Chapter 517: Good Fortune Doubles

Thirty-year-aged Dragonbird Blood Fungus, when consumed by a First-Ring Mage, can increase liquid mana by 10 to 20 drops.

As for lifespan, it may extend it by roughly three to five years; the actual efficacy depends on individual constitution and luck.

Dragonbird Blood Fungus.

Gao De had never heard of this magical plant, but he had heard of the Silver Dragonbird.

The emblem engraved on the reverse of the Silver Dragon Coin in the Jin Quehua Dynasty’s currency system is the Silver Dragonbird.

Moreover, the three great mage legions of the Jin Quehua Dynasty—the Light Sentinels, the Justice Vanguard, and the Silver Dragon Cavalry—all derive their “Silver Dragon” from the Silver Dragonbird.

It is one of the symbols of the Jin Quehua Dynasty.

Since Dragonbird Blood Fungus is linked to the Silver Dragonbird, it is undoubtedly an extraordinarily precious magical plant.

Indeed, besides directly boosting a mage’s rank, it also grants two additional effects: enhanced physical constitution and extended lifespan.

Though these two benefits happen to align with Gao De’s strengths, who ever complains about living too long?

The effect of boosting mage rank strikes right at the core.

Gao De currently has 53 drops of liquid mana, barely short of the 60 drops required for full First-Ring attainment.

If the Dragonbird Blood Fungus truly works as Director York described, it would surely propel him into late First-Ring after consumption.

Does that mean he can now begin considering advancement to Second-Ring?

At sixteen, he could already look toward Second-Ring Mage.

Three years ago, he was still an unknown Third-Rank Mage Apprentice in a backwater town, barely clinging to life.

In just three years, he had walked the path that ordinary mages spend a lifetime traversing.

It truly felt like a lifetime had passed.

“Mage Gao De, there is also a small scroll inside the box detailing the key points for consuming the Dragonbird Blood Fungus. Additionally, this box is specially crafted to preserve its efficacy well, though some loss is inevitable—so consume it as soon as possible.”

After explaining the origin and effects of the Dragonbird Blood Fungus, Director York added one more instruction.

Upon hearing this, Gao De indeed found a small scroll beneath the fungus.

It bore official printed instructions, including which medicinal herbs must not be taken before or after ingesting the Dragonbird Blood Fungus.

Gao De, in high spirits, carefully stored the Dragonbird Blood Fungus away.

“Thank you, Director York.”

“Mage Gao De, you’re too modest. Compared to the great merit you’ve earned, these rewards are nothing—merely what you deserve.”

“As a Sea Sentinel Mage, everything I do is my duty. The extra rewards from Marquis Drake, however, have left me truly humbled.” Gao De spoke the expected formalities with ease.

With the rewards delivered and the Marquis’s message conveyed, Director York took his leave. Gao De watched him board his carriage and depart down the street before returning to his dormitory with the two rewards.

Director York had advised immediate consumption of the Dragonbird Blood Fungus.

But Gao De, after thinking it over, decided to hold off.

For after consuming the Dragonbird Blood Fungus, he could attempt advancement to Second-Ring—and he intended to do so in the Northern Frontier.

The high-tier spiritual lands of the Northern Frontier would increase his success rate.

Thus, he planned to bring the Dragonbird Blood Fungus back to the Northern Frontier before using it.

Another reason: he wanted Froala to examine the Dragonbird Blood Fungus—first for necessary verification, second to see if cultivation might be possible.

As for the other reward:

He hadn’t dared to examine it closely in front of Director York.

Now, his curiosity could no longer be contained. He reopened the box to inspect the property deed and land deed in detail.

“Vanzolen District, Regent Street, No. 172.”

“Royal Clockworks.”

Gao De had lived in Vanzolen District for some time and knew the area well; with a brief recollection, he recalled the place.

Regent Street was one of the three busiest streets in Vanzolen District, lined with typical four-story terraced shops.

This “Royal Clockworks” was no exception.

Notably, despite its name containing “Royal,” it had no royal authorization—it merely signified “serving gentlemen.”

If he remembered correctly, the owner of this clock shop had violated Dorn’s laws and was now imprisoned; the shop had been seized along with him.

Since its business had already been poor, and without its owner to manage it, it had remained shuttered for a long time.

