Chapter 60: The Dragon’s Legacy

As the clean-up concluded, the sun dipped below the horizon just as everyone emerged from the breeding grounds.

Employees from the day-dwelling races swiftly changed into their civilian clothes and departed the farm, while, in contrast, those from the night-dwelling races began to arrive in a steady stream.

In gratitude for everyone’s assistance, Roalsa extended an invitation for them all to join her for dinner at her home.

Qing Yu, without a moment’s hesitation, readily accepted.

Olivia, after giving some instructions to her accompanying knight, also agreed to Roalsa’s proposal.

Roalsa’s home was situated in the heart of Alast, where, owing to its immense population and ceaseless flow of people, a peculiar spectacle had emerged.

The streets were lined with towering, oddly-shaped buildings, funded by the residents themselves and constructed by dwarven craftsmen.

These houses were of varying sizes; one floor might house a single family, while the next would be a cluster of small rooms, wall-to-wall, seemingly stacked atop the first, and a third floor might perhaps contain only two rooms.

All these levels were connected by external staircases, and from these stairs, gazing down through the railings, one could take in a panoramic view of the bustling streets and winding alleyways.

Furthermore, given the disparate funding, varied materials, and divergent visions of the residents who commissioned these structures, it was a commonplace sight to find a single building featuring an eclectic mix of architectural styles across its various floors.

Some even went so far as to erect bridges between buildings, facilitating daily movement for neighbors.

Consequently, it was often said that Alast’s skyline resembled a vast spiderweb, with all manner of bridges interconnecting the towering structures, weaving a haphazard yet harmonious tapestry in the air, creating a unique aesthetic.

Roalsa’s home was situated within one such towering edifice.

After guiding everyone up to the sixth floor, she paused before a house built of blue stone.

“We’re here.”

Roalsa produced her key as she spoke.

With a soft click, the door swung open, and a small boy suddenly darted out, flinging himself into Roalsa’s arms.

“Sister!”

“Shasha!” Roalsa scooped up Shasha, clearing a path for the others, who then noticed an elderly man inside the room, arranging something on the table.

“This is my younger brother,” Roalsa explained, ushering everyone inside, before introducing the elderly man to them all.

“This is my father.”

The elderly man looked up, and upon seeing guests enter, his placid expression immediately transformed into one of joyous welcome; he nodded to them with a warm smile.

“Hello, are you Roalsa’s friends?” he asked. “What a rare occasion! Roalsa rarely brings friends home.

Shasha, quickly go prepare more chairs.”

As he spoke, the elderly man chided Roalsa gently.

“Why didn’t you tell me your friends were coming? Now I’ve only prepared so few dishes.

How can I possibly entertain guests like this?”

“It’s alright, Dad,” Roalsa assured him. “I picked up some dishes on my way, and they’re all quite good.”

She brandished the bag in her hand, which was filled with food she had bought from a restaurant.

“That’s more like it,” the elderly man said, affectionately pressing a hand to Roalsa’s forehead before pulling out chairs.

“Alright, everyone, please sit down.

You must be tired from standing so long.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Eden said, promptly taking a seat and casually handing a golden apple to Shasha and the elderly man respectively.

“These are my gifts for you both.

Please accept them.”

The elderly man chuckled warmly as he accepted the apple, and everyone else also settled into their seats.

Roalsa’s home was not particularly spacious; it comprised two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room, and that was all.

The living room itself was barely large enough to accommodate everyone.

“By the way, Shasha,” Roalsa asked during the meal, scooping food into his bowl, “What did you learn today? Tell your sister.”

“Today, our teacher gave all the boys in our class a magic stone,” Shasha replied. “They didn’t give them to the girls, saying it was because boys don’t have magic circuits, so we use the magic stones to practice using magic.”

“Is that so? And what kind of magic have you learned, Shasha?”

Roalsa asked with a smile.

If the everyday Roalsa was a swift gale, decisive and elusive, then the Roalsa interacting with Shasha was a gentle breeze, peaceful and tender.

Gone was her usual carefree, elder-sister persona when talking with her brother; instead, as she chatted with Shasha, she always wore an affectionate smile and listened intently as he recounted the day’s events at school.

On such occasions, Roalsa’s father would eat his meal, gazing fondly at both Roalsa and Shasha.

When a particularly exciting detail arose, Shasha would put down his bowl and chopsticks and gesticulate wildly, at which point Roalsa would gently tap his bowl with her chopsticks, reminding him not to spray food everywhere.

“It’s so nice to have a younger brother,” Liliya mused, watching Roalsa and Shasha while gnawing on a raw chicken leg, still streaked with blood, a look of envy in her eyes.

“Liliya, taking care of a younger brother can be quite troublesome, you know,” Thrud said, her mouth so full that her words were slightly slurred.

“What’s so troublesome about that?” Liliya scoffed. “You just hatch him, then look after him for a short while until his feathers are fully grown.

After that, he can take care of himself, and then he can join me for hunting!”

“That’s right, dear Thrud,” Olivia reminded her. “Liliya is a Harpy, quite different from us humans.

Harpy children hatch and quickly grow their wings, enabling them to fly and hunt independently.”

