Chapter 457: Identity Disguise

“Children, I’m bringing a guest in for a moment—if anyone wants to help, remember to thank them politely.” Doctor Danika turned to the children and said.

“Understood, Mother Danika!” the children replied in unison.

Then, Doctor Danika led Gao De into the orphanage behind her.

With a creak, she pushed open the peeling front door, revealing a small garden.

Even though the orphanage was so destitute it could barely feed its children, the garden was still filled with flowers.

Most were small blooms, thin and weary in the winter wind, yet still emitting a faint fragrance.

In one corner of the garden stood several worn-out swings, their ropes frayed and their colors faded.

Beyond the garden, a path of irregular stone slabs led to a two-story building at the end.

That was the main building of the orphanage; its walls had cracks but no stains.

Doctor Danika led Gao De up the stairs to the very back room on the second floor and gently knocked on the same old wooden door.

“Mother Danika?” came Anna’s voice from inside.

“It’s me, Miss. You have a visitor,” Doctor Danika whispered at the door.

The next moment, the wooden door creaked open.

“Brother.” Little Anna wore a tall hat, its brim shading her hair, leaving only a thin black line visible at the edge; she looked up at Gao De, her face radiant with joy.

Beside her stood Elsa.

Unlike Anna’s unreserved delight, Elsa merely gave Gao De a long look, her eyes holding complex, unspoken emotions—perhaps “He’s finally here,” or “I can relax a little”—and said, “Master Gao De.”

“Miss, you two talk. I’ll go check on the children—they’re still collecting donations outside.” Doctor Danika said respectfully.

“Thank you, Mother Danika,” Elsa replied, placing one hand over her chest and bowing slightly, her gesture graceful and proper.

“You’re too kind, Miss.”

After Doctor Danika left, Elsa stepped aside, gesturing for Gao De to enter.

The room carried a musty odor, mingled with a faint mildew scent; several faded paintings hung on the walls, their frames slightly warped.

The floor was covered with a worn carpet; though it still felt soft underfoot, the unevenness of the ground beneath was clearly perceptible.

They sat down at the only table in the room.

“Did you wait too long?”

Whether it was true or not, Elsa had to maintain a calm, unhurried demeanor.

She straightened her back slightly, a faint smile on her face, yet her tone betrayed a hint of relief.

“Acquiring the Harland Shipyard requires enormous funds, so it took time to prepare,” Gao De explained.

“Of course, Master Gao De. May I ask your surname?” Elsa paused, then asked.

In her understanding, only a few nobles—aside from merchant guilds—could raise such a sum in just a few days.

And Gao De was so young, yet controlled such a vast amount of money.

This could mean only two things: first, his background was extraordinary, likely from a high noble family; second, he was deeply favored at home and held considerable influence.

Though she had already decided to trust Gao De and accept his proposal to flee to the Northern Frontier, she still wished to learn more about him.

After all, Gao De knew she and Anna were princesses of the West Field Duchy, while she knew nothing about him except his name and his title as a Sea Sentinel Mage.

“You may be disappointed,” Gao De, fully aware of her intent, spread his hands and spoke plainly: “I have no surname. But if you wish, you may treat ‘Gao’ as my surname.”

“No surname?!” Elsa’s pupils contracted; her previously calm face finally showed surprise.

Clearly, this answer took her off guard.

In her expectation, even if Gao De wasn’t a noble scion, he must have come from a wealthy family or a mage lineage—how could he have no surname?

Surnames were originally privileges of nobles and the rich; commoners had no need to use them.

But with the passage of time, population growth, and administrative demands, surnames gradually became widespread.

Even commoners now adopted surnames for easier record-keeping and identity distinction.

Today, those without surnames were almost exclusively the lowest classes: serfs, urban poor, slaves.

Yet Gao De, as a Sea Sentinel Mage, clearly did not belong to such a class.

“Actually, like you, I came to the Jin Quehua Dynasty after my homeland fell,” Gao De had no qualms revealing his origin: “I was originally from the Xien Duchy.”

“Xien Duchy?!”

