Above the mage!

Chapter 565 Returning to Court to Receive Rewards
In the meditation room.

Gao De took out the fourth-tier magical plant, the Ice Vein Flower, presented by Quentin, and felt the gentle magic contained within it.

This is the advantage of having strong management skills.

Once you get through the toughest initial phase and your power is established and things are on track, the game will change from a "farming" game to an idle game where you harvest resources.

You don't need to do anything or manage anything; your subordinates will present you with random treasures from time to time, bringing unexpected surprises.

This feeling is quite exhilarating.

While thinking, Gao De put the ice vein flower in his hand into his mouth.

The petals melt in your mouth, without the fibrous texture of ordinary plants. Instead, they are like a cool, candied fruit, with a hint of sweetness that melts on your tongue.

The next second, a very faint icy energy slid down his throat into his body.

At first, it was just a slight coolness, but when the energy reached the mana pool, it suddenly erupted.

It felt as if countless tiny ice threads were coursing through my body, spreading rapidly along the magical veins.

This abundant ice energy quickly formed a temporary ice vein composed of light blue energy within Gao De's body.

It extends from the pool of magic to every part of the body, and the inner walls of the passage gleam with an ice-crystal-like luster.

The magic from the outside world seemed to be drawn to this temporary ice vein, surging towards his body and quickly flowing into his mana pool.

Even more miraculously, this magic flowed through the temporary ice veins without any loss; instead, it was slightly nourished by the energy within the ice veins, becoming even purer.

Gao De immediately focused his mind and began to circulate the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

Sure enough, he could clearly feel that the rate at which his magical power was increasing had reached a new level.

This was the effect of the temporary ice vein, much to Gao De's delight.

With the added buffs of Bone and Blood Thorn Elixir and a fourth-tier spiritual land, the cultivation progress of the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" is still incredibly fast, even if it doesn't reach the level of the "True Ice Secret Transmission" under the blessing of the True Ice Bloodline.

Visibly, the seventy-first pattern on the Wood Magic Crystal is steadily taking shape.

"At this rate, before the Military Mage Combat Tournament, I might even have reached the mid-second ring of the 'Green Wood Longevity Scripture' in my cultivation."
As for the "True Ice Secret Manual," if I didn't suppress it, it might have broken through to the third ring.

After a long time, Gao De stopped practicing the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture," feeling the still active temporary ice veins in his body, and thought to himself.

He now has two main storylines, one in the North and the other in the Plantagenet dynasty.

The main mission in the North is naturally to develop Phoenix.

From the initial development of agriculture and the hybridization of Northwest Barley No. 1, to the current campaign against Winterhammer, the establishment of the first branch city, and the improvement of the minting system, the foundation of the North has gradually been solidified.

Now we just have to wait and see how the Frostwolf Clan responds after their food supplies are cut off.

However, the main storyline of the Plantagenet Dynasty is full of uncertainties.

Even Gao De himself wasn't entirely sure how far he wanted to develop the dynasty.

All they knew was to showcase their talents and acquire the scarce knowledge resources of the North.

For example, the recipe for the crucial fifth-circle spell [Spell Constant], advanced runic knowledge, and the hidden knowledge of building mage towers.

However, Gao De is quite certain about the current temporary main task: first, to secure a spot as a Sea Sentinel to represent Byro County in the Military Mage Fighting Tournament, and then to perform well in the tournament to serve as a resume for future entry into the Light Sentinels.

If things go very smoothly in the end, and after three years, I actually join the Light Sentinels and rise to some high-ranking officer position, that's not impossible.

The North was no different from a three-year-old child in the face of the behemoth that was the Plantagenet dynasty.

It can provide Gaode with many basic resources, such as extraordinary materials and magical plants, but its resources related to knowledge are very limited. The Golden Flower Dynasty is an important supplement. Becoming a mage requires more than just resources; it also requires mastering a great deal of knowledge.

Even in later stages, knowledge became more important than material resources.

It is now mid-November of the year 9658 in the Nolan calendar, and the French Fighting Tournament is scheduled for the year 9660 in the Nolan calendar. There is only a little over a year left before the start of the tournament.

After confirming his goal, Gaode's next plan was to spend more time in seclusion and practice, once again becoming a hands-off manager.

He entrusted all the affairs of the city hall to Elsa and Sunefa, only occasionally receiving brief reports.

Elsa and Sunefa had no objection to this, and were already used to it.

Besides, he has already settled two major matters since he returned this time, and the two of them are more than capable of handling the rest.

To be honest, Gaode's superior thinking and vision in many areas are due to his past life experience, which allows him to provide guidance at crucial moments.

In terms of management skills, he is far inferior to the two of them.

But that's not important. A good leader only needs to know how to use people.

Liu Bang and Liu Bei are the best examples.

With the triple blessing, Gao De's cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds.

In early December, the seventy-first line on the wood magic crystal in his mana pool condensed and took shape, marking another solid step towards the mid-stage of the second ring.

At the same time, his "Secret Transmission of Zhenbing" broke through to the mid-stage of the first ring under the self-propulsion of the Zhenbing bloodline.

Gaode has now experienced firsthand what it means for hard work to be insignificant in the face of talent.
This difference in progress spurred him to work harder, and he secluded himself for another half month, successfully narrowing the level gap between "The Secret Transmission of Zhenbing" and "The Longevity Scripture of Qingmu".
At this point, the seclusion had to be temporarily ended.

Because it's almost the end of the year, Gaode needs to take some time to visit the Golden Flower Dynasty.

In any world, for any "unit," the end of the year is a crucial juncture.

Sea Sentinels are no exception.

He could usually "disappear" in the North, and the sea sentinels wouldn't investigate his attendance, since a mage's training naturally required a lot of time;
But by the end of the year, he had to show up no matter what, because the sea sentinels had an important performance evaluation.

The Sea Sentinel Mage who has ranked last for three consecutive years will be dismissed.

This "last 5%" refers to the bottom 5%, meaning that you only need to be in the top 95% of military merits each year.

It seems like a strict rule, but it's actually not easy to be eliminated.

Gaode didn't actually go on many missions this year, and it's safe to say that he's probably in the bottom 5% of all Sea Sentinel Mages.

But unfortunately, he is efficient and of high quality in carrying out his missions.

Putting aside everything else, the mission of Catfish Cyclone to aid Auckland earned him three first-class merits.

This military achievement has already ensured that Gaode will rank in the top 5 in this year's performance evaluation.

There must be a reward for every punishment.

The bottom 5% risk being expelled from the sea sentry ranks, while the top 5% naturally receive rewards.

Gao De's return to the Golden Finch Flower Garden this time was for the purpose of receiving an award.

After packing his luggage, Gao De arrived at the Yugathira Tree, used Astral Teleportation, and returned to the Plantagenet Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)