Above The Sky

Chapter 1932 - 1: Original Pioneer Space

Given the situation, the Imperial Capital has lost contact, and my father and aunt have divided the East and West between them, ruling from the Quinor Plains; the rest of the royal offspring have sided with the two of them... In such a backdrop, Aina suddenly realized, no one cares about him anymore (even ignored his father’s summons), nor is anyone concerned about who leads the young generation of the Setal Imperial Family.

He has inherited the attitude of successive Sunbirds towards his father, and now Aina could live as he wished!

The only question is, does he really need freedom?

The answer is yes.

In this world, there are many issues the Imperial Grandson cannot reach or resolve—if an Imperial Grandson were truly needed, then any official Sublimator could probably address it.

But can an official Sublimator run wild around the world?

No. Therefore, there will always be many problems in this world.

However, if he were a passing Third Energy Level powerhouse, there would be many things he could encounter and resolve.

And he could walk steadily on this land, truly seeing this world that all his elders deeply loved.

Upon realizing this, the next day, Aina’s figure disappeared.

The northern fortress of the Empire lost an Imperial Grandson.

While in the vast land of the Empire, a free adventurer emerged.

"Have you heard? Recently, over at Cantebor City, a rogue hero appeared and opened the warehouse doors of several grain merchants, distributing to everyone!"

"After the Sun War and the Calamity of Light, the season’s crops were ruined, and grain prices soared. These grain merchants claimed there was no grain and sold at high prices, even hiring several Sublimators to guard... But when that rogue hero came, a flash of light knocked out the guards, the doors swung open, and all the grain was sold at fair prices. Old Bogli was even hung on his shop sign, so satisfying!"

"But that’s not all he did—the rogue hero even notified the authorities to maintain stability, preventing a stampede over the grain!"

"Isn’t that right, if it were just about toppling those black-hearted grain merchants, who knows if people would even get much grain? Plus, it’s not just about grain in the city—so many strange things appeared with the state of affairs changing, like cult sacrificial rites, smugglers... But once the Twenty-Seventh Corps came to maintain order, the situation in the city improved a lot."

"Still... that the rogue hero could even call the Corps... who is he really..."

"Why care about so much? Just drink, drink!"

In a tavern, a blonde, ordinary-looking man held a glass of fruit wine, smiling as he listened to the street tales.

Every time Aina successfully resolved a situation elsewhere, he would change his appearance and listen to the locals talk about local affairs in the tavern or on the streets.

Not only to satisfy his inner needs, but Aina also absorbed the locals’ complaints and criticisms to improve his methods.

For instance, in the early days of being the rogue hero, he would just knock people out and leave after distributing items, which caused disturbances and let local crime seize the chance to rise, replacing the original wealthy merchants and Sublimators. The city forces shifted, requiring Aina to return and act again, causing trouble and disturbing ordinary people.

To gain experience, Aina collected information locally, listened to residents’ opinions, and refined his next actions.

Of course, he couldn’t just listen to ordinary people—many people’s suggestions were overly greedy, demanding everything. If you controlled them, they felt stifled; if you didn’t, they complained about your negligence.

If you managed cautiously, they complained you weren’t dealing with villains swiftly; if you dealt swiftly, they’d fear you’d also harm them.

Societies, whatever conditions may change with the world, will always have crowds of people, and with people come diverse thoughts and ideas, impossible to fathom.

However, Aina had an advantage in this regard, having actually managed local affairs, he clearly knew which suggestions were misunderstandings and which were meaningless. Learning along the way, he became much more efficient.

"It seems this way is more comprehensive... After the Sun War and the Perpetual Engine Declaration, corps and high-level Sublimators in various regions began preparing policies benefiting the people. As long as there are reports, there will be someone to handle it."

Sipping on his fruit wine, Aina refocused his attention. Not only the Empire, but recently, Ian Silverpeak’s announcement of the ’Perpetual Engine Declaration’ to all nations and magical beasts, precisely to all sentient beings, stirred up all the Terra Nations at the year’s start.

The Perpetual Motion Machine exists.

Moreover, to start it, everyone needs to have an unbrainwashed mind, voting for an acknowledged local ruler.

This isn’t entirely democratic and free, but it aligns with Terra’s political landscape, which is currently strongman politics, so the Perpetual Motion Machine uses that as its basis, truly fitting local conditions.

To compete for voting rights and better gather public support, most strongmen who understand and can react have begun to focus on the people’s livelihood and reform social structures.

Even, due to orders from Fifth Level powerhouses, many previously aloof nobles and Sublimators must now go to the countryside to understand and experience local people’s issues and ’serve the people.’