Above The Sky
Chapter 176 - 176 165 Surging Undercurrents 33

176: Chapter 165 Surging Undercurrents (3/3) 176: Chapter 165 Surging Undercurrents (3/3) “Oh?”

Pat spoke with a tone of puzzlement, “Having discovered such a thing, Teacher, do you still plan to continue with the mission?”

“Of course.”

Master Gossay’s voice was calm, “Patrick, this is actually quite simple…

The farther away we are from the Imperial Capital, from the Erlen Territory, the safer Yisen will be—in this remote Harrison Port, who could possibly muster the power to threaten Yisen with our protection?”

“On the other hand, rashly returning could lead to unexpected dangers, not to mention that if we do not complete Her Majesty’s mission, the bond between Lady and Her Majesty would be reduced, wouldn’t it?”

“Rather, we must accomplish the mission.

Only with Her Majesty’s favor can Yisen ensure his own safety.”

“That’s exactly the problem,” the man mused, “the mission is very difficult.”

“Indeed.”

Putting down the bracelet in his hands, the elder pondered for a moment and then stood up, taking out a map from a package on the side.

He spread out the map on the long table.

It was a maritime map even more detailed than those found in the Viscount Grant’s Mansion.

And there, the ‘Luminous Sea’ was marked with a gold color that stood out from the rest.

“The original Element Crystal Clams were an unexpected bonus, enriching the channels for harvesting Elemental Crystals along the coastline…

but not enough to attract such serious attention from Her Majesty.”

At this moment, Master Gossay was intently staring at the map before him, which was marked with various spots indicating the locations where Element Crystal Clams were found, along with information about surrounding sublimated organisms.

“However, an appraiser from the Royal Alchemy Association detected the aura of a superior dragon species from the empty shells of those Element Crystal Clams.”

The old man’s expression became solemn, and even Patrick was very serious.

The Crystal Dragon, a rare and unique dragon species, generally only found near underwater ore veins, is the sea-living relative of the Glintstone Armor Dragon, mostly appearing around the Starfall Inland Sea and Whale Song Cliff.

The existence of Crystal Dragons in the coast of South Ridge was something nobody had considered, let alone the mutated variant ‘Deep Sea Crystal Dragon’—such a variant only appears in well-formed sea labyrinths, a mutation of the Crystal Dragon caused by the infiltration of a powerful Spirit Energy Field.

Saying that The Empire was lacking the materials from a Crystal Dragon would be a joke…

but Labyrinth Species are indeed one in a million.

The majority of Demonic Labyrinth Species are far more powerful than their kin, their materials a necessity for some special high-level inheritances.

“There’s no other way.”

Muttering to himself, Master Gossay sighed, “After the upheaval during ‘Dark Moon,’ The Empire’s original sea labyrinths were destroyed amidst internal conflicts.

Although they have been rebuilt on the original site, the ecosystem has not yet recovered, and the Crystal Dragon is one of them.”

“Indeed.”

Patrick clearly understood the importance of this, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the gold-marked area on the map: “The Princes and Princesses are manageable for now, the reserves are still sufficient.”

“But if the species aren’t replenished soon, our future inheritance will definitely be manipulated by foreign states.”

With The Empire’s strength, though not at its zenith, acquiring the materials of a Crystal Dragon is not difficult.

The problem is that high-level materials from Magical Beasts already are strategic resources; occasional exchanges are considered strategic trades, but if The Central Empire keeps buying the same kind of material from Magical Beasts over a long period, it would indicate there are serious problems in their internal Magic Potion circulation system, and high-end strategic materials are restricted by people.

But how could capturing a Crystal Dragon be easy?

To say nothing of their common habitats being within foreign territories, even if they truly captured one, how would they transport it back to the labyrinths under Imperial Capital’s control?

“Even so, we can’t let the spies from other nations detect this, so only we can be dispatched to act.”

Master Gossay shook his head slightly, “This is Her Majesty’s trust in us, and we must not fail it—the Crystal Dragon juvenile form feeds on Element Crystal Clams, to find the Crystal Dragon, one would need that young appraiser’s keen perception.”

“Although I could do the same, in terms of efficiency…

after all, it’s a man-made Spirit Energy Jewelry, lacking the ‘desire’ that resides within it, ultimately it couldn’t compare to that young man’s ability.”

“That’s like giving Els and that young man an advantage for nothing.”

With his arms crossed over his chest, Patrick spoke with some displeasure, “He really is lucky, having a mid-to-large-sized Labyrinth right next to his own territory, not sure if he can manage it…”

“Isn’t this exactly why the Black King sent Old Grant here those years ago?”

Master Gossay shook his head slightly, his back hunched, he paused his walking stick, “I need to rest, we will talk about the next steps tomorrow.”

“Alright.

Take care and rest, Teacher,” the golden-haired man sighed, then turned and left.

The old man called after him, “Remember to notify the Marquis and Lady, let them start the internal personnel inspection as soon as possible!

Only an Elite Rune Artisan could have created this second-layer inscription structure, someone with that kind of help…

is not weak in power!”

“I know,” Patrick agreed.

He left Master Gossay’s room, exited the Boleyn Workshop, and came onto the street, then with a leap, he quietly left Harrison Port.

