High Above

October 5, 773 Terra.

Setal Empire capital, late at night.

The lights in the upper city, which stood on a solitary mountain, were bright, and the big shots in the entire empire were unusually busy.

This is the first time since the Dark Moon turmoil.

This afternoon, Archduke Thorin's declaration to the Imperial Capital after he advanced to the fifth level really shocked the hearts of many people. The relationship between this newly promoted fifth-level powerhouse and the emperor of the empire, the land-keeper Axel, The clash of wills blew away all the atmosphere over the entire imperial capital.

Although Archduke Thorin was almost completely suppressed in this confrontation, he finally left with a harsh word.

But with the help of a mysterious method that is most likely the legacy of Inaga, he has surpassed the bloodline restrictions and advanced to the fifth energy level. He has the confidence to communicate head-on with any country and major force in the mainland on an equal footing.

And such a brand new fifth-level person will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the current situation on the Terra continent.

This is why the imperial capital never sleeps.

Today, the hole in the atmosphere still exists, and it will take time to recover. Even if there is an imperial force field to isolate the void radiation, in order to avoid sudden changes in the climate of the central plain, the eldest prince Carlos Sertal has led a team to repair it.

During this period, big figures from all over the country also arrived in the imperial capital one after another.

A steady stream of information was sent back to the heart of the empire.

——The capital of Grand Duke Thorin, Silver Moon City has completely turned into an empty abyss.

This ancient city, the squares and palaces made of white marble, and the spiers and towers with a history of more than four hundred years have all turned into a bottomless pit of darkness.

The deep pit that goes straight into the center of the earth is extremely deep, and black and white steam rises from it. Standing on the edge of the huge pit and staring down, through the hazy heat waves, you can see the churning magma ocean in the mantle.

That is the abyss... the entrance to hell created by the Dead Lord. The red magma is like an endless river of blood of death.

The entire Silver Moon City sank into the sea of ​​lava. According to reports from intelligence personnel, at that time, the entire Silver Moon City was crowded with people. People who supported Archduke Thorin gathered from all directions to listen to their lord's speech - Thorin. The Grand Duke signed a contract with everyone present, and all his life and strength will be used to protect them, and in exchange for this, they will go to the heart of the earth together to establish a kingdom of hell.

When the contract was reached, the silver-blue icy stream of light shot straight into the sky, and the entire city and even the surrounding mountains were shaking. Dense inscriptions appeared on every street, every magnificent building and ancient palace in Silver Moon City. The circuit constitutes an extremely vast psychic field.

Then, it sank, falling like lightning, and sank into the deepest part of the earth's mantle.

The mist originating from the magma and underground water systems filled the area above the current Grand Duke Thorin's territory, turning it into a place of poisonous mist.

It is said that as long as you get close, you can hear the cries of ghosts.

"...In short, among those people, Grand Duke Thorin deceived the souls of his people, killed everyone, and used the power of these souls to pave the way to the fifth energy level."

In Isengard's house, the blond boy told Ian in detail about the many pieces of information he heard while listening in the uptown district today.

He looked quite gloating: "To be honest, Ian, this is the first time I have seen so many big shots looking nervous, especially those legion commanders and nobles around Archduke Thorin. Their expressions are really unpredictable. If I hadn’t known about their bloodline heritage, I would have thought they were chameleons!”

"What they said is true, but they are a little timid - Archduke Thorin really wants to kill them, and the moment he falls out with the empire, they will all be buried with him."

Ian, who was cutting steak, commented: "But it was really huge. When I came back from the experimental base, I saw a row of flying cars and armors flying in the sky... I don't know if they were troops that were urgently transferred back to the imperial capital. It’s the nobles who are on their way.”

At this moment, Ian was cooking for himself for the first time in a long time - he was holding a pan in his hand, frying the steaks in hot oil, making a pleasant sizzling sound.

