Chapter 470: Warning
If he decided not to tell him anything at all, maybe that would even poke at Elion’s curiosity, urging him to go and explore the area himself, so Dorian would only be delaying the inevitable.
In the end, he decided to divulge only a little bit.
"Only the greatest powers know about those places," Dorian said casually. "Because some places are better forgotten."
Elion frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Dorian shrugged. "Nothing I would know specifically, but you can guess it has something to do with something that happened ages ago."
He was lying, of course. He knew why those places were hidden from public maps. He also knew why an entire race of people lived in seclusion, hidden away from the eyes of most.
But it was better if he kept that much to himself, at least for now. If the Elion wanted to find out the full extent of the secrets of these places, then let him find out through his own efforts.
However, the Abandoned Continent was one place Dorian hoped Elion never became too curious about.
Especially knowing that he possessed a vessel like this, that could take him wherever he pleased without needing to worry about traversing impossible terrains like most people.
For people like him, those who knew of that place had always been given one warning by those who passed down its knowledge: Among those who ventured into the forgotten continent, most never returned.
And the few who did were never the same.
The best you could do for them was give them a quick death before they completely lost themselves to madness.
Dorian’s gaze lingered on the map for a moment longer. Then he deliberately moved the conversation elsewhere.
"Do not dwell on it," he said. "It is of no use to you as you are now."
Elion’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He could tell Dorian was hiding something, but he also understood that pressing him right now would probably not yield much.
So Elion simply looked back at the map, his expression thoughtful.
Dorian noticed that look and immediately disliked it. That was the expression of someone who would definitely remember this conversation later.
’Troublesome brat.’
"However," Dorian said, clearing his throat, "do tell me something."
Elion glanced toward him.
"As Celeste’s uncle, I am curious," Dorian continued. "What manner of sorcery did you use to make your way through her cold heart?"
Elion raised a brow. "You are actually her uncle?"
Dorian’s expression stiffened. "What do you mean by actually?"
Elion looked him up and down. "I mean, you said sworn brother to her father. That could be a close family friend, not necessarily blood-related."
Dorian crossed his arms. "In our clan, such bonds are not so casual. Lucius is my sworn brother, and also my brother-in-law, and Celeste is my niece in every way that matters."
Elion nodded slowly. "I see."
Dorian’s eyes narrowed. "You did not answer my question."
Elion gave him a confused look. "What question?"
Dorian’s brow twitched. "What manner of sorcery did you use to win Celeste’s heart?"
Elion blinked and smiled. "Ah. That."
"Yes. That."
Elion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "To be honest, I am not sure."
Dorian stared at him. "That is your answer?"
"What do you want me to say? I did not set out with some grand strategy to conquer her cold heart."
Mira, who had been listening from one of the plush seats, smiled faintly.
"That is probably true. Elion’s grand strategies usually happen after the trouble has already begun."
Tessa nodded. "Accurate."
Aria huffed. "He seduces people without thinking."
Dorian slowly looked around at the women. It had been quite humbling for him to find out that the Elion had more women apart from the two he knew about, and then there was Celeste.
’What manner of charisma does one man need to be able to draw so many women by his side!’ He grimaced as he thought inwardly.
Put simply, he could not comprehend it!
Among all the young women here, none of them seemed so simple; they were all great talents. Especially the demon called Zenith. She looked to be Elion’s age, and yet, she was already far more powerful than he was!
He was a Sage, and he was also a few centuries old goddamnit! To get a proper gauge on her strength, he would have to ask Lucius when they finally arrived.
Just from his eyes alone, he could tell that she had to be a saint at least, one so young too! She had no business wielding so much strength!
Maybe his eyes were just playing tricks on him, or maybe her strength made her look much younger than she was, just like Lucius. But even with Lucius, you could see that he was approaching his middle ages.
This demon looked like she was barely twenty!
"Nothing that goes on with this guy is ever normal," Tessa seemed to have noticed all the numerous questions running through Dorian’s mind, so she commented on it, even adding an exasperated sigh.
