Astoria previously had doubts regarding Gregorio's health status. But after seeing Gregorio in person, the fog of doubts in her mind instantly cleared up; she was pleasantly surprised.
Although Gregorio Elderwatch seemed to have lost some strength due to his reduction in body mass, he was still healthy for his old age.
This wouldn't have been possible for a normal body refiner if they didn't have something special like the Golden Dragon Bloodline coursing through their veins.
Descendants of a golden dragon were all blessed with longer lifespans, strong physiques, and innate talents in general.
However, how did the members of the Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe become descendants of a golden dragon in the first place?
That was what Astoria wanted to learn.
Gregorio was good at reading people's expressions due to his wealth of experience as someone who had lived long. As such, he understood Astoria's thoughts at a glance.
He glanced at his son, Wilbert, and waved him off.
"Leave us."
"Yes, Father."
Wilbert obediently complied, no questions asked. He carefully closed the door on his way out and went back to his own business as the Imperial Legion's commander.
Although the Holy Knight Empire's citizens had more or less accepted Vaan as the incarnation of their Sun God, a small minority of the people still caused trouble against his will due to their hostility and disdain toward witches.
However, the minor conflicts in the holy city had been kept under control thanks to the Imperial Legion's assistance.
…
Back inside Gregorio's living quarters, the elderly man casually poured two cups of tea on the table and gestured to Astoria to sit.
"My son, Wilbert, should have explained our background and history to you. However, he seemed to have left some parts out for me," Gregorio casually started speaking, "Normally, you should have learned about this matter from your father."
"Unfortunately, he left us in an untimely matter," Gregorio sighed with regret.
He still blamed himself for failing to protect King Siegfreid and letting the Braveheart family decline despite being his closest friend and confidante.
Even after he realized what had transpired in the imperial palace, he couldn't do anything to King Siegfreid's younger brother, Argos, and Elsbeth. Argos was still a member of the Braveheart family, and Elsbeth was needed to bear Argos's child and continue the Braveheart family's lineage.
If he had known Astoria was still alive all this time, he wouldn't have silently watched the couple getting away with their unforgiving crimes.
Gregorio's hair turned grey overnight when he knew he was forced to watch in silence as the culprits behind his friend's death lived as they pleased.
"Thank you for staying alive, Astoria. Not only have you grown up well, but you have also brought back hope for the Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe as well," Gregorio said with heartfelt gratification.
"I do not dare claim all the credit, Uncle Gregorio," Astoria shook her head and said, "I simply got lucky."
She knew her Golden Dragon Bloodline was unlikely to have awakened if it wasn't stimulated by Vaan's blood essence, which also contained the blood essence of the Fire Dragon God.
"What is the origin of our Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe, Uncle? How did we humans become the descendants of a golden dragon?" Astoria knitted her brows and asked shortly after.
"You're quite curious about this, aren't you?" Gregorio calmly smiled before replying, "To be honest, even I cannot be certain of the truth. I can only tell you what I've heard from my father, which was also told by his father and so on."
"I'm fine with that, Uncle," Astoria acknowledged.
Right now, she couldn't even begin to guess the origins of their golden dragon ancestor.
Thus, even if she was told an altered or inaccurate version of their history, she still believed there would be some truth amidst the lies.
Myths and legends didn't sprout from nothing; there must have been a source or spark of inspiration.
"Very well," Gregorio nodded shortly after receiving Astoria's acknowledgment.
"According to the words of our earliest forefathers, the world we live in today used to be a desolate and lifeless blue planet without any land; it was just a boundless sea. The Pangea continent of today only existed after our golden dragon ancestor, Pangea, was banished here from the stars beyond the sky."
Gregorio had only just started talking, but Astoria was already shocked to the core; her eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
Astoria wouldn't be surprised if their golden dragon ancestor were a god-like existence that could create an entire continent with their power.
However, she didn't think the Pangea continent and the golden dragon ancestor sharing the same name was a mere coincidence.
"You don't mean…"
"It's precisely what you are thinking, Astoria," Gregorio confirmed with a nod before she could finish speaking.
