Above The Sky
Chapter 68 - 68 65 Battle Fire Offensive Study

68: Chapter 65: Battle Fire Offensive Study 68: Chapter 65: Battle Fire Offensive Study In Year 766 of Tyra, on July 23rd, a full-scale conflict between the Redwood Forest Natives and Harrison Port erupted quite suddenly.

From the Redwood camp, over one hundred fifty core hunters launched surprise attacks on more than seventeen fishing villages along the coast, setting fire to the fisheries and over twenty shellfish farms, and with seven Shamans and the Great Shaman leading the way, they completely destroyed two border villages in the Brown Elm Forest and Rain Creek Forest, killing more than two hundred innocent villagers.

Immediately, Harrison Port retaliated, with the Port Guard Squad capturing and slaying twenty-one hunters using various guard towers as points of attack.

The next day, using Alchemical Cannons, they bombarded all the Native settlements along the western banks of the Ivoke River, causing many casualties and using the rare slow-burning agent to create multiple forest fires as retribution.

For a time, all hunting and medicinal-herb gathering activities around Harrison Port were suspended, and all the nearby villages switched to a defensive posture.

In contrast, all the Native tribes relocated to the northwest near the Bison Mountain Range, with both parties engaging in sporadic but fierce skirmishes over the upstream strongholds and villages along the Ivoke River, each suffering losses.

Without deploying Totem Masters, Harrison Port’s naval forces held an absolute advantage.

The Natives couldn’t interfere with the fishing, so for now, the situation in the city remained relatively stable, with all the residents long accustomed to such large-scale conflicts recurring every decade or so.

However, conflicts between the Natives and Harrison Port usually stemmed from highly rare magic potions or disputes over the ownership of scarce demonic beast materials.

Sometimes clashes would spark when key figures from either side died unexpectedly…

In short, people understood why they fought when conflicts arose in the past.

But this time, no one knew why the Natives had suddenly launched an attack.

Rumors within the city suggested that the Natives’ Sacred Tree was about to bear fruit and required the nourishment of fresh blood; others said the Natives had been eating well and had grown too populous in recent years, so the Redwood Forest could no longer sustain them, forcing the need for war to thin their numbers; some even speculated that the Natives’ Shamans had prophesied an impending disaster, with the current battles and deaths merely a part of averting it…

Everyone was quite interested in such gossip, especially the jobless folks within the city who dealt frequently with the Natives, like hunters and herbalists.

Even though some had been conscripted into the Guard Squad to fight against the Natives, there were still many who stayed behind, whiling away their days by discussing these rumors.

Ian, however, was different.

He wasn’t so idle.

In fact, during this recent period, he had been exceptionally busy.

Apart from buying groceries and taking care of daily chores like cooking and household maintenance, Ian began every morning with physical training, followed by more exercises in physical fitness and flexibility after breakfast, then lunch, and afterwards he would condense Origin Quality.

Ordinary people of Terra typically had only two meals a day, affording three only when the family had surplus money and was financially healthy.

But not to mention the sum of money left by Ossenna after his death, Hiliard and Elder Pude had each given Ian quite a lot of coins and resources, so in terms of food, Ian didn’t fall short and ate exceptionally well.

At the same time, his learning was intensive.

After refining the Origin Quality from his food, roughly around three in the afternoon, Ian would head to a building belonging to the city hall, where he would learn alchemy and inscriptions alongside local blacksmiths, alchemists, and some of the White Folks.

As the youngest student, Ian indeed attracted many gazes in the beginning.

But nobody mocked him for being a ‘kid who knows nothing,’ since his status as a Spirit Energy User had already been made public by Viscount Grant and Elder Pude.

In fact, many felt that the class might have been set up especially for Ian, and that the others were merely benefiting from it.

So, there was not only no ridicule, but everyone was rather kind to Ian.

Furthermore, Ian’s learning pace deepened everyone’s mistaken impression that ‘this class was definitely created just for this guy!’

While everyone was still trying to memorize and recall the myriad of alchemy matrices and the basic principles of inscriptions, Ian was already capable of performing simple matrix extractions under Elder Pude’s guidance, using instruments.

