Chapter 203: Chapter 192: Seaborn Longsword (2/3)
"After you wash the dishes, go to Elder Prudeâs place. I wonât be home for some time, and the Elder will take care of you,"
Having instructed Elan and received an obedient "Okay~" in response, Ian smiled and went to check on his future-predicting tool, the fish.
Hmm, the result isnât bad, just ordinary red, and surprisingly no black.
This was quite astonishing to Ianâthe deadly black and dangerous red often appeared together, since some dangers are inevitable, like a great storm; even if you know about it in advance, what can you do? It takes nearly half a month to leave South Ridge, and anywhere within South Ridge could be affected by the storm. At most, youâd either be killed by hail and giant waves or by flash floods and mudslides.
But this time, it was purely a red danger... confirming that in this mission, there wasnât even a hint of a natural environmental factor.
It was purely a man-made disaster.
"Humans are indeed much more terrifying than nature."
After murmuring this, Ian hugged Elan again, who rushed over to say goodbye. Feeling that the otherâs weight had indeed become heavier, the young man was even somewhat melancholic, realizing that his once light and graceful brother would never return.
â Iron Bone does harm!
After saying goodbye, Ian visited his workshop one more time, arranged all the prepared potions, placed them in his waist bag, and then headed to the docks to meet up.
The early morning air was heavy, hot, and humid. Even though the distant wind was already swirling up the tides, the heat hadnât dissipated immediately. In the far-off thin cloud layers, some dark red glow peeked through, but it wasnât as eye-catching as the algae oil lamps at the port.
Today, not many people went out to sea, after all, they were seasoned fishermen; who would travel far in this kind of weather? Nevertheless, some workers and fishermen sat at the dockside chatting idly and playing cards in twos and threes, discussing topics understood by all.
Inside the big yard of the dock management, a group of people dressed in Platinum Iridium Workshopâs work clothes gathered. There were men and women among them, but most were skilled hands with remarkable talents and not weak in strength.
As members drawn from around the entire South Ridge by the Platinum Iridium Workshop, they were either seasoned explorers or recruited elite mercenaries, or adventure experts trained from a young age, or knowledgeable appraisers.
Of course, there was also a portion who were local residents of Harrison Port, pushed into the mix by Viscount Grant, like the experienced crew members and navigators, and even the captain was a reliable old captain called from the Red Hook Fleet.
Most of them had demonstrated their astonishing skills before today, but there were still a few who only arrived at Harrison Port yesterday and were now showcasing their abilities in front of Yisen Gard and Master Gossay.
An explorer from the coast showed a remarkable ability to identify and dissect fish; he could distinguish over a dozen similar-looking but different species of fish at a glance and recite their formal scientific names. If given a taste, he could even trace where those fish came from perfectly.
Another individual, a First Energy Level Wave Scout, was even more impressive; he could visually track the traces of fish swimming in the water and had a quite remarkable ability to sense the life in the water.
As for combat prowess, it wasnât considered important; with Master Gossay present, one or two more at the First Energy Level wouldnât make any substantive difference.
But those displaying their abilities had no idea what the people above were actually thinking.
"Theoretically, among these people, there will definitely be one or two assassins embedded in the group."
The soundproofing ring on his finger flashed a gray light, and Master Gossay furrowed his brows, gazing intently at the crowd before him, "Yisen, remember not to be alone with these people, and pay attention to your safety. The only people we can somewhat trust are those âoutsidersâ arranged by Els."
"Mm, I understand, Teacher."
The blond youth seemed somewhat listless, the long-distance conversation with his mother in recent days had left him truly exhausted... Although he was well protected, he was still aware of the complexity and cruelty of the power struggle.
But to be honest, Yisen Gard never had much desire for power, but since his mother was the princess and the current Marquisâs legitimate wife, even as the third son, he still had to compete with his elder half-brother and the second, legitimate son for the position of the family head.
If he didnât compete, the future for both him and his mother would not be easy.
Even more so, they might face threats of death at any time, just like now.
With such worries, it wasnât likely that the young master would feel at ease, but the thought of soon exploring the faraway oceans he had never visited did lift his spirits a bit.
The arrival of Ian brightened both his and Master Gossayâs spirits considerably.
Although Ian had delayed for a while in his workshop to get potions, he was not late to arriveâsince the exploration ship wasnât sailing until noon, he had come several hours early.
But upon really arriving, Ian realized he was actually one of the last to arrive... Apart from Viscount Grant, almost everyone had arrived, and just a moment ago, Pat had just come down from the ship, discussing some security concerns with Elder Gossay.
After Ianâs arrival, all eyes focused on him.
Several alchemists and appraisers, likely from other Platinum Iridium Workshops around South Ridge, looked at Ian with suspicion and envy, because Ian had been appointed as the chief accompanying appraiser for the exploration vessel, which meant that if there were any merits, Ian would get a share no matter what.
This made foreigners unfamiliar with Ianâs reputation assume that this young man from the White Folks had gotten his position through connections, just to gold-plate his status... After all, according to common sense, how could there be a prodigy nearly at the official alchemistâs level at the age of fourteen in a place like Harrison Port?
Those from Harrison Port and others who had earned their positions through strength as guards looked at Ian without much thought, as they were not in competition. In fact, several acquaintances even displayed pleasing smiles at Ianâafter all, they would have to continue mingling in Harrison Port, and it was better to be familiar with an alchemist in case they couldnât get potions in the future.
Ian was rather indifferent to everyoneâs opinions. Although these people were capable, they were still slightly lacking in dealing with the attacks of the Elf Pirates and the Natives, not to mention there could be assassins hidden by Pat among them, which made them even less trustworthy.
If it werenât for the presence of Master Gossay, a Second Power Level alchemist, he would never have agreed to this task, no matter how great the rewards might be; he would rather continue developing in Harrison Port.
Except for one warrior wielding a peculiar longsword.
That was a Wave Scout.
The longsword in his hand took on a wave-like shape but looking closely, it was actually straightâthe previous curves were just distortions from layers of moisture in the air.
This was an alchemical weapon, the Seaborn Longsword from Whale Song Cliff, and it was one of the highest quality ones among the Seaborn Longswords.