Above the mage!

Chapter 612 Thieves on the Canal

Jinliu City's airport is a very unique integrated water and air port.

After disembarking from the airship, you can see a dock on the edge of the airport via Gaode Maps.

This is, of course, thanks to the extensive canal system within Jinliu City.

A row of exquisitely designed shuttle boats are moored on the dock; these are the unique canal shuttle boats of Jinliu City.

These small boats are crafted entirely from lightweight white oak, featuring smooth lines and an elegantly curved bow adorned with simplified wave runes.

The stern is equipped with a small water elemental power source. The engine shell is made of transparent crystal, through which you can see the blue energy flowing inside. It runs almost silently, leaving only faint ripples on the water's surface.

"Passengers heading to the business district, please board this way!"

"Go to"

On each of the small shuttle boats, boatmen in uniforms called out loudly.

Their uniforms also bear the words "Golden Flow Canal" on the front, indicating that this is a government-affiliated transportation service.

This shows that the people in Fort Worth County are indeed very business-minded and know how to make money.

Gaode has visited three counties. Basically, after passengers disembark from the airship, they leave the airport and take a horse-drawn carriage or other means of transportation outside the airport to reach their destination.

Forth County, on the other hand, set up public transportation directly inside the airport to intercept passenger flow in advance.

In comparison, these shuttle boats are definitely very cost-effective.

So Gaode didn't think much of it and boarded a small shuttle boat heading to the city center's mage district.

There were already two or three passengers on the ship. After Gaode boarded, another person boarded less than a minute later, and the ship was completely full.

The boatman then gently rowed the oars, and the water element engine started simultaneously, allowing the shuttle to smoothly enter the main channel of the canal.

Leaving the airport area, the scenery along both banks of the canal gradually unfolds, like a slowly unfurling scroll painting.

The canal's surface was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the silhouettes of the white marble buildings on both banks.

The gilded decorations on the building's exterior shimmered in the sunlight, turning the river water a golden hue.

The streets along both sides of the canal are paved with smooth stone slabs, and pedestrians come and go, mostly in a hurry but in an orderly manner.

The shops along the street have simple and elegant storefronts, and their windows are made of transparent magic glass, displaying a wide variety of goods.

Bridges spanning the canal can be seen frequently along the way.

These bridges are also constructed of white marble and gilded metal, with exquisite carvings of waves and merchant ships on the bridge deck, and small crystal chandeliers at intervals on the railings.

Other vessels occasionally pass by in the canal, including small shuttle boats like the one Gao De was riding in, as well as ornately decorated luxury yachts and special vessels used to transport extraordinary materials.

To be honest, Gao De was still a little worried that something else might go wrong in Forthshire.

In particular, the unique geographical wonder of Forthshire, the "Golden Tide," gave him a vague sense of the Sea Cleansing Festival.

However, Gao De quickly calmed down during his casual conversation with the boatman.

The boatman told him that the golden sand tides in Forthshire usually occur in the second half of the year.

And now, it's only the beginning of the year.

There's still a long time before the golden sand tide arrives, so things can't go wrong.

……

The Mage District is located in the heart of Golden Flow City.

The reason Gao De went there was because the Foss Magic Academy was special; it was an extremely rare academy located in the center of the city.

Under normal circumstances, it would be unreasonable to locate an art museum in the city center.

But the people of Fox have their reasons and confidence for making this choice.

"The canal section of the Mage District is not far ahead. The water elemental energy is most concentrated there, and many mages meditate and cultivate on the boats," the boatman said to the passengers.

As soon as he finished speaking, Gao De felt the water element energy around him become noticeably more active.

The architectural styles along the canal banks gradually changed, becoming much more refined and grand.

Moreover, as the boatman explained, many small boats were moored on the canal in the Dharma District, with monks meditating and practicing on board.

The shuttle boat slowly entered, passing between the docked meditation boats of the monks. Gao De noticed that the monks meditating on the boats were mostly surrounded by a faint blue or golden light, and their breathing was rhythmic.