"I am beginning to see a pattern." Dorian nodded.
Elion coughed lightly. "There is no pattern."
Mira smiled. "There is very much a pattern."
Elion ignored her. "As for Celeste," he continued, "things just happened."
Dorian’s eyes narrowed further. "Things just happened?"
"Yes."
"That is not an explanation."
"It is the truth." It sounded like Elion was deflecting without giving him a clear answer, and Dorian looked unimpressed.
Elion sighed. "When I first met Celeste, she was stern, cold, dangerous, and very hard to approach."
Elion’s smile softened slightly.
"But she was also responsible. She carried herself like someone who had long since accepted that she had to stand alone at the front. She did not ask for help, she did not show weakness, and she acted like needing others was something beneath her."
Dorian’s expression slowly changed, becoming a bit dumbfounded by how accurate Elion’s assessment of Celeste was.
Elion continued, "I suppose I liked that about her. Not because I wanted her to stay that way, but because I wanted to know what she was like beneath all those layers of ice."
Elion leaned back slightly.
"She was difficult, proud, and annoying at times. But she was also sincere in her own way. When she chose to care, she did not do it halfway." A faint smile appeared on his face. "And when she became flustered, it was surprisingly cute."
Dorian froze.
When he spoke, his voice became dangerously calm and even a bit shocked. "Cute?" Celeste and cute? The words did not mix.
Sure, he used to think she was adorable when she was a child, but she stopped being that years ago.
"You are speaking about Celeste Chronos," Dorian asked just to be sure. "Are you sure we are talking about the same person?"
"Yes, who else do you think?" Elion gave the man a dumbfounded look.
"My niece!"
"Yes, your niece."
"The heir of the Vampire Clan."
"Yes."
"The same Celeste who has made grown nobles tremble with a single look."
Elion smiled faintly. "Yes... She can still be cute."
Dorian stared at him for a long moment. He suddenly threw his head back and laughed. The sound boomed through the Ark’s control room. "Hahahaha!"
Elion blinked as Dorian laughed for several seconds before wiping at the corner of his eye. "Unbelievable," he said. "Absolutely unbelievable."
Elion raised a brow. "What?"
Dorian pointed at him. "You truly are either the bravest boy I have ever met or the most foolish."
’Brave?’
Why was this old man calling him brave for calling Celeste cute? She was certainly cute, very cute in fact. Especially that time when she was trying so hard to make sure she was doing everything right while giving him a blowjob.
Though things had not ended well after her sharp vampire fangs grazed his dick, it had been an endearing sight, even though the memory still gave him tingles.
Dorian shook his head. "Celeste. Cute? If the clan heard you say that, half would faint, and the other half would draw weapons and take you to war to defend her dignity."
Elion narrowed his eyes. "That sounds a bit too excessive."
Dorian snorted, but his expression softened in a way Elion had not expected. "But perhaps that is why."
Dorian’s gaze moved toward the map for a moment, but his thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
"Celeste has been treated as the heir for most of her life. As a symbol of hope, a future ruler and a precious figure to be idolised. Many respected her, and many feared her in equal measure. Some envied her, and some desired her position."
He paused briefly and gave Elion a deep, measuring look.
"I may have said it jokingly before, and this may seem completely unrelated, but if you ever hurt her and the child you fathered with her, the entire vampire clan will go to war, and they will have your head; I may not be her father, but I treat her as I would my own daughter. And I am also sure that Lucius will tell you the same thing."
He warned Elion a bit too calmly, and even more eerily, the tone he used to speak carried no malice or any hint of danger, but perhaps that was the scariest part.
However, he got his point across with vivid clarity.
Considering that the ladies at the back had gone eerily silent as well, they also understood the gravity of the situation unfolding before them
Elion could only smile wryly, suddenly feeling like he was being handed grave warnings a bit too often these days.
However, he also understood the sentiment. He nodded lightly as he met Dorian’s gaze. "I care deeply about Celeste," he said. "And if there ever comes a day that I do something to hurt her, I would also want to kill myself."
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