"The Second Prince and the Great Princess, who originally had personalities similar to His Majesty in his youth, have also begun to change gradually, becoming determined and brave, opinionated, and no longer socially anxious, each one eloquent."
"Now, do you understand why I feel sothing strange?"
Ian was silent.
Now he not only knew why Barton wanted to tell him these things, but also understood why from the start, Marquis Barton viewed him differently.
Because he was a descendant of the Cheharlowa Family, the inheritor of ancient relic research expertise.
He was the descendant of the discoverer of the ’thod of Immortality’, the offspring of the ’Echo Excavator’.
"You an..."
Gathering his thoughts, Ian said in a low voice, "It’s the Echo..."
Marquis Barton glanced sideways at Ian.
"You indeed know the thod of Immortality."
He shook his head: "But it’s not as simple as the Echo, Ian... Echo is easily identifiable, for the Soul Structure easily degrades; as a thod of Immortality, it is simply unqualified."
"Moreover, the Forr Emperor... Ian, you’ve never truly lived in the sa era as the Forr Emperor. If you had, you would know he would absolutely, absolutely never touch such taboos."
"However, I must also say, back in the ti before the Dark Moon turmoil, the Forr Emperor did indeed exhibit so strange changes... One of the reasons for the Crown Prince to initiate the Dark Moon turmoil was the very persuasive argunt that Inega II was possessed by an ancient malevolent entity."
"I even suspect that the entity which possessed Inega II transferred to His Majesty Akseir, and then partially to the princes and princesses."
Marquis Barton retrieved the photo in his hand, stored it in a drawer, his tone imbued with a sense of desolation: "Of course, I also know that even as a conjecture, this notion is too unimaginable to the point of being bizarre."
"But I definitely can’t find any reason to explain this phenonon."
— The strange changes in Inega II were likely due to the Silver Chip and despair over Terra’s situation, unrelated to evil spirits.
Harboring skepticism, Ian slowly nodded: "These are all your speculations."
"And the Second Prince also noticed sothing amiss, hence your collaboration."
"As for Crown Prince Carlos, he, on the contrary, is the most normal — indeed, he is indeed the one amongst all the princes and princesses who seems the most familial..."
After all, not every prince can so easily cry out ’Dad, save !’, this clearly shows he truly considers himself a son, and his father as a father.
Such matters are quite rare in the royal family.
Now Ian understood Marquis Barton’s thoughts.
As one of Akseir’s most trusted people back then, even being his childhood playmate and follower, Marquis Barton witnessed firsthand the peculiar changes in Akseir and his family’s personalities.
Akseir’s transformation from an introverted, reclusive mountain-climbing enthusiast to today’s iron-blooded emperor... is not impossible, but it is too abrupt.
Similarly, the sudden transformations in the Second Prince and Great Princess have a clear sense of anomaly.
Even...
Ian suddenly thought of the Imperial Grandson ’Aina Setal’.
His overly positive personality, almost saint-like, indeed differs completely from the common perception of royal offspring.
If such was innate, that’s one thing, but what if Aina’s personality change was caused by sothing?
Ian also thought of Yisen Gard.
Initially, Ian thought Akseir wanted to perform a body transfer reincarnation through Yisen Gard’s ’Refining Light Devouring Dragon’ blood — but later, this possibility diminished, evolving into part of so grand task related to the Thousand-Star Beast or all of Terra.
But indeed he reminded Yisen Gard’s mother, Aflina Setal, in this regard.
And Aflina also reminded her brother, the Second Prince Michael.
Because Michael, who already had a daughter, was naturally very concerned due to his wife also having a bloodline similar to the Refining Light Devouring Dragon... and found Marquis Barton.
The union of information from both sides imdiately woke both parties, making them aware of the odd changes in their personalities.
Just as Ian ntioned, a person’s character changing as they grow is natural, but if these changes are abrupt and fast, even if unnoticed initially, bringing it up later will make one realize sothing is amiss.
But Marquis Barton himself couldn’t guess what precisely happened to the Setal Imperial Family — was it the emperor’s curse? Or the influence of the Solar Phoenix Bloodline? Or perhaps a consequence of the thod of Immortality, or a lingering ancient evil spirit?
Marquis Barton addressed Ian today exactly because he couldn’t figure out these issues, hoping to glean so insights from this Cheharlowa family descendant.
But unfortunately.
Ian didn’t know either.
It wasn’t the Echo, likely not the emperor’s curse or ancient evil, then the remaining possibility was the Solar Phoenix Bloodline.
Yet this was the least likely — it’s improbable that the Solar Phoenix Bloodline would curse with these theoretically ’advantageous’ traits.
Moreover, from what Marquis Barton said, the personality changes in Akseir might have been a transformation he willingly underwent himself.
"Soul modification?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers