High Above

Until the end, the soldiers on the 'private ship' failed to board the fast sailing boat Sai Nan was driving.

When Ian returned, he was treated like a hero, or rather, he was a real hero.

With the strength of one person, with the assistance of at most one comrade-in-arms, he single-handedly blocked the surprise attack of an entire battleship. How can ordinary people do such a behavior?

Not to mention the somewhat exaggerated compliments from the sailors, even the Bishop of White Mist, who returned after repelling the armor, thought that Ian's speed at disposing of the frigate was a bit surprising.

"It's not uncommon for a single person to seize a ship, but considering your age, this speed can be said to be a miracle—even among the many great pirates and legendary captains who are crisscrossing the Ocean of Storms today, there are not many such deeds .”

Shark did not go far, but continued to follow the sailboat until the outline of Harrison Harbor could be vaguely seen ahead, and the South Sea Fleet of the 19th Army of the Empire also began to approach the sailboat to protect it, quietly following Ian's instructions leave.

Two destroyers flying the imperial flag approached, protecting the frigate back to port.

They were originally here to help the ships that might have been 'attacked' to deal with the privateers in Flameland, but they were surprised to find that the target they were supposed to protect not only did not need rescue, but was even completely intact.

After knowing that the enemy had lost the ability to pursue them, the commander of the rescue operation, Baron Girwin, couldn't believe it.

In particular, the nominal heroes were two fourteen-year-old boys, Ian and Isengard, and the others cheered behind them.

— When he was fourteen, he was still playing hide-and-seek with the maid!

Baron Girwin was really puzzled, and Isengarde was fine with it. It was normal to have this strength, and it was not surprising that such things as the Marquis’ children were given the credit, but Ian...

According to the information given by Viscount Grant, isn't he an alchemist and appraiser? Why is it so powerful?

But in the face of Master Goser's assurance, he had to believe it even if he didn't believe it, not to mention that he would never lie in theory, and even if he would, he would definitely not be Bishop Baiwu who lied about such trivial matters.

"We will dispatch other warships as soon as possible to try to capture those 'private ships' that have broken down."

He promised so, and then passed the news back to the port and the viscount immediately.

The South China Sea is still shrouded in storms, and the changes in the large ruins have an all-round impact on the climate. At least for half a month, such abnormal weather will continue... But the big storm will never appear again.

The three warships cut through the mist and waves, and sailed on the sea at a steady speed that was neither fast nor slow. After a while, they completely entered the offshore waters of Harrison Port.

Here, the Viscount's mansion and the alchemy center in the new city can already be seen in the distance, and the thunder lights are pulled from the rain clouds in the sky by the power engine and flow into the furnace heart of the alchemy workshop.

If it is the first time to see this scene, it will definitely be quite shocking, but after watching it continuously for three or four years, any Harrison Porter will only feel familiar and accustomed to it, and even feel a kind of inexplicable peace of mind.

After all, as long as there is thunder, the water in the public bath can be hotter.

The sailors on the high-speed sailing ship burst into cheers, and even Frost Butterfly writhed in joy, briefly leaving Ian's hair, not knowing what it was happy about.

As the ship continued to move forward, the outline of a huge fleet appeared faintly behind the rain curtain, and when the outline gradually became clear, Ian could see clearly that it was the South Sea Fleet stationed in Nauru on weekdays—— These huge ironclad ships seem to have just experienced a battle, and are now being repaired in the port to replenish supplies.

There are also many people waiting at the port.

Just as the people on the boat gazed expectantly at the land, so the people on the land looked expectantly at the sea.

Finally home--

Even Ian, who has always been as calm as Ian, couldn't help but let out a long breath at this moment, and his expression relaxed a lot, let alone Isengarde.

The straight figure of the blond boy standing on the side of the boat swayed slightly, as if he was about to fall down immediately, but fortunately he woke up immediately after a burst of dizziness, and firmly grasped the side of the boat.

Otherwise, he might fall into the sea before reaching the port, making a fool of himself.

Even Master Gesai stroked his beard, and the old man looked as if he was from another world—as a master alchemist, he didn't have many similar exciting experiences over the years.

If there weren't too many things that he couldn't reveal or explain during his trip to the Great Relics of the South China Sea, he would have liked to write all of this into a book, or write it into his autobiography, which would definitely be a bestseller.

As for Andor, who has been trying to make himself as transparent as possible...but he began to tremble.

Up to now, whether it is life or death, it is no longer his turn to decide——

"don’t worry."

And it seemed that he had sensed the other party's fear, as well as the deeply hidden "relief" hidden under the fear, Ian turned his head and looked at the elf pirate captain.

He smiled and nodded at the other party—although this smile made Andor feel even more uneasy—and said softly: "Next, as long as you don't leave Master Gosai and the others, you will not be in danger."

"But don't even think about running away. If that happens, you will definitely die."

"I know I know--"

Andor nodded quickly, how could he not know this truth? The pirate captain wanted to continue to reassure, but found that Ian did not continue to talk to him, but looked at the pier.

The boy saw a short and strong old man standing on the trestle, waiting for the boat to dock.

Elder Purdue's face was as dark as charcoal, but he couldn't help showing a big sigh of relief when he saw that Ian was not missing any arms or legs, and was waving to him with a smile on his face.

