When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 858: Chapter 235 Adaptive Force Chapter 858: Chapter 235 Adaptive Force Cardinal Favna nodded at her, then repeated, “That’s right, getting beaten—or rather, any act that brings one close to death.

“If you consume poison and survive, you gain resistance to that toxin; if you’re bitten by a snake and live, you develop immunity to its venom.

If you endure without food or water for an extended period, your body adjusts to suit such a lifestyle.

That is why dragons can dwell in deserts, deep seas, glaciers, marshes, and atop volcanoes.

“That’s why I say, this is how we from the Dragon Clan educate our offspring.

As long as one is healed after being injured, the body becomes a little stronger than before.

However, humans and elves alike need arduous ‘training’ to achieve this.

“I am so powerful now because I have been on the brink of death several times during my youth.

My bones have been broken more than a dozen times, my eyes have been gouged out, my liver has been shredded thrice, and my scales have been renewed more than once.

The most severe instance was when I fought a great sea beast with a hundred heads while covering Helquinn’s retreat.

It devoured my heart and liver alive and tore off my wings.

When I miraculously survived, I emerged more than twice as strong as before.

“Compared to those times, this world is far too peaceful now.

This generation of dragons has almost no experience fighting magical beasts, and if suddenly faced with danger, it’s almost always fatal.

To the point where noble dragons can be hunted by humans to the brink of extinction with ease—oh, sorry.

I didn’t mean to speak ill of humans, just that… such a situation would have been nearly impossible in the past.”

Realizing her words might have sounded unfriendly to humans, Cardinal Favna politely apologized to Aiwass.

Aiwass shook his head repeatedly: “No, no, it’s fine…”

With Cardinal Favna being so polite, how could he dare to speak up?

It wasn’t humans being hunted to near extinction…

To be honest, it was the first time he had heard such a statement that “dragons were nearly hunted to extinction by humans.” He was taken aback when he heard it and even found it somewhat incredible.

But after giving it some thought, it indeed made sense.

Mainly because the precedent of the Silver-Crowned Dragon was there—although they might not receive power from the Serpent Celestial Marshal, and therefore not obtain dragons’ strength in the transcendent act of “dragon-slaying”.

Nonetheless, materials like Dragon Blood and Dragon Hearts remained extremely valuable, and the act of dragon-slaying could make one a “Dragon Slayer Hero”, thus gaining immense prestige.

A hundred years ago, Avalon still had many dragons.

Even Ligeia’s former husband died from dragon-slaying.

But now, Avalon hardly hears any rumors of the existence of dragons.

Whenever there is talk of a dragon sighting—even if it’s just a drake—it could attract twenty or thirty mercenary groups.

The same goes for Star Antimony.

As a nation of ritualists and alchemists, they have an intense craving for materials from the Dragon Clan.

They dare to dismantle even humans, let alone giant dragons.

From this perspective, Favna’s concern for Rhine seems quite reasonable…

A frail and young dragon.

Even if not killed, it might easily be tamed or captured.

Especially given its timid, obedient, and friendly nature… To be honest, if Little Laiyin weren’t a child of someone he knew, Aiwass might have been tempted to take action if he encountered it in the wild.

If dragons are wild wolves, then Rhine might not even count as a husky—it felt as if it had already been domesticated.

“…However, Cardinal Favna, I have a question.”

Aiwass asked with some uncertainty.

“Hm?

Please ask.”

“Regarding the hunting of dragons like this… Don’t you powerful dragons take action?”

Aiwass was certain that if elves were captured and auctioned against their will, the Holy Nation would definitely intervene.

“Ah, that’s correct.

We don’t interfere.”

Favna nodded, her tone very calm: “Because this is the Path of Adaptation—if one cannot adapt to the environment, it means they are individuals meant to be eliminated.

Better to be destroyed.

“In fact, when the number of dragons has drastically fallen and approached dangerous lows, the Dragon Clan’s fertility immediately increased tenfold.

Simultaneously, the intelligence of dragons has increased a lot compared to the past…

Nowadays, even young dragons like Rhine and even smaller dragons can maintain their shape as humans, elves, or other races for extended periods.

“The violent, irritable, and belligerent nature of dragons has also cooled down much.

The new generation of dragons is very friendly to all civilized races, and their learning abilities have also improved further.

At the same time, their appetite has decreased, and hence, the size of their dragon forms has also reduced a lot.

“You Avalonians must think that there are no dragons left in Avalon now, right?

But as far as I know, there are at least a hundred pure-blooded dragons active in Avalon.

They are just lurking in the shadows…

Unlike the old-era dragons that excelled at looting, the new-era dragons are better at hiding.

