Chapter 471: A Wealth of Treasures

“Alright, thank you for your trouble.” Gao De took the parchment and the thick list of military merit exchanges.

It was called a single volume, but in truth it was two volumes bound together.

“You’re too kind,” the staff member said, handing the items to Gao De before hurrying away.

Standing at the doorway, Gao De immediately unrolled the parchment—the official letter—and began reading.

The content was straightforward:

“Second-Class Probationary Mage Gao De, during the Marakko District Water Beast Extermination Mission, uncovered the truth behind the water beast incident, earning a Second-Class Merit;

Subsequently, as a First-Ring Mage, he courageously apprehended Aldrich, a Second-Ring Mage deeply involved in the water beast incident, earning another Second-Class Merit;

Given that this was your first mission and your performance was exceptionally outstanding, after comprehensive evaluation, an additional Second-Class Merit is awarded as recognition.”

Just as Lieutenant Lei Sen had said—it was three Second-Class Merits.

After waiting five days, it finally arrived!

Gao De felt a quiet surge of joy, then turned his attention to the thick list of military merit exchanges.

The military merit exchange list, officially produced by the Sea Sentinels, detailed all items available for exchange and the required military merit for each.

It consisted of three volumes: First-Class Merit Exchange List, Second-Class Merit Exchange List, and Third-Class Merit Exchange List.

As the name implies, items on the First-Class list could only be exchanged with First-Class Merit, and so on.

These three lists were not handed out all at once—you unlocked the corresponding list only after earning the matching rank of military merit.

Furthermore, all three lists were updated once per year.

Popular items might see their required merit increase the following year, while rarely exchanged obscure items might see their cost decrease.

Gao De had earned three Second-Class Merits and two Third-Class Merits from this single mission, unlocking both the Second- and Third-Class Merit exchange lists at once.

He didn’t even bother going to Old Harlin’s Grocery—he returned straight to his room’s living area, shut the door, sat down, and eagerly flipped open the Third-Class Merit Exchange List first.

The first page contained a categorized index: Magical Plants, Magical Potions, Spell Formulas, Exotic Materials, Exotic Equipment, Books, Miscellaneous.

Everything you’d expect was there.

But most were low-tier.

Gao De flipped straight to the Spell Formulas section—he scanned it quickly and found not a single rare spell formula, only common ones.

This made clear the quality level of items on the Third-Class Merit Exchange List.

Still, among the common spell formulas, he found exactly the First-Ring offensive spell he needed most.

—The official never sold combat spell formulas, so despite knowing twenty-seven First-Ring spells, including [Mage Armor] and [Shield], he still had only five combat-related spells total.

Of those, only one was an offensive spell: [Ice Blade]. [Hunter’s Mark] was a damage-boosting spell, incapable of direct damage.

This was extreme specialization.

A mage’s greatest strength lay in versatility, not combat or destruction.

But as a Sea Sentinel mage, combat capability was paramount—he had to quickly fix this weakness.

So Gao De focused his attention on First-Ring offensive spells:

[Heavy Arrow] (Alteration, First-Ring):

During the spell’s duration (1 minute), it increases the weight and density of arrows fired from a bow or crossbow before impact, then restores them to normal afterward.

When affected by this spell, damage dealt by your bow or crossbow is treated as if fired from a weapon one size larger.

Only you benefit from this spell—if someone else uses your bow, the arrows deal damage according to their normal size.

[Required Military Merit: 2 × Third-Class Merit]

Gao De glanced at [Heavy Arrow]’s effect and skipped past it immediately.

Clearly, this spell suited mages skilled in archery.

He, however, didn’t even own a bow, let alone know how to shoot one.

Of course, bows weren’t hard to buy—the real issue was that archery required years of rigorous training and innate talent; the barrier was too high.

Spend significant time learning archery for a single First-Ring spell that might never be mastered?

Not worth it.

Keep going.

[Heavy Blade] (Alteration, First-Ring):

When you strike an enemy with a melee weapon, [Heavy Blade] enhances its momentum and density.

After casting this spell, all melee weapons you carry deal damage as if they were one size larger—for example, a longsword becomes as damaging as a greatsword.

Only you benefit from this spell.

Others using your weapons deal damage according to the weapon’s normal size.