Maybe even the old man didn't know it, but he laughed in the same way.

And the white-haired boy who was being held by the old man widened his purple eyes, and he waved happily to his brother. This scene also made Ian laugh unknowingly.

Isengard noticed this, and he also laughed at first, happy for this rather rare side of Ian, and also happy for the joy of his comrades.

After all, whether in the ruins or in the city, Ian has always been strategizing, seems to be in control of everything, and is so calm that he doesn't seem to have any expression other than no expression.

But this smile proves that even Ian, who seems to be able to think rationally and choose the "correct option", is still a real human being with a family and relatives.

Isengard felt that he understood Ian better.

But then, recalling the source of all these thrilling adventures, his uncle, the noble boy, fell into a dazed silence, not knowing what he should think so as not to hurt his heart.

"To be honest, Ethan, although it may be a bit ugly."

At this moment, Ian turned his head, and he noticed Isengarde's depression.

He stretched out his hand and patted Isengarde on the back - this was a rare occasion for Ian to take the initiative to contact other people to express his recognition of others.

The boy said seriously: "You can't figure out the truth like this... Whether it's your uncle's actions or your grandfather's plan, in your current state, it is absolutely impossible to hide it from them."

Isengarde trembled, he slowly raised his head, and looked at Ian.

Ian said lightly: "I understand how you feel right now. You seem to feel that you have no relatives to trust. Uncle wants to kill himself—even though he said it was for your own good—father has a sense of everything. There is an incomprehensible silence, and does mother know about grandfather's plan? And what does our Majesty the Landkeeper have for your Ellen family?"

"You feel that although you are a nobleman, you have nothing to really rely on... You seem to be more powerless and confused than any child playing on the street."

"You're even terrified—you don't want to let this sailboat dock, because once it docks, you're going to be out of a grand and wonderful adventure, back into your family of intrigue and betrayal... …You are not afraid of a crisis that will kill you, but you are afraid of a cold and emotionless home."

"And you already know the truth, and you can no longer be as stupid as you used to be, oblivious to all malicious eyes."

Isengard's breathing became quicker, he gritted his teeth and looked at Ian, his lake green eyes were full of confusion and anger.

This anger is not at Ian, but at himself...

To myself who is still afraid.

But he still gritted his teeth unwillingly and whispered: "I understand everything you said, Ian, I'm not a fool! I understand everything!"

"But what can I do? Yes, the adventure is over, you can go home now, but where can I go..."

His tone became desolate: "...where can I go?"

"It's because you're smart that you can't fool yourself, and that's why you feel pain."

Ian stared at the blond boy in front of him whose tone suddenly dropped, he pondered for a while, and then said: "Listen, Ethan, Patrick told me the truth before he died, and things may not be as bad as you imagined, but It’s indeed scary enough—you don’t have to worry about being unable to return home, but you also have to be careful of other people’s deception and betrayal.”

Ian said seriously: "If you are willing to believe me, then after returning to the shore, when the turmoil of this matter is over, let's find a secluded place to talk about this matter."

"At that time, it is estimated that you will calm down and think about countermeasures."

"If you are willing to believe, I can help and give some advice."

Isengard raised his head and opened his eyes wide.

——Why are you helping me?

"It's not up to me whether I want to help you or not." The corner of Ian's mouth curled up. He knew what the other party was thinking. Isengard had made rapid progress in his understanding of the world, but the micro-expression on his face was still the same as Ming said.

The boy deliberately shook his head and sighed: "But I have actually helped you before—I think the guys you have to face may not be that good at listening to explanations, and I have already chosen sides from the beginning. "

"Not to mention, if I want to go further and regain the glory of the family in the future, I will definitely need the help of other people. I think we are in the same camp from now on."

"Instead of thinking about why, you might as well think about how much you should pay to be worthy of my help to you."

Isengarde stared blankly at his peers in front of him. For some reason, when the other party said they would help him, he suddenly felt a lot more at ease.

——If, with Ian helping him...

Then maybe, there are many problems, and it is no longer a problem.

The boat docked.

"Surprised you, this is our dereliction of duty!"

Isengard and Master Gosser are being visited by the Chief of the South China Sea Fleet. As nobles and well-known alchemists in the imperial capital, they obviously have other entertainments to deal with.

And Ian got off the boat smoothly, and then strode towards Elan and Elder Pude.

"Hey—little chubby!" He stretched out his hand with a chuckle, and hugged Elan who was trotting all the way and flew towards him. Ian joked about the little boy who seemed a little heavy because of the steel frame: "Why is it getting heavier and heavier? ? Did you eat too much at Elder Pude's place?"

"Brother, I'm not fat!"

These words obviously aroused Elan's dissatisfaction: "Besides, Grandpa Pud, he can't cook! His food tastes so-so!"

With a laugh, Ian was like this, hugging Elan, and looked at the white-haired old man standing silently in front of him.

"Elder."

The boy said sincerely, "I'm back."

Elder Purdue wanted to reprimand something, but at this moment he couldn't say anything.

The old man could only take a deep breath, sighed and shook his head, "You brat who isn't afraid of death... that's all, just be safe."

"Welcome back."