[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-56":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},2257060,4404,"Chapter 56: Unknown Scroll","above-the-mage-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>Gao De put down the letter that Seda Master had written long ago but never sent, and would never send.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the apprentices in the herb garden, Seda Master was the absolute “villain,” a wicked man, a tormentor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to Seda Master himself, he, like Gao De, was merely a “victim” struggling to reunite with his wife and children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, to Seda Master’s wife and children, Gao De had become the villain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Gao De’s emotions grew immensely complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he clearly knew that if he had not resisted back then, he would be dead now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a situation where only one person could survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De’s resistance was perfectly justified; no one could find fault with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after reading Seda Master’s family letters, Gao De still felt pity, still felt guilt toward the woman in Bremen City who had waited for her husband’s return for over a decade, a woman he had never met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was something woven into his bones, not easily erased by a single reincarnation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, Gao De finally let out a long breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I killed Seda Master—that’s correct. I feel remorse—that’s also correct. These two things are not contradictory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He no longer dwelled on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decisively picked up the last item taken from the wooden box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That mysterious scroll resembling a spell scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scroll was made of premium animal parchment, its edges lavishly inlaid with gold leaf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At both ends were finely crafted silver scroll clasps, carved with intricate patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between the clasps hung a slender silk ribbon, its color a deep violet, embroidered with flowing floral patterns in gold thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De untied the ribbon and unrolled the scroll; a faint fragrance wafted toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the scent of a special preservative made from rare herbs and magical materials, preserving the ink’s clarity through time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the script written on the scroll was unfamiliar to Gao De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be some kind of magical script.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De examined it carefully and made his judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the lower right corner of the scroll was a finely stamped seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seal was circular, its main motif a bird with outstretched wings perched atop an open book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bird’s feathers, the faint magical symbols visible on the book’s pages—every detail was lifelike, as if ready to leap off and become real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the bird was a tiny diamond motif.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t recognize it.” Gao De studied it for a while, certain he had no idea of the seal’s origin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Written in magical script, yet not a spell scroll.” He had checked immediately—the magical script contained no magical power; it was used merely as ordinary text.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the scroll itself is so exquisitely made, clearly expensive—could it be a high-tier magical potion recipe?” Gao De speculated: “Or perhaps some official document? After all, it has a proper seal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After careful study yielded nothing, Gao De finally stopped this waste of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, all of Ceda’s legacy has been inventoried: a novice’s manual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two volumes of cultivation methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five spell formulas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two complete zero-level potion recipes and one incomplete first-level potion recipe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-one letters from home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A scroll of unknown origin and purpose, along with a full fifty Sein gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bounty was so great that Gao De nearly did a backflip right there; after vigorously punching the air to vent his excitement, he opened his cabinet and stashed the three potion recipes inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These are treasures—unlike spell formulas, they’re easy to sell, and can be cashed in for a large sum when necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gold coins should be hidden in a secret compartment in the bedroom, so he can sleep peacefully at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The novice’s manual, cultivation methods, and the twenty-one letters didn’t warrant such care—Gao De casually returned them to the wooden chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the mysterious scroll, after some thought, Gao De decided it deserved some attention and ultimately hid it deep within the cabinet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the last drop of green spider venom dripped into the vial, the churning liquid gradually calmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faintly, a gray-green magical glow flashed through the liquid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The potion is complete!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「2 Meijinbidaoshou ！」 Gaodeshuliandijiangdayaopingzhongganggangdiaopeichudechujizhuduyaojijinxingfenzhuang 。\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suirantaganggangdaoshouyibi 50 Meijinbidejukuan ， Danzhebingmeiyourangtapengzhang ， Congerhuangfeimeiriyizudechujizhuduyaojidiaopei 。\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One is steady, sustainable income; the other is a sudden windfall—a one-time gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De clearly understood the difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Windfalls don’t come every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you treat a windfall as regular income—or worse, chase after windfalls and neglect your true work—you’re bound to run into trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, though fifty gold coins seem like a lot, without continuous production, and given the herb garden’s rising expenses, this so-called “fortune” would be completely spent within half a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Starting now, I can eat meat without restraint—really bulk up my body—and switch my staple bread from rye to wheat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, only I can afford this luxury—it’s my personal income.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De wasn’t worried that eating alone would upset the other apprentices in the herb garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, he’s always had the right to do so; he simply never felt comfortable doing it, so he’d always eaten with the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now that I have some extra cash, I can upgrade the other apprentices’ meals—no need to be so stingy anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, let’s add meat every other day—one pound per meal for seven people. One pound costs seven coppers, so that’s an extra nine silvers per month—easily affordable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After running the numbers in his head, Gao De made his decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just one month, he’d gotten everyone eating meat every other day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of it, Gao De felt a quiet sense of satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mustn’t forget Pierre’s advice—I should stockpile extra food in the herb garden. Whether we need to flee immediately or just have emergency rations, it’s always better to be prepared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever disaster strikes, food prices always rise—that’s common knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s work is finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After stretching, Gao De eagerly pulled one of the five spell formulas from the pile on his desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fire Arrow】 (Evocation, 0th level).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect, you’re the one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De had a strong memory of Fire Arrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the spell Ceda used to kill the geopathic creatures—wolf rats—that invaded the herb garden, and the very spell that led to his own demise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its power speaks for itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least among cantrips, Gao De was certain Fire Arrow ranked among the deadliest, surpassing his own 【Acid Splash】.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, The Introduction to Spells clearly stated: among all schools of magic, evocation spells possess the greatest destructive power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1085,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9d339c1a8f116f84259d4d7ee6e14170cbd6f3570de9bad984c2a36f130677a8","above-the-mage-chapter-57","above-the-mage-chapter-55",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]