Chapter 465: Chapter 435: The Feeling of Satisfaction (2/3)
Chris of Magnetic Light, Captain of the Defend Knights Order, and one of the lead commanders of the armed forces directly under Marquis Barton, was the confidant whom the old general had cultivated from an apprentice to his current position.
This was the intelligence given by Viscount Grant. So far, there seems to be nothing wrong with it.
The only problem is that this fellow actually has ties with the Spirit Wisdom Institute, and for the matters of the Leyan Territory, he would come after me, even intending to kidnap or silence me.
At first, Ian thought it might be another test from the Marquisâbut upon further consideration, Marquis Barton is at the Third Energy Level, the Governor of South Ridge, unlikely to employ such a mess of tactics.
The essence of the other party chatting and fishing for information was to provide me with hints, not to actually trick anything out of me, at most concurrently assessing my professional standard as an Inspector Knight.
"Most importantly, with the capabilities of Marquis Barton, I donât believe he canât see that his Knight Orderâs Captain has dealings with the Spirit Wisdom Institute or some other organization."
Walking in the rain, the Entangling Void Armorâs outer layer swirled with an invisible air barrier, blocking both the rain and wind.
Ian breathed in the cold air, the flowing white vapor froze the raindrops in mid-air.
The streets of the Upper City District were quiet and dim, unlike the rouge and noise-filled districts encircling it, where the street lamps flickered in the rain.
Among the many towers and tall buildings there, the lights were vividly colorful and advertisement boards plentiful, with visible bustle and noise that even the wind and rain could not conceal.
As Ian slowly approached the junction between the Upper and Lower City Districts, before crossing the bridge over the Wei River, he was still pondering what he should do next.
âIf he were the Magnetic Light Knight, the best choice right now would be to kneel before Marquis Barton and admit his wrongs as soon as possible... unless he was foolish enough to think he could deceive the Marquis.
Next, it was to shift any suspicions from himself as much as possible onto Fiery Flame Land or some other organizationâat the very least, he had to appear clean on the surface, not giving other organizations an excuse to attack Marquis Barton.
In doing so, at the very least, he would be seen as a capable and intelligent person, earning tolerance.
Of course, that might not be useful.
Because Ian didnât know who or which force was behind Chris...
To make the Captain of a Marquisâs own Knight Order betray his lord and pledge loyalty to another party, the price must be astonishing, or the identity of the person behind the scenes must be equally astonishing.
"Magnetic Light Knight... Hmm, on the way to the Imperial Capital, I need to be prepared for his surprise attack."
Having acquired the new equipment, Ian felt that dealing with the opponent wouldnât be difficult.
At least, he believed that the average Second Energy Level wouldnât be able to catch up with him empowered by the speed boost from the Entangling Void Armor, even if Ian only used First Level Power, "The problem is, if heâs going to deal with me, heâll definitely choose a place where I canât call for help from Nauman City, such as a desolate location without communication signals.
"Now the question is, if it really came to that, should I counter him?"
"Do I spare his life and let Marquis Barton deal with him, or should I take action myself, leaving him a reputation for being missing?"
Although itâs not polite to say, a Second Energy Level like the Magnetic Light Knight is no longer capable of fighting me head-on.
The only dilemma for the young man is whether or not to kill him, if he needs to pretend to be beaten and flee like last time, and if he decides to kill, how he should do it, and whether or not to leave a body.
Even just with the power of a Second-Level Fairy, Ian was confident he could slay the opponent within minutesâunless the opponent was foolish enough to launch a stealth attack without fear of exposure, coming fully armed, which might take longer.
However, the opponent is someone whose boss is the chief of the Inspector Knightâs intelligence team, yet believes he can deceive his superior...
Itâs hard to say how things will turn out.
After returning to the Silver Bazaar Company, Ian had several strategies in mind for dealing with the Magnetic Light Knight, but some plans required the help of some alchemical potions so as not to expose too much of his strength.
He summoned the person in charge of the Silver Bazaar Company in Nauman City, the assistant to Mr. Silver Workshop, and expressed his need for some alchemy materials.
