On the airship bound for the imperial capital, Kylen leaned against the railing, watching the imperial scenery outside the porthole with great interest.
Since the abyssal rifts emerged a hundred years ago, the pattern of the Arcana Empire had been completely transformed.
In addition to traditional grains, the farmlands were planted with a magical crop called Star-Spike Rice.
Though not ranked in any sequence, each ear of rice weighed several 10 kg. It did not consume soil fertility; instead, it absorbed magic from the air.
Only a few hundred plants needed to be cultivated per mu to yield several thousand 10 kg of harvest.
The abyss brought not only war but also the innovation of civilization.
Without the abundant supplies provided by these magical crops, the empire could never support the huge costs of fighting the abyss.
The atmosphere on the airship was somewhat delicate.
Among the freshmen, besides Kylen's team, several other S-rank Contractors from different departments were participating in the individual competition, and they got along fairly well.
But the sophomores and juniors looked at Kylen with unfriendly and guarded eyes.
The reason was simple. Avelia was lazily lying on Kylen's lap, twirling a translucent grape between her fingers and occasionally feeding it to him.
Their intimate appearance made many seniors who had once admired Avelia grit their teeth secretly.
Raviel's gaze briefly met Kylen's before quickly moving away.
Beside him were members of the Crimson Legion team, the main force of the sophomore division, who had just returned from a mission in the Shadow Abyssal Rift.
"Raviel, did you really fight him?" Team member Gideon asked in a low voice.
Raviel sighed helplessly: "Yes, and I lost."
"What?" The other six members turned to look at him in surprise. Though Raviel was the youngest member of the Crimson Legion, he was a genuine Ascension Realm Contractor.
How could he lose to a freshman, even if Avelia had once been their captain?
Raviel glanced at them: "If you want to challenge him, go ahead. Don't drag me into it."
Gideon remembered the fear of being dominated by Avelia in the past and quickly waved his hand: "No way. If even you lost, it means the captain's strength hasn't dropped much. I don't want to ask for trouble."
The others nodded in deep agreement. They had dared to reignite their admiration when they heard Avelia's realm had fallen, but Raviel's lack of fighting spirit made it clear that Avelia was still the intimidating figure they had feared.
In the end, they could only glare at Kylen angrily, their eyes filled with jealousy and unwillingness.
Kylen paid no attention to this. He turned his head and called softly: "Avelia."
Avelia leaned closer, her voice soft and sweet: "Hmm?"
Kylen spread his palm. Resting in his hand was a metal medallion, the same token engraved with the family crest of a dark blade tearing through wings that Raviel had given them earlier.
"I asked the imperial border guards to investigate a few days ago. He just sent back word."
Avelia's expression turned serious instantly. This medallion might uncover the truth behind the attack on her.
"This is the family crest of the Tornwing family from the Trenia Empire," Kylen said in a deep voice. "I had someone retrieve the records from the border checkpoint in Redrock City.
In the past month, a large number of Tornwing family members have entered the empire under the guise of trade envoys."
Avelia furrowed her brows. The location where she was attacked was not far from Redrock Fortress, a safe area under imperial control. Yet she had been besieged by hundreds of Contractors.
Her four maids had all died in battle. The commotion from the fight had been earth-shaking, but the Azure Dragon Knights stationed in Redrock City had shown no reaction, as if they had never noticed.
Seriously injured, she had originally wanted to flee to the passage between the abyssal rift and Saint Laurent City, only to find it also filled with ambushes.
If she had not burned her origin at the cost of nearly falling into a deep sleep, she could never have broken through, let alone met Kylen.
A major reason Kylen had joined the Azure Dragon Knights was to investigate the truth behind this attack.
"What do you think?" Avelia asked softly.
Kylen analyzed: "I have a hypothesis. If they wanted to kill you, there was no need to act near Redrock City. The depths of the abyssal rift would have been a better choice."
"Ten days ago, it suddenly dawned on me. Just as I crave the Origin Sequence, others covet it too. Their goal was to capture you alive."
"That's why they chose to act near Redrock City, so they could quickly escape the empire through the border after succeeding."
Avelia nodded gently.
If the attackers were from the Trenia Empire, they had two escape routes.
One was to return to the empire from Redrock City and then find an opportunity to leave the country. The other was to cross the forbidden area between the abyssal rifts.
All abyssal rifts were connected to each other, a secret humans had discovered at great cost.
But the forbidden area was fraught with dangers, impassable except for Saint Realm powerhouses, and was practically a one-way trip.
Kylen's hypothesis was clearly more reasonable.
"If this hypothesis is true, then they must have an insider. And it's someone in a high position!"
Kylen's tone intensified. "The insider in the Azure Dragon Knights may not be a knight order member, but they must be able to influence the fortress's defenses.
Otherwise, they could not have launched an ambush right under the knights' noses, or even replaced the passage guards."
"There's also an insider in the academy. Otherwise, they could not have figured out your whereabouts, let alone confirmed you were of the Origin Sequence.
But this insider probably doesn't know your true identity. Otherwise, they would not have been willing to let the Tornwing family take the credit.
More likely, the Tornwing family obtained clues from other channels, which were verified with the academy insider's information to lock onto you."
"Think about what Raviel said…" Kylen glanced at the Crimson Legion.
"There's also an insider in your team. Otherwise, they could not have accurately grasped your movement trajectory, nor could they have been certain you were of the Origin Sequence based solely on the academy insider's information."
Avelia's gaze instantly turned to the Crimson Legion, her deep crimson pupils darkened with coldness. The team she had once led actually harbored a venomous snake that wanted to kill her.
She thought of her four maids who had died in battle, and intense killing intent surged in her heart. She stood up, ready to act, but Kylen grabbed her tightly.
"Don't be impulsive," Kylen whispered. "I promised you I would avenge them, but not now. We need to uproot these people, not let a single one slip through the net."
Avelia forced down her anger and calmed down: "What should we do then? Tell Principal Orion?"
Kylen shook his head: "We can, but not now." The three types of people he suspected all held extremely tricky positions.
Reporting to the principal that there was an insider in the academy, or questioning the loyalty of the Azure Dragon Knights to the governor would require conclusive evidence.
Otherwise, mere speculation would not only fail to shake these people but also alert the enemy.
What's more, the problem with the Azure Dragon Knights might not lie with the core members of the knight order, but with family descendants influenced by top-tier Contract Families meddling in affairs.
"What should we do then?" Avelia asked.
A cold smile curved on Kylen's lips: "Test them. Start with the smallest target—the Crimson Legion."
"They will return to the abyssal rift after the exchange tournament. Now is the best time to find the insider."
He looked at Avelia, his eyes flashing with a hint of cunning: "Don't expose yourself, Avelia~"