radicalducati Page 155
Page 155
"Whose...phone call...is it...?"
"The family called and said that the person we were waiting for had already driven to the family's location."
"What!? Why didn't he say so if he was driving himself? He made me waste my time picking him up at the airport. How awful, how awful, how awful~" The girl couldn't help but mutter angrily after hearing the news.
"It's the guests' freedom to choose their mode of transportation."
"Monta!!! Would it kill you to tell the truth one less time?"
"..."
The silence was deafening. Lilia, still furious, moved closer and kicked the other leg that had just escaped the attack.
This time, I didn't throw a tantrum and headed in the right direction.
With Monta's steady and fast driving, they soon arrived back at the family residence.
"Miss." "Miss Lilia~"...
Amidst a chorus of greetings, Lilia made her way smoothly to the family's reception room. Even from a short distance away, she could already hear the familiar, hearty laughter coming from that direction.
That was the laughter of her great-grandfather, the modern-day Beowulf.
I opened the door and sure enough!
Sitting at one side of the table was an old man with a full head of silver hair. He was not as burly and robust as described in myths, with blood-red skin. Instead, he was surprisingly pale and sat there like a thick limestone tombstone.
Under the lamplight, his aged hands reflected a faint light, and upon closer inspection, the surface of his skin was covered with fine white scales.
On the other hand, Cao Han, wearing frameless glasses, looked just like an ordinary college student.
In Lilia's view, the two looked like a grandfather and grandson with a harmonious relationship, eating at the table and talking about some interesting things in their lives.
"Great-grandfather~~~" came from Lilia's sweet, cloying voice.
The next second, she threw herself into Beowulf's arms with lightning speed, acting all cute.
"Cao Han, let me introduce you. This is one of my great-granddaughters, Lilia."
"Hmph, I don't want to get to know people who don't keep their promises, making them wait at the airport for nothing."
Listening to the other party's quiet complaint, Cao Han, who had put down his knife and fork, was a little amused and exasperated. But the other party wasn't wrong; ultimately, it was his fault for changing his mind at the last minute without informing the other party.
Beowulf patted Lilia's head and chuckled, scolding, "Lilia, don't be so polite."
Seeing that her great-grandfather, who usually doted on her the most, not only did not support her this time, but also scolded her, a feeling of grievance welled up in the little girl's heart.
Lilia blamed everything on Cao Han, lifting her little head from Beowulf's arms and glaring fiercely at him.
"I wonder if that old scoundrel Angers has mentioned me to you?"
"Yes," Cao Han nodded in reply. "The principal said you're as stubborn as a rock in a latrine, both smelly and hard!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Instead of being angry at Angers' assessment, Beowulf smiled smugly.
This is a silent understanding between two people over 130 years old.
Just as Angers would describe Beowulf in this way in front of others, Beowulf would also speak of Angers in the same way.
Although Beowulf differed from Angers in his educational philosophy, he admired Angers' leadership and his resolute fight against the dragons.
It just goes to show that stereotypes are sometimes really undesirable.
Without firsthand experience, one might easily assume from hearsay that this ruthless dragon slayer, heir to a dragon-blooded family, and last captain of the Secret Party's "Action Team" would be a very difficult person to get along with.
In fact, after meeting him, Cao Han found that the other man and Angers had some similarities; they were both very interesting old men.
"I wonder why you invited me here this time, senior?" Cao Han, having eaten and drunk his fill, chose to get straight to the point.
See people talking, see ghosts talking.
Cao Han felt that Beowulf didn't seem to be the type to beat around the bush, so it would be better for him to be more straightforward.
"......"
Upon hearing this question, Beowulf's smile visibly faded. "Come with me."
After saying that, Beowulf personally led the way into a certain direction inside the family compound, to Lilia's astonishment.
The deeper they went, the more panicked and helpless Lilia's little face became as she was being led along.
When she finally stopped in front of a three-story villa, she could guess why her great-grandfather had invited Cao Han to the family gathering.
Chapter 146 The Dragon Maid of the Little Cao Family
"This is?"
"You'll understand once you go inside and see for yourself."
Beowulf didn't rush to answer Cao Han's questions, but instead led the way, pushing open the door and continuing into the three-story villa.
First floor, second floor, and finally we entered a room.
This is a girl's bedroom!
The moment Cao Han stepped into the room, he came to a conclusion in his mind, and then he witnessed Beowulf pull back the curtain that was covering the bed to reveal what was inside.
There lay a young girl on the bed, her face pale and bloodless, her furrowed brows and her hands gripping the sheets tightly, all indicating that she was enduring unspeakable pain.
Judging from their appearances, they are more than 90% similar to the little girl named Lilia who is standing behind Beowulf at this moment. It is really hard to tell the two apart without careful observation.