Along the riverbank by the port, no one walked at night, nor were there any beasts; the surroundings were enveloped in serene darkness, with only the occasional chirping of insects audible.

Patrick landed atop a pine and cypress tree in the night breeze, not far from the glowing lights of Harrison Port that shone brightly against the darkness, casting a hazy halo into the Southern Sea.

The man gazed at the city, which fifteen years ago had been only a fledgling outline, with the high city walls bearing marks of battle.

Come nightfall, the entire city was lit only by patrol lanterns and tower flames.

Now, it had become a spark ignited by The Empire in the barbaric land of darkness, a spark that was burning.

His experience and knowledge told him that this place would become a flourishing trade center in the future, a bright pearl shimmering between the mountains and the Vast Sea.

“Really…

I envy that.”

He sighed lightly, closed his eyes, and fell silent for a while.

When he opened them again, his expression was resolute, “Although I am not a noble with my own territory,”

“This time…

Ailes, I will not lose.”

He took out a crystal plate from his chest, then a specially made pen, and began to write rapidly.

To the east of South Ridge.

Where the Yongji Ocean meets the southern coastline.

“Oh…

the boss has sent a message…

Let’s see what instructions the big shot has for us this time…”

Next to the dense kelp forest, in the pitch-black sea area shrouded by clouds, a fleet composed of ships of various sizes and numbers was stationary.

The largest vessel exceeded fifty meters in length, while the smallest was less than twenty meters.

To call them ships was an understatement; they were more akin to warships.

The entire fleet was enshrouded in a misty fluorescent light, creating a shimmering effect with the faint glow emanating from the kelp forest.

“Messaging in the middle of the night, our boss is even better at bossing people around than those lords of ours at the Elven Royal Court.”

And on the central and largest ship, a languid voice rang out.

Despite the mention of boss and big shot, there wasn’t much sincere reverence in it, “Hmm, speeding up the plan?

Are we assaulting so soon?

But I haven’t yet gathered all the roaming pirates around here…”

Amidst the voice laden with contemplation, one could faintly hear the sound of a pen scratching on the crystal plate.

The voice belonged to a young and handsome ‘Human’ with dark green long hair.

His forehead was tightly bound with black cloth, and his pure golden, almost pupil-less eyes, along with his pointed ears, attested to his pure-blooded Elf identity.

Elf Pirates near the Canaan Moore shores had basically become a regional trait.

These disorganized Elves that didn’t bow to the Elf King’s rule were less like bandits and more like freelancers—they undertook all types of tasks, including armed escorts, commercial protection, raiding competitors, exploring labyrinths, developing deserted islands, and a myriad of other peculiar jobs such as pearl diving, shellfish gathering, snail hunting, and mercenary work.

Thanks to the Elves’ unique culture of oaths, one could be fairly certain of an Elf’s reliability as long as they took an oath.

As for suddenly attacking a country’s exploration vessel, it was hardly worth mentioning.

This Elf Pirate was furiously scribbling on the crystal plate, but the speed of the reply on the other side was not at all inferior, and their communication quickly fell into an intense silence, where only the sound of the crystal pen brushing against the plate could be heard.

“Captain, is the boss’s mission being moved up?”

Until the voice of the first mate sounded beside the Elf Pirate, “What happened?

Didn’t the boss say it was foolproof?”

“There’s been a slip-up now—the boss encountered a formidable person.

Our hidden measures were uncovered, and we can only resort to our backup plan of force.

And now our target is on high alert, making them difficult to deal with.”

Putting down the crystal pen, the Elf Pirate frowned slightly, “We must assault the surveying ship the target is on in five days.

At that time, the boss has no reason to be there, so all we need to face is a Second Level High Order Alchemy Master and a few First Energy Level guys…

It’s manageable, at least now we don’t have to allocate forces to pretentiously deal with the boss.

We can just bombard from afar with our cannons, surround the area, and that should be enough.”

“Oh right, he also asked us to add a name to the kill list…

a Young White Folk, fourteen or fifteen years old, easily recognizable by their good looks.

I asked how good-looking, and he said better looking than our own Elves.”

“Haha.” The first mate chuckled, “That does stand out a bit, but compared to those lords, we who brave the wind and dew are indeed a bit rough.”

“Not nobility, but commonfolk—is the boss bearing a grudge against the youth?

Why does he always have trouble with young people of this age?”

Tsking, the Pirate Captain shook his head, “It’s not a big issue, but we have to move fast now.

Without the boss secretly blocking signals, if we’re just attacking the survey ship ourselves, that Viscount Grant might come with his Aether Armament.”

The green-haired Elf Pirate brushed his hair and raised a finger, “Fortunately, the sea shelters us.”

With that, he looked up toward the distant dark sea horizon.

There, one could vaguely discern clouds gathering into an impressive expanse.

The green-haired Elf smiled, “We’ll continue to wait…

wait for the surveying ship to explore for a few days before we strike…

or shall we say, wait for the storm.”

“That’s when we truly hold the advantage.”

Meanwhile, Ian’s brows were furrowed as he brewed a potion, which he fed to Elan, who was running a high fever.