Above the mage!

Chapter 570 Another Year

Elementalization. You might be terrifying, but [Adaptive] doesn't need to shy away from your strengths.

Upon hearing Theodore's reminder, this thought immediately flashed through Gao De's mind.

While others need to be wary of the physical mutations caused by excessive erosion from elemental particles, he can "bathe" in elemental particles.

This demiplane was practically a cultivation paradise tailor-made for him.

Although he was very confident in himself, the reality of his low mage level was undeniable, and it was inevitable that he would suffer a loss in the Spell Hall challenge with his early second-ring strength.

Theodore's generous assistance will undoubtedly narrow the gap in mage levels considerably; it's a timely help.

According to Master Theodore, a month of cultivation in the demiplane would at least allow him to break through to the mid-stage of the second ring, and he might even be able to reach the late-stage of the second ring.

This is a projected progress based on the average person's situation.

Gao De believed that with the existence of [adaptive] technology, his cultivation effect in the demiplane would definitely surpass that of ordinary people.

This will be his best chance to reach the later stages of the second ring in his "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

"Thank you, Master Theodore!" God bowed in gratitude.

“You’re welcome. Compared to your help to Auckland, this is nothing.” Theodore nodded slightly, very calmly.

After visiting Theodore, Gao De's trip to Auckland finally came to a successful conclusion.

He returned to Dorne by airship that same day.

According to the usual practice of the sea sentries, the year-end performance evaluation results will be announced in the last ten days of the year.

During this period, almost all the mages who were on missions abroad would return to Dorne.

While waiting, Gaode also took the time to visit Naxi, the mage who had guided him when he joined the Sea Sentinels.

Naxi Master was very happy to see Gao De, who was a "new recruit" a year ago, now holding the same rank as him, and showed no negative emotions whatsoever.

Time slowly passed until the 25th of the winter solstice month in the Nolan calendar year 9658.

That day, Melia personally delivered a letter with gold lettering to God, the envelope bearing the emblem of the Sea Sentinel.

"Take a look," Melia said with a smile.

When Gao De read the letter, it was indeed about performance evaluation and rating.

Although he has been working sporadically this year, his outstanding performance in the Catfish Cyclone rescue mission will certainly place him among the top performers.

What Gao De didn't expect was that he wasn't just among the top performers this year, but ranked first!

Among all the second-ring mages in the Sea Sentinel this year, he has earned the most military merits.

Of course, in everyone's eyes, this is a very normal thing.

After all, Gao De's promotion to warrant officer rank was achieved solely based on his performance this year, a speed of promotion that has not been seen in recent decades.

"I really envy you. You only go on missions a few times a year, yet you still manage to consistently come in first place."

Melia, who had been busy for almost half a year and whose final evaluation was only in the top 10%, said with a hint of envy, "The gap between people is even greater than the gap between people and Paul."

Gaode smiled shyly and continued browsing the emails.

At the very end of the letter, the additional rewards Gao De received for achieving the top rank in this year's Sea Sentinel Second Ring Mage military merit assessment were listed:
A copying bat, a warning crystal, and a helper vine.

These are all completely unfamiliar things, but you can roughly guess their uses from their names.

"While they don't directly help improve your strength, they are very practical and can save you a lot of trouble. They are rare items cultivated by the alchemists, potion makers, and beast tamers within our Sea Sentinels. They are not sold to the public at all; you can't buy them even if you want to. They are only distributed as rewards." Melia explained to God, both out of envy and to provide him with some information.

Gao De understood.

These rewards need to be collected in person at the corresponding locations.

The most convenient way to obtain the Warning Crystal is to go directly to the supplies area in the White Tower of the Abyss to collect it.

Therefore, it was the first reward that Gaode received.

Once you get your hands on the warning crystal, it's a small device that you can carry around like a pocket watch.

At its core is a piece of transparent crystal, namely the warning crystal itself.

The Warning Crystal's function is simple: once activated, it maintains a magical alarm spell within a small area (such as a tent or outpost) for 8 hours. What's special is the Warning Crystal's charging mechanism.

It only needs to absorb one hour of natural light per day to replenish its energy, without consuming any magic crystals.

Although its functions are somewhat limited, it greatly enhances the ability to survive and guard in the wild, making it an extremely practical piece of equipment for military mages who frequently operate in the wild.

Moreover, it is self-charging, further enhancing its convenience.

