Chapter 19 Plan

"Teacher."

At that moment, Ian's calling of 'teacher' had become very natural. He spoke gently, laying out his plan, "When the time comes, you just say that when you went into the mountain to collect Su Boer Flowers, an accident caused by your leg's inconvenience injured your face, and the wound got infected and turned into pus, so it's wrapped in bandages and you can't see people."

"Let's wait a few months, after the people of Harrison Port have finished planting the autumn and winter wheat, and come out during the New Year's festival. By then, everyone will probably have forgotten what my uncle originally looked like. Even if there are people who feel something is off, we can attribute it to the facial injury."

Ian elaborated smoothly, recounting many details, which caused the one addressed as 'teacher,' Hiliard, to inadvertently raise his eyes in surprise at the boy.

It was a perfect plan—Ossenna originally had Su Boer Flower Sleep Powder, which is an extremely rare material. Even a small bag can sell for a good price. Had it not been for Ian's uncle's addiction to snorting black mushrooms, exchanging all his possessions for this powder, he could have renovated his entire house.

With Sleep Powder at hand, even not working for a few months wouldn't be a problem, not to mention that Ian didn't plan to do nothing at all.

He prepared to help out the familiar fishmongers; after all, they were kinfolk from Harrison Port and White Folks. Using his smarts and wits, scraping together a living would be no problem, and he would also gain a better understanding of the situation around his world's hometown.

As for Ossenna… He was naturally a gloomy and unsociable person.

His colleagues didn't like him, and it was doubtful that the consul truly appreciated him. Bluffing his way through wouldn't be troublesome, especially since the excuse of a facial injury was a universal one. And not to mention, wasn't 'Bad Face Mark' from inside the port—hadn't he been stung by poisonous bees in the mountains? Half of his face was covered with pits and swelling.

"By then, the white wig would probably be made. The White Folks of Harrison Port usually only gather when called by the Elder. We only need a bit of luck in the first year; as time goes by, memories will adjust themselves, and at most they may just remark that you, teacher, have either gained or lost weight," Ian concluded.

Having finished laying out his thoughts, Ian was aware that his plan was risky, required some fortune, and was not guaranteed to be hundred percent successful—there were indeed many mistakes.

But he was inherently carefree and optimistic. Since it couldn't get worse, why not give it a try?

After all, for the most part, this world was busy competing in wretchedness. His plan might be somewhat taken for granted, but so were many other people's, which made it no problem at all!

Weighing the pros and cons, as long as the odds were over fifty percent, Ian was willing to take a gamble, especially since the situation was not that bad.

He felt the success rate of his plan was quite high.

"Haha."

To this, Hiliard merely looked profoundly at Ian, who had thoughtfully and meticulously planned everything.

The old knight shook his head, "You're thinking too hard, my apprentice."

Initially, he was quite a cheerful and lively person. Since he had resolved to be Ian's teacher, Hiliard naturally wouldn't be too gloomy, putting on a look of great hatred and fatigue.

Of course, this didn't mean he would forget the past. On the contrary, it was all because of Ian's arrival...

—His 'apprentice' could perhaps bring some unknown possibilities for himself.

Compared to the bleak and desperate, nearly impossible future he was prepared to face, nurturing a new Primordial Seed at least allowed him to find a bit of color in the last decade or so of his life.

If that was the case, there was no harm in showcasing a bit of power, to make this clever apprentice even more aware of the true nature of this world.

"Look."

The former knight lifted his hand, motioning the boy to look at his head.

As Ian looked up in confusion, he was astonished to see that Hiliard's grey-white hair was visibly turning lighter and whitening at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Hiliard's original hair color should have been grey-brown, and even as it aged and whitened, it still had some mixed colors, but now, it had become as pure white as that of the White Folks!

It was not just that, as Hiliard stretched out his hand again, pointing towards his own eyes and face, with the muscles twitching and blood surging, Hiliard's eye color and features instantly became about seventy to eighty percent similar to Ossenna's!

"There's such an operation?!"

Seeing the drastic change in Hiliard's appearance, Ian finally showed emotion and exclaimed in shock, "Can it be this convenient?!"

Using simple muscle twitching, combined with bodily fluid filling... to achieve a nearly seventy to eighty percent similarity, or even better, in face-changing imitation?!

"This is magic, right?"

Swallowing hard, Ian indeed found it unbelievable.

After all, his uncle and the old knight had different statures and appearances. Compared to Ossenna, Hiliard was obviously more robust and a bit taller.

But these were things that could be managed on a daily basis with a little cover-up, a slight stoop was enough to take care of them.

Human memory is fuzzy; no one can remember the face of a person they just met several months ago, and even if they feel that the physique seems a bit off, they would only think that their past memory was flawed—even more so since my mentor's ability to disguise is so accurate that even I, his nephew, find the resemblance uncanny!

With such an ability, it would be all too easy for Hiliard to disguise himself as Ossenna.

No wonder this bargain teacher could live unfettered for over a decade under the Empire's manhunt, using a false name.

"Haha." Seeing Ian's genuine, shocked expression, Hiliard couldn't help but feel pleased: "Controlling flesh and blood, manipulating it at will, is just a trick that Sublimators of the Second Level High Order all employ."

He shook his head slightly and smiled, "But with the current state of my body, I can't maintain a hundred percent imitation for a long time."

His cheap apprentice was certainly young, but he gave off the feeling of an attentive adult, bold enough to deal with his dangerous uncle by himself, ready to strike down a Native Hunter at the first sign of threat—decisive and resolute.

However extraordinary he might be, in the end he was just a child ignorant of Sublimators.

Although he lost the vast majority of his power due to the epidemic, the power that came from his Primordial Seed, his control over his own body had not faltered.

And Ian's talent could be described as remarkable; the fact that he had Awakened Spiritual Power spontaneously, indicated an extremely strong will, which is the most critical element in unlocking the power of the Primordial Seed and becoming a Sublimator.

Despite not knowing what kind of Spirit Energy it was, even the most Ordinary 'emotional induction' could, when honed to a later stage, easily control his emotions, sense every nuance of the enemy's emotions and hormonal changes, allowing him to easily enter the most professional and immersive learning state, beneficial both in everyday life and in combat.

Moreover... the opponent's Spirit Energy was definitely not just Ordinary emotional induction.

It was something more complex, more exalted... requiring a truer desire to build such power.