Above The Sky
Chapter 276 - 276 262 Learning Machine of The Previous Era 210

276: Chapter 262 Learning Machine of The Previous Era (2/10) 276: Chapter 262 Learning Machine of The Previous Era (2/10) The Grand Hall of the Sacrificial Ground was immense, like a palace fit for Giants, its entire atmosphere majestic as mountains, and it was well-lit, even giving the impression of being bathed in sunlight on the earth’s surface for a moment.

All around the hall, there were complex and intricate murals, with vibrant, brilliant colors that had not faded despite hundreds or thousands of years.

Above, on the ceiling, fluorite stones gleamed like stars, casting a radiant but not blinding light, and together with other parts of the smooth, mirror-like ceiling, they sufficiently illuminated the vast hall, even with few light sources.

However, what surprised Ian the most was the huge metal devices located in the center of the hall.

And the man in front of the metal devices.

“Uncle…”

Within the range of the Silent Voice Ring, Yisen Gard murmured with a complex tone, “He really did come in…chasing to kill me.”

At this moment, the blond young man, who should have been astonished and fearful, appeared exceptionally calm.

Ian noticed that the other party clenched his fists, but then slowly relaxed them, reaching towards the alchemy tubes at his waist, clearly resigned to the situation and ready for battle.

He would no longer tremble at the identity of Patrick, but was ready to confront him in battle.

But Ian cautioned, “Your uncle’s gaze is abnormal… What is he looking at?”

Saying this, Ian began to read the information sent by the Silver Chip.

[Ninth Generation Dream Learning Machine]

[Incangable Level·Operable·Excellent·Inedible]

[Developed by Dream Light Electronics Technology Co., Ltd, put into practical use in 3518, it allows for subconscious learning of various fields of expertise and artistic appreciation through bone conduction links, improving the user’s professional skill levels and artistic taste.

However, it is not recommended for minors due to significant neural stimulation.]

[Though effective, it faced consumer complaints upon launch—because learning can only take place during deep sleep and impacts sleep quality, the learning efficiency wasn’t as high as expected.

Users who wished to quickly master a subject preferred using an electronic brain accompanied by an auxiliary AI for swift retrieval.]

[Status: Unconnected to power source]

[…]

“A learning machine?”

Ian was surprised at the machine’s true identity, but also had a moment of realization, pondering, “This seems to be one of the methods the Natives chose for ‘inheriting knowledge’ back then.”

“But due to the consumption of use and the difficulty in maintenance, this machine is seldom activated except in critical situations to recover knowledge missed by other means.

It is mostly kept here, in this important ‘Sacrificial Ground’.”

As rare and difficult to replicate on the Terra Continent today, the learning machine requires a master tape for operation, which diminishes its effectiveness in this era incapable of producing such tapes.

Still, even a learning machine shouldn’t cause Patrick to freeze up for such a long time.

With this confusion, Ian held his breath and activated the monitoring function of the Silver Chip, enhancing his visual and auditory senses.

And then, he heard it.

He heard Patrick’s murmuring to himself.

“So that’s it…

I finally understand why it’s Afrina, why it’s Yisen…

Axel, that damned Old Dog, he’s aiming for this?!”

“But why?

Why our family?

Is it just because of that stupid woman Afrina’s love for my brother?”

The blond man’s voice was filled with realization and anger; he seemed to have finally unlocked a puzzle that had long troubled him, and the answer shook him, whether with fear or uncontrollable rage, “Impossible, that Old Dog would never make such a rash decision for such a trivial matter, he must have deeper reasons…

deeper reasons…

”

He fell silent for a moment.

Then, in the next instant, he took an action that shocked both Ian and Yisen Gard.

Whirr!

In just an instant, visible electrical arcs were conjured in Patrick’s hands.

This time, it was clear to see pitch-black blood swirling rapidly between the man’s fingers, like a generator friction that subsequently formed a Thunder Spear held in his clasp.

The next moment, thunder roared, tearing through the atmosphere of the Sacrificial Ground, and the fierce and sharp blades of lightning surged forward like monstrous waves—striking upon the learning machine!

Whoosh—Boom!

Electric blue currents raced across the Learning Machine’s surface, causing its mirror-like metal casing to emit a flash as bright as an incandescent lamp.

It seemed as if these currents ignited some critical components within, and consequently triggered an earth-shaking explosion.

With a thunderous roar, a massive shockwave hurled fragments of the Learning Machine in all directions, causing the other items and murals in the great hall to clatter loudly.

In the blink of an eye, the once smooth and shiny, two-story-high metal machine was utterly destroyed by a single strike from Patrick.

“Hmm?!”

At that moment, as streaks of electricity danced through the air, sweeping across the entire hall, the blond man turned around in surprise and uncertainty, “Who is it?”

His bio-magnetic field had actually detected two people he had not previously noticed!

Immediately afterward, Patrick saw Ian, who had abandoned his hiding spot and was now boldly stepping forward with his sword raised.

Yisen Gard followed the young man with a complex expression, gazing at his uncle’s face—staring at the other’s astonished yet somewhat pleased countenance.

“What are you doing?”

On the other side, the white-haired young man’s tone was icy cold, yet no one could ignore the fierce rage within, like the magma beneath the Ice Abyss, “Destroying a fully intact Pre-Era machine—likely a unique one at that—Patrick, do you really know what you’ve done, you fool?”

But Patrick wasn’t concerned with Ian’s accusation; he looked deeply at Yisen Gard standing behind the white-haired young man and muttered, “You’re alright… that’s good.”

“Had you actually died along the way, I certainly would have regretted it.”

Then, just as Yisen Gard seemed about to say something, Patrick turned his head and looked at Ian.

“Ian.

You’ve done really well, I can see that your strength is definitely more than that of the First Power Level Peak.”

“What other cards do you have up your sleeve to dare to make a move against me, someone of the Second Energy Level?

I believe you have a significant chance of winning, I won’t underestimate you, just as I wouldn’t underestimate Ailes.”

At this moment, Patrick’s expression was filled with admiration as he looked at Ian, “But don’t rush, Ailes’ little prodigy… I certainly know what I’m doing.”

“If you’re not in a hurry to fight, I can explain later.”

At this moment, Patrick’s demeanor was calm and orderly.

Where was the resemblance to the uncouth, hot-tempered, and jealous ‘model noble’ he’d been at Harrison Port?

He was more like a renowned professor from some academy, speaking and acting with the utmost calm and elegance, “It’s just that right now…”

He turned again, his gaze settling on the blond young man who opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say, “I have a piece of advice for my nephew.”

—Something was off.

Clenching the sword’s hilt tightly, Ian also noticed something amiss and furrowed his brows.

He had assumed that the next stage would be the final battle with Patrick, so he had already signalled Yisen Gard to prepare for thwarting the other’s Aether Armament Offshoot… Yet in this underground relic site devoid of others, the blond noble who had intended to kill his own nephew suddenly lost his aggressiveness.

No, something was wrong…

Ian quickly thought of a possibility, but this possibility was so startling that he too was taken aback and somewhat disbelieving.

But then, as Patrick turned his head to look at Yisen Gard, he said the very words that confirmed Ian’s speculation.

Patrick spoke in a gentle, heartfelt, and sincere tone, “Yisen.”

The man and the young man looked directly into each other’s eyes, and the elder sincerely advised the younger, “Listen to your uncle’s advice.”

“‘Die’ here, die in Harrison Port, die in the Southern Sea.”

“This might be your… or perhaps our Ellen Family’s, last chance.”