What's most striking is that the girl's exposed skin isn't snow-white, but rather a dense array of rhomboid scales of various colors.
"This is Lilia's twin sister, Lilith Beowulf."
Beowulf sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking the girl's smooth forehead, his eyes filled with undisguised pity.
In the Beowulf family, not just anyone is qualified to add the surname "Beowulf" to their name, and it is even more intriguing that it is the current generation's Beowulf who introduces himself in this way.
Being given the surname Beowulf means having the right to inherit the name "Beowulf".
"Cao Han, you must have heard of our family tradition, right?"
"Do you mean feeding a baby a drop of dragon's blood crystal from birth?"
"For us, to become stronger, we need to constantly absorb the power from dragon blood. Lilith has shown unparalleled talent since birth, and if nothing unexpected happens, she will become the next 'Beowulf'!"
That's quite a bold move!
If nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected has occurred.
Otherwise, the most talented member of the tribe wouldn't be lying in bed suffering constant torment, and Beowulf wouldn't have stooped to approach Angers to invite Cao Han.
To be honest, the original work provides very little description of these old secret society families, and there is absolutely no information about their specific members.
Cao Han was waiting, waiting for Beowulf to tell him what was wrong with the girl in the bed.
"The process of absorbing dragon blood is like a war between the body and germs. Either the body develops antibodies and completely adapts to the germs, or the body is eroded by the germs." Beowulf first vividly described to Cao Han the principle of their absorption of dragon blood.
"If that's the case, then why would she have problems when she possesses such extraordinary talent?"
"At first we didn't understand either, until she fell into a coma and then began to show signs of dragonification. We then realized that Lilith's way of absorbing dragon blood was different from our confrontation, but rather absorption."
She absorbed all the dragon blood crystals she had collected since childhood into her body.
This process is like a reservoir; once it exceeds its capacity, it overflows uncontrollably.
After hearing this, Cao Han understood a little.
This means that the dragon bloodline in Lilith's body is not strong enough to contain so much dragon blood crystal power, resulting in an overflow phenomenon, which is the continuous dragonification of her body.
But once the old doubts are resolved, new doubts immediately arise.
If that's the case, what was Beowulf's purpose in inviting him?
"But what does this have to do with me?"
"Since there's no way to reduce the amount of water in the reservoir, we can only try to increase its volume!"
"Cao Han, your bloodline is an unprecedented S+ level, and that's the only thing I believe Angers wouldn't lie about!"
Beowulf's meaning is now crystal clear.
Even Lilia, who understood, looked at Cao Han with expectant eyes. She cared for her sister Lilith no less than her great-grandfather Beowulf.
Countless times I've woken up in the middle of the night to find my pillow soaked with sweat.
If she could, Lilia really wished she could share her sister's pain.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on her. Compared to her older sister Lilith's extraordinary talent, her younger sister Lilia not only had a B-grade bloodline, but also had mediocre talent in absorbing dragon blood crystals.
Therefore, Monta must accompany him every time he goes out.
"Senior Beowulf, how can you be so sure that my bloodline can save Lilith?" Cao Han was a little curious about what method the other party would use.
Beowulf shook his head and said, "It's uncertain. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. It's the only way we can think of."
If even this doesn't work, then it can only be said that Lilith's fate is sealed!
The tradition of feeding newborns with dragon's blood crystals reveals the ruthlessness and cruelty of the Beowulf family.
The more talented a member of the clan is, the more rigorous the treatment they receive, perfectly embodying the principle of "survival of the fittest".
Upon hearing this, Cao Han couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of his heart. Perhaps this is what they mean by the interdependence of fortune and misfortune.
If Lilith didn't have such great talent, she wouldn't have kept consuming dragon blood crystals, and if she had known when to stop, this situation wouldn't have occurred.
But it was precisely because she was so outstanding that she managed to secure a glimmer of hope for herself.
As for those who couldn't survive the process of absorbing dragon blood crystals... such "trash" have no place in the Beowulf family.
"So how exactly does it work?"
"When our family was fighting the dragons, we seized an alchemical scroll called the Subordination Contract, which is said to have come from the White King, who controls the spiritual authority of the fifth element."
Once both parties sign a contract, the dominant party has the power of life and death over the subordinate party.
Of course, being a subordinate who signs a contract isn't entirely without benefits; one can receive a boost from the bloodline power of the master.
In other words, the stronger the master's bloodline, the greater the increase in strength!
This is the only way we can think of to save Lilith. As he said this, Beowulf visibly aged even further.
The old man, who never flinched even when severely wounded in battle against the dragons, felt a deep sense of powerlessness in the face of his most beloved great-granddaughter.