Above the mage!

Chapter 586 Copper Earring Coins, Silver Frost Coins, Purple Jade Gold

Gao De turned to look at Elena beside him, his gaze instantly drawn to the strange phenomena surrounding her.

Compared to the commotion when she absorbed the Sleeping Spider Web, Elena's situation was much more spectacular.

At this moment, the dark purple negative energy around her was like a raging venomous snake, thrashing across her body.

Even the ground three feet around her feet was filled with twisted threads of negative energy.

These strands fall onto the rock and instantly corrode tiny holes.

Elena kept her eyes tightly closed, her expression clearly showing a suppressed pain, fine beads of cold sweat on her forehead, and her lips trembling slightly from enduring the pain.

Clearly, the process of merging with the Bite of Exhaustion is far more painful and difficult than that of the Sleeping Spiderweb.

The negative energy of the undead is inherently at odds with the life force of living beings. Even if she has cultivated necromancy, she cannot avoid the tearing sensation during the fusion.

Fortunately, this pain did not last long, and the dark purple negative energy around Elena began to gradually subside.

When the dark purple energy dissipated and no longer floated on Elena's body, she opened her eyes and met the gaze of Gao De, who was staring at her.

"Did you win?" Gao De asked.

“Yes.” Elena nodded, her face still pale, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.

I don't know what level this necromancer seed under her command is, but it's at least mid-level, that's for sure, otherwise Elena wouldn't have such a high expression.

He even believed that the Devouring Bite should be a higher-level elemental species, like the Sleeping Spider Web.

Otherwise, how could it have maintained a balance of power and struggle against the Sleeping Spider Web in this underground space for so many years?
If it weren't for the fact that both species were weakened at the same time and that they hadn't reached an agreement to retreat simultaneously, they would have had no chance to acquire these two high-level elemental species.

Both gained something, and they were both immersed in indescribable joy.

However, another unexpected event occurred at this time.

The yellowish-brown energy net that had been suspended above the dome suddenly began to tremble violently.

A violent energy surged within the spiderweb-like veins.

The next second, dozens of pillars of earth vein energy, like an angry torrent breaking free of its restraints, surged out from the nodes of the energy network, heading straight for Gao De.
"I'll go first." Gao De's expression changed drastically. He didn't have time to explain further; his body reacted instinctively.

Fortunately, he had taken great care to summon Boeing before entering the area and kept him possessed.

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind, and his entire body was enveloped by a stream of cyan energy.

He didn't care about revealing his ability to fly at the second level in front of Elena. He flew out diagonally like an arrow, barely avoiding the first wave of impact from the earth vein energy.

boom!
The energy pillars slammed into the ground, instantly creating a crater several feet in diameter in the rocks, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere.

The vast net of earth vein energy, at this moment, all the energy has spread out, with a fierce momentum, and is constantly surging towards Gaode.

The reason is simple: they sensed the slumbering spider web hidden within Gaode's body.

It's like their most cherished treasure is about to be tricked away by a blond guy, how could they not be angry?

Gao De did not hesitate at all, nor did he intend to drag Elena into the mess.

His gaze swept quickly across the surroundings, and he randomly chose a direction away from the energy impact and flew away.

As he and Elena absorbed the Sleeping Spider Web and the Devouring Bite, the rotating suction force in this space dissipated and no longer hindered his flight.

He had only flown less than a hundred feet when several sharp energy spikes from the earth veins suddenly pierced through the rock walls on both sides, hurtling straight toward his body with a whistling sound.

Gao De reacted extremely quickly, his body suddenly sinking downwards, narrowly avoiding another wave of energy.

At the same time, he realized a problem: he couldn't keep wandering around the underground space like a headless fly for so long.

In this place, the earth's ley line energy is almost everywhere, and it could emerge at any moment. If you don't leave, it will be depleted sooner or later.

However, in the dark and vast underground space, without any guidance, finding the exit is not an easy task.

However, this is a minor issue for Gaode Maps.

He snapped his fingers lightly.

With a crisp sound, a crystalline, ice-blue light shone from his fingertips, like condensed starlight, and quickly surged forth.

The light gathered and shaped in mid-air, instantly transforming into a crystal-clear ice butterfly.

The ultimate ice spell, [Ice Butterfly+].

"Green Forest City," Gao De announced in a deep voice, following the spell's effect.

This is the starting point of his trip, and also the clearest safe coordinate at present.

As soon as she finished speaking, the ice butterfly's wings began to flap.