[Required Military Merit: 3 × Third-Class Merit]

Another spell in the same “Heavy” series as [Heavy Arrow].

But Gao De didn’t skip past it like he had [Heavy Arrow].

He didn’t know swordsmanship either.

But he had [Northwind].

The former Seventh-Rank Frost-Ice Martial-Magic practitioner sat right there—he couldn’t ignore it.

He wouldn’t spend months learning archery for a First-Ring spell, but learning swordsmanship for [Northwind]? That was different.

Besides, even without swordsmanship, using [Northwind] like a shock baton was crude—but still usable—and [Heavy Blade]’s effect could stack on top of it.

This spell—he’d learn it.

But when he saw the required military merit beneath it, he was momentarily speechless.

Same “Heavy” series, just arrow versus blade—and yet [Heavy Blade] required one more Third-Class Merit than [Heavy Arrow].

After thinking it over, he understood: [Heavy Blade] had far broader applicability. Melee weapons were easier to pick up, had wider range, and were more versatile.

Even if you’d never trained, you could still swing a sword or swing a hammer—but without archery training, you wouldn’t even know how to nock an arrow, let alone hit anything.

Keep looking.

The reward for the Marakko District Water Beast Extermination Mission was only two Third-Class Merits—exactly one short of what [Heavy Blade] required.

He had three Second-Class Merits, equivalent to thirty Third-Class Merits.

But he hadn’t even seen the Second-Class Merit list yet—and it likely contained rare spells.

Rare spells took priority.

Besides, maybe there was an even better common First-Ring offensive spell on the list?

Gao De folded a corner of the page listing [Heavy Blade] as a bookmark, added it to his shortlist, and decided to return to it only if he had leftover merit.

[Stone Fist] (Alteration [Earth], First-Ring):

During the spell’s duration, your hands turn into living stone.

When affected, your unarmed strikes deal lethal blunt damage and partially ignore the hardness of objects struck.

[Required Military Merit: 2 × Third-Class Merit]

Gao De remembered this spell vividly—it was the one Metis used during his evaluation.

It was just a common spell, yet in Metis’s hands, it had been devastatingly effective.

Spell potency varied, but the same spell could differ wildly in strength depending on the mage wielding it.

He skipped it again. A mage using a sword was his limit—barehanded combat wasn’t magecraft, it was brawling!

Magic wasn’t meant to be this crude.

[Magic Missile] (Evocation, First-Ring):

You create three glowing darts formed of magical force, each targeting a specific creature within spell range that you can see.

Each dart deals force damage. All darts strike simultaneously, and you may choose whether they hit the same target or different ones.

[Required Military Merit: 4 × Third-Class Merit]

Gao De took a deep breath.

Other spells could wait—[Magic Missile] was non-negotiable. Must learn.

This spell was simply too iconic.

[Magic Missile] in First-Ring was like [Fireball] in Third-Ring.

Every combat-oriented mage would never miss these two spells.

They were “national-level” spells.

Like even the pickiest eater wouldn’t refuse a plate of tomato and scrambled eggs.

But the required merit? Ridiculously inflated.

Gao De knew [Magic Missile] had immense universal appeal—everyone wanted it.

According to Sea Sentinel exchange rules, popular items increasing in cost the next year was an unspoken rule.

But magical plants and potions? Rising prices made sense—they were consumables. But spell formulas? Zero cost—you could copy a hundred copies in one go. Why this nonsense?

He grumbled, but he’d still exchange for it.

Further down: [Electric Claw], [Water Surge], [Flash Burst], [Ear-Piercing Screech], [Burning Hands].

Page after page of Evocation offensive spells.

For pure damage output, Evocation spells were still unmatched.

Then scattered spells from Necromancy, Illusion, and others: [Ray of Sickness], [Prismatic Spray].

After scanning all offensive spells, Gao De turned to the rest.

Even if he didn’t exchange now, understanding them was useful.

One advantage of spell formulas: they never ran out of stock.

As long as it appears on the military merit exchange list, the spell formula will remain available indefinitely, unlike transcendental materials or transcendental equipment, which are often time-limited and quantity-restricted.

Honestly, after flipping through it quickly, there were indeed some ordinary first-ring spells that caught his interest.