“Yes,” Gao De smiled: “Now known as the Xien Province of the Holy Empire.”

“But unlike you, I was a beggar. A senior mage took me as an apprentice, and by chance, I became a mage.”

“So I have no surname,” Gao De looked at Elsa with calm eyes.

A beggar with no parents—how could he have a surname?

It made perfect sense.

Yet how could a Xien Duchy beggar have become a Sea Sentinel Mage of the Jin Quehua Dynasty—and possess such vast wealth?

But before Elsa could ponder further, Gao De immediately provided the answer.

“Fortunately, I had decent mage talent. After arriving in the Jin Quehua Dynasty, I easily passed the Sea Sentinel selection and joined. As for how I can afford to buy the Harland Shipyard—”

Gao De thought for a moment, then said seriously: “I was fortunate enough to gain the attention of a major power. They’re willing to support me to the fullest extent possible.”

Though one should be honest with others, and Gao De truly was.

But caution was still necessary. Knowing he carried a fortune and was a beggar, he couldn’t be sure Elsa wouldn’t harbor ill intent.

She was at least a second-ring mage—if she moved against him, he couldn’t resist.

A single Sea Sentinel Mage’s uniform, in Gao De’s view, was insufficient to intimidate Elsa—he needed another layer of protection: the “attention of a major power.”

But he wasn’t lying outright.

The Zhenbing Tribe—could that barely count as a major power?

Elsa listened silently, her inner mind in turmoil; she couldn’t help exclaiming: “You say Anna is a genius—but you’re the true genius!”

As a royal, she understood better than anyone how difficult it was to rise from a beggar to a Sea Sentinel Mage—such a feat required more than “decent” mage talent.

“I do have a bit of talent,” Gao De didn’t deny it, but quickly changed the subject, curiously asking: “You seem to have known Doctor Danika before?”

From her behavior just now, it was clear Elsa and Danika were intimately familiar—not merely a guest staying temporarily.

Moreover, even to evade pursuit, choosing the orphanage as a refuge was an unusual move.

“Mother Danika was originally from the West Field Duchy. She was once a noblewoman, and a close friend of my mother.”

Elsa spoke slowly, lost in memory: “Among nobles, marriage alliances were common to strengthen family power. Mother Danika was betrothed by her family to another noble house.”

“The man was a notorious nobleman, addicted to wine and women. Mother Danika had heard many of his vile deeds and was filled with fear and revulsion.”

“But family honor and interest came first; no matter how much she resisted, she couldn’t change her family’s decision.”

“Yet Mother Danika had strong will. She refused to become a pawn of family interests and devised ways to escape the marriage—but how hard it was for a woman to break free from her family’s control?”

“In the end, my mother secretly helped her, arranging an escape route.”

“With my mother’s aid, Mother Danika left the West Field Duchy, came to the Jin Quehua Dynasty, changed her name, joined the Tide Speakers Sect, and began a new life as a nun in Lagos City.”

“Shortly before the fall of the West Field Duchy, my mother told me this, saying that if I ever needed refuge, I might seek Mother Danika—she would surely protect me.”

“And so it was,” Elsa bit her lip softly: “Mother Danika took me in without hesitation. Even when I couldn’t afford a ship, she sold the necklace left by her mother to make up the difference.”

“The orphanage is already in such dire straits—the children need that money—”

“I see,” Gao De lowered his head, lost in thought.

After a moment, he looked up and said: “Perhaps I can help Doctor Danika and the orphanage—but that can only be discussed after successfully acquiring the Harland Shipyard.”

At this, Elsa’s eyes brightened.

“Today, I came to you because I need your help with something,” Gao De returned to the matter.

“What is it?” Elsa sat up slightly.

Gao De raised his hand and placed five ice-crystal jade boxes, each containing ice-jade wutong leaves, on the table in a row: “I need to sell them for Jin Quehua coins.”

“What are these?!” Elsa raised an eyebrow, her face filled with surprise, her gaze fixed on the jade boxes.

Though unfamiliar with ice-jade wutong leaves, she sensed their extraordinary nature.