“Therefore, no matter the environment, dragons will not intervene.

If excessive intervention is carried out, then the evolutionary ability of the Dragon Clan might be skewed, thus being unable to adapt properly to the environment.”

“…So this is the Child of Adaptation.”

Aiwass murmured to himself.

This was the first time he’d learned of this “hidden ability” of dragons.

Adjusting and adapting on a racial level…

If Giants represent “Strength”, Undead the concentration of “Twilight”, and magical beasts the embodiment of “Beast,” then dragons are undoubtedly the spokesperson for the word “Adaptation.”

“So, is this why Rhine is so timid?”

Aiwass looked toward Rhine, pensive: “Could there be a possibility…

that he simply isn’t cut out to be a warrior?”

Upon hearing this, Rhine’s eyes lit up.

But Cardinal Favna spoke resolutely: “Impossible, because he is Rhine.

Rhine Dragonflame—the son of a hero who inherited Helquinn’s legacy.

I laid the foundation for him with my liver, forged a Weapon from my spine, and crafted armor from my scales.

“Helquinn once said that he wanted to make Rhine the strongest warrior in the world.

The name Rhine was given by Helquinn just before he departed.

“I once thought this oath would never be fulfilled…

but fortunately, there’s you.

Thank you, Aiwass.

If the ‘warrior’ cannot return, then Rhine could never become ‘the strongest warrior.’

“Now, I am a Fifth Power Level warrior, the strongest warrior in this world.

There should be no one in this world more suitable to teach another warrior than me—and similarly, to surpass me is to be the strongest.”

With that, Cardinal Favna reached out to pull Rhine back to her side.

She was about to walk to the left but then something seemed to occur to her.

“By the way, Aiwass…”

Cardinal Favna was about to say something but then looked at them and gave up: “Never mind, it doesn’t concern you.”

She shook her head and then turned to Siegfried, instructing: “Remember not to drink, Siegfried.

The same goes for all three of you.”

“Why?”

Siegfried asked reflexively and then realized the difference between themselves and Aiwass’s trio—they were all Elves.

Being clever, he immediately guessed what Cardinal Favna wanted to say: “Tears of Time?”

He was somewhat incredulous: “The part of the Tears of Time stolen by Loki, has it still not been found?”

“Even the Controlled Flame, they are devout followers of the Candle Master as well as practitioners of the Path of Devotion.

For their cause, they are even willing to sacrifice their lives…

With such purity, it’s impossible to track them by Divine Arts.”

Cardinal Favna shook her head somewhat helplessly: “The good news is, we roughly know…

the assailant will use the ‘Tears of Time’ to attempt an Assassination on Grey.

After all, with so many people here, no assassin would dare attempt an Assassination openly.

So, just to be safe…

it’s better not to touch anything that could be a potential entrance.

I’ll also remind Grey in a while.”

“Will there truly be such chaos at the Pope’s enthronement ceremony?”

Aiwass frowned deeply.@@novelbin@@

Siegfried shook his head: “Probably only the Silver-Crowned Dragon and the Hourglass would wish for no trouble to occur.

Whether it is the Lord of Scalefeather, the Gemini Mirror, or the Serpent Father, they would all enjoy unexpected surprises.

“And as for the Great Sage, Amber, Eternal Self, and the Candle Master, they are likely not to care.”

“The Candle Master doesn’t care either?”

Isabel, standing nearby, was surprised.

As an Avalonian, she had grown accustomed to the idea that the Candle Master and the Silver-Crowned Dragon were the most just of all divine beings.

Cardinal Favna nodded: “The Candle Master’s nickname is ‘the Merciful Father of Light.’ He warmly affirms and encourages all acts of ‘altruism’…

“Anyway, it’s still best to be careful.”

She grumbled: “Now that the magic mirror is unusable, we cannot control the whole situation.

If only Loki was here…”

“The Controlled Flame is led by Loki.”

Siegfried reminded her.

The two Cardinal Archbishops sighed separately, their worries apparent as they shook their heads and then headed back to their respective places.

Aiwass looked at the wine in his cup, shook his head and raised it to down it all in one gulp.

Little Rhine’s issues still had to be addressed.

The child looked as if he was about to break…

Aiwass thought.

But Cardinal Favna was too stubborn…

Aiwass knew he definitely wouldn’t be able to persuade her.

“The hero’s last wish” was simply too heavy to be dismissed by anyone other than the person themselves.

—He would wait for when he finally captured Helquinn, now the Wild Hunt King, inside a Spirit Sphere, and let him speak to his own wife personally.