Above The Sky
Chapter 401 - 401 372 Dragonfolk Girl 23

401: Chapter 372: Dragonfolk Girl (2/3) 401: Chapter 372: Dragonfolk Girl (2/3) The drizzle outside gradually became finer, but the interior of the castle remained very dry and refreshing.

After passing through the Hall of Swords, Ian removed his helmet and set down his longsword, eliciting low and soft exclamations from the servant maids nearby, and the steward didn’t even have time to scold this impolite behavior.

He stared at Ian’s face, stunned for a moment, and then slowly said, “I didn’t expect…

you’re so young.”

He became even more deferential.

The etiquette here in Nanling Province wasn’t so strict, and since Baron Leyan himself came from the Mountain People, he didn’t mind knights wearing Armored Clothing to meet with him, as long as it didn’t inconvenience the knights themselves.

After all, for a Sublimator, Armored Clothing was merely an ordinary layer of clothing.

In a real fight, unless it was specially made Sublimator armor, it was likely to be damaged.

Especially in Ian’s case, who fundamentally strengthened his Armored Clothing with Origin Quality.

But how could reinforcing ordinary external steel objects be more efficient than enhancing one’s own skin and muscles?

Unless the Armored Clothing was tailor-made, there would always be extra wear and tear.

Of course, much of this was due to the example set by Governor Marquis Barton himself.

This old military noble couldn’t sleep without being clad in chainmail, and at meals, he almost wished he could wear his helmet and only used his personal dagger to cut beef, a classic case of post-traumatic stress disorder from war.

The drawing room was located at the farthest right side of the castle, featuring a huge transparent floor-to-ceiling window that offered a commanding view of the beauty of Lake Leyan.

The center of this nearly kilometer-deep crater lake was pitch black, while the edges were emerald semi-transparent, continuously swirling and waving with the wind and the streams.

It is said that on a sunny day, Leyan Lake looks like a gemstone that constantly refracts sunlight, but it was a pity that it was cloudy and rainy today.

The flavor of the tea itself was quite ordinary aside from its fragrance.

When the steward personally served Ian a cup of pale red tea, the fresh and fragrant aroma raised his expectations greatly.

But when he actually tasted it, he found it somewhat bland — similar to the feeling of wanting to taste the flavor of flower petals after smelling their scent.

“I could buy some to take back for Elan; he’d definitely like it.”

Ian mentally gave Leyan Tea an 8.5 out of 10.

Although the taste was bland, it was indeed suitable for entertaining guests, with a high degree of elegance, and would be perfect as a gift.

There weren’t many servant maids inside Leyan Castle, and Ian saw many children’s toys on his way, such as wooden swords and rocking horses, placed next to what should have been lavishly extravagant gilded chairs.

“Are there children already?”

Ian didn’t think much of it, just recalling that Viscount Grant had a child before he left, and guessed that when he returned from his journey, Harrison Port would have a Little Grant.

Thinking about the Viscount’s love history was quite interesting, and he wondered if Baron Leyan had similar pure love.

Shaking his head to dismiss these gossips, the young man remembered his purpose and activated Foresight View to scan the entire castle.

Thump, myriad mists engulfed the space.

In the Baron’s Study on the second floor, there were two mists, one purple and one blue, obviously belonging to Baron Leyan and his guest.

Judging by the movement of the mists, their conversation was quite calm and restrained.

Shifting his perspective, Ian let out a light “huh” of surprise.

Because they were also on the second level, he saw four blue mists — the mists of people.

“What’s going on?

Is Baron Leyan so afraid of death that he’s stationed all his guards at home?”

Ian’s brows rose in speculation.

Initially, he was even paranoid, suspecting that the Baron had set a trap for him, planning to signal his men to kill him while they dined together.

But setting aside why the other party would do such a thing, he soon noticed that all four mists were small.

In other words, they were all children.

“What’s going on…”

Immediately, confusion filled Ian’s mind.

He couldn’t figure out, “I became a Sublimator at eight because I awakened Spirit Energy and had an adult’s soul, plus the assistance of Teacher Hiliad.

That’s why it was successful.”

“How come as soon as I leave Harrison Port, I see four geniuses like me?

Has inflation gotten this bad?”

Although surprised, Ian didn’t show it and continued scanning the castle with Foresight View.

Then, he saw the target of his visit.

In the castle’s underground store, that dense cluster of blue-purple mist.

