Chapter 405

In an instant, his thoughts shifted, but fear once again flooded his heart.

Only now did he truly understand the wisdom the elders of town had spoken:

Countless paths exist in this world, but none of them is called luck.

Many know that oaks mushrooms grow in this forest, but few dare come here to harvest them.

Do others not know the patrol times of the Sentinels?

Of course not.

Everyone knows clearly which things must not be done.

Yet some truths can only be understood at a cost.

For example, Bade now understood—he was filled with regret. If there were a next time, he would never again risk his life like this.

But there was no next time. In his dazed state, Bade heard the sudden voice of the boy shouting with righteous fury.

"Beast, do not harm him!"

Along with the shout came a flame arrow.

Before Bade could even see the arrow's path, the ground spider behind him let out a piercing scream.

The flame arrow struck the ground spider's head precisely; fire exploded, engulfing its face in flames.

The ground spider's shriek expressed agony—and also served as an attack: a grating, shrill sound like nails scraping glass, inducing dizziness and ringing ears.

At least Bade had instinctively covered his ears, his face turning deathly pale.

Yet the boy was utterly unaffected; with a flick of his right hand, he fired another flame arrow, smooth as flowing water.

This time, Bade, eyes wide and bloodshot, finally saw the trajectory of the flame.

It shot past his side at incredible speed, carrying a searing heat.

The next moment, the ground spider's horrifying scream cut off abruptly. Bade turned slowly and saw the nightmare that had haunted him now reduced to a charred corpse, faint smoke curling from its blackened body, its legs limp and dangling.

The turn of events came too fast.

"Are you alright?" Gao De stepped forward, asking in a gentle tone.

Though the ground spider looked fearsome and terrified Bade, it was merely a zero-rank telluric creature. Surviving two flame arrows made it a "prodigy" among zero-ranks.

At Gao De's question, Bade snapped back to reality, stammering: "I'm fine—thank you! If not for you, I would have already..."

Gao De waved his hand dismissively. "It was nothing."

His mood was excellent—perfect, in fact.

Because Gao De was certain this man was nothing but an ordinary person.

An ordinary person appearing here meant a human settlement must be nearby.

With ordinary strength, one could never have traveled far.

As he spoke, Gao De walked to the ground spider's corpse, cast Mage Hand, and used the Mistfang to cut open the junction between its cephalothorax and abdomen, revealing the paired sac-like venom glands within.

These venom glands were the ground spider's arcane material—the most valuable part.

With Mage Hand, Gao De feared no toxicity; he simply "hand-cut" the connection between the glands and surrounding tissue, extracting them whole.

Yet as he looked at the glands, he frowned slightly.

They needed a container for storage—but he had none.

Seeing this, Bade instantly understood. He frantically rummaged in his backpack behind him and pulled out a leaf resembling a banana leaf.

"Use this—it's my lacquer leaf, used to preserve oaks mushrooms," he said nervously, offering it to Gao De.

Gao De didn't refuse; he took the lacquer leaf and wrapped the glands in it.

Seeing Gao De accept his gesture, Bade finally gathered courage and asked: "May I know your name? Though I can never repay your life-saving deed, I will find a way to repay you."

"I'm Gao De. No need for thanks. What's your name?" Gao De needed information from Bade, and was delighted the man spoke first.

Besides, dealing with an ordinary person gave a mage undeniable psychological advantage.

"I'm Bade!"

"Bade, where are you from?" Gao De tucked the wrapped venom glands into his backpack.

The town was nearby; this arcane material was money—he couldn't just leave it lying around anymore.

"I live in Holdertown at the foot of the mountain."

"Holdertown?" Gao De thought for a moment—no recollection. It was just a small town name.

Seeing Gao De's expression, Bade quickly added: "Holdertown is a village under Dancheng."

"Dancheng?" Gao De had never heard of Holdertown, but the name Dancheng felt vaguely familiar—he just couldn't place it.

After a brief pause, he decided to speak directly: "I'm a wandering mage who just arrived here. I know nothing of this region—could you tell me about the local situation and customs?"

There was no need to be cautious with an ordinary person.

Besides, this world isn't a criminal underworld; outside the North, all human settlements maintain order.

"Wandering mage" was the identity he adopted when traveling.

"Wandering mage... sss~" Bade blinked in surprise.

Then he realized his reaction was rude and quickly apologized: "Sorry—I just thought you were young, so I assumed you were a sentinel from some small town. I didn't expect you to be a wandering mage."

Wandering mages were usually older; someone as young as Gao De was rare.

"It's fine." Gao De waved his hand, expression calm.

Bade steadied himself, thought carefully, and then spoke:

"I don't know where you're from, but you must be from the interior." He looked up at Gao De, his gaze confident.

"Though Dancheng isn't the richest or most prosperous coastal city in our Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty—even among the last—it's still one of the most famous. It's the oldest coastal city in our dynasty, and the birthplace of the Sea Sentinels. Coastal dwellers should all know Dancheng."

At this, Bade cautiously glanced at Gao De again.

Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty! Gao De's heart jolted.

He hadn't expected his astral teleportation to land him within the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty.

The Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty, the last kingdom on the Nolran Continent, carried the longest and heaviest history.

