Above The Sky
Chapter 277 - 277 263 Method of Immortality 310

277: Chapter 263: Method of Immortality (3/10) 277: Chapter 263: Method of Immortality (3/10) “Died in…

the Southern Sea…”

As he locked eyes with those gentle orbs that had always looked upon him kindly, Yisen Gard couldn’t grasp the meaning of the other’s words for a moment, only able to mutter, “The last…

opportunity?”

But he wasn’t truly foolish, it was just a moment before the young man understood: “Uncle, are you suggesting…

that I fake my death?!”

“Yes.”

Patrick, with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his overcoat, seemed to truly have no intention of fighting: “If it were the outside world, you would have to die…

at least, you would have to lose the potential to advance.”

“But here—in Yisen, you can die, but you don’t really have to die.”

“Instead, you could gain freedom through death.”

——Indeed.

At this moment, Ian was starting to comprehend Patrick’s intent, or rather, the thoughts of the Ellen Family.

Such actions by Patrick were obviously not entirely his own idea…

The Marchioness might not know, but Marquis Ayrin himself definitely did!

Patrick was nothing but a knife in the hands of the Marquis, a knife that could be easily plucked out—hence the contradiction, appearing as if he did not want to kill Yisen, yet striking with full force without any restraint!

Patrick must have some irresistibly compromising leverage in the hands of Marquis Ayrin!

“Uncle, are you saying that someone wants to harm me?”

If it had been Yisen Gard of the past, he would have breathed a sigh of relief at Patrick’s words, jubilant that his uncle didn’t genuinely wish to kill him—he was that naive.

However, having experienced a fair share of events, he had gradually come to understand these so-called ‘social graces’.

Yisen Gard wasn’t truly foolish; it was just that previously, he indeed had no need to ponder over such trivialities that meant nothing to him.

So the golden-haired young man, similarly suspecting something, took a step back instead.

He said with a somewhat bitter expression, “And the identity of that person—it’s someone from our Ellen Family…

is it someone that not even Dad can resist?”

“To force Dad’s hand, to have to resort to this method…

could it be Grandfather…”

His voice became so dry as he spoke that it was difficult to continue.

“Haha.”

Patrick did not directly admit it; he simply chuckled, then looked into Ian’s eyes: “Yisen, you might not have heard it, but I believe, Ian, you must have heard my earlier muttering.”

“Indeed.”

He admitted candidly, “Your grandfather.

Yisen, it’s the Imperial Emperor, His Majesty Akseir, our Guardian.”

“But why?!”

Yisen Gard suddenly raised his voice, trembling but daring to speak out: “For whatever reason, I’ve always been at the Imperial Capital—couldn’t grandfather have done whatever he wanted to me a long time ago?!”

“If grandfather truly wished me harm, how could I have left the Imperial Capital and come to the Southern Sea…”

As he said this, his voice shrank.

Because Yisen Gard had found the reason.

“He needs me to grow stronger.” Yisen murmured softly, lifting his hand to gaze at his fingers stained in several colors from the various alchemy materials: “He needs me to grow…

truly grow, to experience many things…

to become stronger, to meet his expectations…”

Mere resource accumulation might take you only as far as the Third Energy Level, but advancing to the Fourth Energy Level would require a transformation of the Heart Light Body, a solidification of one’s very soul.

With Teacher Gossay and Uncle Patrick looking out for him, venturing into the Southern Sea to capture a Crystal Dragon would in theory not be too challenging, at the very least he could hold on to his life.

Not to mention, failure is also a form of growth…

“What exactly does grandfather want to do to me?”

Raising his head, the golden-haired young man’s lake-green eyes gleamed with an uncertain flame, his teeth clenched so tightly that the dark metallic Inscriptions beneath his left eye began to brighten.

Patrick said nothing.

He waited patiently for Yisen Gard to think for himself and find the answer.

The man merely continued to watch his nephew gently, as always.

Even harboring a bit of expectation.

And just as Yisen Gard was gritting his teeth but slowly calming down.

Ian locked eyes with Patrick, who had turned his head.

Ian mouthed a word.

[Echo].

Patrick’s pupils dilated slightly; he had not expected Ian to know this term.

“How did you know that?!”

He even took a step forward in his excitement, causing Yisen, who was still frowning in thought, to look up and warily at his uncle.

It was a momentary lapse.

In the next instant, he realized it was a ruse to trick him.

After several calm breaths, Patrick quickly thought of the possibility.

“The White Folks, yes, you are one of those White Folks…”

He was startled and then laughed without any hint of humor: “Haha, I see, that’s it.

The Black King dealt with the Chehalorvo Family back then because of this—because of the Echo!”

