Chapter 983 - 487: Curious Object_3

Chapter 983: Chapter 487: Curious Object_3

Marin sighed. "Rose didn’t want to go back to the Imperial Army in the end. Since we’re both Ignis People, we came back together. I don’t even know any Sky Knights in the Transcendent Realm, so I was glad to have her protection. But this side got caught up in war, so I couldn’t go home for the time being, and she suggested we go stay at her home on Olin Island first."

Olin Island, the Empire’s ’Dragon Ascending Land’—before the Holy Speriel Empire started stirring up trouble, not many people knew about it. The reason Dorothy knew about it back then was because it lies not far from the Giant Garden.

"I lived a farmer’s life for a while, and then the Empire came to conscript again. Rose knew what would happen if we followed them to war, so she tried to persuade the villagers not to trust them."

Rose clenched her fist and said from the side, "No matter how hard we worked, life in the village never got better. We endured pain and accepted experiments, only to be used to hurt the innocent. That’s completely different from what the Emperor said during his tour!"

The scene the young farm girl was referring to was something Li Ang had already seen a similar version of in the shipyard in the City of the Ship’s Rudder. At that time, that runaway Annihilation Knight had also been deceived before he agreed to become a vessel of Annihilator Flesh.

"The Emperor of the Empire even puts on tours? What a disgusting hobby." Liluliss commented.

Hearing that, Li Ang suddenly remembered that when he had entrusted the Yijie Association to investigate Zoe’s parents, they had found a man in the Giant Garden who resembled the one in the photograph. Back then he’d inferred that if that man was Zoe’s father, he must have gone to assassinate either the Emperor or someone connected to the Eye of God.

"Do you know anything about this tour?" Li Ang asked Lily.

"No. I’ve never heard of it."

That was odd. Did the Yijie Association get it wrong? Or had Lily been recovering from her injuries for so long that she didn’t know what Zoe’s father had gone to do?

Li Ang didn’t dwell on it. He looked at Rose and Marin. "So, what is it you want to explain?"

"Rose might know where those high-tier combatants came from." Marin looked at the Sub-Grade Star Soul Maiden beside her.

Rose explained that because she had been utterly ignorant at the time, she hadn’t remembered many key details.

However, when she managed to maintain her own consciousness during the fusion experiment, she attracted the attention of many Imperial researchers. They placed her in a special facility, where she spent some time together with some strange, unusual people.

"Strange and unusual?"

"Parts of their bodies had turned into beasts, or taken on other bizarre, misshapen forms. I was terrified back then, but seeing them and the researchers all say it was a good thing, I couldn’t be sure. From a few rumors I heard earlier, I feel the ones who secretly attacked the Guild’s side were them."

Li Ang had learned about Sub-grade Star Souls from Meimei, but later something had felt off. In Meimei’s view, this wasn’t a technique the Empire should be capable of mastering. Yet now, they were clearly acting as representatives of the Empire.

"Why run out here to tell me all this?"

"We wanted to find someone we could trust to pass on this information." Marin said.

"I... I feel like I did something wrong before, and I hope this can make up for it a little." Rose said.

Make up for it? If Rose had slaughtered innocents, just speaking out this information and treating it as atonement might not be enough. But having her mouth deliver this information to the Guild was a good thing—it saved Li Ang from having to fabricate a plausible reason for knowing about it.

"This time we captured that group of Weapon Race who were cooperating with the Empire. We’ll definitely have to coordinate with the Guild about it. When the time comes, we will indeed need your testimony. That counts as a contribution to peace in the Aerial Realm as well." Li Ang said.

Rose’s brow smoothed out. On the other side, perhaps noticing Li Ang’s attitude when he heard the word "make up," Marin said to him, "Rose was pretty fortunate. In fact, that shipyard incident was her first deployment, and it was also the Empire’s attempt to evaluate her level."

"And then I lost to that little girl by your side."

Rose’s face flushed with embarrassment. "When they took me out of that facility, it was already because they thought I didn’t have the corresponding strength."

"She’s no ordinary little girl." Li Ang had looked over Rose’s panel before. If not for the Star Soul Power boosting her strength, she would originally have only been a Tier Five Swordsman.

That level was already a top expert out in the countryside. Rose herself didn’t look that old. Li Ang asked her about the source of her strength before she joined the Imperial Army.

"Olin Island still holds a martial spirit. After all, it’s said that eight hundred years ago the Empire rose on the back of its military, and now, Demons also breed among the broken ruins. We have to rely on force to protect ourselves."

According to Rose, she’d grown stronger by practicing Ancient Martial Arts and fighting Demons out in the Wilderness.

"I originally wanted to use my own Power to change everyone’s life. The Emperor said..."

"All right, all right, that’s all in the past. Did you forget there’s something more important?" Marin cut off Rose’s train of thought as she was still tangled up in her origins and the propaganda the Empire had spread.

"Ah, right, there’s something very important we want to show someone we can trust."

"And you’ve decided I’m trustworthy?" Li Ang pointed at himself.

"We were there in the City of the Ship’s Rudder."

Well then, that meant the effort he’d spent back then hadn’t been in vain. The victory in the City of the Ship’s Rudder had indeed inspired many people; the tally of Professional Points had already proven that.

Marin looked at Murein. "Captain, do you still remember that thing that group of shorties loaded onto the ship from Olin Island?"

"Ah, you mean that peculiar object." The Elf Captain said.

"What thing?" Lily asked curiously.

"It’s... something we couldn’t identify, which is why we need a well-informed Sky Knight to take a look."

Rose said to the captain, "Can we take this Sky Knight sir to go see it?"

Murein adjusted his hat. "Of course. Mr. Li Ang is also a Sky Knight who bears the Grand Knight’s Medal."

The captain also knew where the thing was stored, so he got up and led the way without further words.

Not just Lily—Diao and Inanna at Li Ang’s side were also intrigued, and they followed closely along.