Above the mage!

Chapter 520 "Blue Flame Dungeon" Settlement (Part 2)
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"A treasure that can only be enhanced with a third-circle spell, even if it's precious, shouldn't be the grand finale of the Soul Reaper's Day auction, right?" God looked at Sarah, his brows furrowed, and voiced his question directly.

In his view, the essence of this product is extremely clear, and it can almost be said to be exclusively for the use of the Three Rings Master.

It could also be considered a special feature for fourth-ring mages, since the main spells of fourth-ring mages are inevitably third-ring spells.

But a fifth-ring mage, like Sarah, would definitely look down on this thing.

How can a treasure that cannot arouse the interest of the Five Rings Master be qualified as the final item to be auctioned?

“One is that you underestimate its amplification,” Sarah explained to Godd in great detail, “It can reduce the cost of a spell to about 30% of its original cost and then increase the casting speed by 20%.”

hiss~~
Gao De was slightly surprised.

This increase was indeed beyond his expectations.

The mana cost has been reduced to 30% of the original, which means that with the same mana cost, you can now cast three identical spells and still have 10% mana left over.

As for the increase in casting speed, although it is not as dramatic as the reduction in mana consumption, it is still a commendable improvement.

"This level of improvement is actually equivalent to the improvement that a super magic feat can bring."

"Most importantly, you are free to choose which spell to apply this blessing to."

“And you should know that among the third-circle spells, there is a mage’s signature spell,” Sarah reminded her.

Gao De immediately realized what was happening, "[Fireball]!"

Fireball has a wide range and high destructive power, but it consumes a lot of resources and has a long casting animation.

"Yes, as long as you add the essence of the Zoar spell to [Fireball], you can eliminate the disadvantages of [Fireball] being expensive and slow to cast. Then you can give full play to [Fireball]'s position as the most destructive spell in the third circle, making [Fireball] your trump card."

In short, it has no fancy mechanics, only the simple, straightforward, and pure beauty of numbers.

And this is precisely the most practical benefit in actual combat.

"But that doesn't change the fact that its effect is limited to third-ring and fourth-ring mages, does it?" Gao De's doubts still hadn't completely dissipated.

“Then you’re wrong again,” Sarah smiled. “In your mind, the big clients of the Wrath of the Souls auction are the Five Rings Wizards, right?”

Gao De nodded silently.

The restrictions of the Blue Flame Islands limit the maximum number of mages that can be summoned to the fifth rank.

Logically speaking, it's perfectly reasonable that the biggest client is Master Wuhuan.

But since Sarah asked that question, it means the answer is not like that.

He had already vaguely grasped the meaning.

However, Sarah has already given the correct answer: "Actually, that's not the case. The real big clients of the Aniruddha auction have always been mages above the fifth ring."

“Their wealth far exceeds that of a fifth-ring mage. Although the Blue Flame Islands prevent them from easily setting foot in this sea, it doesn’t prevent them from competing in auctions.” Sarah paused, “For example, through agents or offspring.”

"How powerful do you think this essence of the Orchid spell could make a third-ring mage?"

After a moment of contemplation, Gao De slowly said, "With the enhancement of the essence of the Zhuoer spell, it is enough to make a third-ring mage who is not weak to become an almost invincible existence among those of the same level."

"That's right, that's exactly what I want. What can a level three invincible do to us? I can turn it to ashes with one shot."

"But this is because Black Sails City is a chaotic place. For some forces, turning their offspring into invincible three-ring beings can bring them amazing benefits, especially in places with strict rules and order."

Indeed, Gaode didn't understand it at first, but after Sarah's explanation, he immediately understood.

Putting aside other things, let's just take the military mages competition mentioned by Lieutenant Colonel Grayling as an example.

If a player who is already a strong contender for the championship in the third-ring mage group of the Mage Fighting Tournament obtains this magical essence, the boost it provides will almost certainly help him secure the championship.

After winning the championship, the high ranking it brings to the county's military mages organization, as well as the positive impression it earns for joining "Vanguard of Justice," "Silver Dragon Riders," and "Sentinels of Light" in the future, will make the money spent worthwhile.

It can elevate a family's status, provide preferential treatment in resources, and can even be considered a stepping stone to becoming a high-level mage in the future.

