Chapter 17 Hope

The bright moon hung high, the lake water swayed, and the clear surface mirrored the moon and stars above.

The white-haired boy and the silent man looked at each other.

— Curiosity.

This word might seem like nonsense to others, who might find it rather preposterous, and even horrifying to think that Ian would dissect someone for such a reason.

But the old knight knew, this was a perfectly valid reason.

Especially for him, and for all those Sublimators who cultivated the powers of 'True Form' and 'Bloodline', being curious about the construction of their own bodies could even be considered a bonus.

"Dissection, I can understand," the aged man nodded slightly and continued to ask, "But why here?"

"To make such a mess of blood and flesh at home?"

Ian shook his head and retorted, "Isn't that blatantly telling everyone I'm the murderer? Not to mention the need for water to clean the tools and hands; with all this mess, the stench is so strong, even the neighbors next door can smell it."

Without pausing, the old man immediately followed with another question, "Was this a spur-of-the-moment act, or had you planned it beforehand?"

Ian replied without hesitation, "It's a bit of both. The thought only occurred to me after I killed my uncle, after all, it would be a waste to just throw away such a large lump of meat when I could use it for study."

At this moment, the old knight was quite satisfied.

Yet he raised an eyebrow and posed the final question, "Even if the lake and forest are safe, aren't you afraid of attracting wild beasts by dissecting here?"

He said with some significance, "If I hadn't been here to help you drive away the beasts... what would you have done?"

"Attracting them... they would start by eating all this scattered mess, right?"

Glancing sideways at the bloodied and indistinct corpse, Ian turned his head back, smiling casually, "Besides, I'm not without means. It's not yet certain who would eat whom."

He still had Sleep Powder in his arms; ordinary wild beasts were nothing but a delivery of food to him.

Even if a large pack of wolves or leopards came, it'd be enough for him to drop the body and flee to a safe place himself.

The old knight remained silent.

At this very moment, he had made up his mind.

"Why would you dare invite me?"

But the old man still lowered his gaze and said quietly, "Ian... Even if your Spirit Energy can truly detect my good intentions, with your intelligence, you also know that if necessary, I would not hesitate over the life of a child."

"It is neither gratitude nor a win-win situation. The moment you saw me, you had already prepared both the invitation and the contingency plan for failure—tell me the reason behind this risk."

And Ian silently raised his head.

He looked up at the starry sky.

The sky of Terra World, compared to Earth, was particularly dim, apart from an overly bright moon, the entire sky had only a small area with stars, and even those were very faint.

This was clearly not a normal sky; the secrets above the sky of Terra were as perplexing as those on the ground of Terra.

Just the same... they aroused curiosity.

— Like a question longing for an answer, he yearned without reason, wanting to know.

"Aside from an uncle."

Bowing his head, Ian earnestly fixed his gaze on the old knight's countenance and articulated his thoughts smoothly, "I need a guardian, a teacher to tell me more knowledge."

"Although my uncle was scum, without him, there would be no one to teach me the script and other knowledge of this world, and moreover, it's very troublesome to have no adults in the household at Harrison Port."

"Indeed," the old knight nodded, agreeing, "It's very bad to have only children at home."

Such were the customs of The Empire; if children lost both parents in the border regions, the family legacy would be taken, lands would be redistributed, and even the children themselves were considered property, with an uncertain future.

"You could replace him—at first glance, I knew it was my best chance, and one that could change my future life,"

"The opportunity to gain more knowledge."

Ian smiled at the serious old man. He had found a suitable area and began digging a hole to shovel in the dirt: "And this requires your agreement."

The boy had initially planned to bury just his uncle, but due to unforeseen events, he needed to bury a native and a Forest Leopard too, which meant his workload was more than just doubled.

However, just as Ian had begun shoveling a few times, a hand reached out and took the shovel from Ian's hands.

The frowning old knight gestured for Ian to stand aside and then showed him how to use the shovel properly, displaying the movements and techniques with far greater proficiency than the boy, who had never used a shovel either in his past or present life; it was evident he was adept at farm and miscellaneous work.

After demonstrating for five or six minutes, the old knight had dug a pit that had begun to take shape.

Then, he handed the shovel back to Ian, who smoothly took it and imitated the old knight's previous movements to continue digging.

"In The Empire, there are few children like you who want to read and write... they don't even know what knowledge means."

Observing Ian's actions and offering advice on force techniques and correcting subpar movements, the old knight spoke gravely, "Even the children of Nobles and scholars are the same, they consider knowledge a tiresome and worthless thing, preferring martial arts, building achievements, and becoming a member of The Empire's governing body rather than reading and learning to write their own names."

— And yet, they also forbid the spread of knowledge, he thought silently.

"Understanding a civilization begins with its script."

The pit was large enough to hold several bodies. The boy pushed the corpses of his uncle, the native, and the Forest Leopard into it and started to shovel dirt over these individuals who had intended to kill him: "To truly understand a civilization, a world, one must learn to read and write."

