Chapter 88: Feather Fall Technique

After seeing off the beautiful and elegant Miss Jelika, Gao De returned to his room humming a cheerful tune.

He had expected to wait several days for the “advertisement” to gain traction before landing his first client.

Who knew happiness would come so quickly?

And such a big dose of it.

A 15 Sein gold coin job.

All he had to give up was a trivial amount of time.

“A strong start—a good omen!”

Gao De even began looking forward to more customers.

Yet, until the five o’clock “closing” time arrived, he received no second client.

“Reputation still isn’t enough,” Gao De muttered to himself.

But Gao De didn’t just sit around waiting.

During this time, he spent a little time first using [Repair+], partially restoring the magic necklace left behind by Miss Jelika.

Then he drank a Basic Magic Potion and began today’s Guiding Method cultivation until his magical energy was fully replenished.

After advancing to Second-Class Apprentice Mage, both his cultivation efficiency and available cultivation time had improved greatly compared to when he was a First-Class Apprentice.

Thus, most of the basic magical energy provided by one Basic Magic Potion was absorbed by Gao De during this session.

The residual energy not absorbed would have long since dissipated by tomorrow.

This is why Second-Class Apprentices can consume a full set of Basic Magic Potions in three days—averaging one small bottle per day.

But the increased consumption also brought faster progress in the Guiding Method.

After finishing his Guiding Method cultivation, though it was already dinner time, Gao De followed the principle of momentum and completed his Apprentice Meditation practice before arranging his meal.

Starving, he had no interest in cooking himself.

So Gao De took his keys, locked his door, left home, and returned to the small eatery across from Mrs. Misu’s house.

Since he had missed dinner hour, the eatery had few customers, and Gao De once again secured a window seat on the second floor.

He once again ate dinner while observing from above.

At the same time, he pondered how to extract information about the “recommendation letter” from Mrs. Misu.

Go straight in, force her to confess?

Clearly not advisable.

Though mages are superior in rank, this is not a lawless wilderness—it has laws.

Besides, he was only an apprentice mage, not even a full mage.

An apprentice mage who dared commit such illegal acts in the city would be asking for death.

Not to mention apprentices—even First-Ring or Second-Ring mages would not lightly commit crimes within the city.

Trick Mrs. Misu into leaving the city, then force her?

That had a slight merit, but unless absolutely desperate, Gao De did not wish to use this method.

Besides, could a woman who had lived independently for over a decade really be so easily deceived?

Always treating others as fools usually makes you the fool yourself.

And even if you got the information this way, could you guarantee its truth?

She might just trick you outright.

Indirect questioning?

Also unrealistic. Such an important item as a “test-exempt recommendation letter” would make Mrs. Misu extremely cautious—she would never let slip a word so easily.

After much thought, Gao De realized the most viable path was to use his identity as Apprentice Seda to approach Mrs. Misu and earn her trust.

But even this was only relatively feasible; upon closer examination, many potential “bugs” remained, requiring more information to refine the details. Most importantly, Gao De could not guarantee that Apprentice Seda had never mentioned to Mrs. Misu his use of apprentices as test subjects.

Though to maintain his image before his wife, Apprentice Seda likely would not reveal his evil deeds—but what if he had? If Mrs. Misu knew Seda used apprentices for testing, she would understand that all apprentices should harbor intense hatred toward him.

Now, if an apprentice came knocking, it would surely be with ill intent.

Under that premise, no matter how eloquently Gao De spoke, Mrs. Misu would not believe a single word…

After finishing dinner, still with no new information, Gao De paid and returned home.

For the next week, Gao De’s life remained unusually peaceful.

Repairing the damaged magic necklace.

Practicing the Apprentice Guiding Method and Meditation Technique.

Constructing the magical models for his four newly acquired 0-Ring spells.

Meanwhile, actively gathering information about Shengxi City to prepare for his journey there.

And occasionally dining at the eatery, watching for suspicious individuals.

If the person behind Seda’s expulsion were still alive, Gao De’s premature exposure of his identity would not only fail to convince Mrs. Misu—he might first face persecution from the shadowy figure behind it all.

During this period, two or three clients came, either drawn by the “advertisement” at the Artisans’ Guild entrance or by chance spotting the banner Gao De had hung outside his door.

But upon learning Gao De still had items under repair and needed to wait in line—and seeing how young he was—they all chose to “seek a better option.”

Gao De was helpless, but he understood.

Like on Earth, only specialists warrant patients waiting in line for appointments; if you can’t get a regular doctor’s slot, most people just switch to another.

He was now a “regular doctor”—and one who looked like an “intern.”

But Gao De wasn’t in a hurry. Once he built a reputation and became a “specialist,” business would come steadily.

Though Baimai City was large and had many repair craftsmen, true experts were still rare.

And with his spells as “cheating,” overtaking them was merely a matter of time.

Day of Sunlight, 9th.

As the final line of the magical rune on the necklace’s central gem was completed, a bright pale green magical glow flashed briefly, then vanished.

Gao De exhaled slowly, the magical aura in his hands fading away.

“Done!”

He gazed at the beautiful necklace in his hand, radiating blue-white light.

The largest ocean-blue gem at its center had been restored perfectly, with no trace of its former crack.

The magical runes on it blended seamlessly with the gem’s color, hidden beneath its glow.

Unless examined closely, no trace of the runes could be seen.

This gave the necklace both extraordinary power and exceptional beauty.

Clearly, the alchemist who crafted this gemstone necklace possessed extraordinary skill.

Of course, when evaluating an alchemical artifact, appearance is always a trivial bonus.

The most important standard is always the object’s inherent magical ability.

By this standard, the necklace still exceeded average quality.

Gao De focused his mind on the necklace; information flowed back:

Possesses a slight magic-concentrating and energy-storing effect.

Grants a one-time automatic trigger of a 1-Ring spell: [Feather Fall]: When you fall at least twenty feet while wearing this necklace, you will descend at ten feet per second, avoiding fall damage.

After landing, the necklace will be destroyed.

(End of Chapter)