[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-50":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},2257054,4404,"Chapter 50: Opening the Box","above-the-mage-chapter-50",50,"\u003Cp>On the way back to the herb garden, Gao De initially maintained a normal pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He occasionally reached up to touch his chest, confirming the spell scroll safely tucked there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the herb garden drew nearer, Gao De could no longer suppress his eagerness; his steps quickened steadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he stepped through the garden’s gate, he broke into a light run and dashed into his workshop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De bent down, dragged out the large wooden chest beneath his worktable, then removed the carefully stored spell box from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, he pulled from his pocket the priceless spell scroll—the one bearing the spell “Knock.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, the impatient Gao De forced himself to calm down; he did not use the scroll immediately, but stepped out to wash his hands in the lavatory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to believe than to doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he was about to do was equivalent to opening a blind box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And not just any blind box—a paid blind box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scroll had cost a fortune; if it yielded nothing valuable, he’d lose everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, before opening it, the proper ritual had to be observed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a world steeped in mysticism, believing in mysticism wasn’t shameful! After washing his hands and returning to the workshop, Gao De finally picked up the spell scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He merely tugged the ribbon tie, and the scroll unfurled smoothly, lying flat in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De took a deep breath and focused his spirit entirely on the scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the arcane script on the scroll glowed faintly, resonating with his spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the immense power, Gao De directed his will toward the spell box resting on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his will, the scroll’s light erupted violently, radiating a magical fluctuation invisible to the eye but unmistakable to his spiritual sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fluctuation seemed to gain life, instantly transforming into a bolt of lightning that shot forth along the path of his will, striking the spell box directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ripple pierced the air and struck the invisible arcane lock on the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment of impact, ripples like water spread across the box’s surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a stone breaking the surface of a pond, a cascade of fine, dense cracks erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cracks appeared, then vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each appearance and disappearance was accompanied by a soft click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the final crack, the ripples vanished entirely, signaling that the box’s magical seal had been temporarily suppressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the spell scroll in Gao De’s hand, its magical energy spent, dissolved into glowing specks that faded into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—A scroll vanishes after use; that was common knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should be openable now?” Gao De thought, staring at the box, which looked no different from before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew he had to open it quickly and retrieve its contents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Pierre had told him: Knock didn’t break arcane locks—it only temporarily suppressed their effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once time passed, the lock would reactivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though aware of the urgency, Gao De did not act rashly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he stepped back several paces, retreating to the doorway, then opened the door, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a faint, barely noticeable glow gathered at his fingertip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A translucent, floating spectral hand appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his control, the spectral hand extended forward, gently and precisely touching the box from a distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Mage Hand].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May the Golden-Black King of Fortune protect me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De silently prayed, then directed the Mage Hand to give a gentle push.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak. With a soft scraping sound, the wooden box—previously unopenable even with all his strength—opened effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De glanced inside from afar; though not large, the box held a considerable amount of items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t empty!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of delight lit Gao De’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared not delay, fearing the arcane lock might reactivate; he swiftly commanded the Mage Hand to extract everything inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the box’s contents were removed, Gao De’s eyes grew brighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, three thick books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then five slender pamphlets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath them, three aged parchment sheets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a small stack of paper—about twenty sheets, increasingly older toward the bottom, the lowest pages yellowed with age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, a scroll tied with a cord, its appearance resembling a spell scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final item pulled out made Gao De’s breath quicken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glinting gold, radiating irresistible allure, round and smooth, engraved with a proud rooster motif.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sein coins!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Seda had placed the coins at the very bottom of the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifty Sein coins in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De, who had never seen, let alone owned, so much money, could not contain his excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Praise the Golden-Black King!” Gao De felt his heart pounding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one move—suddenly rich.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the proper reward for risking everything to eliminate a seasoned Third-Rank Apprentice Mage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All items from the box had now been retrieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming no hidden dangers remained, Gao De slammed the door shut and hurried to the table, snatching up the fifty coins to play with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coins clinked together in his hands, producing an exquisitely pleasing sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold metallic texture made him reluctant to let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long ago, he had agonized over the cost of a Gaton meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d nearly split a copper coin in half—only the thought of its diminished value had stopped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, faced with so much gold, he felt a sense of unreality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do I even spend this much money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After playing with the fifty Sein coins left by Seda, Gao De turned his gaze to the still-open spell box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that soon, the arcane lock would reactivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the box would seal shut again, forever inaccessible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief thought, Gao De reached out, gathered a small stack of scrap paper from the table, stuffed it into the box to fill it, then closed the lid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a faint ripple of light shimmered across the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arcane lock reactivated perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De looked at the sealed box and smiled knowingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outdoing the master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seda didn’t play counter-strategies—didn’t mean he wouldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finished this, Gao De finally calmed himself and began inspecting the other spoils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1012,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f737f84db27fe66f44acd7c33ea9b57473c68f2cfc284d077b1901855c574f11","above-the-mage-chapter-51","above-the-mage-chapter-49",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]