Given such a reward, how could those high-ranking mages be stingy with money?
"Therefore, the essence of the Zhuor spell is not a treasure for third-, fourth-, or even fifth-ring mages. Its real target customers are the leaders of the major powers and families on the continent, and sixth- and even seventh-ring mages!" Sarah concluded.

Between mages, the difference in strength becomes enormous with each level increase.

This principle also generally applies to wealth.

The wealth possessed by a Sixth Ring Mage is incomparable to that of a Fifth Ring Mage.

They only need to peek out from between their fingers to overwhelm the Five Rings Mage.

Gao De gazed at the drop of liquid in the bottle, which shimmered with starlight, and felt a slight joy in his heart.

He also needs this magical essence.

This could help him secure a spot in the Military Mage Fighting Tournament a year and a half later, or even win the championship in the second-ring mage group of the Military Mage Fighting Tournament.

"Also, regarding the list of magical materials you provided, I had someone search the city's black market and find about half of them." Sarah leaned against the edge of the table, waiting for God to finish digesting the value of the Zhuor magical essence before changing the subject.

"However, due to limited time, we only took a quick look around. In addition, a large number of magical materials are poured into Black Sails City every day. If we spend more time, it should be no problem to gather about 80 or 90 percent of them."

"After all, the magical materials you need, though varied, don't contain many rare items; they're mostly commonly used goods, so it'll just take some time to gather them all." Her tone carried a hint of certainty.

After Sarah finished speaking, she clapped her hands, and immediately someone came in carrying two large boxes of magical materials.

They placed the box in front of Gaode, bent down to open the lid, and displayed the packaged magical materials inside to him:

The box was lined with soft hay, and various magical materials were neatly categorized and packed in small transparent crystal bottles or oil paper bags.

The label, clearly written in charcoal, listed the names and quantities: three moonflowers, one bundle of shadow spider silk, two ounces of dragon's blood powder...

Everything was neatly arranged, showing that it had been carefully organized.

Gao De's eyes lit up. The spell essence was a pure surprise; it was his original goal.

"As for the Demon Tree Seed, the situation is somewhat unsatisfactory," Sarah's voice rang out again.

"As you know, the market for magic tree seeds is already niche. Few people would sell them on the black market, not to mention that there is no suitable land for magic trees to grow on the Blue Flame Islands. It can be said that except for special circumstances, there is almost no market for magic tree seeds in this region."

Without demand, there is no product output.

"So, I had people search every magical plant stall, but I only managed to find a dozen or so magical tree seeds for you, and the highest grade they had was only second grade."

As she spoke, Sarah pulled a cloth bag from her bosom and tossed it to God.

"However, since you said you want to buy various magical tree species in the long term, I have spread the word in the name of the Gold Coin Hunters Group. As long as there is a stable demand for purchases, and it comes from the Gold Coin Hunters Group, those merchants will naturally find a way to transfer goods from various places."

"I think it won't be long before you receive a large number of magic tree seeds."

"Thank you so much, you've gone to so much trouble!" Gao De put away the cloth bag and expressed his sincere gratitude.

Becoming Sarah's most important ally is significant for the North, and even more so for him personally.

Black Sails City, with its unique black market culture and chaotic disorder, attracts mages and merchants from all over the world.

This means that in Black Sails City, you can find magical materials produced in almost every region of the world.

Even if you can't find the magical materials you need for the time being, as long as you are willing to pay enough Golden Bird Coins, there will always be profit-driven merchants who will bring what you need to Black Sails City.

In this situation, Gao De's alliance with Sarah, who is currently the most powerful person in Black Sails, means that he can leverage Sarah's influence to fully utilize Black Sails' resources.

And he, in particular, has a far greater need for resources than other mages:

One advantage is his ability to construct spell models in a very short time; the limitation, however, is the difficulty in collecting the magical materials needed for spell potions.

Secondly, the existence of Yugathira means that God's demand for the Demon Tree Seed is limitless.

So, after the situation in Black Sails City stabilized for the time being, God made his demands without any pretense: he asked Sarah to help him collect the magical materials he needed to concoct spell potions and to purchase various magical tree species on a long-term basis.

"You're welcome." Sarah waved her hand casually, then took out a rolled-up parchment from her bosom and handed it to God.

