Chapter 671: Chapter 613: I am the Supreme Falling-off-the-Horse King! (5600, second update)
As the Huai Guang Rescue Team and the Dragon Worship Cult began packing up their equipment and preparing to leave, Ian and the fae headed out lightly equipped.
The young man even had the energy to spare to explain to them the "Five Levels of Genius".
The first level of genius encompasses all the apprentices and squad members of the Knight Order of Inspectorate. Their strength is indeed fundamentally different from that of a typical Sublimator, and through rigorous training, they also possess corresponding equipment and martial techniques.
If it really came down to a fight, one might expect to take on a whole team of mercenaries single-handedly. They are individuals with excellent innate talent and, coupled with scientific training, they could easily be deemed geniuses in less prominent places.
But this level of "genius" is actually attainable by ordinary people through effort. Itâs more accurate to say that relentless hard work is in itself a presentation of talent.
The second level of genius refers to those with a touch of spirituality, a knack that ordinary people wouldnât be able to master even with practice. Ian used Tres as a typical representative of this level, which Huaâan found quite reasonable, while Mo Feng Shuang Die was a bit puzzled throughout as they hadnât paid much attention to humans other than Ian.
Therefore, Ian also used Frost Butterfly as an example. Or rather, he used all the "Little Fairies", which might not have any particular advantage in combat but instead serve as templates of various fae talents and Spirit Energy.
Frost Butterfly: "(`д´)"
Mo Feng: "So thatâs the setting, huh."
As for the third level, Ian humbly referred to himself as a representative, which was met with a chorus of hisses.
"Please, be realistic. You could write three papers at fifteen, while I was still flitting around the woods at that age!" Huaâan said.
"Yeah, when I was fifteen, I was still playing with peopleâs hair in the courtyard!" said Mo Feng.
"I... how old am I?" Frost Butterfly asked, bewildered.
Clearly, the method of age calculation for the fae is very individualized. The first two fairy misses probably floated around for a long time in their Little Fairy forms before they met the seniors who shaped them, so they were still playing at age fifteen.
"There, there, youâre not even a year old yet." Ian said, patting Frost Butterflyâs little head, before he shrugged. "The fifth level are the likes of Grand Artisan Friedrich or His Majesty Ynaga II, and youâd have to be at least on Prince Michaelâs level to be considered fourth level, right? I think Iâm being very rational and objective in my judgment, not over or underselling."
This was actually a talent classification system Ian had set up in the Silver Chip, intending to apply it later to the Territorial Talent Pool as a standard for selection. Mentioning it now served not only as a topic of conversation with the fae but also had another reason.
[You flattered yourself too much. According to your classification, Iâd barely be a level three genius. Speaking of which, Ian, your system seems to have more nuanced standards, doesnât it? I didnât expect you to be so gifted in this area, probably even more so than me.]
As the Light Bird lightly emerged in front of Ian, the white-haired young man slightly bowed his head: "Your Highness Michael."
The Light Bird seemed to be in a good mood: [No need for such formality. This mission was a big success. Although that guy took everything that seemed valuable, he still left behind many clues that can be analyzed...]
That guy was obviously Duke of Solin, and Prince Michael must have also recognized what Duke Solinâs research was about.
As a son of His Majesty Ynaga II, he couldnât possibly be ignorant about the Spirit Seed of Fire, and now that he was aware of this information, he would have a benchmark for future negotiations or analyses of Duke Solinâs intentions... That was the most crucial piece of intelligence.
[The mission is complete, and the Inspector Knights are ready to pull out and leave.]
At that moment, Prince Michael changed the subject: [I will be heading back to the Imperial Capital to report later, so I wonât be returning with you. Ian, your whole team has made great contributions this time, donât worry, Iâll remember all of it.]
ââ Thatâs really great to hear.
That was what Ian thought, both about Prince Michael not returning with him and the fact that they had earned great merit for their efforts.
However, he showed a modest expression: "All at your discretion, Your Highness."
Prince Michaelâs Heart Light Body watched Ian for a long time before finally saying: [Ian, with your achievements and personality, itâs highly unlikely youâre sincerely modest. Youâre overdoing the act, itâs unnecessary.]
Ian was genuinely perplexed: "Huh?"
ââWhy could even Prince Michael teach him how to pretend? He felt his performance just now was perfect!
[Thatâs better,] Prince Michael nodded with satisfaction: [Iâve seen so many geniuses, nearly a hundred if not eighty or ninety, who pretend to be modest. All combined, they are not as sincere as you areâthus it feels fake.]
[If you donât want to raise suspicion, itâs better to be a bit more extravagant, a bit more arrogant, with a bit of the pride of a young genius... Otherwise, appearing too mature will make people cautious.]
[A true genius, if they donât have a bit of a âIâm the only one whoâs rightâ confidence, now that would be truly strange.]
And with that, Prince Michaelâs Heart Light Body left, leaving Ian full of doubt: "Really bizarre. So thereâs such a thing as being too successful and getting called out for it?"
This little episode made Huaâan and Mo Feng laugh at Ian all the way, while Frost Butterfly pondered thoughtfully: "I get it now!"
The Huai Guang Rescue Team proceeded unimpeded. Though they claimed they needed to count their members, in reality, not a single checkpoint bothered to inspect their group after seeing the Concentric Circle Flagâregardless of the fact that their numbers clearly exceeded the ones declared. No one intended to be nitpickyâit was as if they all turned a blind eye, or as if nothing was amiss at all.