Above The Sky
Chapter 399 - 399 370 Power Level 2 Materials and the Fire Dragon Burns the Warehouse 33

399: Chapter 370: Power Level 2 Materials and the Fire Dragon Burns the Warehouse (3/3) 399: Chapter 370: Power Level 2 Materials and the Fire Dragon Burns the Warehouse (3/3) It doesn’t mean much, really.

Lady Ellen mainly expressed her gratitude for Ian’s achievements, thanking him for his assistance to Yisen Gard and Master Gossay in the Labyrinth.

She conveyed her appreciation for Ian, encouraged the young man to continue striving, and then told him that many of the things he helped Yisen Gard deduce were very critical, even vital.

Of course.

Ian raised his eyebrows, feeling that the other party probably would not have sent a letter personally just to offer a polite thank you.

Continuing to read, Lady Ellen inquired if he would be willing to take a position at the Platinum Iridium Workshop.

All he had to do was to travel to Nauman City’s South Ridge Main Workshop and take part in a nominal test, then he could become the exploration alchemist of the workshop.

His regular job would involve traveling around, and he just needed to write some relevant reports periodically to receive a base salary of four Talle per week.

In places where the workshop operated, he would also enjoy free room and board.

Moreover, if he discovered any new and special alchemy materials, or collected any niche potion formulas from the public, he could also get a commission from the workshop.

This was solely because Ian had not yet taken the examination for a formal alchemist’s qualification certificate.

Should he acquire the certificate, his base salary would increase to four hundred and fifty Talle per year.

“That generous?”

Ian was somewhat surprised.

Money was a minor concern; not to mention, even if he became a formal alchemist, his annual compensation would probably not be more than the refined alchemy instruments Yisen Gard had given him.

He was well aware that the truly important thing was the designation of ‘exploration alchemist.’ It was a position from the Capital Headquarters!

The local stewards in the countryside might never have the chance to be part of the headquarters’ establishment in their lifetimes, and the resources available at headquarters, along with the alchemy potion formulas and many benefits offered, were certainly incomparable to those of the local branches.

Just like the formal alchemist position at headquarters even came with an apartment building as a residence…

Only the Platinum Iridium Workshop, being wealthy and powerful, could afford to offer a house in the Imperial Capital!

Though it had to be returned upon resignation, who would resign?

The letter ended here, more or less.

There was no mention of why Ian now needed second energy level magical medicine ingredients, nor any other extraneous details.

Clearly, this was out of consideration for the possibility of the letter being intercepted and discovered.

On the surface, it appeared as though Lady Ellen highly appreciated Ian, the young genius who saved her child’s life, and was courting him with quite generous terms.

“Fairly formulaic, it seems Yisen Gard is quite smart—he took my advice and didn’t tell his mother everything about the relics in painstaking detail—it’s a bit of progress.”

Ian put down the letter, his mood unexcited.

His mindset was far more mature than his age; he wasn’t thrilled by such recruitment efforts.

On the contrary, he didn’t want to be too conspicuous; the current level of attention was just right…

It was the perfect situation for his application to become an Inspector Knight.

At first glance, officials would see him as a direct descendant of Viscount Grant, and upon closer inspection, they would consider him to be part of the domain under Princess Erlen’s Lady Ellen.

With these two layers of protection, he didn’t need to worry much about any identity issues, a genuine noble youth.

Setting the letter aside, Ian began inspecting the magical medicine ingredients in the Snowglow Crystal preservation box.

There were three ingredients inside.

The main ingredient was “Fairy’s Flying Feathers”; the auxiliary ingredients were the “Essence of Mingliu Grass” and the “Coldlight Floater Stone.”

With the main ingredient “Fairy’s Streaming Light” that Ian already had, and the auxiliary material “Spirit Energy Nourishing Extract” that he would soon purchase, the second energy level Fairy Potion was complete.

The Fairy’s Flying Feathers need no further discussion, they used the same template as the first energy level’s Sloughed Feathers.

The difference is that the Flying Feathers are left by true Fae, while Sloughed Feathers, as their name implies, are parts shed during the growth phase up to the Complete Form.

The Mingliu Grass is a type of Sublimation Plant that only grows in lightless, turbulent underground rivers.

Its appearance is pure white like snow, with curled leaves shaped like a pitcher plant, filtering nutrients and Water Element Origin from the underground river for growth.

Its Complete Form is the second energy level predatory Magical Plant “Mingliu Grass Cluster,” where multiple Mingliu Grasses congregate to submerge into a large underground lake and actively hunt other aquatic Magical Beasts for nourishment.

The Coldlight Floater Stone is a special Sublimation Material that can float in the ocean, unaffected by the tides and gravity, with a light blue, semi-translucent color.

It’s incredibly light and can convert Origin and water into tremendous propulsive force.

It can also store this force as energy within itself; the more energy stored, the brighter it glows.

