Above The Sky
Chapter 521 - 521 490 People Who Grow 33

521: Chapter 490: People Who Grow (3/3) 521: Chapter 490: People Who Grow (3/3) When Ian awoke from this unexpectedly deep “Deep Meditation,” only an hour had passed.

The clock hanging in the hall of the Essengard Residence ticked away, while the sound of rustling papers could still be heard from the blond youth’s study.

Clearly, Essengard had not noticed that his friend had already taken a stroll through the Fairy Homeland in the Domain of Void with a fairy friend.

At the same time, Hua’an also woke up.

She stretched languidly and yawned, “Mm…

feeling a bit sleepy.

Goodnight, Ian, I’m off to bed too!”

With that, she floated up unsteadily and flew towards the back garden of the residence, seemingly intent on setting up a tent there.

As an Earth Series fairy, Hua’an still preferred resting in a more natural environment.

“Who was it that said fairies don’t need sleep?”

Ian muttered to himself, slowly stood up, and carefully maintained his balance on his shoulder so as not to wake the Frost Butterfly.

“Don’t stay up too late, we can continue the discussion tomorrow.”

After choosing a random room, Ian also called out to Essengard, telling him to rest early too.

After receiving a serious response, Ian tidied up a bit and then lay down on the bed.

After all, he was a Sublimator, there were no recent battles, and he wasn’t dirty.

Most importantly, if he went to take a bath, the Frost Butterfly would definitely wake up.

It was the same if he washed in the morning.

Thinking so, Ian closed his eyes, and his mind revisited the experiences and details of the recent past.

“Domain of Void…

Mech Deities.” He murmured in his heart, “Only a carefree being like a fairy could be indifferent, right?

Such an incredible Colossus of the Void…

behind it, there must be others of its kind, and perhaps even more powerful Fifth Energy Level Voidrealm Machine Gods.”

“And that’s practically divine.”

The legacies left behind in the Domain of Void by a civilization from a prior era have probably all become terrifying ruinous Mech Deities like the Final Deleters — added to the fact that the Domain of Void was probably not a friendly place to begin with, it might even be more dangerous now than the prehistoric savage eras.

But in the end, what does all this have to do with him?

At least for the near future, Ian had no plans of delving deeply into the exploration of the Domain of Void — he always planned carefully before acting.

“Anyway, I want to sleep.”

Deciding so, he felt a wave of fatigue and sleepiness emanate from his heart.

In a sense of satisfaction and security, amidst a warm and soothing mindset.

Ian had the best sleep he had experienced in the past two months.

Upon waking up, Ian discovered that his hair, shoulders, and pillow were all covered in a coffee-scented ice water.

And the awoken Frost Butterfly was lying on top of it, exchanging an innocent gaze with Ian.

“You little rascal…”

Ian clicked his tongue, poked the little head of the Frost Butterfly, eliciting a (＞.＜) expression from it.

He suddenly realized that perhaps raising a Little Fairy wasn’t such a simple task…

but maybe it wasn’t too bad?

At least Frost Butterfly didn’t make a mess of the room with hair and odors like those who raise cats and dogs did.

The coffee scent was alright too, and since Essengard probably wouldn’t at bother washing the pillow himself, Ian decided to inform him.

“Have fun on your own, I’m going to take a shower,” the young man instructed the Little Fairy.

“Okay~” Frost Butterfly cheerfully flew up after just a little poke on the head, without being scolded, and went off to play with Hua’an.

And Ian took a shower.

In fact, with Ian’s water series Fae Bloodline power, combined with the ventilation ability of the Entangling Void Armor, he was constantly dusting off his body and theoretically didn’t need to bathe at all.

But the process itself was, for the young man, an opportunity for reflection and to summarize his thoughts.

“Aside from myself, my companions are all growing as well,”

As he straightened his long hair, Ian washed away any possible traces of coffee and other impurities metabolized from alchemical potions, thinking to himself, “Shasha is getting smarter, and Frost Butterfly has become a true fairy.”

