Above the mage!

Chapter 513 Allies
The story of "The Orphan of Zhao" is truly a timeless classic, enduring through the ages.

After hearing Sarah's account of the whole story, Gao De couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

No wonder "cutting off the weeds and eliminating the roots" is considered a code of conduct in the martial arts world.

However, it is impossible to say that the wicked David Jones was unaware of this principle.

Ultimately, it was because he was too confident.

In his eyes, even the Holy Empire was helpless against him and could do nothing about him, so how could an alchemist's underage daughter possibly pose a threat to him?

In addition, Davy Jones has committed far too many evils; murder and robbery were commonplace for him.

If he were to eliminate every single one of them, how could he possibly manage to keep up?

Instead of eliminating the threat at its root, it's better to focus your energy on improving your own strength and influence.

This idea isn't actually wrong in essence.

After all, how many characters like Sarah can emerge in the world?

Moreover, even if Sarah were as talented and intelligent as she is, if she hadn't been "lucky" enough to meet Gaode, wouldn't she have ultimately failed?
“I’ve explained it to you in such detail,” Sarah blinked, her furrowed brows relaxing slightly, “because I have another request.”

"Understood." Before Sarah could finish speaking, God had already reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag.

An enchanted spear, as ferocious as a giant dragon, appeared in his hand.

[Topaz Annihilator].

"Returning it to its rightful owner." He handed the [Topaz Annihilator] to Sarah.

This was completely unexpected for Sarah, who stared blankly at the [Topaz Annihilator] that Gaode handed her.

She had considered that Gaode might guess her intentions, and she had also considered that Gaode would eventually agree to "return" the [Topaz Annihilator] to her.

But I never expected that Gaode would be so decisive and efficient, returning the item to its rightful owner without mentioning any conditions.

This is an extraordinary combat artifact, not some roadside cabbage!

"What, you don't want it anymore?" Gao De teased Sarah when she didn't react.

"Thank you." Sarah wasn't one to mince words; she had simply been caught off guard and hadn't reacted quickly enough. She immediately accepted the [Topaz Annihilator].

Gaode Maps gave it very generously, without any hesitation or attempt to manipulate the situation.

One reason is that he is a mage who doesn't follow the enchanted gun route.

His main magic weapon is [North Wind], and he may add a staff in the future, but he doesn't have much interest in enchanted guns.

He possesses an extremely vast repertoire of spells, and with the presence of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, the spells he masters are often more unique and powerful than those of others.

Without a doubt, Gao De's strength lies in magic, and the most suitable magic weapon for him is a staff that amplifies the power of magic.

To sacrifice the advantages of the [Topaz Annihilator] for its inherent strength is like picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon.

Another point is that after obtaining the [Topaz Annihilator], Gaode had already appraised it using [Appraisal+] during the intervals.

[Topaz Annihilator]:
Creator: Lara
It needs to be synchronized before use.

This magical ranged weapon does not use ammunition; instead, it uses a piece of topaz dragon crystal that grows continuously at its core. Once you have used up all the energy contained in the topaz dragon crystal, you must wait until the next dawn to use it again.

This weapon has a standard range of 200 feet and a maximum range of 600 feet. When it hits a target, the bullet will annihilate, producing topaz crystals that extract the target's moisture and life energy.

If this damage drains the life energy of a creature or object, that target will turn to dust.

The Topaz Annihilator is an extremely powerful and extraordinary combat artifact, possessing both the "unlimited ammo" and "annihilation" effects.

The significance of the former is self-evident.

Regardless of the world or power system, unlimited bullets are a rare term.

Of course, the "unlimited bullets" of the [Topaz Annihilator] is a youth version.

Its infinity is conditional; it is a finite total quantity with infinite regeneration.

Once the total energy in the yellow jade dragon crystal is used up, it will take until the next day to replenish.

But the automatic charging feature alone, aside from everything else, saves an astronomical sum of "ammunition costs" over the years.

As for "annihilation," that falls under the category of special attack terms.

Within the mage's power system, this is also a very practical special effect.

After all, undead creatures or creatures with resurrection abilities are not uncommon in this world. These enemies can often be physically defeated and then revive, dragging mages into an endless war of attrition.

"Annihilation" is what can break this cycle.

Especially when dealing with necromancers, "annihilation" is particularly effective.

