Free Web NovelChapter 152: Chapter 151: The First-Generation Bloodline Mages (Part 1)
The next day at noon was the family luncheon.
The long dining table was covered with a precious velvet tablecloth, the silver cutlery polished to a shine.
But the atmosphere was painfully stiff.
His father, Latour, sat at the head of the table, with Ian in the seat of honor to his right.
His mother, Ainoya, sat beside Ian. Her eyes were still a little red, but she wore a smile and continuously served him food.
His older brother, Vincent, sat to Latour’s left, his posture ramrod straight and his movements restrained.
Beside Vincent was his wife, a young woman with a gentle face, who kept her head down, not daring to look at Ian.
Across the table sat three children.
The oldest, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen with brown hair and blue eyes, was Andrei, Latour’s son by a concubine.
Next to him were two girls. One was Lillian, Ian’s eleven-year-old full sister, who had blonde hair and green eyes and snuck glances at Ian.
The other was Sofia, the concubine’s daughter, who was eight or nine and so frightened she nearly buried her face in her plate.
The concubine herself sat beside the children, a quiet young woman whose fingers nervously twisted her napkin.
No one spoke. There was only the soft clinking of cutlery against plates.
Gaga was perched on a special high-backed chair set up next to Ian.
In front of it was a small silver platter piled high with roasted meat, nuts, and fruit.
It tilted its head, its mismatched eyes glancing left and right, then suddenly spoke in a crisp voice.
"The meat is cut too large. It’s improper."
A nearby servant, standing in attendance, was so startled they nearly dropped their tray.
Ainoya was also taken aback for a moment before laughing. "This... this one can talk?"
"Yes, its name is Gaga." Ian cut a piece of appropriately sized meat and placed it on Gaga’s platter.
"It’s usually not very talkative."
Gaga puffed out its chest, pecked at the piece of meat, and swallowed it with satisfaction.
Then it looked at Lillian across the table and tilted its head. "What are you looking at me for?"
Lillian’s face flushed, and she said in a small voice, "You... you’re very beautiful."
"Gaga! You have good taste!" Gaga preened, shaking its wings smugly.
A few downy feathers with an iridescent, dark sheen drifted down. "You’re much cuter than your brother."
Vincent: "..."
Ainoya couldn’t help but laugh out loud. A crack appeared in the tense atmosphere.
For the rest of the meal, Gaga became the center of attention.
It would offer a comment from time to time: "This soup needs more salt." "The roast is cooked well." "This fruit isn’t sweet."
The servants were flustered at first, but they soon discovered that while this "Lord Bird" was picky, it wouldn’t make things difficult as long as they did what it said. It might even grant them a "not bad" for their efforts.
Lillian, growing a bit bolder, asked again, "Gaga, can you fly fast?"
"Fast." Gaga lifted a claw and made a gesture.
"From here to the Royal Capital, it takes less time than eating a meal."
"Wow..." Lillian’s eyes lit up.
Andrei and Sofia also secretly looked up.
Gaga noticed. It turned to Andrei, its mismatched eyes blinking.
"Kid, what are you trembling for? I don’t eat people."
Andrei froze, his face flushing red.
"Eat," Ian said flatly.
Gaga immediately shut its beak and lowered its head to peck at a grape.
But after a moment, it couldn’t resist again, gently tapping the cup in front of Lillian with the tip of its wing.
"This Honey Dew, can I have half?"
Lillian paused, then nodded emphatically and pushed her cup over.
Gaga lowered its head, took a sip, and let out a satisfied GURGLE.
By the time the meal was over, the atmosphere had finally eased up a little.
Although everyone except Ainoya and Lillian was still on edge, at least it no longer felt like they were walking on eggshells.
After lunch, Ian and Latour went to the study.
The study door closed, and a Sound Insulation Barrier silently formed.
Latour turned to face Ian. "Yesterday... thank you for your hard work."
"It was my duty." Ian walked to a chair by the fireplace and sat down. "Father, sit."
Latour sat in the master’s chair behind the desk.
This was his castle, his study. The action made Ian nod inwardly in approval.
Ian retrieved the lead-gray metal box from his Storage Ring.
The box wasn’t large—about the length of an adult’s forearm and a palm’s width—with a surface as smooth as a mirror, its only feature a recessed slot on the side.
"This is a Constant Temperature Storage Box," Ian said, placing it on the desk.
"It runs on Magic Stones. The interior is kept at a constant temperature and humidity, and it shields against Energy interference. Anything placed inside won’t spoil for a hundred years."
Latour’s gaze fell upon the box, and his breathing slowed unconsciously.
Ian opened the box. A cold, white light emanated from within, illuminating a corner of the desk.
The box was divided into two compartments. One held twenty Crystal Tubes arranged in neat rows, filled with a viscous golden liquid that had a faint metallic sheen.
The other compartment contained twenty smaller Crystal Bottles filled with a clear, light blue liquid.
At the very back, two larger Crystal Tubes were secured separately. One contained a Dark Gold, magma-like fluid, while the other was a fantastical violet, with specks of light swirling within.
"These twenty on the left are Rock Bear Potions." This was a ’controlled version’ he had specially refined.
Ian’s finger swept across the row of dark gold Crystal Tubes. "When consumed by a mortal, it can strengthen their Physique to the level of a Wizard Apprentice."
Latour’s hands pressed against the edge of the desk, his knuckles turning white.
"An Apprentice?" His voice was a little hoarse.
"Correct," Ian said. "Not a Knight, a Wizard Apprentice.
A single Rock Bear Potion can boost an ordinary person’s physical condition to the level of a High Level Apprentice.
And a well-trained one at that—a High Level Apprentice with a solid foundation built over a long period."
He paused, letting the words explode in his father’s mind.
"How many Great Knights do you have under your command? How many Great Knights are there in the entire Kingdom?
And this single Potion can create a being whose physical prowess would crush a Great Knight.
If that person already has the foundation of a Knight, the effect will be even more potent."
Latour’s pupils contracted to pinpricks.
Crushing a Great Knight.
Those three words hammered into his mind like a sledgehammer.
He had fought his whole life and was stuck at the peak of the Great Knight Realm; he knew how difficult that level was to achieve.
Every Great Knight in the Kingdom was a Legend on the battlefield, a pillar of their family, a powerhouse whom even the King had to treat with the utmost respect.
And now, his son was telling him that this tiny Crystal Tube could create such a being.
No, someone even stronger—strong enough to crush them.
"This kind of Potion..." Latour’s voice trembled. "On the outside..."
"You can’t buy it," Ian cut him off.
"This is the work of a Magic Potion Alchemist. Every one used is one less in the world.
I am a Magic Potion Alchemist, and these are Bloodline Potions I personally refined." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
He didn’t say how many Magic Stones they were worth, but the two words "Bloodline Potion" carried enough weight on their own.
Latour’s throat worked, but no words came out.
"The light blue ones are the accompanying Water of Serenity."
Ian pointed to the row of small Crystal Bottles. "It alleviates the Erosion of one’s Will while the Potion takes effect. It must be used together with and before the main Potion."
His finger moved to the two large, separately secured Crystal Tubes inside the box.
"This one is the Limit-Breaking Edition of the Rock Bear Potion." Ian picked up the solitary Dark Gold Potion.
"Its effects are three to five times stronger than the controlled version, but the prerequisite for taking it is a Physique that has already surpassed a Great Knight. Otherwise, the user’s body will explode on the spot."
