"Can’t you actually be a little serious for me!"
An angry roar burst from Ayrin’s little yard, almost overturning the entire courtyard’s walls.
"Fine."
Ayrin waved his hands as if in surrender when he looked at an old Ginns on the verge of exploding. He said, "You put so much stress on foundations and bloodline power, what are you really trying to say? Are you going to pass on some bloodline power to me?"
"You’re finally talking about the important issue, but why do you still have this I-don’t-care expression! Bastard, I know full well this guy is very special, but I still can’t help but become angry."
Old Gins panted in rough heaves and slowly calmed himself down.
Ayrin flabbily flopped his whole body on the stone table, face down.
"Really tired…" He only put his chin on the stone table after a groan. He looked at old Ginns and said without spirit or strength, "Since that’s the case, then come, give me whatever bloodline power you’ve got."
Old Gins couldn’t help but laugh instead.
This temperament was baffling. A guy who didn’t know fear and was also always brimming with optimism, who didn’t even know what difficulty was. Other people would certainly have even more of a headache or be driven even madder if they met him, right?
"Blood pact! Mark of seal awakening!"
His right hand stretched out and caught Ayrin’s right hand along with a deep and fast chant.
The instant his fingers came into contact with Ayrin’s skin, five silver lights transformed into five ancient draconic runes even the earliest draconic scholars wouldn’t recognize, then seeped themselves inside Ayrin’s body.
Five dots of silver light remained for a moment on the skin surface on the back of Ayrin’s hand, then slowly disappeared.
"So this is bloodline power fusion?" Ayrin looked at his own hand in a little daze. He didn’t feel anything unusual inside his body, only a little numbness on the fingertips of his right hand.
"There’s two ways to pass on bloodline power. One is to breed an offspring, the other is to pass it on through some holy item with unique powers." Old Gins shook his head as he looked at the Ayrin he’d managed to make serious after great difficulties. "These pact marks are merely equivalent to keys. The holy item that’ll fuse the bloodline power for you is inside St. Dawn Academy’s library. That’s why the thing you need to do is to go to school at St. Dawn Academy, then fuse the bloodline power I left for you as soon as possible."
Ayrin was still flopped on the stone table when he slanted his face and asked old Ginns, "Wait a little, an old liar suddenly transformed into an arcane master, I’m a bit dizzy. Let me think… Why is it so complicated, you’re not lying to me right?"
Old Gins laughed as if he’d known long ago Ayrin would say this. He simply fished out a purse and put it next to Ayrin’s eyes. "This is the school tuition I’ve prepared for you."
Ayrin immediately leaped down with a strength that came from who knew where.
"I’m rich…"
But he was immediately dumbstruck as soon as he opened the purse and took a look inside.
"Your saliva is going to flow down." Old Gins threw Ayrin a glance. "Now you believe me right?"
Ayrin immediate collected the purse in his bosom and kept nodding. "I believe you."
However he couldn’t refrain from immediately asking, "But, if you’re a very powerful arcane master, why did you choose me? Is it because I was only nine when I picked you up and was a little stupid, a little easier to cheat?"
"You’re indeed the dumbest dumb-ass." Old Gins nodded with a very earnest look. "I went to so many places. You’re the only one who fed me for so many years and passed my tests and trials."
A suddenly spirited Ayrin immediately thought of other issues. "Then what are you planning on making me do after I go study in the academy? Do you want to make me become a strong arcane master and help you accomplish some mission, or to guard a certain clan, to fight for a certain clan?"
"No." Old Ginns shook his head with a smile. He raised his head and looked at the starry sky, then said slowly, "There are countless dreams under the starry sky for every awakened youngster. I’m merely responsible for setting your sails and seeing you off on your journey, as repayment for what you’ve done for me during these past years. You’re free to choose your own dreams inside life’s journeys."
"Ayrin, you have to understand something. When a man’s ability reaches a certain extent, his fate is bound to be out of the ordinary, he’s bound to sparkle with light like the most precious gems. The most miserable environment carved out your kindhearted, optimistic, and staunch character that never concedes defeat and knows no fear. That’s why I don’t need to worry about your future. That’s why starting from today, Ayrin, you can search for your dreams and accomplish them to your heart’s content."
"Sounds like very awesome." Ayrin propped his chin in his hands and looked at old Ginns. "You forgot an important issue, what’s actually the bloodline power you’ve hidden inside St. Dawn Academy?"
"Any arcane master will try to find some ways to conceal a few tricks of theirs, they won’t expose their every secret and power in front of everyone. The concealed powers are often ways to save their lives or seize victory. So something like bloodline power, there’s nothing to be done if others can discover it at first glance, but it’s better if you can hide it." Old Ginns narrowed his eyes in a smile and said, "You usually won’t listen to advice and just do whatever, that’s why I decided not to tell you why I had to put the thing that’ll pass on the bloodline power to you inside St. Dawn Academy, and simply won’t tell you what bloodline power it really is. This way even you won’t know, so naturally others won’t be able to find out from you either."