As for the copying bat and assistant vine, you need to go to the corresponding beast taming camp and magic plant garden to get them.

As a military mage organization that has been established for over ten thousand years, the Sea Sentinels have a very well-developed internal organizational structure.

The military mages are undoubtedly the absolute focus and main body.

However, there are also many extraordinary secondary professions of artisans belonging to the Sea Sentinels, including potion makers, alchemists, beast tamers, and so on.

A series of industries have been established around military mages, including magic plant gardens for cultivating magical plants, workshops for forging extraordinary equipment, and beast taming camps for raising magical pets.

One example is Bibo Ting, which breeds capybaras.

The Copying Bat is also a special magical pet tamed and trained by the Sea Sentinel's beast tamers.

Following the instructions in the letter, after collecting the Vigilance Crystal, God arrived at a beast-taming camp located in the northwest suburbs of Dorne.

The man who greeted him was a middle-aged man with a brown beard and a leather belt adorned with the claws and teeth of magical creatures.

Upon seeing Gao De, and after Gao De identified himself and his purpose, he took out a carved wooden cage from the room and handed it to Gao De: "Warrant Officer Gao De, this is your copying bat. It is just over three months old and has completed basic domestication."

Inside the wooden cage, soft black velvet was laid out, and a tiny bat, no bigger than the palm of a hand, was curled up in the corner.

"The Copying Bat is a magical pet we nurtured by fusing the bloodlines of the 'Moonlight Bat' and the 'Rune Butterfly.'" The man opened the wooden cage, and the Copying Bat immediately spread its wings and landed lightly on Gao De's fingertips.

"It has a natural affinity for the smell of ink and new parchment, can understand simple commands such as 'copy,' 'pause,' and 'modify,' and can perfectly replicate text and patterns, reducing human error."

High-level mages spend a lot of time on paperwork, so copying bats is still quite practical.

At the very least, it's very convenient to place it in a Walmart supply store to assist with daily work.

In addition to the copying bat, the middle-aged man also provided a year's worth of food for the copying bat, after which the bat would have to purchase its own food.

After thanking the animal trainer, Gao De headed to his next destination.

That is, the Magic Plant Garden where you can obtain the Assistant Vine.

This time, the person who received Gaode was a female plant magician wearing a green robe.

Upon hearing Gao De's purpose, she immediately brought out a slender porcelain basin.

A vibrant green vine with an exquisite and unique shape is growing in the pot.

This is the assistant, Fuji.

The main body of the vine in Gaode's vine is 1.9134 meters long. The reason why it is so precise is because Gaode used the Mandora's Eye to measure it.

It was as thick as a child's little finger, exceptionally flexible, like a living, emerald-green silk ribbon.

"The Assistant Vine is Master Simon's latest cultivation achievement," the female plant magician introduced to Gao De.

“In his daily work, Master Simon often needs to use the Mage's Hand frequently to complete various trivial tasks. Over time, he began to wonder if it was possible to cultivate a biological and sustainable alternative to the Mage's Hand.”

"There are some magical plants in nature that can simulate physical actions, such as the beast-catching bramble, and magical plants that can extract trace amounts of magic from living beings, such as the vampire vine."

"In addition, it also incorporates many of our department's unique and extraordinary knowledge, as well as the still immature magic model grafting technology. It took nearly 20 years of effort to cultivate the first generation of Assistant Vine." The female magic plant master spoke with pride when mentioning the cultivation of Assistant Vine.

"The first generation assistant, Teng, could only perform simple grasping actions. The second generation was prone to losing control due to magical fluctuations. The third generation could not work for long periods of time. It wasn't until the fifth generation that these problems were solved."

The plant magician picked up a silver metal rod, and the assistant vine immediately wrapped around it, bending and stretching flexibly.

"This is the fifth-generation assistant, Teng. It has basically achieved our initial expectations. It can perform delicate tasks such as handing over tools and organizing scrolls according to your mental will. Although it is small, it can save you a lot of tedious operations."

"It doesn't need any extra feeding. It only needs to absorb half an hour of magic every day to stay active. You can also wrap it around your staff or belt for easy carrying, or keep it at home for household use."

The Plant Master added, "This is the first time we've given away the fifth-generation assistant vine as a reward, and Warrant Officer Gao De is one of our first users to experience it."

(End of this chapter)