159: Chapter 148: Ellen Family (1/4) 159: Chapter 148: Ellen Family (1/4) Ian had indeed been prepared for the possibility that he might be targeted by the people behind Senan.
No matter who the other party was, whether good or bad, it was definitely wise to discuss the matter with the elders first.
“Senan was entrusted by soone to appraise the Fluorescent Algae, but you detected premonitions of anomalies in the Labyrinth?”
“You think the other party is not foolish and will soon realize that it was you who saw the ons of the Labyrinth disaster and that you will be watched?”
“You want to speak to Viscount Grant about issues related to the Labyrinth, hinting that he should prepare early to prevent the coastal calamities caused by the anomaly and, by the way, ask who exactly the other party is?”
At that ti, Elder Prude was reviewing the account books in the Elder’s Hall.
Four years had not added many wrinkles to his face, but he had put on a pair of glasses.
The bespectacled elder stroked his beard in confusion and said, “Senan shouldn’t have the guts to do this, not to ntion, where does he get the brains to deceive?
Where does he find the courage to deceive you?”
“That’s true,” Ian thought about it and felt it made sense, “But the disaster on is real—the Labyrinth is only four to eight years away from taking complete shape.
I estimate it will be fully ford around the ti of the next great storm.”
He cautioned, “Elder, hasn’t the viscount always wanted to monopolize the treasures of the Labyrinth?
Those people, I guess, are definitely here for the Labyrinth.
If they’re not so dangerously mad culprits, their background must be considerable.
This should also be ntioned to him.”
“We can’t speak carelessly.
I don’t know about the viscount wanting to monopolize the Labyrinth,” the White Folk elder shook his head.
He stared at the account book in his hands and spoke slowly, “Moreover, I notice his interest in the Labyrinth itself isn’t high, and he has not stopped the Maze Researchers sent by the Empire, clearly having other plans.”
“However, it is indeed sothing that has to be said; such matters are not our place to lead— even if we were to take the initiative, we would need soone to vouch for us.”
“And about Senan…”
At this point, Elder Prude frowned.
The keyword reminded him of sothing, then he lifted the account book in his hand, gave it a serious look, and nodded slightly, “Lately he is collaborating with the Platinum Iridium Workshop.
It was Viscount Grant himself who introduced the job to , saying that he owed a favor and asked to recomnd a reliable captain with a tight-lipped nature.”
“I recomnded him.”
“Platinum Iridium Workshop?” As an Alchemist, Ian was well aware of the strength of this workshop bearing the Imperial Royal Alchemical Association’s mark; he couldn’t help but remark, “What a significant backing.”
“Yes, a mighty force.
It seems they are indeed here for the increasingly active Labyrinth, which is part of the normal process.”
Chewing on this phrase, the old man seed to realize sothing, murmured to himself, “Whether it’s the two tutors from the Royal Alchemy Association or the Marquise Family…”
It wasn’t until Ian left that Elder Prude did not share the results of his thoughts with him, but he did tell him that Senan’s client had a multifaceted background, involving a Marquise Family, the Alchemy Association and the will of the Imperial Capital, and was also an acquaintance of Viscount Grant from his ti in the Imperial Capital, owing him face.
Beyond that, he did not say much.
Speaking rashly about uncertain speculations can mislead a Prophet’s thinking.
And Ian didn’t mind because he had already obtained the answer he wanted.
“In this case, as long as I refuse, Uncle Senan should be safe.”
The youth thought to himself, “When I go to buy fish at the dock later, I might as well check on his situation.”
Whether it’s the Platinum Iridium Workshop, the Royal Alchemy Association, or the Marquise Family, they were all forces much greater than Ian had previously anticipated.
But this could actually be considered good news, indicating that the danger Senan was about to face wasn’t related to people but to the content of his next task.
Ian had been worried that Senan had gotten into trouble with so unruly bounty hunters, or agents of the Cannan-Moore Pirates…
Such people, when they find a remote resource point, typically just loot and run.
If Senan’s team really did stumble upon an area producing large amounts of fluorescent algae due to a labyrinth anomaly, the result would undoubtedly be them being killed to silence them after the identification.
Then, these people would devastatingly plunder the original site and subsequently dust their hands off and leave.
Although these people would definitely be exterminated in the end, and hung at the port or alongside the coast of Harrison Port or so other city, their bodies fed to the seabirds and fish.
But the dead cannot be resurrected.
And large forces, on the other hand, do follow so rules.
After all, they set the rules themselves.
They steal and prey on people too, but at least when plundering and preying, they consider sustainability and have more foresight.
They are also not dumb enough to provoke the local powers, making life difficult for themselves.
“The labyrinth anomaly will indeed pose a threat to Harrison Port, and it’s a natural disaster.
But based on the density of the black fog, preventative asures are not difficult to put in place; it’s much better than a major storm.”
By the ti Ian arrived at the dock, the street had been repaired three years ago due to a Crocodragon entering the city, and it looked almost identical to its original state.
Wearing a hood, he felt rather relaxed, “As for man-made disasters, could it be the natives?
I have long seen through Viscount Grant’s strategy of empowering enemies to bolster himself.
But this ti, it seems it’s not just them.
The Ellen Family has definitely also brought so trouble.”
“If the Platinum Iridium Workshop cos knocking, it might actually be good news—I’ve been using second-hand alchemy equipnt in my workshop, not to ntion that I still don’t own a complete set of inscription tools.”
Ian was not boasting.
With his original skill set, starting from scratch to learn Alchemy and Inscriptions and reaching beyond the ‘Apprentice’ and ‘Junior’ professional levels in four years, advancing towards the ‘Formal Bachelor’ that matched the Second Energy Level was nothing out of the ordinary for him.
If it wasn’t for the lack of further manuscripts or notes to study, and no experintal equipnt for independent research, he might have already been able to attempt concocting Elite Potions.
At the end of the day, Ian himself was quite fascinated by the labyrinth associated with the ‘Pre-Era Civilization Ruins Cluster’ in the depths of the Southern Sea.
His teacher’s mission was to stabilize the anomalies of the ruins cluster.
Although the labyrinth didn’t fully represent the ruins cluster, without a doubt, being able to closely contact the labyrinth and analyze its essence would enable Ian to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of the ruins cluster.
He could even say that with the Silver Chip and Foresight View, all he needed was one glimpse inside, and he would be able to gather enough information.
Now, with the impending labyrinth anomaly and big forces like the Platinum Iridium Workshop leading exploration,
Ian thought, he could completely blend in as an ordinary, young, slightly keen Appraiser, using their strength to opportunistically inspect the current state of the labyrinth and the ruins cluster!
It’s pleasant to enjoy the shade under a big tree, so surely he, a plain Alchemist and Wave Singer, could follow the team under the radar without any problem!
As for the potential dangers he might encounter…
Ian wasn’t worried about that at all.
Because, his greatest gains over these four years weren’t Alchemy and Inscriptions.
Rather, it was the two sets of Sublimator Heritage that he had fully mastered with the help of the Silver Chip!
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