Chapter 459: Act 209 – Half-Dragon Xi
The news of Count Rendener’s encroaching army was something Brendel, who was in the center of the Loop of Trade Winds, could not possibly know at this moment. In fact, he and Veronika were currently in a state of shock.
Andisha’s half-demonic physical strength was several levels above that of an ordinary human, capable of achieving a level equivalent to the early stages of Silver. However, this did not grant her the slightest advantage against Xi, and the fight quickly ended in a one-sided manner. Under Brendel’s instruction, Andisha was ultimately knocked unconscious with a single blow.
But what was going on?
A young girl stepped out of the mist. Her face was blushing, much like a lovely apple, yet she did not seem to break a sweat.
Brendel looked in surprise at the girl with a long crimson ponytail and sharp canines that peeked out when she gritted her teeth, and could not help but ask, “Xi, are you alright…?”
Xi hurriedly shook her head: “I’m not sure, Lord, but I just feel that ever since the spark was ignited, my physical strength hasn’t been significantly restrained.”
“What is your current level of physical strength?”
“According to your standards, it’s probably around the peak of Silver.”
“Peak of Silver!?” Not only Brendel but even Veronika couldn’t help but gasp. Generally speaking, even someone at their level, such as herself and Mephistopheles, would only have physical strength at an average level within the black iron range. The enhancement of attributes like strength, agility, and constitution essentially referred to the degree of energy contained within the body—this energy arises from the transformation of elements and magical power and isn’t actually the physical strength of the body itself.
The evolution of elements is a way to assess the types of power taken from the world and gradually discover the nature and rules of that power from one’s own strength. Only after reaching the limits of understanding those rules can one truly absorb and accommodate them. This is the perfect body; the perfect body signifies the final process of merging with the energy contained in the body.
Thus, the greatest advantage of the Golden race is that once they fully comprehend the domain of an element, their physical form is already exceptionally developed. For instance, dragons naturally obtain golden bodies and can directly advance to higher existential planes from this foundation. In contrast, the wizards of Bud and the Silver Elves, as a Silver race, only start from a Silver body after transcending elements—second only to the Golden people.
Other races lost to the lands, whether Erluin, Crusian, or the Wind Elves of Saint Ausoor, boast of being Martha’s children. Yet, they must ascend to the peak step by step from the most fundamental black iron body. Indeed, the path of humanity is boundless and full of plasticity—the growth in life and power in the Golden people is extraordinarily lengthy, often taking hundreds of years to reach the pinnacle of elements. The Silver people follow, but they are far inferior to beings like humans, Wind Elves, and the mountainous dwarves who must look up to them.
The fastest recorded growth in power among humans is attributed to Gilt, known as the Genius of Swordsmanship, a forebear of the Crusian people. He crossed the pinnacle of elements at merely seventy years old. In the dwarven records it is one hundred sixty years, and among Wind Elves, two hundred ten years, all considerably younger than the most outstanding geniuses of the Golden or Silver races.
“She’s not a true dragon,” Mephistopheles remarked. Brendel nodded in agreement; the true dragon lineage is Golden Blood, and Xi’s physical strength reaching only the peak of Silver indicates that she likely carries just a part of dragon blood within her. Such occurrences are common in the human world—some dragons enjoy taking a human form, leaving their descendants in the realm of humans.
For example, the young female dragon he first met took the form of a human girl. Furthermore, there is even a legend in the Tower of Stars and Moon: ‘It is said that dragons choose their mates in May of every decade, and the star sorcerers of the Ten Realms Tower proclaim that the first baby born in this month will carry the blood of a great dragon.’ The Ten Realms Tower is located southeast of today’s Saint Ausoor, at the edge of the Endless Black Forest, where there are often rumors of travelers sighting dragons.
“Xi, what about your parents?” Brendel asked.
Xi paused, suddenly understanding what her lord was trying to ask. She quickly shook her head, saying, “My lord, my parents are just ordinary mountain folk.”
“Do you remember clearly?”
“Yes, I recall some things from my childhood. I am my parents’ biological daughter, and my father said I closely resemble my mother. I also have an older brother,” she added, as if fearing Brendel would not believe her, “But then thieves came to the village… and after that, I was rescued by the captain…”
“I’m sorry.” Brendel felt a pang of guilt as Xi was reminded of two painful memories.
“Mm, it’s nothing.” Xi shook her head, raising her head slightly with a faint smile, revealing her sharp little fangs.
This smile nearly left Brendel mesmerized; in his mind, Xi rarely smiled, and he hadn’t anticipated she would look so beautiful when she did. He couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed, but a hint of doubt arose — if Xi’s lineage did not come from her parents, then where did it come from?