This kind of mountain cow beef from the Seven Cities Alliance is quite fatty and has a very strong aroma. Ian didn’t put any oil in the pot at the beginning, but after roasting it at high temperature, the fat in the meat flowed out, making the fat fragrant. Overflowing, sprinkled with spices and salt for a simple yet satisfying taste.

Today's supper is very simple, just mountain beef steak, baked potatoes and a nut platter.

Hua An and Shuangdie had already started eating first. The two goblins were eating pine nuts in unison, with satisfied looks on their faces. They looked like two squirrels.

Ethan also got his share of the steak, cut off a piece and put it into his mouth. The rich aroma of the fat beef and the delicate texture were really delicious. The roasted potatoes on the side actually had hot cheese in the center, and they were crispy on the outside. One bite is full of caramel aroma, and the crispy texture is followed by the milky aroma of cheese. It is really unforgettable.

Since the ban on solid food was lifted, Isengard has tasted Ian's cooking several times. Every time he tasted it, it was incredible. He couldn't understand how Ian did it. There were so many details about the dishes. Wonderful ideas.

With just a simple potato, Ian can combine it with different auxiliary ingredients to make four or five dishes with very different flavors, but all of them are very delicious... This kind of wonderful change is almost alchemy!

And Ian would tell him every time that an alchemist with poor swordsmanship was not a good cook.

As a knight who is proficient in alchemy, it is natural for him to be able to cook.

——What nonsense are you talking about!

Even Isengard would complain about Ian: "Am I not an alchemist? I can also do swordsmanship. Why can't I cook?!"

"Is your swordsmanship as good as mine?"

Ian's simple reply immediately reminded Isengard of the feeling of being easily crushed during the sparring session between the two, leaving him without the ability to refute.

Isengard accompanied Master Gosei to the Uptown District for several meetings this afternoon, and originally planned to come back in the evening to continue improving the armor with Ian.

To be honest, the two weeks of working with Ian on armor development can be said to be the two weeks that Isengard has made the fastest progress in terms of inscription structure and combat medicine.

Ian is never stingy about sharing knowledge. If Isengard doesn't understand, he will use the simplest examples to explain it. After all, Isengard is also an elite alchemist, and many of his opinions have greatly benefited Ian. Ian was deeply moved by the Ellen family's colonial experience.

There was even a whole new kind of inspiration.

——Compared with armor that is simply a weapon, ether weapons as a research and comparison object may not require a complete metal structure... Wouldn't it be good to have half metal and half colonial armor?

Or is it not impossible to put a layer of armor on top of the colonial uniform?

"The fact that Grand Duke Thorin advanced to the fifth level and took Silvermoon City into the mantle of the earth is really too big."

After a supper, Ian exchanged information with Isengard. The blond boy looked confused: "My father is coming too... He doesn't want to see me, and I don't want to see him... Even if I want to get some information from him. His Majesty Axel’s plan cannot be done in the imperial capital.”

"I plan to go out with the teacher to attend an alchemist conference in Icewind Dale and hide out for a while."

"Ian, do you want to go with us? Or should you stay in the imperial capital?"

Isengard invited.

"As for me, we'll see later." Ian was noncommittal. After hearing that Marquis Ellen would also come to the Imperial Capital, he couldn't help but be curious about this matter: "So many great nobles gathered in the Imperial Capital, what are they going to do? But you You're right, even if you want to understand the thoughts of the land defenders, you can't do it in the imperial capital, it's just like plotting under your nose."

"Let's have a coordination meeting before all-out war. That's what the teacher said."

Isengard shook his head slightly. His strength was still too low to participate in such an event: "But as far as I know, this time, all the princes and daughters of the royal family who have the right to inherit have returned. Even if there is no such thing as Grand Duke Thorin, Come out, I’m afraid something big will happen.”

"Royal family? Is it possible..."

Ian raised his brows slightly, and he vaguely thought of a possibility: "Is it the Li Chu?"

"how come?"

