Chapter 119

"But these are not important."

Luo En patted Andre on the shoulder, pretending to be relaxed as he changed the subject:

"I actually suddenly have a question I want to ask you."

"What question?" Andre was clearly full of curiosity about Luo En's bloodline secrets, but also understood that prying further would yield no results.

"Speaking of which, Andre, have you ever thought about being king?"

Luo En's gaze was indifferent, his voice calm, as if just asking what the other had eaten today.

This seemingly casual question was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up monstrous waves.

Andre was struck by lightning, stopping abruptly, his golden vertical pupils instantly contracting into dangerous thin lines.

He subconsciously looked around, his neck tense, his eyes scanning every shadow by the roadside in panic, his muscles tense as if ready to deal with ambushing assassins at any moment.

A few seconds later, Andre suddenly realized, a trace of embarrassment and self-mockery appearing in his eyes.

He was no longer in the palace, but in the Black Fog Jungle, this gathering place for the extraordinary; who here would care about the change of throne in a distant kingdom?

This series of subconscious reactions did not escape Luo En's eyes.

He raised his eyebrows with interest; it seemed the Thirteenth Prince indeed harbored some unknown ambitions in his heart.

This was far more interesting than he had imagined.

If the other party only wanted to be an idle prince and live a quiet life as a marginalized figure after returning to the capital, then his long-term plan would likely go down the drain.

"You... why did you suddenly ask this?"

Andre's voice was slightly dry, his Adam's apple rolling twice, clearly frightened by this sudden question:

"Luo En, this kind of joke cannot be made."

Luo En shrugged, his gaze calmly sweeping over the other's slightly flustered expression; the other's reaction had already told him everything.

But he decided to push a little further: "You haven't answered my question yet; do you want to be?"

The two had unknowingly arrived at the workshop door.

Pushing the door open, Ailan was waiting in the foyer; seeing the master and guest enter, her "dress" woven from vines swayed gently, silently guiding them into the reception room.

"Welcome back, Master, Lord Andre."

Ailan expressed her greeting with a leaf writing board, her movements elegant and appropriate.

"Thank you, Ailan." Luo En nodded slightly: "Please help us prepare some hot tea."

Ailan nodded in greeting and turned toward the tea room.

Her movements were already very smooth, almost showing none of the initial stiffness, only the occasionally slightly trembling vines still revealing the essence of a plant.

Ailan soon brought the tea set, served two cups of steaming herbal tea, and then quietly retreated, walking to a sunny spot in the courtyard to stand quietly.

Although her consciousness and behavior were becoming more and more like a human's, the longing for sunlight was still an indelible habit engraved in her instinct.

Andre sat in the chair, his fingertips tapping the tabletop uneasily, taking the teacup but refusing to drink, just staring at the swaying water in the cup, as if some unfathomable secret were hidden there.

"If... if you must ask."

He finally looked up, his eyes shifting, speaking hesitantly:

"Honestly, I never dared to think about this question before. Thirteenth in line, a dozen brothers and sisters, even my father couldn't remember my birthday... I wouldn't even dare to dream of becoming king."

Luo En watched him quietly, saying nothing, his gaze like a torch, as if he could see through the other's soul.

"But now..."

Andre's expression suddenly changed, his golden vertical pupils lighting up, a prairie fire seemingly gradually igniting in the depths of his eyes:

"Now that I have awakened my bloodline and become a true knight, feeling this power, if you ask whether I want to..."

He took a deep breath, clenching his five fingers into a fist:

"Then I certainly do."

Luo En nodded in realization; as expected, human ambition always expands with the growth of strength.

Just like someone who, when first serving as the Northern Commandant of Luoyang, never thought he would later unify the north and hold the emperor to command the lords.

Power changes the human heart; this is an eternal truth.

Since Andre harbored such ambition, things would be much easier.

If the other party were truly an idle prince content with the status quo, he would really have to find another way.

"Good! That's more like it." Luo En tapped the table, a sharp light flashing in his eyes:

"By the time I become a high-level apprentice, you should also have fully adapted to your bloodline power and reached the peak of your strength."

"Once the Crimson Blood Flying Dragon bloodline is fully activated, it will be enough to contend with an average high-level apprentice. How many princes and princesses of your generation can threaten you in terms of strength?"

Luo En's sharp gaze stared straight at Andre, as if he had already seen a bloody storm about to descend within the royal family.

When that day truly comes, the Xuanwu Gate... is not impossible!

Andre's Adam's apple rolled, and he nodded, his eyes gradually becoming firm:

"Indeed not; ever since my eldest and second brothers inherited the Wyvern bloodline, most of the other brothers and sisters could only awaken Fire Lizard or lower-level bloodlines. But..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze carrying a trace of hesitation, clearly having other concerns he hadn't fully expressed.

"Are you worried about your power base?"

Luo En pointed it out first, as if he had long seen through the other's thoughts:

"Indeed, your foundation in the capital is too shallow, without enough nobles and armies to support you. But on this point, when the time comes, I will help you from the periphery as a professional Potion Master, so you need not worry."

