Chapter 360 - Taming Shelter - 2

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2569 07:40

"Something for the nerves?" Two crystal flasks containing a slightly luminescent liquid with a pearly glow. The containers themselves seemed almost ceremonial, etched with delicate runes. "This will help," Ren continued, offering a flask to each of his parents with a smile that attempted to be reassuring. His fingers trembled almost imperceptibly as he held them out. Fern looked at the potion with suspicion, studying the way it swirled within the glass. "What is it?" "A drink I brought you from the city," Ren responded with feigned casualness, though his eyes avoided direct contact. "It will help with fatigue and tension." Reed, too exhausted to question, gratefully accepted the flask. "At this point, I would even drink that homemade liquor that our neighbor brought." Lin exchanged a knowing look with Ren, a small smile forming at the corner of her lips reflecting her anticipation. "To being together again," Ren proposed, raising his hand in an imaginary toast. His parents nodded and drank the contents. The liquid descended down their throats with unexpected warmth, expanding through their bodies like a gentle but persistent fire. "It has a peculiar taste," Fern commented, wiping her lips. "Like... mint and something else I don't recognize." "It gives warmth," Reed added, placing a hand over his chest where a small but pleasant heat seemed to radiate outward. "Nice." Ren nodded, watching them attentively. Anxiety and anticipation shone in his eyes as he returned to one of the boxes, this time to extract something wrapped in a cloth that resembled black silk. "I have something more for you," he said, unwrapping it with reverential care. His handling suggested something of huge value, both financial and personal. The cloth revealed two medium-sized eggs, completely black, with surfaces that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Small blue markings ran across them, forming patterns reminiscent of constellations in a night sky. Even in the dim light of the storehouse, they seemed to possess an inner depth that made them appear larger than their physical dimensions. "Eggs?" asked Reed, confusion evident on his weathered face. "For what?" A laugh escaped from Lin, who quickly disguised it with a cough. Wei also smiled, but maintained a more appropriate composure. Their reactions only deepened Reed's confusion. "They're for you," Ren responded with patience. "They're Obsidian Turtle eggs." Fern gasped. Even in their relative isolation, that creature's name was known. It was the insignia beast of the Ashenway family, one of the most powerful and difficult to obtain in the kingdom. These weren't random expensive black eggs; they were even more costly specific eggs. The kind that noble families guarded jealously as part of their heritage. "But that's impossible," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Those beasts are only possessed by high-ranking Ashenway nobles. You couldn't even buy one if you're not from their family, even if you had..." "Millions," Ren completed. "And you're right. Normally they're impossible to obtain. But I had a lot of luck and an alternative method." His tone carried the pride of someone who had accomplished the seemingly impossible. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦 Carefully, he placed an egg in each of his parents' hands. The objects seemed to vibrate slightly, as if containing life impatient to emerge. "I obtained them from Deep Assassin cores that my group eliminated during our expeditions in the school mines," he explained, his voice adopting an academic tone reminiscent of his writings. "I reconfigured them with special acid and other components to transform them into the basic structure of Obsidian Turtles." Wei nodded with approval. "The matriarch of the Ashenways, Selphira, was initially skeptical when Ren requested her permission to obtain two eggs of the species. She offered to get him a single egg for an exorbitant sum as a loan, warning him that extracting it from her family would be complicated even for her." It would legitimately cost the old woman quite a bit to obtain it, given the family politics involved. "But I explained that I had a more efficient method," Ren continued, his fingers tracing the blue constellations on one of the eggs. "One that didn't require the traditional egg cultivation process that takes decades. At first she doubted, but when I showed her the process with another egg..." "She gave permission and provided the necessary materials for the nests at minimal cost," Lin completed. "I've never seen Grandmother Ashenway so impressed." The memory brought a genuine smile to her face. "It could have been the Quilin, but in the end the Black Turtle gives more Vitality. Though Larissa got mad that week… I wonder why?" Added Ren but in a murmur for himself. Reed and Fern observed the eggs in their hands with amazement and growing confusion. But then, Fern began to feel something strange. The vines on her arms seemed to respond, shifting and rippling beneath her skin with renewed vigor. "Ren," she said, her voice trembling, "what was that drink really?" The young man exchanged a look with Lin, who smiled slightly. "It was a potion to become double tamers," Ren confessed. "To allow you to form a second contract." Absolute silence fell over the storehouse. Reed and Fern stared at their son with disbelief, slowly processing the magnitude of what he had just revealed. The eggs in their hands suddenly felt impossibly heavy with implications. "But... that's impossible," Reed whispered, his fingers instinctively tightening around the egg. "Only a few dozen people in all of history have managed to have two contracts. The Kings, some legendary warriors..." "And now you," Ren responded with seriousness. "If you accept the contract with the turtles, of course." His voice carried both certainty and hope, the most valuable gift he could offer, now placed in their hands. As if to emphasize his point, Lin approached. With a fluid gesture, she simultaneously manifested her two beasts. Her Crane and Panther Lizard materialized. "Ren gave me the potion last semester," Lin explained with a smile. "It worked perfectly. My combat capacity doubled." Fern carefully set the egg aside and stood up, trembling slightly. "This is... this is too much. You can't simply spend something so exorbitantly expensive on us like this, without consulting us." Her voice wavered between gratitude and shock. "There's no turning back," Wei said softly. "The potion has already been consumed and completed the process. Rejecting the contract now would be... useless." "Useless?" Reed's voice cracked. "Have you just wasted a fortune that would secure your future on weak old people like us?" The self-deprecation in his tone was painfully evident. Ren's face showed pain at the accusation, but he remained firm. "I've given you an opportunity to live longer. To be stronger. To protect yourselves when I can't be there." "Obsidian Turtles," Yang intervened, who had remained silent until now, "are specialists in vitality, resistance, and healing. They will significantly increase your longevity and health." "And as an additional benefit, they will enhance the offensive power of your plants when they finally fully mature," Ren added. Reed and Fern exchanged looks of confusion at seeing the professors siding with Ren on something that might even cause problems with the castle people. The implications seemed to stretch beyond their small family drama into larger political dimensions. Seeing their indecision, Yang approached Reed, looking him directly in the eyes. The Stone Behemoth master's gaze held a challenge and personal wisdom. "Let me ask you something," he said gravely. "Would you die for your son?" Reed blinked, disconcerted by the question. "Of course. Without thinking." The answer came immediately, from the deepest core of his being. "Then," Yang continued, "why wouldn't you live for him?"

React

พูดคุย