But none of that mattered.

In Vanzolen District, on Regent Street, no shop was worthless.

The land and property values spoke for themselves.

A rough estimate placed the value of such a shop between 2,500 and 3,000 Jin Quehua Coins.

Grand!

No wonder he was a County Marquis—this reward was truly generous.

More importantly, it was pure windfall.

Gao De had never expected the Luo Jun Marquis to grant him a separate reward; receiving such a lavish gift came as double the surprise.

Good fortune doubles.

Gao De had just been preparing to visit his new property himself.

Before he could move, a Sea Sentinel staff member knocked on his door, summoning him to the Sea Abyss White Tower for the official military merit assessment of the Oakland relief mission.

Since the Oakland relief mission was a mandatory collective operation, the military merit results were announced collectively.

For him, this was the real highlight.

After all, his true roots in the Jin Quehua Dynasty remained the Sea Sentinels.

Only with military merit could he exchange for First-Ring spell formulas to solidify his foundation and awaken stronger specializations.

Moreover, with Second-Ring advancement imminent, whether for the auxiliary potions needed for the breakthrough or the Second-Ring spell formulas afterward, he would need military merit to exchange for them.

Military merit was always insufficient.

Gao De thanked the messenger and hurried back to his room to change into his Sea Sentinel uniform.

For such formal occasions, attire mattered.

Then he set off for the Sea Abyss White Tower.

But upon arriving, he realized he had come too early.

Dorn City was large; not all mages lived in Sea Sentinel dormitories like Gao De, where a half-hour carriage ride sufficed.

Nor were all of them as free as Gao De, able to drop everything and arrive immediately upon notification.

Thus, a two-hour window was left between the notification time and the official announcement to ensure maximum attendance.

Of course, they didn’t make everyone wait idly—tea and fruit platters were provided.

People gathered in small groups, snacking on berries and chatting.

Naturally, the topic was military merit.

Gao De found a spot and joined in, though he said nothing, merely listening.

“This merit assessment took four days. Though the number of participants was large, precisely because of that, the number waiting for results was huge—yet by tradition, they usually handle such cases swiftly, delivering results within two days. This delay is unusual.”

“I heard someone among us achieved a monumental feat, and the higher-ups disagreed on how to rate it, causing a two-day standoff.”

“Really? A monumental feat?”

“No smoke without fire—nine times out of ten, it’s true.”

“.”

As Gao De listened, he realized the conversation had turned toward him.

But fortunately, they didn’t seem to know the exact name of the hero.

Yet Gao De subtly sensed that, as the topic reached this point, a tense gaze had swept over him from another corner.

When he turned to look, no one was watching him.

This passed for roughly two hours.

The number of mages present grew steadily, eventually nearing three hundred.

At that moment, a mage in a Lieutenant Colonel’s uniform stepped out of the mage tower, followed by several others, all of whom held at least the rank of Captain.

Seeing the senior officers appear, every Sea Sentinel Mage rose, formed ranks on the square, fell silent, and ceased all chatter.

Though the atmosphere was solemn, joy could not be hidden.

After all, this was the moment of reward.

The Lieutenant Colonel stepped to the center of the square; his gold-embroidered collar insignia shimmered in the sunlight.

He cleared his throat twice, his gaze slowly sweeping over the assembled mages. When his eyes passed over Gao De’s figure, they paused briefly, his eyelids lifting almost imperceptibly, before he withdrew a folded parchment from his robe.

On the back of the parchment, waves were etched in steady lines.

He unrolled it:

“A fissure opened suddenly in a secondary plane; dark tides surged, whirlwinds carried calamity, villages collapsed, refugees fled. In this dire hour, elite Sea Sentinel Mages were deployed… To honor the valor of our warriors and uphold the clarity of reward and punishment, we now recognize your contributions and bestow corresponding military merit.”

After reciting the standard preamble, the Lieutenant Colonel detailed the scale of Sea Sentinel Mages deployed in the Oakland disaster, their rescue efforts, and offered collective praise.

Once this routine concluded, came the moment everyone awaited: the awarding of merit.

Proceeding from lowest to highest achievement:

“. Mage, awarded five Third-Class Merits; Ma Erke Mage, awarded five Third-Class Merits; Edwyn Mage, awarded six Third-Class Merits; Ur Mage, awarded six Third-Class Merits.”

