Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 840 - 781: Calm Sea
When Bordelis left the pirate’s banquet, the sun had already climbed above the horizon, affording the wandering ghost pirates a good sleep, which was the White Dragon’s final act of mercy. Awakened by the glaring sunlight, the domain of the Purification Curse closed, and the pirates turned back into ghosts were instantly ignited by the sunlight, screaming as they fell into the sea like fireballs. Such trivial spiritual injuries would heal by the next night when these fiery beings would be lively again. With their yelling still audible behind him, Bordelis smirked, drawing his wings close and diving downwards.
The White Dragon dived into the waters where sunlight could not reach, his Purify Water Domain activated, wrapping his body with clean ocean currents. Bordelis changed his course, wandering the peripheral waters beyond the Merfolk scouts’ patrol. He needed an outside wash to rid himself of the alcoholic scent because Princess surely would have returned to Mosue by now, and having been gone all night, as expected, the White Dragon Priest who cared so much about him would definitely be waiting at the top of the Coral Reef for Bordelis’s return.
Princess had an obvious disgust for the ghost pirates and, without explicitly stating it, gave Bordelis ample space. The White Dragon felt a strange sensation towards this Priestess who had watched him grow up, akin to facing the Frost Queen Silvia—respect, dread, reliance, and more. Therefore, like a gaming-addict teenager who had just finished an all-nighter at the internet café, he planned to wander outside for an hour or two to dissipate the smell of smoke before returning home to await the Dragon Priest’s judgment.
Indeed, he saw that figure, floating atop the highest structure, like a luminous crystal.
"Where did you go?" Princess’s tone was a bit colder than usual, just a bit.
Without a doubt, Bordelis shrank his body; his massive frame becoming quite round after contracting. He scratched his belly with his claws, his gaze shrinking away after making contact with Princess.
"I...I went to check on the cultivated fish herd. Those fragile little guys seemed unwell, so I watched over them all night," Bordelis discreetly observed Princess’s expression, noting her diminishing aura, and after a moment’s thought, he finished his lie, "...and then I joined the ghost pirates’ banquet and played until this morning."
By the end of his sentence, the White Dragon had squinted his eyes, his body ready to bear the brunt of an impact. After a few seconds, the White Dragon felt the chilling air that had built up around him disperse at a touch. Looking at the complex expression on Princess’s face, doubts began to rise in his mind.
Today, Princess let him off the hook.
"Did you have fun?"
"Mmm, those of the human past were quite interesting."
He saw Princess’s knowing smile. She actually smiled. The smile quickly faded, and the White Dragon Priest assumed an elder’s authority, stirring the currents with an outstretched finger to lightly poke the White Dragon’s head.
"Next time, tell us first. They were worried about you."
"Mmm-hmm."
Bordelis’s serious attitude made Princess nod in satisfaction. She understood Bordelis’s temperament; he seldom made mistakes, and he always took a nod to heart, quite unlike other juvenile dragons. She was very reassured by his behavior. She slightly turned her body, making room for Bordelis, signaling him to head home.
Feeling as if pardoned, Bordelis released a string of bubbles. As he descended downstream, he only gently stirred the currents. Princess stood by his side, her small frame to the Sea Dragon an untouchable block of solid ice.
"Bordelis..."
Just as the White Dragon was about to leave, the sound of Princess’s ethereal voice from behind startled him, causing goosebumps to erupt and fear to rise from his tail, shooting straight to his brain. The giant dragon wrapped his paws around himself as his shaking head slowly turned back.
"Mmm... Mmm... Mmm..."
It wasn’t a delayed kill; Princess had thought of a new topic.
"I have already recognized Vina as my successor, the new Daughter of the Sea, the new White Dragon Priest. In the future, she will form a contract with you. Take good care of her, and yourself as well."
She thought Bohr would agree like a good child, but the White Dragon at this moment differed subtly from the well-behaved student in her memory.
"What about Princess?"
"I’m talking about the future."
"What about Princess!"
Coming back to her senses, the Frost Queen found herself held in the embrace of the White Dragon, close to the area of his reverse scale. As she gently caressed that magnificent scale, Princess realized that Bohr had grown faster than she had expected. A sense of satisfaction welled up within her, one that not even the deepest inner tides could engulf.
"Bohr, Merfolk have very short lifespans..."
"I don’t care! Lifespan and such, it’s all insignificant." Pirates really did have a profound impact on the White Dragon; Princess’s tone, reminiscent of someone entrusting their affairs for after they’re gone, ignited the other side of Bordelis, the dragon’s greed for his treasures.
"This thing called lifespan, I will surely obtain it. I am the youngest of the dragons, I can go beg Kristo, I can plead with Alcalon, Imelt or Claudia, I can even ask Father, or even Lyle. I have brothers, elders, and friends; they will surely help me, nothing can separate them from me, I will not allow such a thing to happen."
He was like a child who wanted to grasp everything in his hands, as if he was being unreasonably demanding, throwing a tantrum. His purest and most unreasonable declaration was filled with the White Dragon’s affection for the Merfolk race. Bordelis was not a contender of the deep sea, Princess keenly realized that he wasn’t just an ally best fit to face the deep sea, but he was also the most outstanding child.
Princess didn’t know when she had gained control of the conversation, which seemed to be willingly handed over by Bordelis; he stubbornly wrangled with the water currents around the Dragon Priestess, freezing them into ice as a foothold for Princess. The cold detachment of the White Dragon Priest melted away like snow, repeatedly stroking the enormous dragon’s head, soothing Bohr’s agitated heart.
Princess found it a bit funny because the last things he was obsessing over were all jokes about life transformation, spiritual mutation, and soul refinement. The contrast of the docile White Dragon was amusing to the Dragon Priestess, and as for those strange ideas, Princess, who had experienced the history of the Merfolk, found them rather reasonable.
The White Dragon’s diving form was welcomed by the Merfolk; Merfolk who were close to him reclined on Bohr’s scales, knocking on them with a dissatisfied tone, transferring their worries to the White Dragon’s mind through psychic connection, but also sharing much joy and comfort. Unconsciously, Bordelis had become a symbol of the Merfolk tribe, his relationship with the Merfolk was one of mutual dependence, and almost all Merfolk enjoyed befriending him.
Except for Vina, the chosen successor.
Bordelis saw her floating at the very top of the temple, her body curled up above the Tidal Pearl, head hanging down, as if asleep in a nightmare. She was a particularly unhappy mermaid, and after this return, the sorrow she radiated was tinged with a few terrifying emotions. The emotions transmitted by Merfolk Vina made other Merfolk fearful, Bordelis noticed this and remembered Princess’s advice, but he did not approach.
Princess said she was heartbroken, but the concept of love was still alien to Bordelis’s mind; he was too young. But Bordelis understood one thing, he was not omnipotent, he could not comfort every Merfolk.
Just as the powerful Princess couldn’t soothe the unrest in his heart, even though those negative emotions were also caused by her.
After bidding a smiling goodbye to the cheerful Merfolk, Bordelis took one last look at the dim pearl atop the temple and turned to swim towards the Dragon’s Nest.
The White Dragon was planning to do something.
