Chapter 5 Exposed
The God-favored ones rescued four people from the sea.
The Asachi Valley is so small that the Natalin people can even blurt out how many scars their companions have on their faces or how many eggs their neighbor's chickens have laid. As a result, everyone will turn the topic to outsiders after a few words when they meet. Even the young dragons who have been making trouble in the valley all year round have learned not to show their teeth to black-haired strangers.
Strangely enough, when all the dragon cubs first saw the young man, they would puff up their wings and look at him with confusion and hostility, as if they had seen some incomprehensible creature.
He was quiet and strange, hardly a living being. Rather, he resembled a dead firefly drifting through the forest at night, or a drowned jellyfish swimming in the ocean. Many had been frightened by him, for he was elusive. An outsider's strange behavior might have alerted the Natalinites, but his interests were far too bizarre. Some claimed the dark-haired young man had tried to ask him for his grandmother's woolen socks, which had been hung out to dry in front of the house, and even accepted just one.
But soon no one cared about these things anymore, as the hunting team brought back some not-so-good news - for some unknown reason, the dragon's breeding season had begun early.
During the breeding season, dragons become more irritable, aggressive, and aggressive. Male dragons fight each other for mates, often disrupting the Natalin people's hunts. Female dragons preparing to lay eggs are even more dangerous. They become more nervous, suspicious, and aggressive, and every year, reckless individuals die as a result of this. Even dragons that coexist peacefully with humans in the valley will leave in large numbers during the breeding season to breed in undisturbed areas.
Dragons are the companions of the Natalin people. They are swift, sharp and ferocious. A very small number of Natalin people can even climb on the back of a dragon to get a view from the sky.
Without the help of dragons, hunting gains will drop sharply, and beasts, dragons or other things from the forests, oceans, skies and even the depths of snow-capped mountains will invade human territory more frequently.
The Natalin people had been prepared for this, but the breeding season started too suddenly: the temperature was not warm enough, the tide had not yet receded, the westerly wind was not strong enough, and even the previous batch of dragonlets had not grown big enough - but one morning, dragons of all sizes and colors circled like a whirlpool in the sky above the valley, and then said goodbye to the Natalin people with long, intermittent howls, and flew away from the Asachi Valley without hesitation.
Fortunately, Wind Walker did not leave.
Windrunner Azra is a very young dragon. The valley where the Natalin people live is regarded as a lair by this bad-tempered dragon. Its existence deters countless threats from outside the valley - but it always has to go out to find food, to rest, to shuttle between thunder and snow, and to comb its feathers to make them tougher and brighter.
The atmosphere in the valley grew increasingly tense, and everyone was busy. Xinsheng Canyon, the only entrance to the outside world, was sealed off and heavily guarded. Livestock were confined indoors, and food was quickly cooked, dried, and preserved. The Natalin people silently gathered wood and stones, cleaned their weapons, and adjusted their catapults. Even outsiders quickly noticed the tension.
It was at this time that Nova found the God's Favored One.
The god-favored person who was called first gave a few instructions to the others, and after the tribesmen left, he stood on the roof and glanced at the newcomers indifferently.
The God's Favored One didn't wear the elaborate cloak, only an outer robe. The sleeves of his inner garment gathered at the elbows, revealing a pair of sturdy forearms. When Nova saw him, he was helping to repair a mud house that had been crushed by a fallen tree. The wind was an extension of his fingertips, and clods of earth, gravel, and broken branches danced around him, leaping and flying at the master's will—in short, it was completely inconsistent with the style of the face.
Last night, a large group of flying thieves visited. The robbers tried to attack the livestock raised by the Natalin people, but half of them were killed by catapults and crossbows. They were then chased and fled everywhere by the wind runners who came after hearing the news.
This is one of the gifts from last night's fierce battle.
"You kill dragons, and you tame dragons."
Nova avoided the corpse of a Snitch Dragon - the unfortunate guy's upper body had been smashed into a pulp.
"Dragons are our allies, but also our enemies." The other was busy directing a whirlwind to sweep up scattered herbs, shaking them off in the air before jumping into the basket. Nova suddenly remembered the fairy godmothers in childhood cartoons doing the same chores. Hearing this, the God-Favored One calmly replied, "It depends on the choice of the dragons and the Natalin people. There's no conflict between the two."
"No, I mean the courage to tame an enemy into a companion. That's certainly the way a Wind Chaser would do it." The black-haired young man looked up at the other man, but was once again dazzled by the refraction of the sunlight. He couldn't help but squint. "The taming of dragons began ten years ago, and you've lived in the Asaqi Valley for nearly three hundred years. What happened ten years ago that made you decide to change your relationship with dragons?"
Now the one favored by God finally looked at him straight in the eye.
The man lightly leaped down from the roof, his shadow completely covering Nova. The professor frowned and took a step back, creating some distance between them.
"...I'm a little surprised." The God-Favored One's tone was light and gentle: "Are you really not worried at all that I would kill you?"
"Of course you wouldn't." He was answered by a confused look from another person.