Occasionally, a mage would flick a wisp of golden energy from their fingertip, gently touching the water's surface and creating ripples of tiny runes.

This must be an exercise in manipulating magical power.

After all, for a monk, spiritual practice is more suitable in a quiet, secluded environment; public environments are mostly used for other practices.

As Gao Deben was observing this unique scene with great interest, he suddenly heard a series of urgent shouts coming from the left bank of the canal: "Stop the thief! Stop him! Don't let him get away!"

Before the words had even faded, he instinctively turned his head and saw a dark figure dart out of a second-floor window of a white marble building on the shore.

It was a person wearing a dark, tight-fitting robe, with a hood covering most of his face, revealing only a pale chin.

His back was bulging as if he was hiding something.

His movements were astonishingly fast; he landed almost silently, his toes barely touching the stone pavement before he shot towards the canal bank like an arrow.

"What a speed!" a regular passenger on the Gaode ship exclaimed in a low voice.

Gao De narrowed his eyes, clearly seeing faint magical fluctuations flowing around the other person, obviously due to the application of auxiliary spells such as [Acceleration].

Even so, this explosive power and agility far surpass that of ordinary mages, suggesting that they are experts in this field.

The man rushed to the bank without pausing, then suddenly leaped forward, his body flying straight toward a small shuttle boat that was moving forward in the canal.

His foot landed on the deck of the small boat, splashing water and causing the boat to rock violently.

Before the passengers on board could react, the dark figure leaped up again, like a nimble swift, using the gunwale for leverage, and pounced on the next ship.

This person appears to be in a hurry and flustered state, but in fact, he is very organized.

Because Gaode noticed that the other party always chose shuttle boats, and never sought to land on boats used by monks for cultivation or on yachts used by nobles.

They must have known that there might be people on those ships whom they couldn't afford to mess with.

The boats on the canal were only two or three meters apart, yet to him they moved as smoothly as if on flat ground.

He hopped and jumped, causing the small boat beneath his feet to rock violently, startling the passengers who jumped up to avoid him, and the once tranquil canal was suddenly thrown into an uproar.

Those who were chasing him also reached the shore, but they couldn't be as "unrestrained" as this man, and for a moment they didn't know what to do.

Gao De's gaze was fixed on the dark figure.

He could tell that the opponent not only had the magic enhancement in place, but also that every jump was incredibly precise, landing precisely at the most stable point on the ship.

They clearly had a thorough understanding of the construction of canal vessels.

In the blink of an eye, the dark figure leaped over five or six ships.

His next target was none other than the shuttle boat that Gaode was riding on.

"Watch out!" the boatman exclaimed, trying to steer the boat to avoid the obstacle, but his reaction was too slow.

The dark figure adjusted its posture in mid-air, its arms slightly outstretched, like a soaring eagle, and steadily landed on the bow of the shuttle boat.

His gaze swept over the people on the boat, but he had no intention of lingering. He bent his knees slightly, ready to leave immediately.

Just as he was about to act, Gao De suddenly moved.

He reached out towards the shadowy figure, his movement seemingly hasty, but in fact, he was prepared, his fingertips just barely brushing past the figure's wrist.

A gentle magical power flowed into the shadowy figure from the point of contact.

The dark figure felt a light, ethereal power instantly envelop its entire body; this was the [Great Stride] technique.

He was somewhat stunned, not expecting anyone on the ship to lend a helping hand.

However, he had already jumped, so he could only glance back at Gaode and find that he didn't recognize him at all, a look of extreme surprise flashing in his eyes.

Surprised as I was, my priority was to escape.

So he turned back the next moment, no longer dwelling on Gaode's intentions, and landed steadily on another shuttle boat.

Finally, with another big leap, he landed steadily on the stone steps by the canal.

He then flashed into the shadows of the buildings and disappeared.

(End of this chapter)