"What is this?" Gao De raised an eyebrow slightly, while gently untying the cord of the parchment.

The parchment was edged with gold thread and was of extremely fine quality. More importantly, it also emitted a faint magical aura.

“Profit-sharing agreement,” Sarah said casually, ““Every year thereafter, ten percent of the profits from all the properties under Bloodsail Assets will be given to you as dividends.”

Gao De's fingers suddenly paused, his grip on the contract tightening instantly. He looked up at Sarah, "Ten percent of Bloodsail Industries' profits?!"

“That’s right.” Sarah nodded, her tone frank, even somewhat matter-of-fact. “If you hadn’t intervened on Ash Isle, I would have been dead by David’s gun long ago.”

“If you hadn’t left Ash Isle behind my back, let alone taking over Bloodsail’s assets, it would have been a question whether you would even have survived. Logically and morally, you should have a share of Bloodsail’s assets.”

She paused, her gaze falling on Gao De's shocked face, and added, "I'm not just talking about allies. This 10% share is both a thank-you gift and a guarantee for our allies."

Gao De lowered his head and unfolded the contract, his eyes quickly scanning the terms on it.

The handwriting on the parchment was neat and clear, and every sentence was written clearly: the scope of income included all industries under Bloodsail, the share ratio was fixed at 10%, and the payment method was to settle once a year and deliver it directly in the form of golden bird coins.
More importantly, the contract contained no additional conditions, required him to do anything for Bloodsail, restricted his actions, or even stipulated a time limit for the profit-sharing.
This means that as long as the Gold Hunters still control these Bloodsail businesses, this share of the profits will remain in effect.

This is hardly a "profit-sharing agreement," it's practically Sarah giving him a 10% "share" for free!
Gao De had thought Sarah was a grateful person, but he never expected her to go to this extent.

The Bloodsail Pirates have been operating for many years and have accumulated a considerable amount of assets. Even a ten percent of their profits would be a substantial fortune for a fifth-ring mage.

Sarah simply handed him this fortune without any hesitation.

"Furthermore, Davy Jones has been famous for a long time and has controlled Black Sails City for so many years. The wealth he has amassed must be an extremely terrifying astronomical figure, conservatively estimated to be several million gold coin."

Sarah, ignoring Gao De's shock, naturally moved on to the next topic.

“Logically, you should also have a share of David Jones’s estate,” Sarah said, shrugging helplessly. “But we simply can’t find where he hid it.”

Seemingly fearing that Gaode might not believe it, she added a further explanation: "David Jones was an extremely selfish and suspicious person who didn't trust anyone, so he never set up a public treasury within Bloodsail, and all the core wealth was controlled by himself."

"If I'm not mistaken, he must have mastered the spell [Leomon's Secret Chest] and hidden most of his wealth in it."

[Leo Monk's Secret Box], a fourth-circle spell.

This spell can be used to hide a box and its contents in the ethereal plane.

As long as the caster does not actively dispel the spell, the spell can remain in effect for more than a year.

"Now that he is dead, the only way to obtain the treasure in the secret chest is to wait for the spell to dissipate automatically, which will take at least a year. Moreover, no one knows where he kept the secret chest, so I cannot guarantee anything."

"No rush, let's see how things go," Gao De said, taking a very relaxed approach.

Ultimately, his initial goal in coming to the Blue Flame Islands was simply to get the saplings of the Azus Feather Whistle Tree.

The results so far have far exceeded expectations.

“There’s one more thing I need to trouble you with.” He thought for a moment and then said, “Davis Jones’s head is worth 38 Goldbird coins. If you’ve run out of his body, I’ll need your help to convert it into a bounty.”

“No problem.” Sarah readily agreed, her tone decisive.

On the one hand, it was indeed not a difficult task for her.

On the other hand, in order to establish her prestige in Black Sails, she publicly claimed that she was the one who killed Davy Jones.

If Gao De were to ultimately deliver Davy Jones's head to claim the bounty, it would be easy for someone to renege on the deal, and it would also cast doubt on the "fact."

Afterwards, Gao De and Sarah had a detailed discussion about the long-term cooperation between the North and the Gold Coin Hunters.

(End of this chapter)