Chapter 234: 234. I Knew This Elder…
Chapter 234: 234. I Knew This Elder…
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After the insolent brat Mordred threw a tantrum of that magnitude, Aya spent the remaining time in the banquet, hot-faced with embarrassment, next to Baiyi. To the rest of the people, this dragon lady still seemed pretty happy-go-lucky, although she had handled the previous situation quite poorly.
Aya actually thought of initiating a conversation with Baiyi, but the hesitation in her heart kept her back, and the few brave steps she took came to a stop almost immediately. It was Mordred who made her wish came true; by utilizing the opportunity provided by their crowded environment, Aya and Mordred were able to inch them closer to Baiyi, to the point where they look like his lady companions.
Mordred had a delighted look on her face as she happily embraced Mia. "Mia, we haven't met in a long time. I've missed you so much..." she whispered into Mia's ear.
Faced with Mordred's fondness, Mia could no longer maintain her anger and she caressed Mordred's face softly in return. "I missed you too..."
The little girls were so easy-going towards each other that it looked like they were related by blood. This made Baiyi feel even worse and conflicted. For some reason, Baiyi always thought he felt an intense gaze boring into him, causing him some discomfort... Furthermore, not forgetting the fact that he had to deal with these troublesome aristocrats, Baiyi was truly exhausted from this little adventure; it was so tiring to see this through till the end. He could barely wait any longer to teleport back to Aspen City.
Baiyi turned around after placing the extremely tired girls into the carriage, and he saw Aya gazing at him from the back, holding Mordred's hand in hers. Like a couple who had been together for a long time but had not spoken to each other for an equally long interval, he pondered for a while, finding barely anything to say, before he turned around once again.
Earlier, he had received news that the Brotherhood of the Fire Wyverns had been officially incorporated by Prince Rowan. They had even set up a base just at the perimeter of a medium-sized city located very close to the Eol Mountains. With the mountain range just directly behind them, they were located very close to the Dragon summit. It was a base for training the new recruits and trying our new combat strategies. The kingdom would possess an extremely powerful army in no time. Judging by the rank given to her within the Brotherhood, Aya would certainly be able to live a good life.
"How have you been after all this time? How did you find your new place?" asked Baiyi.
"It's alright..." Aya smiled in lightly in response.
"Just thinking and missing you a lot..." added Mordred at one corner, triggering a pinch on her cheek by an enraged Aya, who then shooed her into the carriage.
When she returned, Aya felt a little more embarrassed. With both hands behind her back, she tried her best to explain. "Sir Hope, please do not misunderstand... I did not teach her such things! Somehow, she believed that you're her father due to that pleasant scent you have on you..."
"Oh?" Baiyi was stunned. 'What kind of scent do I have? The scent of lubricant? That should not be it... why would Mordred find that scent pleasant? Unless she was a lock piece, but obviously she wasn't one. A scent that would entice a dragon... perhaps it might be some sort of aura emitted by the summoning of dragons during the Armageddon?'
He roused the Third Walker who was not asleep yet. "Your daughter?" asked Baiyi.
"Now where did that come from! Look how old she is! How old am I! Can't you put two and two together to figure that out?" retorted the Third Walker.
"Well, it's hard to tell, knowing that you had countless offspring out of wedlock," accused Baiyi.
Most of the Voidwalkers were quite private about their personal affairs. Like the Scholar, many were single for life; the Soul Armature Practitioner, Bard, and the Third Walker were exceptions, and among the three of them, the Third Walker led the most notorious, indecent lifestyle. He had acted as though he took the role of a breeding stallion. Oh no, the correct term should be — a breeding dragon.
"Well, it's not like you're not aware that I was quite the Casanova back in those days, but really, she's just too young to be my daughter. Perhaps, she might be a descendant from god-knows whichever bloodline of mine?
This just made the situation worse. If those years of sexual philandering was to be accounted into this discussion, it would just be equivalent to counting the many branches of a huge tree; the results would be futile, for it would be impossible to obtain an accurate number.
"You could start by asking what breed of dragon she is, perhaps?" The Third Walker suggested.
Baiyi inquired, and Aya pondered for a moment before saying, "She is of the white dragon breed, I think? However, she's a little different, though. Maybe, she's a mix-breed? But she doesn't have any special abilities..."
This issue just got even more muddled. To put the outcomes from cross-breeding simply, it was possible for the offspring to inherit both the parents' abilities, or inherit the ability of just one parent; or they could turn out to be useless, low-tiered crossbreeds with no abilities at all. According to the Third Walker's knowledge on the dragonkin, the higher-tiered dragons were the result of mixed-breeding between common dragons. They were the offspring with high-quality genetics after many years of intensive cross reproduction.
At least, offspring could not be produced between man and dragon, or even between man and goat; at least this law of reproduction still existed, or else the world would be filled with confusing, cross-bred creatures
This law of reproduction still existed, or else the world would have been plagued by a genetic calamity.
Well, the mystery behind Mordred's life simply could not be investigated further. Honestly, there was no real priority or significance behind the issue that begged to be resolved. Possessing or not possessing the Divine Dragon's blood did not make much of a difference, however, for there was only one vacancy for that.
