Above The Sky
Chapter 416 - 416 387 The Real Plan 23

416: Chapter 387 The Real Plan (2/3) 416: Chapter 387 The Real Plan (2/3) A very calm, also extremely upright knight.

That was Radiant Nun’s evaluation of Ian.

Despite no apparent reason, he acted upon his sense of justice within, opposing Baron Leyan, who was clearly much more powerful than him.

The anger in his heart had not been extinguished, carrying pure and fierce rage, but it did not cloud his thoughts.

He not only collected a large amount of clues relying on his own Spirit Energy and alchemical knowledge, but also possessed great capability for action.

If it were not for Ian’s assistance, Radiant Nun believed that, by herself, it would have been impossible to advance the investigation to this stage in such a short period of time.

And by the time she had finished investigating, the Baron’s plan would probably have been completed.

“Did you find the clues?” the nun asked.

“Yes.”

Hearing his collaborator’s question, Ian shifted his eyes away from the documents found in the alchemy laboratory and nodded seriously, “Baron Leyan wants to use the collaboration of a few Spirit Energy Users…

to create a brand-new body for his deceased child.”

“All the documents here are manuscripts about creating Artificial Humans with alchemy, and they even contain practical operation records of ‘Resentful Spirit Possession’ and ‘Spirit Energy Memory Transfer’.

The experimenters are those victims who have already died, and the results are quite successful.”

“Baron Leyan has done profound research in this area; he is actually an undercover Elite Alchemist!”

It was not surprising that Baron Leyan was an Elite Alchemist since he controlled one of South Ridge’s most critical alchemical raw material production points.

It would have been truly astonishing if he had no knowledge of alchemy.

But what Ian found remarkable was that in the Baron’s alchemy laboratory, there were many experimental notebooks related to ‘Spirit Energy Alchemy’, ones which were hard to come by even through Master Gossay’s channels, including ‘Resentful Spirit Possession’ and ‘Spirit Energy Memory Transfer’.

Alchemy encompasses everything, covering and exceeding what Ian’s previous world had called ‘science’.

And beyond the scope of science, there were many mysterious branches, even major roads, among which Spirit Energy Alchemy was one.

Spirit Energy Alchemy is complex.

In simple terms, it is to achieve the effects that can only be accomplished by Spirit Energy through alchemical means, essentially using alchemy to explore the principles of Spirit Energy.

Combined with Inscription Art, it can create the expensive ‘Spirit Energy Jewelry’ that Ian had seen owned by Yisen Gard and Master Gossay.

Ian knew that on the Terra Continent, where Sublimators and Spirit Energy Users were the primary productive forces, the value of this research material was no less than the design schematics of high-grade spaceships.

Its presence in the laboratory of Baron Leyan, a noble of South Ridge, suggested only one possibility.

It must have come from a powerful organization.

As for which organization…

Echo.

This one answer.

With each step, evidence piled up, and Ian was certain that this matter, if not directly connected with Axel, definitely involved the upper echelons of The Empire.

And…

He already knew Baron Leyan’s real plan.

It was not merely about an Artificial Human… that madly ambitious, yet exceedingly rational, pitiable and detestable method…

Taking a deep breath, Ian gathered his thoughts and then said in a muffled voice through his helmet, “I’ve found the area where the Baron might be—the topographic map of Solitary Flame Peak is right beside this stack of documents; he must be in the vicinity of that region.”

“What remains is to head to the vicinity of Solitary Flame Peak to search…”

“It’s in the canyon next to the Third Dam Lake by Solitary Flame Peak.”

At that moment, Steward Moda, who had just finished his confession, suddenly spoke, “That’s where the lady and the young master passed away.

If the lord truly goes to Solitary Flame Peak, he can only be going there.”

Ian and Radiant Nun looked at the old steward in surprise, while the old man had already closed his eyes, sitting on the side of the corridor, praying softly.

“Credit Steward Moda with a merit.”

Ian quietly said to Radiant Nun, then spoke in a normal conversational tone, “Now that we have detailed intelligence, I plan to investigate Solitary Flame Peak.”

“I still recommend waiting for the two enforcers to arrive.

Since Baron Leyan is an Elite Alchemist, it just proves how extremely dangerous he is.”

Radiant Nun frowned.

As the representative of Huai Guang Church, she took from Ian the alchemical manuscripts, and her admiration for him grew a bit stronger.

Not all alchemists can easily give up such precious knowledge, but Ian did not hesitate to entrust these materials, which ordinary alchemists covet, to her for safekeeping, evidently placing deep trust in the reliability of the Embrace Light doctrine.

If Anfa had been the one to record it, the positive assessment would at least have been a hundred points higher.

Ian was unaware of how she was judging him in her mind, as he had already made a full copy with the Silver Chip.

Besides serving as evidence of the Baron’s wrongdoing, manuscripts prone to decay held no value to him.

