Above The Sky
Chapter 114 - 114 106 The Sound of Heart 510

114: Chapter 106: The Sound of Heart (5/10) 114: Chapter 106: The Sound of Heart (5/10) People are born listeners.

As infants, they listen to the guidance of their parents.

As they grow, they listen to the teachings of their teachers.

As adults, they listen to the orders of their superiors.

Listening is the fastest way to understand a person, the most convenient gateway to get close to someone, Listening can lead to understanding, closeness, and acceptance, and naturally to knowledge.

If one were to say that the essence of a person is the sum of all their social relationships…

then the sounds they make and the sounds they hear weave a massive net that forms their “human shape.”

And the person who can hear all the sounds on this net, who can weave the threads to hear even more sounds, who can crawl within this web of sounds, listening to the melodious ripples carried by the invisible wind,

Is one who, aside from listening to the “sounds of reality,” can also hear the “sounds of the heart.”

Perhaps, they are the ones who can understand person after person at the fastest pace.

“Welcome, only two pennies required today,”

Weyges, draped in the fortune-teller’s robe and smiling, spoke these words to person after person filled with doubts yet brimming with expectation.

The man’s dark green pupils were deep, and his seaweed-like black hair spread out, half-covering his face.

Two pennies, neither too much nor too little, while not enough for a large steak, one could still buy a long loaf of bread with them.

Who would take out this money just for an uncertain fortune-teller to say a few ambiguous words?

The answer is many people.

“Sir, can you calculate my recent luck in love?!”

A young sailor with bloodshot eyes and freckles on his face looked at him expectantly.

A simple child, whose worries can be seen through at a glance.

“Hmm…

Sir, you’ve certainly encountered some troubles recently, and at times like this, you must not rush or inquire impatiently.

Sometimes, maintaining distance and boundaries can help both parties cool down their emotions.”

The young sailor had an epiphany, leaving with a grateful face and paying before departing, “Right, right…that’s so true, thank you very much!”

“Hmph, I don’t know where this pretty-boy charlatan came from, but let me tell you, I’ve seen plenty like you.

If you’re so skilled, predict what I ate for dinner yesterday!”

A burly fisherman with dark skin and a full beard blew a breath reeking of alcohol, glaring at him and yelling loudly.

A self-righteous yet insecure person, someone who can’t feel satisfied without attacking others.

The marks on his teeth and the taste in his mouth had already given away the answer.

“Mashed potatoes and grilled octopus, made by this tavern, and you drank a lot of alcohol as well.

I don’t think fortune-telling is necessary, everyone can see that.”

Amid the laughter of others, the drunken fisherman gnashed his teeth and turned red with anger but still paid and left in a huff, “What…

Tch, hmph, just luck!

It’s only two pennies, take it!”

Next, there are more and more.

One look was enough to tell that everything was not going well for the porter suppressing his depression.

It was easy to guess that the craftsman apprentice had been studying and practicing diligently but with poor progress.

A business owner with poor sales; a father anxious about his children’s education; and a conceited painter who was rejected by many.

Their voices were all shallow, all easily heard.

No need to use spirit energy to understand them effortlessly.

To placate them, one need not use their brain at all; just a few ambiguous words, some common knowledge, vague comfort and everyone would feel they had gained something, had a revelation.

Even, the courage to solve their problems.

This is the power of voice…

Fake sounds can bring real courage, real power, and real information.

Having listened to the voices of thousands, one can know the thoughts of the people; having understood the laments of thousands, one can comprehend the visions of the majority.

Because he wanted to know the thoughts of the theoretically closest people to him, it was Weyges’s desire to hear the private voices of others.

Because of this earnest wish, he awakened the “Whispering Winds” spirit energy, was taken in by the Imperial Royal Academy of True Knowledge, and after a long period of study and research, due to various circumstances, became an apprentice in the Knight Order of Inspectorate.

Up to this day.

It had to be said that possessing Spirit Energy that could hear most confidential conversations, as well as the inner voices of those marked, was an amazing asset for an Inspector Knight, like wings to a tiger.

And it was precisely because of this Spirit Energy, which could both eavesdrop and partially read minds, that Weyges had been able to become an official member of the Knight Order without even reaching the Third Power Level.

Just like now.

In just a few days, through private engagements, touch during divination sessions, ordinary handshakes in conversation, and seemingly populist gestures, the black-haired knight had spread his ‘threads’ throughout Harrison Port.

He could set up specific keywords, compile a ‘special list’ of people to watch closely, and gather the information he wanted around the clock from this web that spanned the entire city.

In recent days, Weyges had been wandering around taverns, docks, and marketplaces everywhere.

Sometimes under the guise of a diviner.

Sometimes as a passing merchant.

And at other times, as a mercenary or a wandering knight.

From various perspectives, social strata, and angles, he wove his threads, attentively listening to every sound no matter how insignificant.

The evaluation of Harrison Port?

He had finished that trivial work task on the first day.

That Viscount Grant was there, worrying whether he had been sent by the reigning emperor to take his position, was to Weyges notably amusing.

It wasn’t that he found Viscount Grant amusing, as the latter’s suspicions were actually true—the ‘Guardian,’ the current Imperial Emperor Aksel, did indeed have such thoughts.

If Viscount Grant didn’t do well enough, the emperor was considering taking control of this important future harbor for trade himself, to prevent future mishaps.

What Weyges found amusing was himself.

Because even if the emperor harbored such considerations, the candidate to replace Viscount Grant would not be him.

It would not be the former apprentice of the biggest wanted criminal in the history of The Empire.

Unless…

He could achieve a great feat.

Whether it was completely eradicating all rebel forces in South Ridge, finding clues of the extremely rare Fifth Energy Level Titan Beast or the Ancient Dragons; whether it was developing on his own the most advanced floating engine from the City of Knowledge, or presenting an Apocalypse Armament to the royal family…

As long as he accomplished these great deeds, even the most notorious individual could win respect and reverse public opinion.

Of course, aside from these seemingly unattainable tasks, there was a much simpler method.

That was to find the man who had caused his royal neglect, his colleagues’ alienation, his broken dreams, and the root of his present agony.

His mentor.

The biggest criminal wanted in the history of the Setar Empire.

The former Captain of the Knight Order of Inspectorate.

The right-hand man of the Black King.

The man whom all foes revered as ‘The Immortal City’…

—Hiliard Lesi.

Only by finding him could all the roots of his pain be truly addressed.

“Mentor, you’re quite the master of hiding,” he mused.

In the dimly lit room, Weyges slowly opened his eyes, the pale white light of Spirit Energy gently fading away: “On the surface, there isn’t a single clue—not a sudden appearance of a tall stranger from another land, no tourists hiring boats to go to sea, and in recent years, no villains punished or local gangs taken down…”

“Have you learned to be more cunning, or have you not stayed in the city at all…

But if you truly had been here, there would definitely be some clue left behind.”

“And I’ve already caught some threads of evidence.”