It is said that the King of the Sea Descendants once used Coldlight Floater Stones to construct an enormous palace in the sea, standing in the middle of the Wandering Sea, which could also function as a fortress when needed.

In the Foresight View, all the materials were a deep purple color, indicating sufficient weight and premium quality, worthy of being a thank you gift from the Ellen Family, utterly respectable.

“Not bad.”

Ian closed the preservation box, a smile appearing on his face: “Much better than I expected.”

Of course, it was easy for things to be better than Ian expected—he generally assumed the worst-case scenario, making life full of pleasant surprises.

After placing the storage box in the room’s built-in safe, Ian left the workshop.

He decided to wander around, checking the state of this tranquil town nestled in the mountains.

The outcome was less than satisfactory.

Never mind the overcast skies and the occasional drizzle — the Shimmering Dawn Grass and other crops of early summer hardly required any attention, and there were barely any pedestrians on the streets.

His knight’s armor was too conspicuous, authoritative but not affable, which left the few farmers and artisans he met trembling, too intimidated to speak.

If he were an ordinary person, he could just change into regular clothes, lowering his guard since there was no need to wear armor within the city’s confines.

But Ian was no ordinary person… With his looks, taking off his helmet would probably make interactions even more troublesome.

At least with his alchemist armor on, a few people managed to stutter a response; without the helmet, he might end up being accosted by everyone.

However, the trip was not entirely fruitless.

Leyan City was a serene one, mainly supported by herbal workshops and more modest alchemy workshops; it bustled during late autumn and early winter, the harvest time for magical medicine, but otherwise, it was a slack season.

Some people took up carpentry to make a living, and others went fishing, although on a small scale, which meant the city did not have a large permanent population.

In contrast, the city was quite affluent, or to say, the entire Leyan Territory was relatively wealthy, thanks to the exclusive rights over Shimmering Dawn Grass and several other Sublimation Plants.

The residents of Gold Leaf Town even received planting subsidies, so even without a Sublimator dispatched by the Baron to deal with their Sharp Claw Tiger problem, they all spoke highly in favor of Baron Leyan.

Similarly, most residents of Leyan Territory were exceedingly proud of their home and deeply revered the Baron.

Upon learning that Ian intended to purchase Spirit Energy Nourishment Extract, even the commoners who had once feared him became spirited, regretfully informing Ian that he was a step too late.

Although most Shimmering Dawn Grass matured only at the end of autumn, there were some late-bloomer strains, which, despite having enough nutrients, would not display mystical phenomena in their first year; instead, after a season of winter and spring, they would unleash their shimmer in the summer of the following year.

It was this Two-Year Shimmering Dawn Grass that represented true top-quality stock, generally destined for Nauman City or even the Imperial Capital, impossible to purchase on the open market through commercial channels.

One could only hope to acquire such fine products by visiting Leyan City in person or through the connections of the Empire’s higher echelons.

But recently, a group of thieves had stolen a batch of Two-Year Shimmering Dawn Grass intended for Nauman City, infuriating the Baron, who even decreed a curfew, hence the gloom Ian perceived in Leyan City.

The Baron was usually mild towards his domain residents, but an honest man’s anger is fearsome, and no one wished to provoke him; thus, most people recently stayed obediently at home, rarely venturing out.

Beyond that, Ian could learn nothing further.

“Who could be the thieves capable of stealing a large batch of Two-Year Shimmering Dawn Grass?

The Fiery Flame Land?

No, the Fiery Flame Land probably lacks the power to do so this time.”

Gazing at the retreating figure of a herb cultivator, Ian crossed his arms, his fingers tapping doubtfully on the arm armor plate: “And speaking of martial law, it’s not very strict — those guards didn’t inquire much when they saw me, even though, if there were really thieves about, they should have thoroughly questioned my origins, knight or not, right?”

Suddenly, he had a quite sensible speculation.

“What do you think is going on, Anfa?”

At this moment, Ian turned to ask the Elves Scholar, who had been standing at the crossroad since making inquiries, observing the entire scene: “What have you found out?”

“Sir, the answer to that question is rather simple.”

Due to the city’s small size leading to another encounter, Anfa smiled faintly.

The green-haired, handsome ELF bowed to Ian, saying slowly, “You certainly have thought of it already…

if a batch of ‘materials originally meant for higher-ups’ gets ‘stolen by a gang of elusive thieves,’ then aside from a ‘questionable sense of security,’ the Baron himself won’t have any other problems.”

“As for what comes next, you, sir knight, might discuss it, but I, as a foreign scholar, dare not speculate carelessly.”

“Yes.”

Ian nodded, sighing somewhat, “So it seems, this is probably…

something everyone understands.”

——An inside job, a dragon setting fire to its own lair.

It appears that even in another world, as long as there are Humans, or any intelligent beings, such dramas are inevitable.