Above The Sky
Chapter 535 - 535 504 The Secret Vault of the Alchemy Association 33

535: Chapter 504: The Secret Vault of the Alchemy Association (3/3) 535: Chapter 504: The Secret Vault of the Alchemy Association (3/3) The first place went to Ian.

The value of ten Anti-Damage Potions was peerless, and no one could question it.

Second place was taken by Karan Xir.

This bona fide genius alchemist’s Comprehensive Amplification Potion was highly complete, even enhancing physique to solve some of the ‘side effects’ issues.

Had it not been for Ian, he would have been the true first place.

However, this time Karan Xir was wholly convinced in his defeat—after all, he understood one thing, his competition was with Yisen Gard, not with a grudge against Ian, and since he had lost before, why care so much about rankings?

Of course, that being said, the next day when Ian saw Karan Xir, the big boy’s face showed unwillingness and a pinch of grievance but still managed to give Ian a smile… it was quite amusing.

“Why is his expression so rich?”

asked Ian in a low voice to Yisen Gard.

“He probably got a talking-to from his family yesterday.”

Yisen Gard whispered back, “Not getting first place is a small matter; it’s mainly that now that you have a laboratory, his funding will be cut, especially since you’re so well-known, it will be difficult for him to promote himself.”

“But don’t worry, there is internal competition in the Platinum Iridium Workshop, but it’s not that fierce.

You won’t become enemies, caught up in constant scheming, and unable to conduct experiments.”

“He mainly feels the pressure, not wanting to keep losing to you—much like how he doesn’t want to lose to me.”

“Young man, it’s a good thing to have a strong spirit of competition.”

Ian showed an expression of sudden realization, while Yisen Gard complained, “Aren’t you even younger than me?

I don’t know why you speak as if you’re so aged!”

Of course, a day’s time was not enough for the alchemists who had engaged in academic discussions with Ian the day before to spread and ferment the news, so when the ranking list was released, there were still many who questioned it.

Some even brought out the honor roll from the Inspector Knights side and expressed their doubts along with that.

How could one person have so much energy to earn various merits in South Ridge on the one hand and delve deeply into alchemy on the other?

This had to be fake, the results and first place must have been predetermined, they were manufactured sensations conjured by the Ellen Family or the Alchemy Association to dilute the bad record of Master Bavoor!

However, this time, with Ian’s permission and the full video footage of the test being made public, all the voices of doubt were thoroughly slapped in the face and completely extinguished.

If it were outsiders, they might still feel indignant due to a lack of understanding, but the experts, after seeing Ian’s methods and proficiency, would be calling their own credibility into question if they still spouted any off-base criticisms.

Even the most resentful alchemists, after personally testing the skills demonstrated by Ian, had to admit that his actions were absolutely deserving of being the top of this exam.

Even, the distance to becoming a master was probably just a matter of a few years of consolidation.

This was consistent with Ian’s own estimations.

Ultimately, his techniques were essentially a reverse-engineering by the Prophet combined with the Silver Core Chip… Some parts of it, in fact, he knew how to do but not why they worked.

But that wasn’t a big problem; with the teachings of Master Gossay and the entire laboratory that Yisen Gard prepared for him to practice in, his progress would be faster than anyone could imagine.

It wouldn’t be long before he would enter another period of rapid growth.

At the moment, Master Vana was leading Ian and Yisen Gard to the Alchemy Association’s secret vault.

“I had a bet with Alexey and Gossay—naturally, I lost them all.”

The old woman with streaks of black and white hair handed a ring over to Ian: “This is the Silent Voice Ring.

It’s what Alexey is best at making; he just loves tinkering with such interesting trinkets.”

“Gossay previously gave you his own, then Alexey made another one… This one is brand new, it won’t suddenly shatter in the midst of your adventure, you’ll surely love it once you’ve used it.”

“Indeed, it’s very useful,” Ian agreed with a nod—such auxiliary artifacts, even now that he was at the Second Energy Level, were very much needed: “I really appreciate it, Master Vana.

And I’m thankful to Master Alexey as well.”

“You’ve shown us an interesting scene,” the old woman waved her hand: “Ultimately, these are just little perks.”

“Ian, when you reach our level, you will be just as willing to nurture the next generation because our research never ends, yet suitable helpers and companions are few and far between.”

Thinking about Earth’s past research, where every engine, every bit of material, and each power group required dozens or hundreds of research teams to analyze in coordination, Ian couldn’t help but nod solemnly: “That’s very true.

It’s tough to advance alone on this path.”

The Silent Voice Ring was indeed an unexpected delight.

Or rather, precisely because he had reached the Second Energy Level, and once he moved at high speed, hiding might be a bit more difficult, he needed the assistance of artifacts like the Silent Voice Ring even more.

Under the guidance of Master Vana, Ian walked through the underground secret corridor towards the deepest hall.

In the path leading to the hall, there were rows of crystal cabinets displaying many rare and ancient samples and manuscripts, as well as some peculiar alchemical creations.

An ancient book, a suit of Armor that seemed a bit awkward, a firearm so large it was exaggerated, not sure whether to call it a cannon or a gun, a blood diamond necklace shining with a crimson hue… things like that, from mysterious and rustic parchment manuscripts to Ether Armament Furnace Cores that seemed quite modern-Terran in style, this place had it all.