[Unrelenting Pursuit] (Alteration, First Circle):

You enhance your body’s capacity for long-distance travel. The stamina consumed during rapid march and forced march is halved.

Additionally, during the spell’s duration, you may ignore all fatigue caused by travel.

When the spell ends, you will become fatigued. If already fatigued, you will be exhausted.

[Military Merit Required: Two Third-Class Merits]

After temporarily marking all first-circle spell formulas that interested him, Gao De did not look further at higher-circle spells, but instead turned to the section on magical plants.

Within this category of magical plants, the subcategories were far more numerous and varied.

Broadly speaking, they fell into two main types: one, magical plants used to brew magical potions—the foundation of potioncraft; and two, magical plants that could be consumed directly or applied externally.

The second type of magical plant resembled potions in some ways, granting users effects similar to those of potions.

In Gao De’s view, the difference between them was akin to that between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

Magical plants were like traditional Chinese medicine: their effects were usually weaker, less immediate, and took longer to produce, making them more expensive, but their properties were gentler and carried no medicinal toxicity.

Magical potions were like Western medicine: they delivered potent, rapid effects, were easy to mass-produce, and were relatively cheaper—but their properties were harsh and caused toxic accumulation.

However, compared to potions, magical plants possessed one unique, incomparable advantage.

That was: certain truly “heavenly treasures” among top-tier magical plants often contained mysterious, unique powers that potions could never replicate.

For instance, the fourth-rank magical plant known as Tears of Mandora, which Gao De discovered on Dandong Snow Peak, granted him the Mandora Magic Eye.

For instance, Wolf’s Blood Ginseng directly enabled him to condense a dozen drops of liquid mana in one go.

These were things potions could never achieve.

Needless to say, the magical plants listed on the Third-Class Merit exchange list were mostly of the first type; even the second-type ones were mediocre and unremarkable varieties:

[Mermaid’s Comb] (First-Rank Magical Plant):

A magical seaweed found in the sea, radiating vibrant energy. One who consumes a portion of Mermaid’s Comb gains the ability to breathe underwater as if in air, lasting eight hours.

[Military Merit Required: Two Third-Class Merits]

[Observation Slime] (First-Rank Magical Plant):

A purple clay fungus growing in lightless depths. Applying its slime to the eyes grants Darkvision, lasting twenty-four hours. If Darkvision is already possessed, its range increases by thirty feet.

Note: Frequent use of this magical plant causes permanent purple blotches to form around the user’s eyes.

[Military Merit Required: One Third-Class Merit]

First-rank magical plants generally required between one and five Third-Class Merits for exchange. Further pages contained higher-rank second-rank, third-rank, fourth-rank, and even fifth-rank magical plants.

The military merit required soared to a staggering five hundred Third-Class Merits—absurdly high.

Potions were even more numerous: those aiding cultivation, healing wounds, curing diseases, neutralizing poison, restoring mana, enhancing status, and even aphrodisiacs.

Transcendental materials were similarly overwhelming in variety, ranging from organs and bones harvested from Earth-Mai creatures to naturally formed minerals.

Transcendental equipment was fewer in number, and even the lowest-grade first-rank transcendental equipment required at least five Third-Class Merits for exchange.

Books and miscellaneous items were somewhat eccentric: ancient relics of unknown purpose, ancient texts with limited practicality, yet potentially valuable finds—better suited for mages with abundant military merit and leisure to explore.

Also included were high-grade blood food for beast companions’ growth, exclusive cultivation manuals for beast taming, analyses of Earth-Mai creatures, and other assorted books and items.

Notably, only the Jin Quehua Dynasty could provide such a vast array of ancient artifacts for Sea Sentinel mages to exchange.

Because the Jin Quehua Dynasty was the oldest dynasty in the world.

Human history divided the Ancient and Medieval eras at the emergence of the first human eighth-circle mage.

It divided the Medieval and Recent eras at the founding of the first human dynasty—the Jin Quehua Dynasty.

Over countless centuries, the Jin Quehua Dynasty amassed innumerable treasures and antiquities; in terms of ancient artifacts, it naturally possessed the greatest quantity and most comprehensive collection.

After a cursory review of the Third-Class Merit exchange list, Gao De immediately turned to the Second-Class Merit exchange list.

He wanted to see what treasures lay within!

(End of Chapter)