Its wings are made of extremely pure ice crystals, with each wing vein clearly visible, shimmering with a faint blue halo, like thin ice bathed in moonlight.

When its wings flap, they scatter tiny, icy-blue specks of light, leaving a brief trail of light in the darkness.

The moment it heard the landmark name "Green Forest City," it determined its direction and began to move forward.

Ice Butterfly always kept a distance of about 1.5 meters from Gaode Maps. When Gaode Maps moved fast, Ice Butterfly moved fast too, and when Gaode Maps moved slow, Ice Butterfly moved slow too.

Without hesitation, Gao De immediately followed closely behind Bing Die.

Subsequently, Ice Butterfly demonstrated the charm of its "intelligent navigation".

When three paths appeared ahead, Ice Butterfly did not choose the widest main road, but instead flew towards a narrow passage on the right that was half-hidden by rubble.

At the same time, the ice-blue halo on its wings became exceptionally bright, clearly indicating that the channel was more convenient.

And so, the ice butterfly led the way, constantly adjusting its direction, and sometimes even providing multiple paths for Gaode to choose from.

Without exception, Gaode Maps chose the most convenient route indicated by the ice butterfly.

The journey was quite thrilling, as the earth vein energy network permeated the entire underground space, and Gaode was constantly being "hunted" by the earth vein energy along the way.

The attack methods are incredibly diverse.

However, as they move further away from the center, the pursuit of the earth's ley line energy weakens.

About an hour later, the halo on the ice butterfly's wings became brighter than ever before.

Gao De's heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, a faint ray of light appeared ahead, accompanied by fresh air.

Ice Butterfly flew straight towards the light of day, with Gao De following closely behind.

The moment I rushed out, the warm sunlight shone on me, dispelling the chill of the underground space.

He looked back and saw the outline of Black Rock Canyon clearly visible in the distance.

Guided by the ice butterfly, he actually left Black Rock Canyon directly from the underground space beneath the middle layer of the stalagmite forest!
Not only did we successfully obtain the Rock Ridge Giant Oak, our target from this trip to Blackrock Canyon, but we also received the unexpected bonus of the Sleeping Spider Web, making it a success that exceeded our goals.

Gao De had no interest in how Elena would leave the underground space, nor did he feel any lingering attachment. He summoned his spirit mount, mounted it, and galloped off towards Green Forest City.

Upon returning to Greenwood City, he did not immediately head to the airport to take an airship to Karen City. Instead, he went around to the civilian district and found a clean and tidy-looking hotel to book a room.

He planned to return to the North first. Now that he had the Rock Ridge Giant Oak seed, to avoid any unforeseen complications, he naturally wanted to send it back to the North as soon as possible so that Lady Flora could cultivate it, only then could he feel at ease.

If you always carry it on your person, and something goes wrong in an emergency, then you'll truly regret it.

Moreover, for the rapidly developing North, planting the trees a month earlier means they will take root and sprout a month earlier, potentially bringing several times more value to the North in the future.

In addition, he collected a lot of tree species in Greenwood City, which he took back with him.

Besides, it's actually been almost three months since we left the North.

Although Sunefa and Elsa are in charge of things in the North, so there's not much to worry about, we still need to go back and check on things from time to time.

Before leaving, Gord told Ibrahimovic to stay in his room.

Given its ability to stealth in the astral plane, it generally won't die unless it does something reckless.

However, the drawback of astral teleportation became apparent once again: it only allowed one creature, God, to pass through.

It was fine before, but now that he has more and more "companions" around him, this restriction is becoming increasingly inconvenient.

I wonder if if Yugathira advances further, there's any hope that his astral teleportation ability will improve and break this limitation?
With this expectation, Gaode passed through the astral portal and was transported to the North.

He then returned to Phoenix from Vallar Bay with a bag full of tree seeds and several rock fruits, and handed them over to Flora.

No sooner had Flora finished explaining things than Sunefa and Elsa, having received the news, came knocking on their door.

"Nothing major happened while I was away, right?" Gao De "skillfully" pulled up a chair and sat down, asking in a relaxed tone.

The North is relaxed because the situation is now largely settled and very stable, and nothing "major" is likely to happen.

As it turned out, there really were, and there were two of them.

The first major achievement is that Master Yan Gang has already built the alchemy machine needed for minting coins, based on Gao De's requirements.

Sunefah immediately sent people to transport the alchemy machine to Ironforge and quickly set up a mint, starting to try minting coins according to the idea given by Gaode at the time.