Even the political novice Isengard knew that it was impossible. He shook his head and took the last bite of potato cheese: "In terms of the fifth level, His Majesty is still young. What's more, according to tradition, who is the strongest and who is the heir. There is no point in establishing a crown prince at all, and it only makes sense to establish a crown prince in Yanjiang when the king is not the supreme ruler."

Indeed. Ian thought about it and felt that he might still be limited by the earth's thinking.

So what if Terra is not strong enough to establish a reserve? At that time, it is not necessary to replace people obediently. The order brought by the inheritance of the eldest son is not as stable as the order brought by the inheritance of the strong.

But these things have nothing to do with him and Isengard, especially since the latter plans to leave the imperial capital for a while.

——Look at the fortune.

Thinking of this, Ian's eyes lit up with cyan fluorescence, and he looked at Isengard, who was also used to Ian's sudden use of psychic powers to observe his surroundings, so he continued to enjoy his midnight snack.

In the precognitive vision, Isengard is still dark blue. His strength has indeed improved in recent times, and his sparring with Ian has enhanced his actual combat ability, but the growth of the Eclipse Dragon has not been that fast. If you want to advance to the second level, you still need to settle for a while.

Other than that, Isengard's future fortune...is pretty good. But Ian noticed that his friend's fortune was actually on a downward trend.

This is not a good sign.

——Why did it decrease?

Ian was a little puzzled, but if he thought about it carefully, leaving the imperial capital was indeed leaving the academic center circle. He was unable to get the most critical information immediately, so the decline was understandable.

He planned to remind Yisen later to pay attention to this aspect, and then turned his head to look at Hua An and Shuangdie.

Anyway, the precognitive vision is open, so it’s time to take a look at them all.

Then, he almost slammed the table and stood up.

Ian didn't really stand up, and his expression didn't even change, but there was already a turmoil in his heart.

Because what reflected in his eyes was darkness.

There is no light at all, and it is made of the richest scarlet and the richest darkness, and is as dark as the reality of despair.

That's the color of death.

--how come? !

Ian's abnormality was not noticed by everyone. Hua An was introducing the difference between walnuts and almonds to Shuangdie, and Shuangdie obviously preferred the taste of almonds... The two goblins looked very carefree and uncontested. , and in fact this is indeed the case.

But in the precognitive vision, the two fairies are about to face their certain death!

"Everything will still be normal in the morning!"

Ian's alertness was at its highest, and he was still eating midnight snacks on the surface, but all his experiences were concentrated on this matter.

After eating, Ian went to the roof of the building on the pretext of wanting to catch the wind, and Isengard naturally didn't find anything strange.

After arriving at the top of the building, Ian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, gathered his mental power and spiritual energy...then opened his eyes and looked at the entire floor area.

Immediately, in the upper level area, on both sides of the peaceful and quiet streets, the houses with lights slightly burning or lights out, as well as the people in them, all turned into mist.

Each figure in the mist is either talking to family and friends, or lying on the bed. The different lines and directions of the mist represent different meanings. Their fate and future within a period of time are all reflected in Ian's eyes.

Because the density of sublimators in the Imperial City is much higher than that in other places, there are more than thirty sublimators in just a few blocks, and there are also many second- and third-level sublimators in the entire area, so even today's spiritual power Ian, who had experienced tremendous growth, also felt pressure for a while.

His eyes felt hot and his brain felt tired - but Ian still insisted on maintaining his precognitive vision and observing the 'future' of this area.

Then he saw,

Centered on the Isengard House where he was, a large area of ​​black and red fog spread rapidly. Although there were a few scattered black and red in the distance, it was obvious that the source of everything was the Isengard House.

Exactly...where I am!

"It's me - it's not Hua An and Shuang Die who are going to be unlucky, but I am going to be unlucky!"

Ian's heart sank: "And it's a bad luck that will definitely lead to death once encountered!"

"but why?"

Ian couldn't imagine for a moment why he would suddenly fall into a certain death situation, and even implicate Hua An and Shuangdie who had the Fairy Country behind them... This was totally unreasonable!

