slightly, and the five-foot square and five-foot deep cube of soil, including the wheat seedlings on top, seemed to be lifted up by an invisible hand, slowly rising and landing on the ridge beside the field, completely unharmed.

The cube of soil was moved aside and gently placed down, piling up to form a small mound.

The whole process was clean and neat, without any delay.

Gao De did not stop, but continued to cast the spell. One after another, beams of earthy yellow light fell down, like a precise excavator digging downwards.

Each time the spell was cast, a section of soil was completely stripped away and moved, with the excavation depth steadily increasing in increments of five feet.

At first, all that was dug out was moist soil.

When they dug to a depth of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), the soil gradually hardened and turned dark brown, carrying the icy feel unique to the frozen soil of the North.

At a depth of twenty zhang, fragments of ice crystals began to appear in the soil.

At a depth of thirty feet, the faint energy leakage that could only be observed with Mandora's Eye had become noticeable.

"Be careful."

Sunefa sensed the overflowing energy fluctuations, frowned slightly, and warned, "There's probably something extraordinary hidden down there."

Gao De nodded in acknowledgment and slowed down the digging speed, using his mental power to probe the situation below before each spell was cast.

As the depth increases, the energy fluctuations underground become increasingly clear.

Fifty zhang, eighty zhang, one hundred zhang...

The excavation depth far exceeds the cultivation limit of ordinary farmland, and the soil has long since turned into hard frozen soil, with every inch containing sharp-edged ice crystals.

The yellowish-brown light of the [Quick Digging] was no longer as intense as it had been at the beginning. It seemed to be eroded by the cold air from the ground, and the edges of the light turned a faint grayish-white. The digging speed had obviously slowed down.

Moreover, the spell's manipulation of the soil is accompanied by a subtle cracking sound of ice crystals.

Fortunately, Gaode is already a third-ring mage.

The amplification from the Ascending Ring spell allowed the dim, earthy yellow light to regain its sharpness, carving a path forward through the frozen ground.

When the excavation reached a depth of 150 zhang, Gao De's magic was suddenly blocked by a powerful resistance.

The yellowish-brown light struck the object below, creating a violent ripple before slowly dissipating.

"Hmm?" Gao De frowned slightly and stopped casting the spell.

He took a deep breath, and the magic within his body probed downwards following the guidance of his spiritual power.

Unlike the loose feel of soil or the hard texture of frozen soil, what lies beneath is harder than imagined, resembling a single, naturally formed giant ice crystal boulder.

When his mental energy touched it, he could feel a strong rebound force, mixed with a bone-chilling cold, which spread into his body along the mental energy circuit.

"Found it." Gao De withdrew his mental energy, raised his hand to rub his temples, and gestured to Sunefa beside him.

(End of this chapter)