Above The Sky
Chapter 387 - 387 359 I'll Flourish!

387: Chapter 359 I’ll Flourish!

(2/3) 387: Chapter 359 I’ll Flourish!

(2/3) Track users through Spirit Energy.

Ian felt that the majority of those with Observational Spirit Abilities could manage it, and back in the day he had been able to capture the trace of a Second Energy Level trail from Weyges.

Now that his Spirit Energy had progressed who knows how much more, capturing a Spirit Energy User at the First Energy Level was even more breezy and leisurely.

He lifted his head; previously a few squirrels had been spying on the camp, but they had left just after he dispersed the Reef-eater Otter pack.

But that didn’t matter; he had already locked onto the direction.

“Don’t we need to go together?”

Brin, carrying a large bow, came forward and asked.

Although he had a lot of confidence in Ian, he still felt it was better to be cautious: “I know you could take down Natives by yourself at eight years old, and now killing a few soldiers from Fiery Flame Land is probably as easy as drinking soup, but it’s better to be careful.”

“A larger target is easier to be discovered, and I need to set off quickly without giving the opponent time to react,”

Ian said concisely before giving Brin two Alchemical Bombs.

“If there are more attacks from Magical Beasts after I leave, use these to blow them up.

Their power is quite considerable, and they can also alert me if the caravan is under attack.”

“Are there, are there any precautions?”

Brin received Ian’s homemade bombs with both surprise and delight.

Obviously, he knew the value of these devices but was also very aware of their danger and asked with some anxiety, “They won’t explode all of a sudden, will they?”

“Trust my quality,”

Ian patted Brin’s shoulder.

“But remember to throw them far, or else you know what will happen.”

Those who understand will understand, the medicine gatherer swallowed and nodded immediately.

Without hesitation, Ian turned around and activated his Fairy Wings to leave.

The Alchemist’s Armor was not heavy and didn’t hinder his rapid movement through the jungle, and with the armor’s protection, he could accelerate without any worries.

A silvery shadow flashed and disappeared in the dark jungle, accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, passing over the treetops.

Even the Magical Beasts hunting at night could only hear a gust of wind along with the dispersing mist left behind by Ian.

With the Fairy Wings augmented by the First Power Level Peak Origin Quality, Ian could maintain a steady pace of sixty meters per second even while wearing armor.

And with the continuous endurance provided by Aether Crystals, he could even run for several days and nights without stopping at this speed.

If it hadn’t been for the need to conceal his strength in Harrison Port and avoid exposing his identity as a Disciple of Xiliad, he would not have needed to travel with any caravan.

A relaxed run for half a day would have taken him to Leyan Territory by himself.

Moreover, he would miss out on the scenery.

With such speed, he was now faster than many birds.

Even if the group that monitored him realized something was amiss and began to leave, it was impossible for them to escape before his arrival.

Before long, Ian arrived at the area where the Spirit Energy traces converged in just over ten minutes.

He could see the hillock concealed under the forest canopy and also the hidden entrance to the cave in that hillock.

Next to this hillock, there were many ‘unexpected surprises.’

The Fiery Flame Land Special Operations Unit was a new unit established only in recent years, originating from the rather famous campaign of eradicating the Shadowleaf Magical Beasts.

Alien Forms hidden in the forest easily claimed the lives of many soldiers from the countries of Abassalom, while subsequent plagues, poisonous miasmas, and venomous insects inflicted heavy losses on the military legions.

Embracing the idea of learning from the enemy’s strengths and discarding their weaknesses, a unit proficient in clandestine infiltration and covert destruction emerged, an expert in harassing the enemy with biological warfare, ambushes, and assassinations.

Since the Western Plains passage opened six years ago, the Fiery Flame Land had been attempting to infiltrate the Western Plains area and South Ridge, with great success.

The entire Western Plains seemed non-existent, easily traversed by this elite force, leading the Empire to spread its eyes and ears throughout the southwest— a phenomenon noticed by the high ranks of the Imperial Military, who continually mobilized their elites to strike back, yet found it difficult to eradicate them completely.

The communication post located northeast of Harrison Port had been established for four years, exceptionally well-hidden, with a small team of twelve members, including a Sublimator responsible for collecting trading information from towns and villages south of Three Rivers City.

Harrison Port falls under the jurisdiction of the First Special Forces Brigade, not their territory.

However, the entire Special Forces Brigade perished in the South Sea Great Labyrinth.

The headquarters of Fiery Flame Land was furious and demanded strict investigation of the surrounding South Ridge area.

They even sent a Spirit Energy User and a Sublimator to take over local affairs and begin an investigation related to the South Sea Great Labyrinth.

Two weeks passed, and indeed they found quite a few leads, but unfortunately, none of those was useful.

The protagonists of the Labyrinth exploration, the survey team from the Ellen Family, were either dead or had already left South Ridge to return to the Imperial Capital, and the few survivors remaining in the city were not significant figures.