Of course, it's not without its drawbacks: for example, when facing creatures from the earth or sea monsters, the annihilation effect can actually have side effects.

You painstakingly killed them, planning to collect their extraordinary materials to make a fortune, but one shot from the [Topaz Annihilator] and they're nothing but ashes.
Despite its flaws, the Topaz Annihilator remains a powerful artifact capable of changing the course of a battle.

However, there is a fatal problem—this is a strange object that requires synchronization.

The term "synchronization" refers to the process by which a supernatural item requires the user to establish a special mental connection with it in order to activate its special abilities. It is a prerequisite for using certain supernatural items.

Synchroing typically requires focusing on an item for more than an hour, during which time one cannot be distracted or cast spells in combat, and a mage can usually only synchrogate a maximum of three items.

Essentially, it is somewhat similar to the "equipment binding" terminology used in the previous generation of games by Gaode Maps.

However, there are some special features compared to "binding": First, some items require specific and additional conditions to be met for synchronization.

The former typically requires a certain mage level, a certain level of mental strength, and a certain bloodline.

The latter are incredibly varied, and some even come with negative consequences. Some require long-term blood feeding, while others require the user to carry them close to their body for extended periods or risk misfortune.

Another point is that while many extraordinary items are easy to synchronize with, it is extremely difficult to desynchronize them.

Especially for symbiotic extraordinary items, they often require "remove curse" spells to forcibly separate them, as they cannot be actively removed.

Therefore, there are many examples of people who rashly attempt to synchronize items without understanding the conditions for synchronization and end up making big mistakes.

Some mages, after being hypnotized by necromancy, began to experience physical changes, but were unable to actively break free from the hypnotism, and were eventually tormented to the point of being neither human nor ghost.

The [Topaz Annihilator] is too powerful. A level 2 Highlord mage can only barely identify its basic attributes with [Appraisal+], which is not enough to identify its Synchro conditions.

Are there any side effects that he finds unacceptable? Does he meet the conditions for synchronization?
These are all unknowns.

Under these circumstances, he certainly wouldn't dare to recklessly synchronize with the [Topaz Annihilator]. It was a transcendental magical weapon that he wasn't proficient in and couldn't use for the foreseeable future.

Even though it's an extraordinary combat artifact, for Gaode it's ultimately just a useless item, gathering dust most of the time.

From this perspective, it would be better to return it to Sarah.

Finally, free things are often the most expensive.

To reiterate, compared to one or two valuable enchanted guns, Sarah herself is far more valuable than them.

Doing Sarah another favor would ultimately yield far greater benefits than acquiring a [Topaz Annihilator].

Sarah took the [Topaz Annihilator] and gently stroked the obsidian gun barrel with her slender fingers, lost in thought.

This marvel, crafted by her mother, has finally returned to her hands after nearly a century.

After a moment, Sarah suddenly took out the "Good Luck" and "Bad Luck" from her side with some difficulty.

Due to the weakness caused by the damage to her soul, her movements were noticeably sluggish.

Sarah handed the two guns to God and said softly, "You choose one."

"Hmm?" Gao De raised an eyebrow.

"Although they are not as valuable as the [Topaz Annihilator], I can't just take them for free. That's not in my nature. Consider this as partial compensation."

“Besides,” Sarah paused, then chuckled, “I only have two hands. I can’t handle three guns.”

Seeing the determination in Sarah's eyes, Gao De understood.

He immediately fell into thought.

No matter how much reasoning is given, and no matter how useless the enchanted gun is to him, there's no reason not to accept a high-level magical weapon given away for free, right?
He quickly made his decision, his gaze falling on the more antique-looking [Misfortune].

This is Sarah's mother's masterpiece, and its artistic value should surpass that of "Good Luck".

"Take this one, it'll bring you better luck in the future," Gao De said with a smile as he took [Misfortune].

In addition, the limitation of [Misfortune] as a traditional magic fire gun, which can only be fired once, means that it can only be used as a surprise move in most situations.

However, this is exactly in line with Gao De's combat habits and can serve as a supplement to his combat methods outside of his spell system.

Sarah was not surprised by Gaode's choice; in fact, she had already guessed it.

She reached into her bosom and took out an exquisite tubular brass cartridge, handing it to Gao De.

The cartridge is about the length of a palm, with anti-slip spiral patterns engraved on its surface. One end is closed, and the other end has a tightly fitting screw cap.

