Above The Sky
Chapter 506 - 506 475 Future Plans 13

506: Chapter 475: Future Plans (1/3) 506: Chapter 475: Future Plans (1/3) The civil servants certainly envied her; she too was a daughter of a noble family, but her family’s energy was not high, and with an older sister at home, the remaining resources were only enough for her to work within the Knight Order of Inspectorate, which at least provided stability.

The official knights of the Knight Order of Inspectorate, even if they were just apprentices, had very promising prospects.

Even without considering the children of the great nobles, the apprentices who were really selected to enter were mostly sharp and young geniuses from all over.

It was not uncommon to find those under eighteen at the First Energy Level.

In simple terms, it was like a class for geniuses…

not because geniuses were common, but because there were so many geniuses gathered from all over The Empire to the Imperial Capital that it made the Knight Order of Inspectorate seem quite ordinary.

It was common for apprentices, or squad leaders who had long struggled to break through, to leave the Knight Order of Inspectorate to become small local lords elsewhere or to be taken in by great nobles as guests or as part of their personal guard.

Tres was around eighteen years old and at the First Energy Level; he would be considered a local genius anywhere, valued by the local lords, and nurtured as their trusted confidant.

But such talent did not stand out in the Knight Order of Inspectorate…

it was too common.

To say that there were many people of similar talent with other advantages for sale would not be an exaggeration; they were everywhere.

Moreover, he had no background, so he had no choice but to become an undercover agent, using achievements and time, striving by leveraging resources from both sides.

He succeeded and became a Second Energy Level squad leader whom everyone envied, but how many had failed?

In other words, wasn’t Tres who could withstand the gap between being called a ‘genius’ and an ‘ordinary person,’ persevering for eight years undercover, and seizing his chance to succeed, also a genius in terms of mindset and perseverance?

But Ian was different.

Fourteen or fifteen years old at the First Energy Level, a Spirit Energy User, an apprentice of the Knight Order of Inspectorate, the new talent even General Barton, who was notoriously strict, had high hopes for…

He had just reported to the headquarters, and his achievements were so many they required several forms to record…

not even the illegitimate children of the great nobles got such treatment!

Look at this, helping the Ellen Family complete a royal task, making a key contribution to the exploration of an unknown Great Labyrinth, repelling the Fiery Flame Land’s marauding fleet, crushing the Fiery Flame Land’s hidden spies, detecting the biochemical laboratory around Harrison Port in the Fiery Flame Land, and the Leyan Territory incident with the rescuing of hostages…

Although there were certainly some inflated parts, there was no doubt that for Ian’s age, to get involved in these matters and to earn achievements was definitely not easy.

At such a young age, he had already grasped the path to the Second Energy Level.

No matter how much one might underestimate him, he was still a seed of a future Great Knight.

“Is that so?”

But Ian didn’t expect too much; the youth merely widened his eyes, scanned his own achievements, and said with a smile, “Looking at it this way, it’s not an exaggeration…

In that case, I really need to think about how to spend these achievements.”

—Choosing now?

That’s just too naive.

It’s like revealing your deepest secrets and needs for everyone to see.

After handling the registration matters, Ian received his official badge from the staff member.

The Sun’s Eye badge of the Knight Order of Inspectorate…

for an apprentice, it’s just an ordinary Sun’s Eye, while the squad leader has two wings rising from below to guard the sun, and for a Great Knight, there is a sword among the two wings, symbolizing that the Great Knight can be seen as the sword edge of The Empire, the emperor’s blade.

Although Ian had many achievements, he was still an apprentice—in this society with Sublimators and energy levels, mere achievements couldn’t bring a promotion, at most they would increase one’s salary, for advancement, one’s actual strength had to first be achieved.

“Have a nice day, Sir.”

“Thank you.”

The youth walked out of the archives room, surveying the surroundings, and couldn’t help feeling a bit contemplative: “It’s just a very simple matter, but with the overt and covert struggles of those big shots, it feels exhausting…

In the Imperial Capital, it seems you can encounter Third and Fourth Energy Levels just by strolling down the street.”

The headquarters of the Knight Order of Inspectorate essentially consist of huge, spacious courtyards, each surrounded by several rows of houses.

Among these houses, some are the residences of the knights, while the rest comprise various functional departments of the Knight Order.

After all, such a large organization as the Knight Order of Inspectorate could surely not just consist of a bunch of knights—behind them, there are squads of auxiliary Spirit Energy Users, technical and armed logistics departments, archives, alchemy laboratories, and a series of ancillary departments.

In the Central Urban District of the Imperial Capital, on the fifth level, the Knight Order of Inspectorate even has its own separate armory and library, and in the Lower City District, they even have an independent fortress area…

That’s where most of the on-duty Inspector Knights are stationed and recover.

The total number of active members in the Knight Order of Inspectorate is close to two thousand, with a full complement of twenty hundred-man brigades, each led by a Third Energy Level Great Knight, and each brigade subdividing into five squads, respectively led by a Second Energy Level squad leader.

Of course, even with the strength of The Empire, a fully staffed Knight Order of Inspectorate has never existed, and since Inspector Knights, apart from some special tasks, would definitely have corresponding cooperative troops if they were to be mobilized on a large scale.

