novelraw Chapter 172 : Conversation
Chapter 172 : Conversation
Chapter 172: Conversation
"Uncle Yam."
After everyone else had left, Aches also returned to his seat. However, the expression on his face was no longer the forced smile from before—it was one of deep frustration.
"What’s the situation between you and that girl?" Yam asked softly.
"I..." Aches initially wanted to instinctively deny any relationship between them. But when he lifted his head and saw Yam’s calm expression and tranquil eyes, he realized there was no way to hide it. "I promised to marry her."
Yam’s heart tightened. "You didn’t sleep with her, right?"
"N-No." Aches flushed and shook his head in embarrassment. "D-Does kissing count?"
Yam chuckled and shook his head. "Kissing... well, it can be serious or not. But if nothing physical has happened yet, then I suggest you talk things out with her as soon as possible."
Aches didn’t reply and simply lowered his head.
Yam understood that Aches was reluctant to end this vague yet beautiful relationship with the girl. Still, there were things he had to make clear. "You’re already aware of your Uncle Akar and Anna’s situation, aren’t you?"
"Yeah." Aches nodded, his face lighting up with a hopeful expression.
But that hope quickly faded from his eyes.
Because Yam’s explanation was completely different from what he had imagined.
"Anna is a lord. Though she lacks strength, she’s ambitious and resourceful. She managed to control the entire Gem Territory, even bringing the entire lord’s manor under her command, maintaining the unity of the territory, truly ruling with absolute authority—because no one’s status is higher than hers."
"But Angelina Kasein is different."
"She is the great-granddaughter of Marquis Visen. Though her grandfather has passed away, her father inherited the title of Baron of Red Soil Territory, which makes her a baron’s daughter. Her marrying you, from the current perspective of our Soderbell Family, is considered marrying beneath her. So if it’s discovered that you’ve taken a lover behind her back, and this reaches the Kasein Family, based on what I know of their conduct, Monica will surely make you kill that girl in front of Angelina."
"If you don’t want that girl to die because of you, then you'd best cut off contact with her immediately. Otherwise, you’ll regret it one day."
Aches’ face grew visibly pale.
Yam gently patted Aches on the shoulder, then said softly, "I had considered refusing on your behalf, but Marquis Visen was very firm. Both you and Liam must accept this marriage alliance. ...However, judging by what happened today, Cindy might turn out to be the bigger problem in the future."
"I’m telling you all this, and you might think it’s selfish of me—because I am indeed forcing you to accept Angelina Kasein. I’m sacrificing your happiness and future. I won’t make excuses for myself. But I hope you understand: we are one. You, me, Akar, Liam, Cindy—we are all members of the Soderbell Family. Since this name has granted us the power and admiration so many long for, we must also bear the responsibilities that come with it."
"So the only advice I can give you is how to prevent that girl from getting hurt even more." Yam glanced at the somewhat dejected Aches, then continued, "If you truly can’t bring yourself to explain things to her, then let me or Akar do it. Pretend you know nothing, turn that pain into resentment toward me or Akar, and focus on growing stronger. Grow to the point where one day, the future members of the Soderbell Family no longer have to endure the pain of being unable to control their own happiness."
"No need, Uncle Yam." Aches shook his head. "I’ll tell her myself."
"Are you sure?" Yam asked. "If Akar or I handled it, you might still have a chance to reconnect with her in the future. Maybe Angelina isn’t so bad after all. Who knows—you might even be able to make her your lover someday."
Aches was silent for a long time before finally shaking his head. "I can’t do that. And I don’t think I should do anything that would tarnish the honor of the Soderbell Family. ...Since marrying Angelina is my duty, then I should carry that responsibility. I can’t marry Angelina and still be entangled with another woman."
Yam was quiet for a while, then ultimately said nothing. He simply patted Aches gently on the shoulder. "Do as you see fit. If you need compensation, talk to Lily—I’ll explain things to her."
But after a moment’s thought, Yam turned back and added, "Maybe Angelina isn’t that bad. Look at me and your Aunt Lily—we came together through a marriage alliance, but we’re still very happy now."
However, Yam added silently in his heart: If only Cindy weren’t so worrisome.
"I’ll be fine, Uncle Yam. I know what to do."
With that, Aches stood up and left the room.
...
Robin watched this melodramatic scene with great interest.
This was one of his few sources of entertainment. After all, in the past, he had either been so idle he could only sleep inside the sword body, or he was rummaging through lost memories, searching for knowledge about the bloodline, pondering who he once was, why he had lost so much of his memory, and why the sword that housed him had shattered into so many components.
In his memories, his sword body should have been indestructible and unbreakable.
This point had been evident from the very beginning—when even the Universal Bloodline Power could not destroy him and had no choice but to seal him away.
But after Yam retrieved the Sword Guard, and with the return of the Sword Guard Inset Gem as well, Robin’s memories suddenly recovered a great deal.
It turned out that the Bourbon Family had lost their sword scabbard during an ambush battle against the Forest Witches in their campaign to hunt them down. That was what caused the Bourbon Family’s progress to stall, allowing the Forest Witches to catch their breath and eventually launch a counterattack.
Later, the Forest Witches crafted a special tool modeled after the sword scabbard. This tool had no effect on ordinary weapons and was even quite fragile, but when used on him, it had a sealing-like effect. As the war with the Forest Witches intensified and the Bourbon Family became aware of some unavoidable dangers, they used this special material to dismantle him into different components.