“As expected, the Radiance Grass had not been stolen.” After confirming this, Ian wasn’t worried anymore about not being able to buy Two-Year Shimmering Dawn Grass: “But the situation is a bit messy.

What if Nauman City sends people to investigate?

They only need to enter the underground warehouse to know the truth.”

Indeed…

“Marquis Barton is in on it,” Ian’s brow furrowed slightly before relaxing, “That makes sense.

Better to have one’s personal treasury than the public one, plus a scapegoat that no one can refute—it truly is an opportune moment.”

“It’s just unfortunate that it can’t count as a merit for an Inspector Knight.”

He continued to wait for a while until the Steward came over and whispered to him that the Lord Viscount was now available to meet him, and expressed regret for delaying his time.

“It’s nothing.”

Ian rose to his feet and followed the Steward upstairs.

As opposed to the well-lit ground floor, the second floor was quite dim, with the yellow light making it seem like the dead of night.

The soundproofing was also very effective; the sound of rain disappeared as he stepped onto the second-floor corridor.

The second floor, with its densely packed rooms and corridor, felt a bit like a small labyrinth compared to the spaciousness of the castle’s ground level.

Following the Steward, Ian looked down the corridor towards the end where, to his surprise, there was no light.

A straight path led to a barely discernible white gate, behind which was the blue mist of that child.

It seemed he was playing with toys while munching on something.

“Forgive my boldness,”

Ian spoke, his voice full of curiosity, “Does the Lord Viscount have a child?

It may be overstepping, but I noticed many toys on the ground floor.”

“You’ve noticed?

The young master does indeed have a playful nature, and the Lord lets him be, hence the estate might be a bit untidy.”

The partially bald Steward chuckled, his reverence for the Baron quite obvious: “But the young master has been unwell, so he can only play inside the castle.

Therefore, the Lord has also adopted a few foster children for companionship.”

“Speaking of which, they are all quite unfortunate children…” The Steward shook his head, “But these are not matters I should be discussing with you.

The Lord’s study is just over there; I’m not permitted to get any closer.”

“The Lord already knows of your background.

He and Viscount Grant are old acquaintances, so he wished to meet you alone.”

—Another acquaintance of the Viscount?

Due to the grudge and affection between Patrick and the Erlen family, Ian was now somewhat sensitive to the Viscount’s old acquaintances.

However, this was not really surprising; it was normal for the Naling nobility to know each other, not to mention with the exports from Leyan territory, all Naling nobility were probably old acquaintances.

He could already hear voices.

From the study at the end of the corridor, a soft yet somewhat chilly female voice was heard: “…then, thank you for your assistance.”

“Not at all,” came the lively response of a young man, “I must also thank the Huai Guang Church for their concern over the anomalies in my territory.

As you can see, I’ve run into some health issues, but I will do my best to assist your work.”

“May Embrace Light protect you.”

Click, the door opened, and a white-haired young girl dressed in the robes of the Huai Guang Church emerged.

Unlike the White Folks’ white hair, the girl’s white hair leaned more towards the gray-white of stone and was neatly tied behind her back.

Her eyes were blood-red, and one could vaguely see the complex pupil structure changing with the light.

She looked more gallant than beautiful.

Ian immediately noticed that this priestess of the Huai Guang Church had four twisted dragon horns atop her head and a long tail behind her—she was one of the Dragonfolk, a rare sight even among the Mixed Spirits (Sub-humans).

Dragonfolk girl… or perhaps she was a girl.

The appearance of Demihumans had little to do with their age; their physical features would remain as they were on the day they fully awakened the characteristics of their Mixed Spirits.

For those with excellent talent, even at sixty or seventy years old, they might look sixteen or seventeen, which was not unusual.

Conversely, their lifespans were shorter, about one-sixth less than that of the Golden Folk.

“My apologies for the interruption, I’ve kept you waiting.”

Upon seeing Ian, she apologized politely and then left under the guidance of another maid.

“What business does the Huai Guang Church have with Baron Leyan?”

With this question in mind, Ian heard a warm voice coming from the study: “Please come in, Ian.

I’ve always wanted to meet you—the genius that Ailes has been boasting about to me.”

“You flatter me, I am not as talented as Lord Viscount makes out.”

Recollecting his thoughts, Ian stepped into the study.

And at first glance, he sensed something was amiss.

—This Lord Viscount, he had only one hand.