"Ah…" Ayrin immediately shouted crestfallen, "It’s inhuman to wet someone’s appetite like you’re doing! Old Ginns! You hurry up and tell me!"
"Stop dreaming, I’ll never tell you."
"Out of the question, you hurry up and tell me!"
"Impossible. You save some strength and properly finish eating then go wash yourself."
"…If you don’t tell me, then I won’t go study at the academy!"
"This kind of clumsy threat is useless. Even in your dreams you want to go study at the academy, your eyes have already betrayed you."
"Ah… Ah… Will you actually tell me."
"Cer! Tain! Ly! Not!"
"Conspiracy! There’s definitely a conspiracy!"
"Idiot, have you ever seen someone spend so much time to craft a conspiracy in order to harm a little kid like you!"
"If you don’t tell me that means there’s a conspiracy!"
"Haha, don’t go to St. Dawn Academy then."
Late at night.
Starlight softly enveloped this small courtyard of Ayrin’s.
The utterly tired Ayrin was already asleep, making burst and burst of snores.
Now and then there were a few words mixed inside the snoring:
"Hurry up and tell me what’s actually the bloodline, bastard…"
"Actually lied to me for so long, I still thought it was a homeless old guy, but he actually had so much silver coins hidden on him, I’m not going to let you get away with it…"
"Don’t tell if you don’t want to tell, I’ll end up knowing sooner or later in the future anyway."
"Ooohh… St. Dawn Academy… St. Dawn Academy…"
Old Ginns stood in front of the bed the soundly asleep Ayrins was lying on. He couldn’t refrain a faint smile inside the darkness when he heard the academy name repeated time and again in Ayrin’s sleep talking. He mumbled to himself in a soft voice, "Usually you never ever mention the matter of entering an academy and studying there, but your inner heart is in fact as hungry and thirsty as your body when you think about other youngsters all going to school to search for their own dreams… You’ve worked far harder to obtain what’s yours, so presumably you’ll certainly cherish it more than others as well. Ayrin, I’m very much looking forward to your performance."
"Don’t tell me then if you’re not going to tell me. That mysteriousness like it’s something so powerful, no matter how powerful it won’t possibly be a dragon bloodline right…"
The fast asleep Ayrin flipped his body over at this time, and once again spoke this kind of sleep talk.
"Little guy, can’t you not look down so much on other people. You go slowly search for the answer by yourself."
Old Ginns looked at the small and thin figure inside the blankets and couldn’t help but be somewhat depressed and annoyed again.
"What! Ayrin is going to study at St. Dawn Academy?"
Cororin Town had thoroughly flared up in the morning.
Ayrin stood at the town’s entrance carrying a travel bag on his back. Both sides of the road were filled with people who came to say their farewells.
"Old liar, where did Ayrin get the money to go to St. Dawn Academy? Although they say you can go study in the academy as long as you’ve awakened, the tuition and the living expenditures are still also essential…"
"Cough cough, I already said I used to be an arcane master before, I’ve saved up some money."
"I can still believe you if you say you’ve saved up some money, but who’s going to believe an old guy like you would be an arcane master!"
"Anyway he can take out the money to let Ayrin go to school right now, at least he’s found a conscience."
"Old liar, Ayrin’s gone, you’re not following him?"
"I already said I’m an arcane master who came to guide Ayrin. I can retire and do my own things now that he’s gone."
"Still wants to sound tough…"
The farewell crowd made a stir to no end. Ayrin and old Ginns ultimately embraced each other and said their goodbyes, ready for his formal departure.
Ayrin asked beside old Ginns’ ear, "You’re really not leaving this place together with me?"
"My mission of searching for you and guiding you is already completed, now I should retire and rest for a while." Old Ginns said, "I’m old, I’m already not at the age to pursue any dream."
Ayrin made a very contemptuous hand gesture and muttered, "Conspiracy… There’s definitely a conspiracy…"
"Then you can not go to St. Dawn Academy." Old Ginns laughed out loud and looked at Ayrin with a gaze that’d completely seen through Ayrin. He added softly, "You don’t need to worry about me. You should understand that someone who can casually give you a pile of silver coins like me can live pretty well even without you."
"Then I won’t care about you." Ayrin humphed then turned around and went. Another sentence drifted out in a quiet voice nevertheless: "However old Ginns, I’ll miss you."
Old Ginns looked dotingly at his back and also seriously said in a soft voice, "I’ll miss you too."
"I’m setting off!"
Ayrin stretched out both his hands, then made an onward gesture. Filled with grand aspirations, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Onward! St. Dawn Academy!"
"Wrong! Come back!"
"Ah?"
"Moron, is that the direction of St. Dawn Academy? You’re going the opposite way!"
"Haha, worthy of a little Ayrin who can smash his own feet five times a month. He can get the direction wrong even when going onward."
"…!"