The Sword Guard, the Sword Guard Inset Gem, and the sword scabbard—which had already been lost earlier.
As for the break in the Sword Hilt, that was a tale from another battle—the Bourbon Family had originally only separated the Counterweight Ball, but the battle erupted suddenly, leading to an unexpected break that severed the Counterweight Ball along with a small segment of the Sword Hilt. A gravely injured direct elder of the Bourbon Family only had time to take him away from the Withered Wood Forest and hide him in the ancestral land of the Bourbon Family Manor before dying.
The Bourbon Family had indeed planned a resurgence and clearly understood that the true essence of their lineage lay in this Demonic Sword. Naturally, they made a series of arrangements—just as Yam had speculated. However, subsequent developments diverged from the Bourbon Family’s original plan, ultimately leading to their complete annihilation. None of their contingencies ever had a chance to activate—it was over just like that.
It was the perfect illustration of “plans can never keep up with changes.”
Now, the Soderbell Family was truly not much different from the Bourbon Family—Marquis Visen had, by a stroke of luck, actually guessed the truth: the true legacy of the Bourbon Family wasn’t the Four Extremes Bloodlines, but rather this Demonic Sword itself.
Whoever possessed him was the Bourbon Family.
And as more memories returned, Robin realized he had gained two new abilities: Soulcalm and Blood Seed.
However, the ability he had passed on to Cindy wasn’t fully explained.
The main function of Soulcalm wasn’t to pair with Purification—it was meant to be used with Blood Seed.
Blood Seed was not just created by hunting Forest Witches. It could also be produced by hunting powerful Magical Beasts, though the effects weren’t as potent: the Blood Seeds refined from such beasts carried inherent tendencies. For instance, a Blood Seed created from hunting a Bloodthirsty Beast would incline its user towards evolving along the Bloodthirsty Beast bloodline path, as it would enhance the Bloodline Aptitude of that category.
Just like Cindy.
But if the source was Forest Witches, then there would be no such limitations.
And Soulcalm had another effect beyond corpse location—it could also reclaim Soul Seeds.
Every Bloodline User, as their bloodline abilities deepened and strengthened, would naturally internalize some of those abilities as bloodline instincts, etched deep within their Bloodline Imprint. As these bloodline abilities advanced, they would eventually form a unique Bloodline Imprint, giving rise to a personal bloodline, which could then be passed on to their descendants.
The Soul Seed was the further refinement of this imprint.
For example, Yam’s natural talent in swordsmanship—by retrieving his Soul Seed, Robin could create a special Bestowment that enhanced swordsmanship skills and talent. By placing that Bestowment into the body of another sword wielder, it would grant them improved swordsmanship aptitude, which would continue to grow with further training and cultivation.
Eventually, Robin could easily nurture a swordsmanship prodigy.
To put it metaphorically, Soulcalm could extract a unique talent from one Bloodline User as a seed, then implant that seed into another, where it would take root, grow, and flourish. Each retrieval and implantation was a cycle of grafting and cultivation; until eventually, it grew into a towering tree and the nurturing process was complete.
The fact that the Bourbon Family had produced so many extraordinarily gifted prodigies back then was deeply tied to the abilities of Purification, Soulcalm, and Blood Seed.
In fact, Blood Seed could even pair with Extraction.
After all, the cost-free investment of Extraction focused on a Bloodline User’s innate potential, and Blood Seed could enhance that potential. Thus, Blood Seed could be used to boost a Bloodline User’s talent, and Extraction could fully exploit that potential without consuming the limited uses of Purification. This could also produce numerous exceptional individuals. Moreover, Soulcalm could reclaim their unique talents, and those could be transferred to strengthen direct descendants of the family—a perfect cycle.
As for Nirvana, now that Robin could Purify Fifth-Tier bloodlines, its effect had also reached the Fifth-Tier level.
However, the Soderbell Family hadn’t yet fully unleashed its potential—Yam and Akar were both only Third-Tier, so using Nirvana could only elevate their strength to the Fourth-Tier for now. It couldn’t yet take them to the Fifth-Tier.
But if they were willing to risk their lives, they could still unleash Fifth-Tier power.
Aside from that, another ability Robin acquired was Tracking.
Everyone who had received the effect of Soulcalm and left a Life Imprint with him—Robin could now directly appear at their side and see what they were doing in real time.
For example, Ion, Yam, Akar, Aches—as long as Robin wished it, he could immediately see what they were up to.
Cindy and Liam, due to their young age, would be at risk of being drained dry if they used Soulcalm. So these two children hadn’t yet left a Life Imprint with Robin, and thus, Robin currently had no idea what they were doing.
Though as for Liam, Robin didn’t really care much.
But Cindy—Robin had already invested quite a bit in her. She had completely been marked with Robin’s imprint, which was why she could influence the Magical Beast Cub of the Shadow Panther. The other Magical Beast Cubs captured by Yam hadn’t interacted with Robin and thus didn’t understand the Demonic Sword’s terror. But the Shadow Panther had met Robin, and Robin had subtly influenced it out of amusement.
So when the Shadow Panther sensed Robin’s aura on Cindy, it naturally became docile.
That was the real reason why Cindy could influence and command the Shadow Panther.