As for the Holy Hall Enforcers, to put it in more common terms, they were essentially Holy Knights, specifically dealing with evil sacrificial rites that could endanger surrounding towns, like those possibly performed by Baron Leyan, as well as various overly complex natural disasters.

However, becoming an enforcer was not easy.

Apart from being physically qualified, one must also have enough experience.

Every enforcer was battle-hardened, having undergone rigorous and strenuous training—true war machines in every sense.

Radiant Nun’s intention to wait for the arrival of the Holy Knights was naturally the most correct choice, regardless of how powerful Baron Leyan could be, there was no room for maneuver against two Huai Guang Holy Knights.

But he must go.

Whether as a Prophet, preventing his identity from being exposed by Baron Leyan, especially to those behind the scenes,

or, as a person, seeking to prevent an even worse tragedy from occurring,

he had to eliminate the opposition as soon as possible.

“It’s just a matter of scouting ahead.”

Thus, faced with Radiant Nun’s suggestion, the youth simply smiled calmly and said, “Once I find the way, I’ll come back.”

“Right.” As if he had thought of something, Ian paused his steps, then whispered to her, “I also found this thing in the Baron’s alchemy laboratory… If I happen to be discovered by them later, I’ll probably have to flee into the deep mountains and won’t be able to turn this evidence over to the Enforcers or to Nauman City.”

“If anyone asks, you say you found it.”

“Huai Guang will not lie, but will also not reveal the identity of any reluctant helper,” Radiant Nun assured as the youth handed something to her.

She frowned upon seeing it but nodded anyway, after which he turned his head and set out.

Ian’s figure passed through the window, disappearing into the dark night and the torrential rain.

Without a moment of hesitation.

…

Solitary Flame Peak, Third Barrier Lake, an enormous structure formed by a catastrophic storm, torrential rain, and mudslides.

The vast mass of earth and rock blocked the valley and funneled the rainfall from surrounding mountains into it, forcing the Degan River to change its course while maintaining a strange equilibrium—there was a crack in the rock at the bottom of the lake, constantly draining water away, but there were still streams pouring into it, supplying it with fresh water.

The torrential rain continued unabated.

Amidst the cacophonous rainwater, gleams of dawn-like light shimmered.

In a gentle valley beside the Barrier Lake, several camel-beast-driven carts had halted by the side, and the camel beasts that had pulled them here had all passed out, slumped over where they lay.

Before these carts was the source of the dawn light.

There were four huge cultivation chambers filled with Spirit Energy Plant extract.

The refined nourishing extract of the Radiance Grass was immensely valuable, and even the rough extract was an excellent carrier of Spirit Energy.

Filling these four chambers was certainly not something that could be managed by merely pilfering, but rather the result of years of secret planning, hiding production, and saving little by little.

In the intertwined light of purplish-red and golden-orange, one could vaguely discern the silhouettes of three children, faintly visible inside.

Three cultivation chambers were arrayed in a triangular formation, while in the most central “empty chamber,” a faint blue Spiritual Body could be seen undulating amid the Spirit Energy extract.

Beyond that, a muscular, severed arm lay within this chamber, and it was around this core that the faint blue Spiritual Body moved.

Because of the extract, the Spiritual Body was able to slightly interact with reality, churning the solution within the cultivation chamber until it was murky.

But under the gentle soothing of a black-haired, blue-eyed noble, the Spiritual Body gradually settled down.

He was missing an arm, making it evident that he was the owner of the severed limb.

At this moment, Baron Leyan’s complexion was pale.

He raised his head to look at the rolling black rain clouds above, his expression distant and weakened, significantly changed from midday when he had received Radiant Nun and Ian.

“The Spirit Energy Field is stable…”

Muttering to himself, he lowered his head, pressing his face against the crystal wall of the central cultivation chamber, sensing the fluctuations within.

[Daddy…]

A muffled voice came through: [Daddy…]

“The fluctuations of the carrier have also stabilized.”

Looking up, indifferent, or perhaps deliberately avoiding looking directly because he couldn’t face it, Baron Leyan nodded his head, then looked around at the three cultivation chambers.

Or rather, at the children inside these chambers.

“Are you all right, children?”

He asked wearily, “Any discomfort, difficulty breathing?

I can increase the oxygen level a bit.”

The first to respond was a brown-haired boy.

[I feel quite good, Daddy.]

Yila opened his eyes, his right eye still vividly red and full of vitality, while something was slowly regenerating in the socket of his forcefully excavated left eye.

His eye was slowly regrowing under the influence of Dawn Glow Grass Extract and some Regeneration Potion.

A light violet glow poured from his healthy eye and the healing eye socket, making the child smile.

[I can clearly sense ‘Brother’s’ thoughts.]

[The long-standing thoughts, impressions, and ‘recognition’ that I implanted in the people of Leyan Territory over the years, alongside Linda’s Sister’s activation of Spirit Energy, have finally fully condensed his soul.]

[He’s still quite fragile though, Brother only remembers you and Uncle Moda apart from Daddy.]

[But I can endow him with memories.]