“Is that so?” Thrud scratched her head. “I never did well in my studies about races when I was young.

I even made a fool of myself once by confusing vampires and elves.”

“Oh, by the way, Sister,” Shasha piped up, “The blacksmith who enchanted your sword came looking for me.

He said it should be ready for delivery in about a month.”

During the meal, Shasha suddenly blurted out this remark, capturing the attention of everyone who had been chatting merrily.

“Doesn’t Ms. Roalsa always carry her sword?” Qing Yu asked, gesturing towards the saber at Roalsa’s waist.

“This one? No, no,” Roalsa said, waving her hand dismissively. “This is just a decorative sword; it’s easily shattered.

We all usually fight with our preferred weapons, and our ceremonial swords rarely leave their scabbards.”

She then pointed to the saber at Olivia’s waist.

“Olivia’s sword is the same.”

“Oh, then what does Sister Roalsa’s sword look like?” Eden asked, seemingly exceptionally interested in Roalsa’s sword, as he repeatedly inquired about its appearance.

“It’s a very long greatsword, about two meters in length.”

Everyone except Qing Yu gasped in surprise.

“What’s wrong, Aldoran?” Qing Yu asked, tugging at her sleeve.

“Using a two-meter-long greatsword as a weapon is exceedingly rare among all the knight orders in the kingdom,” Aldoran explained. “For a weapon to unleash its maximum destructive power, it must be enchanted.

While enchanted weapons are potent, their weight and hardness increase significantly.

Wielding an enchanted greatsword is already no easy feat, but Roalsa’s sword is a full two meters long; lifting it alone would be an immense challenge, let alone swinging it.”

Aldoran replied, remaining utterly calm throughout, as if this were hardly worth remarking upon.

After all, Roalsa commanded wind magic, and she could easily utilize the power of wind to wield the sword.

Indeed, Roalsa’s subsequent reply confirmed Aldoran’s conjecture.

“Actually, I’m not that formidable,” Roalsa admitted, “I merely use the power of wind magic to lift the sword.”

“What about the sword then? What about the sword? What else is special about it, besides its length?”

No sooner had Roalsa finished speaking than Eden thrust his face close to hers, almost touching her nose, rattling off a barrage of questions like a machine gun.

Among everyone present, no one was more fixated on the sword’s appearance than Eden.

Roalsa did not demur, for respecting men and their requests had always been her guiding principle.

“The hilt is quite long, around fifty centimeters, and silver in color, covered in iron rings,” Roalsa described. “The crossguard is carved into the shape of a dragon with folded wings, and the blade is nestled between the dragon’s wings.

The blade can be detached and spring out during combat, instantly increasing its attack range.

It also has inscriptions etched onto it, but I can’t read them.”

“I see,” Eden exclaimed, “Even though I don’t understand, it sounds like a formidable weapon!”

He clapped his hands, clearly thrilled.

“I don’t know the specifics either,” Roalsa admitted. “I’ve never actually used it; I’ve only lifted it a few times.

However, it’s said to have been passed down from my great-great-great-grandmother.

Legend has it that she used this sword to defeat a fearsome dragon, and that very dragon is now suppressed in Alast.”

Roalsa shrugged, unaware that upon hearing of Alast’s dragon, Aldoran’s expression visibly flickered for a moment.

In the previous town, she had heard similar words; the maiden in her dreams had told her to defeat the great dragon of Alast.

“But that was all a very long time ago, and no records can be found, so I don’t know if it’s true,” Roalsa continued. “However, it’s most likely just a story.”

Despite Roalsa’s words, the piqued interest of the group showed no signs of subsiding, especially Eden, who watched Roalsa with eager anticipation, waiting for her to recount the next part of the tale.

“Not necessarily,” Olivia interjected, carefully placing her bowl and chopsticks down and pulling out a tissue to meticulously wipe her mouth.

“Alast has only been established for fifty years.

In your ancestor’s era, Alast was still a wild jungle, so it’s quite possible that dragons resided there.

I’ve finished eating, thank you for the meal.”

“Oh, well, it’s all in the past anyway, so there’s no point in debating its truth,” Roalsa said, putting down her own bowl and chopsticks. “It’s far more practical to consider what we’ll eat tomorrow.”

She then carefully wiped the rice grains from Shasha’s collar.

“Exactly, exactly! Eating is the main business!”

Liliya agreed. “We Harpies have a famous saying: ‘Don’t keep spoiled food.'”

However, Thrud, whose mouth was still full of rice, immediately declared that Liliya had made that up herself and it was no famous saying.

“Thrud, really! Can’t you let me show off just once?”

Meanwhile, Qing Yu focused on his meal. “Aldoran, this is delicious, this is delicious,” he murmured, occasionally adding a bit more to Aldoran’s bowl.

Even though Aldoran was full, she continued to eat whenever Qing Yu served her.

“Sister Roalsa, tell us more, tell us more!” Eden pleaded, moving to sit beside her, begging for more details about the sword.

Eden even produced a notebook from somewhere and began sketching in it.

Thus, the dinner proceeded in a joyful atmosphere, until a knock sounded at the door.