Chapter 209: A Different Attitude Towards The Descendants
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Honestly speaking, to be frightened by the intimidating aura from the Fifth Walker was nothing to be ashamed of. Baiyi wanted to tender more apologies, but before he could speak, the Third Walker could be heard grumbling within the Void, "Such a weakling! Disgraceful, indeed!"
"These species always attempt to imitate humans, and they eventually pick up all the nasty habits of those mortals!" The Third Walker scoffed in disgust at the many attempts of mighty, high-class dragonkins that chose to transform into humans in order to blend into the society of men. He was a firm opposer of such antics indeed.
"Want me to chide her for you?" Baiyi offered.
"Ugh, just let it be..." The Third Voidwalker answered after a moment's consideration. "This is the way of life chosen by her... I should respect her decision. Give her my blessing, will you?"
'Pfft, no reprimands... but a blessing instead?' Perhaps the Third Walker was only verbally stern; he was still very fond of his descendants. Or maybe, he just thought that this little dragon-lady was adorable and cute, so he could not bear to chide her. Although her existing appearance was just an illusion, it still required pretty good genetics to become such a good-looking human girl. Baiyi believed that if Aya went back to her dragon form, she would be a good-looking dragon too.
"Sorry to scare you, " Baiyi said.
"N-no...no worries..." Aya replied, embarrassed. A moment ago she had been bragging about how there was no being in the world whose existence could induce fear within the hearts of the dragonkin, and now she looked like a frightened little bird herself, instead. That was pretty embarrassing…
'However, when one thought of it, what was she so afraid earlier? Sir Hope... Sir Hope who usually seemed amiable and charismatic? What was his true nature underneath that mask?'
Aya could hardly control the curiosity she has developed about Baiyi. This curious mindset—be it dragon's or human's—was a very dangerous one.
"To express my sincerest apologies..." Baiyi started. He chanted an obscure phrase in dragon-verse, and in a few seconds, Aya felt something permeate her body?
Fright was the first emotion she registered, for she thought that Baiyi had made his first attack, but she quickly realized that there was no evil intent from whatever he had cast upon her. Instead, it felt uniquely heartfelt, like having an elder stroke the back your head. It was a warm, fuzzy and pleasant feeling indeed.
The blessing of the Venerable Dragon had no physical effect. Just like what Aya felt moments ago, the feeling felt like a caress upon the head. That feeling was the blessing in its purest form, it was not a problem from Baiyi's casting.
The Venerable Dragon only gave his blessing exclusively to those he favored. Dragonkind who were bestowed with such blessing would have the aura of the Venerable Dragon—an acknowledgment that they were endowed with his love. It was like being presented with a badge of honor, or a certificate of approval; it was a sign of glory.
From what Baiyi knew, the Third Walker had only given his blessing approximately ten or so times in the span of his long life. This was an extremely rare scenario, for there were very little who managed to get into his good books. Those who decided to live as humans were never his favorites. However, there was a slight difference in his mindset nowadays. Baiyi never bothered to inquire more, but he could guess that it stemmed from its change of perspective towards mankind as a whole.
What kind of existence was this Venerable Dragon? He was the most respected and most esteemed leader of the dragonkin, so it was only natural that he possessed a certain level of pride. Every being was equivalent to ants in his eyes. He would not falter even in the presence of gods, even more so for humankind. To him, humans were merely fish in water, and those humans who possessed some power were just mudskippers that skipped a little higher—bringing them up was a waste of breath.
Only when he lost his physical body, his oh-so-strong physique—the very pride and joy of his existence—did he understand the god's authority... and it was only after he entered the Void—and began to have a deeper understanding of humankind—that he began to shift his perspective.
Especially after looking into Baiyi's memories where he learned how mankind had brought development to the world, only did the Venerable Dragon lowered his skyrocketing arrogance. He showed more understanding towards the humankind. These beings might be puny and insignificant, but they still had a lot in them - he could comprehend why would some tribes team up with mankind.
He even picked up the study of god. He was very impressed and jealous of the world's respect towards the image of the dragon clan, although their powers were not as strong as his.
Seeing a change of heart from the Third Walker, Baiyi felt a little more relieved and pleased at the same time.
Aya, on the other hand, was still unsure about what exactly Baiyi did to her. She already took up a human form not long after she was born and had since lived as one for the past decades. She has neither seen the Venerable Dragon, neither had she received any blessing from him; she has never even encountered a dragonkin who had been bestowed with his blessings. Hence, she could not comprehend what Baiyi did to her at all. She only knew that there was no malicious intent from his actions.
