Above The Sky
Chapter 528 - 528 497 It's About Time to Use the Privilege!

528: Chapter 497: It’s About Time to Use the Privilege!

(1/4) 528: Chapter 497: It’s About Time to Use the Privilege!

(1/4) Imperial Capital, Royal Alchemy Association.

A carriage arrived at the entrance of the Association, and Ian and Yisen Gard stepped out from it.

As for Ian himself, he of course wanted to demonstrate his full abilities—unlike Sublimation Skills, the younger a genius in Alchemy, the better, and there had even been instances where one became a master at twelve.

In the end, this subject was simply like mathematics; either you understand it, or you don’t—there’s no room for explanation or compromise.

However, this time, he seemed to have encountered a little problem outside of the Alchemy assessment.

“Yisen Gard?

And Ian.”

An auburn-haired figure, merely an acquaintance to Ian but a very familiar person to Yisen Gard, had just stepped out from the grand doors of the Royal Alchemy Association.

Waldo lifted his head and saw the two familiar faces; he wasn’t surprised by the two young men’s arrival.

Instead, he wore a smile that was quite insincere, “Are you here to take the test?”

“Of course,” Yisen Gard frowned slightly, “Waldo, you used to talk less nonsense when you were drunk.

I miss that version of you.”

“That’s a pity then.”

Another voice came from behind Waldo; it belonged to a somewhat immature young man with curly black hair and golden-green eyes.

He stood behind Waldo, revealing a mischievous smile characteristic of young people up to no good in their academy days, “Today’s slots are already filled up, I’m afraid you and this pretty country Knight have made the trip in vain and now it’s not even rest time—how about I make it up to you by inviting you to the Azure Crown for a drink?”

“My God.

Karan Xir, are you actually inviting me for tea?”

Turning around to face the other, the blonde youth revealed a very polite smile, “Is this perhaps a subtler way of asking for tutelage from the top student?

You’ve learned your lesson, junior.

Of course, I’d be happy to.”

He emphasized the word ‘junior,’ causing the black-haired noble, who was clearly older than Yisen, to change his expression slightly, appearing somewhat irritated.

Ian glanced sideways.

He suddenly realized that what had likely evolved about Yisen Gard was not just his attitude towards life, but also his sharp teeth—he hadn’t even had the chance to say something when his friend had already thrown back all the veiled insults and provocations.

“Look, Ian.”

At this moment, Yisen Gard turned his head and introduced with the impeccable manners of a noble, “You should know this person.

Waldo Noka, if he hasn’t yet been expelled from the Alchemy school or had his diploma revoked, then he is presumably still my classmate.

He is now managing his family’s business.”

“And this is even more impressive, Karan Xir Grudin.

My junior.”

“His Alchemy skills are only slightly inferior to mine, he’s a very impressive genius Alchemist.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention that their family holds a director’s seat at the Platinum Iridium Workshop.

Moreover, he has already been exceptionally employed by the Platinum Iridium Workshop, in charge of the fifth Alchemy Laboratory.”

“So in the future, Ian, you may also find yourself working alongside him.”

Without a doubt, Yisen Gard had only recently learned this manner of speaking…

or maybe he had always known how, but the naïve young man of the past chose not to use it, and now, he had begun to grow fangs.

No wonder Lady Ellen was so confident in her son, evidently, she too recognized the growth in Yisen Gard after his return from South Ridge.

Not just in capability, but also in social interaction.

—At the very least, his aggression had increased substantially.

“I see.”

With thoughts racing, Ian now had an expression of understanding as he smiled and extended his hand to the two, “Pleased to meet you both.”

“Mr.

Waldo, what a coincidence to see you again, though this is our first formal encounter,” Ian said.

“…Indeed, quite the coincidence,” Waldo acknowledged.

Despite the obvious jabs from Yisen Gard making him look a bit uncomfortable, Waldo was very much a socialite and managed a normal smile as he shook hands with Ian, “Although I might have arrived late today, I believe that tomorrow, Ian, you are sure to score high.

Perhaps even secure a ranking, right?”

This was actually true; the qualification assessment provided by the Alchemy Academy had attracted a large number of alchemists from the surrounding area to the Imperial Capital for testing.

Just in the vicinity of this street, six out of ten people were related to the field of alchemy.

Under such circumstances, limited daily quotas and batched testing were very normal, and Waldo was just casually provoking Yisen Gard, a classmate with whom he always had a bit of friction.

Karan Xir, on the other hand, exhibited the impatience of youth.

He was a year older than Yisen Gard, also a genius in the field of alchemy and a disciple of another Alchemy Master.

However, because he enrolled after Yisen Gard, he had always had to settle for the status of ‘junior’.

Since then, he had been in overt and covert competition with Yisen Gard.

In the most recent annual assessment, he had lost to Yisen Gard by an exceedingly slim margin, and the position of top student had suddenly gone to this younger boy—this was something Karan Xir found hard to face.

As for the issue of a seat on the family board, there wasn’t as much friction—just normal management divergences.

After all, the competition among children could become a fond memory in the future.

It wouldn’t look good if things escalated to the upper levels.

“Don’t be too arrogant.

The Imperial Capital is home to many capable alchemists.

Even I cannot recklessly claim to secure a ranking,” retorted the black-haired alchemist.

Originally reluctant to shake hands with Ian because of what Yisen Gard had said, Karan Xir somehow extended his hand, though somewhat hesitantly.

Perhaps it was Ian’s affable face and friendly smile or the realization that he shouldn’t appear petty in front of a rival.

But even so, he couldn’t resist making a bold statement, “I’ve heard about you from a teacher.

A genius recognized by Master Gossay…

Hmph, Master Gossay surely isn’t mistaken, but South Ridge is ultimately a barren land for alchemy.

If you only know some basic techniques and theories, you’d best not hold too high expectations!”

“Moreover, this assessment’s questions will test one’s experience heavily.

Being self-taught from a rural area, I presume you haven’t had many opportunities to practice alchemy.

If you find it too difficult, don’t let it get to you!”

Of course, such harsh words felt like a breeze to Ian, who even found his opponent somewhat endearing, reminding him of the days he used to bicker with classmates as a child.

Therefore, the white-haired boy simply smiled politely, “Achievements are trivial matters, Mr.

Karan Xir.

I am looking forward to working with you in the future.”

As for the issue of the assessment being full—that wasn’t an issue.

“Let’s go, Ian.”

Yisen Gard had already reached the gate, dismissing the concern nonchalantly, “I believe the examiners won’t mind adding one more excellent alchemist to today’s assessment.”

Clearly, he intended to make use of some of the privileges that came with being a noble and a disciple of an Alchemy Master.

“This…” Waldo clearly hadn’t expected this—Yisen Gard had never done such a thing before, so he was a bit slow to react, “Isn’t that inappropriate?”

“Yisen, how can you do this?” Karan Xir’s brows furrowed as he angrily accused, “You are abusing your privileges!”

“And why shouldn’t I?” Yisen Gard looked at the two as if they were fools—a look Ian rarely saw him wear—as he shook his head slightly, “Besides, it’s not either of your places to say, right?”

With a wave of his hand, and with Ian smiling as he followed, Yisen Gard bid them farewell, “See you later, gentlemen.

Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting a while to see how I fare?”

“The results might just surpass your expectations by quite a bit.”

Waldo and Karan Xir exchanged a glance, the former indifferent and the latter outright disbelieving—but since Ian had issued what they considered a ‘challenge’…

They were intent on seeing it through to the end.