“Green Tide has become the swordsmanship instructor at Harrison Port, and Scott is preparing to become a Sublimator—not to mention little Elan.

The last time we spoke, his voice sounded much more vibrant, and with the help of the Huai Guang Church, I estimate his speaking impediments will soon disappear.”

“The most impressive of all is Essengard.”

This visit to the Imperial Capital, Ian was particularly surprised by Essengard’s growth.

This young noble, who just a couple of months ago was still a naive youth, had now become a ‘smart man’ who could effectively use his identity and position to gather various materials, summarize them, and accurately analyze the dilemmas he faced.

What was most important was that this smart man had not lost the hidden kindness in his heart…

and it was this kindness, so rare among nobles, that made Ian regard him differently.

After all, it’s easy to coldly ignore others, but to continuously bear the pain that comes from the compassion in one’s heart is truly difficult.

Take, for example, the young noble from the Noka Family they had encountered at the site of the car accident, who never once deigned to look the victims in the eye from beginning to end.

He really did not care about the lives and deaths of ordinary people, only the value Ian represented to him.

“I’m getting to know more and more people.”

Reflecting back, Ian realized that since leaving Harrison Port, the number of people he knew had indeed grown at a surprisingly rapid pace.

Such as Anfa and Sio from the Dragon Worship Cult, as well as Elder Mantle’s family.

The Radiant Nun from the Huai Guang Church, and others, such as Miss Hua’an, Marquis Barton, Knight Tres, and so on.

“Indeed, one must leave one’s hometown to truly experience the world.”

Ian tilted his head, rubbing his hair, and thought of Harrison Port, shaking his head slightly: “At first, I was thinking whether I should just stay in Harrison Port, farming slowly to develop…

and then venture out into the world when the time was right.”

“But now, it seems rather naive—The Empire already has trains, automobiles, and even a whole nighttime transportation system; the Imperial Capital is so extravagantly equipped with Planetary Shield Generators that it’s almost excessive—not to mention that it would be very difficult to find the tools and technology to exploit the South Sea Great Labyrinth back in Harrison Port.”

“Even if I really fixed up Redwood Base, what then?

Without sufficient manpower, it would still be far inferior to the many large cities of various nations, let alone the Imperial Capital, a relic of a bygone era’s civilization that is relatively intact, the true Central Metropolis.”

Ian knew that to achieve his dreams, he would definitely need to return to South Ridge and build his base of operations.

But now was not the time…

he hadn’t even reached the surface level of the Second Energy Level, so what use was having territory?

Instead of dealing with local nobles and knights, competing in intrigue, and concealing his true strength while farming slowly, it was better for him to travel the world, seeking opportunities to enhance his power more swiftly.

Just like this time, if he hadn’t left, how could Ian have met Miss Hua’an and, under her guidance, gone to the Domain of Void to visit the mysterious ‘Fairy Homeland’?

Although he couldn’t stay too long in the Domain of Void right now and hadn’t encountered any amazing intellects or beings from the Voidrealm to bless him with knowledge, he believed that with continuous training and perseverance, such encounters would eventually happen.

And that was something even a Worm Nest couldn’t achieve.

“If I really wanted to farm, could I be faster than a Worm Nest?

And if even a Worm Nest couldn’t do it, it’s clear that achieving the future I desire is definitely not something that can be done by just staying in one place and farming.”

“I must collect a multitude of clues, gather key resources, and rapidly grow stronger myself…

before leading the development of a place.”

After washing his hair, there wasn’t much else to clean, so Ian commanded the water to leave his hair and body and changed into new clothes Mr.

Silver Workshop had prepared for him earlier.

Underneath was a white shirt, and over it, he wore an Alchemist’s Robe, along with dark gray, anti-corrosion gloves.

At his waist hung an Iron Pattern Sword, and at his neckline, he sported the insignia of the Inspector Knight…

Although the knight’s badge was somewhat incongruous, from a distance, it looked like a gold-red gem pendant and did not affect the overall appearance.

When Ian stepped out of the room, he heard the melodious sound of piano music.