Chapter 2178 Embarra.s.sment
?It was ingenious, even Dyon had to admit so. The fireflies would absorb the residual heat, use it to power the light they produced, and effectively lower the obscene temperatures of the world. As a result, unlike the desert bubble world that was nearly impossible for mortals to live in, it wouldn"t be difficult for one to do so in this Dark Flame world.
"… Father, Grandfather, this is an opportunity. I"m well aware of the risks, and now you two are as well. We cannot let it slip us by."
At this moment, Crystella faced her father and grandfather within an underground city.
The city"s on the surface were only the tip of this world"s iceberg. When it came to where the true power of this world was held, one could only find out more by sinking deep within it. Only those of great standing could find themselves a place in these underground havens.
The fireflies of the surface cities might lower the temperature to somewhat reasonable levels, but the underground world was completely cool and had a refreshing breeze sweeping through it. However, this wasn"t even top ten in the reasons why the underground world was so valuable.
Up above them, the roots of the trees that swept through their deserts could be seen. However, instead of being a ghastly sight, it was one with beauty beyond words.
The dark roots spread out in a web, covering the "skies" of the underground world. Along their dark bark, bulbs of light bobbed like the fruits of a heavenly tree.
Not only was it an absolutely gorgeous sight, but these bulbs of light carried their own purpose. And, it was this purpose that made certain that the density of qi in the underground world was easily even a hundred times that of the surface!
It was clearly a haven for the elite.
Crystella, her father and her grandfather were within the garden of their family mansion, the gentle light of the glowing fruits hovering far above their heads.
Crystella"s father was a middle-aged man with a large and robust build. He wore red robes just like his daughter, but his were outfitted with delicate silver and gold embroidery.
Her grandfather held a much gentler expression compared to her father. He too wore red robes, but his golden embroidery was so dense that one could almost mistake it for a golden robe with red embroidery instead.
At this moment, they both looked hesitant. Of course they were happy when Crystella said she brought home the third ranked alchemist on the certification ranking. They were aware how dangerous harboring Dyon was, but abandoning him later after taking advantage of what he could bring wasn"t too bad of an idea. And, if they managed to hide his existence, maybe they would never have to abandon him at all.
But, after Crystella continued with her story, their expressions only grew more and more solemn.
Suddenly, there was a shift at the gate and a gorgeous middle-aged woman appeared. The gentle features of her face, the slopes of her enticing curves, the elegance of her gait… It was difficult for one to tell that she was a day over 20 unless you dared meet her eyes.
"I hear that my daughter brought home a husband? Where is he, why don"t I see him?" The woman"s voice called out in a tease, causing Crystella to blush deeply.
"Oo? Blushing? Now I really must meet this young man…."
Suddenly Crystella froze, realizing something. She hadn"t told anyone about her attempt to take Dyon as a husband. She had left it out of the story she told her father and grandfather. And, she obviously knew that Dyon wouldn"t go around mouthing off like that, such a thing was far beneath a man so powerful.
So, how did her mother know?
"Tedric!" Crystella"s embarra.s.sment gave way to anger. For a woman who hardly showed emotions to show so many now, it was clear just how fl.u.s.tered Dyon had her.
Before she could address the confusion of her parents and grandfather, a fl.u.s.tered maid rushed in, bowing in apology several times.
"I"m sorry, I"m sorry… Please punish me…" The maid stuttered several times over. "The young man you charged me with young mistress has disappeared. I believe he"s entered young mistress" Master"s abode…"
Simultaenously, all four of them froze.
As for the young man in question, Dyon himself didn"t care much about this. He had only come here for one purpose, why would he waste his time loitering around?
"… So it really is you." Dyon"s gaze met a pair of gorgeous eyes.
"Who?!" The woman suddenly found Dyon standing before her.
Her fairy-like appearance flashed with several emotions. Confusion, then indifference, then, as though she suddenly sensed something, she erupted into a violent rage, a fan appearing in her delicate palm as she attacked Dyon with all she could muster.
The family mansion quaked and groaned, everyone turning their heads toward the direction of her surging might.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dyon put his hands up as though surrendering, but that unfortunately didn"t stop the closed fan from smashing into the center of his chest.
Dyon felt that the air was completely knocked out of him, his bones flexing inward before rebounding out. Though he hadn"t broken anything, it was most definitely not a comfortable feeling to say the least.
The good news was that Dyon"s defensive prowess was even better than he himself had calculated. To not even fracture a bone under that kind of attack was more than just a little impressive. It showed that the automatic dispersal of attacks throughout his body was working perfectly.
The bad news was that this woman was a headache. The Dragon King had warned him that he should avoid both Amethyst and Kukan because they would most definitely react in this way, but Dyon had just a.s.sumed he was exaggerating.
Both women should have known that by leaving their Faith Seeds behind to be inherited, this would likely happen at some point. How was it his fault they didn"t make plans for this possibility?