104 The Master’s Wife
Watching the blue-haired beauty appear silently before her, Rebecca grew cautious.
She observed briefly, noting that the beauty had a long tail behind her, similar to her sister-in-law’s, but unlike Roswiser, this tail was sea blue.
So, this must be the one the captain was yelling at out on the sea… Claudia?
Seeing Claudia appear, Leon wasted no time,
“Claudia, please save my master.”
The beautiful woman raised an eyebrow, glancing at Taige lying on the ground. Her expression shifted, showing a range of complicated emotions.
From the displeasure upon hearing the word “master” to the surprise and astonishment at actually seeing Taige, these emotions flickered across Claudia’s face in an instant.
Leon caught these subtle expressions; it was clear his master was connected to the Sea Dragon Race in more ways than one.
“Why should I save a human?”
She neither agreed nor refused, instead questioning Leon about his human status.
“I… my master kept saying he wanted to come to the Sea Dragon Race before he passed out. I thought… there must be a way to save him here.”
“That’s not the answer I want to hear, Leon.”
Claudia said slowly, “Or, let me rephrase the question: you, and the little girl beside you, are both human, right?”
Leon pursed his lips, lowering his voice.
He looked at his master; at this point, there was no need to hide anymore.
“Yes, we are all human.”
“So, the hero who once stopped the space rift and indirectly saved part of the dragon race, the prince of the Silver Dragon, Leon Casmod, is actually a human.”
Leon’s gaze flickered slightly, but he faced Claudia’s long, phoenix-like eyes.
“You’re right, Claudia. I will explain everything to you, but please save my master first; his time is running out.”
“Hmph, you little brat, at least you’re honest.”
Claudia let out a meaningful hum, then jumped down from the rock and approached.
Rebecca had her eyes glued to this beautiful woman; she quietly leaned in to Leon and whispered,
“Is she the Claudia we were calling just now?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, with such a big ocean, she could hear us calling her?”
“Don’t be naive, human girl.”
Claudia stood beside Roswiser, “It was Roswiser who released a magical wave that only the Dragon King could sense, which is how I knew you were here. Otherwise, even if you screamed your lungs out, I wouldn’t have heard a thing.”
“The Dragon King… but isn’t Poseidon the Dragon King of the Sea Dragon Race?”
“Duh, my father isn’t home. Otherwise, you’d be greeted by the Sea Dragon Race’s guard team right now.”
Rebecca swallowed hard, lowering her voice, “This lady seems a bit grumpy.”
Leon squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, “If you know she’s grumpy, stop calling her ‘lady.’”
“Oh, got it!”
Compared to Leon and Rebecca, Roswiser was far more composed.
She knew that the moment Claudia felt her magical aura, she would know the visitor’s identity.
So if Claudia didn’t plan on helping from the start, she could have simply stayed hidden, allowing the Dog Man and the little girl to shout until the moon rose without appearing.
And now that she had shown up, it meant Taige still had hope.
Claudia crouched down to check on Taige’s condition.
“Severe heart damage, other internal organs are also injured to varying degrees. Who did this to him?” Claudia asked with a serious tone.
“A special squad recently formed by the Empire, the Sharp Blade Trio; they possess the power of Primal Power.”
“Ah… I’ve heard about them; that Trio has been quite active on the front lines recently, and many tribes have suffered great losses.”
Leon stepped forward, anxious, “What’s my master’s condition?”
Claudia flatly replied, “Not good.”
With that, she stood up. “I need to take him back for a detailed examination to see if there’s any way to save him.”
Hearing this, Leon’s eyes lit up, barely containing his joy and excitement, “You agreed to save my master?!”
“Don’t be too quick to rejoice, Leon. With his injuries, I can only say… I’ll do my best.”
Claudia walked to the shore. “Alright, follow my lead and let’s head to the underwater palace of Atlantis.”
As soon as she finished speaking, powerful magical energy radiated from Claudia, spreading outward.
In the next moment, a massive blue dragon soared into the sky from the radiant light.
But this dragon looked quite different from traditional dragons like Roswiser and Isar.
Claudia’s dragon form resembled a “flood dragon” from myth, elongated and extraordinarily agile.
“Wow… I’ve never seen a dragon like that before.”
Rebecca exclaimed, “It’s so beautiful!”
“Ahem.”
“Of course, your sister-in-law’s dragon form is beautiful too; everyone is beautiful!”
Youngsters learn fast; thirty seconds ago, he was calling her “lady,” and now he’s serving equal praise all around.
Claudia circled above the island, and in an instant, a massive magical bubble formed beneath everyone’s feet.
The bubble carried them as they followed Claudia diving into the ocean.
As they descended deeper, the colorful underwater world gradually unfolded before their eyes.
“The Sea Dragon Race has lived here for generations,” Roswiser asked.
“Yes, to adapt to the underwater environment, the ancestors of the Sea Dragons gradually evolved into our current form.”
Claudia’s voice resonated through the magical waves into the bubble.
Leon’s thoughts stirred as he asked, “Claudia, you know my master, don’t you?”
From Claudia’s earlier behavior and the two magic books his master showed, they must have some connection; otherwise, Claudia wouldn’t have been so quick to agree to help.
After a few seconds of silence, Claudia finally replied,
“Let’s say we know each other.”