Anyone who participated in the Oakland relief mission received at least five Third-Class Merits as the minimum reward.

“Zuo Wen·Burns, awarded eight Third-Class Merits.”

Gao De heard a familiar name.

And as soon as the name was spoken, a faint ripple of stir ran through the crowd.

“That doesn’t make sense—Zuo Wen·Burns only has eight third-class merits? That can’t be right.”

“Exactly—he was in the second wave deployed. How could he have so few merits? Didn’t he even try?”

Similar discussions were widespread.

Gao De’s gaze followed the murmurs to the figure standing rigidly at the front—it was Zuo Wen·Burns.

He showed no expression, as if he hadn’t heard the whispers, or as if he simply didn’t care.

The major mage paid no attention to these minor disturbances and continued methodically reading out the merits.

Only when the count of third-class merits reached twenty did Gao De finally hear the first second-class merit.

“Mage Thorne, evacuated over a thousand refugees, awarded one second-class merit and ten third-class merits.”

Gao De noticed that during the third-class merit announcements, only the merit counts were recorded—no descriptions of deeds were given—but now, brief summaries of achievements were being read aloud.

The differential treatment was glaring.

Undoubtedly, this pleased the sea sentinel mages who had performed outstandingly in the relief mission.

“Mage Cicero, participated in the Oakland Windnet Plague mission, displayed exceptional performance, awarded five second-class merits and—”

Gao De leaned in, his heart stirring slightly—he knew this Mage Cicero must be the other sea sentinel mage who had answered the Oakland summon alongside him.

But they hadn’t been assigned to the same warship, so they’d had no contact.

After finishing Cicero’s merits, the major mage paused abruptly, set down the parchment scroll, fixed his piercing gaze on the murmuring crowd, fell silent for one or two seconds, then spoke again:

“Mage Gao De, the most outstanding performer in this relief mission, participated in the Oakland Windnet Plague mission and rendered the primary service, preventing grave losses to Oakland City. Additionally, he evacuated over ten thousand refugees, earning strong recommendation and praise from Count Roland. After deliberation—”

“Promote first-class probationary mage Gao De to sergeant mage, award three first-class merits, ten second-class merits, and ten third-class merits.”

Promoted?!

Three first-class merits?!

The square erupted in uproar.

Shock, mixed with resentment.

Who is this Gao De? Why had no one ever heard his name before? A first-class probationary mage—an obscure nobody—had achieved such monumental merit?

Could he really have done this himself? Or was this some kind of fraud?

Others felt they respected Gao De’s performance and merits, but found the rewards unfair—why deserve three first-class merits?

Primary service? A first-class probationary mage earning primary service? He must have talent, but surely luck played a part—and the real heavy lifters were surely the high-ring mages.

Not that he contributed nothing, but the reward gap was so vast—how could the high-ring mages who worked tirelessly feel?

The source of the discussion was the sheer richness of the reward.

Even Gao De himself was taken aback by it.

He knew he’d earn at least one first-class merit, but never imagined it would reach three.

He also hadn’t expected a military rank promotion alongside the merit rewards.

After all, he had not yet completed a year in the sea sentinel force, still in probationary status—by regulation, his rank could not exceed first-class probationary mage within this first year.

Facing the murmurs, the major mage—who had ignored everything until now—suddenly grew stern. “Do you have objections? If so, voice them to me directly. Don’t whisper like petty conspirators.”

His words were blunt, his thinly veiled anger unmistakable.

At once, the surrounding noise fell silent.

Gao De hadn’t expected this high-ranking major mage, a stranger to him, would stand up for him.

“All merit evaluations have been announced. Since there are no objections, you are dismissed.” The major mage said no more, tucked the scroll into his robe, flicked his sleeve, and left.

The mages remaining in the square began to disperse as well.

Yet every eye, direct or indirect, scanned the crowd, searching for this man named “Gao De.”

—Gao De rarely socialized, so few in the sea sentinel force knew him.

Facing the scrutiny and searches, Gao De walked straight toward the mage tower, eyes forward.

He had his merits now—he didn’t want to wait a second, eager to exchange them for spell formulas and see what treasures lay on the first-class merit redemption list!

(End of Chapter)