Chapter 385: A Deal Never Honored
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Olivia asked curiously, “Is it really that simple to pass down his bloodline?”
Corleon shook his head. “Of course not.”
As he spoke, he questioned her like a teacher checking whether a child had studied properly. “Do you still remember the difference between gods and fantasy species?”
Olivia froze, hesitated, and said, “It should be... gods are harder to kill, right?”
Corleon raised an eyebrow, and Olivia's eyelid twitched.
Immediately after, realization dawned on Olivia, and she quickly said, “Gods are essentially a kind of rule-based existence. They don’t have a specific form, or rather, they have no physical body, so you can’t slash them. Only after they complete incarnation will they possess a body that can be attacked.”
“Fantasy species, on the other hand, are like redundant rules. Just as faith can sustain the existence of a god, when a god receives too much belief, they can no longer contain it. However, the corresponding rule-based power manifested through faith, once distorted, doesn’t vanish. It returns to the world itself. But the world is already complete, so when this excess rule power accumulates to a certain extent, it manifests as an existence with divine-like power.”
“That’s why they’re called fantasy species. They are birthed by the world itself. Unlike gods, they exist within the world and, like all other worldly life, possess physical bodies. You can slash them—even cut them up and eat them.”
As she spoke, Olivia even smacked her lips.
After the death of the Frost Giant, its body certainly wasn’t wasted. A fortress had been built on the spot for research purposes.
Even though those mages studying magical beasts were cautious, if Olivia truly wanted to, carving off a few chunks of meat from such a massive body wasn’t exactly difficult.
Although called a giant, the Frost Giant was, in essence, a fantasy species.
Later, according to Olivia’s culinary review, the Frost Giant wasn’t as tasty as White Dove. It was just like an ordinary pigeon with a bit of a frozen texture.
Still, it tasted ten thousand times better than the stuff Corleon had forced her to eat, which barely filled the gap between her teeth!
Corleon helplessly flicked Olivia on the forehead. Though it looked light, pain could be physical or conceptual.
So Olivia clutched her head; even from such a light flick, her brain buzzed and her forehead turned red.
That impact hurt more than when the King of the Northland had smashed her head into the ground.
Corleon said, “Just recite the answer. Don’t add your own interpretation. Otherwise, future historians will only read about a gluttonous king who kept talking about food.”
Olivia felt aggrieved. She had already restrained herself a lot this time, and the answer was correct! Why did she still get hit?
But she didn’t dare protest. Some pain was bearable, but some pain exceeded her limit.
In any case, she didn’t want to try a second time.
Corleon continued, “Gods have no physical form, while fantasy species do. So Pegira placed the bloodline container into the heart of a fantasy entity.”
“He did this to blend his bloodline, thus creating a being with his blood, though not purely his.”
“To achieve this, he needed an existence equal to himself. Though Pegira had not ascended to godhood, his will rivaled that of deities. With the blessing of the Holy Spear, he entered the domain of Original Sin and the Progenitor Gods.”
“At such a level, the only suitable vessels were gods or fantasy species. But as mentioned, gods have no body. So Pegira captured a fantasy species—a whole group, actually—and forced them to slaughter one another. The final victor would become the mother of his bloodline container.”
“Naturally, the ultimate winner was the dragon, standing at the pinnacle of fantasy species.”
Olivia rubbed her forehead. “If that’s the case, then Cicero is the result of the old man and a dragon? No wonder Mother never mentioned Cicero’s mother. So his mom is either a tree or a dragon?”
If Corleon couldn’t read Olivia’s innocent curiosity, he would have made her experience a pain beyond her limits.
Corleon sighed. “Don’t describe it like that. The dragon was just a host.”
Olivia suddenly realized, “So Cicero’s mom was the tree.”
Corleon reached out and gripped Olivia’s head. “We’ve already covered that. Now, let’s move on. Or do you not want to hear it?”
Olivia immediately looked obedient and motioned for him to continue.
Corleon went on, “Nearly two thousand years passed before the dragon chosen by Pegira managed to mix a sliver of its will into Pegira’s bloodline. Only then did Pegira retrieve the bloodline container from its heart.”