"Your Highness, look." Elsa took out three coins of different materials, appearances, and textures from the cloth bag at her waist and gently placed them on the table.

These are gold coins, silver coins, and copper coins.

Gao De's attention was immediately drawn to it.

He had handled a wide variety of coins, both in terms of style and quantity, but never before had he felt such excitement as he did at this moment.

This is currency belonging to the North, minted by their own hands, and its process and significance are completely different.

The first thing that catches the eye is the copper coin, which is of uniform thickness.

Gao De picked it up; the weight was just right.

The obverse of the copper coin features a silhouette of Flora, the lines of which are indirect yet remarkably lifelike.

In particular, the translucent wings that unfold behind Flora, though the feather patterns are not detailed, convey a sense of lightness through their curves.

The back features a standard crystal pattern, with hexagonal geometric shapes that are sharp yet not angular.

The edges are polished smooth and rounded, without any burrs.

The copper coin has a faint patina, but it doesn't look old; instead, it has a simple and dignified feel.

When you gently touch the pattern with your fingertips, you can clearly feel the texture of the raised and recessed areas. It's not uncomfortable to touch, and you can clearly distinguish the outline of the pattern.

"What's its name?" Gao Demo stroked the edge of the coin and asked softly.

“Copper tael coins,” Elsa answered readily, a hint of pride in her eyes. “The name comes directly from Lady Flora. She brought ears of wheat to the North, symbolizing sustenance and hope.”

Upon hearing this, Gao De paused for a moment, then nodded and smiled, "Not bad."

Although not a single ear of wheat is depicted on the copper coin, in Phoenix, Flora's name itself is synonymous with agriculture and harvest.

Just as the portraits of priests on some European currencies in the past represented faith, no further explanation is needed; everyone can understand their profound meaning.

Gao De gently tapped the copper coin against the table near his ear, producing a crisp but not harsh "ding" sound.

This is proof that the pure copper ratio meets the standards.

Inferior copper coins will only produce a dull, muffled sound.

Immediately afterwards, Gao De picked up the silver coin.

The silver coin has a soft, silvery-white sheen, exuding a dignified and noble air.

When you hold it, you can feel a more noticeable weight than a copper coin.

The obverse features a portrait of Sunafa; unlike the simple outline of the bronze coin, the engraving on the silver coin is more detailed.

Sunefa carried an ice bow with fine ice patterns engraved on its limbs, and the bowstring looked as if it might be taut at any moment.

Her gaze was calm yet sharp, and one could even see the faint reflection of the icy plains in her pupils, as if she were gazing upon every inch of the northern land.

The reverse side features a simplified tree design – namely, Yogathira.

The tree trunk has clear veins, and the branches extend to both sides. Although no leaves are carved, it exudes a vigorous vitality.

"What's it called?" Gao De asked again.

“Silverfrost coins,” Elsa said again.

Gao De was slightly taken aback, but immediately realized the brilliance of the name: it perfectly blended the core imagery of both positive and negative aspects.

It is frost, not snow or ice, because only frost contains the element of "wood".

"Good name." Gao De praised while picking up the gold coin.

The luster of gold coins is the most dazzling, yet not glaring; it is the warm luster unique to high-purity gold.

Without a doubt, among the three levels of currency, gold coins are the most substantial, feeling heavy in your hand and having the unique cool touch of metal.

The front features a profile portrait of him, meticulously rendered, with the layers of his hair and the folds of his collar perfectly reproduced.

The reverse side features a purple magnolia flower pattern, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship.

The petals are layered upon each other, and the granular texture of the stamens is clearly discernible, as if a blooming purple magnolia flower has been frozen on a gold coin.

The edges of the gold coin are not the usual serrated pattern, but are covered with fine ice crack textures.

These patterns are not man-made, but rather exhibit a natural randomness. The direction and depth of each crack are different, refracting tiny sparkles under the light.

Gao De gently ran his fingertips along the edge, feeling the subtle friction from the texture, and nodded to himself in approval.

This was precisely the anti-counterfeiting method for Zhenbing that was originally established. It was an exclusive anti-counterfeiting technology that only the Northern Territory could implement, and it was indeed perfectly put into practice.

Before Gao De could even ask, Elsa had already taken the initiative to introduce it: "After discussing it with the War Mother, we decided on the name 'Purple Jade Gold'."

A satisfied smile appeared on Gaode's face.

At least in his opinion, these three coins are impeccable in terms of size, weight and craftsmanship.

(End of this chapter)