"Well, no matter what it is, she's a descendant of mine; the only one I've seen so far. Take care of her for me, would you?" the Third Walker added, nonetheless.
'She is already under the care of an excellent mother, so why should I worry about this? Hell knows if I'll end up looking after the mother, too! Speaking of which, did you ever think of looking after your descendants, when you were busy spreading your seed all those years ago?'
"Aye, back in those days, I was young and carefree. I could hardly control my darkest desires, and all these were mistakes of my youth. Now that I am at such an old age, there is so much I regret," said the Third Walker, in an increasingly soft volume as he sank into the depths of his distant memories, never to bring up the nonsensical commitment — taking care of his descendants — again.
In the present world, Aya captured this golden opportunity to bring up her million dollar question — her true agenda which had fueled her decision to come over tonight.
"Sir Hope, w-who... are you, really?"
Aya was actually quite afraid to ask this question, but she and her father were too curious for the truth. That night, the fact that Baiyi, an outsider, had commanded the dragons might have gone unnoticed by the other Dragon Knights, but they had witnessed the scene entirely. It was a question that surfaced quite a while ago, but it was never presented to Baiyi because they did not dare to, considering his identity and position in the current situation.
To the Dragonkind, questioning the Divine Dragon was equivalent to humans interrogating their king; most people would not dare to do such a thing. In the beginning, Aya thought Baiyi was the Divine Dragon himself, but after conducting some research during a visit to Isythre — which possessed the most advanced soul armature technology — only then did she find out that Dragonkind could not exist as Soul Armatures. This was the confirmation she needed before voicing her curiosities.
The fact that this dragon-lady had dared to inquire about this was truly out of Baiyi's expectations. He hesitated for a moment, considering whether to respond aggressively in the hopes that she abandon the thought, but he would feel bad if he bullied the poor girl who he had already rejected. After some consideration, he began to speak:
"To put it short, I've been to many places, and I've seen many things in the world, including mysterious beings and presences. However, there was one such being that left such an impressionable memory on me." Baiyi spouted out blatant lies as he rambled, complemented with an incredibly convincing expression of pondering etched on his faceplate. He spoke of how he met the Divine Dragon on a fated journey, and how they had exchanged drinks and ideas till dusk broke. Before he left, the Divine One had even taught him a few things.
"Y-you... encountered the Divine Dragon?!" Aya was beyond shocked at this point, after listening to the fantasies created by Baiyi. She never doubted an inch on its authenticity, so she was only completely blown away.
"Was he the legendary Divine Dragon? I don't know for sure. I only thought he was an incredibly strong and wise elder. Come to think of it, it was quite an honor," feigned Baiyi, feeding Aya with more lies.
"But, why would the Divine Dragon teach you Dragonverse, and the method of summoning dragons?" asked Aya curiously. She did not quite understand most of it.
Baiyi used it in a moment of panic. He was not even well prepared when he cast the spell. Now, he had been caught in an awkward situation where his actions were hard to explain. "I must say, I dare not doubt the views of such a magnificent being; he might have his own reasons..."
Aya tilted her head in an angle, wearing an expression like she was thinking very hard, but she came to no conclusion in the end. Just like what Baiyi had mentioned, and perhaps stemming from fear and respect, she did not dare to doubt the views of the Divine One himself, too. There were many holes in Baiyi's story, but she chose to believe them due to her feelings for him.
"You are amazing indeed, Sir Hope! You knew the Saints, and even the Divine Dragon! Your past life must be pretty exciting, huh?" Aya asked within her next breath.
"I was just loitering around. Just happened to meet a lot of people with the right stroke of luck," said Baiyi dismissively.
Actually, he felt a little wary whenever his past was brought up by others, out of curiosity, in most cases. "If you're so impressive, then you must be pretty famous in the past, huh? Then why haven't I heard of you?" These impossible-to-answer questions were never-ending. Baiyi could fool them by saying it was a misrecord of history, but this trick could only be used effectively two to three times at most, and he could not evade these questions forever.
He had considered this when he rejected the glamorous offer from the Royal Academy. How could they not look into his background if he were to apply for the important departmental roles? Thank heavens, now that he had a stable position, all he needed to do was to remain low-key to avoids these types of people, who loved to entertain themselves by asking these personal questions.
At this point, they were quite done with catching up, so both Baiyi and Aya bid their goodbyes and prepared to return home. As they separated from each other, Aya, who was standing by the carriage, turned around for the last time, and her gaze lingered on Baiyi's silhouette for a bit, before she called out softly, "Ah, Sir Hope, you look so handsome and good-looking right now..."
"Thank you," Baiyi replied without turning around. 'Does she possess a fetish for the antlers on the helmet?'
"Umm, about that... I am very glad that we got to catch up today, honestly. If there is a chance in near future, can we still meet each other? Mordred has also taken quite a liking to you..."
Baiyi still did not turn around, but he could picture the hopeful expression on Aya's face. He only nodded in reply.