If it weren’t for Ian receiving knighthood and voluntarily traveling, these soldiers from Fiery Flame Land would have been preparing to face punishment.

An Alchemist, who survived only because of the protection of the Ellen Family, how difficult could he be to deal with?

Remarkable Spirit Energy, high identification skills, but with his young age, how much combat power could he have?

That was their initial thought, but not anymore.

“This stronghold has likely been discovered.”

“The Spirit Energy User has detected my presence; his Observational Spirit Ability can directly lock onto my Spirit Energy trail!

He’s much more powerful than the intelligence we received indicated.

To be cautious, we must retreat before sunrise.”

After ceasing his Spirit Energy state, the urgency in ‘Overlook’s’ words slightly startled the other two Sublimators, but neither questioned his command.

Obeying a superior’s orders is a duty, and besides, their special operations team was always prepared to switch strongholds at a moment’s notice.

Even if it seemed like an overreaction, their line of work always erred on the side of caution.

“Which direction should we retreat to?”

Overlook’s guard, a burly and tall soldier, asked the person next to him: “It will take some time for the troops from Harrison Port to come and clean up.

We can choose a good destination first.”

“Cross the Ivoke River, into the depths of the Bison Mountain Range.”

The original local leader, a dark-skinned member of the Iron Folk, said: “Although Harrison Port has defeated the Redwood Forest Natives, our eyes have not fully occupied the other side of the Ivoke River yet, and we’ve also established a stronghold there.”

“Then let’s go,” Overlook said concisely.

Their goal was to attempt to capture Ian related to the South Sea Labyrinth and to gather information on the Southern Ridge, not to engage in direct combat with the official forces of The Empire.

Since the plan had failed, it was time to abandon it.

“I’ll go around and set up some ‘Blood Wrapping Worm’ traps and scatter a circle of Confounding Fungus Sacs.”

The dark-skinned man said steadily: “There are plenty of Magical Beasts nearby, and if they all go berserk, it will be enough to give the guard squad some trouble.”

Although the local Natives were defeated, many insect poisons and miasmas were collected by Fiery Flame Land.

The many berserk wild beasts recently appearing in the Southern Ridge were their handiwork.

And as they continue to gather data on various biological weapons, they also plan to develop ‘Root Rot Fungus’ that can ruin farmlands and Sublimated crops.”

However, the latter is more challenging because the plants of the Southern Ridge are exceptionally robust and can communicate something resembling a biological vaccine, cooperating with each other, making it somewhat difficult to target them.

Nevertheless, there has been some success.

For areas outside the Redwood Forest, they plan to select a few major grain-producing areas and important crop sites for deployment, to reduce yields while testing the fungus group data.

The Natives dare not use it because they also live in the Southern Ridge, but these men are not locals and therefore act with reckless abandon.

As for the Blood Wrapping Worm, it has proven very successful.

Test results obtained by using kidnapped Southern Ridge People showed that this parasite, which can be transmitted by mosquitoes, can activate the insects and cause unbearable itching.

It can erode blood vessels and nerves, causing the infected areas to clot and necrotize, creating huge festering wounds and hatching more larvae within them.

Anyone infected would be left with almost permanent sequelae.

All these biological weapons were still in the testing phase.

Fiery Flame Land was treating the Southern Ridge as a vast testing ground, with inexhaustible raw materials, sites, and test subjects.

The reason they could act so recklessly, of course, was that someone within The Empire was supporting them.

To the dark-skinned man, whether Natives or Imperial People from the Southern Ridge, they were all like pigs and sheep, merely consumables for his technological advancements and stepping stones to his future ambitions.

If the captain responsible for Harrison Port unexpectedly dies, then it would be his turn to take charge.

“Go ahead.” This suggestion was also to Overlook’s liking.

The Spirit Energy User nodded, then turned to his guard: “Take the documents.

Say that the target is highly vigilant and our strength isn’t enough to capture him and let the team near Nauman City take over.”

“Yes,” the burly soldier said.

“But speaking of which…”

Although he valued prompt obedience and both his subordinates were reliable, after they had left, Overlook felt a vague unease: “What method did that young man use to subdue the Reef-eater Otters?”

“It appeared to be a display of strength, but how could that be?

It must be an alchemist’s work…

Someone’s there?!”

Suddenly, the Spirit Energy User turned his head towards the entrance of the cave.

Strange noises came from outside.

This sound was very peculiar, neither the howl of a beast nor the crisp hum of a sword slicing through the air, but rather like the noise of a liquid being forcefully squeezed out at high speed.

Swish—Crash—!

Accompanied by this odd whizzing sound, as well as the noise of something flying rapidly and hitting the rocks…

there was a violent grenade explosion at the mouth of the hillside cave!

Boom, boom, boom!!!

In almost an instant, the collapse triggered by the alchemical bombs sealed the entire entrance!