Azuka noticed that this guy's attitude towards him was no longer respectful - perhaps after he said there was no need to salute?
The black-haired young man said as a matter of course: "I am a noble."
“…”
The God-favored One looked at him with a subtle expression. It seemed that his young nemesis had said something so naive and stupid that it made him cry?
The professor stared at him for a moment, then frowned slowly, "Wait, you don't know yet, do you?"
"Damn it! I didn't expect there would be such an information gap." He suddenly became annoyed, frowning and muttering a few words, but he had to explain to the others, "It's my fault. I didn't consider that your current knowledge base is not enough to understand the nobility."
These words were indeed somewhat sarcastic, but Azuka stared at the black-haired young man's calm gray eyes for a while to confirm, and found that she was somewhat accustomed to the other party's overly... uh, straightforward and rude way of speaking.
"A ninth-level bloodline spell, Soul Protection Ode, was cast jointly by three Saint Warlocks. Upon the death of any royal family member, noble, or bloodline recognized by the Silver Iris Empire, information such as the time of death, location, and last words will be automatically submitted to the family and the Royal Court Council."
Nova's expression was expressionless, but he emphasized quickly, "In other words, if I die here, the Natalin people's position will be exposed. As a remnant of the rebels still wanted by the Empire, this is not something you want to see."
He still maintained that cold and indifferent tone, without the slightest awareness that he was stabbing someone to death or threatening them.
"'The Mad King of Seventeen Days', King Corentin."
The black-haired young man uttered the name calmly, then saw the other man's slightly raised brow.
"—King Corentinus, leader and religious leader of the popular rebellion group 'Storm Chasers', overthrew the rule of Cassius I. After seventeen days in power, he was seized by the Restorationists. In a fit of madness, he beheaded his general and his lover, and fled with the remaining members of his tribe and followers who had vowed to follow him. He has never been seen since."
"...Please continue." The voice of the God-favored One became softer and softer, and the expression on his face was difficult to discern, except for the blue in his eyes that became exceptionally deep and dark.
The black-haired young man was blunt. "This history was well hidden by the royal court. They only publicly claimed that you were the descendants of the old king's uncle, Euthys Ares Makian, who died suddenly on the throne due to madness. However, this explanation was too clumsy and forced, and since the waves don't freeze, I pieced together your origins."
The topic jumped around so quickly that the other person snorted in confusion.
"When we were shipwrecked, we encountered a massive, frozen wave. Lacking any reference points, I initially thought it was an adrenaline-fueled illusion. However, based on the location, climate, vegetation distribution, wind speed and direction, and other information, I can only conclude that a massive mountain range out to sea blocked the westerly winds."
The professor spoke faster. "What keeps the waves high and flowing without collapsing? A wind or water spell of level nine or higher. How can ordinary people like us and the flying dragons from Kratk Island, which can only fly low over the sea, pass through the barrier and reach the Assachi Valley? Because the magic power has diminished. If the caster is still alive or has not been dead for a long time, a spell of this level would not be weakened to such an extent..."
"After eliminating all possibilities, the only option left is the correct one—I'll skip the rest of the boring reasoning." Nova sighed impatiently. He was truly tired of explaining his thought process to others, rambling on and on, and facing everyone's confused, impatient, and even terrified looks. "It was King Corentin, who fled here, who constructed this massive wave wall to resist the pursuit of the Royal City Army. As everyone knows, King Corentin is a Saint Wind Mage."
The God-favored One clapped his hands slowly. Even though the most deadly secret of the Natalin people was exposed, he showed no sign of shock or anger.
"It's truly... astonishing reasoning, bold and thorough, and almost completely correct." He praised without reservation. When his blue eyes smiled, they always looked exceptionally focused and sincere, making one feel incredibly valued. "I think I've witnessed an unprecedented miracle."
Nova was stunned for a moment, pursed his lips, and nodded gracefully. He explained reservedly, "No, I'm just gambling. There's something I still can't explain."
The professor stared at the other man with his clear, smoky-gray eyes. "You can speak the Common Language—your people have been trapped in the valley, isolated from the outside world for nearly three hundred years. How do you speak the Common Language?"
"Because I am favored by God." Azuka said gently, and there was even a subtle irony on his face - but the other person obviously didn't notice these subtle things, and he was still frowning and struggling.
"I don't understand—you mean the God's Chosen can speak other languages without learning? Why? Like some kind of spell that instills knowledge directly into the brain?"
Whose god bestows divine grace in the form of language speed course.
“…”
Azuka looked at him subtly for a moment. After a long moment, as the genuine confusion on the black-haired young man's face deepened, he sighed, "...No, this sentence means I don't want to discuss this issue right now."
As long as he presented the title of God's Favored One and used a few subtle words, most people would attribute everything to God's will. Out of awe and inertia, at least until today, no one had ever held him accountable.
The professor suddenly understood. "Okay, I see. What did you mean by 'almost completely correct'? Is that also something you don't want to discuss?"
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