“Then you two are—”
“Don’t ask too much. Someone else will come later to explain everything to you.”
Leon was taken aback. “Someone else?…”
Could it be that besides Claudia, there were others in the Sea Dragon Race who knew him or Taige?
Filled with doubt, Leon and the others finally arrived at the depths of the ocean—
“Welcome to the Sea Dragon Race’s palace—Atlantis.”
The view was bright and clear; hidden beyond the endless underwater reefs and abysses lay the isolated paradise.
Atlantis.
Claudia shifted back to her human form, gently waving her hand, causing the magical bubble surrounding everyone to vanish.
Rebecca quickly covered her mouth and nose, whispering, “Uh-oh! Captain, the blue-haired lady is going to smother us!”
“…You haven’t been crushed into pulp by the underwater pressure yet, so why worry about breathing now?”
“Eh?”
Rebecca tentatively lowered her hand, took a breath, “Wow… I can breathe normally?”
“Ultimately, the Sea Dragon Race is still a branch of the dragon race; they can’t actually breathe freely underwater. That’s why there’s a barrier around Atlantis that has enough oxygen for us to breathe,” Claudia explained.
“Oh, I see…” Rebecca nodded as if she understood.
Roswiser looked up at the barrier above and calculated the distance to the surface, feeling somewhat impressed.
“What a nice place to hide away.”
“Come on, everyone, we need to hurry to save him.”
Leon responded, picking up his master and quickly following Claudia.
“Cough cough… Kid, are we… there yet…” Taige weakly asked.
“We’re there, master. We’ve made it to the Sea Dragon Race; you’ll be fine soon.”
“Ah… as long as we’re here, that’s good, that’s good.”
Hearing his master say this, Leon felt a bit puzzled.
It seemed his master didn’t much care about whether anyone could save him; he was more concerned about… whether they could really reach the Sea Dragon Race.
He had come for it, not just to save his life.
But Leon didn’t have time to dwell on it; regardless of his master’s intentions, he had to save the old guy.
Claudia led them around the palace to a hidden chamber in the back.
Inside the chamber was a bed made of ice, and Claudia pointed at it, “Put Taige on this.”
Leon complied, then asked, “Is this for magic?”
“Deep Abyss Ice, for giving life extension,” Claudia succinctly explained.
After lying down, Taige began to cough bl**d, the bright red stains flowing onto the ice bed.
Claudia immediately began a more detailed examination.
“Leon, and that human girl, go help me get two boxes from that shelf; one is labeled ‘Ghost Lotus Herb’ and the other ‘Frostbone Powder.’”
The two quickly obeyed and soon returned with what Claudia needed.
“Ghost Lotus Herb… Frostbone Powder, and Deep Abyss Ice… Your Sea Dragon Race has some serious resources; even regular dragon races might not have heard of these things,” Roswiser praised.
“One of the benefits of living in the depths of the ocean is that you can discover all sorts of rare treasures from ten thousand years ago.”
The Ghost Lotus Herb and Frostbone Powder combined would channel a certain amount of magical energy into Taige’s magical circuits, ensuring he could properly absorb the effects of these precious herbs.
Claudia’s brow was furrowed, not daring to slack off for a second.
If she made even a minor mistake, it could lead to irreversible consequences.
Leon and the others remained silent, allowing Claudia to focus on her healing.
At that moment, both Leon and Rebecca felt their hearts in their throats.
If Taige were to pass away just like this, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to both of them.
Leon needed not explain; he owed his achievements to his master since childhood.
Rebecca also lost her parents early; it was Taige who repeatedly extended his hand to help her finish the Dragon Slaying Academy, and every time she called him “old man,” it was as if she considered him family.
He absolutely cannot fall here, on the brink of dawn.
After a round of treatment, Claudia exhaustedly leaned against the edge of the ice bed, cold sweat glowing on her forehead.
But Taige had no response.
“Elder, how is my master… what’s wrong with him?” Leon asked urgently.
Claudia slowly stood, fell into silence for a moment, then shook her head,
“His heart is beyond repair; even a healing divine medicine like Ghost Lotus Herb can’t extend his life.”
Like a thunderclap on a clear day, Leon stood frozen, mouth agape, unable to say anything; it felt like something had lodged in his throat, producing no sound.
He knew that “thing”… was a blend of despair and sorrow.
Roswiser quietly walked to his side, gripping his hand tightly.
She could clearly feel the hands that had killed countless foes and weathered many storms were trembling uncontrollably.
“No… it can’t be; my master won’t just—”
“Leon.”
Before his emotions could completely crumble, Claudia spoke,
“Taige understood better than any of us that his injury was fatal; he didn’t come here to seek a way out.”
“Then why did my master insist on coming to the Sea Dragon Race? There’s no one here who can save him; why did he come?”
“Because—”
Before she could explain, a commotion came from the door of the chamber.
“Your Highness, you cannot go in; Princess Claudia has given orders, we—”
“Let me in! Sister, he came to look for me, right? I know he did! Let me in!”
“Your Highness, Princess Charlotte!”
Charlotte…
That name—
Leon looked towards the door of the chamber, seeing the familiar figure pushing past the guards, desperately trying to enter.
He was stunned, whispering,
“Master’s wife…”