As a traditional ancient kingdom, it possessed immense power—backed by deep heritage, a complete system, and unique magical traditions—to rival the Holy Empire, and remained the greatest obstacle to its unification of Nolran.

Also, the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty was the closest nation to the North, separated only by the Erwenlaya Mountains.

No wonder Dancheng had sounded familiar.

Dancheng wasn't just the oldest coastal city of the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty—it was the oldest surviving city in the world, its history stretching back to ancient times.

Just imagining it evoked its weight and antiquity—he'd seen the name in some biographies, leaving a faint impression.

Gao De's mind churned, but his face remained calm. "I've heard of it. I just didn't recall it right away."

He paused, then continued: "Also, you're mistaken—I'm not from the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty. I'm a wanderer from another country."

Beyond general knowledge, he knew nothing of the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty's details.

Pretending to be a citizen would only invite suspicion—better to be honest.

"Another country? But this is the westernmost edge of Nolran!" Bade stared, then looked at Gao De with admiration. "You're incredible—traveling this far alone."

Gao De replied calmly: "The journey was long and hard. I barely made it to the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty. Now I plan to end my wandering and settle here."

Hearing this, Bade nodded in understanding.

The Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty was powerful, rich in opportunities and resources, its heritage unmatched even by the Holy Empire.

Mages from smaller nations often risked everything, crossing borders to reach the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty in pursuit of magical mastery.

Not just in Dancheng—even in Holdertown, many mages came from other countries.

They couldn't afford Dancheng's living costs, so they settled in Holdertown instead.

"Though I know nothing of magic, seeing you kill such a fearsome telluric creature so easily—and you're so young—you must be a prodigy among mages." Bade spoke, half-flattering, half-sincere.

"If you can find a sponsor and become a formal resident of Holdertown, you might one day pass Dancheng's trials and join the Sea Sentinels—become a noble Sea Sentinel of Dancheng." His eyes gleamed with longing.

"To become a resident of Holdertown, you need a sponsor? And you must be a resident to join the Sea Sentinels? What exactly are the Sea Sentinels?" Gao De asked rapidly.

"Yes," Bade said proudly. "As an ancient kingdom, the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty strictly limits outsiders to protect its traditions."

This matched what Mo Sen had taught in geography class—now confirmed.

Yet Gao De unexpectedly thought of his Qianshi homeland: also a nation with the world's oldest culture, also considered the hardest to gain citizenship in.

In this, it mirrored the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty.

"So to become a formal citizen of the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty, you need a local noble as your sponsor."

Bade continued: "But if no noble will sponsor you, there's another path."

"If you live continuously in the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty for fifty years, maintaining stable livelihood and conduct, you may apply for citizenship. If you meet these two conditions, approval is usually granted."

Fifty years... Gao De inwardly winced—he couldn't wait that long.

But he didn't have to become a formal citizen.

Being a foreign visitor was acceptable.

After all, his goal was merely to be a trader.

Gao De pondered.

"As for the Sea Sentinels—they're Dancheng's elite official mage organization. Once you join, your status rises instantly, and you gain access to magical resources unimaginable elsewhere: ancient spell formulas, powerful magical gear, and more."

"From what I know, nearly every mage near Dancheng aims to join the Sea Sentinels." Bade grew more excited, his voice rising.

"And you might not know—the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty's three most famous mage legions: the Guangmingshaobing, the Justice Vanguard, and the Silver Dragon Cavalry—all originated from the Sea Sentinels."

"So if you perform exceptionally well in the Sea Sentinels, you might even rise into the Guangmingshaobing —truly ascending to heaven."

"In the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty, even the lowest-ranked member of the Guangmingshaobing holds status equal to a viscount."

Gao De had been indifferent to the Sea Sentinels—until now.

Gao De had not been particularly interested in this sea sentinel, but after hearing Bade's words, his heart stirred.

If a Light Sentinel truly enters the Light Sentinel, shouldn't there be a chance to obtain the spell formula for 【Spell Stabilization】?

Although 【Spell Stabilization】 is rare and precious, the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty could not possibly lack its spell formula.

As one of the Jin Jin Quehua Dynasty's three mage legions, the Light Sentinels' members would undoubtedly have access to it.

Moreover, according to Bade, even a Sea Sentinel holds extremely high status.

This is a talisman.

As the saying goes, it's easier to rest in the shade of a great tree.

With such a status, it would also make it easier for him to engage in interdimensional trade; even if his wealth drew the envy of schemers, they would dare not act on their greed out of fear of his identity—just as in his past life, few dared to assault police officers.

"Are you preparing to return?" As thoughts flashed through his mind, Gao De looked up at the sky and asked.

"Yes," Bade said, still shaken: "I was lucky this time to meet you, but next time there may not be such fortune—I must leave here quickly."

"The wilderness is dangerous; you might encounter earth vein creatures again on your way back."

"I'm planning to find a place to settle down anyway—I'll escort you. You can guide me and introduce me to local customs, and I'll help you avoid further accidents," Gao De proposed.

"That's wonderful!" Hearing this, Bade's gratitude deepened further.

Before sunset, Gao De followed Bade through the forests and arrived at the village of Holde where he lived.

(End of Chapter)