[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-117":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Mage!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2257121,4404,"Chapter 117: Shengxi Encheng","above-the-mage-chapter-117",117,"\u003Cp>Fortunately, after another intense clash of magical energy, the airship finally calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De pressed against the cabin window, gazing outward through the gradually stabilizing and fading magical shield—where was the massive figure of the wind element now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dead or driven off?” Gao De could not know for certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the airship, the lights that had gone out during the wind element’s attack flickered back on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crew began bustling about, inspecting every corner of the airship to ensure no serious damage had occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thankfully, Master Frey was aboard—this was a fully grown fourth-rank wind element, and it struck in the sky. Without Master Frey, no other fourth-rank mage could have saved the airship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he heard the crew’s voices outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bad luck—the wind element is one of the most terrifying geophasic beings in the sky, yet it’s exceedingly rare. We actually ran into one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De’s heartbeat gradually steadied—he knew the attack was truly over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The airship regained stability and continued along its scheduled route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After standing by the window for a while longer, Gao De returned to his cabin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the unease in his heart had not fully vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The airship isn’t safe. If anything happens, death is certain for me—I must master flight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set himself a short-term goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest of the journey passed without further danger or disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The airship sailed smoothly eastward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gao De, who had stayed confined to his cabin and still knew little of this world’s geography, had no idea where exactly they had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until someone knocked on his cabin door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De opened the door to find a crewman in uniform standing outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shengxi Encheng has arrived. We’re about to land—prepare yourselves, don’t fall.” The crewman had come specifically to warn him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand, thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De pulled out his pocket watch—it was barely seven in the evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Dark Moon Night, this time meant the sun had not even fully set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thought struck him—he hurried to the window and looked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart jolted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The endless primeval forest and rolling hills below had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their place stretched a staggering great river, winding from the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On its surface, numerous large vessels crisscrossed continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the riverbank’s plain, golden wheat fields stretched boundlessly, with no visible edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And not far off, the largest city of the En Kingdom—Shengxi Encheng—came clearly into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the clusters of tiny black buildings, one towering structure stood out unmistakably—even from afar, it was sharply visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the tallest and most prominent building in Shengxi Encheng, located at the city’s very center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking farther, Gao De could also see, atop a towering peak beyond the city, another structure of similar design, rising into the clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The material of the buildings must have been extraordinary—polished jade-like, shimmering under the last rays of the setting sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is that?” Gao De felt a deep awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, he had never before seen a structure so immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mage Towers—the landmarks of Shengxi Encheng. The one in the center is the Royal Mage Tower; the one outside is the Ceres Mage Tower.” A passing crewman casually explained to Gao De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mage Tower,” Gao De repeated the term under his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he lost himself in thought, the Gudu airship had reached the airship base overhead and prepared to land. As the most prosperous city of the En Kingdom, Shengxi Encheng saw frequent airship traffic, including trade fleets from other nations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Shengxi Encheng had built a dedicated airship base capable of accommodating over a dozen airships for docking and departure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hovering above the airship base, the Gudu airship confirmed its landing with the ground crew, then began its final descent preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The buoyant gas within its envelopes, like mist gently touched by dawn, slowly released.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the gas gradually escaped, the airship descended at a steady pace toward the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the complex, shifting air currents still caused violent swaying, making passengers feel as if they were aboard a massive ship cutting through stormy waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the Gudu airship dropped to less than two hundred meters above ground did the crew throw out several massive mooring ropes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ground personnel swiftly secured the ropes, and the once-shaking airship instantly stabilized, its descent accelerating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brief aerial journey ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De, with his luggage packed, stared out the cabin window at the massive airships parked below, his eyes filled with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waited in the cabin until the higher-ranking mages had disembarked, then followed the crewman’s guidance out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stepping out of the cabin did not mean immediate freedom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still had to pass through a dedicated inspection corridor and register his information before leaving the airship base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De carried his luggage, timid as a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time, and approached a ground worker to ask about the procedures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The uniformed worker was a young woman with golden hair—polite and patient, she answered every question clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After learning all the details, Gao De sincerely thanked her before heading toward the inspection corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Gao De’s retreating back, the golden-haired worker couldn’t help smiling—she found him intriguing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone who boarded the Royal Airship should, logically, have some background.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gao De displayed unmasked “country bumpkin” mannerisms—not ashamed, not timid, asking detailed questions without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a contradictory aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a simple registration, Gao De exited the airship base through the sparse inspection corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered where to find a guide to learn about Shengxi Encheng, he spotted a familiar figure standing outside the airship base: Miss Jielika stood gracefully, flanked by her steward and a maid dressed in refined attire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three had clearly waited there specifically for his disembarkation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Jielika,” Gao De took a deep breath and stepped forward politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, Miss Jielika wore a sky-blue gown, her features gentle. She smiled and offered him a card emitting a faint silver glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the card was clearly stamped the Hains family emblem—the familiar bird with wings ready to take flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this?” Gao De hesitated, then took the card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the Hains Inn silver card. The Hains Inn is one of my family’s properties in Shengxi Encheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With this silver card, you’ll receive the finest service, the best treatment, and the most favorable rates at the Hains Inn,” Jielika’s voice was warm and clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know you’re new to Shengxi Encheng and must need guidance—but I’m leaving immediately for the Ceres Mage Academy. Please forgive my inability to host you properly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Jielika, I’ve already been deeply indebted to you for allowing me to board the airship to Shengxi Encheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the Ceres Mage Academy, I’ve long heard of it—the sacred ground every En mage dreams of. I wish you every success there,” Gao De replied politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then added, “...And perhaps we’ll meet again soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jielika clearly did not grasp the deeper meaning of his words. “I wish you prosperity in Shengxi Encheng as well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After these brief well-wishes, Jielika said no more and boarded the carriage waiting nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1182,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","861fe5a8edf1975d3377816a67dabcee05a531052b119f3293cf0bec3d2821cb","above-the-mage-chapter-118","above-the-mage-chapter-116",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]