"The Pangea continent is what remains of our golden dragon ancestor's body. It was said that after Pangea was confined to this lifeless sea world, a long time passed before life was born on her dying celestial body," Gregorio stated.
Astoria's lips twitched.
Just as she suspected, the Pangea continent was the remains of their golden dragon ancestor. It was truly unbelievable that a dragon could grow to such immense size.
Astoria couldn't even imagine how powerful the golden dragon ancestor was at the peak of her power.
Pangea was truly a god-like existence. And yet, such a god-like existence was also confined to this blue world until death took her.
The golden dragon ancestor's enemies must have been even more powerful than her.
It wasn't just Chaos that had unfathomable existences; their cosmos also had terribly powerful existences beyond their wildest imaginations.
Compared to such existences, humans were as insignificant as specks of dust in the vast sea of stars.
"If the Pangea continent is our golden dragon ancestor's celestial body, how could it look the way it does? Is it even possible to reduce the body of such a powerful existence to this state with time, Uncle Gregorio?" Astoria frowned with doubt.
"It can," Gregorio sadly nodded.
"According to our forefathers, this world used to be treacherous and unforgiving, completely incapable of nurturing life. The boundless sea was toxic and would corrode anything. Even our golden dragon ancestor was no exception."
"However, our golden dragon ancestor was extremely powerful. If she truly wanted to protect herself from the toxic seawater, no harm would befall her, no matter how long she soaked in the boundless sea," Gregorio explained.
"Then why did our golden dragon ancestor's body still get reduced to this state?" Astoria's frown deepened.
The more she listened, the harder it was for her to believe.
Nevertheless, Gregorio was patient and didn't get offended by her doubts. After all, he, too, once had the same doubts when his father recounted the story to him.
It might seem like a bullshit story, but once he told her the full story, she would realize everything fitted together and made sense.
"That's because our golden dragon ancestor willingly allowed herself to fall to such a state, Astoria," Gregorio calmly stated.
"Our world used to be treacherous and unforgiving, completely incapable of nurturing life. Thus, even though various life emerged on Pangea's celestial body, natural diseases and disasters constantly plagued them. Their lives were full of death and suffering."
"What do you think our golden dragon ancestor felt during such an age?" Gregorio asked.
"Pangea must have felt incomparable loneliness while she confined to this world… The lives that emerged on her celestial body must have been regarded like her children. As such, their company brought her joy, and their suffering and death brought her great sorrow… right?" Astoria guessed.
"That's right," Gregorio nodded.
"Countless millions of years had passed during such an era. In that era, the golden dragon ancestor favored the first humans and accepted them as her children; she transfused her blood essence into their bodies and transformed them into dragonkin, increasing their chances of survival. That was how the Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe was born."
"Alas, although the golden dragon ancestor succeeded in her attempt, our human ancestors still died from toxic rainstorms polluting their pure water sources. In the end, the golden dragon ancestor sacrificed herself to give every race a chance at life."
"And how was that achieved?" Astoria asked.
"The golden dragon ancestor purified the boundless sea by using the potent life force in her blood essence," Gregorio stated.
"Of course, the golden dragon ancestor's blood essence was far from enough to purify the entire boundless sea even if she exhausted every last drop of it. Still, it was more than enough to create a safe zone around the golden dragon ancestor's celestial body and allow life to thrive for a long time."
"That may also be why our Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe was the only group to possess the Golden Dragon Bloodline; no one else received the golden dragon ancestor's blood transfusion besides our human ancestors," Gregorio further inserted his opinion.
"I see… To think we would have such a long history…" Astoria uttered with a thoughtful look.
Although she still doubted the validity of Gregorio's story, she chose to accept it for the time being. She thought it was quite interesting.
If it were true, it would have been one incredible history. And if it wasn't true, it was still one impressive story.
Nevertheless, Gregorio wasn't finished.
"Others may forget, but our Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe must remember Pangea's love and sacrifice. It is our duty to realize the golden dragon ancestor's greatest wish."
"Pangea's greatest wish?"
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