“These are the masterpieces of alchemy masters from generations past—some of these works may seem outdated today, but in their time… I mean, in that era, they were unimaginable breakthroughs.”

“The first systematic alchemy textbook, the first standard military Armor Suit, the first single-user Alchemical Firearm, Master Pushir’s Bloody Princess Necklace, capable of drawing life from the deceased to heal wounds, a Spirit Energy pendant… each one is famous, though they may not be practical anymore, they are the best teaching materials, the best examples.”

As she spoke of these, the old woman’s eyes grew brighter; she looked around at these treasures and murmured with nostalgia: “This is the pride of the Sethariel people, the marks from the Lost Era to today—child, this is the path we’ve taken, every step we tread on the shoulders of our predecessors.”

“Without them, we couldn’t have showcased our talents, our knowledge would be castles in the air.”

“With respect for history and knowledge…”

Speaking so, Master Vana paused, pointing towards an exhibit just behind a huge crystal window, “Take a look at this, an agricultural engine from the era of the Former Emperor!”

“That’s the one.

Master Flyer, who was also the teacher of Gossay and Alexey, along with other alchemists, including my own mentor, collaborated to create this alchemical creation!

The First Knight cleared all the nests of Magical Beasts on the Quinor Plains, and the agricultural engine reclaimed all the lands for Human use!”

“With the addition of the accompanying fertilizer and weed killer, these were the weapons that won us the whole plains region back in the day!”

What stood behind the display case was an enormous object, an engine, an alchemy engine that appeared slightly antiquated in design.

It lay there quietly, bearing traces of years of operation.

It was broken and had long been out of operation, yet it was placed here with great respect for posterity to admire, its mottled scars as if telling of the past battles Humans had fought against the land; the dazzling golden serenity surrounding the Imperial Capital in autumn, all thanks to it and its successors.

And as for the fertilizer and weed killer, although they weren’t particularly listed due to their simplicity, their importance was no less than that of the former.

Without them, no matter how vast the land, it would be difficult to feed such a large population.

There was no doubt, this was the most memorable creation in the entire exhibition hall, where lofty alchemists entrusted their powers into the hands of the masses, to transform the entire world together with the people.

Ian gazed at it.

He did not ask why Master Vana spoke of the Former Emperor instead of the Black King…

Alchemy Masters were indifferent to politics, their preferences were irrelevant, and no one would offend them for such trivial matters.

Even if an Alchemy Master had nothing better to do than curse the emperor, the worst the emperor would do was cast him off to a laboratory on the frontier, out of sight, out of mind.

But he was different.

And besides, there was another very important question.

The youth was contemplating, contemplating this very simple yet very important question.

“Since there is such a thing.”

Ian softly inquired, “Then why are there still people in this world who starve?”

Master Vana’s smile gradually faded.

“Indeed.”

She lowered her head, muttering to herself in confusion, “Why is that?”

“Despite Sublimators and Nobles not really needing much food…

these things, how do they disappear, exactly?”

——It’s the interest groups for Ordinary humans surrounding Sublimators and Nobles, isn’t it?

My White Folk Family is just one of those, making a good deal of money.

Such were Ian’s thoughts, though he had no place to make judgments really.

Ordinary people were not a monolith, with plenty of internal classes too, but it was hard to explain this to those who were both Sublimators and Alchemy Masters; they probably saw all Ordinary people as the same.

They too were notable figures high above, and even if benevolent, it was still difficult to comprehend the circumstances below.

The silence lasted for a while, until they reached the entrance to the secret repository.

“Such matters rarely have answers.” Stopping at the entrance, the elderly woman shook her head with a lost expression, self-deprecatingly saying, “I also found it strange back in the day why my funding was limited—The Empire clearly had a lot of money to spend frivolously, why not allocate a little more for my research?”

“But at times, I understood…

compared with creation and research, distribution itself is an exceedingly complex and profound skill…

It’s not something I can figure out.”

“Yes, it’s distribution,” Ian repeated.

Why, theoretically, do countries with extremely advanced technology resemble the pre-industrial era in their primitive frontline regions?

The reasons could only come down to distribution: “But ultimately, technology has still brought about certain progress.”

He consoled the elder—it wasn’t something they could change right now, better to look at some positive news and feel a little better.

“Yes, indeed.”

The old lady smiled again, “At least, compared to our time, there are indeed more people who can eat their fill, who can eat meat.

That’s progress, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

Ian also gave a smile, leaving the question in his heart as he followed Master Vana into the secret repository.

This was an utterly ordinary underground Labyrinth, made up of rows and rows of sealed cabinets.

“Those collector’s edition alchemical equipments, including the so-called ordinary alchemy material packages, I’ve asked Yisen Gard to remove them for you; you already possess those items, there’s no need for redundancy.”

The elderly woman sat in her wheelchair, gazing at the many secret cabinets before her, calmly stating, “The library card remains the same, I still hope that a child of your age reads more books…

There will be plenty of opportunities for experiments later on, the more you accumulate, the more naturally inspiration will come.”

“All the rewards from the assessment are meaningless to you, so I have exchanged them all for a chance for you to choose.”

“The highest grade perfect quality Second Energy Level Materials.

Formulas for master-level alchemical potions.

And…

Second Energy Level Spirit Energy Accessories.”

“Choose one, Ian…

this is what you deserve.”