“It was you bastards who brought the Echo out of the ancient ruins…

Let me guess, did your family think that was the path to immortality?!”

Staring at Ian’s indifferent expression, Patrick appeared unconcerned about the young man’s hostility.

He lifted his head, gazing up at the luminous glow at the top of the Sacrificial Ground, and remarked solemnly, “The Black King, despised as a tyrant by the world, did so many good deeds in his life.

He even left a branch of the Chehalorvo Family that discovered the ‘Echo’ alive in Harrison Port…”

“He wouldn’t even kill, is he truly the son of Axel, that mongrel?!”

“Uncle!”

Yisen Gard couldn’t help but speak out: “What exactly are you talking about?

Can’t you just tell me the answer directly?!”

“If you truly want me to live, why not tell me exactly what happened?

And if you truly wish to kill me, then why not do it now?”

“It’s simple.”

To Yisen Gard’s questioning, Ian’s response was to take a step forward, shielding the young man with blonde hair behind him.

He raised his Heavy Abyss Iron Sword, calmly confronting Patrick: “He’s still hesitating whether to kill you or not—what he said just now, was indeed true, at least he didn’t want to kill you ten seconds ago.”

“But now, he’s struggling a lot.”

“The bottom line, Patrick.” Ian gave a sign to flee with a hand hidden behind him, towards Yisen Gard, who was still hesitating.

Frowning, but the blonde young man did not hesitate to turn around and run quickly towards the passage to leave.

He had promised Ian that he would follow his command no matter what.

Moreover, such a confrontation was dangerous, and he needed to find reinforcements immediately.

As for whether Ian alone could hold off Patrick…

He could only trust in that.

Patrick’s attention had been entirely focused on Ian, and he did not immediately realize that his nephew, who had been interacting with him just a moment ago, had turned and run away decisively, to the point of disbelief.

He even moved slightly, feeling the impulse to give chase.

But Ian took a step forward as well, the unedged sword light flickered, and a strong sense of danger made Patrick stop in his tracks.

“In the end.” The white-haired young man said indifferently: “You’re just a half-baked character.”

“Be it a friend, student, or supervisor; uncle, noble, or subject—you’re incomplete in all these roles, and you keep hesitating, unable to make the final decision.”

“Now, Yisen Gard is not here, you can explain clearly to me without any reservations.”

Turning his head slightly, Ian’s peripheral vision scanned the Learning Machine on the ground.

He spoke solemnly: “The ‘Echo’ you mentioned…

what exactly is its connection with this ‘Learning Machine’, a precious relic from the civilization of the previous era?”

Silence persisted on the Sacrificial Ground for a while.

The noble with blonde hair took several deep breaths before calming down, struggling to contain an emotion that was either anger or relief.

“…Haven’t you already guessed?”

He scoffed, with a strange sense of pity: “Learning Machine?

It really is a good name, perhaps in the civilization of the previous era, it was just a device for learning knowledge.”

“Although it’s not the real form of the Echo, with your intelligence, Ian, can’t you understand what this evil device, which can transfer ‘someone’s memories’ to ‘someone else’, can be used for?”

Ian narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on the sword.

—Indeed, he had guessed, but because of the memories of Earth, he truly could not understand why anyone would do this…

or even conceive of ‘thinking’ in this way.

To use a sacred object meant for imparting knowledge…

for such petty and boring desecration.

“I indeed am half-baked, but aren’t you as well?

Despite being so intelligent, you refuse to contemplate the ugliness of human nature.”

With a sarcastic tone, Patrick’s voice became heavy and solemn.

He pulled his hand out of his upper garment, electricity crackling as he picked up the case of the Learning Machine, which looked like a mirror shell.

The man used the case as a mirror to reflect his own face and then pointed it at Ian, allowing the white-haired young man to see his slightly distorted reflection in the metallic surface.

He laughed heartily: “Look, this is a ‘Mirror’.”

“Although somewhat warped and distorted, it’s merely because the ‘mirror’s’ material is not good enough.

If there were a perfect mirror, wouldn’t the reflection be an exact duplicate of the original?”

“And the ‘Echo’, to some extent, is it not a mirror of sounds?”

As he spoke, he squeezed the metal mirror piece in his hand into pieces, emitting a piercing screech, the sound echoing throughout the hall.

The noble with blonde hair stared at the young man before him: “Naturally…”

“It’s also the mirror of memory.”

Watching Ian’s expression grow grave, Patrick’s tone became increasingly unrestrained: “Yes, the ‘Echo’ and the ‘Mirror’, are two forbidden technologies originating from the civilization of the previous era—a method of immortality, replicating everything, echoing someone’s entire being, including thoughts and memories, somewhere else…”

“The Method of Immortality!”