Andre's pupils contracted slightly; he clearly hadn't expected Luo En to point out his thoughts so bluntly.

For a moment, his expression was complex and unfathomable; surprise, suspicion, vigilance, and hope flashed across that face in turn.

"Luo En, are you serious? You really are willing to support me?"

He stared fixedly at Luo En's eyes, as if trying to see a trace of a joke or deception.

"Of course." Luo En smiled slightly, his gaze calm as water, yet unfathomably deep.

In fact, his plan to have Andre ascend the throne was by no means a whim, but a strategy thought through and calculated thoroughly.

It had at least two important considerations:

First, if Andre could ascend the throne, he could protect the Ralph family.

Luo En would sooner or later head to the central fertile lands and reach a higher level of power, and he could not stay by his family's side for long.

Having a king as a backer would allow the family to remain unshakable in the turmoil of the future.

Second, and more crucially, the royal family held the complete inheritance of the "Corona Breathing Method," including the secret to the legendary 【Corona Knight】.

Besides that, the royal treasury must also hide quite a few rare treasures and long-lost ancient knowledge.

It was unrealistic to try and snatch these things by force.

As an ancient family standing for hundreds of years, the Faruk royal family conservatively estimated at least a dozen official knight-level combatants, a high-level apprentice sitting in command, and quite a few intermediate apprentices.

Not to mention the various trump cards left behind by those two Corona Knights, which would make even an average official wizard feel a headache.

And Andre's path was the perfect solution in his plan; internal turmoil would ultimately be meat rotting in one's own pot, and the struggle would always be controlled within a certain intensity.

"But before that, I still need you to do me a small favor."

Luo En took an exquisite silver blood-collecting device from the workbench, a special device used to preserve the activity of extraordinary biological blood:

"I need a sample of your essence blood to study the bloodline traits of the Crimson Blood Flying Dragon."

Andre froze for a moment, then relaxed his brow and readily took the blood-collecting device:

"Is that all? No problem."

He rolled up his sleeve and skillfully pierced the silver needle into his arm vein; dark red blood shimmering with golden light immediately flowed into the blood-collecting bottle along the tube.

Just looking at that blood made one feel a scorching heat rushing toward them, as if what they were seeing was not blood, but flowing magma.

For an already awakened Bloodline Knight, this bit of blood loss was just an insignificant consumption, which would fully recover in a few days and was not worth mentioning.

Luo En carefully took the blood sample and put it away solemnly:

"This bloodline sample is crucial to my research; thank you."

Andre waved his hand, not caring:

"A small matter; you helped me complete the bloodline activation and saved my life before. This bit of consumption is nothing to me now."

After Andre left, Luo En immediately entered his state, devoting himself entirely to the research of Chimera's bloodline talent.

Chimera's four consciousness cores corresponded to the three heads and one tail, each core capable of independently replicating one bloodline trait.

Theoretically, this gave him the possibility of possessing four different bloodline powers simultaneously.

And Andre's Crimson Blood Flying Dragon bloodline, being of high grade, suitable purity, reliable origin, and possessing the potential for upward advancement, was undoubtedly an extremely ideal first experimental material.

Luo En took out the bottle containing the essence blood, staring at the liquid radiating peculiar light, a burst of excitement and expectation rising in his heart.

If he could successfully replicate this bloodline, his combat power would undoubtedly improve again.

He first tried the simplest and most direct method—placing his palm on the blood bottle, attempting to perceive and replicate the bloodline information within with spiritual power.

However, there was no reaction, as if it were just ordinary liquid with no special properties.

"It's not that simple..." Luo En frowned, a flash of thought appearing in his eyes.

He carefully poured a drop of essence blood into his palm, closed his eyes, and attempted to mobilize the Chimera bloodline energy within his body to resonate with it.

Still no effect; the blood just lay there motionless, radiating faint heat.

"Perhaps it requires deeper contact, or even some ritualistic method?" Luo En muttered to himself, falling into deep thought.

He put down the blood bottle, closed his eyes, and began trying to feel the instincts hidden deep within his bloodline.

After the Chimera bloodline awakened, he could vaguely feel ancient memories flowing in his blood; they were not clear images or sounds, but a vague feeling, as if covered by a thick layer of gauze, vaguely visible yet difficult to distinguish.

Luo En attempted to sink his spirit into that hazy sea of memories, searching for fragments related to "replication."

Among countless chaotic, broken memory fragments, he finally captured a clue:

An ancient ritual triggered by oneself, used to draw and assimilate the bloodline power of other creatures.

"So that's it..."

Luo En opened his eyes, a flash of realization and excitement in them.

The reason Chimera could replicate other bloodlines was not through simple contact or devouring, but through a special ritual that extracted and reorganized the information of the foreign bloodline, then merged it into its own consciousness core.

He took out a small knife, gently cut a wound on his left index finger, and let his own blood drip into Andre's essence blood.

(End of chapter)