' Now this couldn't be... a declaration of love, could it? Really now... it's only the first time we've met… ' Aya was nursing weird ideas in her head. She might be almost ninety, but to the dragonkin, she was barely older than little Mia…
As the dragon-lady pondered on the best way to clear up her confusion, strains of girly laughter could be heard from outside the living room, followed by Mordred, who barged into the room with an excited expression. Her little round face had a wide smile, with two adorable canines peeping just below the lip, and her excitement seemed to stem from playing earlier. She was covered in mud and bits of grass, looking just like a mud monkey.
Mia and the rest tailed behind her. They all looked no different—dirty and grimy, but they all had faces brimming with joy.
What in the world were these little rascals playing? Wrestling? In the mud? They're all so filthy! Baiyi bemoaned.
"Mama!" Mordred rushed towards Aya, stretching out both arms for a full-frontal embrace, only stopping short when she realized how dirty she was. She thought of wiping her little hands on her red dress but decided against it, before hiding her hands behind her back in embarrassment.
'This child... she's much more thoughtful than I expected!'
Aya smiled lightly as she kneeled in front of Mordred, caressing her head gently and asked, "Did you have fun?"
'What? There was no intention of teaching her a lesson?'
"Yep yep!" Mordred nodded obediently.
It was a completely opposite scenario at Baiyi's side. He graciously took the opportunity to pull Mia's little cheek, while the three other girls stood in line with their necks contracted as deeply into their bodies as possible, awaiting Baiyi's punishment in fear.
"Haven't you noticed how old you already are? Yet, you still went to wrestle?" As Baiyi finished bullying Mia, his claws fell upon Tisdale's cheek. "The younger ones are more forgivable, but the two of you, too? Can't you just act a little more ladylike? Or be a little reserved, huh?"
After some brief questioning, it was revealed that Mordred summoned a ground dragon earlier, bringing her new friends out for a tour of the plains. At the start, Mia and Tisdale were still quite reserved and resisted the temptation to play, but after intense persuasion from Mordred and Laeticia, they began to play as well. In the end, the four girls tussled, wrestled, and rolled around the plains without a single care in the world, so they eventually ended up covered with grime and dirt.
Additionally, their skirts were already so short, so they would have put on quite a show during all that tussling around for whichever onlooker was out there…
"Mama..." Mordred called for her mom when she saw her new friends get bullied by their caretaker. She was tempted to hold Aya's arm, but her own was so filthy; thus, her arm retracted as fast as it had initially reached for Aya.
'It's okay if I'm a little dirty, but I can't let mama be filthy.'
"What's wrong?" Aya inquired gently.
"Sir Hope, can you stop punishing my friends?" Mordred pleaded, taking extra effort to defend the girls. "Please, mama! It was I who lead them out..."
"Ah, this..." Aya felt momentarily conflicted. How could she interfere with the affair of others, judging how they educate their children! Not to mention, Baiyi's performance earlier was better than hers, and his position was ultimately higher-ranked than hers.
However, when she saw the hopeful, pleading gaze in her daughter's emerald green eyes, the young mother mustered up all her courage and strode towards Baiyi. In a stern tone, she said, "Sir Hope, it was my child who brought them out to play, but if you could you just stop..."
Baiyi glanced back at her, loosening his grip on Laeticia's face conveniently. He helped sooth the burn by giving her cheek a little rub, and replied, "Don't worry, I am not punishing them. However, a little discipline could help when it's necessary."
Pinching their faces could hardly be considered punishment. At most, it left an impression on them, something to make them think first of the consequences of whatever actions they take in the future.
"You're only taking the chance to touch their faces. We all know that..." someone in the Void alleged.
"When he's done pinching their faces, I wonder if he's going to pinch somewhere else... some part more sensitive maybe..." another Voidwalker snickered.
"And we never know if there'll be more unconventional forms of punishment... like *beep beep*...*beep beep beep*"
Baiyi was just about to investigate the person spouting such lewd remarks, but they quickly kept quiet afterward, leaving no clues of their identity.
"Well, please lend us your bathroom at least, so that they can have a good shower," Baiyi could only ask.
Hence, Mordred brought the girls to an exceptionally extravagant, lavishly-furnished bathroom the size of a swimming pool. As chaperones, Baiyi and Aya tagged along behind them. After watching the girls enter the bathroom, Baiyi reminded them with a shout from the outside, "Remember to toss out your dirty clothes!"
The moment his voice rang out, a few dresses along with undergarments were tossed out of the bathroom. Aya began to call for a servant, but Baiyi stopped her with a sigh. He used water-based magic to bundle up the items and assumed the function of a washing machine.
"Oh? Using magic for such a domestic purpose?" Aya was genuinely surprised. "I didn't know Sir Hope had this… affectionate side to him?"
"Piece of cake," Baiyi replied simply. He did not wish to discuss domestic matters with this dragon-lady. It was obvious that she was still a child in his eyes. Seeing the way she pampered Mordred... she would never become an excellent mother! That child of hers would certainly take advantage of the rebellious phase, treating her father—oh no, in this case, mother—in a more unruly manner!