Breathing slightly wearily, Ian said calmly, "Likewise, they are needed for the journey of exploring the unknown, whether it's deciphering or recording, reclaiming or pioneering."

"Your name? My teacher, if you agree, my future exploration starts with the knowledge you impart,"

He looked up at the man, and the aged man once again locked eyes with those light blue pupils.

He heard the child's youthful, clear voice, "I want to know."

— Curiosity.

The knight gazed into the light within Ian's eyes.

Pure, wanting to know something, wanting to explore something, wanting to travel afar to uncover the unknown curiosity.

This was a child with infinite possibilities.

Or one might say, humans.

He could perhaps become an adventurer who slayed fierce beasts, buried monsters, and roamed the wilderness; he also might become an explorer traversing mountains and rivers, journeying across the entire Terra Continent.

He might delve into the mysteries of Spirit Energy, searching for the lost Logos of the world amid the dust for humankind; he might also seek to unravel the divine power bestowed by the civilization of the previous era within human genes.

He could become the hero, the explorer, or even a pioneer of a generation... and yet he might remain unnamed, merely a child of the frontiers, ignorant, with the blood of his kin on his hands, his future uncharted.

Or even, worse off. Become a mad creature, driven solely by his own curiosity.

And all these futures and possibilities relied on his own choices.

Just as fifty years ago, his monarch entrusted him in the same manner.

[— Hiliard, my knight... take 'it' away, the farther the better, leave the Imperial Capital, leave the Quinor Plains]

[— After everything ends, use it yourself, or give it to anyone you like, or bury it... as long as those traitors don't get it, there is still hope for the future]

[— Humans... still have the hope to return to the stars]

Hope...

Curiosity...

And the courage to make a choice.

"My name is Hiliard. Hiliard Lacey."

The teacher, the knight.

The weary man lifted his head, his hazel eyes meeting the blue ones.

Hiliard seriously met Ian's gaze, answering his student's question, "Don't worry. Once this is all over, whatever you want to learn, I'll teach you."

"Thank you!"

And so he saw, the boy beaming with joy, Ian's expression unguarded, laughing because he was truly delighted.

Golden halos reflected in the boy's eyes, colors that only Ian could see.

The wind blew across the lakeside land, stirring the waves, mirroring the scattered, dim stars.

The heat of the summer continued to surge between the forests, as the light high Above the Sky gradually dissolved, like the torches that glowed briefly on the earth before extinguishing abruptly.

Looking up, the only things left in Hiliard's view were the pitch-black firmament and the bright moon. Although there were no clouds, dark shadows still obscured the stars, stripping from the eyes of human beings those symbols of eternity and the distant.

In year 766 of Tyra, within the Terra Starfield, the majority of observable stars were obscured, save for the sun and moon and a few remaining planets. When humans looked up at the sky, they could only see darkness.

Fourteen grand magicians from the City of Knowledge's star-gazing platform plummeted to their deaths from the Yunjing Qiongtian Tower; the aftermath of the Imperial Capital's tyrant perishing during the Dark Moon rebellion twenty years ago was gradually subsiding; the nobles from various major locales and powers were amassing at the borders, tides of secrecy surging beneath.

The Embrace Light Church's Exploration Team returned from the Endless Ocean and the New World, bringing ill omens, while the farmers of the Quinor Plains complained of scanty rainfall. The Descendants of the Sea at Whale Song Cliff were awakening from their dreams, eyes set towards the depths of the profound ocean, their hearts filled with vigilance and dread.

The frontier fishermen celebrated a bountiful harvest, and the Old Khan of the Azure Sky Royal Court began preparations for his ninetieth birthday celebration.

The joys and sorrows of all people in the world were disconnected, as the Star Prison Tianyu had taken form.

The pathway for humans to return Above the Sky was becoming gradually sealed, yet no one was aware.

But still, there were those who looked up at the stars.

"I don't know if this is right."

He started working, helping Ian shovel the dirt to bury the body, Hiliard closed his eyes.

But in his mind, he could see those eyes. The flames burning in Ian's aqua-colored eyes were not just the glow of Spirit Energy but a curiosity brighter than the sun, a desire so dazzling and dangerous.

Just like his past self, and his former monarch...

It was the light of hope.

[If he meets the criteria, then I will pass on all my knowledge to him, as well as the key to the future]

"If I've made a mistake, I won't say sorry." Only the stars could hear his voice.

...

Harrison Port, beside Ian's home.

The humid, warm night breeze swept through the streets, the eternal flame at the corner flickered slightly, causing the light from the bioluminescent algae oil within the lantern to waver.

A short figure emerged from the shadows of the house, stepping out from the cover of the grasses, an obsidian knife at his waist. On his dark brown skin were dull patterns that faintly shimmered with an eerie luster.

And there were several indistinct figures following closely behind him.

They arrived in front of Ian's home, silent and stealthy.

The door opened, and the figures stepped inside.