"Is it possible that my performance in testing the armor this afternoon caused something?"

racking his brains to think about the possibilities, Ian's eyes stared at a black and red figure in the distance. He actually knew that person. He was the owner of the restaurant where he had a meal before - it was already late at night and the restaurant was closed. He returned Arrive at your residence and prepare to rest.

He has also fallen into an extremely dangerous situation, certainly not because of what he has done recently, but because he is implicated by Ian.

The same goes for another person, the owner of the clothing store where Ian recently bought several robes... He also suffered from a bloody disaster.

"All of these people are more or less related to me and have some intersection with me, so they are unlucky because of this!"

Ian has discovered this, but he doesn't understand why at all - this is the imperial capital. Who has so much energy can actually cause such death and damage under the suppression of a fifth-level and multiple fourth-level people? ? Even like the implicated nine clans, uprooting all the people around him who interacted with him?

unless……

That's them.

"Ethan."

Coming down from the roof, Ian, who looked as usual, asked directly: "Are those relatives who have been paying attention to me recently - I mean, the eldest prince and eldest princess, are they also paying attention to me?"

"Huh?" Seeing Ian asking this question directly after coming back from the roof, Isengard was a little confused: "Why do you ask this so suddenly?"

Although it is not clear, Ian is a very out-of-the-box thinker. Isengard thought for a while and replied seriously: "Yes. Although it is the second uncle who usually communicates with you the most, my aunt has been talking to you recently. Time has always been paying attention to you - especially after knowing that you were developing armor, she became extra interested in you."

"Speaking of this." At this moment, Isengard seemed to have thought of something. He opened his eyes wide and said to Ian quite excitedly: "Did you know? Recently, the imperial military is soliciting various armor designs! There are no any The restrictions and requirements only require practicality and actual combat capability - we think this is to accumulate design ideas for large-scale development of sixth-generation armor, but in short, the price given by the military is very high."

"I heard from others that this afternoon, Ian, you were in the limelight at the experimental base. Even the legendary veteran Lieutenant Colonel Anna was full of praise for you - the performance of the Cyclops definitely meets the requirements, and you can even try it. Maybe we can win the design crown..."

"Auntie is one of the censors. I guess she must be paying attention to you because of this!"

Having said this, Isengard clenched his fists and encouraged Ian: "Do you want to participate? If you can succeed, you will get funds directly from the imperial military!"

——Yes, that’s it!

Ian took a deep breath in his heart, and his voice was a little nervous unconsciously: "Princess Alegria is paying direct attention to me... Yes, the military is soliciting armor designs. Otherwise, this recent paragraph How come there are so many workshops and legions developing various types of unconventional armor in this time?”

"Furthermore, the eldest princess is the backstage supporter of the Firestone Group. My research materials and those armors can all be considered as gifts from her. She must know what I have been doing recently... If I go to participate in the collection, I will definitely get it. The winner, or the top few..."

This is really not Ian's arrogance. Although the performance of the Cyclops' body is only above average, the light prism technology and bionic circuits are completely new design ideas. Even these cannot win the first place. He will only think that Terra People don't know the goods, or they have a secret secret to being number one.

However, this has a big problem.

Ian swallowed, calmed down, and solemnly said to Isengard: "You said...the Earth Keeper..."

"Will he also pay attention to this matter?"

"If it were before, I can say that I would never..."

At this time, even Isengard began to feel uncertain. He pondered for a moment and thought: "But His Majesty showed up today... So in the recent period, he should be more active than in the past?"

——It seems that he will pay attention.

Ian nodded silently, understanding everything now.

The eldest princess Alegria has been paying attention to herself recently. Even if she doesn't sign up, she will probably let herself run.

Then, there is no doubt that you will get good grades.

What happens next is simple.

The sun is strong, and all things are revealed - as long as you dare to participate, or even to say, as long as you dare to stay in the imperial capital.

Then he, the hidden disciple of the most wanted criminal in the empire, would be exposed directly!