Chapter 1223 — Ancestor and Descendant
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Mo Jin rose to his feet, unable to keep himself from studying the lady before him—a woman of extraordinary bearing—with still greater curiosity and attentiveness. In those pale blue eyes and that snow-and-ice hair, he did indeed see something of himself. Yet he still could not remember. He could not remember his own surname, could not remember the experiences of his youth, could not remember whether he had ever had a family or descendants, and could not even remember where he had dwelt and lived—he could only guess at the identity of this "Victoria" before him and venture a question: "How long have you been looking for me?"
"...Six centuries." Duchess Victoria hesitated less than a second, but at last she steeled herself and gave the answer.
Mo Jin's expression froze on the instant, as though he had heard some tale from the Arabian Nights. Only after a long while did the corner of his mouth twitch, and he stared at this "descendant" of his: "How long did you say?!"
"Strictly speaking, five hundred and seventy-two years—not quite six centuries, though not far off," Victoria breathed in softly. She knew how hard this fact must be for the person concerned to hear, a man who had lost his memory; but she had come here today precisely to unravel the tangle of mysteries that had long wrapped around the family's ancestor. Apart from the taboo of the "surname," it would be best not to conceal too much. "Ancestor, I fear even you yourself do not know how long you have been wandering this world."
"How is that possible?!" Mo Jin's voice rose sharply. In his astonishment he pointed at himself. "Six centuries, six—I..."
Halfway through, the old man suddenly stopped. His expression shifted rapidly, and Victoria grew worried at the sight; but before she could open her mouth to soothe him, the old man before her suddenly knit his brows, one hand stroking the beard on his chin, his face turning thoughtful: "But then again... six hundred years... I've been through every kind of strange and outlandish thing there is. It doesn't seem so impossible, does it?"
Victoria: "..."
The Xuanmai Sect's capacity for acceptance seemed far sturdier than she had imagined?
As he spoke, Mo Jin's attention returned to Victoria. The old mage's brows had still not relaxed, and he looked weighed down with thought: "I still find it rather hard to believe. By your account, I've become some kind of undying old monster... Though to be honest, I've been living quite happily enough... Haah, but that's hardly the point. The point is that I don't actually know what has happened to me. I don't know whether those dragonfolk have told you the situation—my memory is somewhat disordered now; even the things I do day to day are all in a jumble, and lately it's been especially so. In fact, I didn't even know I had descendants... Sorry, girl. Does that sound a bit irresponsible?"
"Of course not," Victoria said at once. "Before I came, the dragonfolk envoy told me everything. I'm prepared for it. I've come to confirm your situation and to help you as much as I can—I still have a great many questions to ask you."
"Oh, oh, of course, of course," Mo Jin said again and again. Then he glanced at the curious onlookers who had gradually gathered on the surrounding streets, and then at the "adventurer's hut" where he was temporarily lodging not far away. A smile spread over his face. "How about we go inside first? A street with people coming and going is hardly the place for a conversation."
"Of course," Victoria nodded at once, then turned back to look at Maggie. "Maggie, then you..."
"I won't go in with you," Maggie said with a shake of her head before Victoria could finish, a smile on her face. "An occasion like this is no place for an 'outsider' like me to be underfoot—Cletta and I will have a look around nearby. It's rare to come to the dragonfolk's homeland; I really do want to see the place and learn a little of its history."