—It was merely simple separation and purification, an elementary school-level chemistry experiment.

Alchemy might be simple, but inscriptions involved manual skills that required carving various designs on materials such as wood, stone, and iron pieces using a carving tool.

Ian indeed had shortcomings in practical applications, but with the control over his body attained through the condensing of Primordial Seeds and the Breathing Guiding Technique, he was at least not among the worst.

After the alchemy class ended, usually around six or seven in the evening, upon returning home, he not only had to take care of his younger brother and cook dinner, but he also had to continue his physical training.

Whenever he felt tired, Ian would immediately practice the Breathing Guiding Technique to calm the Origin Quality within his body and then, after nine o’clock when Hiliard returned, he would study various advanced Sublimator courses from him until bedtime.

After a day’s work, Ian felt his life was more fulfilling than when he was preparing for his engineering certification, with an intensity at least equivalent to triple the effort of preparing for the college entrance examination.

Even with his resilience, he didn’t have any spare capacity to ponder other matters.

However, he did not feel weary.

Ian had become an engineer because he wanted to venture into space.

All the knowledge he acquired was aimed at bringing himself one step closer to his dream.

Now, in the Otherworld, every piece of knowledge he acquired, whether it was alchemy, inscriptions, or sublimation common sense, was fascinating to him.

They were unknown territories never encountered on Earth.

Just knowing about them was delightful, let alone delving into learning things he inherently enjoyed.

That was a pure pleasure.

Of course, the most important thing was that these courses were not difficult for him.

“Fundamental alchemy is essentially chemistry, though it includes some catalysis and synthesis processes never seen on Earth.

But as long as I accept this premise, difficulty is like elementary school level, at most junior high.”

“Inscriptions are tougher, similar to integrated circuits.

This stuff is basically a pure craft that requires a high degree of proficiency and hand-brain coordination.

Without it, it’s impossible to sketch such complex circuit diagrams on materials with an etching pen.”

“As for knowledge of sublimation, I just need to memorize it, which is actually the easiest part for me.”

Perhaps because of rebirth and possessing a soul, or simply due to better physical conditions in this life, Ian’s cognitive abilities were leagues above his ‘classmates’ who had not yet developed souls.

But he did not show impatience or request Elder Prude to give him special attention to accelerate his learning progress.

Because what he lacked now was not time, but stability.

Ian was well aware that the more potential he demonstrated, the better treatment he would receive.

After realizing his talents in alchemy and inscriptions, Viscount Grant even visited the classroom once to inquire about some of Ian’s recently acquired basic knowledge.

After receiving clear answers, the noble’s gaze toward Ian was filled with admiration, but also a hint of caution.

And it was only because Ian had spirit energy could he perceive that barely invisible deliberation.

Since then, Ian no longer showed any further signs of intelligence.

——Too much of anything is bad.

In Harrison Port, it’s fine to be a common genius; overdo it, and it becomes dangerous.

Instead of standing out, play a bit dull for a comfortable life.

Meanwhile, as Ian diligently immersed himself in his studies,

battles between the Imperial People and the Natives outside the city grew fiercer, but neither threatened the core of the other.

The rear base of the Redwood Natives had never been disturbed and had a continuous supply of materials and manpower, whereas the main road to Harrison Port was very securely guarded.

Assistance from the Capital Region, and even from the Imperial Center itself kept arriving steadily.

It was said, by the start of autumn, another batch of aid from the Imperial Capital would arrive.

According to the propaganda of the Viscount’s Mansion, when the caravan arrived, it would be the moment Harrison Port would break the stalemate and crush the Natives.

In any event.

The current Ian had ample time to adapt to the unfamiliar yet increasingly familiar Terra Continent.

Everything was on track, and in the midst of war, he began an intensive study lasting more than a month.

During this process, several students, having learned merely the basics of gunpowder dust preparation and repairs of inscriptions related to alchemical cannons, were hastily transferred to the front lines…

And this was precisely the outcome Viscount Grant had desired.

Only Ian, from beginning to end, completed the entire accelerated course which lasted over a month.

The tides ebbed and flowed, time swiftly passed.

Now it was the 19th of September, Year 766 of the Terra Calendar.

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