Chapter 998: Chapter 101 Now Really Turned into a Dragon (5700)
What happened at the church entrance is something that could occur anywhere.
A rather common scene: human children competing to brag about who knows the most impressive people!
For a remote place like Harrison Port, ordinary kids probably canât even spell the Grant Familyâs name correctly, so itâs unrealistic to expect them to name any Sublimators aside from the Viscount and the Bishop.
And in the end, who won the competition...
The answer is self-evident.
"At this point, my brother is unquestionably the strongest in South Ridge!"
A crowd of children munching on roasted sausages, fried fish, beans, and chilled jellyfish were being awed into silence by Elan, who exuded a natural authority while munching on his grilled sausage. For a moment, no one could counter his claims.
Couple that with Ianâs years of cultivating a reputation as the quintessential "golden child," and everyone couldnât help but feel, "What heâs saying actually makes sense."
â Damn it, in the Imperial Capital, Alchemy Masters are competing with their disciples, and here in Harrison Port, kids are bragging about older brothers?
And strangely enough, when Elan begins to brag, he doesnât stutter! His pauses are clear, and his words flow smoothly!
Ian found this rather amusing.
He had no idea that Elan was his diehard fan... but upon further reflection, it wasnât surprising. Heâs my little brother, after allâof course he looks up to me!
If Elan didnât brag about him, Ian would have to stop and reflect on why his own dazzling image wasnât etched into his brotherâs heart!
Not to mention, what Elan said was the truth.
"Ah, brother!"
Elan, who had been boasting to his friends about Ian, lit up when he saw Ian step out of the church and immediately ran over with quick, excited steps.
Ian didnât mind his little brotherâs greasy hands, still slick from lionfish and grilled skewers, smearing his waist. After all, as a water-attributed Sublimator, removing oil stains was just a thought away for him.
"Good boy."
Ian patted his younger brotherâs head affectionately and spoke warmly, "Next time, when youâre talking with your friends, donât sound so arrogant. Even if weâre destined to be the best in the future, we should keep a low profile for now, understand?"
"Mhm, mhm!"
Elan nodded earnestly in agreement but hesitated, confused: "But I wasnât being arrogant. I was just... stating facts!"
"Ah, thatâs where youâve missed the point." Ian sighed and shook his head theatrically. "For brothers as naturally gifted as us, stating the truth is the most boastful thing we can do."
"To avoid causing them undue mental stress, next time, Elan, you should lie a little. Knock me down to second or third place. When we go to bigger cities, stay modest and just say weâre comfortably in the top eight."
"Mhm, mhm."
Elan agreed without hesitation. "Got it! Next time, Iâll say my brother is the second strongest."
"In front of the church, say Grandpa White Mist is first. Elsewhere, say the Viscount is first!"
"Perfect! Good thinking!"
Ian was delighted by Elanâs quick learning and enthusiastically ruffled his younger brotherâs soft, chubby cheeks. "Youâre so clever, Elan. Now let me test youâif both Grandpa White Mist and the Viscount are present, what do you say?"
"Then brother, youâre the third strongest!"
"Excellent, excellent! My little Elan is the smartest!" Ian was beyond satisfied.
âThatâs exactly how it should be! Kids in the Silver Peak Family should know how to adapt and say whatâs appropriate to the audience!
"Stop teaching the kid bad habits!"
From the side, the voice of Elder Pude rang out. The elderly man, who had just returned with three coconuts, looked at Ian with exasperation for teaching the child to tell strategic lies. "Finished talking with White Mist?"
"Yup."
Lowering the hand that had been squishing Elanâs face, Ian took one of the coconutsâalready punctured with two holes and equipped with straw-like reedsâfrom Elder Pudeâs hands. "The people from the Retrospection Sect have arrived in the Redwood Forest. We need to take action quickly."
"Oh?"
Elder Pude tensed, frowning as he heard this. "Theyâre interested in the Foreseeing Bifoliate too?"
"No," Ian replied as he began walking, gesturing for Elder Pude and Elan to follow him toward the seaside outside the city. "Theyâre obviously more interested in meâthe Foreseeing Bifoliate is just an excuse. The Retrospection Sect must have divined something about me but found their vision shrouded by interference from a Prophet."
"So they sent people here to Harrison Port to probe the Huai Guang Church, but since the Huai Guang Church canât confirm whether or not I possess prophetic powers, they could only provide information about the Foreseeing Bifoliate."
"And that conveniently ties it back to us again."
"The Four Great Orthodox Churches..."
The elder took a sip of coconut water, his voice low and serious. "Earlier, you mentioned that you wanted to slowly reveal your prophetic abilities... it seems nowâs the moment."
"If one of the Four Great Orthodox Churches vouches for you, your gifts wonât be questioned, and you wonât face any immediate danger."
Ian nodded. "Exactly. Thatâs why I specifically came by to feel out Bishop White Mistâs stance."
The conversation with Bishop White Mist had been brief, but Ian had caught the undercurrents of what the bishop was implying.
Yes. The Retrospection Sect had detected signs of a Prophetâs presence in South Ridge... But why, all of a sudden, would they determine that there was a Prophet here?
It had to be something that happened in South Ridge that led them to make a prophecy attempt, only for the results to yield nothing.
To be honest, without sounding arrogant, Ian felt that given the current circumstances in South Ridge, anything worthy of a prophecy was likely related to him.
And the domains the Retrospection Sect would try to divine... conveniently, Ian was involved in those as well.
(The Temporary Netherworld, perhaps?)
As he walked the coastal path leading out of the city, Ian mused to himself, (Clearly, the Retrospection Sect has divination techniques similar to the Huai Guang Churchâs disaster-detection prophecies. They must have foreseen something about the Temporary Netherworld Iâm working on, or similar techniques. However, since Iâm a Prophet, they couldnât pinpoint the exact details.)