"Thank you, father-in-law," Ian smiled and did not forget to flatter him.
"Haha, you really know how to get on someone's good side."
Duke Alex laughed and chatted with him for a while before returning to his paperwork. He was extremely busy, as he had to personally lead the expedition in place of his son.
However, noticing that Ian had no intention of leaving, he set down his pen and asked in confusion,
"Anything else?"
Ian looked embarrassed and nervous, wondering if it was the right time, but he still mustered the courage to ask since Duke Alex seemed to be in a good mood.
"Father-in-law, are you really... considering marrying Sylvia to the Thorncrest family? Isn't that... unwise?"
He struggled to find the right words and ended up speaking awkwardly.
He then glanced nervously at Duke Alex, wondering if he would fly into a rage and hack him to death.
"Oh? Who told you?"
Duke Alex was first confused, thought for a moment, and quickly understood everything.
He then looked at Ian intently, as if scrutinizing his behavior. His sharp eyes pierced him as if he was looking at a dead object.
Ian felt a sudden, overwhelming pressure descend upon him, making it hard to breathe.
He couldn't help but feel nervous. After all, although his words didn't seem to have anything wrong, everyone understood his intention.
After observing Ian for a while, Duke Alex sighed heavily and picked up the paper and pen again.
"It was just talk, but that brat got angry and went to her mother's home. Evelyn went there to find her," he said, then returned to his work without saying anything further.
Of course, Ian immediately understood his intention. He couldn't help but smile happily, and didn't forget to thank him,
"Thank you, father-in-law."
To show his gratitude, he quickly drank the bitter tea in his cup without caring about the taste and left the room in a hurry, as if afraid Duke Alex might change his mind.
"This kid!"
Watching his hurried actions, Alex didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He had three children: two daughters and one son. His son was still a toddler, and both daughters were already of marriageable age.
However, he had no intention of marrying them off for political gain, as he loved them deeply.
If this kid loved both and they were willing, he had no complaints. Although he did feel a bit conflicted, it was nothing significant.
Just as he was trying to focus on his work, the door opened again, and Ian's embarrassed voice followed:
"Um... father-in-law, where is Aunt Evelyn's home?"
After leaving the room in excitement, Ian realized he didn't know the location of the Garcia family residence.
Duke Alex, irked by his behavior, scolded in a low voice,
"Mistwood Province, Woodhaven. Now, get out."
---
Not long after Ian returned to his mansion, he instructed a maid to call Lancer to the hall.
After taking a long refreshing bath, changing into casual clothes, and heading to the meeting hall, he found Lancer already waiting for him.
"Young master, did you call for me?"
Lancer gave him a Knightly salute and asked in confusion.
"Yeah, Lancer. Did you apply for the expedition?" Ian asked after nodding towards him.
"Yes, young master. I wanted to experience fighting monsters at the border as well," Lancer said awkwardly, worried he might not qualify.
As a retired veteran reinstated to the Imperial Capital to train young knights, he still wished to fight alongside Ian after learning much during their week of training.
"Okay, that's good," Ian said casually, not caring about his thoughts.
He then took out a sealed letter from his pocket, handing it to him.
"Give this to my father and follow the expedition team to the northern border today. I'll leave by tomorrow at the latest. You go ahead and prepare everything."
"Okay, young master," Lancer said, happy at the opportunity to fight alongside Ian.
Without hesitation, he accepted the letter, bowed, and left.
Ian watched Lancer leave and thought,
'Now that everything is taken care of, it's time to increase my strength.'
After receiving rewards earlier in the afternoon, he had only received the Phantom Veil secret technique from the list.
Now that it was evening, he wanted to maximize his strength before setting off tomorrow.
Having made his decision, Ian entered the familiar training room and sat on the futon.
The spacious and serene room was suitable for meditation, though it wasn't ideal for him as a High Knight and a Wizard Apprentice.
Nevertheless, he managed.
"System, receive the Ethereal Core Crystal."
Increasing his strength was the priority.
With his thought, a shimmering light-green crystal with a faint blue tinge, about a third the size of his palm, appeared in his hand, filling the entire room with rich life energy.
Ian immediately felt refreshed.
"It's indeed the condensed essence of a peak Tier 3 High Knight."
Noticing the blue tinge on the crystal, he dismissed it, assuming it was due to a unique breathing method. After all, there were many things he didn't know, and he was too lazy to care.
Without wasting time, Ian grasped the crystal and began the Veilstrider Knight Breathing method.
He also experimented with the mind meditation method but noticed no additional effect.
As his breathing became regular and deep, the energy within the crystal entered his body in small streams, flowing through his meridians.
It was vibrant and refreshing, far superior to merely impacting the High Knight realm.
As the life energy in his body increased exponentially, the shriveled life seed in his dantian became extremely active, like someone in a desert finding an oasis.
Suddenly, a strange suction force from the seed began absorbing the energy violently, like a siphon, causing the Ethereal crystal in his hand to visibly shrink.
Ian, who was in a meditative state, unconsciously synchronized his mental power with his breathing rhythm, smoothing the life seed's violent absorption.
With the absorption progressing smoothly, the Life Seed in his dantian began to rotate vigorously in a clockwise direction, advancing at a rapid pace.
His stagnant realm also began to show signs of a breakthrough.
"Tier 1 High Knight Peak."
"Tier 2 High Knight Realm."
"Tier 2 Peak."
"Tier 3 High Knight Realm."