Gaode unscrewed the cap and looked inside, finding four differently shaped bullets lying quietly in the velvet lining:
The bullet is entirely blue, with a faint electric arc visible at the tip;

The surface of a projectile has fine, constantly vibrating ripples;

The bullet's warhead is dark green, has a glassy texture, and contains flowing liquid.

The last bullet was even more peculiar, its color resembling a dull lead block, and it looked unusually heavy.

The entire cartridge case is fully loaded with five bullets, but there is currently one empty slot.

The empty space, needless to say, must be the Soul Eater bullet that Sarah considered a killing move, but which was countered by Davy Jones.

"These four bullets are special bullets manufactured by our Tilha family. The process of manufacturing ordinary bullets is not complicated, but the requirements are relatively high."

"First, a casting tower at least sixty feet high must be built, with a cold water pool at the base of the tower, and cold-gathering rune arrays inscribed on the bottom of the pool."

At the top of the tower, craftsmen poured molten metal into a specially made funnel fitted with a filter. The molten metal dripped down through diamond-shaped holes at the bottom of the funnel, naturally forming droplets as it fell.

"The casting tower needs to be built high enough so that when the molten metal falls, its surface can first come into contact with the cold air and condense into a shell, so that it will not collapse and deform when it enters the cold water pool."

The temperature of the cold water pool is even more crucial, because some special metals have extremely high melting points. If the cold water isn't hot enough, the solution will boil the pool water the moment it's poured in, resulting in nothing but a pile of twisted metal slag.

"But this is only for the manufacture of ordinary projectiles. The manufacture of special projectiles not only has high requirements, but the process is also a hundred times more complicated."

“Each special projectile can be regarded as an individual alchemical product. It is made of expensive materials and requires many skilled workers, a suitable environment, and alchemical machinery to assist in its manufacture.”

"Since David burned down the workshop, I've been using the stockpiled stock from before. Every piece I use is one less, so this is all that's left."

Gao De slowly tightened the screw cap, and said to Sarah, "Perhaps you can rebuild the workshop in the Blue Flame Islands."

Sarah looked up abruptly upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashing across her pale face, followed by an undisguised flutter of attraction in her eyes.

“David is dead, and the entire Black Sails will believe that you personally ended his reign,” God emphasized. “Logically and emotionally, if you are willing, you are the best candidate to become the next uncrowned king of Black Sails and are very likely to take control of the city.”

“Of course I’m willing,” Sarah replied, meeting Gao De’s gaze.

“Whether or not I can take over David’s position, you will always be my Sarah Fortune, the core and most important ally of the Gold Coin Hunters. I will do everything I can to meet all your needs; this is my promise to you.” She paused, then said to God with utmost seriousness.

Upon hearing this, Gao De was extremely pleased.

He did all that just for this, didn't he?
Fortunately, he was right. Sarah not only had exceptional talent and strength, but also a broad vision and integrity.

“Once I’ve recovered a bit and no one will notice my weakness, I’ll have the Fireblade carry Davy Jones’s body back to Black Sails,” Sarah added, a sharp glint in her eyes.

This is a critical time.

The Ironcrown fled in panic, and once it returned to Black Sails, news of Davy Jones's death would soon spread throughout the city.

At this juncture, Sarah, in this way, returns to Black Sails with Davy Jones's body as a victor, instantly establishing unparalleled prestige and reputation within the city.

This prestige even allowed her to seize most of the Bloodsail Pirates' assets "without shedding a drop of blood," and to bring many opportunistic gangs under her control.

In addition, over the years, Sarah has accumulated quite a few key figures around her, making her a force to be reckoned with.

We must seize this opportunity.

“That’s true, but right now,” Gao De glanced at Sarah’s pale face and said helplessly, “you should get some rest first.”

“I have a spell that can help you recover faster, don’t resist.” He thought for a moment, then whispered to Sarah as he activated the spell model.

The next instant, a layer of firefly-like light emerged from his palm, carrying warm energy fluctuations, and drifted toward Sarah's body.

The moment it touched her body, it merged into her body.

【Comfortable Sleep+】.

After the Wind Spirit Moonshadow skill points were allocated to [Comfortable Sleep+], although it is still a first-level spell, it also increases the natural recovery speed of soul damage, which is incredibly powerful and perfectly suited to Sarah's current situation.

(End of this chapter)