“Even then, it wasn’t enough. Pegira’s will was still too powerful. Even with the dragon’s will mixed in, it couldn’t reach the level of being twisted into a curse. So Pegira made a deal with the Lords of Annihilation.”
This time, Corleon didn’t quiz Olivia, but continued directly, “Annihilation is the mirror of the material realm—the other half of the world. Even though the Progenitor God of Time exists, there are still Lords in Annihilation who control fragments of time’s power.”
“So Pegira sent the container over four thousand years into the future.”
“It traveled from the material world into Annihilation, was bathed in time, then returned. Using a moment he bargained for, Pegira renamed the container. Thus, Cicero received his name and could grow like a normal child.”
At this point, Olivia raised her hand.
“Speak,” Corleon permitted.
Olivia asked, “What deal did the old man make with Annihilation?”
Corleon answered, “Pegira’s deals never mattered, because he never intended to honor them—whether with the Primordial Gods, the Progenitor Gods, the Original Sin, the Lords of Annihilation, or even your mother.”
Olivia pouted. Her eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
It twitched so hard that she couldn’t take it anymore. She quickly raised her hand again and asked, “Now that Cicero’s been taken out, what about the dragon? Is it still alive? Fantasy species shouldn’t have lifespan limits. It’s only been four thousand years. Can you catch it for my birthday?”
As she spoke, Olivia got more excited. Riding a dragon had to be cooler than riding a griffin.
Corleon replied, “That dragon was of course killed by Pegira. At the time, Pegira had reincarnated in the Northland. He slew the dragon, and the legend of the Supreme King began. He discarded the dragon at the northernmost Exile Lands.”
“Or perhaps that cold region became the Exile Lands because of the dragon.”
This time, Olivia widened her eyes and hesitantly asked, “So that giant dragon mountain range in the Northland...”
Corleon said, “Yes, that’s the one.”
Olivia lowered her head, counting on her fingers. “Cicero has the dragon’s will in his bloodline. Aen, the current Supreme King of the Northland, inherited the dragon’s soul. So, by dragon will alone, aren’t Cicero and Aen... brothers?!”
She looked as if she had discovered the truth, face saying, "No wonder Aen became the Supreme King."
Corleon, exasperated, said, “Only because Aen was the right fit at the time. He received the dragon soul *after* becoming Supreme King.”
Naturally, Corleon could see what Olivia was thinking.
Olivia said, “So they should be brothers now.”
Corleon rubbed Olivia’s head vigorously, and when he pulled back, her hair looked like a pigeon’s nest.
Olivia looked very displeased but didn’t dare mention a duel. She simply fixed her hair herself.
Only then did Corleon nod in satisfaction.
Even though Olivia still didn’t like dressing up like a lady, the past two years of strict discipline had made her subconsciously more mindful of her appearance.
At least now, she wouldn’t show up to steal pigeons in tattered clothes right after a brawl.
Corleon said, “Cicero’s body originated from flesh Pegira left behind ages ago. He was just a vessel. The dragon’s will was never accepted by his body. Only after he passed Pegira’s bloodline to you did his self-awareness truly awaken.”
Olivia nodded. “No wonder he couldn’t sense me when I stood next to him.”
Corleon explained, “Not just that. Even if he couldn’t sense you, he wouldn’t be so foolish that everyone else noticed while he remained clueless.”
“The real reason is that his life limit was only Tier Four. He couldn’t achieve a transformation, couldn’t retain higher mysteries. He was born from the Tree of Life, not a pure human, and couldn’t receive the gifts the Lord bestows upon humanity.”
“The Tree of Life itself was a sacred relic made from a dismantled part of the Elves’ racial god by Pegira. Though powerful—close to Tier Seven—it never reached godhood. Just near-divine. So Cicero’s limit was set at birth.”
“Just like Dark Creatures, everything was predetermined from the moment of birth. In terms of evolution, they have no future.”
“Besides that, there’s your bloodline’s influence.”
Corleon looked into Olivia’s eyes, ruby-like pupils shimmering like the lake behind them.
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