“Ice-jade wutong leaves. When brewed and drunk, they raise a mage’s mental capacity limit. For a first-ring mage, roughly thirty points. Of course, this effect occurs only the first time you drink them,” Gao De briefly explained.

“You have so many of such precious items—and you want to sell them?!” Elsa widened her eyes.

She was well-informed; after Gao De’s explanation, she instantly grasped the value of the ice-jade wutong leaves.

These were the dream of every mage.

“I have more. These are only a small portion, so selling them doesn’t hurt,” Gao De spoke plainly, his expression calm.

Elsa was momentarily speechless.

“Lagos City can absorb these, but their value is high and may attract trouble. I need you to lend me your presence,” Gao De continued.

“No problem. But how exactly do you want me to help?”

Gao De paused, didn’t answer, but suddenly asked: “Would you mind telling me your mage rank?”

“...Second-ring late stage.” Elsa hesitated briefly, then gave the answer.

“You’ve mastered the Levitation Spell?”

“Yes.”

“Good, that’s enough,” Gao De nodded, smiling, revealing white teeth: “Just follow me, pretend to be my servant, and obey my instructions.”

“Alright.” Elsa agreed immediately, showing no trace of princessly pride.

Fifty ice-jade wutong leaves had a total value of about 15,000 Jin Quehua coins.

For an individual, this sum might be astronomical.

But for a city’s scale, 15,000 Jin Quehua coins was insignificant.

Though Lagos City’s economy had been devastated after the Spirit Essence Craze and lost much of its former glory.

But the Jin Quehua Dynasty is one of the two most powerful nations on this continent; with Lagas City nestled at its foot, even a dying camel is still bigger than a horse.

Thus, fifty pieces of Bingyu Wutong leaves are easily absorbable by Lagas City, requiring no further effort to transport them to other cities for sale.

Still, one must avoid selling all fifty pieces at once, to prevent being deliberately lowballed or drawing the attention of powerful factions.

Gao De’s plan is to split the fifty pieces of Bingyu Wutong leaves into five to ten separate transactions, selling them at different locations and times.

Additionally, disguising his identity is essential.

If he sold these Bingyu Wutong leaves under his real name, and the Sea Sentinels noticed, he would struggle to explain their origin—and might be suspected of being a “spy.”

As for how to disguise himself, there are essentially two points.

One is disguising one’s background; the other is disguising one’s appearance.

The former has already been settled; as for the latter—

Gao De stood up.

Under the watchful eyes of Aisha and Anna, his body underwent a wondrous transformation in an instant.

His originally slender frame gradually swelled; his waist thickened, forming a soft, rounded belly that rose and fell gently with each breath.

As his figure changed, so too did his face.

His once sharp, angular jawline was covered by a layer of soft fat; his forehead skin loosened; his once thick hair grew sparse and greasy, hanging limply over his scalp.

His clothing changed as well, transforming into an ornate long robe embroidered with intricate patterns, proclaiming the owner’s wealth.

In the blink of an eye, Gao De had become a rotund middle-aged merchant.

“Brother is so amazing,” Anna said, her voice clear and childlike with astonishment, her mouth slightly open.

“It’s just a minor illusion spell,” Gao De laughed. His voice, too, had shifted into the deep, resonant tone of a middle-aged merchant—smooth and oily, as if emanating from deep within his chest.

It had been a week since he obtained the spell formula for [Disguise Shu ].

Even with his packed schedule, while traveling from Phoenix to Walar Bay yesterday, he successfully constructed the [Disguise Shu ] spell model and mastered it.

After investing points into [Wind Spirit Shadow], [Disguise Shu ] underwent minor changes.

[Disguise Shu +] (Illusion School, 1st Circle):

You alter your own body and all items on your person—clothing, armor, weapons, etc.

Extra: While using Disguise Shu to change your appearance, you may simultaneously simulate a voice matching your new look (adjustable pitch and accent), but cannot mimic any specific person’s voice; you may freely choose to emit basic odors (e.g., the briny smell of a fisherman, the tanning scent of a leatherworker), but cannot replicate any individual’s unique body odor.

(End of Chapter)