The other party said that they had what was needed themselves, no need to go out and purchase anything, "Mr. Silver Workshop has instructed that Ian can use them however he wants."
He still couldnât manage to spend any money.
"Speaking of which, this armored clothing and the new side sword were also acquired for free... so many people give me things."
Entering the alchemy laboratory and starting up his âcollectors edition alchemy instruments,â Ian fell into contemplation, "Does this count as some sort of freeloading? Maybe not exactly..."
The process of creating various alchemical potions is quite repetitive and complex, mainly relying on proficiency.
Ian, apart from concocting some of the Frost Condensing Potions he had used up, which served as a supplementary combat method for his Fairy Bloodline, also made some special ammunition bottles for the Charged Water Gun.
Because he had completed the full transition from Wave Singer to Fairy Bloodline, the pressurizing principle of the Charged Water Gun could be fine-tunedâthe density and viscosity of different alchemical potions vary, requiring different modes to fire them.
Acidic, rapid freezing, burning, and electric shock... as well as an explosive mode that could serve as a grenade launcher. Ianâs long-range attack methods were already quite diverse.
This time, Ian added two more alchemy bottles labeled âadhesiveâ and âhighly poisonousâ as control and status ailment measures.
Additionally, since he could float relatively stably in the air with his Entangling Void Armor, Ian felt he could stay aloof from close combat altogether, simply covering his opponents with fire from above, shooting while flying, until the enemy collapsed mentally from humiliation.
The night passed quickly in the alchemy laboratory, lasting until the next day, nearing noon.
When Ian changed into his white robe, ready to leave, he also left behind four elite-level perception potionsâalthough compared to the materials he used, selling these four potions would only make a small profit, but it was enough to show his attitude.
He still didnât like the feeling of receiving kindness from others without responding in any way.
That personality trait, indeed, wasnât suited for living off others.
"Do you have any recommended dining spots? No need for Magical Beast ingredients, just purely delicious."
He asked the employees of the Silver Bazaar Company, and the well-rounded steward, who at first glance seemed like a gourmand, thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I highly recommend âHouse of the Tides,â a small shop run by a couple... Their grilled squid with sauce and chicken stew with shrimp are very tasty."
At this point, Ian even keenly noticed the other party starting to salivateâthe place must be good.
"The only problem," the steward said regretfully, "is that recently, things in the city have been a bit restless... so Iâm not sure if theyâre open at this time."
"No problem, Iâll just take it as a chance to look around Nauman City."
Ian didnât mind, and the steward wanted to be helpful, "Do you need to arrange a guide to introduce and show the way around? No? Alright, I understand."
Leaving the Silver Bazaar Company, Ian headed for the House of the Tides a few streets away.
As the commercial and military hub of South Ridge, Nauman Cityâs eastern district is basically naval facilities, and Alchemy Workshops surround itâthe Southern Sea Navy places quite a few orders there.
To the north and south are many shops of varying sizes, inns, pubs, and restaurants. The Sea Breeze Avenue that runs straight to the Upper City District is lined with luxury boutiques and Alchemy Workshop outletsâtowering buildings with spires that reach into the cloud-covered sky.
Fortunately, House of the Tides was open that day. The small restaurant is located in a northward entertainment street surrounded by dance halls, pubs, and even casinosâentertainment buildings, and further away is Nauman Theater and the large bathhouses to the northeast; itâs considered a prime location.
The restaurant is not big; the first floor was already full, so Ian sat on a wicker chair on the second floor and found it quite comfortable.
He waited for a while, the food hadnât arrived yet, and he was not in a hurry.
Ianâs vision allowed him to see the distant blue fragments of the Southern Sea, sunlight occasionally sweeping across the balcony, and seagulls flying far in the sky, making their calls.
Waiting for his meal, the young man, for once, didnât ponder over the future and alchemy, didnât ruminate about inscription configurations or upcoming plans.
He was simply wasting time, basking in this sense of comfort.