Chapter 179 - 168 Fae Material (3/3)

Chapter 179: Chapter 168 Fae Material (3/3)

"To tell the truth,"

the old man said softly, and even now, he was filled with great doubts: "At that time, His Majesty was completely different from what was later propagated. He was an emperor both resourceful and gentle... He reformed the labyrinth industry, restarted the expansion movement, vigorously developed the economy, cultivated merchants, and united a whole new batch of Military Merit Nobility and factory owners under his command."

"But when faced with the relics we submitted, he flew into a terrible rage, like the true Black King, and without explanation arrested our entire family, executed all the Sublimators with a family inheritance, or stripped them of their Sublimation Organs and exiled them."

"Only I... because I inherited part of my father’s bloodline, never touched the family’s Sublimation Bloodline, and was always exploring outside, was thus able to survive."

Ian furrowed his brows.

"Eternal life?"

He repeated the term, his mind immediately going to the Silver Chip.

The Silver Chip could be integrated with the nervous system and had the ability to read memories—if one had to say, it indeed might be able to achieve the transmigration of memory through possession.

But obviously, the Silver Chip had nothing to do with eternal life... because neither Emperor Inaga nor his own teacher had done so, and he also couldn’t find a way to transfer his own consciousness into a core chip; at most, he could only record his memories into it like a diary.

Although similar, inheriting memories and eternal life were not the same thing.

"What kind of eternal life is it? Even if it’s not true eternal life, it shouldn’t warrant the banishment of the entire family, should it?"

Ian asked, mainly because he felt that if it truly was Emperor Inaga punishing rashly in madness, his teacher would surely have responded. Hiliard was not the kind of knight to tolerate the persecution of the innocent, even if the persecutor was his monarch.

On the contrary, if Emperor Inaga were such a person, Hiliard wouldn’t have been loyal to him.

So, Ian wondered, "Could it really be that the ancestors of the family did something wrong?"

"...My mother indeed said so. She said we almost made a great mistake and told me not to hate His Majesty."

Elder Prude now closed his eyes, sighing deeply: "I was not at home at that time, I was adventuring in the outside world—and my mother clearly did not want me to know the truth, or perhaps she could not say."

"The only thing she kept muttering before her death was ’Echo.’

"’We have released the ’Echo,’ we are already the ’Echo’...This is what she said, but I could never understand it."

Ian looked at the palm of his hand, mulling over the term: "Echo..."

"What does ’Echo’ have to do with eternal life?"

He didn’t think too much about this question, because it was obviously a ’riddle’—one that was unsolvable without the related clues.

So in the end, the young man simply nodded slowly, saying, "I will be cautious."

Although Elder Prude did not say much, he still sincerely promised: "I will find out... all the reasons behind this."

"Actually, there is really no need..."

The old man shook his head and began, "I stopped caring a long time ago..."

"This is what I want to know."

Ian cut him off: "It’s not about you, Elder. It’s not about the family’s honor either."

"It is my desire."

Saying so, Elder Prude lifted his head to meet those eyes shimmering with aqua halos.

He was taken aback for a moment and then his mouth curved into a smile.

"Well then," Elder Prude slowly got to his feet, then opened the Elder’s vault again, taking out a worn notebook: "Since our little Prophet says so... then go and do it."

Turning around, he handed the old notebook to Ian.

The old man watched calmly as Ian received his notebook and then, as if he had finally let go of something, he settled back into his chair with relief: "Although I don’t know why you want to learn about the family’s inheritance... in any case, most of the Wavechanter Potion formulas of the Silver Peak Emissary, as well as many projects and research areas of our family at that time, are in there."

"Back then, I spent sleepless nights wanting to uncover the truth, so I was always trying to analyze it, looking for clues, but as time passed, the thought faded away."

"Now you want to take over and continue investigating the truth—then go ahead."

Muttering to himself, Elder Prude’s expression became much more comforting, "Perhaps this is destiny..."

"It’s not destiny, just personality."

Ian responded calmly, then joyfully received the Elder’s notes, thanking him several times.

The two then chatted about recent matters within the White Folks, such as whose family had added members, which families were in conflict, how to resolve neighborhood disputes, as well as what kinds of drinks should be prepared for the gathering in a few weeks and how much money would be needed...

All these matters were currently being handled solely by Elder Prude, but he was gradually letting Ian get involved, taking care of some auxiliary aspects.

It wasn’t that he believed Ian couldn’t handle these minor tasks, but rather, he felt Ian’s time shouldn’t be wasted on them.

However, as the future Elder or leader of the White Folks, Ian now needed to make more public appearances, letting everyone be aware of his existence.

"You need to have some support to handle these matters for you, as well as some more important tasks later on," the Elder said, "There’s no rush for now, but I know that you certainly understand."

"I do, and I’ve always been mindful of that."

Ian said with a composed expression, then he noticed that Elder Prude’s gaze had become sharp.

"Wait a minute."

The action of the White Folks’ elder stroking his beard paused, and he asked with some suspicion, "You weren’t just humoring me just now, were you? You said you’ve always been mindful?"

Having lived with Ian for a long time, Elder Prude had come to understand the young man’s rigor in choice of words quite well.

"You couldn’t possibly have already developed a group of supporters... right under mine and the Viscount’s noses?"

He inquired cautiously.

"Not to that extent." Ian chuckled, picked up his notebook and the marble box, then stood up and placed a potion on the table, "By the way, Elder, here is a ’Wavechanter Potion.’ It’s a bit different from the usual Wavechanter Potions."

The youth’s clear voice carried a hint of laughter, yet it gave the Elder a look of astonishment, "Let me put it straight, this is a new potion formula I’ve been experimenting with—though, at the end of the day, it’s still a potion, and the effect theoretically shouldn’t be any worse. If someone is willing to take it, remember to have them record their impressions and come to me for a checkup."

"You choose someone, Elder, we... indeed need to accumulate a little more strength."

As Elder Prude had a complicated expression, Ian bid farewell with impeccable politeness.

"Ah, El..."

Watching Ian depart from the Elder’s Hall, the Elder let out a sigh.

His tone carried an indescribable complexity, "It’s a good thing you’re planning on letting go... Otherwise, involving a Prophet would not be so simple."

"Indeed. We need to leave some leeway."

Upon leaving the Elder’s Hall, Ian already knew to whom Elder Prude would give the potion.

Without a doubt, it would be to that captain familiar with both him and Captain Badanli of the White Chamber Fleet, Senan.

Giving the potion to him was not just about building a support team for Ian, but also a way to gain more support from Badanli—it was also because Senan himself was extremely willing to follow Ian. Having watched the youth grow up since he was a boy, Senan understood Ian’s capabilities well and did not dare take him lightly.

Most importantly, Senan’s mind was just too easy to control... this isn’t a derogatory term; controlling isn’t derogatory either. After all, not taking control of Senan... he really wouldn’t cope well.

As for the experimental magic potion...

Whether it was to find an alternative path for Ian himself or to prepare for Elan, Ian needed a guinea pig.

On the Terra Continent, there were no guinea pigs, so humans had to be used. He had no choice, but in theory, it should definitely succeed, and the person should be thankful to him.

As for now...

Arriving at his workspace in the New City District, Ian took out the marble box from his chest.

The young man gazed at the materials emitting a deep blue mist and halo of light inside the box, and he couldn’t help but smile and nod, "It’s time to experiment on myself."