[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-66":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},2257070,4404,"Chapter 66: Pierre","above-the-mage-chapter-66",66,"\u003Cp>Flower Flame Month, 15th.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brilliant magical aura flashed through the potion liquid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De mechanically bottled the successfully prepared Low-Level Endurance Potion, showing not the slightest trace of joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After securing the potion, Gao De felt restless and could not calm his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Oliver visited that day, Feiermoyaodian  stopped purchasing the Low-Level Spider Venom Potion from their herb garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to their explanation, sales of the Low-Level Spider Venom Potion had surged recently, and every alchemist in the city had begun focusing on preparing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coupled with the pharmacy’s continuous bulk purchases, their inventory of Low-Level Spider Venom Potion was now saturated, so they temporarily halted acquisitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Gao De was half-skeptical, the explanation made sense, so he let it go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he had already mastered the preparation of the Low-Level Endurance Potion, he decided to abandon the Spider Venom Potion entirely, bought twenty doses of Wild Wolf Gland Fluid, and switched to preparing the Low-Level Endurance Potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when he brought the prepared Low-Level Endurance Potion to the pharmacy, they still refused to buy it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, their reason was: “Starting today, our shop sells only potions made by our own alchemists; we no longer cooperate with external alchemists.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Gao De understood clearly—everything about inventory saturation was nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real intent was to force him to surrender the herb garden and compel him to join Feiermoyaodian  to brew potions for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this unpleasant parting, Gao De noticed a number of loiterers wandering outside the herb garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Seda Herb Garden was located on the outskirts of Hogen City, a standalone compound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no living facilities or shops nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the apprentices in the garden had to travel half an hour to the city center’s market and commercial district to buy food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under normal circumstances, how could loiterers appear in such a place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, these “loiterers” were from Feiermoyaodian .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their intent was obvious: to monitor and intimidate Gao De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were applying both coercion and temptation simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was, Oliver’s tactics were effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Gao De still had some savings, without potion income, continuing to drain his resources would inevitably lead to the herb garden’s bankruptcy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, what other option would he have but to join Feiermoyaodian ? As for resistance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could a First-Class Mage Apprentice possibly use to resist? Gao De even secretly felt relieved he had been cautious enough to demonstrate his value in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, he wouldn’t be facing coercion and temptation—he’d be facing something far worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what should he do now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Gao De thought, the more agitated he became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he swallow his pride and surrender the herb garden to them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That seemed the best decision right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, they had offered 200 gold for it, and they clearly valued his potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he truly joined Feiermoyaodian , they would very likely invest heavily in his training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although they would certainly impose many restrictions, with the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, he could endure silently for a few years and eventually break free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this perspective, it was indeed a good choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gao De had never once considered this option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply because he refused to endure this humiliation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When his heart cannot flow freely, no amount of logical reasoning matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered, Gao De pulled out his money pouch and counted his cash: 12 gold, 2 silver, 5 copper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I must decide soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De left the herb garden carrying a bundle. “Should we follow him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, we were only ordered to watch the herb garden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Gao De head toward the city, the two men monitoring near the garden glanced at him, then turned away without further action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although their surveillance was nearly open, they had not gone so far as to tail him directly, preserving a shred of dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commercial District.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre’s Grocery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De, carrying the accumulated potions, had not yet entered the shop when he noticed the simple wooden sign outside had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This shop will close soon; all items sold at deep discount.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t been here for just a week, yet Pierre was already preparing to shut down the grocery?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De froze, forgetting his original purpose of selling potions, and hurried inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, many shelves inside were already empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re leaving?” Gao De asked bluntly, seeing Pierre leisurely sipping tea behind the counter. “To Bremen City?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I’ve already found a buyer for the shop. As soon as the deal is done, I’ll leave for Bremen City to enjoy my retirement,” Pierre replied, draining his tea cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on?” Gao De frowned, a bad premonition rising in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The disappearances in the city haven’t been resolved,” Pierre revealed first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you say the killer was…” Gao De replied instinctively, then suddenly realized, “That was just a scapegoat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, just a scapegoat. The disappearances were suppressed, not solved,” Pierre nodded, confirming it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People are still vanishing in the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused. “Three days ago, a family living on my street vanished without reason—exactly like before: they were asleep at home, and the next morning, they were gone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their neighbors discovered it first and gathered to gawk; before the city guards arrived, I took a look at the scene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Apart from some strange slime, nothing remained in the room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the room’s belongings were perfectly orderly—definitely not a robbery or murder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suspect this isn’t human-made, but the work of a subterranean creature never before seen in the Bremen region—hence even a Second-Ring Mage couldn’t resolve it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A subterranean creature lurking secretly in the city center, continuously committing murders—this is terrifying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of silence, Gao De spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that the only reason?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not entirely. The main reason…” Pierre sighed, then continued, “Last month, when I went to Bremen City to arrange my future, besides this matter, I asked a friend in the Emerald Alliance to look up some records.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Under normal conditions, each region has an upper limit to the number of subterranean creatures that can gather, based on its magical energy concentration.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But recently, the number of subterranean creatures appearing outside the city has exceeded the total that should exist in this region.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know what this means?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Gao De could answer, Pierre answered himself: “It means the frequent appearance of subterranean creatures outside the city isn’t merely due to clustering—it’s because new sources of subterranean creatures have emerged.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And subterranean creatures can only come from subterranean veins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre ended with a seemingly nonsensical remark, but Gao De instantly understood—his face turned pale. “You mean the anomaly outside the city is caused by a new subterranean vein forming?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clearly remembered a line from the book he had bought: *The Bremen Geography*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After the convergence of planes, subterranean veins have multiplied daily, spilling forth subterranean creatures. Yet Bremen has not produced a single new vein in two hundred years. Emperor Jielos XII once praised Bremen as a land blessed by fortune.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A land blessed by fortune—no longer blessed? “I’m not certain, but I strongly suspect this is the case.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the very least, a new species of subterranean creature has likely infiltrated Hogen City—doesn’t this align with my speculation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A new subterranean vein forms, bringing new subterranean creatures…” Gao De murmured, understanding Pierre’s meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1227,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7301758e08280969515138defb949bfcc2501e5e7a9538c49242101a92c0e797","above-the-mage-chapter-67","above-the-mage-chapter-65",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]