During individual missions, one Inspector Knight and his cooperative team form a tactical squad, and a squad of Inspector Knights can even be assembled on the spot into a special warfare company with Sublimators at its core.

As for a whole brigade of Inspector Knights being deployed…

this generally only occurs during full-scale wars between two countries, or when dealing with events involving the Third Energy Level or even higher.

Ian activated his Spirit Energy and surveyed the entirety of the Inspector Knights Headquarters, noticing that currently, there were two Great Knights of the Third Energy Level.

One beside the arsenal and another at logistics, both seemingly instructing on some matters.

Previously, according to the clerical staff, the deputy leader known as ‘Shapuran Intero Gater’, often referred to as ‘Frost Trace’, had already left the headquarters with Tres.

This ancestor from the Whale Song Cliff’s Iron Folk held considerable prestige within the Knight Order, and everyone respected him more than they feared him.

Ian also noticed that this Fourth Energy Level powerhouse could control his power, which was comparable to a Titan Beast’s and could cause dramatic changes in the heavens, without revealing the slightest hint of mystical phenomena.

This level of subtle control alone was enough to command awe.

Two Great Knights, that’s already a significant number.

After all, the residence of the Inspector Knights was in the Lower City District, and the Knight Order of Inspectorate was spread throughout The Empire, totaling only about two thousand members.

It was indeed difficult to gather them all in one place.

Having confirmed the general structure of the headquarters and recorded all the terrain and streets he had seen along the way into the ‘Imperial Capital Map’ in the Silver Chip, Ian deposited the ‘Sun’s Eye’ badge into his bosom.

After registering, he could inscribe the crest on his armor, although some knights who preferred to operate in secret chose not to do so.

Ian planned to consider this for the future.

Now mastering the ‘Aetherization Inscription’ technique, he could easily maintain two sets of Armored Clothing, one for stealth and another bearing the Inspector Knight’s Crest.

As for the ‘merits’ he had already obtained…

Ian wasn’t foolish enough to exchange for the Magical Medicine Ingredients he truly needed while still under the scrutiny of many.

That is, the Magic Potion materials needed by a ‘Rock Cast Knight’ at the Second Energy Level of The Unyielding Fortress.

At the moment, Ian publicly possessed a ‘full set of Second Energy Level Fae materials’, as well as the recipe.

These were gifts from the Ellen Family, in gratitude for saving Yisen Gard.

Therefore, openly, Ian didn’t need any Magic Potion materials or recipes—purchasing them would only invite suspicion.

If he wanted to buy more, he would probably opt for Second Energy Level Magic Potion materials from the Fae Heritage Domain of Extremes.

That, of course, would be no problem.

After all, feeling that someone else’s gift is not quite suitable and choosing a more appropriate Magical Medicine Ingredient oneself is normal for an Alchemist.

Moreover, for the Nobles, an extra set can be crafted into an Alchemical Potion to strengthen their adaptability to the Fairy Bloodline, lessening the possibility of mutation.

Conversely, Ian could also use the excuse of ‘needing raw materials for Alchemical Potion’ to try acquiring a material related to The Unyielding Fortress.

But only one.

And it couldn’t be one listed in The Unyielding Fortress formula.

It must be a material related to the ‘Domain of Extremes’.

Any more would arouse suspicion, and choosing one from The Unyielding Fortress’s potion formula, though not necessarily suspicious, was not Ian’s aim as he intended to avoid all probing.

Just as when Ian requested the ‘Iron-dissolving Stomach Pouch of the Iron-patterned Sea Star’ from the Dragon Worship Cult and Elder Mantle did not suspect it, since the Iron-patterned Sea Star is also a water-dwelling Magical Beast, and Ian’s need for its materials was to be expected.

After all, even the most fanciful thinker wouldn’t have guessed that Ian had inherited the ‘Domain of Extremes’ theory from Hiliard.

Nor would they have imagined that, with his Prophet abilities, Ian had toiled for years to invent the Demi-Magic Potion, a technique unbeknownst to ordinary people.

Of course, purchasing any materials would reveal some information.

So, before doing so, Ian needed to display his alchemy talent…

a legitimate channel to show his extraordinary abilities.

Only thus could he rightfully purchase Second Energy Level Alchemy Materials.

In this way, he would be regarded not with suspicion, but with praise for his gifted talent.

And Ian believed, it wouldn’t be long before someone sought to discover his true level of alchemical expertise.

“First, buy the Second Energy Level Fae materials, then another that seems unrelated to The Unyielding Fortress from the Earth Series.” he reasoned.

Walking slowly towards the great doors of the Knight Order headquarters, Ian’s eyes flickered with a silver glow as he pondered his many plans and arrangements for the Imperial Capital: “As for Marquis Barton’s secret letter…

it’s actually already complete.”

“Next is to find Yisen Gard.

Unless there’s an unexpected turn, he already knows I’m on the fifth layer, and I should receive news from him shortly.

I’ll just wait for the notification.”

For now, he had to seriously observe the livelihood of the Imperial Capital—an area which is highly likely a test region for a ‘Space Colonial City’ of a bygone era’s civilization, now reformed by The Empire…

he wanted to take a look.

Meanwhile, a little further down the street, there were two Fairy Misses waiting for him.