Unless Andisha had made a mistake, but with that woman’s experience, such an error was very unlikely. Furthermore, magical creatures are innately sensitive to dragon blood, which made the initial assumption seem unlikely.
“Could it be due to the blood of the gods?” Otales expressed his curiosity, having never heard of black iron humans mutating into Golden Blood.
“That’s not it.” Brendel shook his head; the blood of the gods could only transform a person into a divine messenger, but could never turn someone into a member of the Golden race.
“My lord, look at this.” Xi raised her arms, and Brendel noticed dark golden runes subtly flowing on her arms. This scene seemed familiar; a similar phenomenon had appeared on Xi before the tide of magic swept through, but at that time, he hadn’t paid it much mind, merely believing it to be a manifestation of the immense magical power coursing through her blood due to her absorption of the Golden Apple — in resonance with the magical tide.
However, it now appeared to be different. The magic had been entirely severed by Martha’s laws, yet those runes remained on Xi, indicating that it was not mere magic but true bloodline power. Brendel furrowed his brow; his knowledge of bloodlines was limited, and he couldn’t immediately identify these strange runes. However, Otales couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s solidified dragon blood.”
“What’s going on?” Brendel immediately inquired.
“This girl has consumed dragon blood, and not just any dragon’s, but the golden blood of a living great dragon. She now possesses at least half-dragon power. This half-dragon power isn’t true bloodline power, but it is still beneficial to the host. Her physical strength, with this enhancement, can reach the level of peak Golden, definitely stronger than you. And most importantly, dragon blood will significantly aid her growth in the future, increasing her training speed by at least twenty to thirty percent.” Otales replied.
A twenty to thirty percent increase in training speed? Brendel nearly coughed. He realized this dragon blood could be considered a talent ability, typically obtained through quests in games. However, he had never seen an ability that could enhance “gained experience” by 20-30%. He recalled that he had ingested plenty of dragon blood in the game, sold in small vials by players, costing anywhere from hundreds to thousands of Tors. Dragon blood could temporarily enhance physical attributes and was an essential alchemical component. Unfortunately, he had never heard of drinking dragon blood granting a talent ability.
Twenty to thirty percent extra experience; Brendel felt like banging his head against the wall. However, hearing the term “host,” he cautiously asked, “There won’t be any downsides, right?”
“There aren’t any negatives, but due to the dragon blood within her, the host will have an inexplicable affinity for the owner of the dragon blood,” Otales said, looking at him with a hint of a smile. “You have plenty of enemies now; this little girl is a significant asset. But you need to be careful, for if this dragon turns out to be a remarkably handsome ‘prince of dragons,’ this devoted little girl may one day be spirited away by a giant dragon descending from the skies.”
Brendel couldn’t help but chuckle at such teasing, though he wasn’t worried; he was fairly certain this little girl was the one causing chaos with the Golden Apple. But wait, “the host will develop an inexplicable affinity for the owner of the dragon blood?” He suddenly recalled that the little dragon named Arnoz intended to have him eat that apple, right?
“Damn, that little girl really has bad intentions!” Brendel cursed inwardly! He couldn’t help but feel relieved that Xi was the one who ate the apple; being favored by a great dragon wasn’t necessarily a good thing—he had seen many characters suffer from “being favored by dragons.”
You must understand that the way dragons handle problems is usually simple and direct. They often cast a charm on the players or characters they favor and then drag them off to their lairs—of course, the players wouldn’t actually be consumed. Thus, for players, this charm provides a quest prompt:
“A great dragon has expressed interest in you and has cast a spell to take you away. You can choose not to accept, but it will still take you—whether dead or alive.”
“So, now you choose, accept or decline?”
Most reasonably intelligent players would choose the former, of course. However, when a dragon takes you to their nest, it certainly isn’t to engage in widely popular activities; rather, it’s to entertain the dragon, typically by telling stories or riddles. Generally, you’ll be guessing for three days and three nights. During this time, you can log in and out, but you ultimately have to complete this task for a minimum of seventy-two hours, or longer, to consider it done.
Such quests often come with generous rewards, but few people wish to encounter them because they are incredibly intricate. Dragons possess excellent memories, so if during those three days you keep repeating the same stories, they will make you acutely aware of just how terrifying a dragon’s wisdom is.
Realizing this, Brendel suddenly shivered. He understood that Arnoz had given him a Golden Apple instead of directly casting a charm on him, which indicated her interest wasn’t ordinary. Moreover, the little dragon hadn’t departed due to losing interest but had simply been forced to leave for other pressing matters.
In fact, if a woman expresses interest in a man, it typically indicates a desire to pursue a relationship. But the thought process of dragons is utterly different: if a little dragon tells you she’s very interested in you—
She likely means to say, “Mortal, as a toy, you truly satisfy me.”
…(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
